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moonlightstars16 · 4 years

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Chapter 11 ~ First Encounters

1. I want to personally thank @thepurecinnamonroll who created this beautiful cover for my story. Please check out her amazing work.

2. As I mentioned from the last chapter that I will be taking a break from updating 'Shattered Blood' for the next two weeks. I have sort of lost touch with his story but I want to continue and finish it. I dislike leaving stories incomplete. So I'll be refreshing and taking time to work on more chapters. So I won't hit burn-out. I will return around July 28th(Don't worry I have other works you can check out that I update a bit more on the daily side. Please check them out as well). I also want to thank everyone who has supported my story, left kudos and comments. Ya'll are amazing and I wish you all the best during this trying time.

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A strucken blow....then another...and another....

Steven barley held on as the pinkish red glow emerged from within. Feeling the rumble and sharp edged from the tree and boulder he was slightly laying against. Coughing up blood trying to regaining his breathing.

"You are just a pathetic human with gem powers. Are you going to take this lying down?! Fight me and prove that you deserve those Diamond powers! Or are you too weak to handle them!?"

"I'm NOT!" Steven shouted, causing a sudden sonic boom like sound from his voice to all the area around him. He jumped up and with a strong kick, knocked Jasper back. The continued to hit her over and over. She just laughed and laughed as his fist made contact with any part of her. The laughter taunted him.

Just like the Diamonds...and he hated it.

Then he punched under her head, with fists forming what seemed to me a small ball with spikes all around, and made her helmet reappear. That made him even more furious.

Where was his helmet? Where was his protection?! Why did he have to suffer without any comfort to fall back on?!

With a loud shout he punched her so hard, it made her stop laughing and more focusing on the fight before her. The determination and worry behind her eyes opened his up. He enjoyed this. He wanted to see this fear... He CRAVED this! So much so that he began to laugh maniacally himself.

Another blow... then another... and another...

He had her up in the air, speed so fast time was becoming more and more irrelevant. He didn't care about anything except fighting- no... shattering her.

Oh yes the thought was glorious. Just the mere idea of it sent a sensation so full of ecstasy that all he saw in his sight was red. Then with one more punch, he sent her down to the ground in a huge pit formed by the impact. Shields of pentagons formed around her, locking her in place like chains. Jasper pulled, kicked and punched trying to break free. But it was too late. A bright red-ish pink light made her look up. Eyes widened from the sight.

A wall full of pentagon shields formed, bending slightly at the sides. Spikes appeared out of nowhere. Aiming only for her. She was the target, and he was excited.

"Thank you, Jasper. These Diamond powers are now mine!" With a villainous laugh he pushed the wall in her direction. Watching as it crushed her...poofed her... and her gem fell apart. Floating slowly down he picked up the shards and smirked. "Looks like I won this fight." He chuckled darkly.

Bubbling, or now in a cage of sorts, the shards and sent it back to the castle. Looking down at the slightly torn up black t-shirt with a yellow star, jeans and his red sandals. Walking back towards his palace. This identity wasn't him anymore. Thoughts swirled in his head as the thought of shattering her again and again. After all, he had the power along with essences of the other Diamonds thanks to a certain Spinel gem. The game had just begun.

Jasper froze in place, gasping at what had happened. A red-ish pink shield came in between her fist and Connie's body. But her gaze was looking at someone else. A familiar pair of glowing, Diamond shaped eyes bore into her own. Both of them staying that way for a while. Finally she pulled back and growled lowly. Bowing before him in defeat. Flashes of being shattered and brought back to life over and over came into view.

"Dismissed, Jasper." With that she got up, head bowed briefly.

"As you command." Trying not to grumble under her breath beginning to walk away.

"And don't you dare, ever fight her again. Unless you want to go back to being shattered." Jasper froze momentarily before walking away without a single word. Steven breathed deeply and put away his shield before directing his attention on Connie. Whose own eyes were widened from the scene that played out right before her. Kneeling down he offered his hand for her own. swallowing hard a little, she accepted and stood up slowly. Though her head was still throbbing from the blow.

"Uh...thank you..." She mumbled, unsure of what else to say to him.

"I thought you were more intelligent than this." The iced tone in his voice crystal clear. "It's very disappointing." His words shook too her core and caused a second wind rising within her... or fifth... Frowning she formed her fists to the side.

"Excuse me?! Oh I must've hit my head against the tree a lot harder than I thought!" Which actually was a bit more true than she wanted to admit honestly. "I'm the disappointing one around here?!"

"Going into a fight recklessly with hardly any strength is probably one of the most dumbest things to do!" His voice much louder and commanding than before. Arms crossed against his chest and back standing up much straighter, out of habit to show his authority and power he held.

"Oh and you're the one to judge what I do?! How very hypocritical your majesty!" Connie bowed mockingly so. "Or have you forgotten about what happened the last time we were in a garden!" It was also frustrating since he wasn't looking any more mad than she was in this moment. Which was odd since he was shouting only moments ago. Her words echoed out until they faded away, leaving only tense silence and cold wind. Eyes locked onto one another's. Until he broke their gaze, looking her over and finally back to her eyes.

