#tears falling like peridots

[peridot-tears]

Truths that Co-Exist

Barbie (2023) is a giant product placement that profits off nostalgia.

The writing is profound and life-changing and understands why we seek nostalgia in a way most nostalgia-driven entertainment doesn’t.

The film is self-aware about how even now, Barbie dolls set incredibly unrealistic beauty standards. Their “body diversity” does not even scratch the surface of what that phrase really means. I don’t expect this to change.

The film still made a beautiful statement with the scene on the bench about how societal beauty standards are narrow and restrictive! And that beauty comes from experiencing life and the marks it leaves on you!

Its feminist statements are validating. Many of us see our reality onscreen, and the great thing is that it includes how cishet men fall down a pipeline of toxic hypermasculinity. It also shows the solution, and allows men to express themselves despite what society expects them to be.

The film is a capitalist venture.

The cast (aside from the leads) and crew were probably overworked and severely underpaid during filmmaking.

We can still appreciate that something fun was made, and we all made another wonderful memory where we and our loved ones went to the movies color-matching in pink.

We should not feel guilty about seeing ourselves in this film.

Meanwhile, support the WGA and SAG-Aftra strike.

[daisy-finch]

My eyes, too drenched to blink,

Weighed down by the waterfall of incessant tears.

[sunshinesjouney]

My hair is coming out in clumps daily. Didn’t think much of it because my hair is curly and used to that- well it’s coming out more than I can remember- thanks epilepsy.

I do have to shave my entire head for my first surgery and this is so triggering.

[maximwtf]

“You’re stronger than that.”

                                    Jasper x gem reader

words: 1100

google docs pages: 2

Warnings: claustrophobia(ish), some bruises, Jasper is kinda mean, but we love her. 

opening: The ship is going down, and it takes Jasper for a while to figure out where you are after finding her way out from under the burning ship pieces. She tries to ‘help’ you in her own way. 

AN// It’s been 6 years and I’m still so down bad for her, someone help :”D Anyway, I’ll get this out and then probably post the second part for the Peridot fanfic !^^ (Sorry this is all taking me so long ahah!)

              “You’re stronger than that.”

The ship had been going down at full speed, and after surpassing the earth’s atmosphere it had set on fire. Peridot had escaped on her own, but you hadn’t had time to do that. It was your duty to stay by Jasper’s side and help her if she needed any help, but she was gone as far as you knew. Though, something had definitely hit the heart of the ship and caused it to start going down, and you had a bad feeling about what it had been. A quick look out of a window showed the flames surrounding the ship and the clouds that were going by fast. While gritting your teeth together, you closed your eyes and held onto a pole. There was no time to get out of here anymore either. The ship crashed down, causing you to fly against the nearest wall. There was only time to groan, before the hit caused the entire ship to blow up on the beach. No memories of what happened after were left, only darkness, and then the memory of laying against wet sand in a dark place.

There were pieces of the ship flying here and there, some of them falling into the ocean and some on the beach. The green fire lit up the evening on the beach, illuminating its light against the sand. There was something heavy on top of you, crushing you down. It was so dark under all the heavy trash, you couldn't even see a grain of sand. All the attempts of trying to lift yourself back up had failed, there were simply too many heavy pieces on you. Another piece fell on the pile, pushing your body back and further against the sand. You could feel waves from the ocean hit your arm that was stretched out and stuck under something. There must have been an opening. It took everything in your power to keep your form together while splashing the water with one arm. Somewhere in the distance a familiar voice echoed, the voice was talking about fusions…Jasper. Her voice cut off after you yelled out for her. It was dead silent for what felt like ages, but must have only been minutes. The quartz had spotted your hand peeking from under one of the piles. “Can you not lift yourself up?” She laughed at you, but from the small hole you had to peek out of, you could see she was stumbling herself as she walked. Talking was hard since you couldn’t get much air for being pressed down. A growl echoed from under the pile as you used all your power to try and lift yourself up, but it was no use. Only the very top pieces rolled off to the sides, making Jasper chuckle once again. She crouched down, not that you could see much of her anyway. “Are you that weak? Come on..” She sighed, shaking her head. You tried to move again, pressing your eyes shut. It was almost like you could hear her call you useless under her breath. “Jasper, as much as I’d like to..I clearly cannot..” You mumble against the sand, gritting your teeth to keep your form. The pile of trash quakes as Jasper hits it with her boot, some of the pieces fall off yet again. “Stop..” You grunt, eyes closed. “You’re stronger than that…” Jasper’s hoarse voice replied, kicking the pile again. It feels like the pieces push you down even further. “Jasper…” A whine comes out, your form shaking. “What a sad excuse of a gem.” Jasper states, standing up with a grin on her face. You felt like crying, but no tears came out. Instead, a burst of anger caused you to take in some air and rip your arm out from under the piece that had fallen on it. Jasper’s brows lowered as she watched this go down. You crawled up, using everything in you to push your hand through the ship materia, then pushing your body up to get out. The pieces that had been pushing you down fell off, revealing your bruised form. “There you go-” Jasper hummed, grinning. “I told you to stop..” You mumble. Stepping out of the pile causes you to stumble forward into the water. Before you’re able to hit the water though, Jasper grabs your wrist, swinging you back. She held you up a little to make sure you didn’t fall. You stared at her for a moment, hair covered in sand and form bruised. By some miracle your gem was okay though. 

“Are you okay?” You asked when she dropped you back to your feet. “Of course. She only beat me because she’s a fusion..” Jasper looked away. She was so serious about winning every single battle she was in, that it wasn’t even hard to guess she’d be upset over this. It was like she had to prove to everyone that she was better, no matter what it took and who she was up against. “If only I had someone to fuse with…” She mumbled, looking over at the Crystal Gems. Her gaze then landed on you, causing you to take a step back. “You. Fuse with me.” Jasper got closer, something new in her voice. “Be stronger that way, with me.” She had almost a crazy grin on her face, but then again..when did she not. Your body shook a little. This was against every rule you’ve ever been taught. But truthfully, you had no energy left to fight the gems on your own, so if this was the only way to win.. You turned to look at Jasper, offering a hand to her. The grin on her face only grew as she took a hold of you once more. With eyes closed, you felt Jasper spin you around. Both of your gems started to glow faintly in the darkening evening as she dropped you onto her other arm. Her hair was messy, some strands coming to her face. She looked so beaten up. Jasper’s gem illuminated an orange light to your chest and to her face. That was the last look at her you got before you fused. 

AN// This is really short, but I’m too tired to write anything longer, haha. I’ll try a little more next time!^^

[red-riding-wood]

Hi)

Saw that you’d like to write something angsty or maybe dark on Peaky Blinders🙂

Maybe Luca Changretta x reader where they slowly fall out of love with each other but meanwhile realize that they still will never leave because they’re so used to the way things are

(Also looking forward to your fic with Dmitri from The Grand Budapest☺️) 😘

Absinthe

Luca Changretta x F!Reader

Peaky Blinders

Warnings: sexual references, mention of kidnapping/violence, mention of domestic abuse, language, very vague allusion to suicide, lots of angst (this is not a happy story lol)

A.N. Thank you for the request!! I hope this is what you had in mind. I sort of wrote this on a whim at 5 am when I couldn't sleep and I ended up projecting a lot of my own shit onto both characters so I don't know if it'll be to your tastes 'cause I'm a bit iffy on this one myself. And thank you; I really hope to start writing Dmitri x Alice soon and am so excited for it!

