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andrewmoocow · 7 months

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Steven Universe Snake Eyes chapter 9: Let the Endgames Begin (originally published on October 23, 2023)

AN: We only have about three to four chapters left before I can finally close the book on Alternate Future once and for all and finally move onto other stories that I've left to collect dust for months to years on end. When last we left off, Squamata has been unleashed from his tomb and now plans to devastate the entire universe around him and beyond. Is there any way that the Crystal Gems can stop possibly their toughest foe yet? You'll just have to read on and find out as Alternate Future reaches its climax.

Synopsis: The race against time begins as the god of snakes Squamata breaks free from his prison and Steven rallies the royals & fighters to save reality.

Cast:

Zach Callison as Steven

Noël Wells as Black Rutile

Estelle as Garnet

Michaela Dietz as Amethyst

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl, Mega Black Pearl

Grace Rolek as Connie

Zach Steel as Ronaldo

Atticus Shaffer as Peedee

Jennifer Paz as Lapis

Shelby Rabara as Peridot

Uzo Aduba as Bismuth

Kimberly Brooks as Jasper

Lauren Ash as White Topaz

Patti LuPone as Yellow Diamond

Lisa Hannigan as Blue Diamond

Christine Ebersole as White Diamond

Aurelio Voltaire as King Cobralan Jormagundr

Shirley Millner as Queen Constricta Jormagundr

Ray Porter as Squamata

Samantha Newark as The Lapidarist

Jason Marsden as Prince Nosiop Jormagundr

Tim Curry as Velhallen Beo

Crispin Freeman as Mr. Manco

Sam Witwer as Torius Vosania

Anna Akana as Dionna of the Sands

Christopher Lloyd as Batsputin Vosania

Peter Stormare as Reximillian

Elizabeth Maxwell as Vigrid

James Earl Jones as Wobbla the Butt

Barrett Wilbert Weed as Ezlipsia

Anthony Stewart Head as Solaris Noctua

John Mulany as Flipso

AJ Michalka as Stevonnie

Ted Leo as Steg

Della Saba as Aquamarine

Charlyne Yi as Eyeball

Christine Pedi as Holly Blue Agate

Casey Lee Williams as Cat's Eye

Avi Roque as Cinnabar

Gina Torres as Andesine

Jinkx Monsoon as Emerald

Kari Wahlgren as Pyrope

Melissa Fahn as Demantoid

Awkwafina as Kyanite

As the Lapidarist meditated within her chambers, she suddenly heard a noise, followed by an evil, bellowing laugh. "I have turned hundreds upon thousands of worlds to dust in the name of darkness and devastation until I was robbed of my glory." Squamata roared from outside the castle. "I will stride across the bones of my enemies and bask in the glow of pure evil, for all of existence shall be mine to consume!"

"I knew this day would come." The Lapidarist said fearfully before she vanished from her sanctuary in a blinding flash of light. When she reappeared on Serpentes's surface, the already-panicking Slytherophidians were confused at the giant glowing humanoid's sudden appearance, making them wonder if she would team up with Squamata to destroy their world. "I can see you, Squamata!" the Lapidarist yelled for the snake creature to hear her. "I've been guarding this planet where you've been sealed for eons, and I will not let you destroy it or any other world!"

"Ah, Rebeugar, the last of the Lapidarists, we meet at last," Squamata replied with a dreadful sneer. "Who would've guessed we would be laid to rest on the same planet? No matter. I will finish what I started all those years ago and eliminate you, the sole survivor of my creators. First Serpentes, then the universe, and then the multiverse, and possibly beyond." Just as Squamata had made his threat, he suddenly received an electric shock to the face courtesy of Yellow Diamond. "WHAT?!"

"Die, monster!" Yellow called as she stood firmly against the God of Snakes with Blue and White Diamond beside her. "You do not belong in this world."

"It is not by my hand that I am free to smite the universe as I did in days long past." Squamata declared while presenting his heralds, Prince Nosiop, Pyth, Velhallen Beo, Mr. Manco, and Torius Vosania. "I was released from my confinements by mortals who wished to pay me tribute in exchange for assisting them with their own plans."

"That is correct, Squamata." Nosiop proclaimed. "Now, enough talk! Fight us, grand Diamonds, and die for your sins!" Squamata and his heralds charged at the Lapidarist and the Diamonds, with Squamata assuming a different form that transformed him into a shadowy mass of fog with eyes all over his body.

The god of snakes lunged at the Lapidarist with a hiss and bit her with his neck, trying to poison her with the venom in his fangs. However, he was stopped at the last moment when Stevonnie came to the Lapidarist's rescue by slashing off one of Squamata's fangs.

"What is this human doing here?!" Squamata roared as he looked down on Stevonnie and Mega Black Pearl standing up to his tremendous fury. "Wait, that is no mere human."

"A fusion of a human and a Gem? Inconceivable!" the Lapidarist agreed in alarm.

"Stay back, everyone; Mega Black Pearl and I got this covered!" Stevonnie declared before turning to the other fusion. "Ready, MBP?"

"Always ready for a fight!" Mega Black Pearl responded with a grin.

"How does everyone keep moving so fast?" Blue wondered as Squamata realized who he was up against.

"The scion of the Crystal Gems and the Diamonds, it seems," Squamata smirked while looking down at Stevonnie. "We meet face to face at last. Though, I did not expect you to come out to me as a fusion, and especially with a human." He then looked down at his heralds. "Velhallen, Torius, Manco, you know what to do. The rest of us shall take care of these Diamonds."

"It shall be done, my lord." Velhallen Beo declared as he clashed his sharpened claws with Stevonnie's sword while Torius and Manco sought revenge on the Black Pearl Brigade. "I have heard so many stories about you and the Crystal Gems, but never would I live to see the day I'd face one myself!"

"Who even are you?" Stevonnie asked before taking a big swing at Beo's chest. "I don't think I ever heard of you before, or most of the other heralds, for that matter."

"I am but a humble ex-Universal Lord who was robbed of my royal birthright by the confounded Batsputin Vosania!" Velhallen revealed his backstory to his fused opponent. "After being locked away by the Coalition of Galaxies for my numerous crimes, I discovered the awesome power of Squamata and figured that with him by my side, I could take back my rightful place as ruler of the Twilight Zone!"

"Not on our watch!" Mega Black Pearl declared before mightily swinging at Beo with her spear. High above the fusions' battle with the heralds, the Lapidarist used her phenomenal cosmic powers to keep Squamata at bay. At the same time, the Diamonds fought back against Nosiop and Pyth, now cosmically empowered by their exposure to the godlike snake.

"You will be returned quietly to where you belong, Squamata." Yellow declared. "We heard about how you crave nothing but death and destruction to every being with a pulse."

"Then again, you aren't so different, Gem creatures." Squamata retorted with a sneer. "You claim you're trying your best to change your ways, but I feel it isn't enough. Perhaps you could throw all that away and join me as my heralds."

"We will never join you!" Blue yelled while firing a blast of pure emotion to bring Squamata to his figurative knees. Still, Squamata felt absolutely nothing at all before tackling Blue to the ground and trying to bite her, only to get blasted away by White.

"Ah-say-into-pie, oppa-maybe-uppen-die!" Squamata then turned his attention to White and breathed fire in her face, causing her to fall over in shock. "You have no hope of defeating me in my current state! I will only grow stronger by the minute unless this ultimate fusion appears and stops me once and for all."

"Squamata is right; I cannot hold him forever!" the Lapidarist exclaimed. "We need to retreat now!"

"Yes, run while you still can, fools!" Nosiop exclaimed. "But you'll still be leaving us to run amok across this wretched world and the rest of the cosmos soon!"

"Wow, he really is kind of like me." The Steven part of Stevonnie muttered to themselves as they, Mega Black Pearl, the Lapidarist, and the Diamonds, made their escape, contemplating what Inner Steven had said to Steven earlier.

Steven and Connie were un-fused when they reached the castle, where the Crystal Gems awaited them. "So, couldn't beat Squamata, huh?" Amethyst asked. "Kind of figured something like that would happen."

"Is there any way we can stop Squamata now?" Pearl wondered. "If not even the Lapidarist and the Diamonds are enough to overpower him, then what chance do we have?" Suddenly, the heroes heard a familiar voice panting loudly as she raced towards the castle, and when they turned around, Black Rutile was standing at the front doors, acting like she had just run five dozen marathons on her way there.

"Yes, I'm not too late!" Black Rutile gasped as she finally reached the Jormagundrs' castle. "Help me, Crystal Gems, you're my only hope!"

"Enough talk, Black Rutile; we know it was you." Garnet coldly declared, completely ignoring Black Rutile's cries for help.

"No, please, you simply must hear me out!" Black Rutile yelled while raising her hands in complete sincerity. "Nosiop betrayed me and nearly sacrificed me to release Squamata! Please, you have to believe me!"

"Yeah, how about no?" Jasper growled angrily while snatching Black Rutile by the neck and glaring daggers at the Rutile. "We've had enough of your lies for too long now. Make one more, and you can bet we'll shatter you on the spot."

"Wait, guys, let's hear Black Rutile out." Steven tried to calm everyone down. "I know firsthand just how she really feels. Let me talk to her, and we'll all start working together ASAP." Connie then grabbed Steven by the shoulder. "Need anything, Connie?"

"Steven, I hate to break it to you, but I think it's time you gave up on her," Connie responded bluntly. "Black Rutile has lied and used us so many times for her own selfish gain, so it's obviously no secret all those insecurities she yelled about were probably another lie to play with your sympathy."

"Oh, for crying out-seriously?!" Black Rutile yelled furiously. "You pride yourself on accepting everyone, even the ones you don't understand, yet I'm the outlier here?! I am in legitimate distress here, and you're just turning away from me just like that?!"

"Maybe come to us when you feel some form of remorse for your actions, you murder drone!" Peridot barked before turning away with her nose pointed to the ceiling. "Bismuth, Lapis, to me, please."

"Yeah, not sure how we can forgive you after you tried making me one of your team." Lapis added with a disdainful shrug before following Peridot.

"Ugh, once a corrupt uppercrust, always a corrupt uppercrust." Bismuth scoffed while turning to walk alongside her two best friends.

"White Topaz, you can believe me, right?" Black Rutile said to her former bodyguard. "You've been at my side for years. Surely, you can tell them I'm right!"

"Okay, I'm just going to give it to you straight." White Topaz declared. "Look, BR, I know you seem like you want the Crystal Gems to forgive you for your sins, but we all think you're a lost cause. You obviously made up your mind. Why don't you just cut your losses and get outta here for your own safety?"

"You wretched parasites!" Black Rutile shrieked as all the Crystal Gems left her alone in the castle. "If I did this earlier, I'd make you pay for showing me no sympathy!" But alas, Black Rutile's archenemies chose to ignore her as they walked away, the only one continuing to acknowledge her being Steven, who simply turned to Black Rutile with a disappointed sigh as if he knew that Black Rutile was being honest, but their past experiences together wanted to prove him otherwise.

Once again, Black Rutile was left with only crushing loneliness to keep her company. Her former minions had abandoned her to join the Crystal Gems for the sake of survival; Nosiop almost had her killed, and now, when she desperately needed help the most, the only ones who could refuse to believe her like she was a human boy crying wolf. All the mournful Rutile could do now was drop to her knees, gaze at her hands, and mutter to herself, "I'm the lowest of the low."

Outside the castle, the Universal Lords, Solaris Noctua, and a very reluctant Flipso stood together as they examined Squamata's rampage on Serpentes. Cobralan sighed in dismay as he looked down at his tail while contemplating Greg's critique of his parenting, feeling that for a human, he had every right to point out how the king's ignorance would lead to his son releasing an ancient god of destruction in a bid to prove that the Slytherophidians were meant to be conquerors. Perhaps if Nosiop were to survive this ordeal, father and son would have a long, hard chat with each other.

"I still can't believe it." Solaris declared in awe of the god of snakes. "Squamata has returned. I know my powers haven't been what they used to be ever since I graduated from Universal Lord to cosmic librarian, but even I believe our combined strength might be enough to at least knock him down for a spell."

"You're kidding me, aren't you, Larry?!" Flipso yelled in outrage. "That's Squamata, the god of snakes, devourer of worlds, bringer of death, the chaos bringer, the master of darkness, and wrecker of all our collective shit! I think it's time that we get on out of here; I know a great empty void a few dimensions down we can hide in until this all blows over!"

"Oh no, you don't, Flippy!" Dionna of the Sands exclaimed while grabbing the cosmic jester by his tiny ankle. "You're fighting with us, whether you like it or not!"

"Enough arguing, you two, allow me to take this." Wobbla the Butt declared as he slithered out of his dais and took a deep breath before bellowing, "IMMA FIRIN' MY LASER!" and spewing out a brightly colored laser beam from his mouth that struck Squamata in the eye.

"WHO DARES?!" Squamata roared while turning to face the Universal Lords, who all stood together as one united army to face the destroyer. "The Universal Lords! Your powers are indeed beyond comprehension, but they shall not be enough to face me!"

"We can try." Ezlipsia replied before letting out a mighty hoot that caused darkness to fall on her, which she condensed into a massive array of familiars she ordered to assault Squamata's heralds. Meanwhile, Vigrid transformed into a new form resembling that of a harpy as she soared through the air and trapped Velhallen Beo in a headlock.

"Ah, Vigrid, it's been too long since we last saw each other, my love," Beo said lecherously to Vigrid, making the witch-like Universal Lord retch in disgust.

"I thought what we had was just a one-time fling!" Vigrid exclaimed. "I never knew you still had feelings for me!"

"So, it seems we are fated to face each other again, my brother," Torius said to Batsputin as the two prepared for battle. "Don't think this shall be like our last battle when you robbed me of my throne!"

"It seems we have no other choice, especially since you have aligned yourself with Squamata," Batsputin said before the brothers engaged in a rematch. Torius's improved cybernetics gave him an edge in battle.

"For our people, for our planets, let us fight on!" Dionna cried as she and her fellow Amazonian warriors formed an army to face off against the snake soldiers under Mr. Manco's control.

"To me, Flipso!" Solaris commanded before casting a spell to assist Vigrid in battle.

"Fine, but I'm only holding back to make things fair," Flipso said before snapping his fingers and making an army tank appear. "Besides, bringing in someone as powerful as me against that guy would be ridiculously unfair."

Reximillian let out a beastly roar as he began stomping all over snake guards and robot drones. "Ugh, this is such a waste of my time."

"Son, I know you're still in there." Cobralan tried to reach out to Nosiop during the clash between Squamata's heralds and the Universal Lords. "Please, my son, drop your weapon and allow me to be a better parent to you."

"Oh, so now you finally decide to be a father!" Nosiop yelled angrily. "Where was this apology when I needed it after all the times you ignored my ideas?!"

"Because they were going against our way of life!" Cobralan replied. "We do not conquer; we prefer peace with other species, barring the occasional accidental extinction, and I want it to stay that way. Perhaps if you walked a mile in my scales, maybe we can finally see things eye to eye."

"I swear, this is just Copper 9 all over again!" Nosiop complained. "I wanted to conquer that robot-infested wasteland because I thought they would make good servants for us, but you instead signed that Lerdwichagul Treaty to ensure we wouldn't turn them into slaves!"

"Now, son, no need to get all huffy just because you're not getting what you want." Constricta stepped in between her husband and son. "It's like some species say, you win some, you lose some. Do you want this to end up like the jockstrap incident? Hopefully, we can give Boa a break from digging all the holes this time."

"You must always make things so difficult, your Highnesses," Pyth said glowingly. "I've served your family for generations, hoping that Squamata would give our people the wake-up call they needed, and it turns out Nosiop wanted the same thing to the point where I'm more like a father to him now. Your son has always been like this. I just gave him the push he needed."

"If that must be the case," Cobralan said bravely while drawing his sword. "then I cannot let you corrupt my family any further." Pyth did the same as his former king and drew out a sword as well before the two began to clash.

"Man, the Universal Lords ain't no one's fool!" Amethyst said in amazement as the Lords went to war with Squamata. "Maybe we should go out there and help!"

"Not yet, Amethyst," Garnet replied firmly. "Once we can find an opening, then we can strike. Otherwise, we need to work on finding the ultimate fusion."

"Ooh, I know just the one!" White Topaz said eagerly before taking Jasper's hand and causing the two to fuse into Orange Moonstone.

"Calm down, guys, I'm not sure if that's the one," Pearl said to Orange Moonstone's disappointment as she un-fused back into Jasper and White Topaz. "Steven, why don't you go review fusing with your human friends to see if they can help?"

"Okay," Steven agreed. "but first, I think someone wants to talk to us." The Crystal Gems turned around to find the Rutile Rebels standing behind them, and they instinctively summoned their weapons to prepare for a fight.

"Hold on, everyone, no need to fight!" Aquamarine exclaimed as she stepped up in front of the Rebels. "We just have a little problem that needs solving."

"And what makes you think we'll believe you this time?" Connie growled while pointing her sword at the tiny blue Gem, who simply just held out her hand.

"Let's make a deal." Aquamarine declared. "We have reached a bit of a situation here."