"I see Pearl has taught you well for combat." Steven finally spoke, breaking the silence, lowering his voice back into a much calmer tone. Connie had just about enough of his mood swings, annoying her about as much as his arrogance. Her anger blinded her to the reality of her legs shaking and the fatigue quickly setting in.

"Oh no you don't! How dare you sidestep the issue here-" Connie tried to step forward, only to realize her weight wasn't being supported by any strength she had. Which was about nothing. Falling forward she braced herself for the grounds impact. When instead she felt two broad arms holding her up.

Landing against his chest in this moment wasn't entirely ideal in her mind. Steven felt her close presence and the feeling flaring up inside him once more. With an inward and heavy sigh, he lifted her left arm around his neck then supported her back. Leaning down as his other arm wrapped underneath her legs, standing back while picking her up. He could feel her heat from the fight still prominent around her.

"I won't allow you to remain in my court if you're going to be like this all the time." He stated, walking towards the garden gate near one of the castle's few entrances.

'So I'm still important to you're special court huh? Funny, I thought you would rather see me drop dead.' Connie thought, too exhausted to even begin to argue with him. Let alone keep her eyes open. Within seconds she had fallen fast asleep, nothing could wake her until her body was well rested.

This was beginning to be more and more like a pattern between the two. It was right in the middle between intriguing and annoying for them both. Steven brought her inside and to her chambers. Once she was settled in her bed, he brought her hand up to his lips. Letting his healing powers take care of any scratches or bruises while easing her pain. Leaving her alone soon after to get back to his own duties.

Hours passed, Lapis, Peridot and Bismuth all took care of watching over Connie. Making sure she was getting enough rest and back to full health. Pearl informed him of any recent activity and updates before leaving to check on other things around the palace. Steven looked upon the earth cluster project and inwardly sighed.

Having already abandoning feelings towards any attachment for the green and blue planet. Focusing more on the project to find a new home planet for the humans. This was all to win a bet. Not as if he cared one hundred percent. However he had to put forth the effort if needed be. Why not go all the way.

Certainly away from HomeWorld and away from any potential danger. However it was a tad tricky. humans needed certain necessities and while they could adapt in his eyes, it was best to find something similar if not better. Fortunately he had someone already on the job. Someone whose, now immortal, life was changed. Smirking he moved his hand across the control pad interface and watched as a diamond shaped camera came into view. Waiting for a connection to be heard from the other line.

'.........'

"Steven?!"

"Lars"

"What do you want?" Lars grumbled through the communication device.

"An update regarding the search for a plant suitable for humans."

"We are already onto the next sector."

"In other words, you have nothing." The hidden implications of that statement couldn't get passed him. Complimenting with a monotone and subtle hint of impatience in his voice.

"Hey it's not easy! That bitch Emerald has been on my tail the entire time!"

"I'm growing tired of your negligence!" Steven shouted loud as the room shook.

"It's hard searching for a planet when your also running away from the authorities!" Lars countered, seemingly not afraid of the person on the other line. Until he saw a flash of pinkish red in his Diamond shaped eyes.

"I could end it all right now." Suddenly more calm than before as a smirk appeared on his face.

"You can get her off my back?" A suspicious expression clearly written in his face.

"Of course, in fact I can just send Emerald the coordinates of where you are. Have her reclaim the ship I let you steal and capture all of you. Though I'm not sure what she will do to... them." Lars froze and gulped, gripping the arm rests of the sun incinerator captain chair. This wasn't the first time he was blackmailed.

But as his eyes darted around the ship's main deck. Watching his crew as they repaired and mapped their next destination (in a way so they wouldn't be discovered). They were more than his crew, they were becoming more like his family. Sighing in defeat, he leaned back and closed his eyes.

"Please, don't" He spoke firmly, trying his best to remain calm.

"You have three months."

"Three months?! But traveling in space takes longer with no functioning hyper drive engines!"

"Or I could contact Emerald now." Steven spoke, hand above the interface. One move and it was all over for them.

"You'll have a planet by then." He voiced through his teeth. Frustration and anger building up inside him.

"Excellent choice my old friend." He explained before disconnecting the communications. Lars ran a hand over his face, trying to keep from screaming.

"We were never friends."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A couple of days afterwords, Connie was well rested and back on track with her duties. Especially since when she overworked herself she hardly had anything to catch up to. So she took her break and went outside to clear her thoughts. Things were all over the place with her emotions for Steven. Unable to place them in a specific category. One minute he seemed cold and the next minute like who he was before. Well the person he was according to the other gems.

Her heart pounded every time she thought of him. Unable to tell if it was from a sort of comfort she felt towards him or from frustration and fear. Perhaps a mixture of both. Deep within in her mind she began to hallucinate a glowing pure white butterfly. Or thought she was. Swirling around her, grabbing the attention. Connie giggled, smiling and frowning slightly in confusion. "Hey little butterfly, where did you come from?"

The butterfly in question swirled around her once again before flying ahead of her. Stopping ever so slightly as if beckoning her to come. She giggled as this creature had the personality of an excited puppy wanting it's owner to play. Following this mysterious friend of hers, not knowing where she was headed, until they reached a certain door.

Stopping immediately, knowing where this door led. But this flying creature was persistent and like a ghost flew through the door. She gulped and bit her lip, unsure of what to do. Stepping towards the large entrance she placed her hand on the handle.