WC: 1504

“You will not survive on your own, amore mio.”

You hesitated, your heart sinking into your gut as you feared his words to be true. A shiver danced wickedly across the bare of your flesh.

And then, tugging the Italian silk of your dress over your body, you stood, his hand falling from where it had sat cradled in your lap. The empty in your chest split a little wider; those fingers used to squeeze your hip and pull you back to bed as he’d beg you not to leave. Now, they seemed to possess no love, perhaps not even want.

You cast a glance to where they lay limp against the mattress, and dared to observe his sullen look, his clenched jaw, the way that eyes that used to be so bright with adoration now wouldn’t even look at you.

When was the last time he’d really looked at you?

It was probably when you were kids, just barely out of school, and the gloating smirk of the boy had fallen around his cigarette, and his green eyes had glittered like peridot, as you told him yes.

Yes, to marrying him. Yes, to loving him in sickness and in health. Yes, ‘til death did you part.

And this, this sickness of the heart, it had not released you from your oath. Instead, it killed you, slowly, snapped the threads of your soul one by one, seized one shard of your heart each time you looked at him.

The times that hurt the most were always when you looked him in the eye, because you saw your own need reflected in their decaying depths. It might’ve been easier if they were vacant, if they were as cold as his loveless touch and his bitter disposition.

“I may not,” you said. Silences weren’t uncommon between the two of you anymore; you never had anything to say that was joyful like you had in your youth. Breaking it felt like the air had simultaneously returned to your lungs while also being held captive, for you always couldn’t help but hope that he’d say something kind, but also didn’t know how long the silence would stretch afterward.

“But I’m hurting, Luca,” you said, your voice breaking now as a tear threatened to bead on your eyelash, and your chest tightened. “And this is the only way I can think of to be free of my pain. Other than…”

You swallowed a cruel lump in your throat. You didn’t wish to think about the alternative you had once considered.

Animated suddenly by a burst of raw yet barely caged violence, Luca tugged his robe sharply around his shoulders and fumbled for the box of matchsticks on the desk. He wedged one between the teeth he used to knead at it, his inhale deep. Both efforts to soothe a soul darkened by rot.

“I have to leave,” you said, but you had hardly made it more than a few feet to the door before his fingers had wrapped themselves vice-like around your wrist, yanking you back so that you nearly tripped over your heels. His wedding ring bit into the delicate flesh, chilling as it was painful.

And you had no choice but to look him in the eye.

“You’re not leaving,” he growled, his tone almost predatory but that gaze, green like absinthe, entrapping you in a sea of emotions, pleading to you in morose glimmers that peeked past umber stripes of rage.

As you fought your tears, you conceded to his grasp, knowing he could easily overpower you if he wanted. And you shook your head, your lip curling bitterly upwards at what you had to utter,

“I’ve changed. I’m not your wife anymore.”

“The papers state otherwise.”

“Is this really what you want?” Your lip trembled with your own fury now – a fury that stemmed from your agony because you had nothing tangible to blame it on. And you struggled against his grasp feebly. “Do you really want a wife who’s unhappy? A wife who goes to bed every night with a hole in her chest?”

Luca’s grip softened, and for a moment, you thought you saw hurt flash across his irises. He turned his head away and brought his fingers up to brush across the faint stubble of his jaw.

And when his grip released, your wrist had never felt so wretchedly cold, and when he slammed the door behind him, your chest had never felt so achingly empty.

---

He had been so close to hurting you that time. Really hurting you, like he did the men who crossed his family or offended his honour.

But he could never hurt you. At least, he told himself such things, because in some ways, when he looked at you – still a stranger to the scars of violence that riddled his own flesh – he could sometimes see a ghost of the girl who used to be his lover, who used to be the girl with the shy smile and the beguiled gaze.

His fingers travelled across his chest to his lips, as he uttered his final prayer. The incense of the chapel burned nearly as thick as the smoke of the cigarettes he used to worship. Before you had made him quit.

And what had he done for you? He had done everything. He had given you a marriage, when you had nothing to your name, had given you the finest silks and jewelry and had taken you on a perfect honeymoon to Italy where you had made love with his name chanting from your lips like a prayer. 

Luca twirled the toothpick in his teeth bitterly.

But in saving you, he had condemned himself. Even in the solace of this moment, he found himself craving your touch, however frigid it had grown. Found himself incomplete, numb.

He’d taken an interest in another broad recently – a maid, but beautiful, with a soft, heart-shaped face and gently curved hips that begged to be ruined.

But it sickened him to touch her.

Because she wasn’t you.

---

With Luca away, you had had time to pack your belongings – just the ones that you needed. All purely practical, except for a letter, its ink bleeding at the edges of its handwriting, the love draining from the words he’d once written you when away on business.

Though you knew you’d regret taking it, it had felt wrong to leave something that used to make you smile with so much joy.

You waited for the train in the dead of night, the wind your only companion as it howled through the archways of the station. But it was not enough to quell the fear in your gut or ease the weight that pressed harder against your suffocated chest with each passing second.

You stifled a sigh as a sharp whistle split the distant, foggy air. And you once again fought back tears that welled in your eyes.

And then the winds shifted, and the cedar and ambrette notes of his cologne stirred something in your chest. You shivered as the warmth of his body settled behind you, long fingers running down the sleeves of your arms. The weight lifted only slightly on your chest, and oxygen returned to starved lungs.

“I told you you weren’t leaving, amore mio.”

You shut your eyes, swallowing against the knot in your throat.

And you thought, with this weight no longer sinking into aching ribs,

I’m not gonna make it on my own.

Your luggage was dropped to the concrete as the train came chugging along, rearing its head of iron and steel from the mists.

His fingers laced through your own, squeezing gently at them, tugging wickedly at a frayed thread of your soul, and you reciprocated, remembering a time when you had worshipped this very hand.

When you turned, his hot breath was exchanged with yours, and the full scent of him washed over your tired bones in a bittersweet familiarity.

And when he kissed you, an ember sparked in your gut that only he had ever been able to ignite, and the heat that pooled in your core was not a desire but a need.

Iron spiked your tongue as you pulled apart, some wrath that still brewed inside you having drawn blood from his lip while your hand cupped his cheek in an almost reverence.

Absinthe eyes sank intensely into yours, and though you knew from that gaze that he wanted you dead, he also needed you just as much as you needed him.

“You were right,” you breathed, your voice a mere whimper against the noise of the train. “I can’t survive on my own.”

Locks of his dusky hair teased your scalp, and his thumb traced the flesh behind your ear soothingly. And you had no idea that, had you boarded that train, his men would’ve been ordered to gag you and deliver you screaming back to him. And though as your foreheads pressed together and your tears spilled from shuttered eyes, it did not banish the pain from the hole that split wider in a chest that bled as slowly as the ink of the letter.

MASTERLIST • REQUEST

Please let me know if you would like to be added/removed to any of my taglists and notified of new works!

TAGLIST: @eclecticwildflowers @emotionalcadaver @evita-shelby @minaethrym @shelbydelrey

[peribytes]

Jasper's Gift

please take this ficlet of how i would have written steven's goodbye to jasper *cries*

---

Steven made his way slowly through the streets of Little Homeworld, wiping a stray tear away. He smiled at the fresh memory of Bismuth, Lapis, and Peridot giving him a tight group hug in a tearful goodbye, telling him they loved him and they would miss him. Before all their contagious sobbing, he had given them gifts he thought they’d appreciate best, and predictably, they had loved them. He mentally checked the trio off the list, meaning all his gifts had been doled out, except one. 