"Situation is putting this lightly." Eyeball added. "Black Rutile has been working with Prince Nosiop to unleash Squamata, and if we don't work together, it will mean the end of the entire universe, including the both of us!"

"And we know this because Black Rutile straight up told us how she was plotting to use the Lapidarist to turn every Gem into her mindless slaves so that Nosiop can use them as an army!" Holly Blue stated. "Frankly, that was a terrible idea on her part."

"So we say this again." Cat's Eye concluded the Rebels' statement. "Let us make a deal. If you help us stop Squamata and Black Rutile, we'll return peacefully to Little Homeworld and coexist with you all in harmony." Cat put on big puppy dog eyes to emphasize that she was serious while holding her hat in her hands. "Pwetty pwease?!"

"You just had to whip out the puppy dog eyes." Bismuth sighed in annoyance. "You sure you won't just end up stabbing us in the back before flying off to plot your revenge, twirling your mustaches and saying "MWA-HA-HA" along the way?"

"No, we're being perfectly honest here!" Cinnabar exclaimed defensively. "Black Rutile almost threw us out before we decided to quit, and now we feel that if we have to survive and live another day, we have no choice but to join you in saving the universe from destruction. Now, will you accept us or not?"

"Please say yes, we're desperate." Andesine urged the Gems through gritted teeth.

"Okay, but only if you promise not to go back on your word." Garnet obliged and reluctantly shook Aquamarine's hand.

"Thank you for being so reasonable." Aquamarine sighed in relief. "You are a credit to your team." Garnet had no idea how to respond to that statement. "I'm just being nice."

"We all need to be nice if we must live." Pyrope proclaimed. "Now, I know it will be tough having to live with your greatest enemies now, suddenly acting all chummy and all."

"While I would like to hear you bluster all day about how we can make a change," Demantoid interrupted her fellow Garnet. "we literally have tons of different things to do, like solving our little Squamata problem."

"Yes, we'll need to discuss that," Emerald added. "Anyone got any ideas?"

"I have one!" Kyanite exclaimed. "My idea is that we sit Squamata down, look him dead in the eye, and tell him "Don't eat our planet." Everyone just stared at Kyanite in dead silence. "Trust me, he'd have to be awfully evil if it didn't work, and I'm not gonna lie, I like the cut of his jib."

"Sometimes I wonder why you still keep her around, Cinnabar." Andesine groaned to Cinnabar in disgust.

"She may not be competent, but she gets me results." Cinnabar proclaimed in her bodyguard's defense, causing Dalmatian Jasper, Zoisite, Pyrite, and Bloodstone to nod in agreement.

"So, what do you all think?" Steg, the fusion of Steven and Greg, asked while showing off his powers for the other humans. "I know it's not much, but it's the symbol of one heck of a father-son duo!"

"How big is that hair?!" Lars gasped while pointing at Steg's big pompadour. "Do you think maybe someone's compensating for something?" he whispered to Peedee, who just frowned in annoyance. "Come on! I was just making a joke!"

"Okay, anyone else wanna fuse with Steven?" Steg offered. "How about you, Lars? I wonder what your powers would do."

"Hey, before we review any more fusions, can I talk with Steven for a bit?" Peedee asked. "Recent events, particularly news about his family, have gotten me thinking about things."

"Wait, you don't mean!" Ronaldo gasped at his little brother while Steg un-fused. "Oooohhhhh noooooo."

"What are you guys talking about?" Steven asked awkwardly before the Frymans took him away from Greg, Connie, and Lars.

"So, you know how it was mostly just us and our dad running the fry shop back on Earth?" Peedee stated. "Well, I'm sure there's one question that must've been on the back of your mind."

"Is this about your mother?" Steven asked. "Come to think of it, while I did notice she was gone, I never really bothered to ask. What happened to her?"

"Yeah, I think it's time we finally came out," Peedee replied morosely. "She wasn't into the frying business like we were. She was more of the detective kind, so you can guess where Ronaldo got his love for mysteries from."

"And also kind of like me, she gets really absorbed in her work to the point where she starts isolating herself from others," Ronaldo replied. "But unlike me, it became a serious problem, and she would argue with Dad whenever she worked long nights. And then, one day, she just kind of vanished. I'm not even sure where she is right now. She didn't even say goodbye!"

"Wow, I guess I have a bit more in common with you guys than I thought," Steven said in realization before he started laughing. "Let's just hope she didn't run off to start a rebellion or something!"

"Yeah, like your mom!" Ronaldo started laughing as well, and then Peedee as well. At first, Steven thought that he couldn't relate much to other human beings due to his half-Gem upbringing, but now, he realized that there were people much closer to him than he realized. And he couldn't be happier.

"I must restore my strength." The Lapidarist muttered to herself as she healed her injuries sustained from the fight against Squamata. Rebeugar needed that ultimate fusion as soon as possible and couldn't be kept waiting. However, she soon heard a set of footsteps approaching her. "Who is there?"

It was Black Rutile, who had come to see the Lapidarist just as she had planned. This could be it, her chance to finally get the revenge on the Crystal Gems she had craved for so long by forcibly rejuvenating all Gems and turning them into her unstoppable army, thus forcing Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl to learn how much they made her suffer by forcing them to become her servants instead of the other way around. But instead, she had one simple question to ask.

"Lapidarist, my name is Black Rutile." Black Rutile introduced herself to the foremother of all Gemkind. "And I've been dealing with a little crisis lately. For the past couple of months or so, I've been coping with my loss of identity. I've been so bent on revenge on the Crystal Gems for years now that I've practically built my entire life around it. Yet now, without an army, any allies, or even enemies to take me seriously, I'm not even sure if I still have a purpose in the universe. Please tell me, grand Lapidarist, is it possible for me to find a new purpose now that Steven has stripped me of my old one?"

The Lapidarist knelt idly as she processed Black Rutile's question, meditating in place while hovering just a few inches off the ground. Then, she finally spoke. "Your time will come soon, Black Rutile." The Lapidarist ominously declared. "Your true destiny simply won't be realized until you are at peace. But for now, I believe certain individuals need your help."

The Lapidarist then conjured up a holographic image of Steven leading not just the Crystal Gems, the royal family of Serpentes, the Universal Lords, and the various Contest of Champions fighters into battle against Squamata but also the now former Rutile Rebels. And alongside Steven's motley army, standing right alongside the boy, in fact, was Black Rutile.

Yeah, as you can probably guess, this is where Black Rutile's redemption arc finally begins! But she won't just need Steven to forgive her because he's got enough issues as is, what she needs is to forgive herself for forcing her to become the Gem she is today and keep moving forward to a brighter tomorrow. How can Black Rutile process this? Will everyone else accept this madman's change of heart? Will Black Rutile finally say Connie's last name properly? All this and more will be answered in the coming chapters, same Gem time, same Gem channel!

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regard-luxury · 1 year

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greysdigi · 2 years

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Legends of pursuit inbetween land not working

Surely, if nothing else, the notion that it is barely readable, let alone intelligible, is a part of The Waste Land’s reputation among readers. BACKGROUND CONSIDERATIONSĮliot’s The Waste Land is undoubtedly the most renowned if not notorious literary achievement in poetry in English of the 20th century, a poem so celebrated even in its own time that it generated a whole slew of legends, misinformation, and general myths about its origins, intentions, and impact on the contemporary scene of postwar Europe in the early 1920s, a scene of which the poem has by now come to be regarded as a perfect reflection. Virtually overnight The Waste Land became a focal point and rallying cry for the culture wars of its time and brought Eliot a celebrity and iconic status that he would never live down and, within a short time, would be adamantly refusing to live up to. Published in October of that year in Eliot’s own literary review, the Criterion, in London and in the Dial in New York, it was then released in book form in December of that year by the New York publishing house Boni & Liveright. For this adventurous, pirate fananzy and strong, supported story lines with a hint of easter eggs, I give this game a 9.5.Nothing could have prepared either the literary world in general or the curious reader who had been following Eliot’s career to date for the publication, in late 1922, of The Waste Land. The way it was put together with controls is fabulous and you shouldn't have a single trouble with setting each tool to your designated button, chosing from X, Y or Z. In difficulty matters, this game is inbetween hard and medium, depending on your skill level. The epic way this game was put together makes you feel like your in total control of an orchestra, not only because you are conducting but because every strike of an enemy sets sounds going off in a line, making the experience more jittery and exciting with every slash of your blade. With nothing but a shield and sword and many other fun gadgets and gizmos, you slay giant turtles in seeping hot volcanoes, chop up some "Mega, Giant Plant Soup" after a day of helping out a magnificent tree and race to a "Big Blue" watery grave with a whale awaiting your arrival, all to collect 3 pearls whic are keys to a lost land. With a vast sea of many islands to explore, you set off in pursuit of rescuing your sister and along the way, ending up becoming the "Hero of Legend" as in every Zelda title, except this one has a tremendous difference in the story line. The cartoony graphics fit a style of game play which no other game has ever delivered in a fun way. By riariases | Review Date: FebruHere comes a ridiculously amazing game with a burst of wind, flying you to that point where you just don't wanna put it down until you beat it! No matter your age, you should find this game interesting and exhilerating.

#Legends of pursuit inbetween land not working

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alj4890 · 3 years

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Angst Prompt

Requested follow-up to One Fateful Night

Part 2: The Dark Before the Dawn

A\N Sorry again for One Fateful Night’s angst. This picks up right after and goes a little into the future for Liam and those that survived the earthquake. It gets pretty dark in places and is long, but I think it ends on a hopeful note.

@gkittylove99 @darley1101 @krsnlove @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30 @yourmajesty09 @mom2000aggie @ofpixelsandscribbles @twinkleallnight @lodberg @sweatyrysconnoisseur @motorcitymademadame

Masterlist

The rest of the unity tour was canceled. Unable to speak his reasons why he couldn't do it, Liam left that in the hands of his father and Regina. He didn't want to face the people without Riley by his side, without Drake standing steadfast, without Maxwell's unfailing optimism, without Hana's gentle support.

He had simply lost the will to fight.

Olivia had returned with him to the palace. Neville soon followed, insisting that he would do whatever Liam needed him to. Kiara, devastated by Penelope's death had retreated back to her family estate. Rashad was sent to Domvallier to recover from his injuries. Bastien refused to take time off and was doing his duties from a wheelchair.

Liam ignored all of it. He went to his chambers and remained secluded from the world for days. He refused entry to anyone who knocked. He simply sat there staring at the few mementos he had of those he had lost.

He flipped through the photographs Maxwell had insisted on taking of the three of them through the years. He paused at the few his mother was in, wishing she was here now to tell him how to move on from something like this. She had encouraged his friendships with Maxwell and Drake, knowing he would need them to face life in the public eye.

And now he would never have them again.

Setting the old album aside, he reached for the key chain Riley had given him the night of the Coronation. Thinking of that night and their confessions of love only to be so cruelly parted...his head dropped as he carefully set it back on the table. Next he picked up the pearl he had given her. The plans and hopes they had while meeting in secret. It had helped him through every moment he was kept from her side.

He then lifted the photograph Anna had taken of them for their engagement. Liam's fingers trembled as they brushed against the image of Riley. Her smile so warm. Her eyes so filled with joy.

Reaching for a decanter, he attempted to metaphorically drown his sorrows. In one night he had lost everything he had held dear. How was he to go on from this? There was no enemy to slay, no way to find those he loved and rescue them. Nothing. Nothing except funerals to attend. Nothing but giving them to the cold, unforgiving dirt.

All he had ahead of him was visits to graveyards. He knew his father didn't have much longer to live. It would be just one more loss in his already devastated heart.

Death was what his life had become. He had feared that when his mother was poisoned. Many a night he would wake up crying at the thought of being completely and utterly alone. This long forgotten fear rose up within him, showing that it hadn't been a nightmare. It had been a premonition.

Dropping his head in his hands, he sobbed into the void that had become his only companion.

*****************

Armed with a key, Olivia forced her way into Liam's room. With the first of the many funerals coming up, she knew she needed to get him prepared. The public would be looking toward their king, needing to see him standing against the worst life could throw at him.

Her steps faltered when she saw him. He was slumped over in a chair. Empty decanters sat in front of him, a few tipped over on the table with drops of whiskey spilled out.

The tumbler he had been using had fallen to the floor. The remnants of his drink had stained the Persian rug. His clothes were rumpled. Nearly a week's growth of beard had darkened his sunken cheeks. Dark circles under his eyes completed the look of a man trying to escape his tormented thoughts.

Olivia had to harden her heart. There had always been something about Liam that brought out an unusual softness in her. But that was not what he needed. He needed order. A purpose. Something to get him to step back out in the world.

Grabbing his shoulder she shook him hard.

"Liam!" She snapped in a louder than usual tone. "Wake up!"

He opened his bloodshot eyes with a slight groan. He weakly raised a hand to his head while trying to escape her unyielding grip.

"Get ready." She ordered. "We've got things to do."

"What things?" His hoarse voice cracked.

She ignored his question.

He forced himself to focus on her bustling about gathering his clothes before going into his bathroom. He could hear her starting a shower.

She returned with a determined set to her chin. "Hurry up." She pulled him out of his chair. "We don't have all day."

He stumbled forward, catching himself against a dresser.

Olivia bit her lip as she watched him painstakingly retreat into the bathroom.

Taking a deep breath, she bent to the task of straightening his room. Her gaze fell on the objects he had been using for his only source of company. Tears sparked her eyes when she noticed the photographs.

It wasn't fair. Liam might think he was the only one to suffer with his losses, but she was just as deeply affected. They had been her friends too. A family of sorts, one of her choosing after losing her own at such a young age. She couldn't help but depend on them. Maxwell had been the chipper, up for anything brother she wouldn't have thought she needed. Drake had been her sparring partner, always keeping her wit sharp for any upcoming altercation. Riley...

How had the one she never could quite see completely as her enemy become an actual friend? She had won Liam from Olivia, and yet...and yet Olivia had been grateful. If there was anyone in this world who saw and loved Liam like she herself had, then it was Riley.

And how could she not care for someone who did as Liam deserved?

It was all for nothing. Olivia was left alone once more. Perhaps even more so than when her parents had died. At least then she had been able to lean on Liam. Now he could barely function. It was now her turn to be the one he could depend on in their friendship.

He stepped out, pulling her from her thoughts. He stood there as if at a loss of what to do, whether he should even bother putting forth an effort.

Olivia brought him a jacket and held it for him to slip on.

"We'll eat on the road." She told him, giving him a push out the door.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"A few places." She told him. She glanced back behind her where Regina had remained out of sight. The worry on the Queen Mother's face eased some at seeing Liam out of his room. She nodded gratefully to Olivia before retreating in the shadows to report this small success to Constantine.

****************

Liam stared out the window as Olivia drove him through the capital. He ignored the people going about their day as if the world had not stopped. He didn't bother to focus as he used to on the state of the roads or on some of the older, historical buildings.

He simply didn't care. He figured it was only a matter of time before these things were taken from him too. The terrorists were probably lying in wait for when they could destroy the last of what had once meant something to him.

"I don't suppose you've spoken to anyone at the hospital." Olivia said, cutting through the oppressive silence.

Liam merely shook his head.

She waited in the hopes he would ask about Hana and Madeleine. She needed to see that the old, kind to a fault Liam was still there, only buried amongst his immense sorrow.

The silence stretched once more between them.

"I have." She said, fighting against tears of frustration.

He didn't move. He simply stared out the passenger window.

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Madeleine's recovery is slow yet steady. The doctors believe though that her fair skin will always be marked with scars."

Liam didn't even blink.

Olivia grit her teeth. "Hana though has not been having an easy time."

Liam stiffened somewhat at that.

Olivia pressed on. She was determined to get him talking. Hopefully once he started he could get rid of the despair that was destroying him.

"Her parents want to take her home to Singapore but the doctors don't believe she is strong enough yet." She swallowed down her own lump of emotion. "When she was told of...of..."

Liam finally face forward. "Told of everyone dying on us? Told that I had failed in saving anyone?" His bitterness slashed across Olivia's stuttered denial at that last one. "Told that her life would never be the same again?"

"Liam, you--"

"I don't want to hear it." He responded.

"You must!" She yelled, hitting her steering wheel in her anger.

Liam didn't flinch. He didn't act like he had even heard her.

"Hana needs you! Madeleine does too." She turned into the hospital parking lot. "We all need you to--"

"To what?" He roared. "Give more empty promises that we will get through this? That we will find our way back?" He jerked his seatbelt off. "I respect them too much to lie to them. The last thing they need is a broken man trying to rally their spirits." He opened the door. "Find someone else, Olivia. I'm not the man they need."

"You are!" She scrambled out, tears falling down her cheeks unheeded. "Liam, we all need you right now. Friday is the first set of funerals. We need you there to help us say goodbye."

Liam walked off without a word.

"Liam, please!" She pleaded, chasing after him. "Even if you can't speak during the service, let those of us who love you help you."

He paused before gently pulling his arm out of her grip. "I'm sorry, but I can't do what you ask of me." His bright blue eyes were filled with tears as he raised them to hers. "I'm done, Olivia."

"Liam, you're allowed to grieve." She reached for his hands. "Take as long as you need. But your friends and country need to grieve with you."

"They won't after I inform them of my decision." He took a deep breath. "I'm giving it up."