Once opened she hesitantly walked through. Her eyes widened at the sight, there she saw was looked like to be a beautiful tropical paradise. The trees, shrubbery and all sort of creatures in this ecosystem were full of life. A waterfall was nearby and formed a small lake area with and similar to that of a beach. She smiled from the sight, feeling the sense of her own home in Beach City. Until she felt a hand on her shoulder making her jump.

"Greetings! Oh! I'm sorry I hope I didn't frightened you." A young man, a tad younger than her father, with long poofy black hair, a loin cloth like dress and blue shall vest like material. A brown waistband and purple and pink colored earrings. It didn't take Connie long to figure out he was apart of the human zoo. But he was acting so...normal?

"Oh, no I'm fine, um... what's your name?"

"My name is Wy-six!"

"Um... I'm sorry did you just say Y-6?"

"Yes! It's a special name given to each of us!" Connie was still kinda confused but didn't think about it long when a female with long blonde hair came into view. Dressing the exact same way as the other person. No doubt she knew who these people were.

"Wy-six, who is this new friend?" Connie smiled awkwardly, waving her hello trying to hide her concern a bit. It worked when the woman waved back at her.

"Jay-Ten! Meet my new friend.. um..."

"Uh, Connie." She spoke quickly trying to be polite. "It's nice to meet you... er, J-10 was it?"

"Yes I am Jay-Ten! Nice to meet you Connie. Tell us, where did you come from?"

"Oh well I think I just wandered in here by mistake. I should be leaving now, it was nice knowing you!" While she would've jumped at the chance to save these humans before, something didn't sit quite right with her. It's almost like they don't feel imprisoned. 'Maybe they're putting on a bright smile?'

"What is...mistake?" Wy-six asked in a curious fashion.

"Yes please tell us, Connie." Jay-Ten spoke with eagerness in her voice. Connie froze and smiled. Trying her best to find ways of explaining mistake. Although her gut and red flags were popping up everywhere. The word cult flashed across her mind.

"Um.. well a mistake is an action or judgement that is misguided or wrong." The look on their faces said a lot to her. 'Just like the middle schoolers I tutored.' Opening her mouth to explain again in more simpler terms a voice interrupted her.

"Connie?! What in the world are you doing here??" all three turned to see Greg walking towards them. The others ran off in a sort of angry humph, leaving Connie all alone and even more confused.

"Hi Mr Universe, I actually came here by accident so I think I should just be leaving now."

"Wait hold up" Greg spoke putting a hand on her shoulder. "Would you like to tell me what's going on with my son?" Connie frowned slightly, not liking the fact that she was suddenly his best friend and knew everything about him. 'Shouldn't you be asking Spinel this?' But Steven was his own flesh and blood...and gem. It was understandable for his father to show concern for his boy.

"Forgive me but I don't follow your implication." Greg sighed and showed her the 'Zooman project' in a gem tablet of sorts.

"He was here for a few days. Saying how 'it was time they were needed to be treated like humans, and reintroduce them to earth culture'. Now I think this human zoo project should never have happened in the first place! And getting them back into earth culture officially is way overdue. However it's not like my son to go having a change of heart all at once here." Connie barley could keep up with what he was saying. Her mind not comprehending the apparent truth.

"Wait, you are saying...Steven came up with this idea?" Greg took a step back and raised a brow.

"You mean, you didn't know about this?"

"I didn't think so Greg." A voice popped up, Amethyst walking into view. "Whatssup Connie?" She said smiling.

"Hey, Amethyst. It's been awhile since....um..." Connie realized they hadn't even had a proper conversation since being taken away from Earth three months ago.

"Ya man it has. But I've been busy keeping up all sorts of guard duties and stuff."

"Oh....Well I hope you're doing okay since the....fight?"

"Pshh I should be asking you that question. Oh man Greg you should've seen her! She was fighting so good I almost thought Jasper would poof!"

"I'm assuming by that statement, you saw everything?"

"Uh how could I not! Once I got my 'second wind' so to speak, I ran and watched the entire thing go down! Oh and thanks for keeping me from poofing. Jasper sure would've shattered my gem this time around if not for you."

"You're welcome...." Connie breathed too stunned to think of anything else. Had she really saved Amethysts life that much? After gathering all she knew from her friends and the fight, the reality of that weighed on her more and more.

"So you went head on with Steven's number one solder?" Greg asked before getting elbowed in the gut by Amethyst. Shaking her head out from her apparent shock.

"Just like a rumor, news travels fast around her." Connie spoke in a defeated tone, accepting that fact of this life. "Yes I did fight Jasper... But then he..." Suddenly it became clear to her. When he disappeared, he was actually here planning this the entire few days. 'No wonder he said he was busy, he must've been trying to make time for this.' Besides he was there awfully quick, but fighting beside the human zoo entrance was good luck for her.

"Yeah, we thought you knew what he was planning, though it's not surprising he didn't tell you." Amethyst stated sadly scratching the back of her head. Connie thought of the butterfly that brought her here. 'This must be why it lead me to this place.'

"Um... What exactly is the plan?"