Once he made it back to his car, Steven opened the trunk and pulled out a large, heavy gift box. If the boy wasn’t half gem, the trek he planned through the forest with this box would have been a chore. But its weight was almost nothing in Steven’s arms. He hefted it up on one shoulder and closed the trunk, turning to the nearby treeline bordering the woods.

BOOM!

The sound of an explosion of heavy concrete just behind him made Steven jump, the large box nearly sliding off his shoulder. He turned around as the dust cloud dissipated and saw a silhouette-shaped hole in the wall of the nearest building. Beside the hole was the gem who made it. She leaned against the cracked wall with her arms crossed, glaring in a different direction. Steven could hardly believe her good timing.

“Heard you’re leaving,” she said. Then she leaned off the wall and finally met his eyes, and declared, “I’m coming with you!”

Steven couldn’t help his slight smile of disbelief. “Jasper, I’m going alone.”

Eyes wide and teeth clenched, Jasper brought up her fists. “Then who will protect you?” she demanded.

Steven put his free hand on his chest and assured her, “I can protect myself.”

Jasper deflated and groaned, dropping her eyes. “I know.”

They remained silent for a long moment.

“Um, Jasper?” Steven grew nervous, unsure what she’d think. “Before I go, I wanted to give you something.”

The box slid heavily down his shoulder and into his hands, and Jasper looked up again with a questioning look. She stared at the gift box as Steven held it out to her, and she reluctantly took it in both hands, holding it like one would hold a precious artifact. 

“What’s this?” Jasper slid her fingers along the edge of the lid.

“Just a goodbye present. Go ahead and open it,” Steven urged her patiently.

At Steven’s okay, Jasper ripped off the lid and let it hit the ground, and the item inside bulged outward in the open air. It was a bulky, cream-colored fabric, folded up into a square to fit snugly in its gift box. Jasper raised a curious eyebrow and took a handful of the fabric to lift it effortlessly out of its confinement.

“And this is…?”

“It’s a weighted blanket. It used to be mine, but I never really used it.” Steven’s words tumbled out in a rush to explain. “I saw you rip your old blanket, even though you seemed to like wearing it around your cave, so I thought maybe… you’d appreciate a higher-quality replacement.”

Jasper eyed him silently. She pulled out the blanket all the way, and it unfurled from its neat folded-up square to reach heavily to the ground. She bounced it a little, feeling its weight. A deep hum came from her.

“Also, Jasper?” Steven rubbed the back of his neck, feeling his chest squeeze in sudden emotion. “I just want to say again… how deeply sorry I am. I’m so, so sorry for what I did.” Tears pricked at the edges of his eyes, threatening to fall, but he wiped them away before they could make trails down his face.

Jasper brought the blanket close, but glared at him over it. “Don’t apologize,” she growled, but her voice had gone soft.

“But I want to. And I–” Steven took a deep breath to calm himself, “I know a present and an apology could never make up for what I did to you. But I genuinely hope, once I’m gone, you will have the chance to find yourself. And find what makes you happy. Something you could live for that isn’t a Diamond you have to avenge or protect.”

Jasper’s upper lip twitched upward, and her intense yellow eyes grew fiery. Gripping the bulky blanket to her, she hissed, “Stop this. You only did what you were meant to do. I-I had it coming for challenging your power, and now I know you’re my Diamond. You showed me.”

Anger built up in Steven’s chest, but with a practiced moment of pause, he let it out in a slow exhale. A quick glance at his fists told him he wasn’t turning pink. He spoke slowly and clearly, traces of his anger at Jasper, and for her, could be heard in his voice, “You didn’t deserve it, Jasper.”

She stared him down.

Steven took a step forward and hissed at her, “Do you hear me? You didn’t! Deserve it!”

Her eyes squinted in challenge, but then Jasper dropped her gaze to the ground. A boot scuffed at the dirt.

After a long and tense moment of silence, Jasper gathered the blanket into a messy bundle and held it to her chest in one arm, having discarded the box. She cleared her throat and whispered with a level voice, “Thank you for the gift.” Then she turned and headbutted the wall to make a second hole next to the first with a loud BOOM! echoing out in the distance. She shot back over her shoulder, not looking at him, “Farewell, my Diamond.”

-

Once Steven made it back into his Dondai after giving the gems a proper goodbye full of hugging and excessive tears, he finally began to drive. Speeding off the loose sand of the beach, he found road, and drove on through Beach City. Lining the streets all around him, he spotted the townspeople cheering and seeing him off, and he waved back at them with a smile. It didn’t take long to make it to the city’s edge, and he soon passed the welcome sign, leaving it behind him.

Suddenly a movement in the treeline off the side of the road caught his attention, and Steven slowed to see what it was. A large figure cloaked in a white-ish covering poked out of the trees and stood tall on the hill. He gasped when he recognized it. It was Jasper, wearing her huge weighted blanket about her shoulders like a cloak. In the couple seconds they had to stare at each other, Jasper gave him a slight wave, and Steven waved back. Then she was gone, far behind him, and Steven looked on at the open road. Into the future.

(art by Rebecca Sugar)

[paragonrobits]

random snippet i might consider as making a feature of an adventure time/SU crossover I've been thinking about expanding upon:

-----

Peridot squinted, delicately holding up a reader, or at least something that she said was for measuring levels of magic.

The human boy that acted like a dog and moved like a bear tilted his head, watching it solemnly. His head tilted to one side almost exactly like a dog, and again it struck Steven that his new friend moved in ways that reminded him of the Gems, too.

The boy, Finn, had a strangely reserved way of moving, alternating between sudden bursts of energy and careful, measured movements. The whole time he was watching everything around him, and it gave Steven the impression Finn was silently weighing things up and working out if they were threats or not. More than once he'd seen Finn warily sizing things up and Steven had realized in those moments that Finn was preparing to fight, no matter how seemingly harmless the situation really was.

He tensed up whenever they were around people; given how dense cities tended to be, Steven had found himself edging nearer to Finn just to make him feel more comfortable, and true enough Finn had slowly acclimatized to it. But it left Steven wondering: what had Finn lived through to make him so unfamiliar with the idea of lots of humans together in one place? It seemed strangely exotic to Finn, or at least Steven had interpreted it as such.

It was about as the strange nostalgia he noticed in Finn when the radio had played rock music from about a few decades ago, or how he had seem inexplicably on the verge of tears when he smelled bubblegum candy, or fixated on little bulldogs like he was waiting for them to recognize him.

"Just thinking about home," he had replied shortly, when Steven worked up the nerve to ask.

Secrets; the boy had lots and lots of them. Steven had been in his dreams once. It had left him with even more questions and nightmares and he wasn't sure he wanted to know more.

(Steven still dreamed of some... thing. A skeleton, patchy bits of flesh still clinging on, holding a single finger to its teeth and whispering for silence. And in its eye sockets, pools of blackness with a single green mote of light, staring at him from the other side of an unimaginable abyss. The end is already here, his dreams said, and he didn't know what it meant or why those little green lights left him shaking and sickly, or why looking at a mushroom later that day gave him an awful since of... not foreboding, exactly. But inevitability.)

"Odd," Peridot said, aloud. "That can't be right..."

Finn tilted his head. A few more stray hairs, so pale in color they were nearly white and strangely ghostly, flickered out from beneath the furry hood he wore. "What is?"