"Giving what up?" She asked.

"Everything. The crown. The throne." He looked about. "I'm leaving this country and moving somewhere that isn't filled with memories."

"You can't!" Olivia grabbed the lapels of his jacket, shaking him in desperation. "You can't let the terrorists win! We--"

"Why not?" He bit out. "They might be the right rulers for Cordonia. My legacy has been nothing but death. My brother gave it all up because the pressures were slowly killing him. My mother died trying to do what was right. My father gave up the crown because he is dying. I've done nothing but bring death and destruction to those I love the most." He gripped her wrists and wrenched them from his jacket. "I can't do it anymore."

"Yes, you can." She followed him when he walked off again. "Just try a little longer."

He laughed bitterly. "Try? Why? My reign is already marked with uncertainty. I'm a king without a queen or heir." He released a deep frustrated breath. "What's the point, Liv? Every time I try, I get knocked down. Losing...losing Riley, Drake, and Maxwell..." He shook his head. “It is too much.”

"Promise me you won't decide anything today." Olivia pleaded. "Please?"

He ran his hands over his face. He looked up as if for divine intervention before nodding. "I won't hold the press conference today."

"Good." She relaxed some. She knew now that she would have to fight him these next few weeks over his decision. The last thing she wanted to see was his giving up on his destiny in the midst of his grief.

Slipping her arm into the bend of his she tugged him toward the hospital.

*******************

"Come in." Hana called out.

She didn't want anymore visits from her parents but couldn't bring herself to tell them. Hearing that her marriage prospects were now completely gone due to her injury had done nothing but bring her further into depression. Did they not see that what she had lost was so much worse than the lower half of her left leg?

Her dearest friends, her best friends, those that knew her better than anyone on earth were gone.

And I didn't get to say goodbye. I didn't get a chance to save them. Nothing.

Olivia smiled softly at Hana. "I brought a surprise."

Hana sat up straighter when she saw Liam sheepishly appear.

A sob burst from her lips as she reached for him to hug.

Liam's Adam's apple bounced a few times as he struggled to swallow his sorrow. He couldn't ignore her need for comfort and hurried over to hug her. Olivia quietly stepped out so they could grieve in privacy.

"Oh Liam!" Hana cried against his shoulder. "I'm so sorry." She clutched the material of his leather jacket, wishing they would all wake up and realize this was nothing but a dream.

"I'm sorry." He choked out. "I couldn't save them." His tears began to fall freely. "I failed them, Hana. I failed you. I failed everyone!"

She pulled back and gently cupped his face. Blinking through her tears she shook her head. "You didn't fail any of us, Liam. You saved me and Madeleine. Bastien. Rashad and--"

He clung to her. "What am I to do now? Hana, you know I can't face life without Riley. How can I go on after this?"

"I don't know." Hana hugged him again. "But you know Riley wouldn't want us giving up on life." She glanced down at her legs under the blankets. "No matter how hard it is, she would encourage us to keep fighting."

"Hana, Riley was my life. My heart." He lowered his head into his hands. "She was my strength to keep moving forward no matter what was thrown at us."

Hana reached from some tissues, sharing a few with him. "I know. She gave me the bravery I needed to tell my parents that I was more than a marriage prospect for some noble. Now..." Her breath hitched. "Now I don't know what I am or what to do."

Liam moved off her bed and collapsed in one of the chairs by her bed. "What are we going to do?"

Her hand found his. "We help each other. Isn't that what we would hope Riley, Maxwell, and Drake would do if they had lived and you and I had died?"

He wished that had been the case. Not Hana, but that he had been the one Death had come for. He would gladly switch places with them, anything to escape this unending ache in his heart.

He felt Hana's hand squeeze his.

He looked up and saw her trying to be brave for his sake.

Liam didn't know if he could. "I've been thinking of abdicating."

Her lips parted in shock. "Abdicating!"

"Everywhere I turn there is a memory of them." He explained. "I..." He gave up speaking.

"They wouldn't want you doing that, Liam." She reminded him.

He knew she was right, but he couldn't think of moving on as if his very heart had not been ripped from his chest.

"They say when a person loses a loved one that they should wait a year before making a big decision." Hana said, lacing her fingers with his. "Maybe that is what we both should do. My parents want me to go back to Singapore, and I've been tempted to so I won't be reminded of everything."

Liam slowly nodded. "I wouldn't blame you if you did move back home."

"I think what I need is to be with you. Olivia. Madeleine. All of those we still have." She tried to explain. "I need those memories, no matter how much they hurt, to help me heal."

Seeing that he didn't know how to take her advice she gently squeezed his hand again. "Why don't we wait on any decision and just try to get through these next few days."

He eyed her suspiciously. "Did Olivia tell you to say something like that?"

Hana felt her first laugh in over a week burst out. It sounded hollow, as if her body had forgotten how to make the joyful sound. "She might intimidate me at times, but no, she didn't put me up to this."

His lips curved somewhat before settling once more into a thin line. He knew from her words and Olivia's that no one would accept his abdication.

*****************

Madeleine did her best to look presentable. She picked up the small mirror she had insisted be left on the small bedside table. Her eyes touched on the angry, red scars gracing her face and head. Her arm and legs bore others that were long and jagged.

Taking a deep breath, she fluffed the hair that had not been lost in the deep gashes to her scalp. Refusing to give in to the need to cry over something she had no control over, she smoothed her covers and waited to greet her king.

Olivia had shared with her what he wanted to do. Madeleine knew what the fiery duchess wanted her to say and act when she saw him. But she thought she knew how best to respond.

With plan in place, she looked up when she heard a knock to her door.

Liam came in at her bidding him to do so.

He didn't pause in his walk to her bedside like so many did when they first saw the extent of her injuries. She felt her proud façade crack at that. Only Liam would be kind enough to pretend there was nothing unusual about her current hideous state.

Her own parents had handled it horribly. Her mother had been unable to look directly at her without bursting into tears. Her father had bemoaned the fact that she hadn't been able to trap either prince or any other well standing noble before her looks were destroyed.

Just what any young woman needed to hear when awakening from a near death experience.

Liam bowed over her hand while placing a kiss upon her scarred knuckles. "My lady, forgive me for not checking on you sooner."

Madeleine swallowed before asking him to sit. "How have you been?"

His red eyes lifted to hers. "How do you think I've been? I've lost three people I loved. The country lost them along with Penelope and her family. Portivira is destroyed. The Sons of the Earth burned the royal orchard." He slumped in his seat. "I've lost everything, Madeleine."

"Not everything." She corrected. "I know I'm not Riley or Drake or Maxwell." She grimaced at trying to find the right words. "But I am here for you in whatever capacity you need."

"Thank you." He replied automatically. "Your dedication to Cordonia is to be commended."

"It's not--what I meant--" Madeleine closed her eyes briefly when tears pricked her eyes. "Liam, I meant I will be there for you. As a friend." Her nose wrinkled. "As odd as that sounds, I am sincere."

He nodded once more. "Thank you."

They both sat there lost in thought.

"Do you," he cleared his throat, "do you think I should abdicate?"

Madeleine's eyes narrowed in thought. She knew her next words could possibly be the most important of her life.

"Have you done something that could or has harmed Cordonia?"

His eyes widened some. "No."

"Do you no longer care for our people?" She asked.

"No, of course not." He muttered.

"Do you not wish to help them?"

"It isn't anything like that."

"So, your reason is something more selfish." Her green eyes hardened when they met his. "Like Leo, you decide to walk away when ruling becomes too much work."

Liam got to his feet. "It isn't like Leo's reasons! I lost the woman I was to marry. My best friends! Everywhere I turn I am haunted by what was and what could have been. How can I possibly fight Cordonia's enemies when I've lost my sources of strength?"

Madeleine sniffed dismissively. "Every person has lost someone that was their support. If everyone gave up when that happens then this world would crumble to dust."

Liam took a step back from her cold tone. "Madeleine, don't you--"

"Don't I what? Miss any of them? Are saddened by their deaths?" She allowed her sorrow to show. "Of course I do. I might not have been thrilled to be tossed over for Riley, but I would have had to be a blind fool to not notice what she did for you and Cordonia. The same for Maxwell and Drake."

Liam sat back down. "Then what do you think I should do?" He looked down while his bottom lip trembled. "Riley made me a better king."

"Then by all means think of her when you must make a decision." Madeleine told him. "Liam, for whatever reason, fate has placed you as King of Cordonia. You." She stressed. "We've all known you were the better ruler when Leo was our crown prince. It is a great burden, but one that you've never hesitated to carry."

He ran a hand over his eyes. "I wanted to do what I could for the country."

Her lips eased into an approving smile. "As all rulers should be." Reaching over, she patted his shoulder. "I know it won't be easy, but I can't think of anyone better to guide us into the future."

"I feel so lost." He admitted to her. "How can I guide anyone when I no longer have the ones who were my own compass?"

"You'll find a way." She said with certainty. "It may take time, but you will."

He sighed before running his hands through his hair. "I'm so sorry, Madeleine."

"For what?" She asked. "The earthquake was something no one could stop."

"I know." He stood up. "But I'm still sorry."

She nodded in acceptance.

Liam kissed her hand once more and promised to do better checking on her and Hana as he left her room.

Madeleine slumped back against her pillows when her door clicked shut. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she hoped she had somehow said the right thing to him.

Turning to bury her face in her pillows, she allowed the tears to be for herself, Liam, and those they had lost.

******************

That afternoon, Liam departed from Olivia and insisted taking a walk by himself. He went to the private beach and slipped out of his shoes and socks. Rolling up the cuffs of his pants, he began to walk slowly along the shore, allowing the waves to roll over his feet.

He flipped his collar up when the early fall breeze blew by, hinting at an incoming cold spell. He thought it served his mood perfectly. The summer that had once been his world had ended, bringing the cold cruel reality to crash down upon him.

His happily ever after had truly been a dream not meant for the real world. He should have known that he couldn't bring a fairy tale to life. It couldn't survive the cruelness of fate.

He continued his stroll while thinking of his visits with Olivia, Hana, and Madeleine. His conversations with them had only paused his decision. Even if he were to wait as long as Hana suggested before abdicating, what good would it do? He would still be unable to regain what he had lost.

"Liam?"

He paused and turned to see his father walking towards him.

"May I join you?" Constantine asked.

Liam gave a brisk nod before focusing once more on the waves lapping at his feet.

They walked on in silence for a spell. Constantine glanced every so often at Liam’s face, searching for any word that could possibly help his son.

"Who is next in line to the throne?"

Constantine stopped in his tracks. "Who is next in line?" His eyes narrowed in concern. "Why do you ask?"

Liam shrugged. "Shouldn't an unmarried, childless ruler know these things?"

"Son, you have your whole life stretched before you. Give yourself time to grieve and heal. Then--"

"My enemies are at the door." Liam snapped. "Even if I somehow survive them and whatever next hell Cordonia thrusts me into, I will still be without a wife or heir."

Constantine gestured weakly toward a set of lounging chairs. "Sit with me for a moment."

Liam's brief burst of anger turned to resignation when he noticed his father's trembles. Placing an arm around him, he helped ease Constantine down.

Liam took the chair next to his and focused on the ocean. He wondered how he could still find such beauty in it when it had been the final place Riley and Drake had lived.

"I'm going to abdicate, Father." He stated.

Liam was surprised by the silence that followed his declaration. He expected his father to be pleading with him to reconsider or furious for even thinking it.

Instead, he found his father looking more sympathetic than he had ever appeared before.

"I made the same decision when your mother was taken from me." Constantine admitted softly.

Liam's eyes widened. "You did?"

"Yes." He cleared his throat. "Your mother was everything to me." His gaze became distant as he was once again in the past. "She was life itself, my strength." His lips curved into a bitter smile. "She never held back her thoughts and opinions on how we should rule." He met Liam's eyes. "I loved her with my entire heart."

Liam ran his hands down his face. "What," his voice was raspy, "what made you decide to remain king?"

"I'm afraid it wasn't one out of duty or believing anyone needed me." Constantine admitted. "My reasons were purely selfish. I knew the only way to find the ones who took my Eleanor from me was to be in absolute power." His hand balled into a fist at the memories. "For years, vengeance kept me focused on my kingly duties."

"When did it change?" Liam asked.

"It was actually you that opened my eyes."

"Me?" Liam's brow furrowed. "What did I do?"

"You were ten years old." Constantine's lips curved into a tender, proud smile. "Leo was his usual, rebellious self. He had just turned sixteen and was supposed to attend his first official ball. He was trying to get out of it when he found out he would be obligated to dance with every visiting nobles’ daughter, regardless of how attractive they were."

Liam's eyes narrowed as he tried to recall that night.

"As I was walking past the ballroom, I heard your gentle, yet firm correction to his behavior. You were reminding him what a good prince was supposed to do. Be there for his subjects. Kind. Understanding. Sacrificial." He chuckled again. "It was just the slap to the face I needed."

Liam slumped back in his chair. "That ideal is meaningless."

Constantine slowly nodded. "If I had heard it after your mother died, I would have dismissed it too." He reached over and placed his hand on top of his son's. "Time doesn't necessarily heal all wounds, but it does help in how we view them." He swallowed. "There were years where the very thought of your mother brought me to my knees. Her loss was like a festering wound that never eased."

Liam knew that feeling all too well.

"But now, though I miss her just as much as I did before; my memories of her bring me comfort." He squeezed Liam's hand. "They make me grateful for every single second I was allowed with her."

Liam blew out a shaky breath. "Well, unfortunately I can't find and fight the earthquake that took Riley. I don't see the point in being king for revenge."

"True." Constantine nodded. "But Riley, Drake, and Maxwell believed in you. They went on the unity tour for you, for your reign to be successful. Not for themselves. Not for Cordonia. All because they thought you and you alone were worthy to be king."

Liam swallowed a few times as stray tears fell from his blue eyes. "I don't deserve it. I didn't deserve their faith or..." He huffed while wiping his eyes. "I'm not worth it."

"They would say you are." Constantine swung his legs to the side and pushed himself up. "You remaining king is a way to honor them and their efforts to help you be the best one you can be."

Liam pressed his palms to his eyes as a sob tore through him. When he felt his father's arms come around him, he buried his head against his shoulder while shaking with his cries.

Constantine gently rubbed his back while promising he was there for him. That he wouldn't have to go through this alone, that he had him, Regina, and those of his friends that had survived.

Liam clung to him, unable to speak.

Father and son clung to each other as the sun set.

********************

The next few weeks had Liam attending and speaking at the funerals of those that were no longer with them. He didn't bother to try and mask his heartache in front of his people. The nation was touched by his honesty and mourned with their young king.

Constantine and Regina remained by his side. Olivia and Neville traveled with him to each graveyard. Hana and Madeleine were allowed to attend some of the funerals. Rashad stuck by their sides, even helping to push Hana's wheelchair.

Seeing them each time he took the podium reminded him of why he was doing this. His father's words about honoring his beloved and best friends gave him the strength to speak of the type of people they had been.

He didn't know how he got through those first few weeks. Though it took a great effort, he forced himself to get back to his duties. Routine helped him remain focused on what he needed to do and gave him opportunities to continue to grieve.

The rest of the unity tour was canceled. Liam instead spent his efforts in rebuilding Portivira and in replanting the apple orchard. Out of respect and because he couldn't stand the thought of a ball without Riley, he canceled the rest of the year's planned balls and palace events.

With little chance to catch the king in a position that would bring about his downfall, the Sons of the Earth were soon desperate and making foolish decisions to attack during the daylight. Many were rounded up by Bastien's elite task force. Anton was found holed up in a long forgotten Nevarkis stronghold and died in a shootout with the king's guards.

After months of turmoil and uncertainty, Cordonia was once again in a state of peace.

Constantine lived long enough to see it come about. With his sons and wife at his bedside, he quietly passed away after telling them each how much he loved them.

Liam kept working. After two years, he hosted his first ball, an engagement one for Rashad and Hana. He had smiled and gave a sweet toast to the couple, all while remembering his own happiness he had once had with Riley.

As the years went by, he was able to think back on Riley, Drake, and Maxwell with a soft smile on his face.

Then the fifth year as king, he was approached by Madeleine.

"Liam, I think it's time for you to host another social season with potential suitors."

A denial rose to his lips.

She held up her hand to silence it. "I know, but you need an heir."

"There is already an heir. The throne goes to Olivia if I die."

"Liam." She huffed. "The crown needs to be stable. The people want to see you happy with a family." She shrugged her shoulders. "Cordonians are a sentimental bunch."

A family. That had been his heartfelt wish for years. Could he do that? Have one without his Riley?

"I will think about it." He conceded.

Madeleine smiled at him. "Good." She curtsied and left him alone.

Liam rocked back in his desk chair. He lifted his eyes to the ceiling.

"My love," he whispered. "What should I do? You were the only one I could ever picture myself marrying. Mother to my children." His brow creased. "Am I ready to try to find something that can’t possibly compare to what I had with you?"

He closed his eyes, wishing he could find the answer.

"Liam, dear?"

He opened his eyes and looked up at Regina.

She smiled warmly at him. "You fell asleep. Dinner is ready."

He apologized and rose to follow her out.

