#when i made these guys i sort of thought ruby would be the angsty one

[esotericas-sims]

A grand afternoon out in the snow. Everyone has a wonderful time, except perhaps the two Georges. Marseille ends up with a coatful of snow, and George Brink can't seem to get his feelings for Ruby out of his head, even in this broad new world of opportunities.

Ruby, however, is loving life.

Playing with SeveralPerson’s Ultimate Decades Challenge Rules

Started: 1800

Current year: 1885

Family tree

Spreadsheet

CC Finds

[stylistiquements]

There was the silence and there were the stars | Corpse husband x reader -Among Us AU

Among us AU : There was something. Something in the silence and the harsh coldness -that only space was capable of- that turned your brain into a sarcastic and bored mess. Maybe that’s why you found yourself so interested by any sabotage pulled on the crewmates, maybe that’s what made him so interesting to witness. He was different from the rest of you. Different to an extend you were about to understand.

❚ Word count : 4.2k ❚ Warning : A bit angsty but you will get that fluffity fluff and touch starve feeling you require I promise ; swearing ❚ Note : there will be no mention of death or killing as it is basically a real life Among us, just some shenanigans. Y/C : your/color

A/N : This little thing was inspired by -⭐️ anon. It was a fun thing to write even though it took me way too long because I asked my brain “sir may I pls have the focus capacity I need” and brain said no (: so yeah, this is litteraly just me ranting n complaining about space. This is a bit angsty but as what if is way too happy for me that was a nice opportunity. I hope you won’t mind and appreciate it anyway. As always just let me know. As it’s my first time writing like a one shot thingy I’m really curious to know. Also it’s supposed to be proofread but if you find any mistake just take ur glasses off. Thanks. Enjoy the wild ride. 

You met him again. He was fixing wires while you were downloading some files on the computer. Difficulties happened regularly around here; various oddities that occurred from time to time, sometimes a few times a day. It would go from doors closing mysteriously to no electricity, you never knew which one it would be. Those inconveniences used to draw a smile on your lips, a grin you tried your best to hide from everyone else. The sound of the urging siren resounded in your head like a call, reviving the last spared spark left in your brain. At this point, you were pretty sure it was one of your crewmates’ doing, too many coincidences for any other options to be left. You didn’t mind though. The game started months ago but still amused you to this day. 

He never let a word escape his mouth. To your awareness, no one knew anything about him, no one had ever heard the sound of his voice which you could only dare to imagine since the two of you met. It felt silly, you fabricated this voice inside your head, a half-finished melody you played to keep your mind busy. It would have sounded just as an old piano would. So slightly out of tune that maybe, if you didn’t care enough or wished for it not to be true, you wouldn’t even notice. 

You called him black. It resonated with the color of his suit and the darkness that emanated from his soul. Not that he looked like a mischievous character, but rather like someone who would have been gnawed by life for years. A shade that reminded you of the bittersweet feeling 4 AM forced you to taste. Describing that presentiment was a challenge you couldn’t take. It was one of those things that had to be felt, not narrated. 

Shit.

He caught you staring again. How could you look any other way? There was something with him that appealed to you, that pulled your eyes toward his direction every time. Probably only a peak of unwarranted curiosity you couldn’t really be blamed for, probably the oh-so mysterious aura that floated so carelessly around him. He always had this way of sneaking in and out, just as if he was nothing but his own shadow. 

Yet, being near him was easy. Silence only felt comfortable when he was in your surroundings. The whole world stopped existing -and it had in fact since the first day you two met.

He had dark charcoal hair which fell so perfectly in curly strands around the two horns that crowned over his head. Paired with two ruby hued eyes, he truly was a sight for sore eyes. A wicked and breathtaking beauty, so unique it gave you the impression that he wasn’t even human. 

He used to hop in a vent after finishing his tasks. As if his true home was there; a secret hideout for him and him only. You didn’t even know it was a thing before you watched it with your own eyes. Who wouldn’t blame him. If you could have escaped that warmth deprived place too, even for 5 minutes, you would have. 

That’s why you never asked any question about it nor tried to investigate further. Being stuck in space was only a kid’s fantasy, nothing a fully conscious adult would inflict to themselves. Which, in itself, was pretty much self-explanatory about everyone’s mental condition in here.

It was also a pre-established rule, no questions. No one ever expressed it out loud, but you would have to be a fool not to guess it. Every crewmate grew accustomed to the deadly silence only space had to offer. A giant timeless hole where nothing really happened. With nothing but the smell of technology and the constant purr of engines as the only distractions left. See, living in a spaceship was no ordinary lifestyle : days and nights melted into each other until it became nothing but a groundless concept. The crewmates perceived it as comforting for some reason. You used to shrug it off, no questions. How unethical would you be to disturb their peace? 

If you had to be honest, you would probably say that you felt bad for Black. Nothing like pity, but being alone in this stark and brutal silence for this long must have been pretty life-consuming. That’s why, even though it made your cheeks and the tip of your ears flame up in a raw and unforgivable tint of pink, you always kept looking into his eyes for one more second after he noticed you. Just to be sure he knew that he wasn’t alone in this shit hole. You stared into the depth of those ruby eyes, hunting for silent answers to questions you weren’t even sure of in the first place. He never quivered, only stood motionless until his task was completed. Just locking the eye contact. After that, he always ran away as silently as he existed. Leaving your head disturbingly empty. 

Every single time. 

Something changed one day. You were about to prepare some test samples when it happened. He jumped off a vent and you followed his movements from the corner of your eyes, too distracted to remember about the task that was assigned to you. He ran to the door and proceeded to shut it. Within the last second, the one that always lasted hours, he put an index in front of his mouth. Silently asking for you not to say a word. And before the steel door could obstruct your vision completely, you noticed a smile on his lips. A smile that made the whole spaceship turn inside out, draining the blood out of your body in a painstaking, almost sore way. There you stood, intoxicated by stupefaction and trapped as a cat. 

Black mutated you into a self-depreciating joke : in here, you were only interestied in the impostor. The only one who made your day a little better was the one giving nightmares to the others. 

It was him, from the beginning. It was him and he smiled. A grin that twinkled maliciously from his lips to his eyes, wounding your heart in an insoluble way. It made every prejudice you had about him crumble : he was no longer that miserable existence you sensed he was but a quiescent sun that could radiate all around him once unleashed into the world. How did he do that? How could he be both the tunnel and the light at the end of it?

When red came to the rescue, she described you with a glare. She judged you in the not-so-pleasant way. You could always count on those glares to know their opinions about you. Because their judgment would have to be expressed one way or another. She thought you looked suspicious, with your half poured concoction into a hand and the rest of it in the other, just staring blankly into the void. You wouldn’t blame her for that. 

It stuck with you for days, filling your empty mind with the sight of a smile that could no longer be experienced. The scene shamelessly repeated itself in your mind until it became nothing but a progression of disassembled images, forcing you to taste the astonishment over and over again. The problem was, you hadn’t seen him for days. And, even though you wanted to know what happened, you couldn’t ask. That was the rule. 

What would you say anyway ? Black is the imposter and I watched him close medbay’s door ? Yeah, I don’t think so. You should have stopped him in the first place -and you would have if you weren’t just mesmerized.

So, you took each day -or night … or piece of time, whatever you wanted to call it since it was no longer existent- with composure. Forcing yourself to do any task with a meticulousness that didn’t look like you. Just to make sure your brain was busy enough not to think about it or him. Being trapped in a place and being trapped in your own mind are two different wrestles, yet in here those two intertwined perfectly. Just like the rest of it, it didn’t even make any sense : the guy smiled at you for ten seconds and here you were, an absolute clutter of questions and recollection. You were probably just too bored and he, as always, was the perfect distraction. That must have been it, right?

You walked in admin. Your heart skipped a beat before your eyes could process who stood in front of them. 

Look what the cat dragged in. 

His hair twirled flawlessly above his face, almost hiding a grimace that indicated so transparently his mind. You leaned against the door frame and crossed your arms, unabashedly watching him as he swiped his card frantically while sighting heavily every time that “bip” of failure rang. 

Eventually, he looked at you with an expression you couldn’t quite read. You tried anyway, staring at him as if he was some sort of work of art that needed to be decrypted. From the way his chest moved heavily under the pressure of the irritation to the way his glowing eyes witnessed you. This expression on his face gave him a funny look, a scowl which made the laugh that tickled your throat hard to hold back. 

“Y-you have to do it slower. Otherwise, it won’t work” you stuttered. “I guess it’s harder since …” 

You walked to him carefully, so carefully you forgot your words. Just as if he was a wild animal who could run away if scared. Making sure no step would fall out of line. He was so close, so close, maybe if you tried to catch him this time he would stop running away. 

“Since it’s not my job, right ? Is that what you were about to say ?” he asked with a low voice, a voice you would have never dared to picture for him. Not the broken tone you pictured but a melody so sweet and so unique it felt like it was made just for your ears to enjoy, taunting you to dive into his mind.

“Do you need help” ? 

“I- hum- You’re not supposed to help me, you know ?” he stuttered, visibly amused, judging by the way his eyes wrinkled under his smile. 

“Are you gonna lock me in the room once again ?” He shook his head as a chuckle escaped from his lips. “Then who cares” you finally breathed.  

Your fingers brushed against his warm skin as you grabbed the card. You tried to appear unbothered, hoping so intensely for the swipe to be a first try success. That way, maybe he wouldn’t notice the way you breathed heavily under the weight of your pounding heart. But those red eyes piercing through the depth of your soul were hardly bearable for those like you who suffered from unbeknownst afflictions. 

You grew aware of his every move, the way those eyes fell on you, the perfume that emanated from his skin, the sound of his slow yet noticeable respiration.

You gave him his card back and he captured your fingers in the palm of his hand, making it impossible for you to escape his grip. Hiding those blushing cheeks from a sight that seemed to see everything was a defiance only the proudest people would be capable of. It wasn’t your case, but you counted on preserving the last sane cells left in your body. 

“Your secret is safe with me.” You whispered, avoiding any eye contact.

“I know that.”

 A simple answer that would never be enough to satisfy you. Yet, before you could review the best option of an answer, he left. Just as he always did, he walked away silently -still this time it seemed to last an eternity- while you just stood there inertly as you watched his black silhouette disappear into the endless gray hallways. 

You finally caught the breath you had been holding this whole time. Leaning over, you observed your reflection into the screen of the digital tablet as you rubbed your hands together, hoping for that strange spike of electricity that ran through your fingers to fade away quickly. A mess.

“There you are, Corpse” green said as he sat cross-legged in black’s secret place “I’ve been looking for you.”

Corpse was the name green chose for Black, feeling like it would be the most suitable image for the one who always worked in the shadow. Not the most refined nickname, yet black ironically related to that. Silent as a Corpse, he thought. A level of sarcasm that amused him and which probably led to him immediately falling in love with it. 

Corpse observed the little sprout on the top of Green’s head. It floated lightly and followed his every move. What a little freak. Just a thing deprived of any sort of self consciousness, out of this world just like he felt he was. Corpse remained fixated on it, hoping he could get as self-aware as it was. The last impromptu reunion he had with you was nothing he had planned, nothing that should have happened. He wouldn’t exactly call it a mistake and still, he had no one else but him to blame.

“Did something happened with y/c ? You seem a little flustered.” Green asked, pulling Corpse out of his overflowed mind. 

“I don’t know, I think I kinda fucked up.” He replied with a shrug. “I’ve been spotted.”

“Was it really a mistake ?”

Green was the only one who was granted with the privilege of learning how to understand Corpse. Because, deep inside, they grew up to be the same kind : the kind that didn’t belong here. Two sides of the same coin. 

Green’s social intelligence, on the other hand, Black didn’t like it that much. Thanks to that guy, he would be able to work comfortably in the darkness, where no one could see him, but it also meant that he saw clearly what was going through Corpse’s mind. Actually, it didn’t take him too long. 

What was the surprise when he realized it was you who lived rent-free in his thoughts? See, in Corpse’s eyes you were different from the others : too conscious about the reality that happened before yours eyes. It made you interesting to observe. What a delightful sight it was to watch you rolling your eyes in your crewmates’ face, to notice the serious look you had when you were focused on a task, the way your eyes sparkled every time a new sabotage was made. He wouldn’t track you, yet he would never resist a peek once your paths crossed. It happened often, more than you actually realized.

Yet, Corpse was no fool. You and him never belonged together. You were destined to a bright destiny and he was the obscurity. That’s why he was more than careful not to get too close, not to see his bare mind get burnt under the exposition of those peculiar feelings in the pit of his stomach. 

That’s why his previous reaction made no sense to him. But what could he say? You took him aback when those words were directed at him. You made his short-circuited brain unable to be sensible anymore. He just wanted to know what your touch would feel like under his fingers. Why was his skin blazing with electricity now ?

Corpse swallowed it all. From the blossoming feeling inside his body and mind to the warmth and the softness of your skin. He couldn’t feel that way. “I’m not really sure.” he finally said, as honest as he could be with himself. 

He would spend his next few days planning with Green, cornering you to a small part of his brain. You couldn’t be there, you had no right to be. The game was progressing faster than they anticipated it. It made him thrilled, accepting the challenge no one but the two of them could bear. 

However, a new unwanted seed grew into his mind. The idea that, maybe, you were only by his side in this game. That, maybe he would never be able to witness your existence in the real world.

“Have you ever noticed how weird the stars look sometimes ?” Corpse asked as he joined navigation. You jumped and your mind turned into a scattered place stuck between a task you battled to achieve and the proximity left between the two of you. Your heart beat in rhythm with his echoing, never ending footsteps. Still you had, indeed, noticed. “It’s like they’re not even real” you answered with a smile that made your voice higher. A melodic lift that betrayed your intention of ever finishing your job. 

When you finally looked at him, his lips moved into a satisfied curve. Shivers tickled your arms and your neck. Maybe because he was just standing so perfectly still in front of the glass window. So perfectly still that, among all those celestial bodies, he appeared to be the most beautiful one.  “Mind keeping me company for a bit?” Your mouth betrayed you when the question escaped your grip. But Corpse snorted faintly and shook his head.

“From all the people in here you want to spend time with me ? That’s probably not your wisest decision.” He said as he tried to muffle a high pitch laugh with a hand that covered his mouth.

See, that’s the words he had been afraid of since the first time he saw you. The words he would have to turn into derision since he knew he would have no strength to refuse. Yet, you stood there with those glimmering eyes and those eyebrows that arched in a strange manner, cutting every single inch of air out of his lungs. Even if he wanted to say no -and he should- he wouldn’t have been able to.

It was never meant to happen, not judging by your two so hostily opposed nature. Fuck that shit. Who cared about that speech when you were here and you were so beautiful?

You moved closer to him, a strenuous and slow tense that shouldn’t be disregarded. You’ve had seen the same scenery for months yet never it made you feel the same way as you did at that very moment. Because those balls of lights floating into the void shimmered in his ruby hued iris just as a dozen of fireflies would. He made your world a little blurry, narrowed to his presence at your side.

“You forgave me really easily the last time we met.” He noticed. “That’s a little sus if you asked me.”

“Well, what can I say ? You’re the only distraction I have left, so I’m not really in the position to hold grudges.” You shrugged sarcastically. 

“You’re really funny, I have to concede that” he said as his smile made its way to his eyes. 

Your brutally honest words intertwined with his chuckles and crewmates never heard the spaceship as lively as that time. That time when you got to discover who Corpse really was. A man who hid his blooming existence behind a silence.

“Why did you stay silent this whole time ?” You dared to ask before the silence fell upon the two of you, a silence that maybe you wouldn’t be able to endure this time.

“Because I never wanted to lie”

“I- ...hum- there’s really nothing I could say against that, right ?”

With every grin, every chuckle, every abrupt eye contact, your proximity kept embedding his mind a little deeper until you stole the stars’ show completely. It’s no good, you held his breath hostage when he realized he could feel the warmth stemming out of your skin. So tempted to get closer and witness it with further clearness. 

Thus, he lifted a hand that starved connection. He tried to close the gap between your two touches so prudently, so discreetly that you didn’t even notice. A touch, that would go beyond his movement, more like a proof he needed to make sure someone like you really existed in a shithole like this.  

He was so close. 

Yet, the alarm rang before he could embrace the object of his desire. “Better check that out quickly” you said with a sigh. Somehow, it felt peculiar just knowing that, this time, you were the one running away. A sense of some sort of joke played by space. As if space hadn’t done enough. When Green cut the communication, he couldn’t realize -If only he knew the double meaning of that sabotage. Ah, the irony of it all. 