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"UGH!!!" Spinel shouted. Pushing all the paperwork and a few empty bottles off the table in anger. Glass shattering all over like gems who we're out of line. "I can't believe he's doing all this!" Jasper stood still as Aquamarine and Ruby put together another green, tranquilizing elixir. Spinel breathed deeply and gripped the table. Thoughts whirling in her mind like the circles in her eyes.

"I will shatter her with more pain and torture than that of a lion!" Jasper stated with full determination in his voice.

"No... I think we shall save that for last..." Spinel smiled wickedly as an idea formed in her head.

"Aquamarine! Ruby! Is the old human torture chamber still in good working order?"

"Affirmative Spinel!" Ruby saluted similar to the diamonds but with an upside down heart. "Cleaned off all the red liquid from the previous. Plus I just put in the finishing touches last night!" Then winced when Aqua's wand hit his head.

"You mean we you numb-skull! And that red liquid is called blood. If you're going to mention it just say what it is!" She sighed before flying with her back more straight. "Everything is now in perfect working order. Even better than before when his Diamond used it on the zoomans. All we need is a test subject."

"All in due time. Remember when the opportunity is perfect, that is when we will strike."

"Of course M'lady. In fact I have a certain gem who can help us." Aquamarine smirked, whistling out. "Come on out Topaz!" Two large yellow Topaz's came out from the shadows, forming into one large one. In the process took an empty test tube and forced it to mold into their bodies. though the process was effortless. Like a cage with no way of escape. "And he won't say a word." Spinel was equally pleased.

"Well done Aquamarine, well done." She smiled and rubbed her gloved hands together. Ignoring Aquamarine sticking her tongue out towards Ruby. Jasper just stayed quiet, leaning against the wall with her arms folded. "We do need a trial run... Topaz" She spoke as he turned, saluting and facing her.

"What is it you command, my Spinel?"

"Only one thing. Tonight fetch me a human from the human zoo."

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outofthisgxlaxy · 6 years

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☯ + for Bismuth, the fight with Steven about the Breaking Point

Send me ‘☯ + a scene from my characters canon’ and I will drabble it from my character’s POV.

“I’m sorry, Bismuth, but it’s not right.”

Bismuth just stared at the fleshy individual in front of her. Her mind echoed with those same words that had been said to her thousands of years ago. In that very room, on that very spot, Rose Quartz had turned down using the Breaking Point as well.

“…That’s exactly what she said,” Bismuth said. Her fist clenched. She didn’t pay any mind to the sudden shift in Steven’s expression at first. No, the blacksmith was letting old anger kindle in her anew. Thousands of years ago, Rose had turned down the Breaking Point. She remembered the fight clearly, and now? It was happening all over again.

“That’s exactly what you said.” Squinting, she watched who everyone was convinced was someone new look away from her. This wasn’t Steven at all. No, now Bismuth was convinced that her first assumption was right. This was Rose in a new form. She’d been lying. Again!

“It is you, isn’t it Rose!” Steven, or Rose, asked what she was talking about. Anger only was stoked further. “Don’t lie to me. You can’t expect me to believe you now. After you lied about everything? You’re lying about this new form just like you lied to the others about me!”

Bismuth didn’t think. She acted, and she grabbed Steven by the front of his shirt. That was the nice thing about Rose’s new form, she thought for a beat. At least she was easy to pick up and hold on to.

“But I didn’t just disappear, did I? You know what happened to me!” Bismuth shouted. She saw Steven’s gem glow, and all of a sudden the quartz summoned a bubble and forced Bismuth to release him. He was trying to reason, but Bismuth didn’t believe it. Not for a second.

“Bismuth, wait! This is all just a big misunderstanding!”

“Liar!” Bismuth shouted again. “Don’t play games with me, Rose. We were right. HERE. I offered you the secret to victory, and you refused. The Breaking Point would’ve changed everything.”

Bismuth shapeshifted her hand into her faithful hammer. It really was just like the last time, except for one detail. One thing that she wouldn’t forget was how she hadn’t wanted to start a fight. Rose had left her with no other options, though.

“I didn’t want to fight you,” she said, “but you left me no choice!” With as much force as she could muster, Bismuth slammed her hammer into the ground and saw the rubble that was made as a result. Steven hadn’t had the chance to dodge, but he did run away after he got to his feet and tried to hide. It didn’t change how this would end, though. Bismuth would win this fight, and she would tell the others. That was all there was to it.

“What type of leader doesn’t give her army the best chance to win?!” A fair question, Bismuth thought. They had been losing the war badly back in the day. Bismuth genuinely thought that the Breaking Point would give them the edge they needed to finally beat Pink Diamond once and for all. Evidently, Rose had believed something else. That was where they were again. The same old crossroads they once stood at, she supposed. Maybe it was just fate.

Bismuth shapeshifted her hand again, this time into a sharp curved blade, and she went to strike at the stone figure Steven was hiding behind. This time, Steven ducked out of the way. Bismuth didn’t give him the chance to react again, though. She leaped and crushed the stone figure, knocking Steven away again. As the dust settled, she carried on. Her old anger was ruling her. Rose had lied about her for so long and pretended like she never mattered! At least… that was how she viewed it now.

