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astro-b-o-y-d · 5 months

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Hayley's Completely Self-Indulgent and Borderline Ridiculous Bill Cipher Playlist (Part 1)

Just gonna go for it and make a masterpost of all the songs (video links included) I've got on my Bill playlist so far.

'So far' being the key words; I've added over a hundred songs at this point and will probably add more in time. Whether it's songs I think Bill would like, songs that just remind me of Bill, the most obnoxious songs to hear on a party playlist, songs connected to the side of himself he tries to bury in lies, or songs that I'll admit are a bit of a stretch but they still remind me of Bill so I added them anyway, I've got a little bit of everything here.

I do take requests for songs to add but also don't make fun of me for some of the more obvious and basic choices because I know. I know. But also I can do whatever I want forever.

I did put some small reasons/infodumps next to each song, to explain why I picked them. Or I'll just say that it had Bill vibes to me and leave it at that.

Anyway, for anyone interested (if you actually read all my little blurbs, massive props to you), the first chunk of songs are listed below. Just a heads up, it's LONG and this is only the first part:

Mariana & The Diamonds - Oh No! - Yeah, obviously. Obviously.

Taylor Swift - Death Note ｢AMV｣ Look What You Made Me Do - I said it before, I'll say it again; Death Note AMV creators can turn water into wine and every time I watch this one, I can't stop picturing the song from the POV of a manipulative, power-hungry bastard with a God Complex. So you know, Bill. But only specifically in this context, it doesn't hit as hard without the AMV.

Fall Out Boy - Centuries - Listen to the lyrics of the chorus. That's Bill. Like...that's Bill. The rest of the song has a lot of really good Bill lyrics as well.

Scissor Sisters - I Can't Decide - Shut up. SHUT UP. I knew about the song WAY before it was ever applied to Bill. Heck, I knew about this song way before Bill even existed so SHUSH. But like, come on. Sometimes a song choice is overapplied to a character for a reason; it works.

Creature Feature - The Greatest Show Unearthed - I think my teenage self would strangle me if I didn't put at least one Creature Feature song on here. Lucky for him, I've put more than one. But the other one comes later. ...Did I add it? I should check that.

Voltaire - Land of the Dead - Speaking of teenage Hayley's tastes, time for the Voltaire songs I've definitely just added because of the 'I'm 13 and this is Deep' vibes. But also Voltaire fucks severely and every Bill playlist should have at least one of his songs on it, in my personal opinion.

Voltaire - When You're Evil - Once again, I'm 13 and this is Deep, but also tell me you can't imagine Bill singing this to himself. No, not in a sexy way in a human body who looks like Oregonian Onceler, in the edgy teenager way where you thinks you're the most evilest evil in the entire world but you're really just going through puberty and also probably transgender, but you don't know that yet.

Voltaire - Death Death (Devil, Devil, Evil, Evil, Song) - Once again, edgy teen who thinks he's the most evilest evil in the entire world (I don't think Bill is actually irredeemably, unquestionably evil, he'd just really vibe with 'Ooh I'm so evil! I'm such a bad guy!' songs).

I'm pretty sure this is the last Voltaire song for now, unless I added Brains! somewhere down the line and forgot. (Also just a mild warning but this song DOES use the f-slur, if that bugs you)

The Greatest Showman Cast - The Other Side - Sighs. Look. It's a Bill and Ford song to me. I don't even mean romantically or anything, just LISTEN to it. That's them. If there were a Gravity Falls Musical, dedicated to recreating the entire show through song and dance, the two of them meeting for the first time would have a song exactly like this. I refuse to apologize for this choice. Also a Gravity Falls musical would rule, someone should make that eventually.

Italobrothers - My Life is a Party - Just the first of my many Dragostea Din Tei choices for this playlist. I really like the original, okay? And I usually end up attached to people who try to remix it/make a new song outta it. This one has the bonus of also being a fun party song.

David Guetta, Bebe Rexha - I'm Good (Blue) - Speaking of the first choice of a song I have multiple times on this playlist in some form. I don't care what anybody says, I think this song is a lot of fun and I think Bill would have it on one of his party playlists somewhere. Probably the Nightcore version, it's a lot quicker and makes for a better fistpumping song, in my personal opinion.

Set It Off ft. William Beckett - Wolf In Sheep's Clothing - Yeah, I'm not explaining this one, you get it.

Vocaloid (made by Fukase) - ‘Cause I’m a Liar - I actually don't like this one all that much, and I can feel everyone's judgment about having a fucking Kokichi Ouma fansong on here. But the lyrics don't lie. Or...I guess they do. It's a song about being a liar, that's the joke. (Also slight content warning but the video has a lot of flashy effects, so take caution!)

Kesha - Blow - Of course we've gotta have some Kesha. There will be more. She needs no explanation.

Kesha - TiK ToK - Once again, not explaining myself. It's Kesha.

Taylor Swift -【AMV】Death Note - Blank Space - What I said about the last Death Note AMV with a Taylor Swift song. It just works so well for a manipulative guy like Bill, but only when set to Death Note specifically. Why? I have no idea, it just hits different. It's like eating crackers with cheese whiz: not a healthy or fantastic snack by any means but sometimes I just want some junk food. Except this junk food manipulates people.