Peridot paused. Finn spoke clearly enough, but the common language of Steven's area was clearly not his first, or even second language, and people usually needed a moment to parse the fast, harsh barks he spoke in. "I'm reading a LOT of magic off you. Last I checked, humans don't have magic in them, so I don't know what's causing it."

"Let me see," said Pearl, sidling over. She and Finn shared a very brief glance. On Pearl's side, it was cordial wariness, and from Finn, there was an evident desire to duel her. "Hmm. I see. Okay, there's a lot of magical energy bound up into your body, which might explain a few things... hmm. There's a lot of it incorporated directly into your organic make-up, and from... your mind, I think?"

"Soul energy," Finn said.

Pearl considered this. "Hrm. Not dissimilar from the natural charge of magic Gems build up, but I've never heard of anything happening with a human."

(Inside, Finn thought of a blue comet, falling from the sky. The equal and opposite to a green comet, heralding death.)

Out loud, Finn just shrugged.

"Hrm," Pearl said again, frowning slightly and indicating she didn't entirely believe him. Finn shrugged again, giving a convincing performance that the inside of his skull was empty space. "Ah! A lot of it is coming from that thing you're carrying. I... oh. Peridot! Look at this, please!"

Peridot leaned over. "What is it? Oh. OH. Ohhh, that is... rather concerning, actually."

Steven peeked at the reader. It was currently outlining the weapon Finn carried, which was so intensely radiant with magical energies that the screen was having difficulty rendering it. "That's... not supposed to happen, is it?"

Peridot shook her head. "That thing is packing more magic than Gem weapons! Which are made FROM magic! What IS that thing?"

Finn awkwardly extended the weapon in question for inspection. "Please be careful with it," he said, more seriously than anyone there had ever seen him. It was an axe; a double-headed axe about the same size as an electric guitar. It was the most unusual weapon Steven had seen, and he wasn't sure it was entirely artificial, or had at least been made by human or Gem. It was strangely organic, made of a red substance not quite crystalline and not quite like dried blood, but some inbetween thing. Not plastic or metal nor stone, as if someone had taken a huge chunk of solidified blood and roughly carved it into shape. It shone like metal, and it was faintly pulsing like a heartbeat. It had apparently been modified to function as a guitar, too, with a complex arrangement of strings and some alterations to the head for sound design.

Finn refused to let it go. It beat, and he breathed it. It beat, and he breathed out.

(He felt the heartbeat of the Abadeer axe.

He closed his eyes.

He thought of teal eyes, dark hair reaching the ground; he thought of a monstrous smile hiding the kindest soul he'd ever known.)

Aloud he said, "I borrowed it, from one of my best friends in the world." His gaze turned imploring. "Please. Be careful with it."

Pearl moved as if to take it, and then she stopped. Her hand wavered, and then lowered itself.

Later, she told Steven; in that moment, she saw a shadow of the same loss she knew, and suddenly she had thought that taking it even for a short time would have been like abandoning a memory of Rose.

Both of them saw Finn breath out a sigh of relief, his apparently instinctive wariness completely dropping. He hugged it to himself, his gaze distant and fixed on a memory.

[petri808]

Day 16 @flufftober “singing each other to sleep” Twiyor Drabble Inspired by art by @wildgirl86 Click Here to see the piece and support them! 💜 Also here is the song featured in the story, Dreaming of You by Selena.

A scream echoes through the silent apartment causing Loid and Yor to shoot up instantly awake— a reflex from their days of past. With a turn and a knowing look, they each jump out of bed and run to the source ready to do battle with any evil spy or boogie man in the closet. From the glow of the starlight globe on the nightstand, they see the raised outline of something sitting up under the covers and hear the wet sobbing of a child’s tears. Loid flicks on the light as Yor beelines it for the bed.

“Anya?” Yor questions in a soothing voice as she sits along the edge. With Loid standing by along with an anxious Bond, she peels back the blanket until it reveals the shivering little girl. “Did you have a nightmare?”

The child nods with tears still dripping down her cheeks.

“Was it the one about the lab?” Loid confirms.

Again, Anya nods. Her green eyes full of moisture and surrounded in a white sea of red squiggles are like a peridot gem being born from an erupting volcano. It’s evident that tonight’s dream is an especially bad one. This brings a frown to Loid’s face, a bit of guilt…

“Awww,” Yor scoops Anya up into a tight hug bundled on her lap. “I’m so sorry Anya!” She coos assuringly. “Wanna sleep with us tonight?”

“Yes!” Anya sniffles and wraps tightly to Yor’s neck. “Don’ wanna be awone,” she whimpers.

“Of course,” Loid confers with a smile, “you can sleep with us. Here,” he gestures to Yor, “I’ll carry her.” But as Yor is about to pass Anya up to Loid, Bond cuts between them grumbling. Loid chuckles, “I think he wants to be your trusted steed tonight Anya.”

“He does,” Anya confirms, which also brings back her smile.

Yor places Anya onto Bond’s back, then she and Loid follow behind as he trots to the master bedroom. Bond stops next to the bed so Anya can climb onto it. Once she’s off, he goes to the foot of the bed and lays down while Loid and Yor climb in, sandwiching her between them.

“Momma, will you sing me something?” Anya asks politely. “Pweeze?”

“Sure,” Yor kisses Anya’s forehead, who settles in and closes her eyes with a smile.

The couple face inward, Loid laying his right arm over and hand coming to rest on Yor’s waist to bundle them close. He too closes his eyes and relaxes to the sound of his wife’s beautiful voice. It isn’t often that he gets to hear it, he chuckles inside his head at the thought of feigning a nightmare of his own so she’ll sing to him too.

After a moment, Yor hums briefly to find her pitch and begins. “Late at night when all the world is sleeping, I stay up and think of you. And I wish on a star, that somewhere you are thinking of me too...”

Loid can’t help the genuine uptick of his lips as he zones into Yor’s voice. Just two years ago, he never would have believed of a scene like this being anything more than a fictional scene from a drama on television. When he signed up with WISE, he swore off normalcy, swore off family all together let alone having his own. Relationships were just a means to an end and children a prop in an operation. But Loids brows furrow again as he remembers their role in Anya’s nightmare, which is no nightmare but a memory of the laboratory that created her. Because he made a mistake, they kidnapped her and took her back to that awful place. Thankfully with Yor and Yuri’s help they were able to get her back, but not before they put her through a few more painful experiments.

“…I just wanna hold you close, but so far, all I have are dreams of you. So I wait for the day and the courage to say how much I love you. Yes, I do! I’ll be dreaming of you tonight. ‘Til tomorrow, I’ll be holding you tight. And there’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be…”

Yor’s voice is slowly trailing off, so Loid opens his eyes too and sees she falling asleep. He brushes some stray hairs away from her face, causing her to relax even more and stop completely. This makes him smile. They make him smile. It’s times like this that makes him feel lucky to have met them both. Eventually the nightmares too will become a distant memory for Anya replaced by nights like tonight and her mother’s beautiful voice. All the pain they went through gave them this gift of a family, and there’s definitely nowhere else in the world better to be in.

“I love you too.” Loid leans over and kisses Anya first, then Yor on the forehead, before settling back in and closing his eyes. He keeps his voice soft and serene as he completes the lullaby. “Now I’m dreaming with you tonight. ‘Till tomorrow and for all of my life. And there’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be, than here in my room dreaming with you... Good night, my loves.”