“How could you value the Gems of our enemies more than our own? And look what you’ve done without me.” Bismuth stepped over the lava and toward Steven again. “Without the Breaking Point!” She tried to strike Steven with her weapon, but he’d summoned his shield and blocked her hits. It only served one purpose; fueling her anger.

“You’ve lost!” Bismuth shouted. She slammed her sharpened weapon against the stone figure Steven had been in front of and broke the head of it. With equally quick movements, she tried again to strike Steven. Her pointed weapon pressed harder and harder against Steven’s shield, he struggled against her, but finally the shield burst apart and knocked Steven to the ground.

“W-Wait!” Steven exclaimed. “I’m not my mom! I don’t know what she did, but I’m sure she didn’t want to hurt you!”

“It’s too late. I don’t believe you anymore!” Bismuth shouted back. She got ready to attack again, but was caught off guard by Steven summoning another bubble shield. This one had spikes, and Bismuth leaped backward. She landed neatly some distance away, but didn’t look to be giving up any time soon. No… she was relentless. Why shouldn’t she be?

“All that talk of how Gems could take control of their own identities. How we’ve been convinced to ignore our own potential?” Bismuth paid enough attention to see the bubble shield fall away and Steven fall to his knees. He was quick to get up again as his hands were burned by the hot floor beneath him. However, Bismuth took little pride in that. She hadn’t done that; the floor did.

“That’s all it was, wasn’t it?” She shapeshifted her hammer again, and turned to the nearest stone figure. “Just talk!” She’d wholeheartedly believed Rose when she said all those things in the past. That was what had won her over. Now, though, with all she knew it was easier to see that Rose was just a liar. She’d won her over with pretty words and the like. Today wouldn’t be the day that she was tricked again. No, sir.

Her hammer was slammed down, shattering the stone figure to pieces, and she used it to propel herself back over to Steven. Again, she slammed her hammer down at him. It knocked him into the air, and for a beat Bismuth thought that she had won. However, he was floating. Of course he was. He was Rose; he had her powers.

“You should’ve listened to me, Rose!” Bismuth grabbed the next stone figure and yanked it off the ground. “I would’ve taken the war to Homeworld and shattered the Diamonds! I would’ve liberated everyone!” Bismuth used her chance to fling the stone figure at Steven, and she watched it crash against him. She thought that was it. Maybe she had finally won, and she turned her attention away. Apparently, that was a mistake. As Bismuth walked away, she heard something.

“Bismuth, watch out!” When she did look, she saw Steven had somehow caught the stone figure and flung it back at her. It was just as she had already picked up her Breaking Point. The warning had been so sudden that it hadn’t given her the time to react. All of a sudden, the stone figure slammed against Bismuth’s form. There was a great crash, the Breaking Point was knocked from her grasp, and it rolled away. Bismuth herself was knocked to the ground and had taken a fair amount of damage from the blow. It wasn’t enough to send her into her gem, though. Not by a long shot. Still, Bismuth clutched at her chest and grunted aloud in pain before slowly looking toward Steven again. He was holding on to the Breaking Point now and had hopped over to her.

Great, she thought. The anger still reigned supreme, and so all Bismuth could do was glare as Steven said her name.

“This has to stop,” Steven said.

“So what are you gonna do? Shatter me??” Bismuth grabbed the Breaking Point and aimed it at her gem. “Go ahead! Just do it!” It would have been better. It would have shown, Bismuth thought, just how little Rose actually cared about her. After all that time, Bismuth still firmly believed in all of this. Rose had thrown her away… let the others believe that she’d been shattered, and never once thought to release her. All she was to Rose was a secret. A secret that, frankly, was probably better off shattered. It would save Rose the trouble of having to bubble her away this time.

“No!” Steven exclaimed. “Even if we don’t agree, nobody deserves this!” Bismuth just stared. Why was Rose saying this now? Why did she still think that she could sway her? It was frustrating to say the very least. With no other options, Bismuth yanked the Breaking Point away from Steven. She saw him stumble back and trip over the scabbard of Rose’s sword, but honestly? That just gave her an opportunity. Rose couldn’t stop her from ending this. She couldn’t stop her from using the Breaking Point if she just tried to shatter her instead!

Bismuth powered up the Breaking Point. She thrust it forward, aiming to shatter Rose as Steven grabbed Rose’s sword, and then… just like thousands of years ago, the pink blade went right through Bismuth’s chest. Just below Bismuth’s gem, she saw it. Bismuth just stared in disbelief. It was happening all over again. Rose was going to just… bubble her away now. She was sure of it. In the few moments she had left, though, Bismuth had a chance to cool down. She had to say something. She had to know why.

“…You shoulda shattered me back then,” Bismuth said. Her tone gave way to the defeat she felt. “At least if I were in pieces, I wouldn’t have to know how little I mattered to you. You didn’t even tell ‘em.”

That was what hurt the most about it. Garnet and Pearl… for all those years, they had believed she’d been captured or shattered. Why? Was it just easier for Rose to tell a pretty lie than it was to tell them the truth about what had happened? That their friend had wanted to give them the key to victory, only to be silenced and bubbled away? Tears began to prick in Bismuth’s eyes, and she could see them clearly welling in Steven’s as well.