He halted mid step as the afternoon sun glinted on Regina's silver hair. The answer he needed was right there. He looked back up to the heavens.

His lips curved softly. "I understand. Though no one can ever compare to you, perhaps I can have the kind of luck my father had."

#king liam #liam x riley #olivia nevarkis #choices the royal romance #trr madeleine #trr hana #hana lee #angst prompt #request

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devil--incarnate · 3 years

Text

TW: derealization, slight violence

Punz had many employers over his years of being a mercenary, they came in all shapes and sizes with all sorts of prices, so he usually didn’t judge them.

But this client was different.

He’d never seen so many diamonds in one place, not even in his vault. His hands traced the netherite scraps as he inhaled the metallic scent. The gold ingots matched that of his pendant, the ender pearls glinted.

How did he get so much money? I thought Tommy was poor?

The decision was made though, this was about a year worth of jobs, and he intended to stay true to the child he’d so often been against.

“I’m sorry, Dream,” Punz stepped through the portal, stepping forward and aiming his trident towards his chestplate. “But you should’ve paid me more.”

Tommy’s bruised face lit up, “You came!”

Punz heard footsteps on the blackstone behind him and Sapnap and Captain Puffy emerged. Dream’s horrified look struck a smile on his face.

In a matter of seconds, bodies were piling in around him, Awesamdude, Ninachu, BadBoyHalo, Antfrost. All faces he’d seen but never quite cared for until he had to rally their help. They were all here for Tommy, because even though he was annoying and egotistical, he was still just a kid who’d been manipulated by a green bastard, just like the rest of them.

Punz saw Dream move and immediately rushed forwards, grabbing Tommy’s arm and pulling him behind him, but to his dismay, he saw Dream wasn’t going for Tommy.

A netherite axe struck a wooden shield as Sapnap pulled Tubbo’s collar out of the way just before Dream’s axe could strike his neck. “Dream, step away from them.” Sapnap pushed him back, while Niki and Fundy aimed crossbows at his throat.

Sapnap didn’t take his eyes off of Dream, but thrusted Tubbo a few golden apples. Punz finally looked back to see how much Tommy was bleeding, he gave him a Notch-apple and bandages, and Puffy helped him patch up a wound on his stomach.

That day Tommy had looked so hopeful, and when he finally told everyone how Dream had blown up the Community House, the hostile glares became ever-more prevalent. And when Bad, Sapnap, and Sam had taken Dream away to the Prison, Tommy actually smiled.

When was the last time I actually saw this kid smile? Punz thought to himself.

Since the payment was enough for a year, and Punz’s contract didn’t say anything about telling the employer you’re still working for them, Punz decided to stay around and just watch out for Tommy. Though, what could happen? The biggest threats to him were passive or locked away.

He would usually stay in a tree to watch the boy plant carrots or sit on his bench, he did a bit of combat training, and his skills had definitely improved since the Doomsday War.

One night, Punz had settled down over the doorway of Tommy’s house, leaning on his trident and flipping his hood over his flaxen hair. He was sound asleep until he heard a cry from below him. His eyes snapped open as he ran into the dirt hut, down the stone stairs to Tommy’s bed room.

What he saw next was a surprise to be sure, Tommy was holding his stomach, eyes scared and frantic, his mattress was soaked with tears. He ran his hands through his hair and held his palms to his forehead. It seemed he’d had a nightmare.

Punz had always known Dream wasn’t the best person, but he’d never had a reason to hate him, until now that is. Putting down his trident and shield by the doorway, Punz whispered, “Tommy?”

He straightened immediately, pulling out a dagger and shielding his face. Tommy seemed to wait for an impact that would never come, just the gentle pressure of Punz slipping the knife out of his hands. Both had scars and bruises, even some burns that hadn’t quite healed.

Punz set the knife on the floor and sat next to Tommy, who was fruitlessly trying to wipe the tears from his face. Letting his white sleeve slip down over his hand, Punz wiped them away.

“I-I don’t need you to… why are you even here?” Tommy gasped through quaking lips.

Looking into Tommy’s blue eyes, Punz realised how similar they looked, blonde hair and ice blue eyes. Someone could easily mistake them for brothers.

Brothers. The words rang in his head, he’d felt the same bond with a few people, but he’d never actually had a younger sibling. He’d never comforted a child who’d been through hell and back.

Punz wasn’t sure if Tommy would allow him to, but with his shaking shoulders and quivering frame, he couldn’t help himself. He gently pulled Tommy to his chest. He was tense at first, Punz thought he would pull away, but he stayed. And after a while, maneuvered his hands to clutch the back of his white sweatshirt. He eventually relaxed, both of them did.

He’d never been the best with words, what could one even say to a kid who’d basically lost everything, who had nightmares for his safety and slept with a dagger under his pillow. How quickly the world ruined him. Maybe words weren’t the best for Tommy, maybe he just needed a presence to keep him warm. Maybe it would help him sleep and subside the nightmares.

Tommy rested his head in the niche of Punz’s shoulder, sobs wracked his body, and his grip hadn’t calmed. Punz lightly stroked his back, pulling a blanket around his small frame. After a few minutes of silence from Tommy, Punz looked to see that his eyes had finally closed.

#c!punz #c!tommy #dreamsmp #dreamsmp headcanon #soft boi punz my beloved

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runrundoyourstuff · 3 years

Text

Seasons

(A Steven Universe Fic, 2632 words)

Written with love for a holiday exchange with the wonderful @mimik-u !

Prompt: Steven teaches one of the Diamonds about something beautifully mundane (a la Peridot learning about rain.)

It’s almost comical how the Dondai pales in size when compared to the Arm Ship—and the magnitude of the difference only grows as Steven descends the ridge. There are some items, both of human and Gem origin, that seemed larger when he was smaller—when he was younger—when everything mysterious in the world, every new thing he learned about himself, filled him with wonder. The Diamond ships, however, are not among these items. They’re as large now as they always seemed to him, if not quite as foreboding. As are the Diamonds themselves, and he is reminded of this, as Yellow disembarks from her spacecraft.

She doesn’t see him right away. Or if she does notice the car, she doesn’t have the frame of reference to recognize it as his, and even after he parks it beside the ship and gets out, it’s several moments before she turns around and acknowledges him standing there.

“Steven!”

“Hey, Yellow.”

“When I called, I hadn’t realized…” She sputters. “Your...your family returned my message to inform me that you were leaving on a conquest—”

“A conquest?”

“Yes, they said that you were going to travel—”

“Yeah, but not on a conquest!”

“Of course, of course, a scouting mission, then—”

“No! Nothing like that! Just a trip! I just...needed to hit the road for a while. Figure out what’s next.”

“I...right, of course. Your—I mean, the Pearl said that you would be taking a hiatus from your Diamond duties…”

At this, Steven chuckles. “Pearl wants me to.” But then he becomes serious. “I shouldn’t laugh. She’s trying to make sure that I take care of myself. She—all of them really, want to make sure I know that I don’t have to be involved in any Gem stuff if I don’t want to. That it’s my choice. And ya know, it’s true that I don’t want it to be my whole life, not like it was when I was a kid. And because there’s no hierarchy anymore, I do want to give other Gems a chance to manage things on Earth if they want to—to show them it doesn’t always have to be a Diamond, and I’m not a Diamond anyway—but I do want to be involved, ya know? Or at least know what’s going on! I put so much work into everything, and not all of it was bad. I was really proud of a lot of what we did, and the Gems are my family…” A pause. “Anyway, that’s all to say that I routed some of the messages from the Base to my phone.”

“I see. I…” She pauses. “I didn’t intend...You did not need to come. I merely called because I didn’t want to catch you off guard. Give your...our...Given my history, I thought if I showed up on your planet unannounced—”

“It’s not my planet.”

“No, of course not. I meant the planet on which you reside. I’ve already...I did not intend to make you feel that…that you needed to come fix—”

Steven raises a hand. “I know. I just happened to be in the area, so I thought I’d stop by. Say hi.”

“Ah. Alright.” The silence resounds. Yellow’s eyes flit away.

“So,” Steven says after a moment—looking for something, anything, to cut through the quiet. “Why Zona?”

“Is that what this place is called?” Yellow glances around. “I needed an area of the Earth where I would cause the least disruptions, where I could dig a sufficiently large hole such that I could access the Cluster. I initially planned on going to one of the Kindergartens, as we’d already irrevocably destroyed all hope of organic life thriving there—I thought I could minimize the destruction. But each already has a fairly extensive subterranean framework that makes it impossible for me to dig deep enough.” She sighs. “I realize this place isn’t perfect. My digging will certainly disrupt some of the plant life. But it appeared at least that there were few humans in the vicinity…”

“Mm.” Steven leads against the hood of his car. “I’m surprised you brought your ship out here and didn’t just Warp. We’re not that far from the Beta Kindergarten, and there’s a Warp there...”

“Those Warps weren’t built for us. We’re much too large.”

“I guess that’s true, but you could always shapeshift.”

“Hmm. I suppose. But there was also the equipment to bring.”

“Equipment?”

“Yes, I...There are...billions of shards in the Cluster. I figured...if I am going to dismantle it and reconstruct each of the Gems whose shards it conatiend, it would likely be easier for me to do it on Earth, rather than bringing all the Shards back to Homeworld. I don’t want to risk losing any of them or damaging any of them even further in transit…And while I may need to ultimately to transport some of them back to Homeworld to locate all the pieces, and though it may be disconcerting for the other Gems to reform on Earth...I…” She leaves the syllable hanging in the air, turns her head away. Steven can just barely make out her tense jaw as though she is gritting her teeth. Sparks radiate from her skin.

“Yellow? Are you...okay?”

“I’m fine!” But then she bows her head, inhales and releases, murmurs: “I apologize, Steven. I am not angry with you. I simply…It has been difficult enough for me to face each of the Gems I have reconstructed on Homeworld. Once they recover from the shock and the terror, they have each looked at me with such disdain. And those Fusion experiments, while they were certainly terrible, pale in comparison to the Cluster. I can only imagine what each of the Gem’s contained within it will feel. And I will deserve it. I hurt so many Gems in the service of the Empire.”

Steven opens his mouth to respond, but before he can, Yellow continues, speaking ever rapidly, ever louder, as though desperate to expel the words. “Do not try to assuage my guilty conscience! That...is not your responsibility. I shouldn’t have just put you in a position to think that it was.”

Another tentative backpedaling, Steven thinks. A walking on eggshells moment, like he’s witnessed with the Gems and Dad over the past several months. And difficult though it is for him to sometimes believe, it’s not as though Yellow is wrong, at least not if he trusts his therapist. But there is a distant look in her eye, a panicked tension in her cheeks, which, when coupled with the fact that this is the first time he’s seen her since his breakdown, makes Steven wonder if she is remembering that day on the beach.

His own memories of it are fuzzy-to-nonexistant; he remembers the pain, and the panic, and the anger he’d held despite knowing that he shouldn't. Then, he has a vague impression of multiple embraces, of Connie kissing his forehead, of crying hot, cathartic tears...And then he’d woken up in the Cluster’s hand, with the eyes of most of the people he loved and almost everyone he’d ever fought all on him.

Despite his own lack of recollection, however, Connie assures him that she’d given everyone—the Diamonds included—something of a blunt talking to that day, a rallying speech, but she won’t elaborate on the specifics of what exactly she’d said. Might that—whatever its contents— be behind Yellow’s hasty assurances now?

“Okay,” Steven responds finally. “I won’t try to make you feel less guilty. But can I show you something?”

Yellow furrows her eyebrows. “Very well.”

“It’s just on the top of the canyon.”

They deliberate for a few moments on the details. Yellow offers to carry him, but even if she’s not White, Steven declines being held in a Diamond’s hand, and while she could shapeshift to fit in the passenger seat of the Dondai, she ultimately elects to simply follow behind the car as Steven slowly drives it up the cliff.

They reach the plateau just as the sun begins to dip in the horizon, casting a golden glow over the grass, over the Autumn leaves, just starting to paint themselves with the vibrant shades that return year after year.

Steven opens the door and steps out. “You never spent much time on Earth, did you?”

Yellow considers. “No.”

“Do you know what I think my mom fell in love with about this planet?”

“Organic life, of course. Humans.” She gestures to Steven. “Obviously.”

“Well, yeah, but not just them. Us. I think it was this stuff too.”

Yellow squints. “These weeds?! These...dying outgrowths?!”

“With things that change. Things that grow. There’s so much of it here.”

“Hm.”

Steven paces over to the grass, then sinks down onto it so that it brushes against his bare calves. It’s mostly soft on his skin but there are dryer patches too, scratchier places on the ground as some of the longer areas start to dry out for the season. The sun dips lower in the sky, and it leaks hues of pink and orange onto the daytime canvas of darkening blue. Yellow looms behind him.

“Feel this.” He pats the ground next to him, and tries not to wince as Yellow’s gargantuan hand settles down on the grass. “You might not be able to tell, but it’s growing. Even right now. By the time the snow—frozen water that falls from the sky—starts to cover it in a few months, it’ll probably be a few inches taller than it is right now. And then it’ll take a break for a while, but when Spring comes next year—when the weather gets warmer again—it’ll start again.

“The trees too. Look out there—they grow taller every year, and every year the leaves change into those beautiful colors you can see. And the shades are similar every year, but never exactly the same. Then the leaves fall off, and then bud again and come back. And the trees keep getting taller. And every time the leaves return, the whole tree is a little bit different too.”

Yellow hesitates. “These are familiar to me. Someone, I believe a Peridot—your Peridot—”

“She’s not my Peridot, but I know who you mean.”

“Yes...Well, she brought some of these...trees...from Earth to Homeworld, and determined how best to make them grow there. I’ve been gazing at them through the windows of the palace ever since, but I hadn’t realized how elaborate, how ever-present, their growth cycles were…”

“I’ve lived on Earth my whole life, and I only just started thinking about it recently. It’s easy to take for granted, but it’s really incredible when you stop to think about it.” He angles his head upward. “And it’s not just the plants. Look at the sky. It changes like this every day.” A pause. “Well, it’s really not the sky that’s changing—Connie told me that it’s an effect of how the planet moves around our sun. But from down here on Earth, it looks like it’s always changing. In a different way every day. I don’t think it’s like that on Homeworld.”

Yellow settles next to him at last, squatting, and then kneeling. “It isn’t. Things are constructed on Homeworld—not grown. We have a sun, but our sky does not transform like this.”

“Exactly. And I think that’s why my mom fell in love with the Earth so much. She was so in awe of how everything naturally grew and changed here.” Steven sighs, clenches him gemstone beneath his hand. “I’m still angry at her a lot of the time, but, like, I get it. She saw herself as this monster.” Here Steven pauses, glances away for a moment before finally letting the words return. “And she didn’t think that she was capable of growth or change. All she thought she could do was pretend to be someone else. And then she found herself on this planet where all anything did was grow for real, and she wanted to be a part of that even in some small way, so she made me.”

“Steven…”

“But the point is, she was wrong. She could have grown as herself. I think she did, even if she couldn’t see it. And she and I aren't the only Gems that grew. All of my friends and family have. None of us is the same as we were when I was a kid. Maybe it just took coming to Earth to see that, ya know? Gems can grow and change, just like the trees can, and the grass, and the sky.

“So yeah,” Steven continues. “White hurt you, and you hurt Mom, and Mom hurt Pearl and Garnet and Amethyst and Spinel and you, and everyone she hurt hurt me, and I hurt Jasper and Dad and a lot of people and could have hurt a lot more, and you hurt all the Gems who were corrupted, and who became the Fusion experiments and the Cluster...and that’s all true, and we all have to deal with that and make the things we did wrong right the best that we can. And it’s hard, and it sucks. But the ways we’ve been hurt and hurt other people aren’t all we are. We can grow and change too. As ourselves. I think the Earth is just one big reminder of that.”

Yellow’s brows are once again furrowed, her jaw agape. “I…”

“So, yeah, it’s going to be hard to face all the Gems in the Cluster as you put them all back together. But it’s the right thing to do. And if it ever becomes too much, you can always come up here, and watch the world change and grow to remind yourself that you’re growing too. You’re better than you were, and if you keep working at it, you’ll keep getting better.”

Then, without waiting for Yellow to respond, Steven stands, walks back over to the Dondai. “Now, I gotta hit the road. I want to get to Vegas by tomorrow. It was nice to see you, Yellow.”

“You as well, Steven.” Yellow rises to her feet.

“Good luck,” he calls out the window as he pulls away, and glancing in the rearview mirror, he sees Yellow’s arm raised in farewell, something like a small, apprehensive smile on her lips.

Six months later, after a sojourn up and down the West Coast, Steven returns to the ridge en route back to Beach City for a visit. He pulls up just as the sun is rising over the canyon, glinting off Yellow’s arm ship, and off of the chest and arms and backs of the little gaggle of Gems gathered next to the ship and the adjacent hole. Yellow is not among them, though. She stands on the crest of the cliff, gazing at the trees, at the little buds beginning to spring into being on each branch.

“Steven.” She turns to him in greeting as he gets out of the car.

“You’ve been busy!”

“Yes, we’re progressing nicely.”

“We?”