“I’ll see you soon” Corpse informed you, more of a promise than a farewell and he stayed there long enough, staring numbly at his hand.

You ran until the communication room, holding this bittersweet feeling on the tip of your tongue. You tried to swallow it and almost found yourself praying that no one would arrive before you could. This way, maybe your fugue would make more sense. 

Blue was already sitting on the floor, trying to find the good frequencies. “I’m already on it.” she said on a plain, monotone voice. Of course, she fucking would be. 

Now what was left to do ? Corpse was probably already gone and-and the silence … the silence had returned. A dead, cold, cruel silence. It tested out your nerves, built up some pressure down your throat that made keeping your composure barely possible. Corpse slipped between your fingers again. The game was no longer a funny and pleasant diversion from the plain, austere daily life you had. You grew tired of that cat and mouse game. You just wanted him.

After going back to the oh-so empty navigation room, you completed your tasks. And you were finally done. You wandered around for hours, days -who knows-, searching for a purpose. 

The game was coming to an end, you could feel it. Something in the air changed, it became dryer than ever. Unbearable on your skin that ached for something you couldn’t apprehend. The crewmates were agitated, everyone kept running around day and night just to make sure the last tasks would be completed as soon as possible. New difficulties were triggered almost as soon as the last ones ended. Chaos. 

Just as if he wasn’t ready to end the game so soon, as if he didn’t want to get the hell out of this place as much as you did. From time to time, you almost found yourself eager to ignore the alarm. Taunting him one last time by neglecting his call. 

Maybe that way he would show up, maybe that way he would stay with you. Yeah, maybe that way he would stop being nothing but an ephemeral being that almost made you wonder if you finally gave up on your mind to the silence. Because at that moment he only felt like a chimera your brain created to protect you. Because you were just so fucking bored.  

You gave up on that idea, turning on the CCTV as you sighed. Just to see more colorful suits running around, trying to hold their shit together for what appeared to be the ultimate hour. Despite all the sabotages, it seemed like your number made your strength. You imagined Corpse’s face, probably piqued. A dark frown covering his pretty eyes. It made your lips twitch for a second. Who knew it would end this way ? Definitely not you. 

Yet that amused smile faded away when you heard the familiar sound of the door closing, locking you in yet another time. You rolled your eyes and turned around, unprepared to witness who locked themselves with you. His body laid against the door, guarding it as his chest moved frenetically under the weight of his rushing breath. 

“This is the end” he whispered frantically under his breath. He doesn’t look as worried as you thought he would, but it didn’t matter. You moved impulsively toward him, never stopping until he snaked a hand around your waist and slipped the other one in your back. That way, this time, there were no escape. 

He let his head rest in the hollow of your neck, soaking the divine and comforting warmth you had to offer. His warm breath on your skin sent shivers through your body which responded by squeezing him a little tighter, holding him as close to your heart as humanly possible. You could feel his, beating so fast.

“This is the end.” His whisper grounded on your skin. 

He lifted his head to dive into your eyes with the same sweet smile you offered him. The one which expressed the happiness, the relievment it felt to embrace him. 

“If it were for you, I would do it all over again.” You said, pressing your forehead against his, sharing a breath as you closed your eyes. One last attempt to memorize everything about him. You sensed his smile, so wide you didn’t even have to look at it to see. He left a trail of kisses on your cheeks and your hand wandered in his hair as a faint gasp escaped your lips.

Corpse looked back at you. And then, as his thumb drew light circles on your cheek. With glowing eyes that translated all the adoration he felt for you, he whispered “Maybe it was just meant to be”. And then, he closed the distance between the two of you, brushing your lips softly at first before capturing them completely once he was sure you felt the same way as he did. A kiss that tasted like 4AM and home. 

“I’ll find my way back to you, my love. I’ll find you in the real world.” He promised.

[itstittycitybaby]

Flirty (Lin Beifong x reader) Part 5

a/n: brooooo. liinnnnnn. pulllll uuppppppp brooooo. kiss?? kiss for monty?? right here?? please?? also this took like. two fucking hours to write lmao. i just want that to be known.

Warnings: This is VERY angsty and sad. Proceed with caution.

You waved Opal off with the others as the airship left. It was sad having to see her go. You knew she’d do great training with the other airbenders. She was so sweet and clever. Opal seemed excited to join the other benders at the air temple. Even though you felt happy for her it didn’t stop the ping of jealousy in your heart. Maybe if you had finally become a bender your mother and father would’ve been proud of you. Maybe they would finally love you.

You glanced to your side. Lin stood next to you with her arms were crossed and and a frown on her face. She looked annoyed and tired. You snickered. “What are you laughing at?” You shook your head, grinning. “Nothing. Couldn’t help but realize how grumpy you are. Sad to see her go?” Lin scoffed. It seems like you were right. 

The sky was pink and purple as the sun set. The metal shields whirred to life, slowly covering the pretty sky. You watched them sadly as they closed in on one another. The sky was so beautiful at night. If only you could see it.

*****

The metal roof was cool underneath you. Azure was curled up in the collar of your turtle neck sleeping. Ruby pecked at the bird seed in your hands gently. The lights in Zaofu glowed softly, illuminating the streets. It was really a beautiful city.

Lin was more distant lately. She didn’t seem to pay any attention to you or care about the others. You knew that it’d happen eventually, but it still hurt. It made  the stone in your stomach roll more. It sunk heavily underneath the surface and jabbed at your heart. The anxiety of being abandoned still jostled and tore at your soul. It never seemed to go away. At this point you figured it never would.

 Thirty years was a long time. So much had happened in thirty years. A lot of loss and heartbreak had tore you down, leaving you on the ground defenseless. Even though life seemed to always strike you down you stilled waited. Waiting for a miracle to happen as you laid there reflecting. Now, it seemed like it was your chance. It didn’t matter how long it could take. You’d always wait for Lin.

She still held a fondness for you. Her eyes softened for a second once she saw you and she wasn’t as snarky. It was a start. As much as you wanted to kiss her face and hold her close, Lin needed time. She was impatient but you weren’t. The waiting game was something you were incredibly talented at. Thirty years of waiting you thought was the test. Now, it seemed like it was more of a test than ever. You glanced up at the covered sky. The stars had always comforted you before, it was a shame they were hidden now.

Ruby stilled in your hand, peering into the distance. “What is it Ruby,” you asked, jutting your head forward. Your eyes narrowed and your brows tugged together. Azure pecked you in the neck for waking him up. “Sorry drama queen, but you gotta go home!” Immediately, Azure flew out of your collar. You watched him go until he was out of sight. ��Ruby, go fetch Lin! Bring her to me.” She sqwaked and flapped her wings. Grabbing your grappling hook, you aimed it at a crevice in the building in front of you. The button was smooth once you pressed it with the pad of your thumb. It shot out immediately making a soft swoosh sound. It clinked softly against the beam you aimed it at and swung you forward. Rotating your hips, you glided into the air. You wiggled slightly for better control and momentum. Your boots met the roof and your grappling hook quietly zipped back in place. Once you got to your destination,  you rolled onto the pavement with a soft thud. In the distance you could see them. Four people were creeping at a window. Korra.

****

“What,” Lin groaned, tugging her pillow over her head. Ruby shrieked and pecked at her fingers. She tried swatting at the bird but to no avail, Ruby wouldn’t let go. “Ow! Little shit. When I find them they’re gonna-”

Boom! Lin bolted up from her bed, flinging open her door she saw Mako and Bolin tumbling onto the pavement. Bang, Bang. Lin snapped her head. Speak of the devil.

There were two weapons clutched in your hands tightly. They were shooting out some weird metal pellets. You grunted as you swiftly dodged some sort of water arm. “Lin,” you shouted, “They’ve got Korra!” Lin broke into a sprint, guarding Mako and Bolin as they came back to their senses. Her scanned the area quickly and followed where you aimed. Four people stood in the middle of the court yard. There was a woman flailing her arms at anyone who dared to come closer, along with a lady that was creating explosions with her mind.

 Lin rose her fists and the metal around Korra’s attackers surrounded them. Your pellets hit the metal as soon as they came up. You cursed, taking cover behind a fallen pillar and loaded your pistols again. Suyin and her sons ran to you raising the rest of the metal around the attackers. All four of them were trapped.

“We have you surrounded it’s over!” Ruby landed on your shoulder as you trained your eyes on the target. “Good girl Rubes,” you whispered, stroking her softly. Suddenly, a rumbling noise shook the ground under you. Lava lazily slid out from the metal panes. “Lava bender,” you shouted, “Everyone, hop back!” You jumped back a few feet from the quickly pooling lava. The metal fell with a creak from the lava. It surrounded them, pushing you all fifteen feet away from Korra.

“No way. That guy’s lava bending! That’s awesome!..ly not good for us,” Bolin murmured. You stifled a laugh. Lin glared at you with her fists clenched. You shrugged in reply before getting back to the fight.

****

An explosion was sent your way for what felt like the twentieth time. You barely dodged it; the wind of it grazed your side. Ruby fluttered about, dodging their attacks swiftly. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to be by your side or fly from the danger. You couldn’t blame her; you wished you were back on the metal roof and not having your joints aching like hell. Ducking, you behind a metal pane as soon as another explosion swept by. Your boots skidded onto the pavement. Ruby flew to your side immediately. “You’re doing great girl,” you comforted her. 

Lin, Mako, Bolin, and Asami joined you behind the metal cover. “What should we do,” Bolin cried as he and Mako started hurling fire and rocks at the attackers’ way. Asami crouched in nothing but her nightgown. “Hey Asami?” “Yea?” You handed her one of your daggers. “Just in case,” you said, sending her a smile. She looked thankful as she gripped it.

“Look,” Lin shouted, pointing to the airbending guy. “They’ve been split up now!” A guard somehow had managed to get him away from the group. In the distance you could see Korra laying on the rock with lava around it. Mako hurled another fire ball at the explosion lady but the water bender blocked it with her arms. The chick focused on the four of you, a lazer starting to form from her forehead.

The explosion collided with another metal plane. Asami snapped her head behind her. Suyin and her sons blocked the lazer just in time. They caught up with the five of you and all eight of you huddled for protection. Your body blocked anything coming Asami’s way as you stood on the defense side of fighting.

 “How did they get in here,” Lin yelled over the explosions. “I don’t know, but they won’t get away,” Suyin exclaimed. 

“There’s no way to cross,” Asami muttered, as she watched the guards being flung from the metal bridge they had built to the four criminals. Suyin eyes narrowed as she observed the scene in front of her. Her green eyes lit up as an idea striked through her head. “We don’t need to. Lin and I can get up there and use our cables.” “Good idea,” Lin replied, following her gaze to where her sister looked. “How are we going to get past her?” You followed Lin’s eyes. “Don’t worry. Bolin and I will have your back.” Her brows furrowed. “How?” “I don’t know,” you answered honestly, “But you have to trust me.”

Lin furrowed her brows. She didn’t say anything but eventually agreed. “Alright, I trust you.” You smiled. “Take Ruby with you.” “Why?” “I don’t want her getting hurt. Besides, she’ll be the first to warn you in the air.” Lin looked at you with disbelief but stretched her arm out to the red bird anyway. “Take care of her Rubes,” you whispered, as Lin and Suyin disappeared into the air.

You raised your pistols. “Bolin! I need you to hit the third eye lady!” Bolin yelled, “I can’t get a good shot!” “Keep trying,” you yelled, firing more pellets.

****

Bolin’s rock hit her square in the head. She stumbled, and her face pulled in anger. Taking this as your shot, you fired a pellet in her damn forehead. Lightening shot out once it made contact. “Holy,” Bolin and Mako murmured at the same time. The lightening traveled through her body and it reached her face. A scream ripped out of her chest. The water armed lady snapped her head towards her. Lin’s eyes widened in shock as the explosion chick toppled over. “Lin!” Suyin’s voice snapped her out of her surprised state. Taking this as her chance, Lin grabbed Korra, swinging her over her shoulder. Korra groaned but laid limp. Ruby’s screeching pierced through Lin’s ears. Lin swung her hips to the right and the water bender’s arm reached out to were she was seconds ago. “Clever bird,” Lin muttered, eyes wide as she slowly raised up into the hidden panel.

The air bender scooped up the unconscious third eye lady. The lava bender and the water bender sent a death glared towards you. “We failed! Move out,” he commanded. Twirling his staff with one hand, he swept  air above the four of them. It became darker and darker from the smoke and flames. The four of you coughed from choking on smoke. When the air bubble slowly dissipated, they were gone.

****

Korra laid on one of the green couches in Su’s study. She was awake but her voice was hoarse. Lin and Suyin hovered over her as Aiwei treated Korra. Bolin, Mako, and Asami sat on the couch across from them. Asami had given you your dagger back once you all met up in Suyin’s study. Ruby stood on your shoulder with you by the door. She wasn’t hurt thankfully, but she was very skittish. “You’ll be getting all the almonds you want tomorrow,” you told her, stroking her feathers. She tweeted softly, beak nuzzling your hand softly.

“You assured me this was the safest place in the world,” Lin said harshly as Korra drank the bottle Aiwei gave her. “It is,” Suyin argued defensively, “don’t blame me! It was well planned, how could I have known?!” Your face tugged in thought as you listened to their arguing. The metal shields that came up prevented from anything entering or leaving. There was no way they could’ve got in..unless...

“You have a traitor in your city Suyin,” you said softly. “That’s how they got in.” Aiwei got up and cast Suyin an apologetic look. “They’re right. It seems the four of them had some inside knowledge in Zafou.”

“We searched throughout the entire estate. There’s no sign of them.” A guard stood in the doorway of Suyin’s study. “Well keep looking,” Lin snapped. They nodded and left.

“The- The guards. It had to be one of them.” You all snapped to Korra. She rubbed her head with the heel of her palm as she sat up. She sounded so weak. “I agree,” Aiwei said. “Question them all!” Suyin sounded so angry. You cast a glance towards Lin. Her brows had sunk in anger and her green eyes twinkled dangerously. Everyone looked nervous and afraid. “This has been one hell of a night,” you mumbled to yourself. “I could use a drink.”

****

“We’re getting no where,” Lin growled, as Aiwei dismissed the guard. “Things like this take time Lin,” you reassured her softly. “We’ll find them.” Lin grumbled and crossed her arms. Bolin looked at her surprised. Usually she’d snap and berate anyone who dared to talk back at her. Now that he thought of it, Lin never seemed to snap at you. He tilted his head at you questioningly. You waved him off, eyes turning back to watch the interrogations.

“You should be doing this,” Lin huffed, turning to you. “It’s your area of field after all.” You hummed, “You’re not wrong.” Suyin interjected, “Aiwei is a trusted member of my council. He’s family. Are you saying he can’t be trusted?” 

“It’s better to investigate everyone,” you said. “Never know who it could be.” “Exactly,” Lin gritted out narrowing her eyes at Suyin. Su scoffed at her. “Are you insinuating it could’ve been me.” “Someone higher up could’ve done it.” Suyin rolled her eyes. “Fine. Aiwei question me. I’ve got nothing to hide.” He nodded, “If you wish.”

****

Suyin rose from her chair. “She is telling the truth,” Aiwei confirmed, turning to Lin. She groaned. She couldn’t believe this. Zaofu was supposed to be the safest city in the world. Who let these criminals infiltrate the city? Aiwei’s eyes turned to you. They narrowed suspiciously. “Oh my god,” you huffed, crossing your arms. “You’re not even considering me are you?” “Sit.” You sighed, moving around Korra to the chair across from Aiwei.

“There’s no way they could’ve done it,” Bolin interjected. “They were the first ones there! If they were on their side they would’ve been with the others!” “It’s fine Bolin,” you reassured him. At least someone had your back. “It’s just an investigation.” He shrunk but you could see his green eyes still filled with worry.

****

“They’re lying.” “What?” You laughed in disbelief. “I didn’t do it!” “(Y/N).” Your eyes snapped to Lin’s. Surely, she had to believe you. Oh how wrong you were. Lin’s eyes were cold as she stared into your soul. Her fists clenched by her sides and her aura felt betrayed. The blood in your veins ran cold. The air in the room felt suffocating and your heart tore into two. She didn’t believe him did she? “I suggest we search their place.”

They all got up and left for your chambers. Except for Lin. “Lin-” “Don’t. Say. Anything.” Her hard voice made you flinch. Lin shook her head in disbelief. Her back was turned to you, trembling. Lin swallowed thickly before muttering, “None of this was real.” Her voice shoke with every word she spoke. Lin shook her head one last time before leaving.