“You bubbled me away and didn’t even tell your friends. …My friends.” Bismuth’s voice grew softer at that last bit. Would they know now? Would they ever know what had happened here, or would Rose lie again? She supposed that she would never know now.

“I’m going to tell them,” Steven said. “I’m going to tell them everything.”

Bismuth’s lips parted into a surprised o shape. Maybe she’d been wrong. Maybe, just maybe, Steven really wasn’t Rose after all. That would mean that she had made an even bigger mistake in trying to kill Steven just then. Stars… how could he even forgive her for that? He’d be right to bubble her away… right to hide her. No one would want to deal with her now, she was sure, but… at least the truth would be out there. As the tears welled all the more in her eyes and one slid down her cheek, Bismuth chuckled.

“Then you really are better than her,” Bismuth said. Then, at last, her form gave up the ghost. Her physical form disappeared in a puff of smoke, and the pyramidal gem fell to the floor with a clack and a clatter. Whatever happened from there? She wouldn’t know until the time came for her to be released. …If such a time ever came.

#ic #Destiny Forged Anew (Bismuth)#canon scene meme #I really have been wanting to revisit this scene so THANK YOU FOR SENDING IT :D #everybodysxcute

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shinneth · 5 years

Text

Gem Ascension Tropes (Peridot-specific: L - M)

Reference:

Primary Peri Post ▼ Primary General Post ▼ Full Article

Lack of Empathy/No Sympathy: Standard traits of the Pre-Earth Manipulative Bastard Peridot; very prominently shown in the flashbacks during Chapter 1 of Act III.

Lap Pillow: Is this for a fatigued Steven in Chapter 5 of Act III.

Laser-Guided Karma: Considering how much of a Manipulative Bastard Peridot once was – so much of one that she ended up being responsible for many of her fellow kind’s demise due to her ambition to rise to the top – the moment Peridot actually got promoted was a bit of an unpleasant wake-up call as now her colleagues largely consisted of gems that were superior to her under conditions that wouldn’t allow her to bully her way into success like she had before (and, in fact, Peridot herself ended up being seen as a target for said gems to bully). Peridot tried to take it in stride and see it as a challenge (as the lack of challenge from her former position induced so much boredom, it likely played a role in Peridot going out of her way to stir things up to begin with), but then her first mission’s level escalated to the point where she required assistance, leading to Peridot meeting her new escort, Jasper. Peridot came out of that encounter so traumatized that it nearly shattered her identity. She was forcibly put in her place and finally had to face reality that her aspirations and perception of herself were purely delusional – while this by no means reformed or redeemed Peridot, it did almost entirely erase many of her absolute worst traits, which in turn made her more receptive to Taking a Level in Kindness not long after this when she was captured by the Crystal Gems.

Last of Her Kind: Peridot is the first and only ascended gem in existence and will likely remain that way for all time now that Homeworld is destroyed along with the Diamond Authority. By that token, she’s also one of the two remaining Diamonds in existence, though most might consider this subverted since Peridot isn’t a pure, natural Diamond.

The Law of Power Proportionate to Effort: Also invoked on Chartreuse Diamond, but is more evident with Peridot as she has much greater limitations on how to utilize her potential, and unlike her Alter Ego, performing greater feats runs the risk of depleting her stamina or even inflict pain.

The Leader: Honestly, Peridot bears various traits of all four flavors of this trope. But primarily, she can be best defined as a Mastermind-Charismatic hybrid.

Left for Dead: Presumed to be this until it’s brought up very early on in Act II that there is a much greater chance of her still being alive, as Peridot can be better utilized by White Diamond as a Hostage MacGuffin to entice Steven back than to be one of her millions of drones or just killed outright.

LEGO Gemetics: Due to diamond dust and a diamond shard being mixed in the injector fluid that would later create her, Peridot emerged as a Peridot/Diamond hybrid, albeit her Diamond traits were benign and naturally wouldn’t have developed until hundreds of years later. But then White Diamond (who, along with Blue and Yellow, were behind several similar cases of gems being Unwitting Test Subjects) forced the diamond bits in Peridot’s gemstone to condense and form a proper diamond prematurely, resulting in Peridot now being simultaneously a low-caste gem and a Diamond simultaneously.

Life Isn’t Fair: A sad fact of life that Peridot tries to drive into Steven’s head during her Get A Hold Of Yourself, Man! speech in Chapter 6 of Act I.

Like a Duck Takes to Water: Per canon, but often discussed in the GA continuity. While it’s acknowledged that Peridot by no means had an easy time adjusting to Earth at the start, she nonetheless has adapted to Earth life and culture at a steady pace. In less than a year’s time, Peridot has shown to be better adjusted to Earth than all her fellow gems – an especially remarkable feat, given the other Crystal Gems have lived on Earth for thousands of years. In Chapter 7 of Act I, Ruby expresses her envy of how easy Peridot makes it look, when she herself (and Garnet, by extension) still struggles adapting to Earth even now.

Like You Were Dying: Instead of sorrow and despair for failing to escape Homeworld when she was inches away from joining her friends, Peridot is last seen smiling and laughing at Steven and Garnet when Act I concludes. Even after they escape, Peridot’s taking her loss in stride by grading the results of her mission. Deep down, though, she’s obviously broken.