Yellow nods. “Some of the Gems I reconstructed from the Cluster decided to remain here to help. Then others in Little Homeworld—and even a few on Homeworld itself—learned about what we were doing, and traveled here to volunteer.” She pauses. “They’re here for the sake of the Gems inside the Cluster, not for me. Still, it is nice not to be alone.”

“Mm.”

Yellow turns from the trees to the canyon, in the direction of the rising sun. The growing orange light catches her Gemstone too, and it glimmers in it. “It’s a beautiful morning.”

“Yeah,” Steven says. “It is.”

[ao3]

#my fic #su #yellow diamond #steven universe #the cluster

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outofbodyinjury · 3 years

Note

is yur carsona a lada

it's actually a world rally blue pearl subaru brz with gold rims but a lada niva is a good close second

#this means: i am an underpowered lightweight but im still sexy enough that people want me soo bad <3 #never put too much thought into it but it makes sense #lada niva? bad but good. takes a lot of shit. <3 #asks #vaassassins

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mirrerover · 4 years

Text

Shipyard Stars

Spock’s bedroom on Earth would be called spacious by almost everyone’s standards. His parents allocated him almost the entire third level in the building -adequate room to meditate, study, and exercise- upon their arrival one year ago. His father out of practical reasons, his mother for reasons Spock believes might be partially grounded in emotions. Perhaps guilt for uprooting his life on Vulcan. Or out of an impulse to cosset him as human mothers are prone to. Both unnecessary.

The space is minimal and open, per Vulcan tradition, but never seems as small as it does with James Tiberius Kirk at the centre of it. With Jim comes a presence that seems to large to be contained by his adolescent body. Jim is a bright blaze of fire and gold, feelings boldly crackling in the air around him in a way that would be considered shameful on Spock’s home planet. But there’s never shame in the kaleidoscope of Jim’ many human emotions. Only anger.

Spock observes Jim from his mat on the floor. He had been meditating when interrupted by Jim climbing in through the window to unapologetically rummage through his drawers. Jim has taken to keeping many of his things at Spock’s place where they cannot be confiscated by his mother or teachers. A safe place as Spock’s parents haven’t entered his room or gone through his possessions without his explicit permission since he was four.

“May I enquire to the reason for your presence?”

Jim turns over one of his data pads in his hand before depositing it back where he found it.

“They’re sending her up soon.”

After a year on Earth, Spock has become very familiar with how humans will eschew clear and concise language in favour of a mixture of verbal and nonverbal cues. Jim in particular will start every conversation somewhere in the middle, brain ten steps ahead of his words, confident Spock will catch up to him. This time it’s easy. The newest addition to the fleet has been nearly all that Jim has spoken of these last few months.

“The final stages of assembly will require the ship to be in orbit.”

Jim’s bright blue eyes lock with Spock’s briefly before he returns to his task of depositing and retrieving his belongings in Spock’s space at will.

“It’ll be impossible to get to her up there.”

Spock knows this to be the truth. But he has also learned that for however loud and brash Vulcans and humans alike might consider Jim to be, the things Jim does not say or do can be just as telling.

“You do not possess access clearance to it on Earth either.”

Jim sighs and rolls his eyes towards the heavens, indicating that he finds Spock particularly obtuse at this moment. The gesture used to irk Spock. Maybe it still would if he wasn’t trained from a young age in controlling such a feeling because –despite Jim possessing a remarkable mind compared to his human peers— Spock has been at the top of his classes for his entire life, even back on Vulcan where his genetic heritage was thought to put him at a disadvantage. And these days he’s more aware of Jim’s tendency to manipulate others into action by appealing to their baser instincts. Like pride.

“Y’know, I’ve found that a lot of the times it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.”

There’s a tremor in Spock’s eyebrow that has started to plague him ever since his family moved to Iowa.

“You are choosing short term gratification over long-term gains. Your freedom gets reduced every time you break the rules people set for you.” Jim seems completely preoccupied with packing his bag while Spock considers this a notion worth his attention. “Some might call that short-sightedness.”

The tool Spock gifted Jim for his birthday, a scanner of Vulcan technology that had made Jim come alight upon receiving it, is shoved into the bottom of his bag.

“She would never let me.”

Spock has little doubt that Admiral Winona Kirk would not grant access to two members of the public to roam around on what was going to be Starfleet’s most technological advanced ship in the fleet. Regardless of one of them being her youngest son. Or the other the son of one of their most important foreign diplomats.

Still.

“You should address your query through the proper channels.”

“What’s the point of proper channels if they’re not gonna listen anyway? All that’ll accomplish is tipping them off.” Jim zips the bag closed with unnecessary force and smiles a smile that Spock isn’t sure could be qualified as a smile at all. A sharp and cutting thing showing teeth but no happiness. “Wouldn’t be the same anyway. There’s a difference with having to make do with what people give you and just going out there and capturing it.”

Spock has noticed a growing fascination on Jim’s part with stealing, both in the literal and metaphorical sense, that he firmly resolves to curb in the future.

“I agree,” Spock says, eyes firmly locked with Jim’s. “Things freely given and things taken by force cannot be considered the same.”

Silence can be even louder than words when wielded by James Tiberius Kirk. He lets his gaze wander pointedly across Spock’s room and the sophisticated educational tools provided within it. Material possessions that Spock doesn’t share with anyone but Jim.

“Some are given more than others.”

Jealousy. An emotion even humans strive to repress. But Spock knows that it doesn’t drive Jim as much as it controls many other humans he has encountered. Fairness. Injustice. Those are the primary motivators of Jim’s anger even at his relatively young age.

“Yes,” Spock acknowledges. “We are not born equal.”

There’s a pause to Jim, as if he’s deciding whether he will allow Spock's acknowledgement of his world view to kill the momentum of his growing anger. Within their time together, Spock has become apt at sensing and steering Jim’s moods in a way no one else in Jim’s life has. And Jim, possessing great skill at picking people’s motivations apart himself, seems to constantly swing between joy at being known by Spock and fearful rebellion at being so completely seen by another person.

Vulnerability. Jim hardly ever shows it like he does now, body still and voice soft: “What if this is my only chance? To be on a ship like her?”

Fear. Spock has discovered that in Jim fear and anger run close at times. Sometimes Jim chooses anger because he prefers it over the cold touch of fear. Fear at not living up to his parents, fear of never leaving Iowa, fear of never exploring the stars. His dreams slowly suffocating between the endless oppressive stretches of corn until they die.

“You’ll serve aboard many star ships when you join Starfleet,” Spock says decisively. Like there is no doubt Jim will join the ranks of Earth’s primary space branch. And Spock doesn’t have any doubts. Jim has many qualities that humans admire in one another. Qualities that would even garner respect from non-humans. From Vulcans.

Spock speaks the words as he speaks all his words. Because he thinks they deserve to be heard. And even though Jim is heading towards the exit, shoulders squared like he’s already willing his soft-spoken question into a soon forgotten memory, Spock has little doubt his answer is being heard. Spock finds his own words throw back into his face by Jim in the most inopportune of moments.

“So,” Jim says, caught in the doorway like a frozen storm, “you comin’?”

Within hours of first meeting him Spock had discovered that in Jim’s world there were clear sides. His mother, verbally abusive stepfather, and other figures of authority on one side. And Jim, fierce and alone, abandoned by his older brother, on the other. But since the start Spock had recognized the falsehood of this lone wolf narrative Jim had spun for himself. Their peers are drawn to Jim; they rally behind him in his school rebellions, captivated by his charisma, and cheer him on in his revolts. The day Jim realises the full scope of his magnetism would surely prove to be… interesting.

Also, there is Spock. Where Jim goes, Spock follows, despite his human mother’s reservation and his Vulcan father’s disapproval. Spock’s presence to curtail some of Jim’s most reckless impulses could only prove to be beneficial. It is the logical choice.

So Spock rises from the bed and smooths down the creases in his robes. “I shall accompany you.”

A siren starts to blare in the distance.

“You think that’s for us?”

They’d ventured deeper into the belly of Starfleet’s future flagship than Spock had anticipated beforehand. Jim had been prepared, as Spock had known he would be, circumventing the security with his mother’s cloned Starfleet credentials. The Vulcan technology Spock had gifted Jim in the past played a key role in this deception and had immediately forced Spock to re-examine the tools deemed save to bestow upon Jim’s moral creativity and technical aptitude.

Spock tilts his head to the left in consideration. “Our breaking and entering would seem the most likely explanation for setting off the alarms to a secured facility.”

“Yeah,” Jim agrees, seemingly in awe of the flashing red lights and ear-piercing shrill of the alarm bouncing off the walls in increasing urgency.

Then Jim does something so illogical it stuns. He laughs, deep and boisterous, shaking his frame with tremors as if his body can’t contain the wealth of mirth he’s feeling. A display of emotion so blatant it would be considered indecent back home. Unseen. Spock can feel heat rising to his cheeks.

“We should run,” Jim says when he catches his breath, pupils blown wide in excitement.

“It would be futile. The activated security measures would take too long for us to circumvent. The chance of achieving a successful escape is negligible.”

Another pearl of laughter rips from Jim’s throat. The sound tugging at a counterpart hidden somewhere deep inside that Spock keeps carefully locked behind years of rigid mental training.

“They’ll never take us alive.”

A nonsensical statement as Starfleet would never use deadly force on two adolescent children but Spock knows Jim is alluding to something else he can’t grasp the meaning of yet. Jim’s mother tongue is full of allegories and again Spock curses the language’s lack of precision and layered meanings. But Spock is yet to find a puzzle he can’t solve if he fully applies himself and he doesn’t see how a single teenage human boy could be any different.

Then Jim runs, a flash of gold down a corridor.

And Spock runs after.

@anarchisticandy @blueberrymafia, I finished a 1500 word Spirk drabble I started for you guys 2 years ago. XD

Inspired by one of our fav fics Magpie by @waldorph

#mirre writes #spirk #star trek fanfic #spirk fanfic

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stevenuniversallyreviews · 4 years

Text

Episode 141: Your Mother and Mine

”You have it all wrong!”

We already know the story of Rose Quartz. We know she was a rebel who battled for many years against the forces of Pink Diamond. We know that she was “just another quartz soldier, made right here in the dirt” and rose to greatness by rallying fellow Gems to join her cause. We know that she was drawn to Gems that Homeworld shunned, wanting to make sure everyone had a place. We know that she ended the war by shattering Pink Diamond. And we know that after the war, her shield could only save two of her friends. So on paper, an episode that recaps this information is redundant.

But Your Mother and Mind isn’t about Rose Quartz’s history, it’s about her story. And the story is told by a character that can only reach her audience by impersonating the bearer of Pink Diamond’s gem.

Your Mother and Mine is a simple episode made fascinating by its proximity to the truth. It combines all the pieces of Rose’s story that we’ve heard over the course of the series to give us a definitive take on the narrative just in time for it to be undermined. We’re five episodes away from learning that Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond, and the episode after that is about Pearl correcting the version of events we hear right now. Which means that the episode’s major theme of truth versus fiction is something we can’t even comprehend fully without retrospect. Even if you already suspect that Rose is Pink when you watch it for the first time, the fact that it’s not written in stone yet means there’s still a possibility that Garnet’s story is true, and the episode only becomes great when you know for sure that it isn’t.

Garnet is the perfect narrator for the final depiction of Rose as we knew her before A Single Pale Rose. She’s one of the two remaining Crystal Gems that survived the war and isn’t bubbled, and we’ll soon learn that the other is bound to silence, so Garnet is the most capable character to tell this story and believe it. And her introduction in Your Mother and Mine hammers down why she believes it: when she’s excited about a cause that’s close to home, her enthusiasm overwhelms her usual calm. She’s so happy with the idea of misfit Homeworlders escaping oppression that she can’t step back and see that they aren’t handling her praise well until Padparadscha says it outright (for the second time in three episodes, she displays her ability to “predict” the emotions of the recent past on top of the events). And when she really gets going with her story, Garnet shows the exact same level of breathless, blinding glee. It can be hard to look for flaws in something you’re actively rooting for, that you’ve tied your whole identity to, so she doesn’t.

The distortion of truth that defines the episode is established by the Off Colors, who parrot three variants of Homeworld propaganda that mythologize Rose Quartz in the same way Garnet does, albeit for opposite reasons. They can’t even get their own stories straight, adding to the mystery of a figure that Homeworld would do anything to disavow and vilify, but the three main Gems in Steven’s life also have different concepts of Rose. Pearl’s is the most accurate, but she can’t tell anyone. Garnet’s is what she saw with her own three eyes, so she thinks it’s accurate, but she’s missing critical information. And Amethyst only knew Rose from after the war, so like Steven she had to learn about it secondhand.

And so, a question presents itself: what’s the value of a story that isn’t true? In this episode, Garnet’s false narrative galvanizes the Off Colors in the same way it galvanized her for thousands of years. It gives Steven a version of the shattering that paints Rose’s actions as heroic—Lars, whose first huge character moment with Steven involved insulting his “weird mom,” thinks she’s awesome for doing it. Regardless of the facts, it’s a great story, an honest-to-goodness legend presented gorgeously. So how much does it matter that much of it is wrong?

To Steven and Garnet, it matters quite a bit. But to the Off Colors? They need a confidence boost both in their general lives and in a moment of floating in space with a broken engine, and the story of Rose Quartz concretely helps them. That’s the tricky thing about legendary figures: if you model yourself off a literal interpretation of their actions, as Steven and Garnet do, it can only end in disappointment, but if you just view it as a story, it can do a lot of good. Fiction can be a wonderful thing—Steven Universe is itself an untrue story that has made the world a better place—but it gets rougher when the boundaries between fiction and reality are muddled.

While Rebecca Sugar has many times confirmed that the three lead Gems are based off elements of her personality, Steven is based off her brother, and characteristics of other real people are found throughout the show in the way fiction writers often flesh out their casts, Rose Quartz is different. In an early conversation with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola of all people, she was inspired by Babylonian mythology, especially Ishtar, in developing the show’s backstory, and Era 1 Rose Quartz feels more like an ancient goddess of love and war than a grounded human at this point in the show.

So Garnet tells us a creation myth. She introduces the Diamonds as gods, calling them “unique in their flawlessness” without an ounce of sarcasm, but like most ancient mythological gods, they do indeed have flaws: in this case, according to Garnet, Pink’s cruelty and cowardice. From these gods came Gems in their image, and for an untold sweep of time there was stagnation as all went according to plan, until a disrupting hero shifted this status quo to create the world we know today. Rose Quartz went from questioning her god to arguing with her god to warring with her god to destroying and supplanting her god, but because this is a pantheon, her hubris is punished by the other gods. It’s a story that works as well thousands of years ago as it does today.

And befitting that story, we get the most stylized flashback in the series, expanding heavily from the silhouettes of The Answer. Even if nothing else here worked, this would remain a beautiful episode, with simple but effective techniques to marry narration with aesthetic: transitioning from widescreen to fullscreen as Rose’s worldview expands, using stained glass backgrounds to keep the focus on characters instead of environment, and reducing colors in the foreground to make those colors pop. Eyes are out of the picture, a major handicap for showing how characters feel, but seasoned pros Katie Mitroff and Paul Villeco can convey emotion through body language and mouths alone.

Estelle certainly helps. Her commanding voice could make any story enthralling, even as she shifts from the fairy tale of her own origin to the legend of Rose. While she largely uses the same techniques here as in The Answer, the one noticeable change speaks volumes about Pink Diamond. When speaking for Blue, a far more personal foe for Garnet, she continues to narrate in her usual tone, and when speaking for Rose, her voice raises a little but it still sounds like Garnet. But when speaking for Pink, Estelle does something new: for the first and only time in the series, she vocally impersonates another character.

This is the second episode in a row featuring Pink Diamond, and the second in a row where she’s voiced by someone who isn’t Pink Diamond. Stevonnie shows the true version (a child), while Garnet shows the legend (a tyrant). And both halves of the Mindful Education duo are great at it! All Estelle needs is a few lines to shift that British accent into full evil aristocrat mode, and the special attention she gives to this voice highlights just how different this take on Pink is from the tantrum AJ Michalka provided. Even before we know the full truth, something is off about this cruel but newly confident version of Pink.

While the whole story gains new meaning when we hear the truth, the most compelling part in retrospect is Garnet’s stance on Pink Diamond calling for help. On top of providing the stunning header image as we pan from revolutionaries up to their oppressors, it’s this brilliant, awful moment where Garnet gets so close to the truth without grasping it, Blue Zircon style. Yes, Pink summoned other Diamonds to Earth, but it was part of her plan to save the planet: to make a big enough fuss that Homeworld would decide her colony wasn’t worth it. Garnet’s take is in line with the Pink we saw in our last episode, immature and seeking approval from her elders, and focusing on it here highlights how these negative traits could be aimed to help others when we see her real motives in Now We’re Only Falling Apart.

That said, Pink isn’t the only Diamond we see here.

White Diamond is different. She’s the only Diamond who isn’t named until her debut episode, existing only as a suggestion that fills in a massive gap. We’re restricted to her glimpses of her, mere hints of her ominous presence, like a monster in the shadows. The mural on the moon, the distant view of her ship on Homeworld, the actual white diamond that tops the insignia, that’s all we’ve gotten until now.