****

“This is a mistake!” The sound of the guards harshly pulling your drawers out and threw your clothes out rang in your ears. This can’t be real, this can’t be happening. “Hey!” A couple of guards shuffled through the plans on your desk aggressively. Ruby and Azure screeched in their cages. “Be careful with that,” you shouted as a guard picked up a project you had been working on for Suyin. You watched them helplessy destroy your chambers. All you could do was stand there and watch all of your hard work be destroyed. They went as far as flinging off the sheets from your bed along with the comfy pillows. 

“Found it!” Mako called, holding up a slip of paper from your desk. Suyin and Lin’s head perked up. Korra and Bolin stiffened behind them. Aiwei’s hand reached out for the slip of paper. Mako handed it to him sending a glare your way. Your jaw clenched tightly, but you didn’t say anything. Aiwei’s eyes widened and he lifted his head to you. “Team assembled. Ready to Rendezvous.” “And look at this,” Asami piped up from the bookshelf. She handed Aiwei a green book with fancy gold carvings on it. The silence in the room as he read through the pages made your heart sink even lower. The whole world was against you.“It’s the guards logs,” he muttered darkly as he flipped through it. “It’s filled with routes and their schedules.” 

“No,” you whispered. “It wasn’t me!” “Guards, seize them.” “Hey,” you shouted, as the guards swept towards you. Their hands tightened on your arms and they hauled you up. You swung your legs trying to get out of their grasp. “Wait a minute,” Bolin shouted, “Let them talk.” “We have enough evidence.” Lin. You snapped your eyes up to hers as the guards hauled you at. Her eyes were cold and unforgiving. She felt betrayed. She trusted you. They all trusted you. You were finally in her grasp and she latched on too quickly. She allowed the avatar to be vulnerable, because she trusted someone who wanted nothing to do with her years ago. This is why we can only trust ourselves, a voice told her, this is why we’re alone. “Take them to the interrogation room.” The doors swung closed muffling your shouts of protest. Lin felt her heart shatter again. No one said a word as they eventually shuffled out one by one. “Lin-” “I don’t want to hear it Suyin,” she muttered to her sister. “Just leave me alone.” Suyin’s eyes fell but she didn’t say anything. She gave a slight nod and left. The doors closed softly behind her. All Lin could hear was the soft twittering of your parakeets and the clock ticking on the wall. A cry left her throat. The tears flowed freely now and she raised her hand to her mouth, clamping it shut. Lin felt like she was going to vomit. She stood in the destroyed room alone. Paper was scattered and torn on the floor.

Lin clenched her jaw tightly. It begun to ache from her teeth grinding so hard. Another cry left Lin’s throat. She was a damn fool.

****

The cuffs on the table were cutting into your wrists. They were heavy and cold. The circulation in your blood was being cut off. Your ass felt numb from the stiff metal chair you were trapped in. The cold, sturdy metal dug into you. How long had it been?  Minutes? Hours? There wasn’t a way to tell. Tears welled in your eyes. Lin looked so disgusted with you. She wouldn’t listen to you. It was perfect, too perfect. Everyone was now against you in a matter of minutes. How was the evidence there? Someone must of snuck into your room and planted it there. But when? 

Aiwei. You chuckled; there was no joy or humor in it. “That bastard,” you snarled, nails digging into your skin. You ignored the pain that flared up in your palms.

Creak. The metal door opened slowly.You perked your head up at the it. You felt the lump in your throat tighten at the sight of her. Lin stood in front of you with no emotion on her face. Her green eyes were dull and her posture was upright once she sat down. There wasn’t an ounce of softness in her eyes anymore. The light had been replaced by hate. “I swear to you didn’t do it,” you whispered weakly, head hanging low. “I would never put you or Korra in danger.” “Liar.” You snapped up to her. Lin swallowed thickly as she peered into your soul. Her eyes were hallow. You’d rather have her look at you with anger then seeing her eyes filled with nothing.

 “I wouldn’t hurt you Lin. What could I gain by forming an attack on you and the avatar? You know I care about you.” Lin’s jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed into angry slits. “You think your words are going to make me care? I thought you were better than that. Now, I don’t know what to believe anymore. ” Her tone was cold. The walls around her were back up again. She looked at you with disgust. But more importantly, she looked at you with hurt in her eyes. 

“The evidence. Explain that.” “It’s not mine..Aiwei...” you whispered. The tears in your eyes fell freely. Your lips pulled back into a grimace and you whimpered. The darkness in the room swallowed you. “Are you claiming that he had something to do with it? How childish, now you’re putting the blame on someone else. Grow up.” Her words made you flinch. No longer was it Lin sitting in front of you. It was your mother.

 “Please... you have to believe me I-” “(Y/n).” You looked up at her. “Who were those people?” “I don’t know,” you replied, voice slightly raising. Lin arched a brow. Your stress levels were high. It was dark, it was too dark and you felt like the room was choking closing in on you. The woman you loved now looked at you with hatred in your eyes. Your breathing became shallow and you choked on the stale air in this shitty interrogation room.

“Breathe,” Lin commanded, “Get your fucking shit together!” Her hands slammed down on the table. It echoed throughout the cold and dark interrogation room. You swallowed your breath and choked an exhale out. Tears poured out of your eyes. Your heart in your chest was being sliced up and bruised from Lin’s harsh words. Spirits, why was everything spinning so fast.

I didn’t want it to come to this,” you whimpered. “I never wanted this to happen.” She swallowed thickly. “I hope you’re proud of yourself. Do I even matter to you?” You sniffled, “Of..Of course Lin. H-how could you say that? I told you I’d do anything for you!” Her nostrils flared. “Then why are you lying to me?” “I’m not,” you cried. “I’m not, I do love you Lin.” Lin’s eyes widened. Her eyes started to water and her throat tightened. She refused to cry in front of you. She had been weak before, she wouldn’t be weak now. “No, you never meant a single word that you said to me. You’re a damn liar.” Your lip quivered and you let out a whimper. Everything was falling apart.

She looked so disgusted with you. Your presence was a reminder of how frail she really was. Lin would never be the strong and tough woman she had always aspired to be. You saw the cracks in her facade and manipulated her for your own gain. Everyone’s life was on the line because of her. Korra almost got kidnapped because she had been so careless. Lin was ashamed at herself for believing your lies and making her feel happy again.

“You know what? I was wrong. You never really meant anything to me. You’re broken, you’re beyond fixing, you’re not something I want to take the time to handle.” You bit your quivering lip. You choked on the cry that wanted to cry its way out of your throat from swallowing it. The two of you stared at each other for what felt like an eternity.

She slowly rose up from her chair. The clinking of her metal armor was the only sound in the room. Her hand hovered over the door handle. “Lin.” She stiffened. Your voice sounded so heartbroken and sad. Her hand balled up into fists as she turned back to look at you. It hurt more having to see the tears and fear in your eyes. “Don’t give up one me.. I can’t loose you too.” Lin laughed. You flinched; the pain in her laugh echoed in the small dark room. “This is all your fault. It always comes back to this with you doesn’t it? Save your tears.”

“Why can’t we talk about this? Why can’t we just-” “Does it ever occur to you that I’m done talking? That I am done reflecting my words and actions? Can’t you just take a fucking hint that I’m done with you? I don’t want anything to do with you anymore.” You didn’t say anything. The tears made your vision blurry. The stunned silence gave the cue to Lin that it was time to leave. “Hope you’re proud, I’m done here.”

The sound of the door slamming shut was the thing that broke your resolve. The dam you had tried so hard to close had its walls torn open. Sobs left your trembling body. You cried so hard your throat begun to ache and your face became sluggish. Aiwei’s actions had been your undoing. Now, you were the one paying the price.

[amerrierworld]

La Vie En Rose

Ocean’s  8 - one shot

For anon!

Summary: You have a crush on Ruby Rose and love watching all her stuff all the time, and it brings Lou to an eventual breaking point.

Characters: Lou x fem!reader, mention of the wonderful Ruby Rose

Word Count: 1,248

Warnings: Angst! Miscommunication and jealousy between girlfriends (though eventually resolved) <3 

The day had been exhausting. Lou had spent most of her time at the club lugging around equipment, booze and incompetent workers who were getting on her nerves to the point where she wanted to break someone’s neck. 

As soon as she entered the apartment, she was expecting to see you right there, on a couch or maybe in the kitchen. Instead, it was quiet. 

Lou kicked off her heeled boots before dragging herself up the stairs to her master bedroom and adjoining bathroom to take a much needed shower.

When she opened the door, however, she was surprised to find you sitting in bed, covers bundled around you and a laptop on your lap. A familiar theme song came on and Lou nearly sighed in exasperation, but instead wandered over to you and sat down on the edge.

“Hey,” she said, clearly expecting a kiss with the way she leaned in. You blinked, having barely registered Lou coming into the room, but the distinct smell of vodka and motor oil stood out clear enough.

“Hey,” you said, giving her a small smile before looking back at your laptop screen where Orange is the New Black began playing. 

Lou sighed, shoulders slumping from exhaustion, and pressed a soft kiss to the side of your head before walking to the bathroom, knowing there was no way you’d tear yourself away from the screen when Ruby Rose came on. 

By the time Lou came out of the bathroom, clean but tired, you were on another episode with Ruby. Lou turned off the lights, crawling in bed next to you and  nearly nodding off if it wasn’t for your startled ‘hey!’ as the lights went out. 

“Hey yourself,” she grumbled, pressing her face in the pillow. “Turn the laptop off, babe. I’m trying to sleep.”

“The sun’s not even down, Lou. Plus, I’m watching my show,” you said, gesturing to the sun lingering on the horizon, knowing she couldn’t see you with her face against the pillow.

“Yeah yeah, the show with that really hot brunette and the tattoos, I get it. Can you let me sleep at least? There’s plenty of room downstairs, even a tv to hook up to if you wanna see her face so badly. On a giant screen, even.”

You could hardly respond, tearing your eyes away from Ruby Rose’s alluring gaze in the show to your girlfriend in the bed next to you. Her tone had been bitter, and harshly sarcastic. 

You gently closed the laptop, and instead reached over to turn on the lamp on your nightstand, filling the room with a soft light. Lou grumbled some more and curled further away from you.

You set the laptop on the stand and shuffled over to align your body with Lou’s, who muttered something into the pillow. You poked a finger to her shoulder, causing her to twitch.

You poked her side. Another twitch. Her arm. A low grumble. 

When you reached around to poke her nose, she huffed and scrambled to face you, her tired eyes blazing at you.

“What,” she demanded, annoyed at you with your stupid little show that seemed more important to you than her. You tried not to wince at the anger in her tone. 

“Sorry,” you muttered. “You never told me how work was?”

“Cause you never asked.”

“...Well, I’m asking now.”

“Well, it’s too late now. I’m exhausted.”

“I can tell.”

She glared at you and made to turn over again but you held her firmly by the waist.

“Are you angry at me?” you asked. She met your eyes and something flashed by that you couldn’t decipher.

“No,” yes she was, “everything’s fine,” no it wasn’t, “just let me sleep and you can go back to that show about whatever.”

“Okay, so you’re not jealous?”

“Why would I be jealous?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe cause there’s this really hot actress in it, who I absolutely adore and will watch in anything?”

“Stop it, Y/N.”

“And she’s like, super hot in suits and short hair, with a look to die for, and who’s so fuckin’ queer in it too?”

“Alright, fine!” she whacked her pillow against your arm. You smiled, glad you got through to her, even if it hurt to egg her on like this.

“Fine,” she sighed, rubbing her face. “Yeah, I’m jealous. You’re just always watching her goddamn stuff, and you don’t even know her. Like, hello, you still have a real-life girlfriend, you know.”

“It’s called a celebrity crush, Lou. It’s not a real crush.”

“Oh, wow, that made everything 10 times better, thanks.”

“I’m sorry,” you sighed, grabbing her hand in yours and squeezing. “I didn’t know it upset you that much. I’ve liked Ruby Rose’s stuff for ages, and I thought that all girls, well, at least the ones who might be-,”

“Gay? You thought we all just were in love with her? Newsflash, I don’t watch TV, so I’m not one of them.”

“Maybe you should, see why I like her and this show so much.”

“Nuh-uh, not happening.”

“Really? Not even one episode? I’ll make it up to you afterwards, alright?”

“Oh yeah?”

“If you don’t like the first 3 episodes of Orange is the New Black, I won’t watch any TV for a week.”

“Hmph. Why are we making this promise? It’s stupid. Just admit you’d rather date Ruby Rose over me and I can go back to moping in my sleep.”

“But I wouldn’t rather date her, Lou!” you exclaimed, exasperated. “I just like her stuff is all! She’s a good actress, and yeah, sure, heaven forbid I find her cute as well.”

Lou pursed her lips and stared at you some more, not wanting to lash out with unnecessary comments. You had both pressed each other’s buttons for long enough. Okay, maybe you did watch a lot of her stuff consistently, but at first Lou had never seemed to mind. And Lou was sensitive to these sorts of things, overreacting just a little, and combined with her sleepiness it was guaranteed to blow up tonight.

“I’m sorry,” you said, shuffling closer. “I know how busy you’ve been, lately. And I’m probably not helping, ogling a celebrity through a screen the entire time.”

You let your head drop next to yours and her hand instinctively came up to brush over your ear and jawline. 

“I’m sorry too, I shouldn’t have snapped,” she sighed. “It’s just so- weird. To have to compete with someone who doesn’t know we exist.”

“You don’t have to compete with anyone, Lou. You’re the only one who has my heart,” you said, eyes twinkling. “I’ll stop watching her so much.”

“No, don’t. I don’t want to force you to stop anything. Just-, I don’t know. I need reassurance from time to time. And lately I’ve been so busy that we’ve felt-,”

“-distant,” you finished.

“...Yeah.”

“Wanna stay in tomorrow and eat junk food in bed?” you suggested. She grinned, eyes crinkling adorably. 

“Of course.”

She pressed a faint kiss to your forehead. “And maybe I’ll give that show a go.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, just one episode though. Debbie’s been recommending it too, she likes it cause it’s relatable to her now.”

“Why? Oh, cause she went to prison too?”

“Yup.”

You giggled. “Alright, but only if you want to. We can watch some old-timey silent movie that you like too.”

She smiled and you kissed her lips. “We’ll make a day of it.”

A/N: A request that I thoroughly enjoyed writing. I don’t usually write with real people, but that’s only if it’s aimed to involve them in relationships or other things that stray beyond real-life. This was a lot more fun; some angsty and jealous Lou for you all! Hope you liked it guys.

[novannna]

Best of Friends

Word count: 1663

@renegadesnet event 4: osby october ↪ [ Ruby’s Pov-she is in love with Oscar, but doesn’t think he loves her back.  Takes place sometime before Renegades.  Yearning, kinda angsty, a little bit of fluff between sketch’s team.   ]

Ruby watched Oscar from across the lounge while he was talking to Adrian.  They had just gotten back from their patrol, and were relaxing in HQ.

“Ruby!”  She heard someone snap.  Danna was standing right next to her, an irritated expression on her face.  

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly.  “What were you saying?”

Danna sighed. “I said Adrian wants us to meet at his house later for a movie.”

“Oh.  Will Oscar be there?”  Ruby asked hopefully. 

 “Probably.  Adrian asked the whole team.  And you should come.  It’ll be fun.”

Ruby shrugged.  “Sure, sounds good.”  She turned back to glance at Oscar.  

Danna sat next to her.  “You two are perfect for each other.  Why don’t you just ask him out already?”

Ruby blushed beet red.  “What- I, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she stammered.  

Danna raised an eyebrow.  

“Oscar is just a friend.  He’s just another member of the team.  I don’t like him like that.”

“Then why do you keep looking at him like he’s the only thing in the world?”

Ruby ducked her head.  “I don’t like Oscar.”

Danna chuckled.  “Of course you don’t.  Silly of me to think any different.”

Ruby nodded her head sharply.  “Exactly.  Quite silly of you.”  

“Hey guys,” Adrian’s voice cut into their conversation.  “What are you talking about.”

“Nothing!”  Ruby said quickly as she saw Oscar right behind Adrian.  

“I was just telling Ruby about movie night,” Danna said smoothly.

“Oh.  Are you going?”  Oscar asked.

“I think so.  Are you?”  Ruby asked.  

Danna and Adrian exchanged an eyeroll.  

“Yeah!  It’s gonna be fun.”  Oscar slung an arm over Adrian's shoulder.  “Adrian’s promised me lots of popcorn and red vines, so you bet I’ll be there.”

Adrian shook his head.  “Don’t worry, Oscar will have his own bowl.  Otherwise we wouldn’t get any.”