Kesha - Take It Off - Once again, will not explain my Kesha choices. You understand that Bill and the Henchmaniacs would be Kesha girlies or you don't.

Neil Cicierega - It's Gonna Get Weird - Giggles. Also funny enough, I don't listen to this all that often. Dunno why.

Gravity Falls Soundtrack - Is It Bottomless - Triangulum Entagulum - I mean, yeah.

Gravity Falls Soundtrack - A Very Tricky Triangle - I mean, yeah x2. I don't care if this might be cheating, I can do what I want. But also, isn't this such a FUN instrumental? I love the music they use for him in the show SO much. It's so sinister and otherworldly. Top-notch soundtracking.

Voltaire - Brains! - Oh, hey, I did add Brains! to this. Anyway, we can tell I was a Billy and Mandy kid so I'm gonna project that onto Bill. Also I'm 90% sure this is the last Voltaire song I have on the list. For now.

Trolls 3 - Mount Rageous [Extended Edition] - This is absolutely one of my most self-indulgent picks on the list, especially because I went straight for the one that includes the Sweet Dreams part of the song (because I guess the soundtrack doesn't actually have it?)

Anyway, it's a song all about faking it to make it, sung by people who have gone on to manipulate everyone around them by using others for their own abilities. So I think I at least have SOME excuse to connect it to Bill. Maybe? Possibly? I think so. Plus it fucks and actually got me to semi-care about the Trolls films again.

Alex Hirsch - We'll Meet Again - Giggles again.

Marina and The Diamonds - Bubblegum Bitch - Insert that post about always understanding whenever someone slaps Bubblegum Bitch onto a character playlist. That character's Miss Sugar Pink Liquor Liquor Lips now. Admittedly I don't have any other real reason for it to be on here, other than its extreme levels of cunt. Maybe Bill adds it to his party mix at Pyronica's request or something. Now THERE'S a Bubblegum Bitch.

Rihanna - Disturbia - Another song that gives me Bill and Ford vibes. Pretty self-explanatory, probably. Probably?

Malia J - Smells Like Teen Spirit - I also have the original version and the Weird Al parody down further on the playlist, and I tie them all to Bill in different ways. This one's for his more ominous and sinister side, where it's like 'I'm coming and I'm not leaving :)', whereas the original touches more on the 'teen/young adult revolutionary' side of things and the Weird Al cover is just because Weird Al. Also this cover is so pretty and chilling to me.

David Guetta ft.Sia - Titanium - This one's kind of a 'I could take it or leave it on here' song, admittedly, but also it gives me pre-Second Dimension-Destruction Bill vibes, in a twisted kind of sense. Like, he feels all powerful and like nobody can stop him...as he proceeds to make the worst mistakes of his life and destroys everything he knows. Might stew on this one and potentially remove it, but it can stay for now.

Ricky Martin - Livin' La Vida Loca - I feel like this one speaks for itself. He's insane. He's cah-RAZZYYYYY. Also it's a fun party song.

Freak Kitchen - Freak of the Week - This one just fucking rules. I'll admit connecting it to Bill outside of the title is a stretch, it's more a critique on people so desperate to achieve fame and fortune that they'll go as far as putting their own lives in danger to get it, whereas Bill is more likely to put others in danger to achieve his own goals.

But also he was willing to destroy the universe with himself inside it, for the sake of the most wild party imaginable. Also, desperate to seek fame and fortune without considering the dangers necessary to get there? Could always stretch further, say it's a Bill and Ford song. Either way, I'm keeping it on the playlist.

Christina Milian - Am to Pm - I've just really liked this song since I was like, ten, and it's a fun party song. Not all of Bill's party songs have to be super annoying, sometimes they can be bops. The bops make you lower your defenses. So when he drops a What Does The Fox Say? down the line, you're completely blindsided. Yes, it will be on here.

Viva La Vida - Coldplay - A human Bill song if I ever heard one. Another fairly basic choice, but again, I don't think it's a HUGE stretch to tie it to him. Plus again, insert that Top Forty Hits quote from Dipper here. They're in the top forty for a reason, they're CATCHY.

Eurobeat Brony - Discord (Remix) - Yeah.

Alina - When You Leave [Numa Numa] [Basshunter Radio Mix] - I told you this song was going to be all over the playlist. And we still haven't gotten to the original yet. Also fun fact; there was originally another version of the song before this one, but upon a relisten I was like 'Hmm, nah, it's good but I don't know if it's got that Bill energy.' Yes, I can and do compare Dragostea Din Tei covers for my Bill Cipher playlist like I'm comparing paint swatches at Home Depot. It's that important to me.

Switchfoot - Dare You To Move - I have no excuses for putting a song from a psuedo-Christian rock band on my Bill Cipher playlist outside of the sheer nostalgia factor, and I can't even pretend it's a one-off thing because there's another one of their songs further down the list. But CONSIDER; the Axolotl singing it to him. That's all I'm going to say. I will not apologize.

BB Cooper - Blame - To me, this is one of those songs about the feelings Bill probably tries to drown in lies. I realize it's a stretch, because we know he wouldn't actually stop and self-reflect in the way that the song does.

But at the same time...I could easily see someone making an animatic set to this song with Pre-Second-Dimension-Destruction Bill at the beginning and it switches to present-day Bill for the second half. I see the vision, even if I realize Bill would try his hardest NOT to see it.