Here we get three images of her, even if she still goes unmentioned: the first shot of the four Diamonds together, the shot of the remaining three Diamonds after the shattering, and the Corruption. She remains obscured, more an idea than a character, but it’s clearer than ever that she’s the head of the group, and that she’s enormous, even compared to Yellow and Blue. Her absence is as captivating as her presence, as we see more of her than ever but still get the impression that Pink was only able to appeal to the middle sisters. It’s a great hook, a second mystery that overlaps Pink Diamond’s to show the audience that there’s more to this story than we might think, and even when we inevitably unravel Pink’s history, there’s a bigger threat behind the curtain.

The story ends with a brief scene in our regular style, showing that even if everything else was wrong, Rose Quartz did use her shield to save her friends. We return to a downcast ship, but Garnet supplements the power of fiction with the power of truth: that despite all the lies from Homeworld (and the lies from Rose, it turns out), the Crystal Gems and the Off Colors persist. No matter how much authority figures might try to hide it, diversity of lifestyle and identity is everywhere, because queer folks are normal folks. That’s the sort of thing a good story can make clear, especially when society constantly repeats a brutal and bald-faced lie.

And so the Off Colors trilogy of sorts draws to a close, with another call to adventure aboard the Sun Incinerator. But not before Steven and Garnet have a sit-down away from the celebrating crew, and the downside of a good story peeks out. It’s refreshing to see Steven verbalize his theory about Stevonnie’s dream so soon, given the necessary gap between The Trial and Jungle Moon to focus on his immediate concerns, but because Garnet only knows the story instead of the history, she replies with two truths and a lie: that his powers come from empathy, that his differences are something to be celebrated, and that Rose Quartz definitely killed Pink Diamond.

Steven will thus need another push to find the truth, rather than pursuing it on his own. Rose’s story does a lot of good, but it keeps Steven in the dark on his heritage and his inheritance, and makes him doubt the gut that he should be learning to trust by now. Self-doubt is just one of the many issues plaguing him in Steven Universe Future, but it remains a major factor in his identity crisis, and it’s rooted in moments like this: when a loved one who means well repeats a lie that makes him question what he knows in his heart.

The truth can be a dangerous thing, and fiction can comfort and inspire. The truth leads to clarity, and fiction can distort. This isn’t a convenient dichotomy, and Garnet herself will soon be ripped apart by the realization that the story she tells right here was a lie, but she wouldn’t be who she is today without that story, and for better and worse, neither would Steven. I’m not saying it isn’t important to seek the truth, and I’m certainly not saying that this show is telling us that. But I appreciate so much that the value of stories isn’t lost in that message.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

Without the upcoming reveal, this is just an episode that I like. Great visuals and a well-told story, but still feels like a recap. But that reveal amps up Your Mother and Mine by both justifying the recap itself and by making the actual point of the episode clear. So up it goes!

Top Twenty-Five

Steven and the Stevens

Hit the Diamond

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

Jungle Moon

Last One Out of Beach City

The Return

Jailbreak

The Answer

Mindful Education

Sworn to the Sword

Rose’s Scabbard

Earthlings

Mr. Greg

Coach Steven

Lars of the Stars

Giant Woman

Beach City Drift

Winter Forecast

Bismuth

Back to the Kindergarten

Steven’s Dream

Kevin Party

When It Rains

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Warp Tour

The Test

Future Vision

On the Run

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Joy Ride

Keeping It Together

We Need to Talk

Chille Tid

Cry for Help

Keystone Motel

Catch and Release

Back to the Barn

Steven’s Birthday

It Could’ve Been Great

Message Received

Log Date 7 15 2

Same Old World

The New Lars

Monster Reunion

Alone at Sea

Crack the Whip

Beta

Back to the Moon

Kindergarten Kid

Buddy’s Book

Gem Harvest

Three Gems and a Baby

That Will Be All

The New Crystal Gems

Storm in the Room

Room for Ruby

Lion 4: Alternate Ending

Doug Out

The Good Lars

Are You My Dad?

I Am My Mom

Stuck Together

The Trial

Off Colors

Lars’s Head

Gemcation

Raising the Barn

Sadie Killer

Your Mother and Mine

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Story for Steven

Shirt Club

Love Letters

Reformed

Rising Tides, Crashing Tides

Onion Friend

Historical Friction

Friend Ship

Nightmare Hospital

Too Far

Barn Mates

Steven Floats

Drop Beat Dad

Too Short to Ride

Restaurant Wars

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

Greg the Babysitter

Gem Hunt

Steven vs. Amethyst

Bubbled

Adventures in Light Distortion

Gem Heist

The Zoo

Rocknaldo

Dewey Wins

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

Say Uncle

Super Watermelon Island

Gem Drill

Know Your Fusion

Future Boy Zoltron

Tiger Philanthropist

No Thanks!

6. Horror Club 5. Fusion Cuisine 4. House Guest 3. Onion Gang 2. Sadie’s Song 1. Island Adventure

#your mother and mine #steven universe #su #steven universally #review

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thefivecalls · 4 years

Text

Things I associate with each of the sides for no reason

Logan:

I understand he's supposed to be dark blue or indigo. Regardless, he will always be teal. This teal:

For some reason when I got detention that one time I got a Logan vibe so yeah theres that

"Space... The final frontier..." But uhhh just the opening has his vibes

Why is he always whereing a neck tie and not a bow tie? If anyone has necktie vibes its Janus not Logan

Logan also has chaos incarnate vibes that are only in check because of his last shreds of humanity one of these days he'll break and when he does thomas can and will set something on fire using bill nye the science guy tactics

He is waking up early and going to bed late

He is framing posters

He is dancing in your bedroom to awesome music that has never been such a vibe before that moment and will never be again.

Broken clocks

Beaker from the muppets? I don't quite get it but yeah

Rock of ages

Getting a pitcher of soda or tea or whatever and setting it on his desk, then getting 23 straws and taping them together so he can lay in bed on his phone and safely drink it without spilling

Grilled cheese

Kahoot music

Remus:

Death waltz. Not the synthesia no the one that takes 14 people to play.

Canoeing

Obviously he has close combat weapons but have you thought about giving him a bow and arrow? I have and yes thats a vibe because he is one of three people I've ever met with those vibes ok

Portable speakers

He is bonfires and fireworks.

He is hyperfixating on something and writing a story until 4 in the morning.

Potions!

The fact that witches ingredients are actually just named strange things but are edible somethings? Like mustard seeds being newts eyes and the like

Acid

In my human anatomy class we dissected deer hearts and when we found the blood clots we called them the Forbidden Jellies.

The county fair

The circus that comes around at fall festival time

Homecoming game in football/rugby

I feel like if he played an instrument he'd be a baritone

The lime green smoke Disney villians have

Roman:

Zootopia the movie

Hopping. Or bouncing in place.

My family's crest?? I think its because of his crest but he had those vibes before the outift upgrade???? Idk

The ponytail thing that give you a unicorn horn when you've got short hair but bangs that are beginning to grow out

He is picnics at the park

He is also going shopping

He is also dancing in the rain at four in the morning with the outside lights on and the music blaring but its ok the neigbors are four acres away and they sleep like the dead.

When I went to my first metal concert and I saw the mosh pit? The exhilaration that comes with wanting to join but not wanting to get crushed is a Roman thing.

Pancakes

Cold pizza at midnight

Succulents!

Fire and cane whiskey

The warm smiles that the bearer never gets to see because they don't get the chance to see it in a reflection

Butterscotch

Janus:

Springtime showers that makes snowmelt rivers

Prom. Dont ask this is just a him vibe ok

He seems like the guy that would make a blanket cacoon/nest when his bedsheets are in the wash and can I say mood

Sunlight

Looking off my back porch and seeing the feilds of corn beginning to dry out in late fall every three years.

Pumpkin soup

Apple cider

Lemonade

Not only is he snowmelt rivers he is also the first thunderstorm of summertime

Sun tea. Not the brand the stuff that you make via harnessing the suns power

Cucumber facemasks

Wildflower honey

The person who youd never guess goes to comic con but is actually the one who wins first place in the costume contest every year

Oversized sweaters

German Sheppards and yellow labs sunbathing after playing for hours

Antique mirrors

Burlap canvas bags

Oil paint

Espressos at ten at night

Late night chinese food runs

Dragons

Spice. Not the average spice either I'm talking could eat a carolina reaper and yes he'll be more red but he could still talk and thats more than I can say for myself

Virgil:

The red rubber balls from kick ball in elementary. By god I can smell the plastic just thinking about it

Flappy stims! Almost every time I flap he comes to mind I never really questioned it

The weighted blanket my dad got that I steal from him all the time

'He's a Mary poppins in a world of hasselhoffs" my friend once said that not even talking about Virgil but like. Come on.

Basically all of Star Lord's vibes are Virgils

Deadpool

Jack Skellington (kinda obvs)

Sample perfumes that are like the size of a pinky

Telescopes

Not writing an essay but instead learning all about world history or astronomy or psychology

Earings. Specifically hoops

Black pearls

Boardwalks that have tiny shops along them with a bunch of food.

Going to a club or a party with flashing lights and even though you're kinda nervous you have fun and live like tomorrow is still a dream away.

Ripped movie posters that the theater is selling

Tying ropes together to make nets.

Fairy lights

Taping movie theater tickets to your wall after you've gone and seen it

Scarecrows sitting on bales of hay at sunset next to my willow tree and the cicadas are on their 13th year so they're the loudest they'll ve until another 13 years have passed

The glint in someone's eye when they think of something mischievous

Bang by AJR

The corpse bride's tale/song

Patton:

The lazer eye meme. This one

Graham Crackers. Not smores, not candy crack-just the cracker ok

Pep rallies

The pet store??

Sugar sculptures

Corn pits (strictly midwestern thing)

Driving for hours upon hours and seeing the strange statues some towns have as you pass them by

Silver sparkles

Art herpes glitter

Photo booths

Riding in the back of a pickup truck on the county's main road

Wedding crystals cabinet where you put the fancy china you're going to give to your children that never gets used once but is probably worth half your house

The chubby bunny challenge

The moment when you tip your chair back too far and you know it but you can't do anything because you'll be on the floor in a second anyway

The thing maya did from Girl Meets World when she slammed lockers closed and caused the chalkboard to let its dust fly

Dusk.

That moment when everything is going by so quickly so you step back and watch the world go by for only a few seconds but then you're back in the present laughing with your friends

Snow cones melting and getting the syrup all over your hands

Orange Side:

All things citrus but especially lemons no not oranges lemons

Sunglasses

Men in black 1 not the rest just the first

Pineapple too hes got a lot of pineapple vibes

Combat boots but with spikes

Also lace?

And tea. Like, all kinds of tea but especially the really expensive stuff that I've only tasted like twice thats imported from Ireland

Himalayan salt lamps.

Sensies. the wax melting things

Candles too

Once we meet him I'll have more but this is it for him for now

Thats it! If this gets notes I might do emile remy and thomas but I think I'll leave this be for the moment. Have a great day y'all!

#sanders sides #logan sanders #remus sanders #virgil sanders #janus sanders #patton sanders #roman sanders

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fistsoflightning · 4 years

Text

and then there was two.

there will always be someone who is completely, wholly unsaveable.

gatheredfates’ [30 day WOL challenge] | prompt: salvation

even before zaya met the newest reincarnation of minfilia, part of them knew it wouldn’t be who they were expecting.

minfilia—the first minfilia, the one who kept this world living for two centuries longer than it should, started a cycle of new minfilias that inevitably dashed their lives against the horde of sin eaters because her self-sacrificing, bleeding, golden heart would never be dimmed by something as simple as time and new life—had been dead for a very long time. even before those two centuries lost to halting the flood. she may have died in the sil’dih aqueducts to save what warriors of light she could, but to zaya she died the moment they drank firebrand poison and wine while toasting to a naive new ul’dah.

the memory of her haunts both of them in the worst ways, the two of them cursed to be in pain just by being touched by minfilia back before she was a leader and icon and a banner to rally under; hells, that selfsame memory nearly got both thancred and zaya killed, back when they were out for someone to blame for all the regrets wadded into the hole in their chests that losing her made standing by the cliffside outside of idyllshire.

but she will always, always be right over zaya’s shoulder no matter what, so they try their best to separate the minfilia living inside their head and the minfilia standing right in front of them; in this world, minfilia is more than a decade younger than her, more a daughter than a sibling and deserving of so much more than what zaya can give her. it’s going through the motions but with only half the heart behind them; half-moon smiles, quiet adventures in il mheg, laughs that are less than their usual thunderous quality. their heart has been bleeding for far too long to remember how they even managed to comfort lunya, sirius, and valdis in those humble beginnings in pearl lane, wound deepened by missing friends and another war.

zaya may have been one of many warriors of light, but minfilia was the leader of the scions, the one who remembered thancred and zaya from before the calamity split their memories into two, the one who persevered through countless duties and pains to make sure the world at large would be safer, if even by just a fraction.

and even in death, she leaves both zaya and thancred on their knees when the child whose name is only minfilia because it fulfills the populace’s need for heroes and legends and lights at the ends of countless tunnels says:

“i wish they’d just say it—just say that they hate me! i can see it thancred’s eyes, in zaya’s smiles—that they wish i was dead so she could return…”

…

there will always be another version of them hiding behind the topmost layer, and zaya finds that the newest one is quieter. more akin to brooding than to escaping or confronting, more like the state they were in after fighting zenos back in ghimlyt dark. they thought they’d shaken this version of themselves off, stored it in the back of their mind.

and yet here it is, with all the dreadful penchant for reminiscence they could ever want.

someone in their motley crew of heroes suggests they take a night of rest before facing a trolley ride one might not return from—honestly, zaya wouldn’t be surprised if it were lunya or hanami who asked (more like demanded), hoping to get them (or thancred) to say something, anything—and by the dirty looks lunya gives both of them before retreating to her sleeping bag, thancred hasn’t done anything either.

“i can’t believe either of you right now. idiots, the both of you.” lunya hisses as she rolls out her bedroll next to hanami’s, and zaya silently agrees before slinking out of the small room all of them have been spared to sleep in for a few short bells.

even in spite of the light festering under their skin, eating away at the font of lightning at the center of their soul and sapping their energy. zaya is too tired to sleep. too awake, too aware to sort through everything, and too in pain from the swell of their heart beneath their skin to choke out the words i’m sorry in some worthless attempt to make up for faults that have been lying below the surface of their skin for years.

so instead of retreating to the shed thaffe and jeryk cleared for them to sleep in, away from the endless light, they climb up to the tallest cliff, sit at the edge, and stare blankly into the orange sands of amh araeng. waiting, observing, taking in the endless weight of a dying world and drowning in it to see if they can even possibly measure up to what little minfilia feels when the people of the crystarium call her oracle, a beacon, a living legend.

even if zaya was fourteen again and filled with the anger at their own family they’d dispensed a while back, they don’t think the sheer rage of being shunned would match up to the despair of not just feeling, but knowing two people who are supposed to be your guardians detest you. zaya couldn’t dare to pretend they knew the pain minfilia was going through. hells, they barely knew themselves; understanding others was beyond them.

so they don’t, and instead of dwelling on the things they cannot understand, they focus on meditating—familiar, comforting, simple. close your eyes, breathe in deep, count to ten, exhale, repeat until your thoughts are calm instead of thunderous.

and, inevitably, in the quiet lull of the thunderstorms inside their head, their thoughts wander to the minfilia they knew—the one that yet lives inside their head.

she might be two summers their elder, but zaya can’t help but think of her as younger, even when they met in the goldsmith’s guild all those years ago—she a miner with a gift and an almost-brother and they a goldsmith with nothing left to lose. even now, with her eyes stolen away by the crystalline blue of hydaelyn, zaya can remember the warm grey from before she was a mouthpiece for this god all of them were bound to, and wonders why.

why take her? why someone so dedicated, so optimistic, so many things left to do and say? why make her a mouthpiece instead of giving the mercy of not seeing your friends and almost-family suffer at the sight of you? why can’t zaya save the first woman they thought of as my sister since leaving the steppe?

i promise i won’t hurt you, they said once upon a time to a girl afraid of them because of their legacy as the ‘bolt from the blue’, coliseum menace and one of few to face off against ‘raging bull’ raubahn aldynn and survive the encounter. i promise.

why were they calling themselves a hero—or worse, minfilia’s friend if they couldn’t extend, couldn’t keep that promise with a girl that carries minfilia’s legacy?

zaya opens their eyes to the expanse of orange sands once again, entirely drained and wanting to go back to a time before… everything. they can’t come up with an answer before sati comes out from the bushes and sits beside them, laying her hand over theirs in a solidarity zaya hasn’t seen from her in years—not since she was small enough to not see above their waist and living under both dorbei’s and their care.

“are you…” sati trails off, her voice murky, like zaya is underwater and hasn’t surfaced in a long, long time. “no. i’m… i’ll just sit here, ‘kay? not gonna leave you here.” her voice is the firmest it’s been in years, more confident in her decision than ever before, and zaya doesn’t fight it. they don’t fight reese or rjoli’s pitying stares, ihget’sae’s worried glance from the corner of the room, hanami’s angry tail whips, or lunya’s frustrated silence when they walk back into the shed, either. they don’t rest much either, instead pulling out their journal and flipping to the page where thancred had jokingly wrote some poetry over five years ago, before everything crumbled and their ul’dahn trio fell to two, fingertips running over the words—

but i have promises to keep, and miles to go before i sleep, and miles to go before i sleep.