[maria-ruta]

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

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

Favorite episodes:

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

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

the roses room - oh also such a good one

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

befriending Peridot <3

Pearl Steven and Greg build spaceship

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bismuth episode

traveling into Pearls head episode

Garnet wedding <3

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

AAAND steven the future too

how all the traumas finall catching up - good shit

especially love the episode where Steven and Peridot make dream show

and the two perls episode also very good

Pearl and Bismuth rollerskate UwU

and when Steven was with Jasper

and the final <3

woof that was long haha

Favorite designs:

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

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

I liked Blue Agate design! those boots wowza!

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

Blue Diamond has cool design but

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

I ALSO love fusion designs so much!!!

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

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

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

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

like little horns and such

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

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

ok im done thank you

[theamphibianmen]

Ok, I'll bite. What is The Ore?

Hehehehe I'm so glad you asked (you totally will not regret asking me) (I'm an oh so very normal person) ! Warning for very long ramblings about some very weird shit under the cut. Mostly body horror.

The Ore is a Steven Universe AU in which Steven effectively has the gem version of DID. His gem removes itself from his body and splits off into four parts, which form Rose Quartz, Pink Diamond, Pink Steven, and that thing he turns into at the end of Future. Steven's human half is still alive but he did crash the van because of this. He is also very sick and ends up needing a bone marrow transplant from Greg.

Rose, PD, PS, and the creature are also a bit smaller than they were when the gem was still intact, putting PD at about the same height as Peridot and Rose taller than Pearl but shorter than Garnet. The creature is about the size of Pumpkin, and is basically just a really angry dog.

PS talks the other gem bits into traveling to Homeworld by claiming that the Homeworld gems attacked Earth, and Little Homeworld is actually a military base. He tells them that by bringing PD back they can end the war. They get there by stealing a spaceship from Little Homeworld (it was a group project/enrichment activity for some of the Peridots). Once they get to Homeworld, PS sets his plan into motion.

This war, and everything that has ever gone wrong in his life, only happened because of disagreements between gems. That wouldn't be an issue if all gems were one.

He has Rose present PD to the other diamonds while he sneaks off to Pink's room, where he uses forced fusion tech to fuse with all the gems he can find in the palace. This amounts to quite a lot of gems since they literally make up the walls in some places.

Once he's fused all the palace gems into The Ore, the diamonds are next. Blue knows something is terribly wrong and puts the pearls and Spinel on a ship to Earth to get help. White and Yellow go willingly, but blue has to be forced. Because of this she and the other unwilling participants don't join the hive mind, which is why PS tries to convince gems to join willingly so that he doesn't have to force them.

By the time all the gems on Homeworld have fused, The Ore is the same size as Earth. Its new mission is to travel to all colonized planets and absorb all the gems there. Peridot's satellites quickly pick up on the planet sized mass hurdling towards them at 1/4 light speed. She sends the CGs (and Connie) to check it out because her readings keep coming back inconsistent, and because Homeworld isn't responding to her messages for obvious reasons.

One of the two chapters I've written so far is Connie getting vored by the planet and sent to a horrible writhing flesh labyrinth.

Imagine: you've landed on a planet that's almost entirely pink. The clouds look suspiciously familiar and the air smells strongly of metal. The ground is ever so slightly bouncy, and smooth to the touch. You stroll up and down the pink hills and come across the mouth of a cave, as in a literal mouth with lips and teeth. You enter and are quickly swallowed, tumbling down the esophagus. The ground you land on is soft enough to break your fall, but something snaps beneath. You look around to see thousands upon thousands of limbs, eyes, mouths and other body parts lining the walls. Voices cry out for help. Tears drip from the ceiling onto your face. You now understand where the gems of Homeworld have gone.

The Ore is made up of three main layers: the willing participants/crust who make up a skin-like outer layer, the uncooperative ones or the mantle who form the system of horrible flesh tunnels, and the core which is basically the gems of all the unwilling parties. PS's gem is also in the center of the core because he KNOWS ppl are coming for his ass.

The mantle is the part I wanted to write about. I'm definitely in it for the body horror aspect. And because my brother already got on me about this, no, the CGs didn't know the planet was a gem fusion because it's not reasonable to expect characters to know what genre they're in. They think they're in sci-fi fantasy when they're really in sci-fi horror with fantasy and drama undertones.

There'll be some other plot stuff too like Pearl getting corrupted and turning into a bird, Jasper sacrificing herself so that the others can escape the flesh planet, Connie dying and being resurrected, Steven shattering his own gem which won't really affect him physically but is still super fucked up, etc etc.

Basically I want to write something that someone can reasonably say is the worst thing they've ever read. I want people to be so disturbed by my writing that I get messages from mental health crisis lines. I want people to think I'm deranged.

Hope this clears things up! <3

[emptycalories-splitlip]

Sleep Paralysis

3:13am and I awake to a flutter inside my chest. There's a pressure on my ribs, pushing them inwards and making it difficult to breathe deeply. I try to move my arms, try to move the pressure away, but they are unresponsive and remain useless at my sides. I work my eyes open, trying to shake off sleep, and am startled at what I see.

A pair of glowing peridot eyes stare down at me, hovering, shimmering in the low light of the room. The neon sign from the restaurant downstairs hums its red glow and I can barely make out the form as it sits atop my chest.

It's vaguely human, except the eyes, and it straddles me, knees pressed to either side of my flaring ribs. The arms dangle at its sides, fingers dancing along my hips, its own hips.

And the smile. My heart begins to gallop at the sight of the long serrated teeth that glint in the grinning mouth.

"Awake now, are you? Not that you could tell the difference."

His voice is a growl that echoes in my mind like the far off singing of a choir. I try to speak, but cannot convince my jaw to move, my lips to open. I'm hyperventilating, half from fear and half from his crushing weight.

"Don't try too hard, my love. It won't get easier and I don't want you to tire your heart out."

He rolls his hips, which compresses my chest and brings another fluttering sensation. He drops down to bring his face to mine, nearly grazing my lips with his own.

"Feel that? That's your heartbeat forgetting itself. It loses its rhythm, like a poor dance partner, and soon it will fall. And who will be there be there to catch it?"

I gasp loudly, try to call out for help. I struggle to move my hands to throw him off of me, but I am effectively trapped and at his mercy. He chuckles darkly and rests both his hands on my throat. He does not squeeze, but merely palpates along my carotid, humming.

"Your blood is so divine. The way it moves through your weak human body is simply a marvel."

My heart gives a hard kick, trying to reset itself, but then it pauses. I'm horrified, feeling the absence of movement within me. The creature above me growls again and he throws his head back in ecstasy.

"That's it. No more." He bends, seals his mouth over mine and I taste earth on his tongue. He kisses me roughly as my heart begins to flutter again. It flails itself about in my chest, pressing itself desperately into his thighs.

I try once more to deepen my breathing, to struggle free, but it's hopeless. He has me under his complete control. I lay there, tears spilling from now burning eyes.

"What's this now?" The creature asks and he wipes at my eyes with a tenderness that shocks me.

"Scared are you? Defeated? Too weak to fight me?" He bends again, lifts my chin, and breathes into me and I swear it is the sweetest thing I have ever tasted. My lungs pull at it, filling themselves up with his essence. My heart begins to thunder, short bursts of fast, erratic beats with each breath he gives.

"Hungry little thing you are, my love. So desperate for my breath. I'm flattered."