Either that or he'll interpret it as a 'You see? I'm not the villain here. My tragic past is the real reason I'm like this.' song. But you know, there's always that thin thread that's tied to his past, before everything unfolded as it did. Where at some point, he really and truly wasn't to blame. Alas.

They Might Be Giants - Particle Man - Heehee hoohoo triangle man.

Tom Cardy (ft. Montaigne) - Red Flags UNO REVERSE - I added these two in reverse order, oops. Oh, well. I feel like it adds to the chaos.

Tom Cardy (ft. Montaigne) - Red Flags - Of course. Sidenote but this song is physically impossible to sing out loud in public unless you want some WEIRD looks from people.

Hudson Mohawke - Cbat - Tell me he wouldn't love this garbage.

Circus Music - Just circus music. Because he's a massive clown.

Earth Wind & Fire - Boogie Wonderland - Just a fun song, especially for parties.

Nicki Minaj - Super Bass - It feels so wrong to think of a party mix without it, and I feel like Bill would agree.

Toby Fox - Your Best Friend and Toby Fox - Your Best Nightmare - These two are tied together in that order, for pretty obvious reasons.

Simple Plan - I'm Just A Kid - I bounced back and forth with myself before eventually taking Teenagers by MCR off the playlist. I'm not doing that with this song. It just...it feels Bill, you know?

Maybe specifically my version of him, but also can't you imagine your own version of him blasting this at the age of like, fourteen? Am I wrong? I don't feel like I'm wrong. Also I might add Teenagers back onto the list, he needs more of those angsty teen songs.

Darude - Sandstorm - It's a meme, it's funny, it'd be a blast at parties.

Flo Rida ft. Kesha - Right Round - I wouldn't count this as a Kesha song but also I could easily see them bumping it in the Fearamid.

Sia - Chandelier and Toad - Chandelier - Once again, a two-for-one special. I feel like Bill would enjoy both for various reasons. He can interpret it as just another party song, while ignoring the obvious darker implications behind the song of masking your true pain and emotions through a wild and reckless lifestyle. He'd probably love to get as literal as possible with it and try swinging from a chandelier. The Toad once is ear-splitting annoying. I think they fit

Florence and the Machine - Cosmic Love - This one is just for Mina. That's the only reason it's here.

Weird Al - Polka Face - Funny Weird Al song.

Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby - Drake suggested this one and it was right. I laughed and added it, then proceeded to get jumpscared by it when I shuffled the playlist this morning. So that was funny. Go, white boy, go.

Tim Rothrock & Jim Wise - Goofy Goober Rock - More Drake suggestions (this and the other Spongebob songs, along with a few others down the line), and this makes me smile extra hard because I've been in such a Spongebob mood lately :)

Spongebob - Jelly Fish Jam (4 Hour Edition) - Yes, the 4-hour edition specifically. If you're not jamming as much as the jellyfish did in the episode, you're doing something wrong.

Spongebob - Sweet Victory - Of course. Gotta honor the classics.

Weird Al - NOW That's What I Call Polka! - Another one of my personal favorite Weird Al polka mashups.

LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem - Would Bill be Team Party Rockers or Team Party Rock Is?

Cutting it off here because this playlist has over a hundred songs so far and I'm only at...57. How fun for me personally to stop there for the first part. Anyway, expect the next part in a bit.

#Hayley Speaks #Long Post #I'm not tagging this one; it's just for fun #Maybe I'll link it in my pinned post or smth; we'll see

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fandomanimatic-tournament · 11 months

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Are there any more songs submitted so far that look like they're gonna be a guaranteed inclusion?

Here's the full list as of right now

Multiple submissions:

"There! Right there!" (Gay or European) - The legally blonde musical

"Therefore you and me" - Hatsune Miku (Or the E ve version)

"Soldier, poet, king" - The Oh Hellos

"How far we've come" - Matchbox twenty

"The other side" - The greatest showman

"Rät" - Penelope Scott

"Little Miss Perfect" - Written by Joriah Kwamé

"My whole family..." - Bo Burnham

"The Mind Electric" - Miracle Musical

"Ready as I'll ever be" - Tangled the series

Could use more propaganda (one or two submissions, or submissions with close to no propaganda):

If an animatic song you really like is in this category there is no need for you to submit it again if you have no propaganda, it will most likely be in. You can use the form to submit propaganda for them or you can wait until the bracket is revealed to submit propaganda for the specific poll it's in on the ask box (preferable for me ahah).

If the bracket isn't symmetrical on all sides there's a small possibility some of the lesser-known songs of this category could get chopped lol.