Literal-Minded: Per canon; while she’s made a lot of progress with Steven teaching her about Earth lingo, there are still plenty of moments where Peridot is dumbfounded by certain phrases of Steven’s, which he then takes time to explain for her. Since moments like this were a large part of the foundation of Steven and Peridot’s relationship, Steven is always happy to teach her new phrases and metaphors when they come up.

Little Miss Badass: She gets her moments of this in the latter half of Act I. Understandable, as Peridot’s the Hero Protagonist of this story. She does fairly well for herself for what limited abilities she has. Fast-forward to Act III where she’s gone above and beyond to resist White Diamond’s influence for nearly a week, and even after she falls… Peridot just becomes an Empowered Badass Normal who can kick ass even more. Really, though, the scene that best displays this trope is the final confrontation with White Diamond towards the end, where Peridot teases a Backstab Backfire and only stops because of how much satisfaction White Diamond’s fear of her brings.

Little “No”: Peridot lets out a few of these as she desperately begs for the life energy, now fragmented and fading away, to return to Pumpkin moments after her death. This doesn’t happen, but what does come shortly after this is the Angst Nuke.

Logic Bomb: Deliberately invokes this to fry every terminal in her old workstation and consequently poof every fellow Peridot in the room by tricking her former coworkers to input a code that would make their systems divide by zero and cause them to overload. This also happens to Yellow Pearl, though that was done by Peridot directly hacking her terminal while she was distracted with other business.

Long-Range Fighter: The counterpart to Bismuth’s Close-Range Combatant; Peridot is much more effective in combat when fighting at a distance, as she simply doesn’t have the strength nor the size to stay in a fight for long if she’s right in the line of fire. While this technically might no longer apply post-ascension (Peridot and Chartreuse have done some close-range attacks since then… to mixed results), Peridot still prefers to hang back and wait for an opportunity before acting; the element of surprise is still where she shines best, which is often best utilized when she’s far away from an opponent.

Loss of Identity: Develops a major case of this once she ascends to become Chartreuse Diamond. While she’d prefer being able to alternate between these forms rather than being stuck with one forever, the fact that She is What She Hates versus the irresistible feeling of being relevant and powerful really messes with her mind, and it often makes Peridot worry her Diamond Alter Ego will make her identity as Peridot completely obsolete.

This is Who I Am Chapter 3 reveals Peridot had a case of this long before the events of GA in the early phases of her Earth mission after learning about the Crystal Gems, when she had to return to Homeworld for reinforcements in Jasper and Lapis. After an unpleasant first encounter with Jasper, Peridot was no longer the stoic, sociopathic Manipulative Bastard she once was notorious for being. She was strong enough to not completely succumb to the submissive tendencies inherent to her kind, but Peridot was brought down harshly enough to be permanently shaken from the experience. Incidentally, this allowed Peridot to become more receptive to a Redemption Arc in the future.

Love Confessor: Peridot – albeit very indirectly – confesses to Lapis that she has a lot of feelings for Steven and is terrified of having to define their relationship, fearing life won’t ever be the same once she chooses to primarily see Steven as a friend, family member, or a soulmate. She leaves out a lot of details, but Lapis is pretty good at getting the message for the most part, so when she sees Steven and Peridot getting intimate much later in Act I (while thinking no one else is looking at them), Lapis isn’t the least bit surprised. To a lesser degree, this trope applies to Bismuth as well, as Peridot gives Bismuth an abridged version of what she confessed a couple of chapters ago moments before she and Steven are reunited.

Made of Iron: While Peridots are made to be durable, Hero Protagonist Peridot emerged as a next-level variant, as she was notably the only Peridot in her facet who didn’t experience any kind of pain when her limb enhancers were first equipped (something that normally gives Peridots, at a bare minimum, some minor discomfort – but usually visibly pains them). This aspect of Peridot was the foundation of the reputation she would gain in the future as a sociopathic Manipulative Bastard. However, her first meeting with Jasper, as revealed in This is Who I Am Chapter 3, downgraded this trope for Peridot significantly. Peridot can still take quite a bit of punishment, but she’s lost her ability to completely No-Sell her pain.

Male-to-Female Universal Adaptor: Justified, as post-ascended Peridot has the ability to shapeshift her body at will. She still had to study human anatomy thoroughly to make it accurate, of course. And Chapter 2 It’s a Birthday, Yes It Is confirms that Peridot could do it either way if she really wanted to… Steven: “So… nothing’s gonna pop out from there, right?” Peridot: “Mm… nope. Not unless you want me to. I haven’t really put that into practice, though… I’m still getting used to the fact I can shapeshift at all these days.”

Mama Bear: To Pumpkin. Everyone learns this the hard way in Chapter 8 of Act III.Manipulative Bastard: Pre-Earth Homeworld Peridot in a nutshell. Shows shades of this in Chapter 4 of Act I with her dangerously sadistic plan to capture Yellow Pearl and use her gemstone as a Skeleton Key, but that was likely invoked by Heroic Safe Mode.