He pulls away and I mewl for him to return. He sits tall again and my heart gives another hard thump to reset. Another pause, too many seconds long, and the creature grins in the dark. He reaches on hand down between his legs to rest it upon my chest.

Heat flashes across my sternum and I arch into it. I can feel the beats of my heart as it tries to keep me alive. One here, pause, several quick flutters, pause, loud thump, a strong beats twice in a row, then pause again.

"You're fun." He says, "I'll come back another night and we can play some more."

He's gone and I sit up, retching, coughing, blood rushing in my ears.

[peridot-tears]

Hey MDZS fandom. I want you guys to be careful interacting with this person.

If you don't already know, Chinese people have had a long history with cultural erasure when it comes to taking on English-language names. It started with imperialism, and continues as a way to "assimilate" and avoid mockery of our language in western countries.

For Chinese diaspora like myself, it's another form of racism we face, to the point where some of us are reclaiming our names in everyday life. Here's an article about this movement happening across Asian diasporas in the United States -- just to name one instance out of many.

The responses to this post reflect that:

You can see that my comment assumed "good faith." However, OP deleted these comments and blocked me. (That didn't stop other people from calling it out as well, though I have to assume that if OP was so offended by my comment, the next few people will receive the same treatment.)

I honestly didn't like whipping up the diaspora statement -- that I wrote with multiple Chinese diaspora fans of MDZS, all of us hailing from multiple different countries and backgrounds, our ancestry coming from completely different regions of China -- because it meant that we were encountering another microaggression.

If you ever wonder why MDZS and danmei fandoms in general seem to be so bereft of Chinese diaspora voices, that's absolutely because of these microaggressions: Someone makes a joke, writes a story, writes some meta, that is culturally ignorant at best, offensive and harmful at worst, and when we gently correct them, explaining why it's racist, the person in question shuts us down, dismisses us, gets defensive, or worse.

Regardless of where you are -- fandom, social media, on the street, at work, at school -- as long as you are interacting with other people, your words matter and affect other people. That includes being racially offensive, even if you didn't intend to be. It's how you respond to the people you've insulted that reveals your character, how willing you are to be complicit in their mistreatment.

My rule of thumb has always been this -- if multiple people, including those of the culture you've just made a microaggressive joke about, find it unfunny, racist, or harmful, then you listen. Dismiss or ignore them, then yes -- you absolutely are racist.

[l2bbocsstuff]

THE PAST IS NEVER GONE

The prompts this month from a discord I belong to were the words - elephant, collect, and ideal.

The dialogue prompt was "Let me help you with your baggage."

_______

Asami was sitting on the couch when Korra walked through the front door.  Korra instinctively knew that something was wrong.  Asami’s eyes were puffy and her cheeks were red.

The CEO stood up and the two women rushed toward each other.  They met in a warm embrace and their bodies stayed connected in the hug for much longer than usual.  Korra felt Asami shaking and she finally asked, “Sweetheart what’s wrong?”

Asami let out a sigh before responding, “Today was my first therapy session.  It was more than I bargained for…..”

Korra separated from her spouse but just enough to look into Asami’s beautiful peridot eyes.  Korra could see the overwhelming sadness and hurt.  “What happened?  I knew you were a little apprehensive but I certainly didn’t expect to come home and see you in tears.  Do you want to talk about it?”

“I think I need to collect my thoughts first.  Let’s sit down.”

Korra ensured that she held the CEO’s hand while they both returned to the sofa.  The Avatar waited patiently until her partner was ready to speak.

Asami took a deep breath and began, “The therapist and I started with some small talk, mostly about my job, my hobbies, and my company.  Then out of nowhere, she brought up the elephant in the room by asking about my mother’s death.”

Asami looked down as Korra began to rub her thumbs across the back of Asami’s hands.

“I was pretty shocked that she knew about that, even before I said anything.  I’m sure she must have researched my life when I decided to hire her.”

Korra nodded in agreement.  She wanted Asami to continue so she did not interrupt.

“I explained about the break-in and the fire benders and how my father was never the same.  Then she said that she was sure I wasn’t the same either.  She told me that trauma like that, settles into your subconscious and it will affect the rest of your life.”

Korra nodded again and Asami continued, “…she said that there was a very good chance that I developed some abandonment issues because of it.  And those issues continued when Hiroshi ended up in jail and when….”

Asami looked directly at Korra and Korra knew what Asami was going to say next.

“….when you left to get well in the south.”

Korra blanched and swallowed hard.

“Honey, this is not your fault.  Don’t blame yourself.  I love you and I need you to know that.  The day you came back was the second happiest day of my life.  The first one is the day we got married.  I can’t imagine my life without you.  Please, none of this is your fault.”

Korra nodded again.  “I love you too with all my heart.  I can’t imagine my life without you in it either but I know I caused you immense amounts of pain and for that, I am forever sorry.”

The wives leaned in and placed their foreheads together.  It gave each of them a little time to realize the enormity of the situation they faced as a couple.

“What else did the therapist say?” Korra asked.

“…she said that ideally, we should meet once a week for the next six months.  She was very earnest and concerned and the last thing she said was ‘Let me help you with your emotional baggage?’”

Korra gently wiped away the tears that had begun to fall on Asami’s cheeks again.  “Are you ready for all this?”

Asami leaned forward and gave her wife a chaste kiss.  “As long as you’re by my side, I’m ready for anything.”

[zoethehead]

so, this is part of the "Purgatorra" series, this is a 1st part of the prologue, dunno if there will be more after this; it will be a surprise if so. I will upload the recovery part later on.

-

Tom was inside the abandoned home, having been told to investigate this source of paranormal activity that spread outward, he Looked around, seeing nothing but ashes and skeletons around a decrepit home, or decayed--mummified remains that littered rooms covered in cobwebs and mold, the only living things in sight were small insects that littered floors, walls, and furniture. Tom had the radar on to check for where the strongest source of this supernatural power was. Eventually he found out, He headed to a desolate basement, creaky old wooden stairs and the sound of old rotted pipes, a hole covered up by floorboards, an odd enchanting glow emanating underneath the boarded up area. And as he neared it, A burst of light destroyed the boarded up area, and a hand reached up from the hole, the vivid peridot glow now visible, leaving flames and wisps of light surrounding the ground, Tom tried to leave; running up the stars, but he fell, hurting his ankle on the way down, as the being trapping him in there had shut the door and destroyed the stairs. “DON’T YOU DARE! I’VE GOT YOU IN MY CLUTCHES NOW!” The unknown being hissed, grabbing Tom by the hurt ankle. Tom tried to grasp onto the ground, digging his fingers down. The wraith saw this and grabbed one of Tom’s arms away from the ground “Don’t even think of tearing out those nails of yours, there’s no escape…” the wraith said, grabbing tom by the arm, throwing him into a support beam, nearly toppling the basement over with how strong the throw was. Tom was in pain; his ribs were broken--as was his ankle. He now felt the Wraith drag him near the edge of where the supernatural power source was coming from; He shouted into his walkie talkie, sending a message that something was dragging him in.. before the wraith grabbed ahold of him. “Your foolish hero is mine now…” before the wraith crushed the walkie talkie. Tom felt the now broken floorboard break even more as he tried to hold on, now falling into the vivid green glow, taking him downwards……..and down.. And down….

--

--

--

--

--

*CRASH*

Tom felt pain explode through his whole body, he opened his eyes now, seeing that he was strung up by the vines of a tree. He felt dizzy and his body ached a lot; his left shoulder aching like a bad case of acid reflux, His ankle and leg clearly broken, only being held up by a part of a tree. He heard voices, those far away from him; but even with a cry of pain and fear, he still felt the hope leave him; as he passed out…..