"Blue lips" - Regina Spektor

"Honey, I'm home" - Ghost and pals

"Brave as a Noun" - AJJ the band

"This is Home" - Cavetown

"No children" - The mountain goats (This one has multiple submissions but all the propaganda is a variation of 'I'ts no children, come on' or 'you'll probably have too much propaganda by now so I'm not writing any' and I find that extremely funny)

"My ordinary life" - The Living Tombstone

"Ordinary" - Written by Joriah Kwamé

"Villain" - Stella Jang

"I wish you liked girls" - Abbey Glover / "I wish you liked boys" - Cover by Jasper Isaac

"A Crow's Trial" (A [blank]'s trial) - Vane

"Hey brother" - Avicii

"OrderMade" - RADWIMPS

"Rewrite the Stars" - The greatest showman

"Allies or Enemies" - The Crane Wives

"Stronger than you" - Steven Universe

"Anything you can do" - Annie get your Gun

"Love like you" - Steven Universe

"Fish in a birdcage (Rule #4)" - Fish in a birdcage

"Tongues & Teeth" - The Crane Wives

"Open up your eyes" - My little Pony

"Everything stays" - Adventure time

"Curses" - The Crane Wives

"Escapism" - Steven Universe

"Devil's Train" - The Lab Rats

"Lemon Boy" - Cavetown

"How bad can I be?" - The lorax

"Oh No!" - Marina & The Diamonds

"My R" - KurageP / cover by Rachie

"Emperor's New Clothes" - Panic! at the disco

"Father" - The front bottoms

"Little lion man" (Not your fault) - Mumford & Sons

"Under my Skin" - Jukebox the Ghost

"Saint Bernard" - Lincoln

"Evelyn Evelyn" - Evelyn Evelyn

"No matter what" - Steven Universe

"W.I.T.C.H." - Devon Cole

"Cabinet man" - Lemon Demon

"When you're evil" - Voltaire

"Touch Tone Telephone" - Lemon Demon

"Left Brain, Right Brain" - Bo Burnham

"I won't say (I'm in love)" - Hercules

"You're gonna go far, kid" - The Offspring

"Ikanaide" - Mafumafu

"Turn the lights off" - Tally Hall

"Crush" - Tessa Violet

"oo is a receiver" ([blank] is a receiver) - Hatsune Miku

"I do adore" - Mindy Gledhill

"Self-inflicted Achromantic" - Hatsune Miku / Cover by JubyPhonic

"I'm the bad guy" - Wonder Over Yonder / Caleb Hyles cover

"Line without a hook" - Ricky Montgomery

"You'll be back" - Hamilton

"Promiseland" - MIKA

"Runs in the family" - Amanda Palmer

"Boys will be bugs" - Cavetown

"Who are you, really?" - Mikky Ekko

"Feelings are fatal" - mxmtoon

"I Know Those Eyes / This Man is Dead" - Thomas Borchert

"Once Upon a December" - Anastasia

"Achilles Come Down" ([blank] Come Down) - Gang of Youths

"Charlie's Inferno" ([Blank]'s Inferno) - That Handsome Devil

"I cut myself" (Shaving) - Talkshow Boy

"Goodbye" (Look who's inside again) - Bo Burnham

"Kiss me, Son of God" - They Might Be Giants

"Your stupid face" - Kayden Makay

"Nowhere King" - Centaurworld

"Sincerely, Me" - Dear Evan Hansen

"Wine Red" - The Hush Sound

"Everything At Once" - Lenka

"Good for you" - Dear Evan Hansen

"The Bro Duet" - Moment by moment musical (by Alexander Sage Oyen)

"Cupid" - Jack Stauber

"Eight Wonder" - Lemon demon

"It's tough to be a god" - Road to El Dorado

"Are You Satisfied?" - Marina and the Diamonds

"My time" - Bo en

"Pad Thai" - Jack Stauber

"Poison" - Cavetown

"Butch 4 Butch" (My sweetheart's piano) - Rio Romeo

"It Took Me By Surprise" (The anger in his eyes) - Maria Mena

"You, Me and Steve" (You, Me and [Blank] / Your best friend Steve / Your best friend [Blank]) - Garfunkel And Oates

"This guy is in love with you, pare" - Chito Miranda (and my friend is incredibly offended nobody submitted this one)

"Hayloft II" - Mother mother

"I know I'm a Wolf" - Young Heretics

"Hurts Like Hell" - Fleurie

"Poor unfortunate souls" - The little Mermaid

"When He Sees Me" - Waitress the Musical

"Christmas Kids" - Roar

"The dismemberment song" - Blue Kid

"The Moon Will Sing" - The Crane Wives

"Never love an anchor" - The Crane Wives

"Ghosting" - Mother Mother

"Two Birds" - Regina Spektor

"Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" - Set It Off

"A Sadness Runs Through Him" - The Hoosiers

I can't decide" ([Blank] can't decide) - Scissor Sisters

Limbo

I'll hold preliminary polls for them to see if they get in if I need spaces to make the bracket have the same amount of matches on every side. The amount of how many will get in will be decided by how many songs are needed once the submissions close. If too many songs are needed I'll chop some of the least popular songs from the "could use more propaganda" category instead.