…

zaya quietly walks over to minfilia as thancred and urianger do some final checks to their equipment and the talos, not really knowing where their fellow warriors are but knowing they don’t have long before they leave. their stomach churns, empty and hollow, but filled with imaginary butterflies instead; the kind that accompanies both their feelings for thancred and the dread of arguments.

“minfilia?” they say as clearly as possible, voice still cracking from the dryness of amh araeng and the struggle of learning to speak after decades of hardly opening their mouth. “c’n we talk?”

she sniffles, nodding her head, and zaya scoops up both of her hands into theirs, quietly turning her to face them and oh, her eyes are still red and teary, she’s still not handling this well. the urge to just pull her into a hug and never let go is overwhelming, but what she needs is not a pat to the head, not a simple hug, not just loving words and a sincere apology but all of the above.

if only thancred could pull his guts together to join them.

“heard you an’ urianger yesterday,” zaya says soothingly, tightening their grip over minfilia’s small hands only when fear seeps into her expression. “and ‘m so, so sorry i can’t love you the way you need me to.”

minfilia practically stumbles over her words, quietly tugging her hands further and further from zaya’s grasp and oh gods zaya really hopes they aren’t hurting her, quickly letting go when she tugs next. “i—no, it’s fine, i promise! yesterday was just—”

“no, y’u were…” it’d be too cruel to say that she was wrong; too cruel to say that both of them truly wanted the best for her, didn’t hate her in misguided parts when thancred said nothing at all and zaya couldn’t find the right things to tell her, but it was easier, if needed. then again, zaya had never been one for the path of least resistance. “you were right, but not about one thing; we… we both hate ourselves.”

she looks utterly shocked at the idea, but zaya pushes forward and tells the tale of how they and thancred almost didn’t live to see norvrandt; how they pushed each others’ buttons until he cracked first, how they both tortured themselves over the mess that was that age-old escape from ul’dah and how minfilia’s legacy has haunted them for longer before they knew her… with many, many changes. it isn’t a ballad, nor a fairytale, but it is the truth, and it is what she deserves to know about her guardian and her ally.

“you… you two…?” she mumbles, eyes wide and less teary than before. good. “but—you two are practically—when we were in dhon mheg, and the ravel, and the temple, you two were inseparable.”

zaya feels like that is a gross exaggeration—they can stand not knowing how thancred is doing for a few minutes—but continues anyways. “not always. we’re a lil’ stupi’ now, b’t we were worse ‘fore this.”

“i don’ wanna be forgiven,” they say, quietly; a secret that very few know and even fewer try to remember. “i don’ deserve to, an’ neither does thancred. but…” they pull her closer, wrapping their arms around her back and hugging her tight, as if she might suddenly disappear from zaya’s life like minfilia did all those years ago before they could tell her how incredibly glad they were to know her. “i wanna try again—do better, f’r you, if you let me.”

minfilia, for all her strength, doesn’t respond—not speechless, but occupied. her tears drip, drip, drip down zaya’s back, the blue overcoat they normally wear tied around their waist to reveal their (rather ragged) white tanktop. when she does catch her breath for long enough in gaps between her silent sorrow, she pulls her arms away from zaya’s chest to wrap around their neck instead, burying her face into their shoulders.

“i… i don’t know, yet,” she says truthfully, and zaya is glad thancred told her about the whole lying versus harsh truth thing they’ve always had a hard time explaining themselves. “can i tell you when we get back?”

when we get back, zaya thinks, sifting through the words in their head. she was always more earnest around them, or lunya, or any of their small crew that wasn’t thancred, really, but in her words she promises, not tries to promise. we.

“o’ course,” zaya promises back, because it’s the least they can do. they have a lot of promises to keep, they realize shortly after opening their mouth, but it feels… good. “always.”

...

the trolley crashes—because yet again, nothing is ever easy for the warriors of darkness, is it?—zaya’s horn is cracked from falling onto a very big rock, ran’jit is soaked in the memories of an old, different minfilia and then betrayed by the newest minfilia, and thancred stays behind. zaya prays it’s not because he fears what he might say to the old minfilia but because he’s had decades to learn that sometimes actions speak as loud as words do from learning zaya’s story until it was burned into his memory, fingers calloused and burnt from learning a storm made incarnate inside out, and he’s finally decided to use that knowledge instead of keeping it boxed in his chest. their head is utterly throbbing as they run ahead of lunya, lightning running through their blood faster than ever before because what if they lose not one but two on this journey, what if thancred has finally bit off more than he can chew, what if it’s like ul’dah all over again—

“zaya!” ihget’sae barks out in worry, even if his voice is more angry than it is soothing, and it hurts so much more than they thought it would to listen. “slow down!”

they stop, then, if only because the sickening feeling of bile rising up their throat from the pain is new, different, horrible. minfilia—who looks worriedly at them as she passes—keeps running ahead, and only when hanami and sati catch up to all of them does zaya start their desperate sprint again.

when the light-seared sky makes hanami’s aurum regis horn glint menacingly, zaya clutches at their own horn tighter. the crack feels bigger than it should, but it—their horn—doesn’t matter. if the price to pay for norvrandt’s salvation was their horn and the pain sure to follow, they’d pay it gladly. they’ve survived worse than a loss of balance; even if it did mess up their ability to fight with their fists, it would be a equal exchange for a world.

one life for one world, urianger’s voice rings from memory, except this time he had no say in the sacrifice.

good, a more bitter part of them responds. the pure rancor from the voice inside their head sings of something abyssal, something they usually bury under lightning and fire and earth, but it sings truer than most of zaya’s scattered thoughts, as of late. as it should be.

zaya keeps running.

and when they finally make it to the fallen palace of nabaath areng and get dragged through a centuries-old memory of ardbert, minfilia, the warriors of darkness before them, and the flood, zaya is left on their knees by minfilia for the second and final time.

“ours is a meeting long overdue,” the word says to the oracle, not even waiting for the warriors surrounding little minfilia to regain their bearings. “full glad am i that we may finally speak.”

zaya remains sitting on the liquid crystal floor as lunya, hanami, sati—everyone but them gets up to look minfilia—the word of the mother minfilia—eye to eye, instead staring at the light bleeding and blurring her figure like some runny painting in a tarnished storybook left out in the rain. maybe it’s the tears stinging at the corners of zaya’s vision, but she looks… tired. tired of waiting, tired of watching, tired of perpetuating a cycle of pain and suffering that is going to end, one way or another, now.

and suddenly, they have one answer to thousands of whys. minfilia cannot be saved, they think, because she is like you. determined. blessed. chosen. (cursed.)

so when the word—minfilia looks to them longingly, zaya does not say how they wish she was still alive, how they wish they could show her what they can accomplish now. instead, zaya foolishly says, “t’hncred says ‘ello,” and keeps their mouth shut for the rest of the short visit to some realm where the gold of both minfilias’ hair bleeds into the light-soaked scenery, their saved tears quietly hidden behind untied hair and long bangs.

they think they might make it from this conversation relatively whole, watching quietly and contentedly as the two daughters of hydaelyn speak their minds with them as the witnesses. the almost do, and then minfilia whispers “i am truly sorry, friend. i love you.” and zaya’s heart is undone.

…

they don’t wake up with everyone else at the foot of nabaath areng, after minfilia disappears for good and after the waking memories of ardbert being refused his sacrifice.

instead, zaya wakes to their hair untied, thancred’s (torn, bloodied, stained) coat thrown over them, and a girl with grey eyes and terra-cotta hair looking surprised to see them awake. not a few seconds later does zaya sit up, head reeling as they look around to see the scions sitting just a little bit over three yalms away

“zaya,” she exhales tiredly. “you’re awake. lunya thought—” she points to their right horn, not daring to touch the ridges. “—the wound you were hiding here was more serious than just knocking you unconscious, seeing as it… well.”

they reach up to touch where the crack was, fingertips shaky and scratched up beyond all belief and find the smooth surface that only accompanied crystal, and from the slight thrum in their horn from the touch…

“thancred says it’s lightning crystal, or some gemstone attuned to your aether.” the girl carefully presses a mirror—dusty, old, slightly cracked—into their hands. “i, er. i don’t quite understand it all, but… when she—minfilia, that is—brought us back to nabaath areng, my appearance and your horn were already like this.”

zaya lifts the mirror to their face, and oh—the crack on their horn is filled with small slivers of gleaming gemstone; blue topaz, which explains the weird, sharp, clear and crisp tones to all of the sounds zaya’s can hear. it’s almost too similar to the exarch’s situation, what with the crystal marking his face and arm, but hells, they’re surprised they can hear at all with the gemstone filling the gaps between rough bone. gemstones aren’t crystal, after all.

but zaya has more pressing matters to attend to than figuring out the logistics of filling in a fracture with a non-organic material; besides, it’s not like their horn will be going anywhere.

“who are you?” zaya asks as the chatter from the scions and warriors die down.

“i—” the small girl with the weight of a two century long legacy in her hands and every last one of them standing by her side pauses, a small glimmer of hope crossing her eyes like a thunderbolt as she looks at them carefully. they both know what zaya asked wasn’t from amnesia, but of something else. “my name… is ryne.”

firefly, zaya quickly signs, and thancred inhales sharply from three yalms away even as ryne tilts her head in confusion. he knew nearly every sign in the book; it wasn’t surprising he’d catch them giving ryne a gift of their own. it’s the closest to saying i love you so, so much without saying it at all, because words wouldn’t possibly fit i’m sorry, are you alright, and can i try again all in six words.

“means firefly,” they clarify for ryne when she looks back at thancred, confusion turning into worry. “your new namesign, if you want? can’t keep callin’ y’u minfilia.”

“...i would like that very much,” ryne says, smiling and trying to keep a few tears from building at the corners of her eyes, and in that very moment—then there were two of an old friendship left behind, the shadow of minfilia finally lifting from zaya’s shoulder as ryne’s smile brought zaya’s heart back; salvation.

#ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #shadowbringers #seaswolchallenge #ryne #zaya qestir #minfilia warde #thancred waters #ryne waters #my writing #i have a lot of feelings about the amh araeng section of shadowbringers and it shows #shoutout to mom squad who for whatever reason continues to put up with my angsty bullshit for like. the third week in a row #im so sorry to literally Everyone who reads this #i was experimenting with some ideas and ended up with brainworms #bonus shoutout to lordofcrowns for making a post with the poem i've linked because i've literally been looking for that exact poem for AGES #this is. a very experimental introspection piece and i hope yall like it a little! :3 #best of elie #tales from the blue #s: bound by faith

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land-of-appletun-and-anime · 4 years

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I'm interested to hear thoughts on the core Pokemon games. Please add your thoughts about any or all of them. Here are my positives, negatives and ratings for each generation.

Red/Blue/Yellow

- Tragically, didn't play :(

Gold/Silver (9/10)

+ Updated Kanto region, 16 gyms

+ Fun new apricorn pokeballs

+ Multi-functional Pokegear key item

+ Item storage in PC

+ Addition of Steel and Dark types

- Required save before changing PC boxes

Ruby/Sapphire (9.5/10)

+ Diverse geography and creative city designs

+ Lots of free solo exploration

+ Contests provide secondary pokemon challenge

+ Refreshing travel mechanic late in the game (Dive).

- No PC item storage

- No day/night cycle

Diamond/Pearl (8/10)

+ Return of day/night cycle

+ Enhanced contest mechanics

+ Ball capsules

+ Various, useful Poketch apps

+ Return of Headbutt tree mechanic (as honey)

- SLOW battle gameplay

- Reduced secret base style options, boulders

- Lack of creative city designs

- Limited colors in overworld

- Lethargic music bordering on therapeutic

Black/White (9/10)

+ Compelling and believable story and characters

+ Season cycle extends playability of exploration

+ Return of vibrant colors in overworld

+ Greatly accelerated gameplay during battle

+ Animated Pokemon sprites

+ Complex 3D structures and camera angle shifts

+ Substantially challenging

+ Increased touch-screen interaction

+ Expansive Dream World and Entralink features

+ Expansive after-game content

- No contests, Musical is disappointing husk

- Very few triple and rotation battles for solo players

- No berry growing outside of online play

- No ball capsules

- No trainer rematches outside sports arenas

Black 2/White 2 (10/10)

+ Expanded and more diverse region

+ Return of secondary challenge as pokestar studios

+ Return of honey mechanic as hidden grottoes

+ Free space available in bag

+ Medal rally encourages game content completion

- No trainer rematches

X/Y (8/10)

+ Enchantingly beautiful graphics and animations

+ Creative city and route designs

+ 3D battles

+ Pokemon Amie provides lifelike interaction

+ Trainer customization

+ Unprecedented secondary starter types

+ Mega Evolution augments unfavorable pokemon

+ Drag and drop items and to switch team order

- No secondary challenge

- Low difficulty

- Shallow, uninvolved characters

- Plot with massive potential and terrible execution

- Handholding throughout main story

- Linear, short routes and little exploration

- No trainer rematches outside Chateau

Sun/Moon (9/10)

+ Complex story with twists and likable characters

+ Obsoletion of HM's

+ Regional variants give familiar pokemon new life

+ Siginifantly energized music

+ Return of sensible difficulty

+ Stale gym mechanic replaced with Trials

+ Sizable after-game plot

- No secondary challenge

- Near-constant tropical aesthetic tires by end

Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon (9.5/10)

+ Significantly enhanced menu aesthetic

+ Enhanced and extended plot

+ Ultra Beasts given vibrant, creative worlds

+ Mantine Surf adds extended minigame challenge

Sword/Shield (7.5/10)

+ Skippable tutorial

+ Likeable characters

+ Creative city and route designs

+ Expansive solo exploration in wild area

+ Large regional Pokedex

+ Removal of lengthy Fly animation

+ Displays held item images on team list screen

+ Can filter TM list for a particular Pokemon

+ (some) engaging and challenging gym puzzles

- No National Pokedex

- No trainer rematches

- Linear region with minute, simple routes

- Tragically undeveloped plot

- No furniture interaction reduces engagement

- Return of annoying object collision thud

- Inconsistent model and texture complexity/quality

- Frequent sloppy animation

- Frequent lack of in-battle scenery

#pokemon #pokemon gold and silver #pokemon ruby and sapphire #pokemon diamond and pearl #pokemon black and white #pokemon black 2 and white 2 #pokemon x and y #pokemon sun amd moon #pokemon ultra sun and ultra moon #pokemon sword and shield #pokemon games

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kat-unhinged · 4 years

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Hi Tumblr world. I haven't been here in quite some time but I just needed to post this somewhere.

——————————————————————

STEVEN UNIVERSE: A THEORY

I've seen so much debate over this show and the 'Rose is actually Pink' story line and I just, well, these are my thoughts of where things started and how it got to that point. Warning: this is hella long.

So, imagine this.

White Diamond is the very first gem-being. She was made on Homeworld and just kinda happened. For hundreds of years she was there, alone. Over that time, she discovered how to create other gems. She made Sapphires, Rubys, Peridots, etc. All these gems were made for a purpose. They had a reason and a duty. White, being the creator and most powerful, becomes their queen. She expects all her gems to be perfect, like her, as diamonds are to be perfect. To fulfill their designed purposes. And they are, mostly. Occasionally, one doesn't come out just right but White let's it be for now. She assumes the imperfect gems will eventually fall off into the unknown while the others continue their duties making the planet a comfortable home for White.

The millenia pass and White grows unhappy, again. She's no longer alone but all these gems, they're not quite like her. She notices how the Rubys have each other, the Sapphires have each other, etc. White wants that. So, she decides to try to make more diamonds. More White Diamonds. But, diamonds are tricky. They require exact circumstances. If the conditions are off just a bit you get blemishes, scars, different colors. White tried for ages to make another perfect White Diamond. There were so many failures. But, diamond can cut diamond. So she shattered them and kept starting again. Eventually, she got Yellow and Blue. They weren't white like her, but they were not blemished. No scars. No marks. Perfect in all aspects except for their color. And White decides that that's ok by her. She sort of enjoys the colors. So Yellow and Blue become her sisters. Together, the three rule over Homeworld and all the other, lower, less powerful gems.

As more years pass, Homeworld loses its resources. They can't keep making more gems without the ingredients. And so the dawn of space travel among the gems begins. They begin to colonize other planets. They create so many other gem types they never knew were possible. Quartzes, Aquamarines, Topazes, and more. All designed for specific purposes.

Yellow really enjoys this work. Blue was never much into it. She preferred to stay on Homeworld with her subjects. Using them for entertainment and advancing their scientific abilities. White left the colonizing to Yellow after a while because she grew bored of it, as she does many things.

Yellow continues to colonize planet after planet. By this point, White is starting to grow distant. Yellow can tell so she keeps colonizing, trying to be perfect for White. Show her what a diamond is made of. It's during this time that Yellow discovers a planet covered entirely by water. She creates these awesome, water based gems (idk what, I'm not a gem-ologist). It is here that she creates her first Pearl. She designs Pearl to be a companion. A loyalist. A servant. Someone who will give her the praise and attention she so desperately craves from White.