[rosenongrata]

Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land

⋯ 𓆩♡𓆪 Summary. Two sides of the same coin—the divine man and the accursed lady will one day intertwine.

⋯ 𓆩♡𓆪 A/N. major cw for death, electrocution, and arguments.

⋯ 𓆩♡𓆪 AO3 Link.

⋯ 𓆩♡𓆪 Chapter W.C. 2337.

⋯ 𓆩♡𓆪 CW. the abyss order are blatant bastards, no shame fr. eventual romance. blood & injury & violence. trauma/mental illness exploration. slow burn. OC-CENTRIC, OC-INSERT. OC X CANON.

Chapter 5 — Rose Blood.

"Oh, darn…" Piep sighs, staring down at a potted yet wilting Cecilia with knitted brows and a tight frown, "My Cecilia is wilting…" She brushes the rough pads of her fingers across the crinkling petals.

Hauteclaire's eyes snap in her direction from across the head of the dining table. Saying nothing, she takes another sip of her morning Valberry tea. Piep glances over at her long-time friend, a scowl growing on her pale features.

"Nothing to say, huh? With your alchemical knowledge, could you—"

"No." Hauteclaire quickly interjects without hesitation.

"Hmph…" Piep scoffs, returning her gaze to the once pure white flower. Now, it's beginning to dry, brown, and curl into itself. "Fine, then, have it your way. Like always." She rolls her peridot green eyes. "I'm going to the shop… Feel free to join whenever." She offers despite the tension.

"Alright." The opposing woman nods to her, watching her with tired eyes as she moves to the backdoor that leads to her flower shop. (I can't interfere… Life must run its natural course…) She glances at the flower right as one of the petals floats down to the dirt of the pot. She sighs.

—

Later that day—in the flower shop—Hauteclaire helps out Piep with her floral duties. This mostly consists of catering to any customers and providing opinions on arrangements.

It's a slow day today, too—perhaps it's due to the early morning time, or Mondstadter's getting lazier than ever…

Unlike Piep, Hauteclaire doesn't mind the languid foot traffic today. Piep is an easily bothered woman, contrary to many Mondstadters' easy-going way of life. Even within the pleasure of her biggest passion—flower arranging—she's never too satisfied with anything. To the average person, she appears stingy and high-strung. To Hauteclaire and Eduard, she's all too insecure for her own good.

Hauteclaire has grown used to her behavior by now, though. She now knows how to maneuver through the torrential waters of Piep's virulent emotions. The little spat from earlier about her most treasured Cecilia is hardly anything unusual for her. She's delicate as the flowers she so loves, that's all.

And it hurts Hauteclaire every time she sees her former apprentice in Piep…

As she moves to rest her arms on the shop's center table, one hand props up to hold her heavy head. The other hand's fingers tap dance back and forth along the semi-worn wood; pale gold eyes falling halfway shut.

Then, there's a sudden jolt of overwhelming tension in her body—her heartstrings tying into a complicated knot. That's the second she begins pining to not think for a while all over again.

As her mind floods with memories of her old apprentice, a stark emptiness in the pit of her stomach follows close behind. She grimaces slightly, features furrowing in the tiniest manner.

Wishing is painful, but desiring is even more so, and lusting is the final stage before destruction. She's seen it time and time again—that happens when you live in the Abyss for so long. The Abyss Order is the very definition of destructive lust.

The only person she could think of that barely fits the bill of "average Abyss Order looney" is her former apprentice, a cowardly woman who wields no passion nor drive—

"Ulfhild…"

She gulps down a thick knot of pure tension that persists in restricting her breathing. Her voice not even above a whisper, indeed it was too soft for Piep to hear.

"Hey! Look alive, Claire!" Piep's familiar voice cuts in to tear her out of the deep sea of murky thoughts.

Hauteclaire's eyes widen for a brief moment before settling comfortably once more. Adjusting her posture, she straightens her back and eases the tightness in her shoulders. With a quick flick of her gaze, she watches Piep welcome in a woman garbed in shades of cobalt blues and woody browns.

"How may we help you today, Lady Aurelie?" Piep inquires with an amicable smile.

The blonde florist leads the navy blue-haired lady to the front of the nearby center table, where Hauteclaire sits at. At least, she was sitting there until Piep flashed her a daring glare from the corner of her tea-green eyes. That's more than enough for the old family friend to stand at attention.

This new customer, Aurelie, glances around the homely and quaint flower shop. The center table holds a variety of work-in-progress bouquets, shop files, and a cup of tea. Piep doesn't fail to tear Aurelie away from her thoughts, though.

"Feel free to look around! If you have any questions, you can ask either of us." The florist nods. "We even have some new shipments, if you'd like to know more."

"U-Uh… Yes, please?" Aurelie sputters out, and Piep figures the tension of arriving in a new country must be getting to her.

Hauteclaire on the other hand, (Why did she phrase that like a question…?) She ponders with furrowing brows. (Even her voice… It sounds rather familiar—)

Piep, snapping her out of her thoughts, elbows Hauteclaire in the arm, "Can you go fetch us some of those new Sumeru flowers we got the other day in the back room?"

The family friend, with a low voice, whispers to Piep, "Can you do it? I'd like to ask her some questions…"

"What? No—" When their eyes meet, Piep sees that firm determination in her long-time friend's pale golden eyes. "Okay… Fine." She turns to Aurelie once more, "Would you like something from Fontaine or Sumeru?"

"Uhm…" Aurelie ponders aloud, her hand rising to her chin as her tired eyes glance elsewhere, "Liyue… Please?" She's avoided eye contact this whole time, hasn't she? That's what Hauteclaire notices.

"Oh, sure! We got some new Glaze Lilies very recently, I'm sure you'll love them." Piep nods with faux excitement before rushing to the backroom of the little shop.

"So, Aurelie…" Hauteclaire approaches her with silent and slow steps as if approaching a frightened deer. "Ever been to Mondstadt before?" She crosses her arms beneath her bosom, her exhausted eyes giving the smaller woman the sense that maybe she's a harmless person.

"Uhm…? A couple of times?" Aurelie resists jumping back at the sudden approach, her shoulders and back visibly tensing. "I don't really remember…?"

(That's it. She sounds exactly like her.) Hauteclaire comes to a silent conclusion, "Well, I offer you a warm welcome to the country of freedom." She replies with subtle amicability, (If I'm right, she's going to be disgusted by that statement.)

Then, lo and behold, Aurelie's face does warp with mild disgust and hatred. Her dark cobalt blue eyebrows furrow down and the corner of her lip rises upward.

"Uhm… Thanks?" The mystery woman attempts to accept the compliment at a shallow level, hoping it's enough to get Hauteclaire off her back.

Before another question can get thrown onto her shoulders, Piep returns with a handful of Glaze Lilies. She plants them on the center table, and it appears that she brought some Silk Flowers as well.

"Sorry for the delay, I was figuring out what would make a good composition with such unique flowers," Piep assures with a nod, staring down at the flora before her.

"Add some white and dried branches…" Hauteclaire muses her advice as she returns to the blonde's side.

"Baby's Breath should do. It goes nicely with all compositions, in my opinion. Is that alright, Lady Aurelie?" The florist glances at her customer, who is still avoiding eye contact.