You can submit propaganda for why they should get in if you want, but have in mind there's a small possibility it might not be used at all

"Don't you dare forget the sun" - Get Scared

"Lover boy" (Good old fashioned lover boy) - Queen

"Blonde Boyz" - Cyndago

"Seventeen" - Heathers the Musical

"Drop pop Candy" - REOL / English cover by Kuraiinu and JubyPhonic

"Rolling girl" - Hatsune Miku

"The Ballad of Sara Berry" - 35mm: A Musical Exhibition

"Painted smile" - Madame Macabre

"Willow Tree March" - The Paper Kites

"This is war" - Thirty seconds to Mars

"Say my name" - The Beetlejuice musical

"Sugar Song to Bitter Step" - UNISON SQUARE GARDEN (Blood Blockade Battlefront ending)

"Nobody" - Mitski

"Beautiful" - Heathers the Musical

"Again" - Araki

"Baby Hotline" - Jack Stauber

"REVIVED" - Derivakat

"Jubilee Line" - Wilbur Soot

"Pork Soda" - Glass Animals

"Mr. Blue Sky" - ELO

"A thousand years" - Christina Perri

"Mamma Mia" - ABBA

"Best Worst Mistake" - If/then: A New Musical

"Sk8er Boi" - Avril Lavigne

"The Phoenix" - Fall Out Boy

"Why is my song not anywhere?"

Either it was an animation meme/AMV Edit/MAP instead of an actual animatic thing, most animatics are vents / not fandom or OC-related, the song is literally 20 seconds long, or it didn't have enough animatics for me to count it. With this in mind, if you think there's been a mistake or that I accidentally skipped it (or that a song is in the wrong category) feel free to tell me so in the ask box.

The songs in limbo are exceptions because of any of these reasons:

there's a specific animatic/animation with the song that is so iconic for a fandom that it could get in even if it doesn't have the animatic amount required

The song reaches the amount required, and it has never been properly referred to as an animation meme, but a lot of the animatics are the exact same format (like an animation meme)

The song has a lot of animatics, but I could barely find any that were not animatics of the source material

The song is more popular as an animation meme, but also has some animatics

The propaganda provided was just good enough for me to give it a chance, even if they don't have the animatic amount required

I'm including all songs that check the criteria I have not had time to check the lyrics of all the songs I don't know, I've only checked that they have enough animatics; so just in case: I'll check everything when submissions close, don't worry. Feel free to tell me in the ask box, but have in mind that I'm only taking the song itself into account, not the artist, so please don't flood my inbox with the artist's entire crime list.

#throws up and dies #the list is long folks #tournament questions #long post #adding this to the pinned post augh

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chiyoda-division2 · 4 months

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“Truly, whoever is able to make you absurd is able to make you unjust.” —Voltaire

…

…?

Introduction ♦️

Aimé Usagiri (兎理エメ) is Wonder⇓anD Sound Systems’s Chief Operations Officer, he was the one running the company while Fusao was away for 8 years. Unbeknownst to many, he is also the 4th member of Fusao’s team for unknown motives.

He considers himself as Chiyuri’s chaperone not long after picking him up.

Link to picrew used

Appearance

Aimé is a taller than average middle-aged man, though he kept most of his looks from his younger days despite his age (p.s. the wrinkles on his eyes are more prominent than how it’s shown in the picrew), he is of a light tan complexion. He has albinism, giving him white hair and red eyes, these eyes hidden behind a pair of rectangular glasses. His messy white hair is cut down to his neck and he has bangs partially covering his right eye. There is a beauty mark at the upper left corner of his mouth. At the back of his neck is a tattoo of a queen chess piece, this is hidden by his hair.

There’s a noticeable scar at the back of his right hand right in between the knuckles of his middle and ring fingers, according to him it was from a stab.

Aimé is typically seen in a white dress shirt, a black vest and a cerulean colored tie, white dress pants and black shoes. Draped upon his shoulders is a white overcoat whose inner part contain a black and white diamond checker pattern. His company ID is fastened on the breast pocket of his vest.

Name Meaning

Aimé - in French, meaning beloved/love

Usagi (兎) - Rabbit

Ri (理)- Reason, logic

Nicknames and Aliases

MIRAGE BLANC

Shirou - Host name

Buddy - Fusao

Your Majesty (Sarcastic), fuckass - Raiden

White Rabbit/White ‘Queen’

Biographical Info

Gender - Male

Age - 49

Birthday - September 22

Star Sign - Virgo

Ethnicity - French-Japanese

Hair Colour - White

Eye Colour - Wine Red

Height - 6'0

Markings - Stab scar on his right hand, queen chess piece tattoo at the nape

Piercings - He is not wearing any, but there are holes implying he used to have them on lobes, helices, and conch

Family -

Mother

Biological Father (unknown)

Stepfather

Younger half sister (unknown)

Nephew?

A pair of rabbits

Voice Claim: Makoto Furukawa

Fun Facts

Occupation - Chief Operations Officer; secretary

Division - Chiyoda

Favourite Food - Champagne

Least Favourite Food - Carrots

Likes - Champagne, darts, gambling, things in order, the moon

Dislikes - His little sister, Raiden, The fact that Chiyuri looks like his sister, vegetables, his bad sense of time

Personality

Aimé is a stark contrast compared to his colleagues, being stoic and passive-aggressive. He is more uptight around Wonder⇓anD’s employees and others often read that as him being haughty. Although that is true, he does care about them and would offer them any help whenever they need it, even when he carries a threatening face.

Outside work, he’s infamously known to be a gambling addict as during days off, he’s almost always seen in a casino, it’s not that he plays for the money but rather the thrill and could care less about his losses, this comes off as a surprise to many considering his usual strict demeanor.

Nonetheless, even outside work, Aimé never lets his guard down easily. Even in his casino persona, he is quite threatening when looked at the wrong way and doesn’t hesitate to use his status against others who happen to provoke him.