Oscar laughed.  “You know me too well.”  

“Well, I’ve spent enough nights crying myself to sleep because you took all my food to know that you get your own, and we share the rest,” Adrian joked.  

“Unless he runs out, and eats ours too,” Danna added.  

“Hey, I make no promises.”  Oscar laughed.  “In fact, I’m hungry right now.  I’m going to go change, then does anyone wanna go to Mcdonalds with me?”

Danna wrinkled her nose.  “Mcdonalds?  I’m good.  I don’t understand how you like that crap.”

“You can have your own opinion,” Oscar said haughtily.  “But mine is obviously the right one.” 

“I’ll go,” Adrian said.  “I’m pretty hungry as well.”

“Ruby, what about you?”  Oscar asked.  

She felt a burst of excitement rise inside her.  Oscar wanted her there!

“Oh, I don’t know.  My mom probably wants me home soon…” she said, trying her hardest to keep the quiver of glee out of her voice.  

“Please,” he begged.  “I want to hang out with my best friends.”

And just like that, Ruby’s excitement withered away to nothing.  She tried not to look crestfallen.  Best Friends.

That was all they were.  That was all they were going to be.  Just best friends.  Not anything more.  Oh, that cut deep into Ruby’s heart.  If only he knew how much she yearned to be with him.  If only he knew that she fell in love with him the moment she saw him, just the boy with a cane, standing in the center of a studium, screaming fans all around.  She fell apart every single time he reminded her what they were.  And she still wanted so badly.  She was in love with the renegade who could control smoke.  She was in love with the boy who loved all sorts of food.  She was in love with the boy who loved to play video games with her.  She was in love with the brave, kind, selfless, smart, handsome, reckless, funny, charming, awkward boy Oscar was.  

But he did not love her back.  

He never would

They were always going to be best friends.  She heard that enough, you would have thought that it would begin to hurt less.

Danna winced next to Ruby.  

“Yeah, come on Ruby!  I’m sure your mom won't mind too much,” Adrian chimed in.  

“... I guess.”  Ruby shrugged.  “But I can’t stay out for too long.”

“Yes,” Oscar cheered.  “Danna you coming?  You can watch us eat, and be sad about how wrong you are.”

“No.  My dad needs help around the house today.  Some other time though,”  Danna said.  

“Okay.  We’ll miss you!”  Adrian said.  

Danna nodded. “Of course you will.”  She waved goodbye, then burst into her black and gold butterfly swarm.  

“I’m going to go change.  I’ll meet you guys here,” Ruby said.  

“Yeah.  See you soon.”  

Ruby smiled, and hurried off to the changing rooms.  

---

Ruby knocked on the door to Adrian’s house.  The mansion’s windows were bright against the dark evening sky.  

“Ruby!”  Hugh said brightly, as he opened the door.  “I assume Adrian invited you over?”

“Yeah,” she replied, trying to sound brave.  She knew that he was Adrian’s dad, but he was also the most important person in the city.  It was hard to not be intimidated by the man.  

“Go on down.  Danna and Oscar are already there,” he said warmly.  

“Thanks.”  she hurried down to the basement, where Danna, Adrian and Oscar lay sprawled across the floor.  An assortment of snacks and blankets were scattered everywhere.  

“Hey guys,” she said brightly.  

They all started.  

“Ruby, you scared me!”  Oscar said.  He put a hand on his chest.  

Her face reddened.  “Sorry,” she said sheepishly.

“Oh, it's fine,” Oscar replied, his face red as well.  

“Come on, we were just deciding which movie to watch,” Adrian said, patting a spot on the ground next to him.  

Ruby plopped down, and shoveled a handful of popcorn from a nearby bowl into her mouth.  

“What are the options?” 

“Avengers, Up, or The Sound of Music.”  Adrian gestured to the TV.  “You choose which one.”

“Oh, ummm, how ‘bout Avengers,” she suggested.  “I haven’t seen that in a while.”

“Sounds good,” Adrian said.  He picked up the remote, and started to turn on the TV.  

“Ruby, can you pass me the cheez its?”  Oscar called out.  He was now sitting on the couch, a pleading expression on his face.  

Ruby laughed.  “Alright.”  She leaned over and stretched her fingers out to snag the red box.  She stood, and walked them over to Oscar.  

“Thanks,” he said, while grabbing a huge handful from inside.  

“No problem,” she replied.  Ruby sat down next to him, fully conscious of the thin layers separating him.  She leaned backwards, and tucked her feet up underneath her.  

Danna smirked when she saw the two of them right next to each other.  She discreetly made a heart shape with her hands, then pointed to the two of them.  Ruby raised her middle finger in reply, while Oscar remained oblivious.  

The starting music sounded, and Ruby focused on the screen, desperately trying to think about anything but the boy sitting next to her.  And it almost worked.  But the warmth from his body pressed against hers was another painful reminder that she was ever going to get what she wanted more than anything.  Ruby sighed to herself.  

Why couldn’t she settle for just friends?  Why did she have to want something more?  It was never going to happen, and she was just breaking her heart more with every passing minute.  

“No Ruby,” she thought to herself.  “Don’t think about Oscar.  Don’t do this to yourself.”  Her eyes remained firmly focused on the screen, but her brain was not paying any attention at all.  It was too busy constructing wild fantasies in her head.  

After a while, soft snores filled the room.  Adrian had fallen asleep, his face pressed against the floor.  Danna raised her eyebrows, and stifled a small giggle.  

But she fell asleep next.  After another twenty or so minutes, Ruby looked over to see her slumped against a bean bag, her blonde dreadlocks spread across her face.  

“Just you and me, huh?”  Oscar whispered to her.  

“Yeah.”  Ruby’s voice was calm, but on the inside her heart was racing.  She had never been alone with Oscar before.  Granted, Adrian and Danna were there, but it was just the two of them, sitting next to each other, the movie playing quietly in front of them.  .  

“I wonder which of us is going to fall asleep next?”  Oscar chuckled.  

“I wonder,” Ruby echoed.  “The movie’s pretty close to ending.”

Oscar nodded.  “Yeah.  It is.”  He yawned.  “I don’t know if I’ll make it that long though.  I’m pretty tired.”

Ruby laughed softly.  “Sleep then.  It’s not like you haven’t seen this movie before.”

“Maybe I will.”  He rested his head on her shoulder, and closed his eyes.  “You’re a good friend Ruby,” he murmured, right before his breathing slowed, and he fell asleep.  

Ruby was glad no one else was awake to see the anguish on her face.  To see the pain of just one more reminder that Oscar did not love her the same way she loved him.  

“I love you Oscar,” she whispered into the darkness.  “Every time I see you, it makes my heart hurt.  I love you more than I could ever love myself.  But for some reason, you can’t see it.  I wish that you could tell me if there was the slightest chance you might return my feelings.  Then maybe I would know how pointless this stupid crush is.”  She screwed her eyes shut, and felt tears leaking out the corners.  

“I love you so much, and I will always love you.”  Ruby opened her eyes, and swiped the tears away with the back of her hand.  He looked so beautiful sleeping.  She smiled softly.  She placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, then rested her head on his and closed her eyes.  

Ruby was closer to him than ever before, but at the same time, she was farther than she could ever imagine.  

[whisperoftheheart925]

Ooooh, for the character ask how about carter kane, pollux from pjo and uhhhh sam winchester? <3

Omg what great character choices!!!! 

1) Starting with Sam Winchester

Sexuality Headcanon: So obviously this man likes girls quite a lot, but I just get the vibes that he experimented with guys in college and is so chill with it he barely even thinks about it anymore, so either bi or bicurious

Gender Headcanon: I have the tendency to assume he’s cis but I could see Sam as a trans guy too

A ship I have with said character: I never moved on from shipping season 5 samifer, the whole made for each other thing, the whole two sides of the same coin, the whole I’m the only one who’ll ever truly understand you, that’s what still draws me to that ship (soulmates but make it angsty and painful)

A BROTP I have with said character: I mean would it even be supernatural if I didn’t mention his relationship with Dean? But that seems like a cop out cause they’re actual brothers so I’m gonna say Castiel or Rowena. Castiel because they’re both people who want faith in their lives, and who have a lot of respect for the people they love. And watching them overcome the initial tensions that came from Sam being the boy with the demon blood was really sweet. The sort of friendship and bond that comes from being close to the same person. Rowena because in later seasons Sam doesn’t get too much development and I think their friendship is one of the better things that happened to his character

A NOTP I have with said character: I doubt its controversial to say I don’t ship wincest? That would probably be my only true notp, but also since I wanna be spicy, I don’t really see him with Gabriel? They’re sweet in aus but I don’t see Sam going for Gabriel’s flirtations, he seems a lot more intense and serious in romances (with jess and ruby for example)

A random headcanon: This one is tricky cause I read so much fic I don’t know what’s canon and what’s headcanon anymore. I think in the age of spotify he listens to it a lot to make up for the years when Dean would only play classic rock before he softened up

General Opinion over said character: Sam is someone I have a lot of strong feelings for, he fits into that niche of characters that I both relate to in terms of struggles as well as look up to for how he deals with them. I like the struggle against darkness within him, and his worth, and whether he’s a monster or not due to what happened to him, I do feel like his character was wasted a bit towards the end of the show though

2) Pollux our favorite lil Dionysus kid 

Sexuality Headcanon: I feel like Dionysus kids are often pan and I headcanon Pollux as poly too

Gender Headcanon: Cis

A ship I have with said character: Ooooh I've never though of this let me dig up canon characters roughly his age. I can see him crushing on Michael Yew and Katie Gardner, quick witted and bossy but good people.

A BROTP I have with said character: Charles Beckendorf. I think Pollux would respect Beckendorf’s hard working attitude and kind heart, and I think Pollux would find his awkwardness around people endearing since he’s a bit awkward himself and they’d probably be those friends that can like work on their hobbies around each other.

A NOTP I have with said character: Never in a million years with Clarisse, the poor boy would get trampled on and I think she’d be mean (I’m sorry Clarisse I love you I promise)

A random headcanon: He’s awkward and shy, and a little sheltered but he’s very sweet. After his brother died he had a hard time opening up to people, and became very private, but he’s a good teacher and is very dedicated to helping his dad with the strawberry fields.

General Opinion over said character: He’s such a cool character, I really love him in the original pjo series because he’s very very much a background character but he makes the world richer. I love that through him Mr D. gets to show a softer and more caring side and one that is fiercely loyal and protective, and I think that was an important part of the message of pjo, how the gods are shitty parents but most of them do care in their own way even though they never show it, and I’m glad Pollux was able to do that. I think he deserved better (aka for his twin brother not to die kay thanks) and I would have loved to see more of him in the rest of the series.

3) Finally our lovely Carter Kane

Sexuality Headcanon: Straight, demi-romantic and utterly clueless

Gender Headcanon: Cis

A ship I have with said character: Zarter! If it isn’t broke don’t fix it. This boy is head over heals for a strong confident and sassy woman who could kill him and really, who wouldn’t be? I love the thought of them bonding over their unconventional childhoods and their longing to discover things they think are “normal” but that they missed out on. I also think they would fall into the kind of relationship where they’re best friends, they have full and utter trust in each other, and they also discover how to navigate romance together

A BROTP I have with said character: Once again picking Sadie feels like a cop out. I really like his relationship with Amos too, but he’s Carter’s uncle so not sure it fits. I like to think of his relationship with Walt as being very close and like, the kind of brotherly trust that would make them close friends and have each other’s backs all the time

A NOTP I have with said character: Not sure I have one since any ship involving him makes me happy just because it has him in it and he deserves love. However I have seen a lot of fics with him and Horus, and I actually don’t think I like it all that much? Maybe cause Horus is often a bit immature with his emotions I don’t know how well their chemistry would work. This is out of character for me cause usually I really love the concept of host/supernatural entity ships, but maybe it’s also cause Carter is so young in the first book and Horus seems way too old for him? Maybe when Carter is in his 30s?

A random headcanon: I think he would come into his responsibilities very quickly. I think while he would accept Amos as being mostly in charge for a while he would try to be involved with changing how the House of Life is run as Pharaoh, because he’d see it as his responsibility and he’d do everything in his power to do it right, and prove to those that doubt him that he has what it takes.

General Opinion over said character: He’s my favorite character in the Kane Chronicles and probably in the whole Riordan verse. He means a lot to me because I also had to fly around a lot when I was a kid and I moved around a lot too, so when I read these books I could relate a lot to the idea of feeling like the airport is your home. I also grew up with a single parent of the same gender as me wishing I had known members of my very near family better than I did. Also I knew what it felt like to want to go out and play with kids my age but to not be able to because I couldn’t speak the language, and I felt really close to Carter because I see my own childhood represented in him. He’s also very rule abiding and I loved that his dad told him not to do something and he actually followed that, because same haha. I can only hope to one day become as strong and confident as him.

This took waaay longer than expected and I wrote way too much, but it was so fun, thank you @bluecookiesforrick once again for these! <3 love you!!!

[septiembrre]

Fake fics! 1. Cuando me veas sonreirás, 2. nothing else will do (I’ve gotta have you), 3. steal my sunshine

I love these!!!

Cuando me veas sonreirás

This sounds angsty to me - I LOVE IT. My immediate thoughts: Bittersweet Rio fic about loneliness. (@foxmagpie, this ended up being similar to one of your fake fic titles. Haha, we should write them parallel together.)

Between Rio being a kingpin, caring for Marcus, maintaining relationships with his family, any friends outside of work (clearly he works out! He must at least have gym buddies and extended tennis friends outside of Gretchen) and how easily this man can get laid, I don’t imagine Rio lets himself linger in loneliness. I also don’t want to espouse having a long-term monogamous partner as The Cure for Rio’s loneliness either… But, I suspect that Rio doesn’t have lot of emotional intimacy in his life. Because of his work, I think he has to keep himself distant in a lot of ways from probably all of his people in some way. The “It’s lonely at the top” comment from 2x09, seems to indicate that he feels it and has spent time processing it even if he comes across as uncomfortable in the face of Beth’s loneliness.

So, my thoughts for this fic: Rio + 4 times in life he’s been in his lonely feels/reflected on his distance from the people he cares for. Not necessarily huge life moments, but casual things that have him reflecting on what he’s missing, and doubling down on thinking he’ll get out of crime someday soon.

1. One of moment should probably be with Rhea. Maybe this scene is about the first or second time Rio’s had to “disappear”. They’re already broken up, Rhea knows what he’s about, but he just left her alone with their toddler for weeks, he’s itching to see his son, and processing his feels.  

2. Second scene is ideally with a family member. I want to immediately say his Mom. I really want us to meet Rio’s Mom!!! But, also what about his dad? I wonder who is Rio’s dad and what he thinks of his kid being in this life - especially now that Rio’s clearly very established in his criminal enterprise. I personally head-canon that Rio has already lost his dad and lost him relatively young.

But, for the purpose of this scene, we can do a flashback to when Rio was a chiquito and just starting to hustle and what those conversations looked like with his Dad who was afraid to watch his son grow into himself (smart, quick on his feet, brilliant) and farther away - into danger.

3. A childhood best friend. I like the idea of Rio running into childhood friends while at the grocery store with his Mom, or out getting a raspa with a sister, and running into someone he used to be close to. This someone chose not to pursue crime, they’re doing well and happy, maybe they have kids too, and it’s a melancholy sort of feeling for Rio knowing he doesn’t really have time/space to have this friendship anymore. That this old friend doesn’t know how to ask Rio about his work. And there’s a melancholy knowing that Marcus and his old friend’s kids aren’t coming up together, while he’s also rooted in the conviction that the money & power he has is worth it.

4. Mick <3

Rio’s right-hand guy! Clearly his closest work friend. Maybe this scene is a chill conversation one day with Mick during Season 2. Mick has invited him over for a carne asada and it’s summer and they’re sipping on beer. Mick starts talking about someone he’s seeing and how it’s getting serious. Rio reflects on his thing with Beth.

+ Bonus Scene: Navigating loneliness feels/emotional intimacy in an established partnership with Beth. Beth’s being sneaky and she feels distant but they’re busy with work and they’ve avoided having a conversation about it. But, surprise! She’s been coordinating a party with his Mom and his siblings for his birthday. The scene wraps at a party at his Mom’s house and all his favorite people are there <3 Haha, I had to make it fluffy. SORRY.

-

nothing else will do (I’ve gotta have you)

Post-Season 3: Established criminal partnership. They’ve been hot and cold. Beth, fed up with Rio’s pettiness and in a moment of heightened feelings, kisses Rio in his bar.  

-

 steal my sunshine

Huh, this one stumped me.