"Sure?" Aurelie relaxes, her voice growing laden from interaction.

"…Of course. Baby's Breath it is." Her tea-green eyes and delicate yet scarred hands immediately get to work.

"Uhm… By the way… Please send them to Springvale…? I'll be there with my…lover?" Aurelie implores.

"No problem. Now, for pricing—"

A hefty bag of Mora drops onto the table.

"That's…quite a lot." Piep blinks, eyes going wide.

"Please, take it all…" The customer presses, "I'll see you there…!" She then storms out of the shop, nearly tripping on her way out.

"Hey, wait—!" Piep reaches out to her, yet fails to catch her in time, "That was…strange."

"We should reject this request—" Hauteclaire begins, swiftly cut off by the grumpy mother.

"No! She already paid us, and it's way too much! Not that I'm necessarily complaining, but…" She huffs, folding her arms.

"Are you or are you not complaining, then?" She retorts, then shakes her head and resumes the more important topic. "Anyway—we should not take this request—"

"Shut up!" Piep yells, "I'm sick of you! I'll let you come with me, but you better keep your mouth shut the whole way there!" She growls, her hand raising to smack Hauteclaire, yet she resists the temptation to throw her out of her life in the heat of the moment. "…I'll get you when I'm ready. Get out."

"…Fine." Hauteclaire sighs, exiting the shop without another word.

—

Not even an hour later, the two women head out to Springvale—the tension and silence between them are thick as layered wool. Not a single word spoken to them on the way to the small village nearby, leaving both women to their own thoughts. Only the crumpling of dirt from footsteps and soft whispers of autumn wind accompany their worn hearts.

"Piep, I—" Hauteclaire suddenly speaks up, her head spinning toward her friend.

"S-Surrender now!" A familiar stuttery voice from behind the pair calls out, "I-I don't want to hurt either of you—"

"Ulfhild."

Hauteclaire hisses between locked teeth, spinning on her heel to face the feminine Abyss Herald. Her gloved hands clench into tight fists at her side, preparing herself for the storm ahead.

Boring holes into the cowardly beast's soulless eyes, she yells, "Get out of here, Ulfhild. I have no time for you." She scoffs, glancing at Piep and whispering, "Stay close to me."

"Who is that?" Piep murmurs back.

"…My former apprentice."

"I…I trust you." The blonde replies, eyes weary and brows knitted as they exchange glances.

"…Thank you." Hauteclaire smiles down at her.

Ulfhild brushes her long black and blue locks behind her shoulder, "I-I see you won't go down without a proper fight, then…" Horizontally slicing the air with her hand, she calls out, "Yrsa, Miuki! Deal with them! Bring Hauteclaire back no matter what it takes—"

She screams as an arrow made of Cryo zips right past her, snipping strands of raven hair off her head.

"Back down, Ulfhild, you stand no chance." Hauteclaire threatens darkly, eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.

"Y-YRSA!" Ulfhild screams again, head whipping around in different directions.

And right as a woman charges in from behind with a drawn sword, Hauteclaire slips her arm around Piep's waist and spins both of them out of the way. Glancing down at the blade of silver-blue steel, Hauteclaire grimaces—teeth gritting.

While the sword is still physically familiar, it crackles with foreign elemental energy. Piep gulps, the potency of the element emanating from the blade unnerves her—to the point of gut-wrenching nausea.

"Stay with me, Piep. We'll get out of this." Hauteclaire reassures with a gentle squeeze around the side of the blonde's waist.

"Please, Claire… Please, save me—"

Then, a bone-chilling bubble of water splashes both of them from behind. Piep pivots her head to glance at whatever it was—only to find a Hydro Abyss Mage as the culprit. Whipping her head away, she clings to Hauteclaire with eyes screwed shut—

"Lord Barbatos, please—" Piep clasps her hands together in prayer, lips trembling with every utterance.

"Your so-called Lord can't help you now…nor will he ever." Yrsa scoffs, "If it is true freedom, he will leave your fate in its hands."

She flips the sword up into the air and as it spins back down, she catches it by its hilt and strikes it deep into the earth. Then, a crack of unfiltered Electro energy sprouts from the crust and zips toward its targets.

Hauteclaire is swift with her arms, slipping Piep into her embrace before darting out of harm's way. Yet, her desperation cannot outrun lightning.

The lightning bolts its way up Hauteclaire's left leg like a loose string and paralyzes her. That same thunderstroke takes a hold of Piep, only to leave behind another paralyzed woman in its wake. Although, it leaves the blonde much more fried than her assumed warrior—rendering her limp in the other's hold.

Hauteclaire, struggling to stand, collapses to her burning knees. As her eyes fall heavy, she takes one last leer at Ulfhild. Then, she uses the last of her strength to crumple on top of Piep—as if protecting her with the numb body she can no longer control.

—

Could all of that have been a bad dream? That's the first thing Hauteclaire asks herself when she awakens—the night already deep and the candle on her bedside table dim. As she comes to realize her situation, she jolts up into an upright position before scrambling out of bed.

"Piep!" She begs the second before she hits the floor with a loud thud. "Piep…" She sobs dryly, unable to control her body that overflows with numbness and stillness once more.

"Eir…" A deep, grave voice calls out from the darkness—despite its sudden call, the voice is all too familiar to the limp lady.

And then heavy footsteps follow, approaching her where she lay. While unable to make out the shadowy figure, she can still tell who it is. The figure grabs her arms, lifting her up before carrying her back to her bed.

When his face becomes clear from the dim candlelight, Hauteclaire gasps and reaches out to him,

"Don't leave me… Not again…" She whimpers, eyes heavy with exhaustion. And as she barely manages to clasp her hand around his cloak, she releases a longing sigh.

"I have to, Eir. You know this." His large, gloved hand grabs her own, ripping it away from his clothes. Yet he lingers, holding her with an almost vice-like grip. "Do you remember my name?"

And all she can do is echo the man’s long-lost name.

[paranoidrobonoid]

jasper x love thoughts??

Entering Spoiler City here but I’ve drawn them before so not exactly a secret.

Important thing to note for anyone new here: They meet for the first time when Love is well into adulthood. Now that that’s out of the way…

Jasper is the only one who treats Love like she’s any other gem. Everyone else falls under one of two categories: treats her like this beautiful beam of light/hope they place high expectations on, or treats her like an abomination that shouldn’t exist. Jasper doesn’t realize who, or rather, what Love is when they meet, so she just thinks of her as this annoying, talkative, overly-cheerful gem that accidentally found her little cave and won’t leave her alone. Love gradually wears her down with her (persistent) friendship, and they start bonding over time to the point they understand each other better than anyone else. Love sees Jasper as this misunderstood loyal soul who only knew one way of life and is struggling, but trying, to adjust to how everything did a 180, and Jasper sees Love as a confident and powerful gem despite her small appearance that needs someone to see her as something beyond her abilities while also helping her reach her full potential. Without even knowing who her mother is (or rather, that she even has one) she sees Lapis in her, and her regret surrounding that whole debacle plays into their relationship growing.

Needless to say, Love dragging Jasper home one day and her “meeting” Lapis and Peridot for the “first time” was incredibly uncomfortable and tense for everyone involved lol. Things are said. Objects are broken. Tears are shed. This is also when Jasper finally realizes WHY she feels like she’d seen Love before but couldn’t place it. She recognized her gem. It’s not until the end of the story that Lapis accepts Jasper’s a part of Love’s life, though the details surrounding that will remain unspoiled ~