He is just as enigmatic as his buddy, being even more tight around his own secrets, like how and why he picked up Chiyuri to the company. Could it be that he knows something about the young man that others don’t? or…

Trivia

His birthday is Michael Faraday’s birthday, who is known for inventing the first electrical motor

His MC Name translates to White Mirage, whatever that could mean

He was with the rest of the team during the recording of the first album but Fusao and Raiden drown him out on the group songs, much to his dismay

He’s known Fusao for a long time

He knows that Nishio finds Raiden “fascinating” and finds that absurd

He has contact with a certain “abandoned umbrella”, somehow

Sometimes, he is seen with Dice Arisugawa of Shibuya at casinos together

Because he frequently drinks, he tends to get late, yet he still gets the job done somehow

#hypmic #hypmic oc #hypnosis mic #hypnosis mic oc #chiyoda division #kurune inc.#happy 4th guy leaks #4th member jumpscare #mini profile #fucking hell #aimé usagiri

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andrewmoocow · 8 months

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Steven Universe Snake Eyes chapter 6: Folie a Deux (originally published on October 2, 2023)

AN: And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. We've been building up to this for two years now, but at long last, Steven and Black Rutile finally go head-to-head once again. And this time, there will be nothing holding them back in their fight to the death, except for their own inner demons. Steven refuses to fight and kill for entertainment but deep down, he's resisting the urge to go all out. Meanwhile, Black Rutile is incredibly eager to kill Steven once and for all, but that doesn't stop her from having her own second thoughts about everything. This, I believe, makes their dynamic so well-written, though I might be bragging here since I was the one who created it. But enough stroking my ego, we're officially at the halfway point of Snake Eyes now, so let's begin!

Synopsis: Steven and Black Rutile have their long-awaited rematch. Meanwhile, Nosiop begins his plot for universal conquest.

Cast:

Zach Callison as Steven

Noël Wells as Black Rutile

Estelle as Garnet

Michaela Dietz as Amethyst

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl

Tom Scharpling as Greg

Grace Rolek as Connie

Jennifer Paz as Lapis

Shelby Rabara as Peridot

Uzo Aduba as Bismuth

Kimberly Brooks as Jasper

Lauren Ash as White Topaz

Della Saba as Aquamarine

Charlyne Yi as Eyeball

Christine Pedi as Holly Blue

Casey Lee Williams as Cat's Eye

Aurelio Voltaire as King Cobralan Jormagundr

Jason Marsden as Prince Nosiop Jormagundr

Keith David as Pyth

Shirley Millner as Queen Constricta Jormagundr

Henry Rollins as Captain Boa

Neil Flynn as Aescul

Patti LuPone as Yellow Diamond

Lisa Hannigan as Blue Diamond

Christine Ebersole as White Diamond

Ron Perlman as Inner Steven

Christopher Lloyd as Batsputin Vosania

Anna Akana as Dionna of the Sands

Peter Stormare as Reximillian

"Okay ladies, everyone into your cells!" one of the Bismuth guards at Revanche 666 yelled as the Rutile Rebels were ordered to their assigned prison cells in the aftermath of their attempted takeover of Little Homeworld. "This will be your home for as long as it takes for you to change your ways and finally accept that you lost."

"So that's how it is, huh?" Black Rutile muttered as she glumly sat down in her cell and gazed at her feet. Everything she had worked so hard from the moment Steven came out as the so-called son of Pink Diamond was all made entirely pointless once again. And even worse, it wasn't even Steven who ruined her plans this time, but instead his disgusting human friends. That was one of many things she hated about Steven. Despite how toxic he was towards others, Steven always knew how to gather allies, whether they were former enemies he convinced would agree with him or simple-minded creatures he could mold into his slaves.

Of course, Black Rutile wasn't any better, but at least she knew how evil she was and loved it. But now, her love of manipulating others to her whims had been used against her thanks to some choice words by the Crystal Gems to turn her allies' collective backs on her. And now, as she heard her subordinates converse among themselves, Black Rutile had one question to ask herself.

"Is this still worth it?"

"Status update on the Diamonds?" a Slytherophidian scientist said to his lab assistant as the pair watched over three massive gems in an equally large containment field meant to house the ginormous Diamonds they would soon reform into.

"Their vitals are normal, Dr. Heller." The female Slytherophidian said, gazing down at a tablet documenting the Diamonds' statistics. "They should return to their normal forms within a few minutes."

"Excellent work, Dr. Mercer." Dr. Heller said before the two scientists turned to find Aescul walking into the laboratory. "Oh, hello Aescul. Need anything?"

"Yes, I'm gonna need you two to leave for a bit so I can have a little privacy with our giant guests here." Aescul stated. "They're gonna need some catching up to do."

"Understood, sir." Dr. Heller said as he and his assistant left Aescul alone in the lab, just as the Diamonds regenerated their forms and found themselves in the containment unit.

"Oh, what happened?" Yellow groaned as she slowly regained consciousness from her fight with the Metals. "Where are those Metals?"

"Where are we? Some kind of laboratory?" Blue asked while looking around and tapping on the glass.

"You are exactly right, my Diamond-y friend," Aescul stated. "Hi, my name's Aescul. I'm a Slytherophidian spy who participated in the surveillance of your people and brought your little friend Steven to your planet. Nice to meet you guys."