If I go with my gut… *sigh* Superhero AU.

As teenagers, Ruby and Beth met and realized they were different then everyone else. Blessed with special powers, together they became The Good Girls, a force of good in this hypothetical metropolis. They put out fires, they can... fly? Become invisible? I don’t know the details yet, but their mission is to promote love, equity & justice and give gross misogynists like Boomer the Pyro their comeuppance. Defending their city has made them local heroes, but they value & protect their anonymity.

In their day lives, Ruby and Beth are in their 20s and run a store together that they use as a cover for their escapades. They live together with Annie, Beth’s little sister who helps them out with the store and is studying to be a doctor and uses her skills to patch them up. Ruby is trying to figure out if she can let her boyfriend and one true love, Stan in on her secret (lol, but little does she know he’s already figured it out). Beth broke up with her high school boyfriend Dean after a bad experience where Dean witness her powers and reacted poorly and she’s been reticent to trust someone romantically since.

After a night of vanquishing evil~*, they come home exhausted only to discover that everything has been taken from their apartment. Left in the middle of their empty living room is a solitary card, made out to The Good Girls. It appears that there is a new villain in town, someone named Rio, and what the fuck kind of supervillain name is that?

Ideally this fic would explore ideas around friendship between a Black and a white fem superduo, and navigating that intentionally. Rio would also try to pull Beth down the path of darkness, and there would be morally grey superhero developments. 

[infinite-insignia]

((I uh. made an edgy moodboard for myself. also a vent/rant under the cut.))

(( wasn’t exactly in a super angsty mood earlier but then I thought abt things and my brain went “man I really was a horrible person huh” so basically this is a representation of my edgy kin thoughts whenever they resurface. not even joking, some of the quotes are p accurate. especially the “killed my old self but the new me isn’t much better” one cause it reminds me of my death and honestly yeah. that was totally my doing. tryna be a better person in this life but I guess I can’t do that. I mean it didn’t work back then, why would it work now. tho if I give up on remembering my last life, I’d be giving up on what’s p much my purpose in this life. remember everything and use that knowledge to (try to) better myself before this human body gives out and this soul fades. cause I don’t think this soul’s gettin reincarnated again. not like I have another shot at remembering everything. but everyone tells me to stop focusing on the past. that it doesn’t define me now. but tbh? it kinda does at this point. the human life I’ve lived? yeah that was normal before I remembered what I was last time. and now it’s all I think abt--and to be told to stop thinking abt it? to be called delusional over it? to have people try and prove me wrong by telling me how I lived my life--or, worse, by saying it never even happened? it hurts me emotionally. like,,,deeply hurts me. I wanna talk to people abt things so I know someone’s listening. that someone cares enough to at least attempt to understand. even fake understanding would be enough cause I’d believe it was real. I’d have someone to talk to outside of tumblr, at least. sure, my psychologist knows a bit abt this stuff, but I only see her once every other week--and not this week. so I can’t talk to her. can’t talk to my mom cause she doesn’t understand and I know for a fact we’d end up arguing. she’s said it before--she wants her kid back. this messed-up delusional freak who brings past lives into their current one apparently isn’t her kid--but that’s who I am. that’s what I do. even among people like me, I feel alone. I can’t talk to anyone and it’s driving me nuts--but at the same time I’m terrified to talk to people because of the reactions they could have. I can talk abt it on here but to you guys it probably just seems like lame, delusional ranting. so I might as well shut up before I start to look like even more of a whiny bitch, huh. I say that despite knowing it’s hard to shut up once I start talking. ugh. man I went from 0 to 100 real quick in terms of bad moods. and it’s not even a bad mood? like I’m upset, yeah. but it doesn’t exactly feel like stress, it feels more like,,,emptiness. like I’ve dealt with this shit enough that I’ve figured there’s no point in stressing over what’s gonna happen every few days or so. my brain wants to mistake this emptiness for calmness--but I’m not calm. I’m not happy, I’m not content, I don’t even know what I’m feeling. I’m a freakshow brought into another life for god knows what reason. Phantom Ruby shouldn’t have had the power to reincarnate me but it somehow did. Ruby itself is here too somehow--it’s just super weak/faint. like,,,I can tell it’s there, but it can’t do much. I can’t even see it anymore or hear it out loud--it’s just like an inaudible voice, kinda like a thought that’s not actually coming from me. if that makes sense. probably doesn’t cause I’m just delusional apparently. oh well. can’t let my mom know I’m going through this cause we’d just argue. cant tell my sis cause she doesn’t wanna hear abt my kin bs. says its annoying cause I talk abt it too much. tho she also says it’s not an issue as long as I believe it and I’m not hurting anyone--and I’m not hurting people. not intentionally. I just wanna talk. have some sort of an outlet. but when most of my past life is full of war and murder and blood and stress and evil and destruction and everything else that is horrible, people are gonna judge me if I talk abt it. think I’m still some murderer today--which I’m not. definitely not. I regret the things I did. yet I’ve had someone tell me that ‘villains don’t feel regret’ and you wanna know what I did in response? pushed said person in a fit of anger. not a super strong push or anything, just enough to throw them off balance for a second. but like,,,you can’t tell me what I did or didn’t feel. sure I may not have regretted a whole bunch during the war, but afterwards? I was a walking ball of stress and regret trying to make a better name for myself but failing. waiting til the end of the planet, when I was the last living mobian, to do something abt it. and that something wasn’t pretty--it’s what caused me to move onto this current life. I get a lot of thoughts from various points in my last life, and those all cause a whole lot of emotions. yet, at the same time, I currently just feel like a void. an empty shell who feels the emotions but not the effects of them. the emotions exist but have no impact currently. tho that doesn’t make sense to you does it? wow. to think I was all happy yesterday over that follower milestone. ofc I have to go and ruin my own mood again since that’s all I’m good for apparently. might just go to bed early at this point. take the rest of the night off. nothing else to do. it’s either sleep or leave myself with my thoughts--the latter of which would only lead to more stress and/or empty feelings. anyway. I don’t want you guys worrying abt me. you can feel bad for me, try to make me feel better, but don’t worry. worrying abt me would be a waste of time. I’ll live. just going through another rough moment all of a sudden. but as long as I have a purpose in this current life, I plan to see it all the way through. meaning I won’t physically hurt myself or do anything stupid over this, so don’t worry. my physical health is just fine. mentally, not so sure. probably shouldn’t be saying not to worry cause now you’re gonna worry. whatever, I’ve been typing way too much. said more than I probably should have. probably look like an overreacting emo teen. but I’m just gonna go to bed and try not to let these thoughts get to me. tho my brain is most active right before falling asleep most nights so I doubt that’d work. gonna have to go to school tomorrow. no use in arguing, it makes everyone feel worse. it’s just gonna be a slow, crappy day. at least wednesday is a half day and then we get the rest of the week off for thanksgiving. not that we’re gonna be celebrating this year, we cancelled out plans cause my grandma’s sick and we usually go over to her place where she cooks thanksgiving dinner. but certain smells make her nauseous and the whole thing would be too much of a hassle, so we cancelled that this year. I’m kinda worried abt her. haven’t seen her in a little bit and she has another surgery in december. no idea what kind of surgery but she’s in her 70s and has been sick before so. idk. I do know I’m concerned for her and also myself. my own mental state is a wreck and idk what to do abt it. but for now I’m gonna go to bed. sorry for taking up so much of your time, assuming anyone actually read this whole thing.))

[apenapaperandadoofus]

AIGHT SO I’m like super high on caffeine and chocolate rn so I mighty write a lil Christmas one shot (it’s still December let me be pft)

But first a lil song I found a few days ago and has been stuck in my head ñon stop!

It’s from a musical called 35MM, they make up songs and stories from photos this one guy took, they’re amazing!

The song of called “Leave Luannne”

Warnings! There are mentions of abuse, r*pe, and such! So if you feel uncomfortable by that please don’t read this!

Now on to the song;:

Luanne's fat lip is drying, The bastard's bacon frying, The shiner on her eye's gone bust and bleeding. He shouts, "Girl, set the table!" But he knows she ain't able. Her arm's done broke, Hung limp like yolk,

AHHH we get the picture pretty clear from the beginning. i can always imagine Luanne on the floor, all bruised up and close to tears....

And softly she's repeating...

"Leave, Luanne. Why don't you march out that door? Southern woman, he ain't no good to you. Leave, Luanne. Louisiana wants war, But it's you dying on her ruby plains."

And yet, loyal Luanne remains. Ever since he got him laid off, His sanity's just made off. No, he was never nice, but now he's cruel.

So first, ahhhhfhrjehrn THE VIOLINS ARE AMAZING AND THE VOCALS TOO also we can see why Luanne doesnt leave the dude. I can see her internal debate, telling herself to leave but not being able to.

He rapes her, and he beats her, She don't 'fess how he treats her, 'Cause a Bible verse Says it won't get worse, And she won't be a fool. "You won't never leave, Luanne,

And then theres this part about the bible, i dont exactly know what verse theyre talking about, but we see that Luanne is super religious, which makes her internal debate even harder. Should she leave or stay? She has been taught probably her whole life with that idea, and probably doesnt want to end up in hell due to her beliefs and what she’s been told.

'Cause if you walk out that door His truck will be gunning for you.

No, you won't leave, Luanne, Or he'll give you 'What for?' You got heart where you should have had brains."

This part always makes me sad bc Luanne may still love that asshole, which sucks, but she still does and is pretty loyal to him makes it even harder for her to make a decision too

And so, loyal Luanne remains. Someone's howling, Screams like sighing with battered breath Grating, growling, Never dying In a fate worse than death. But months of such conditions Turn laymen to logicians And tonight the bastard's sleeping like a log. So she plucks the kitchen cleaver,

Creeps up toward his roped-up lab retriever,

DUDE I THOUGHT SHE WAS GONNA KILL THE DOG AND I ALMOST CRIEDD AHHH

AND THE VIOLINS MAKE THE TENSION AMAZING. It makes you so nervous about whats going to happen. You can imagine Luanne finally making a decision, tired of everything. Its dark at night and she slowly makes her way to the kitchen, trying so quietly to not wake him up.

And she cuts the rope, And hope on hope, She starts to shout, "Your dog's got out!" She's got her chance. With no back glance She runs out to the bog, Screaming, screaming: "Leave, Luanne!" "Leave, Luanne. You've got a life left to live In a house hanging off the Golden Coast! Leave, Luanne. You won't forget nor forgive, " And she don't feel the stings, the rips, and scrapes As finally Luanne escapes.

And the way you can FEEL the tension, the way you can see her running and your heart starts speeding up, wishing she can escape, that she can lead a better and happier life, shes doing her best, not feeling the pain. You can tell how desperate she is. You can see her running through the woods, leaves and branches getting tangled in her hair, sometimes cutting her, but she still keeps going due through sheer determination, ignoring how her feet hurt and how much shes running out of breath. All the way through shes making a promise to herself, that she will NEVER let go what the asshole did to her.

Swim, Luanne! Swim, Luanne! And in the swamp of beeches, Oh, as the preacher preaches, As the light In the night Holds through the marsh and brushes As the blood inside you rushes Left and right, Hold on tight—

And then you can feel the hope, the relief that she has managed to get out, the violins making a sort of country dancey song (?) pft and youre like YAS GIRL RUN AND LIVDE YOUR LIFE its amazing, its so happy from the depressing music we heard before, Luanne gets out of the place, some people help her, she becomes happy again, meeting people and dancing all night at parties, maybe she even finds someone new and starts dating them, having a new life with someone who loves her....but then....

—Until you reach the bank And you crawl onto the bank, 'Til you feel a little yank on your hair And, stricken, stare at the bastard Who beat you there.

DUDE THIS PART. THIS. PART. I CANNOT EXPRESS THE WAY MY HEART BROKE. YOU JUST START FEELING THAT EVERYTHING IS ALRUGHT, THAT SHES MADE IT, ONLY TO FIND THT THE BASTARD FUCKING MADE IT BEFORE HER. AH DUDE. THE INSTRUMENTS. THE WAY YOU CAN FEEL THE SADNESS IN THE SINGERS VOICE. AND THE WAY IT GETS SET UP, OH BOY I DIDNT, I LITERALLY SCREECHED THE FIRST TIME I HEARD IT. I SERIOUSLY CANT EXPLAIN HOW GENIUS THIS IS SO FREAKING AHH THE GUITAR, THE VIOLINS JESUS CHRIST

the guy just yanks her hair and gives her a horrible smirk, and Luanna can only look in horror, her heart breaking and all her dreams vanishing as she realizes that she...she didnt make it.

The bastard lies in bed now, Half-sad his wife is dead now. She drowned herself in a swamp in wild despair.

I actually want to know wether if he killed her, or if she killed herself. To make it more angsty i like to think she actually drowned herlsef, because its so heartbreaking to see how her hopes die and she just...gives up. Gosh its so friggen, ahhhh. Once Luanne sees the guy she shrieks and tries to pull away, falling backwards. Either the bastard hit her, or something but she ends up  being paralyzed and unable to move. She reacts desperatly but the bastard refuses to help, and then she slowly gives up, letting the water fill her lungs, and slowly closing her eyes and accepting her faith.

He thinks he used to love her, But push it came to shove her, A wife disposed, A wife case closed, And no one seems to care,

DUDE THIS GUY AGHHH

And the violins are amazing. He doesnt care. No one knows shes dead. Luanne is left without no one there to remember her, to grieve her. Its just....so heartbreaking.

To grieve Luanne. Now no one's on his shoulder, But his mattress don't feel colder,

And in fact, it's hellish hot, and the air is dank and steaming. Yet his body starts to shiver When the window cracks a sliver And a fiery fog From the miry bog Pours in the room In a sticky gloom And there the man Sees dead Luanne.

DUUUUDE DUDE LISTEN TO THE VIOLINS HOLY DIDDLY FUCK GODDAMN THIS IS AMAZING LUANNE GO GET HIM GIRL. 

Luanne makes her way to the house, fulfilling her promise of getting her revenge, of not forgiving the asshole for everything he did. And then, when she gets there, dripping, the bastard only stares.

He's terrified, But he keeps his pride, 'Cause he knows that he ain't dreaming. And he starts screaming, "Leave, Luanne. Hell sent you back here for more, 'Cause ain't no one ever loved you."

THIS, THISSSSS. ITS BY FAR MY FAVORITE PART. When hes the one telling her to leave, when its HIM. Just- the nerve of this man. And i know i keep saying this byt LISTEN TO THE VIOLINS. They are perfect, the tension, the way they just- the way they make you feel, the way they always give you shivers and make you go oh fuck shits about to go down.

He is just cockily smirking trying to act as if hes not afraid. And then he has the audacity to tell her to LEAVE. The thing shes been trying to do for so long, but now...its too late. Her eyes widen in rage and she stands straight, lifting her chin and glaring at him.

But said Luanne, "I've come to settle a score, " And she shows him her feet are bound in chains.

Shes stuck there. But this time, the roles are reversed. This time Luanne will be the one feared. She will now hold the power.

And loyal Luanne remains And remains And remains And remains!

AND THE REMAINS. GOD ITS AMAZING, NOW INSTEAD OF LEAVING SHE JUST STAYS WHEN SHE WANTED TO LEAVE AND I- THE REMAINS MAKE IT SOUND SO FUCKING GOOD, IT SAYS SHE IS STILL LOYAL AHHH

I like to think that shes also got it stuck in her head that she cant leave, and shes now torturing the bastard by STAYING, the way it just changes fro, what it was at the beginning, HOLY SHIT AHH. And as the remains get louder she gets angrier and the room start getting hotter and hotter, and Luanne just smiles and you see the bastard cowering more and more in fear.

Someone's howling, Screams like sighing With battered breath. Grating, growling, Never dying In a fate worse than death. Luanne, She cries her miserable wail So the bastards will never sleep again!

And she is CRYING. Tears make their way down her face, crying and asking how dare he, why would he, all she wanted was to be happy.

No, no reprieve, Luanne, She brings their souls down to hell, A caution to the cruelest of men: God loves Luanne! Praised be! Amen!

The ending is so good, she gets her revenge, makes the guy regret what shes done. i always imagine the whole place setting in fire and Luanne getting angrier and angrier, thr bastard finally realizing what the hell hes actually done. This is amazing, i love this song so much. Not only the story but also the way you can imagine and feel everything. this song is so freaking good istg

Theyre in HELL. She used to be so religious, and thats the fate she didnt want. She never wanted to be in hell, yet there she is, getting her revenge. I dont know if God went like aight here ya go gurl, get your revenge, or smth like DAMN, so good.