Meaningful Name: Nickname, more accurately. Beyond “Chartreuse”, the only name White Diamond will address Peridot by in Act III is “Twilight” – a pet name akin to Steven’s “Starlight” designation. At first, it just seemed random and arbitrary, but just before Peridot ascends to become Chartreuse Diamond, White’s incantation indicates Peridot represents the “twilight years” of an endeavor where gems were randomly experimented upon for several thousand years. Since Peridot was one of the final gems created from Homeworld terrain, she was literally the last opportunity any Diamond had to experiment on a gem pre-emergence. Therefore, Peridot herself marks the end of an era of innocent gems being used as Unwitting Test Subjects.

Memory Gambit: Peridot thought she never had real memories of Homeworld; just feelings. Once she returns to Homeworld, Peridot regains these memories and none of them are pleasant ones. Many of them were repressed because at the time, Peridot considered them not worth remembering or not relevant to her life on Earth (under the assumption she’d never return to Homeworld). However, some of them were buried out of utter shame early on during Peridot’s redemption arc in canon.

Mental Affair: After nearly a week of torture, only to end up imprisoned within her own subconsciousness, a very exhausted Peridot (or, more accurately, the Determinator part of her) concedes to this with her idealized interpretation of Steven (who was unwittingly used to cause Peridot to get into this position to begin with). It’s implied this isn’t the first time it’s happened, and with Peridot still under the impression that she’s stuck on Homeworld forever, she’s more than ready to succumb to this as she believes this is the closest thing she’ll ever have to Steven again.

Mental Picture Projector: Post-ascension, Peridot is able to do this via her gemstone. Basically, a very convenient exposition device.

Miles to Go Before I Sleep: Even though Peridot has made peace with her strong sense of imminent death during the mission, she’s determined to at least see it through to the end no matter what happens.

Mind Rape: The only way White Diamond was able to break through Peridot’s stubborn resistance to her influence was to shock her into unconsciousness and separate the defiant part of Peridot’s personality from her mind and lock it down; this way, she would be rendered more submissive with virtually no self-confidence or self-assurance… and consequently, far easier to manipulate to White’s side. Chartreuse Diamond could barely function at first due to this and could only be restored to normal by Steven’s efforts… although doing so inadvertently made Steven suffer this trope second-hand.

Mismatched Eyes: Blue and Hazel, revealed at the end of Act I.

Supernatural Gold Eyes: A gem not in a fusion with heterochromia is the Mark of a Supernatural; specifically, an Unwitting Test Subject created with diamond dust embedded into her gem (and in Peridot’s case exclusively, a shard of Yellow Diamond).

Moment of Weakness: Has a few of these, but by far Peridot’s biggest one takes place in Chapter 2 of Act III, when after resisting White Diamond for nearly a week, Peridot finally succumbs via Delirious Misidentification when Master of Illusion White Diamond tricks Peridot into believing Steven really came back to save her. That small distraction lets White finally overwhelm and overpower her. This results in the birth of Chartreuse Diamond.

The runner-up is the moment in Chapter 7 of Act III, when Peridot (as Chartreuse) is made receptive to a forced fusion between herself and White. A simple Armor-Piercing Question about Peridot’s inability to fuse with Steven and the evidence pointing to her being little more than a Poisonous Friend to him makes her guilt-ridden and vulnerable enough to make Peridot give in, and thus Celadon Diamond is born.

More Expendable Than You: Besides acknowledging it’s her duty as The Leader to be the last one to head for the escape route even though Sapphire’s vision clearly dictates that whoever is the last to leave will ultimately fail to do so, Peridot strongly believes that out of all the Crystal Gems, she’s by far the one they can best afford to lose. This isn’t something she says in Act I, but in her messages to her friends throughout Act II, she all but outright states this to discourage them from trying to go back and rescue her.

Mortality Phobia: Even after seeing Sapphire’s vision and taking on the role as the one who will supposedly get left behind after “falling”, Peridot makes it clear she’s going to do everything in her power to avoid that fate. Throughout Act I’s final chapter, Peridot makes a point to be careful and vigilant with every step she makes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work out.

Motivational Kiss: Gives Steven one in Chapter 6 of Act I while he’s freaking out over Bismuth executing White Pearl. Doubles as a “Shut Up” Kiss.

Ms. Exposition: Justified in that she’s the only Crystal Gem who’s lived in the modern-day Homeworld and therefore best knows how things work there, where to go, and what to do in order to reach their captured friends. Peridot exposits not only about nearly every aspect of Homeworld and what life is like for the working class, but also concepts like pallification, restoration stations, and using certain gemstones as Skeleton Keys. In Act III, she’s also this for catching her friends up on what they missed with her before returning, and for White Diamond in general. Post-GA, Peridot continues to provide relevant details of Homeworld life (despite Homeworld itself no longer existing); towards the end of This is Who I Am, in tandem with 5XF, they explain the concept of natural gem reproduction, how it’s done, and why all gems have the means for this despite this method being illegal on Homeworld for almost its entire history.

Murder by Inaction: While Peridot didn’t shatter 3UI with her own hands, she not only did nothing to stop 3UI from being executed but was the one who decided 3UI should be executed in the first place. This was definitely how Peridot got much of her competition eliminated outside of that single example.

My Significant Sense is Tingling: Once she returns to Homeworld, this is invoked any time Peridot comes across a familiar location, gem, or concept that results in Déjà Vu jogging her repressed memories.

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