"Hello there, Mr. Aescul." White Diamond politely greeted the spy in a somewhat awkward fashion. "Would you mind telling us where we are and why we're here?"

"Oh yeah, that." Aescul nodded. "You took quite a beating against the Metals, and I just wanted to see if you'll be alright in time for Steven's big fight with Black Rutile."

"Whose big fight with what?!" Yellow yelled in shock.

"Oh no, Steven!" Blue added, just as horrified at the decision, while Aescul remained stoic.

"Please, you must tell your masters to change this decision at once!" White begged Aescul on her knees like her life depended on it. "You have no idea how much Black Rutile hates our dear Steven!"

"Sorry, everybody, but rules are rules," Aescul said as he turned to leave. "You know, I can let you go so you're free to watch, ladies. You just need to keep your mouths shut since everybody hates you so much. Remember that cover-up?"

"Yes, we convinced the universe at large that all the planets we conquered were uninhabited to hide the fact that we committed genocide, we know," Yellow stated dryly as the Diamonds were released from their confinement. "I don't think I want to know how Steven would react to such news."

"Probably not well at all." White nodded fearfully while Aescul led them out of the lab. Little did they know was that Steven was having his own issues at the moment.

Meanwhile, Steven anxiously paced back and forth in the Crystal Gems' quarters at the Ouraborium as he contemplated what he had heard earlier. Queen Constricta had just announced that Steven and Black Rutile were due to fight soon in the arena, their first one-on-one battle since Black Rutile invaded the beach house while the Gems were in Los Diego. A lot has changed since the two last fought, but one thing that remained a constant was that Black Rutile utterly hated him and wanted every opportunity she got to knock him down a peg.

"Well, well, well, look who's all ready for his big day." Black Rutile declared sarcastically as she entered the room to speak with Steven one last time. "Don't get cold feet, old friend. The Slytherophidians wouldn't like that. Then again, they already hate you as is."

"So, what brings you here?" Steven said tepidly. "Want to gloat some more before we fight?"

"Quit reading my mind!" Black Rutile laughed before offering her archenemy a high-five. "Give me five!" Steven didn't answer, causing Black Rutile to high-five herself instead. "But in addition, I come here to inform you of a new plan I've come up with in cooperation with a new acquaintance I've made here with similar designs for the universe as I."

"Who are you talking about?" Steven asked quietly.

"I am, of course, talking about Prince Nosiop Jormagundr." Black Rutile stated. "You'll get to meet him soon, of course, but for now, to give you an idea of what we have planned." She played a holographic image of a tall, humanoid figure looming over the Crystal Gems and zapping them into poofing before the Gems reformed, looking like they had just emerged from a Kindergarten. "Nosiop and the rest of the royal family have connections with a being known as the Lapidarist that can revert all Gemkind into their base programming." She explained. "Meaning that we won't just force the Crystal Gems into being returned to what they were originally created to do, but the Diamonds and all of your little friends too! And maybe as a bonus, you might fall victim to the Lapidarist's powers too, thanks to you possessing good ol' Pink Diamond's gem."

"I knew you would do something like this to get your way!" Steven screamed angrily. "You're a monster!"

"Oh, I'm a monster. I haven't heard that one before." Black Rutile replied with a cross of her arms and a roll of her eyes. "What are you going to do about it? Shatter me? Oh wait, you can't because you're a pacifist! No, pacifist might be too kind for you. You can't shatter me because you're a coward."

"I am not!" Steven yelled back, only for Black Rutile to shut him up with a finger to his lips.

"Oh sure, try and deny it all you want, but let me make one thing clear." Black Rutile stated. "All of this was your fault. All of your friends were abducted by these snake people all because they've been watching you for months on end, and now they're all going to die because you don't want to fight!"

"But that's the idea." Steven tried to explain himself. "I told the king that I refuse to kill people for the entertainment of others, something I'm sure you would love to do."

"Oh sure, even the king is patting you on the back for your cowardice." Black Rutile sneered as she prepared to leave. "But remember that next we meet, you and the other Crystal Gems will finally learn your place under my heel."

"I'll see you in the ring." Steven said as Black Rutile left the room. Once again, she was plotting her revenge, but this time, her plan would involve transforming all Gems into her slaves, the Crystal Gems included. Steven couldn't stand for this. As much as he wanted to stay true to his guns, Black Rutile needed to be stopped once and for all, no matter what it would take.

"I said I've had enough of your bullying, Black Rutile," Steven yelled as soon as he heard another pair of footsteps approach him. "I'll see you in the ring!"

"I'm not Black Rutile, but I still think we need to talk about her," Greg replied in a firm yet gentle and fatherly tone while sitting beside his son.

"Please don't tell me she convinced you I'm a monster." Steven prayed that his beloved father wouldn't betray him.

"What, no?! I would never think such horrible things about my son!" Greg exclaimed. "Black Rutile's a monster, and your kindness aside, anyone else would've wanted to put her down for good with no remorse."

"Then I don't understand why you're talking to me when you barely know her," Steven responded.

"It would be the logical move, the safest move, the sensible move," Greg added.

"But?" Steven asked.