In conclusion, amazing song, so good, i swearrr. This musical is amazing, they have other amazing songs like Sarah Berry, or Piece of Me.

Some of them range from being depressing, to adorable, to HILAROUS like Caralee lmfao that one is amazing lol

I really hope yall take a listen hehe, im sorry for rambling so much, im just trying to keep myself distracted from everything going on at home and with my dog. Hope yall have a good day and ill write more things, I promise!

[queenofbraces]

WIP Meme (Super long post)

List all the things you’re currently working on in as much or as little detail as you’d like, then tag some friends to see what they’re working on.

This can be writing, art, vids, gifsets, fanwork, or original work!

Okay, so since @the-ghost-of-keith-kogane tagged me for the WIP meme (First of all: how dare u call me out like this D:< ) let me tell you about all my 2 dozen WIPs. (Almst none of which have any real writing *sob*)

VOLTRON

-Initial Exposure: Keith gets exposed to some funky Druid magic and gets turned into a shapeshifter of the body horror kind. Klance, maaaaybe Klunk depending on my mood. Angsty but also a happy ending planned

-Real!Shiro AU. Pretty much another story dealing with the fact that the Shiro we're seeing isn't the real Shiro. Gotta fix it so it’s not just another rehash. Kinda whumpy. Shatt probably. Angsty

-Steven Universe Crossover: What it says on the tin. A wormhole leads the Castle and its crew to the Steven Universe world. They all chat and relax. Silly and without much plot. Just wanted to see the two half-alien boys with a sword and a lion meet.

HARLOCK/ COSMO WARRIOR ZERO/ GUN FRONTIER

-Eyes of the Arcadia: Harlock gets badly injured  and Tochiro/The Arcadia takes over his body until Harlock can be healed. Tochiro gets to interact with the crew properly for the first time in years.

-Eldritch Abomination Harlock: CWZ. Short Zero/Harlock story where Harlock wants to date Zero and decides to give Zero a quick peek of what he looks like.

-Too Many Harlocks: Started out as a semi-serious idea, but I like the OOC/cracky direction it's headed in instead. An accident with the nearly-complete Arcadia sends CWZ!Zero and CWZ!Harlock to the Gun Frontier where they meet that universe's Harlock and Tochiro, as well as Shinunora. Then they go to the Endless Odyssey universe slightly post-series. CWZ!Harlock hates everyone and pretty much complains the whole time. (Let the man just shoot his other selves, please.) Having a lot of fun imagining this one. Not really familiar enough with any other Harlock series to include them, and those I am vaguely familiar with aren't distinctive enough to include

BLACK JACK

-Two-toned Demon: Magic AU where Black Jack is thought to be some demon or other monster. Not sure yet if it's more Medieval or Modern fantasy. KuroKei. Started because Pinoko would pretty much be a homunculus of some kind and it kind of spiraled off from there. Still also have to work up a full magic system. Will include some of Black Jack's family.

-Autistic!KuroKei fics: What it says on the tin. I was in need of autistic interpretations of these two so I'm working on some. Pretty self-indulgent and yeah, their being autistic is the main point of the stories but sometimes you just want that. (Message me and I will talk for hours about this topic no joke)

-From One Surgeon to Another: Crossover with Franken Fran. Black Jack and Pinoko run into one of Fran's creatures she made for a client. Pinoko's fine but Black Jack is injured badly enough to require emergency treatment. Fran includes some free "upgrades" and Black Jack must deal with the emotional consequences of them. Maaaaybe KuroKei, dunno yet.

-Story where Yabu, Okamoto, and Kei decide to catch up with Black Jack. Okamoto brings Konomi (because apparently I ship them now???). Yabu got clean, got married, and has two kids. Okamoto and Konomi are engaged. Kei is still single and Okamoto tries to set him up with Black Jack in part because Okamoto knew Kei in school and knows how much he still likes Black Jack. It works. Kind of a 'California Café' type of fic but eh. Can't all be exciting. :P (though in one version Black Jack gets shot because 'Black Jack gets injured' is a favorite trope of Tezuka's and quite frankly mine too)

-Story where Black Jack is unknowingly sent to treat Kei's mother. Kei comes after his father finally sends for him (Kei's parents didn't want to worry him) and finds out Black Jack is treating his mother. Black Jack and Kei reveal their relationship, much to the surprise and delight of Kei’s parents. Kei's mother is cured. Black Jack and Kei get engaged. Possible sequel where Black Jack saves Shoren's newborn, and the two start to reconcile. (This would be a fix-it of sorts of BJ21.)

DOCTOR WHO

-Eldritch Abomination Doctor/Doctor Nyarlathotep stories: I have a bunch of different ideas for this, so I'm not sure which direction it's going currently. Definitely includes one where Jenny is half-meatsuit/lower plane being, half Eldritch Abomination.

-The adventures of Spoonie!Doctor and Spoonie!Clara. Fairly self-indulgent fic where the Doctor has arthritis and Clara has fibromyalgia. Pretty much for getting out my frustrations and feelings about being Chronically Ill.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

-Dead Sonic!AU. Sonic Forces AU where Sonic dies at Eggmkan's hands and effectively becomes a Phantom Ruby- and Chaos Emerald-powered ghost. One version involves him being aware he's dead but he keeps it a secret until Infinite is defeated and he destoys his Phantom Ruby shard. The second version involves Sonic finding out he's dead much later. Overall angsty and sad.

-Mephiles!Infinite AU. Sonic Forces AU where Mephiles has broken away from one universe where Iblis was destroyed, and into the Forces universe, where he wasn't. Infinite the Jackal is actually Finn, a normal Jackal and head of the Jackal Squad, a band of mercenaries. Finn is friends with Gadget. Mephiles takes on Shadow's form and fights Infinite, later taking on Finn's form and bonding with the Phantom Ruby to become Infinite. Possible Infidget once I figure out their relationship better lol.

-Sonic Unleashed/Sonic X crossover. Sonic attempts a Chaos Control at night using a drained Chaos Emerald. He ends up in the Sonic X universe amd tries to get home. Ultimately silly and light-hearted. Seriously tempted to place this a tad before the Shadow Saga. SU!Sonic takes one look at the TV where footage of Shadow is being shown, and says, "Hey guys, I'm gonna be back in a bit. Gonna save Sonic some jail time and the rest of you like 2 weeks of time and effort." And then he just solves the entire damn thing by talking to Shadow lol.

-Silent Chronos: Started life as a Sonic '06/Silent Hill crossover, hece the working title which hasn't chaged in like...10 years. Pretty much, when Shadow and Silver go to the past and encounter Mephiles and Iblis' birth, Mephiles' power alters and corrupts the Soleannan labratory. Most everyone is turned into monster, with the exclusion of Shadow and Silver. The monsters started out largely symbolic,  but all need to be redesigned something awful. Still haven't figured out much of the plot which is why it's been on the backburner for forever.

ORIGINAL WORKS

-Farron Base: If John Campbell's 'The Thing' were nice. A group of scientists go to explore an abandoned military base and research how the flora and fauna have settled in. They find the base in remarkable condition, with a huge variety of mutated, monstrous creatures. Most are fairly friendly and some are even intelligent. The base's protectors are Nigel and Jay-Myalia (names changed later), who are intelligent, benevolent shapeshifters of the body horror kind. Again, see John Campbell's 'The Thing'. Features actual scientists (!), none of whom are cishet, and one of whom is explicitly autistic. Still not much of a plot yet :///

-Shalkrei: This started back in middle school, so at least 14 years ago, as a Sonic AU. It was my SpIn for a while, and it got huge and complex. Currently doing some pruning. It involved 'demons', magic, ancient civilizations, and furries. Also had at least one parallel universe with different species and rules.

Holy shit this got long, sorry

Tagging @Elumish, @chocolatcoffees, @Sonic-the-tumblog,  and anybody else who wants to do it since I don’t follow that many writers

[rwbyremnants]

A fluffy, angsty little fic I wrote for @white-rose-week [Day 6: Modern AU, though I guess it also fits for Day 4: Scars a little]. It was supposed to be a drabble but it got a little long haha. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy it!

“Who… or what… is this?”

A little weak chuckle floated out of Ruby’s mouth as she was glared down at by the petite, delicately-featured blonde. Everyone else on the team was either doing the same, or looking between the two of them as if waiting for an explosion.

“U-um…”

“This is Ruby Rose,” Coach Goodwitch informed them with a bite in her words. “I’m sure you’re all aware that we don’t normally allow freshmen to join the Varsity team, but she was the shining star of Signal Junior High. Scored practically every goal her last season, and against stiff competition. That fact, plus her academic prowess, suggests she will make a fine addition to the Beacon Academy student body.”

“Not much of a body, though,” some chick wearing sunglasses muttered out the corner of her mouth. Ruby heard her; she wasn’t bothering to keep her voice down. A few others laughed, and the girl staring her down smirked slightly but did not deign to actually laugh aloud. It seemed beneath her somehow.

“You will afford Miss Rose all the same respect due any other member of the Varsity team. Any ‘hazing’ or other ostracization will not be tolerated.” Her eyes narrowed at the students, and they stopped laughing or otherwise talking out of turn. “Good. Now, run some drills.”

A short blast on her whistle sent everyone racing back and forth on the field. Ruby was used to the routine, so she tried to fall in step behind a tall redhead, but then got jerked backward by a hand.

“Excuse me.”

Whipping around, Ruby found the pretty girl to be staring at her. As similar as their heights were, they were almost nose-to-nose. Only this close did she notice the scar over her left eye; it was very faint, but seemed so wrong on such an otherwise model-perfect face.

“What’s up?” Ruby said, trying for casual.

Her tone was scathing when she shot back, “What’s up? Oh, I don’t know. I’m only wondering what in the world you think you’re doing, that’s all.”

Swallowing hard, she tried her best to keep the smile in place. The way her dad taught her. “Um… I j-just want to play soccer. Isn’t that what you’re doing, too?”

“Not with the likes of you.” Her clear blue eyes swept up and down Ruby’s body, then pierced into her own. “Sit the bench.”

“But, uh, Coach just-”

“I don’t care. Coach might want us to give you a chance, but we have a huge first game this season. We can break in the fresh meat afterward. So just… dribble on the sidelines. Practice tackling, or juggling, or drooling, or whatever you feel like doing. But stay out of my way.”

Finally, Ruby’s good mood was depleted enough that she frowned. “Hey, I can’t do that. I was told to do drills just like you are, and if I don’t-”

“You’ll be fine, right? Just fine. Do as your team captain says.”

“Team captain?” Her eyes widened a little. “Oh. You’re the Snowstorm?”

That single word seemed to make the Snowstorm even angrier. Before, she had just been taking care of a problem, but the fury that replaced her previous annoyance eclipsed it so completely that Ruby actually shrank back out of a very real fear.

“Sit. Down. Right here.” When Ruby didn’t, she firmly gripped her shoulder. “Sit down or I’ll sit you down.”

Clenching her teeth, Ruby sank down to her haunches.

“Stay. Good girl.” Turning to leave, she glanced back down over her shoulder. “And once we’re through practicing formations and drills, maybe you can get up. We’ll see.”

And Ruby watched her go. Weiss Schnee, the Snowstorm. She’d been to only one of her games, but she was a force of nature; sloppy here and there, and she tended to hotdog a lot, but then again Ruby could be guilty of that herself sometimes. When a player scored as often as they did, a little hotdogging could be forgiven. If she was really honest, deep down, she had been hoping Weiss would be one of the teammates that she could have the most in common with because of their similar styles on the field.

“Nope,” she muttered under her breath, picking at a blade of grass.

It wasn’t for another eight minutes - Ruby was counting in her head, that’s how bored she was - that a girl with her long brown hair tied in a ponytail came over to crouch next to her. “How are you going?”

“Fine. I, um… Weiss benched me.”

“That’s no good; she’s not the coach. I’m Velvet.” They briefly shook hands. “Come on, I’ll practice with you a bit.”

“Are you sure? Won’t I get, like… burned at the stake?”

However, Velvet only laughed and helped her to her feet. Then they went to fetch a spare ball and started to pass back and forth.

Practice wore on, and both Velvet and the tall redhead, Pyrrha, seemed to be decent sorts who were friendly to a fault. Some of the other girls, like the dark-skinned one with long black hair and the sunglasses chick, continued to ignore her whenever possible - or worse, take cheap shots at her when she wasn’t looking. But at least they weren’t all like that.

It wasn’t until the very end of practice that Weiss seemed to notice that Ruby hadn’t obeyed her ‘orders’. Out of nowhere, just when she hadn’t been ready for it, a ball hurtled from off to her left and connected with her eye, sending her straight down to the dirt. Goodwitch hollered, but no one would specify who had kicked it; if some of the others noticed, they were too afraid to speak up. Including Velvet and Pyrrha, unfortunately.

So Ruby spent the last few minutes getting her eye iced instead of hearing the coach’s pep talk, and was the first into the locker room. Velvet offered her some words of sympathy, telling her to just ride out this period of adjustment and focus on the game itself, but Ruby could barely take any of it in. She felt rejected. Not that she would give up; oh no, she was made of stronger stuff than that. Her half-sister was the star of the basketball team, and she’d never let Ruby quit, anyway.

“Look at the whimpering little puppy.”

Suddenly, Ruby’s spine jolted straight when she realised Weiss and two of her cronies were standing over her. The same two she had expected, really. Trying for joviality, she smiled and shrugged, holding the ice pack in place. “Rough practice, huh?”

“Oh, yeah. And it’s going to get a lot rougher.”

“What is your deal?” she finally snapped, unable to keep a lid on her own annoyance any longer. “I haven’t done anything to you!”

“You messed up my plans. You took a spot I was grooming for one of the other Junior Varsity players, you… you weird prodigy!” Hands on hips, she took a step forward and snapped, “I’ve been working on Pollendina for months, molding her into a well-oiled footballing machine, and you just stroll in, flaunt your precious brain and your precious Signal record, and you thieve someone else’s hard-won place on my team!”

“Yeah,” the raven-haired girl said in a monotone voice. “There’s nothing worse than someone who thinks they deserve what they haven’t earned. Pretty shitty of you.”

Spreading her arms wide, she squeaked, “But I didn’t do any of that! I just played the best I could, and Principal Ozpin came to me himself and asked if I wanted to play with you guys! Like, how was I gonna say ‘no’?!”

“Could have thought of someone other than yourself,” sunglasses scoffed.

“Coco, I got this. Can you and Blake give me a moment?” They seemed to be all too ready to leave, heading off into the showers with their bags in tow. “You’re not going to make it here.”

“You can’t make that call this early. I mean, I haven’t even had a-”

“No, you misunderstand,” Weiss said with a sycophantic little titter. Then she leaned in and slammed her hands into the bench on either side of Ruby’s hips, leaning in close enough so that she could see her literally trembling with rage. “I’m going to make sure you never get off the bench. And if you do, I’ll make sure you never make it back to it.”

Ruby’s heart sank, and a chill ran down her spine. “Are… you threatening to kill me?”

That seemed to make her almost laugh at the absurdity. “You think I’m that much of a moron that I can’t think of a better solution than that? No, I don’t have to kill you. Just your career. Academic, athletic… either one. I tank you, and you’re off the team. It will be so easy…” Her finger lifted between their faces. “Stay out of my way. Stay off of the field. Stay.”

It took all of Ruby’s willpower not to look down and away. Yang had warned her about this. That she was going to face harsher challenges at Beacon if she enrolled, with it being so exclusive.

“No.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m not your dog,” she whispered. The words were trembling, and not nearly as badass as she had been hoping they would sound, but at least she was standing up to Weiss instead of staying perfectly still and hoping she would turn invisible. “I… I can’t help how I got on the team, but now that I’m here, I j-just want… I want to help us win. That’s all. I can’t… I’m n-not going to do a bad job and hurt our shot at state just because you hate me.”

“Hate you? Please.” She drew back and let out another harsh bark of laughter. “I’d have to care about you to hate you. All you are is an obstacle - and you know what a ‘storm’ does to obstacles, don’t you?”

The silence was tense. Ruby didn’t bother to ask, and Weiss didn’t bother to answer. Just walked off toward the showers.

Though she had talked a good game, and was proud of standing up for herself, the minute Weiss was out of sight Ruby felt all of her energy drain away. She just didn’t want to be there anymore. A call to her father just resulted in him telling her to stick with it and saying a bunch of would-be encouraging fatherly platitudes, and a text reply from Yang could be summarised with “Quit your bitching, she’s nobody and you’re a boss ass bitch.” So that was it. If she stayed, she would be hated. If she left, she would be a coward and disappoint her family. What a decision.