Yellow comes back to Homeworld to show off her new Pearl. White doesn't take much interest but Blue and other high ranking gems do. They want a Pearl of their own. Yellow makes them their Pearls but is upset by White's lack of interest. And so, she continues to do what she does best, colonize and create.

Back on Homeworld, White is creating, too. With Yellow off colonizing planets and Blue taking care of the gems, White is lonely once more. She decides to create another diamond. This time, all her past work has allowed her to create exactly what she wanted. A small, but still perfectly formed, Pink Diamond. A diamond that would be less powerful. More childlike. Dependent. One who needed White and wouldn't abandon her. And thus, Pink Diamond is created.

Yellow and Blue are also immediately drawn to her. She was the cutest. Playful. Their baby sister. White's child. Although Yellow had occasional bouts of jealousy because of the relationship between Pink and White, it was never too serious. They were a family. They played and laughed and loved. Eventually, business had to start going back to normal. Yellow back to colonizing. Blue back to running the queendom. And White doting on her perfect Pink Diamond. She never needed a Pearl. It was her diamond she wanted. Her perfect, little, pink replica of herself.

White gave Pink anything she wanted. All the rooms she wanted. Massive balls and parties. Beautiful stone gardens. Even custom built playmates. A pink Spinnel to joke and laugh with. And a bright pink Pearl, courtesy of Yellow

Pink begins to "growup". Not in a physical sense, of course. But in her mind. She sees Yellow and Blue doing their thing and Pink wants that, too. She wants her own planet to colonize. Her own gems. Her own space. Like the child she is, she throws tantrums to get what she wants.

One of these tantrums resulted in breaking her precious Pearl. White, the ever obsessed with perfection mother, "fixes" her Pearl. This is the first time White used her power to it's full extent. She could always sort of control the gems. Get into their minds and make them do simple things. But not quite like this. This time, she took complete control of the Pearl. She became a part of her. This is new to White. And she likes it. She can fix any gem. She can make them perfect. She can make them an extension of her. This is the pivotal point in White's life. This is where her manic blooms. Her obsession with perfection. With having others like her. Another White Diamond.

White allows Pink to get her own planet now. She doesn't really need her anymore; she can start living her own life. Pink is beyond excited. Blue is nervous. She doesn't think Pink can handle it. Yellow is proud. She wants Pink to follow in her footsteps and expand the gem empire. Yellow makes another Pearl for Pink. One to help her while she colonized her new planet: Earth.

Pink leaves her life behind. (Leaving Spinnel in the garden, which, hello SU movie.) Pink and her Pearl are off to start their new adventure. Pearl, programmed to love and adore her diamond, stays right by her side, loyal, as she was created. They create new gems in the kindergartens. More Quartzes. Amethysts, Jaspers, and, of course, Rose Quartzes. Pink, like her.

After a while, Pink begins to grow restless again. Similar to White, she's not happy for long. Always wanting more. She wants to see her planet. See her work. Blue doesn't want her to go. She's afraid she'll be hurt. Yellow tells her no, that's not what diamonds do. They don't fraternize with the lower life forms. They're not important. But Pink, she didn't care. She wants what she wants and she gets what she wants. Her Pearl, wanting nothing more than to please her diamond, finds a way to get them to Earth.

You know the story from here. Mostly. Pink disguises herself as Rose Quartz. She and her Pearl visit earth. Pink falls in love with it. She enjoys the organic lifeforms. She doesn't want to destroy them. She tries to convince her fellow diamonds to stop. To spare this planet. But they don't agree. They don't think organic life is worth anything. Not when more gems can be made. But, to try and please Pink, they build the human zoo. They create a little piece of Earth that they deem safe for Pink.

Pink and her Pearl devise a way to get what she wants. They set up the whole thing. Pink Diamond keeps her form as Rose Quartz. She easily moves about within her planet, undetected. Rallying up allies. Starting a revolution. "Playing" with human males. All while her Pearl is working overtime. Trying to keep Pink's attention, keep her happy, keep the other diamonds off their backs even as their tratorious and double crossing rebellion rises. Eventually, it all breaks down. A war breaks out. Homeworld versus the Crystal Gems. Many gems are shattered. Humans are killed. (Insert Bismuth story here...Pink doesn't like her weapon idea, does not believe in shattering gems, and so it goes. Also throw in Garnet's story around this point, slightly before Bismuth. Pink, seeing this new thing, accepts it immediately. After all, she's all about change and this is definitely something new and exciting and a way for gems to change.)

Pink can't take it anymore. She thinks that if Pink is no more, the diamonds will abandon the planet. If she fakes her death, they will have no reason to be there. The war will end. She can live in peace. No one else will have to die. She gets what she wants.

And so, Pink and her Pearl hatch the perfect plan. Pink Diamond has been shattered by Rose Quartz. The war is over. But not quite. Yes, the diamonds were done with Earth now. But they were mad. They rounded up all the Rose Quartzes on Homeworld and any other planet and bubbled them, as punishment for one of their own shattering their diamond. They sent a retreat call to the forces left on Earth and then a powerful energy blast. They wanted to kill Rose and her rebels and move on. They thought they did and so the diamonds left earth for thousands of years.

As the blast came down to Earth, Pink panicked. She didn't want this. But there was no time. She did the only thing she could. She put up her shield, protecting herself and the three gems currently with her: her precious Pearl, a small and poorly formed Amethyst, and a wonderfully new and exciting fusion, Garnet. Edit: I guess Amethyst wasn't with them at this point yet. She was still in the ground at the Kindergarten. My bad.

Soon, the four of them realized that the other gems were not killed by the blast but corrupted instead. Turned into monsters. They made it their mission to find and protect these gems. Pink thought it part of her penance. Her repayment to these gems. Even if some of them were fighting against her in the war. It didn't matter. They were gems and they deserved to live happily however they wanted to. They didn't deserve to be shattered. And they certainly didn't deserve to live as monsters, either.

Eventually, Rose(Pink) meets Greg Universe. She falls for him, much the same as the other human males that have come and gone over the ages. Her Pearl, her loyal, loving, will wait for her forever Pearl, thinks Greg is just one more plaything for Pink. She doesn't worry too much. But her jealousy comes and goes. She knows Pink will come back to her. She always does.

Pink has been maturing and learning over all these years. A war will do that to ya. She is torn. She's happy that the war is over. That she won. That she can live the life she wants. She's sad that she will never see her family again. She's angry that they hurt her and her planet. That they wouldn't listen to her. That they didn't just give her what she wanted in the first place. She's captivated by all the other lifeforms on Earth. She loves the way they can grow and change and become someone new. She wants that, desperately. She thought that becoming Rose would have been enough. But it wasn't. She was still her. All the memories. All the feelings. No true growth. No true change.

That's when Pink realizes what she can do. She can create a new life. A truly new organic life that will grow and change. And she can be a part of it. She can change, finally. She gives up her diamond to create life. A human child with her gem. Her power. She is him. But he is himself. She sacrifices her life, for real this time, to create something new. To pay for her sins. To leave her responsibilities and the pain and fear and anger behind. To become someone else. To become Steven.

And the rest, well, that's what the show is for. But, again, sort of.

Back on Homeworld over these thousands of years, the diamonds grieve. In their own ways, of course. Blue takes Pink's death hard. It makes her sad. Eternally sad and blue. Yellow throws herself back into her work desperately trying to do anything to take her mind off Pink. To not think about it. She and Blue become more distant because Yellow just cannot stand the crying and moping and feeling.

White, however, takes it the hardest. Her obsession with perfection deepens into cruelness. All her gems must be perfect. They must do only what they were created for. They can't rebel. They can't think their own thoughts. They can't kill her precious Pink again. Any imperfect gems are either fixed with enhancements or shattered. Some escape and go into hiding. White has Blue work on tech that will seek out these imperfect gems and shatter them. She must keep Homeworld perfect.

The diamonds drift apart. They no longer feel like the family they once were. Now, they are just rulers of a heartbroken empire.

The story of Rose and her rebels becomes a cautionary tale among the Homeworld gems. They either think of Rose as the villain and continue with their normal, perfect gem lives. They keep the others in line and seek out imperfect gems for White to fix or destroy. Or, they see Rose as the hero. They keep it to themselves, constantly battling to keep their personalities from showing through. To keep their love secret. To keep from being deemed imperfect. Some are desperate enough to go into hiding with other off-colors and fusions. Some risk themselves to help those imperfect gems go into hiding.

Yellow decides it's time to go back to Earth and finish the colony. Finish destroying the planet entirely. Maybe that will help Blue and White get over it. Maybe they can be a family again when all traces of Pink's death are gone. Enter: Peridot and her "simple" mission to Earth.

And so, the rest, as they say, is history. Well, it's an animated children's cartoon show. Drama. Action. Fights. Giant women. Growth. Change. Family. Love.

Garnet. Amethyst. And Pearl.

And Steven.

#steven universe #fan theory #thoughts #crystal gems #su #I just love this show and really want an origins story

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morethanonepage · 4 years

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i’m angery

i know i’m mostly a star wars killjoy on tumblr dot com lately but allow me to SCREAM about my latest nemesis, a book called “American Dirt”:

Lydia Quixano Pérez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable.

Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with a few books he would like to buy―two of them her favorites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.

Forced to flee, Lydia and eight-year-old Luca soon find themselves miles and worlds away from their comfortable middle-class existence. Instantly transformed into migrants, Lydia and Luca ride la bestia―trains that make their way north toward the United States, which is the only place Javier’s reach doesn’t extend. As they join the countless people trying to reach el norte, Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to?

Written by one Jeanine Cummins, who has Puerto Rican ancestry but grew up in the MD suburbs (as I did, tbf) and in 2015 considered herself white (”I am white...in every practical way, my family is mostly white.” [cw for sexual assault and murder at the link]), everything I read about this book has begun to drive me to madness.

Recommended by the Mary Sue book club (the source of the above summary), it has since been retracted bc a) its sucks and b) THEY DIDN’T READ IT BEFORE PUTTING IT ON THE BOOK CLUB LIST (”I try to read most, if not all, of the books I recommend for the Book Club because I truly do love reading, and I want to make sure that if I suggest someone grab something, it’s something I can say I liked. When I was looking up two books to fill out the list, one of them was American Dirt. I saw that it had received a lot of positive press from Stephen King, Rumaan Alam, Don Winslow, Sandra Cisneros, and other literary news outlets including Oprah’s Book Club. It seemed like the type of literary fiction that’s always good for a book club read. I was mistaken.“)

Myriam Gurba, at Tropics of Meta, describes being asked to review it for a feminist magazine, and then being told her review was too negative to publish. It included gems such as:

Cummins bombards with clichés from the get-go. Chapter One starts with assassins opening fire on a quinceañera, a fifteenth birthday party, a scene one can easily imagine President Donald Trump breathlessly conjuring at a Midwestern rally, and while Cummins’ executioners are certainly animated, their humanity remains shallow. By categorizing these characters as “the modern bogeymen of urban Mexico,” she flattens them. By invoking monsters with English names and European lineages, Cummins reveals the color of her intended audience: white. Mexicans don’t fear the bogeyman. We fear his very distant cousin, el cucuy.

[...]

With their family annihilated by narcotraffickers, mother and son embark on a refugees’ journey. They head north, or, as Cummins’ often writes, to “el norte,” and italicized Spanish words like carajo, mijo, and amigo litter the prose, yielding the same effect as store-bought taco seasoning.

[...] Lydia’s husband, a journalist, describes her as one of the “smartest” women he’s ever known. Nonetheless, she behaves in gallingly naïve and stupid ways. Despite being an intellectually engaged woman, and the wife of a reporter whose beat is narcotrafficking, Lydia experiences shock after shock when confronted with the realities of México, realities that would not shock a Mexican.

It shocks Lydia to learn that the mysterious and wealthy patron who frequents her bookstore flanked by “[thuggish]” bodyguards is the capo of the local drug cartel! It shocks Lydia to learn that some central Americans migrate to the United States by foot! It shocks Lydia to learn that men rape female migrants en route to the United States! It shocks Lydia to learn that Mexico City has an ice-skating rink! (This “surprise” gave me a good chuckle: I learned to ice skate in México.) That Lydia is so shocked by her own country’s day-to-day realities, realities that I’m intimate with as a Chicana living en el norte, gives the impression that Lydia might not be…a credible Mexican. In fact, she perceives her own country through the eyes of a pearl-clutching American tourist.

Parul Sehgal, at the NYT, digs into the fact that while the motives of this book may be unimpeachable (tho: are they??), the writing itself is...perhaps less so:

I found myself flinching as I read, not from the perils the characters face, but from the mauling the English language receives. Lydia’s expression “is one Luca has never seen before, and he fears it might be permanent. It’s as if seven fishermen have cast their hooks into her from different directions and they’re all pulling at once. One from the eyebrow, one from the lip, another at the nose, one from the cheek.” Yes, of course. That expression.

Sehgal also highlights my favorite line I’ve heard about in this book: “when Lydia finds she is unable to pray, ‘she believes it’s a divine kindness. Like a government furlough, God has deferred her nonessential agencies.’” The Raised in the DMV Suburbs just JUMPED OUT, didn’t it, Jeanine? But like legit, why on earth would a Mexican bookstore lady’s frame of reference ever be A GOVERNMENT FURLOUGH and NONESSENTIAL AGENCIES. followers, i just about died.

David J. Schmidt, at The Blue Nib, calls out other inaccuracies and stereotypes:

It is worth dwelling on the character of Javier for a moment. A “drinking game” could be created based on all the Latin American stereotypes he personifies. Javier is dapper, yet dangerous. He is charming, yet mysterious. He wears a white guayabera, a shirt the author describes as “more suitable for Sunday Mass than a regular workday.” (Untrue—this is a casual garment, more suitable for a love affair in a Fabio-bedecked romance novel.)

This quintessential “Latin lover” shows up at Lydia’s bookstore and speaks to her in a tone significantly different from the other characters of American Dirt. I must emphasise, Javier’s dialogue does not reflect the normal speech patterns of Mexico, but perfectly reflects U.S. stereotypes. The only way to properly read Javier’s lines is through the most gross of caricatures.

One should imagine the husky voice of Antonio Banderas, speaking at his most sensual and Spanishy. Any character he has played in English will do, although it is clear that Javier was ideally written for the voice of Puss in Boots. When Lydia asks if Javier reads English, the dapper narco responds:

“I try, yes […] My English isn’t fluent, but it’s close. And this story is so delicate.”

[...]

The cultural inaccuracies of American Dirt run deep, right down to the language. Throughout her book, Cummins shows confusion regarding the grammatical genders in Spanish. Most notably, she baptises the drug kingpin Javier with the nickname La Lechuza. It is difficult to imagine a macho, womanizing capo using a feminine-gendered noun as his moniker. Would a hardened mafia boss call himself “The Princess of Compton” or “The Belle of Belfast”?

Cummins got a seven figure advance for this. A SEVEN FIGURE ADVANCE. She “wished someone slightly browner than me would write it,” but she did it, and her team is throwing around the fact that her husband’s previously undocumented status as some sort of justification without mentioning that he’s white & Irish.

Also, there’s this news:

Imperative Entertainment, the production banner behind the Clint Eastwood hit The Mule, has acquired the rights to American Dirt, the Mexican migrant drama novel by Jeanine Cummins.

Charles Leavitt, the scribe who penned the Leonardo DiCaprio drama Blood Diamond, has been tapped to write the adaptation, which will be produced by Imperative’s Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas.

Charles Leavitt is a white guy who, most recently, wrote the Warcraft movie. So, that’s going to end well.

I’ll leave you with this other gem from Gurba (from her essay about it, “Pendeja, You Ain’t Steinbeck “):

Susan Sontag wrote that “[a] sensibility (as distinct from an idea) is one of the hardest things to talk about” and with this challenge in mind, I assert that American Dirt fails to convey any Mexican sensibility. It aspires to be Día de los Muertos but it, instead, embodies Halloween. The proof rests in the novel’s painful humorlessness. Mexicans have over a hundred nicknames for death, most of them are playful because death is our favorite playmate, and Octavio Paz explained our unique relationship with la muerte when he wrote, “The Mexican…is familiar with death. [He] jokes about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, celebrates it. It is one of his favorite toys and his most steadfast love.” Cummins’ failure to approach death with appropriate curiosity, and humility, is what makes American Dirt a perfect read for your local self-righteous gringa book club.

so idk, The Mary Sue, maybe it should stay on your Book Club list after all. (Oh wait: as of this writing, it still is.)

#american dirt #sorry for the long post but as i said #i'm angery #long post #(also TBF: i think Schmidt dings the book for having a character named luca)#(my cousin named her son that)#(and it's not like mexicans can NEVER have foreign names [i mean -- SCHMIDT -- etc]#but it's a thing that maybe requires some explanation even if it is 'well she liked the italian version better'#(oh also you can be white and latinx)#(i think more accurately jeanine is white passing but)#(that's her deal to id with)#anyway this will be made into a movie staring whatshername from Knives Out and MAYBE diego luna as the dead hubby #but realistically oscar isaac bc they love killing him off

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