Her own shower made her the last one out of the locker room, and she was dragging as if she had run a thousand drills. She barely made it to the parking lot before she remembered: Yang had told her to catch the bus today. She had some date with a guy or whatever. Didn’t matter, it only meant she would have to go home, alone, on public transit. The perfect end to a perfect day.

“And this is the best you can do?!”

Automatically, Ruby ducked her head when she heard the violent shout. The parking lot was almost empty of student vehicles, but there was one luxury sedan that didn’t seem to belong to anyone on a teacher’s salary a little ways away. And she could just see two heads over the top of it, both with the same platinum-blonde hair.

There was a response, but Ruby couldn’t make it out. She only heard the next shout, a man’s voice again. “You really think you have a shot at going Ivy League with grades like these? An actual B?! This would be fine for a state school, if you want to be a worthless little bitch on the arm of some internet mogul!”

“I’m sorry!” This time, Ruby had inched close enough to hear the distressed voice, trying to hunch her shoulders so she wouldn’t be seen or noticed. Whatever this was didn’t sound good and she wasn’t sure about getting involved. “The team has been-”

“The team, the team! Waste of your precious time and resources! Practice with your vocal coach, or study for the PSATs! Those will advance you in life! Not this, this… inane pastime!”

“It’s not inane! You and I both know that extracurriculars-”

Maybe the air hadn’t been exactly calm before that moment, but the SLAP that pierced it shattered whatever calm had been left. Every bone and muscle in Ruby’s body tensed up, and she held her hands out to either side. Ready to move, but not sure what to do.

“Don’t talk back to me!” the voice snarled. “And don’t tell me what I know, you pathetic- I raised you to be a Schnee! Not to be a… a shin guard-wearing DYKE!”

Schnee. No way, it wasn’t possible. That reedy, subservient voice couldn’t belong to…

“Father, I- I w-won’t let you down again,” the voice said. No way was it Weiss’s voice. Couldn’t be her, couldn’t be the same person. This voice was too hollow, too numb. “I’m sorry.”

“See that you don’t.” There was a weary sigh, as if he had been doing nothing more than suffering through some boring appointment. “I’ll leave you to take your own car back to the manor. Don’t wreck another one or I’ll put an end to these soccer shenanigans of yours once and for all.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ruby darted away, hoping her backpack wasn’t jostling too much and making any noise as she hid behind a beat-up old Chrysler. Biting her lip, hoping against hope she was wrong, she watched as the other head of white hair disappeared inside the car, and it drove around her and away from the school to reveal…

Weiss. Wrapped in a pale blue dress that easily cost more than everything in Ruby’s closet combined. Digging in her thousand-dollar purse for keys to the sporty little BMW that she was walking toward on unsteady stiletto Louboutins. Dropping them to the ground… and stopping.

Completely stopping. Ruby waited for a few minutes, almost willing her to pick up the keys and keep going to her car. To get in and ride away. At first, she thought she just wanted Weiss to go away so she could get on with her day and try to forget what she had accidentally witnessed. None of her business. This was between the Schnee family, right? Nothing for some freshman to get herself involved with.

But when Weiss had been standing there, shaking and staring down at her keys for nearly five minutes, she realised that wasn’t the real reason she was watching. She was waiting for her to drive away and prove that she was alright. To relieve her conscience of this burden of caring. And she wasn’t.

She wasn’t alright.

Weiss still hadn’t moved when Ruby bent down to pick up the keys. Hearing them jingle, she started and took a step back, shock clear in her features beneath the red handprint.

“What are you doing?” Ruby didn’t answer. Weiss snatched the keys away. “Get out of my way.”

“Okay.”

Weiss made it all the way to her car door. Then she paused again, indecisive. Turning back, she finally asked, “What? Already back to being a good dog?”

“I don’t need to be in your way.” That was all Ruby said. Just offered it as an explanation. She was just standing there, watching Weiss carefully.

“What? What is it?” When she got no answer, Weiss threw the keys at her. “WHAT?!”

Ruby caught them pretty effortlessly, then blinked at her a few times. What could she say? If their places were reversed, she probably wouldn’t want anyone to know this interaction had ever occurred. So nothing sounded right in her head, and she kept her mouth shut, just staring at Weiss’s marked face.

When it dawned on her where the scar over her eye probably came from, she almost said something. Almost cursed Mr. Schnee for all she was worth… but she managed to hold her tongue.

Then Weiss seemed to realise that she needed those keys, because she strolled up to Ruby and reached for them. Ruby didn’t even try to stop her. “Shut up.”

“I wasn’t talking.”

“You were going to talk!” Turning away, she shifted the keys a little - and she saw something that made her stop and look around frantically. “Oh no…”

“What happened?”

“Quiet, you.” But Ruby already saw that her thumb was running back and forth over a little crystalline keychain that had been snapped in half. While its owner was being frantic, Ruby’s eyes went straight back to the spot where Weiss dropped them before and looked around in a circle until she spotted it, then strode straight for the glinting piece.

“Hey, leave that alone!” Weiss snapped when she saw Ruby picking it up, racing over to her and snatching for it. “That’s not yours, you mutt!”

Shrugging, she asked, “A caterpillar, huh?”

“Shut up. Just… don’t. It’s none of your business.” She stared between the two pieces, one still attached to her keys and the other in the opposite hand. “Damn…”

“Maybe you can still fix it?”

“Probably not. It’s ruined.” The last word broke as she said it, as cleanly as the ornament had. But Weiss drew herself back together, nipping the other piece of her keychain into her purse. “Now. If you’re through lousing up my day, I think… I’m going home now.”

“Okay.”

A noise of sheer frustration burst from her throat. “Is that all you have to say? Are you such a docile breed that you’re going to stand there and take this?! I’ve been- you IDIOT! How can you have no feelings about anything? You don’t care that you ruined my team, and you don’t care that you ruined my day, and y-you don’t care that I’m standing here, screaming at you in the middle of the parking lot! Does anything actually go on behind those glassy grey eyes of yours, or are you literally a lobotomy patient?!”

At some point during that tirade, both of them had begun to cry. They both noticed, but it was Weiss who took a step back in shock; Ruby had been expecting this, but she clearly hadn’t. “What are you crying for, you stupid mutt?!”

“I’m sorry,” Ruby offered. She wasn’t sure what she was sorry about, her crying or Weiss crying.

“No. Shut up. You- UGH! Stop being so- STOP!”

But of course, most people find it hard to stop crying once they’ve started. Ruby’s refusal to do the impossible sent Weiss over the edge, and she flew at her and began trying to punch her, in the face, the shoulders, the chest. Anywhere. Ruby protected her face pretty well, but she still winced when the keys sliced into her arm. Weiss’s sobs and screams were the same noise, and she hit and she hit until the hits got weaker, and then she was mostly leaning against her as she weakly slapped her arms with fists that had no fire left in them, sobbing as her words failed to make any sense at all.

As Ruby held her in a clinging embrace, she could just make out the words “I HATE YOU!” through the riot of bawling and coughing and wailing to the heavens. The fists were clutching her collar as she buried her face against Ruby’s neck, shivering and unable to stop for a long time.

When her sobs were finally sniffles and her body was still save for the shivering, Ruby pet up and down her back and whispered, “I’m sorry, Weiss. I’m so, so sorry…”

“But why?! That’s s-so stupid! I told you I’d h-hurt you, that I would… and you’re sorry?! What are you, Canadian?!” When Ruby chuckled, she shook her collar slightly. “And that wasn’t very funny, don’t give me any p-pity laughs!”

“You’d be pretty funny if you didn’t have that stick up your butt,” she observed with a watery grin against Weiss’s soft white hair.

“Idiot.” After a few more seconds, she whispered, “You saw. My face… is it bad?”

“No worse than mine. But at least we can both explain it by saying ‘soccer practice’, I guess. Only difference is that I’m telling the truth.” Ruby felt her entire body tense at the word ‘truth’, so she hurried on ahead, “Probably be gone by tomorrow, but, um… I dunno, I’m not a nurse or whatever.”

“Great.” A hollowness had crept into Weiss’s tone. Probably thinking about her father. All Ruby could think of was her own, and how much kinder and gentler he was, all the time. Made stupid dad jokes, sure, but it was worlds better than what Weiss was dealing with.

“I’ll ruin you even worse if you tell anybody. You have to swear you won’t; I don’t know who you-”

“Shut up already, God! Just… chill out for now.”

A little nod against her neck. Then the captain whispered, “Sorry about… the black eye. And hitting you just now; that was unbecoming of me. But I won’t apologise for being pissed at you for taking Penny’s spot. It’s not right. She earned that, and you swooped-”

“I didn’t. Seriously, Ozpin and Goodwitch must have thought I was the best pick… I just play the game. But I guess… if they didn’t talk to you girls about it, that’s not cool. You’re a team, not freaking interchangeable Legos. So, um, if you want… I could talk to them about making that right with you?”

“You’d do that? Even if it meant like, getting yourself bumped down to JV?”

“Sure. I mean, I don’t want to be on a team if I don’t deserve it; that’s dumb. Rather just play matches on JV than deal with internal politics and junk.”

Weiss sighed, leaning into her. By that point, Ruby began to wonder how long she was going to have to keep hugging this crabby team captain, but Weiss seemed to need it right about then so she didn’t protest. Besides, it was way better than being slapped and punched. “Interchangeable Legos, huh?”

“Yeah. Why, you don’t like Legos?”

“I don’t even know what that means.”

“WHAT?! How can you not know about Legos? They’re awesome — you can make anything with them, like, literally! Though they’re kinda expensive now, and they put too much focus on fandom-specific merch…”

“What are you even saying right now?” Sniffling, she pulled back at last, but she didn’t pull away. Her head tilted to one side, and Ruby knew the red mess of Weiss’s puffy face was probably still better than her own. “I… I can’t believe how nice you’re being to me after how I acted. You’re either the nicest person I’ve ever met, or a real dope.”

“Probably a little of both,” she sighed with a roll of her eyes. “My sister seems to think so.”

“Older?” When Ruby nodded, Weiss’s sigh was very similar. The caress of breath against her neck reminded her that they were standing so close, so she took a step back, trying not to let Weiss see the slight shiver it caused. “I know how that goes. But sometimes they’re better than a best friend.”

“Ditto that.” Making a guess as she led Weiss over toward her car, arm still around her shoulders, she asked, “Was that keychain from her?”

Weiss stopped dead, gaping at her in disbelief. “How could you possibly know…?” But she stopped when she saw Ruby’s playful little smirk.

“Maybe I’m not that much of a dopey mutt.” For the first time, Weiss’s smile wasn’t at her expense, and Ruby was actually almost enjoying standing there with her arm around her. But she had a feeling Weiss would overreact when she realised they were close, so she kept walking as she asked, “Kinda racist, too, don’t you think? Calling me that.”

“Oh, don’t be dumb - I meant ‘mutt’ like how you act like a dog, not that you’re… what, Chinese and European?” When Ruby blinked at her, she smirked. “Now who’s the astute one?”

Giggling, she took Weiss’s keys and opened the door. The captain looked distantly embarrassed at being ‘taken care of’ by someone she had thought was as worthy of respect as a toilet less than an hour ago, but she didn’t protest. “Okay, you get a point. We’re even now, right?”

“No. Not until you let me buy you dinner. Um… both to bribe you not to say anything, and… to…”

“Thank me?” Weiss’s grunt of frustration was affirmation enough. “I’m not sure I can promise not to say anything to anyone… but not to anyone at school. Pinky swear if you want.”

A little fear flickered behind Weiss’s eyes. Clearly, she was worried about what might happen if Ruby decided what she had witnessed needed to be reported. But instead of acknowledging it, she snapped, “Fine. Good enough for now. Get in, unless you have plans somewhere.”

“Nope! No other plans, new bestie.”

The minute she was in the passenger’s seat, a well-manicured index finger was hovering in her face. “Let’s get something straight. By no means does this make us friends, Rose.”

Of course, Ruby disagreed. But instead of arguing, she merely raised her hand. Weiss flinched, and she could understand why, but she only pressed the tip of her own pointer finger into the raised one.

“Boop!”

“You are so childish.”

                                                               THE END

[todokori-kun]

Ok:

Luna, you’re the best. You’re smart, you’re talented, you’re dedicated, you’re creative and caring, a wonderful listener, so much fun to debate with, and the best friend anyone could ever ask for. I’m so grateful for everything you’ve helped me with ever since we started talking; I respect your resolve. You’re unique and amazing, and I’m so, so sorry this is happening to you.

I won’t go into detail because it’s a complicated story that’s also way too long, but I’ve sort of felt that way before too (thinking it might be better if I just disappeared/wishing I didn’t exist/feeling worthless). It sucks.

I don’t know if this’ll help, but just know that I’m always here to listen if you need it. You can Email me (though I guess that’s probably not an option lol) or just, like, I don’t know, maybe post something on the blog like ‘Evans can we talk’ and I’ll definitely see it and respond because I stalk this place 24/7 (Evans is a creep please don’t encourage her). I’ve also been considering finally getting a tumblr so maybe we’ll be able to PM each other sometime.

There’s absolutely nothing to apologize for. It’s really brave to talk about stuff like this (I never can). And if there’s any way I can help, please, let me know.

  (Also, funny story (it’s actually gross and is basically just Evans whining about stuff):

I know from experience that stomach-related sicknesses suck. When I first started taking swimming lessons I was an idiot with zero stamina who could barely swim halfway across the pool without coming up for air, so needless to say, I ended up gulping a ton of water (especially since my teacher didn’t go easy on me; mom told her not to because I’m a sloth and I usually won’t do any exercise on my own besides simple stretches and some walking/running). I mean, the water in swimming pools is usually a bit disgusting, and it’s even worse where I take lessons because it’s a pretty old place and I don’t think it gets cleaned that often… so not only did accidentally swallowing it trigger my clean-freak senses, I also ended up with a terrible stomachache. I thought it was fine, that it would pass. But then I got a fever and every other thing I ate made me feel like someone was twisting my intestines from the inside, I couldn’t even lie down and rest for a sec because whenever I moved or tried to change positions it got even worse ;p; (also my mom never let it go, she kept jokingly 'reminding’ me that water from a swimming pool is not something you should drink after I started swimming again. I guess I kinda deserved it, though. I was an idiot))

That sounds so lovely <3 I’d really love to go visit Norway myself sometime, though I’ll probably have to wait a few years (my mom has back problems that make it painful for her to stay in one position for too long, so long plane/car rides are a huge no). And oooh if you have any good pictures I’d love to see them :D

Thanks, I’m glad I managed to explain my shipping reasons (like it’s so hard to properly talk about why I ship stuff sometimes XD)! I would give anything to have you join me in Stoki hell so let me just recommend basically the entire Remember This Cold series (it’s angsty as heck so proceed with caution…there are bits of humor and fluff in there, though, and then some extremely rare (almost) pure fluff fics. Like the one where Steve wants to propose but is a nervous bean because Loki’s a PRINCE and he wants to make it perfect). I’ll also try to find some more good fics later becase I can’t remember any titles right now ^^;;

YES ANOTHER T'CHALLA FAN I adore this guy (also I feel like he has a really cool voice. Not really sure why, it just sounds so nice). I really respect him for his attitude towards Steve and Bucky after he figures out Bucky’s not the real murderer, and how he later stops letting his anger towards his father’s killer consume him.

We’ll fangirl over the Black Panther movie together when it comes out, won’t we *schwing*

(right after I wrote 'schwing’ I got this mental image of Hisoka having his glowing, expolsive schwing moments after seeing T'Challa. And then Hisoka schwinging in theater while watching MCU movie fight scenes. Why am I like this)

I can draw, but I don’t know how to animate so these memes will never be a thing ;-; it’s so sad, I’ve got everything planned out…everytime eyes are mentioned the screen zooms in on Illumi’s eyes (yes even when Illumi’s not in the song because he’s a Zoldyck assassin, you can’t keep him out) and the word 'eyes’ gets the weird treatment where all these high/low/metallic(?) voices get layered so it sounds like the creepiest thing ever

('History has its eyes on you but it’s actually Illumi’ is both the animatic I want to see the most and the animatic I hope will never be created)

Fun HxH facts I want to let you know about:

Kite (AKA Ging’s student and Gon’s big brother figure) is dead and has been brainwashed into being a weapon/punching bag for his captors. When sunshine angel Gon meets the new Kite he lets Kite beat him up and then hugs him, promising to save him (THE FEEEEEEELSS)

Forgot to mention this about Chrollo, but when Kurapika killed one of his troupe (a guy named Uvogin), Chrollo acted all cool and never really talked about Uvo…

but then he had the rest of the troupe murder 2000 mafiosi guarding a building they were trying to get into, and while watching the chaos from afar, listening to their enemy’s screams, he started waving his hands as if conducting an orchestra…

“Uvogin-san. Can you hear it? This requiem we’re dedicating to you.”

(jeez Chrollo we know you’re extra but you can’t just murder 2000 people and play a funeral march with their cries of horror every time you lose a subordinate)

Lastly: There’s a new character named Knuckle who’s like the HxH version of Metal Bat. He is the sweetest cinnamon roll. I love him. I’ll send you a pic later

So um did you hear the news about Hinami

(Queen Luna cosplaying Maka(? or any of the other three MCs)…omg that sounds so awesome)

*facepalm* ok WHOOPS I actually read about that on the SE wiki a while ago. How did I forget about it

Yep! It was so good <33 (Lizzy looks so graceful and pretty I can’t even) I actually found the whole movie on YT but just watched the parts I was really looking forward to seeing animated, like UT’s fight scene, Seb getting stabbed, the rest of the Midford family…(Francis’ hair shocked me. Idk how to feel about it. At first I thought it made her look like an old lady, but then, the more I look at it, the prettier it gets…like, it’s actually a really nice design, but I guess I got too used to manga!Francis lol)

Light is the trash GOD.

(hope you get to read the light novel! As far as I know it’s got a TON of L and Naomi in it so it might make you feel better :D)

Oh yeah, I get what you mean. Light’s reasoning/views on the justice system probably connects a lot to the culture and social issues of Japan at the time.

DN’s probably still one of the easier-to-adapt mangas out there, though, since the themes of justice and questioning the idea of 'greater good’ is something anyone can relate to (and they still botched it, I’m very salty about this and you can’t stop me ;-; even with how terrible Ryuk and Rem looked in them, the Japanese movies were WAY better, and it’s actually pretty rare that Japan makes a good live-action movie from a manga or anime. Apparently the TG movie that came out this year was pretty good too, though :D).

(I apparently somehow accidentally erased the part where I mentioned I actually read HCs/theories about Japanese-American Light on tumblr somewhere….that’s what got me thinking about it.

I agree though, seeing how different cultures would change Light’s character would be very interesting.)

The lack of potato chips doomed the entire Keikaku from the start.

I can see you being similar to Pearl too! I think I’m maybe a bit like Lapis…or possibly Connie. Or maybe Blue Diamond because I also cry way too much (but then again BD actually has a reason to be miserable so)

Those are both cool gems<3 and yeah, they’re both really pretty :D

I was talking about gem 'roles’ back on Homeworld, though ^^;; like, how Pearls are considered servants or pretty accessories, Diamonds are leaders, fusions like Garnet are outcasts, Rubies are 'dumb muscle’, Sapphires are valuable prophets, Peridots are tech experts, Jaspers are soldiers…sorry, I should’ve been more specific OTL

I’d probably be a Pearl lol. I could see myself being a Peridot and being scared to death without a Quartz soldier to guard me but I’m not good with any kind of technology so nah.

And sorry for asking weird questions, I forgot it’s been a while since you watched the show ^^;;

Hey, don’t feel bad about slow replies! Like I said before, I seriously don’t mind as long as you’re ok :D and I’m so glad I’ve managed to help.

('a friend I appreciate’ *ugly sobbing* thank you)

Did someone say suffering?

*'Remember That We Suffered’ plays in the background*

DID THE QUEEN JUST SAY 'Goals’ ABOUT SOMETHING I MADE OMG I’M FREAKING OUT TYSM

Ayyy I’m so glad you liked them! (The Hide pic was painted with the intent to kill)

(last thing:

I’m sorry, this is probably really creepy, but I ended up telling my mom about you because she asked who I was talking to (she knows I have internet friends and has seen me writing messages before). Since I’m only 13 she worries about the people I talk (she knows all my friends on ao3) so I told her some small things like your age, that you’re from Croatia, that you play the piano too and that you mentioned having a sister.

I’m really, really sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, mom just worries a lot and she likes to hear about my friends (like, she worries for my safety on the internet so she has to ask me some basic things about the people I talk with, and when she knows I have a good friend on the internet she sometimes wants to hear if my relationship with them is ok). I’d never tell her something really private but sometimes she wants to talk and I know she worries for me so I do tell her small, random details from our convos.

if you’re uncomfortable with that, though, I’ll stop. Again, I’m so sorry about this.)

And after two weeks of silence, the species finally shows some signs of life.  ;-;

I’m totally not crying.  I’ve said this so many times and you’re probably getting annoyed, but I have no idea what I did to deserve you in my life.  You’re actually the only person I’d told about my current mental state at that time, and I’m so glad you didn’t freak out or just write it away as me overreacting (like my mom did), and it means so so so much to me. Truly, thank you for being here for me. (And not giving up on me, considering how long my replies take ;-;)

I’m here for you as well, though, so if you’re ever feeling down, you can message me ^^ 

Oh, it’d be cool if you’d get a tumblr! I can guarantee my replies would be faster then, since the messages would show up in my notifications...

Also, to brighten things up a little, this is how I picture you at the beginning of the message:

Oh  god that sounds disgusting XD And perfectly describes why I don’t wanna do swimming as a sport. Are you still swimming? It’d be cool if you were, cause it’s a really beautiful sport imo. 

That’s unfortunate... Hopefully you’ll be able to visit it someday ^^

Tbh considering the shit I unironically ship sometimes, no ship is weird enough to be unexplainable. Name a single reason why you ship it, and it’s valid in my eyes. Heck, it can be ‘they look good together’ and I’ll say ‘makes sense’. Y’know why? Because I’m one of those ppl who will ship it if they so much as look at each other.

ok fun fact: I’ve loved T’Challa since I was like 8, because every summer, there would be a weekly publication of superhero comics, and Black Panther was almost always there, and I was a nerd even then, so I’d always buy them. Other than Spiderman, Black Panther was my favourite superhero. 

Lololol I need the HxH Cast watching MCU movies. Oh yeah, I found this a while ago and immediately thought of you:

Amazing... If you ever learn to animate, please send me a link, because I will pay money to see that. Just. I’m not even into HxH, but I’d give up a lot to see the crossover XD

Ouch, that seems like a lot of feels... Seriously I have no idea where you get the mental strength to read to many angsty moments...

um, yeah... i have actually... but um, she’s alive, right?

Turns out I gave my skirt I’d used to charity, so until i find a replacement, I can’t take any pics... well, at least i can grow my hair out to Maka’s length till that happens XD

I adore the movie, seriously, the animators did such an amazing job with it, especially the most important scenes. BUT HECK; WHEN WILL WE FIND OUT WHAT OUR CIEL’S NAME IS?? It’s been hinted that it’s quite unusual, BUT THAT MAKES IT EVEN HARDER HNNNGH

Oh yeah, I’m gonna find that novel even if it kills me, because I need the L. 

lol I still haven’t forgiven the movie adaptation of Avatar the Last Airbender. It was so bad that most people (including me are denying its existence). I might watch Death Note some time soon, so I can judge it for myself tbh... 

Of course, the chips were a vital part of the Keikaku... No wonder it didn’t succeed...

No worries! It’s not your fault! Tbh, i dont think id even reached that part when I was watching it, so it’s interesting to hear all the roles...  Aw, you’d be an adorable Peridot ^^

Tbh ‘friend that I appreciate’ doesn’t even begin to describe how precious you are to me. You’re the first online friend I made and the first person I told about my mental state, so honestly, you’re one of the people I feel closest to...

Nah, I don’t find it creepy at all!! Seriously, I sometimes tell my parents about people I talk to, so I’ve mentioned well ^^ It’s your choice what/who you’ll talk about ^^

[auratusuniverse]

No Need to Worry Chapter 1

An angsty little multi chapter fic that will have a happy ending, I promise.

Potential Steven Bomb 6 spoilers?

Connverse as heck

Archive of our Own link

Chapter 1 Below

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

She was gone.

She was gone and it was all his fault. He had been helpless to save her. He had been helpless to save anyone.

When he limped his way into the Temple, he was greeted by Garnet, who held him close, promising that they would get everyone back.

That they would get her back.

Steven had told Priyanka and Doug, shame washing over him as Priyanka sobbed into Doug's shoulder. Steven promised them that he would get her back.

That had been a week ago. In that time, Steven had lost all of the gems and was going to face judgement. He thought back to that final fight on Earth, regret piercing his mind.

Garnet had been split up, again, only this time, Ruby's gem was cracked. Pearl had promised that she would get her to the fountain after Steven had promised her that he would be alright.

This was what his purpose was. He was going to save his human friends by atoning for what his mother had done.

The words that the Aquamarine had said rolled around in his head all week.

"Are you my dad? Are you Connie? Are you the Steven?"

They had known to look for Steven because of the earrings - because of what he had told Peridot so long ago of the humans on Earth. Of his dad, Sadie, Lars, Jamie, Onion ... Connie ...

He was to be taken to the Zoo for a short time before he was taken to Homeworld to face judgement.  He hoped that he would be able to save his friends before then. If he could just do this one thing ...

When Steven arrived at the Zoo, the Amethysts insisted that he was to be placed in quarantine, lest he end up posing a risk to the humans inside. Blue Diamond's favorite reminder of her fellow ruler needed to be preserved. Then they would keep him in the zoo until Aquamarine and Topaz were ready to take him to Homeworld. Steven was amazed when neither Aquamarine nor Topaz told them what was intended of him. Instead, he allowed himself to be placed in a holding cell.

As he sat in quarantine, he wondered how he was going to tell Connie that this would be it. That after this, he would never see her again.

He reminded himself that she would be safe. She and their friends and the Earth would be safe.

He didn't want her to spend all of her time mourning him. She deserved to continue on.

When he was finally released into the Zoo, he immediately began his search for the people he cared about. He had brief reunions with Lars, Sadie, Onion, and Jamie, but his blood ran cold as the realization hit him.

Connie was not there.

This was all his fault. He had somehow gotten her in trouble.

Or worse.

Thoughts swirled in his head as Steven tried to find a way to escape the Zoo. He needed to get out of there so he could save Connie. He wouldn't sleep until he figured out a way to get out. He couldn't spare any moment not thinking about how to find her.

He got his opportunity on his third night in the Zoo.

The sound of a door opening jarred him from his fitful sleep. He rose and made his way to the door, cautiously.

As soon as he stepped out the door, he felt the strong arms of an Amethyst wrap around him. He yelped only to be hushed. He watched, nervously, as he was whisked down the corridors. When he watched the doors to the hangar slide open, his eyes widened.

Before he could react, he was set down by the Amethyst who quickly ran to one of the Roaming Eyes, opening the door.

"You're 8XM's friend, right?" the Amethyst asked when she turned around.

"Yeah," Steven nodded.

"Ok. Well, I'm 8XL. I'm going to get you out of here. If we're fast, we can get to your human friend before she is moved."

"Moved?!" Steven cried out. "What's going to happen?"

8XL led Steven into the Roaming Eye, motioning for him to sit down.

"She gained a lot of interest after Aquamarine told Holly Blue what she did to those Topazes. A human spitting up a Gem fusion with a Gem weapon? Unheard of. But when she was here, I heard her whimper your name, so I knew that she had to be important to you, and thus 8XM, somehow. If we aren't quick enough, though, we may end up having to go to Homeworld anyway ... if she survives, that is."

As 8XL continued to explain what was happening, Steven found his eyes drawn out the window of the Roaming Eye. As the ship took off, Steven started to fully realize what was happening.

He had put Connie in danger. Even if he wasn't going to end up on Homeworld, he wouldn't be able to return and face Connie's parents.

He could barely face himself.

"The human was headed to one of Blue Diamond's colonies. There are a lot of soldiers who are bored and need some entertainment, and plenty of Rubies that would enjoy a good fight. Normally, I wouldn't think a human would be able to handle them, but with your friend facing off against the Topaz fusion, she might stand a chance, for now," 8XL continued.

"Connie," he started.

8XL paused and looked back to Steven.

"What?"

"Connie. Her name is Connie," Steven explained.

"Oh ..." 8XL sighed.

The silence stretched between them as 8XL began to callibrate the ship.

"We'll be using the gravity drive soon. Though, I'm sure you know what those are ... Um, just stay seated while we go."

Steven nodded.

"Don't worry," 8XL started. "We'll get your friend back. I promise."

Steven didn't respond. He simply stared as stars whizzed by.

What if he was too late?

He felt 8XL's hand on his shoulder.

"Are you ok?" She started. "I mean, I know things are bad ... but we'll get her back and then we'll go back to Earth and get the other Gems find you a nice place where you and your friend can live, away from the Diamonds."

Steven's head snapped up.

"No, we'd just be going back to Earth," he stated.

8XL blinked. Then she covered her mouth.

"Oh no! You have no idea that your planet is going to explode! Yellow Diamond implanted a geo-weapon that should be finished incubating soon. That's why all of those humans were taken."

"Wait. You don't know ... Amethyst didn't tell you?" Steven began. "The cluster is bubbled. They're not going to reform any time soon. The Earth is completely safe!"

8XL tilted her head. Then she scrubbed her face with her hands as laughter bubbled up.

"Oh my stars, Yellow Diamond is going to be so mad! This is great! I can't wait to see the look on her stupid face when it never blows up!" 8XL guffawed. She slapped Steven in the back. "You're alright."

Steven smiled weakly.

"I'll send a message to the others, that we can take a trip after all of this is over. The humans that they grabbed were very upset with being put in the Zoo. Did you know them?"

"Yeah ..." Steven started.

"I'm sorry ... We'll get them back home, I promise," 8XL smiled.

They fell into silence once more as 8XL returned to her seat and continued to pilot the ship. She looked back every so often at the forlorn human child. Amethyst had told her that she helped raise this human and how special he was to her, but there was something else that she couldn't put her finger on.

Why would an Amethyst willingly raise a human child?

Sure, that had been her own job at the Zoo, but that wasn't what she was made for. Not by a long shot.

As the ship landed at the colony, she watched as Steven suddenly tensed up.

"How could Connie survive here? I don't think there's any air," Steven whimpered.

"Oh, we have a dome for situations like this. Sometimes, the Gems on a colony get bored and so creatures from other planets are shipped in. Of course, because of your friend's behavior, they wanted her there for a  ... specific purpose," 8XL cringed.

She piloted the ship towards a large dome and then landed outside.

"I'm going to dock with the dome and then we can go in," she explained. "I'll be telling them that I need to take the human back to the Zoo to rest. Hopefully they'll believe me. I didn't see Aquamarine's ship here so we might be able to sneak her out while they refuel."

Steven nodded as the ship docked with the dome. As the door opened with a whoosh, Steven got out of his seat and went to join 8XL. As he travelled behind her, out into the dome, he felt a sense of dread. Only a few Quartzes remained. One of the Jaspers was holding a Ruby's inert gem, checking it over before setting it on a seat. Steven looked to 8XL. The Quartz grimaced.

"Oh no ..."

"Hey! 8XL!" A Carnelian laughed. "You missed it! They brought a human for entertainment and it was awesome! Took down every Ruby they sent in with this ancient relic it had! It was great!"

"Oh ..." 8XL started. "Is she still here? I needed to take her back to the Zoo to rest with her -"

"Nah. It's off to the main Beryl Kindergarten on one of Yellow's colonies. Aqua wanted to take it there herself to show off her prize," the Carnelian prattled. "The way it wielded that sword was stellar! Maybe I should come out to the Zoo sometime and see what else you guys have been hiding."

Steven felt his heart break.

Connie was gone already.

He was too late.

He felt numb as he was shuttled back onto the Roaming Eye. He couldn't believe it. He had never wanted this for her and now she was being paraded across the galaxy as some sort of gladiator.

What if she got hurt? Who would be there to help her?

He didn't even realize he was crying until he looked up to see 8XL standing in front of him, looking him over with concern.

"Hey, kid. Are you alright?"

"She could get hurt," Steven whimpered. "And I won't be there to help her ..."

8XL patted Steven on the head gently. She never liked trying to calm down humans, but something kept drawing her to him. She wanted to comfort him. She wanted to see him find his friend.

As she sat down, she began to set a course for the next colony. When she turned around to look back at the human, she saw that he was already asleep. She almost turned around when something caught her eye.

A soft, pink glow shone through the appearance modifiers that he wore. Suddenly, it all made sense. The strange connection she felt, the way that Aquamarine treated him ...

The reason they were coming back for him.

Oh shards ...