"It's not the Steven move. You trust people. You give them second chances, and they live up to your expectations the best they can." Greg explained. "I mean, Lapis, Peridot, Jasper, Bismuth, Spinel, the Diamonds, White Topaz, they all wanted you dead or out of the way, yet you believed they deserved a chance anyways."

"And here comes Black Rutile to refuse a second chance and live up to how evil she can be." Steven muttered disdainfully.

"No one can deny all the horrible things she did." Greg agreed with his half-human son. "I mean, she formed an entire terrorist organization to get revenge on you AND tried to destroy or conquer Earth multiple times!"

"But now she and Nosiop are plotting to reset the entire Gem race and use them to conquer the universe!" Steven exclaimed.

"True. And if I had your powers, I'd use them to take her down if I had no other option." Greg shook his head in agreement. "But I never thought I'd live to see you consider doing the same. You always find a way."

"Not this time." Steven declared as he got off the couch. "I've had to do a lot of growing up ever since I discovered my powers."

"And you did pretty great despite all you endured." Greg smiled pridefully, remembering all the ups and downs he and his son went through together as Steven grew up.

"For a while. But then I kept letting her get in my head and making me live up to her expectations. It's because of her that I had to leave everyone behind!" Steven exclaimed angrily, only for Greg to not answer him. "Aren't you going to argue with me?"

"Not when you're right, Schtu-ball," Greg replied somberly, knowing what Steven would do next.

"I've had fun, but I knew that when the situation gets serious, so would I!" Steven added.

"I'm not gonna argue with you, Steven," Greg said, not wanting to get into a fight with Steven. "I just wanted to make sure you really thought about this."

"I have, Dad. I'm sorry about what I'm going to do to Black Rutile; I really am." Steven replied firmly as he turned around and prepared to leave for the arena, his eyes briefly glowing a faint pink. "But I'm not a bright-eyed little kid singing songs about ice cream anymore. Playtime's over."

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, you've been waiting for this fight for ages now, but at long last, the moment has arrived!" King Cobralan announced to his cheering audience. "In this corner, you know him; you absolutely hate him, Steven Universe!"

As Steven marched out into the arena, he was met with booing and insults from the Slytherophidians, who were eager to see him killed in action. At the same time, the Crystal Gems could only watch helplessly as their human son was forced to fight against his will.

"Please do your best, Steven." Pearl silently prayed for Steven's survival.

"What are the odds of him making out of this alive, Garnet?" Amethyst asked the fusion.

"I'm calculating a 32.33% chance of Steven making this out with perfect mental health," Garnet replied, lowering her shades. "Repeating, of course."

"Well, that's better than he usually does," Jasper added.

"And in this corner, the Striking Shadow of the Rebellion, the leader of the Rutile Rebels, the little Rutile that could, the most wanted criminal known to Gemkind, BLAAAAACK RUTIIIILE!" The Slytherophidians celebrated Black Rutile's introduction, a stark contrast to how Steven was received, as Black Rutile strutted into the arena with her sword over her shoulder.

"You know what shall happen once I win this, right?" Black Rutile snidely asked Steven as she drew her sword. "You shall die, and there will be much rejoicing." To emphasize her point, Aquamarine and Eyeball gave a dry "Yay." from afar.

"I know, but I'm willing to try." Steven said as he nervously summoned his shield to defend himself as Black Rutile furiously charged at her archenemy and tried to stab him with her sword. Throughout the first part of the fight, Steven mainly defended himself with the shield from Black Rutile's attacks, all while she vented her frustrations and insecurities on him.

"Haha, you're just blocking!" Black Rutile laughed. "Typical Steven, never once raising a fist even if his life depended on it! You're just like your mother, just as weak and pathetic a brat as she was!"

"Seriously, pressing the mother button again?!" Steven yelled before he finally decided to throw a punch, but Black Rutile effortlessly caught it and threw him to the ground.

"Oh, what's the matter, little boy?" Black Rutile taunted. "Going to cry? Maybe soil yourself in front of hundreds?"

"So this is going to be our battle?" Steven muttered frustratedly. "Just you making speech after speech in between insulting me? Trust me, if I wanted to hear someone talk about themselves all day, I'd spend time with Peridot or Jasper."

"You know I can hear you, Steven!" Peridot yelled in offense before Jasper pushed her away.

"Come on, Steven, destroy her!" Jasper ordered Steven.

"No, this isn't just a battle. It's a message." Black Rutile replied while holding back tears of rage and sorrow. "A message about how you ruined countless lives with your worthless pacifism, but none more than mine. Before I met you, I was the ideal servant! Proud, ruthless, ruling by intelligence and charisma alone! Under my gentle guidance, entire armies of Gems made civilizations tremble before the Diamonds' might! But then you came along, a mere human boy from a pathetic little ball of dirt thought long abandoned by the Diamonds, a boy who stripped me of my honor and pride that I built my entire identity upon. It was at your hands that I suffered my greatest defeats and was forced to live life as a commoner after giving up everything I had worked for. You could not begin to imagine the disgrace I felt when I was exposed as a mere victim of White Diamond's sense of humor in front of everyone on your world!"

"But you still don't understand!" Steven exclaimed as he got back up and smacked Black Rutile in the face with his shield, making her tears fly free as she parried another attack and pressed her sword against the shield. "You were this way because the Diamonds gave you everything you could've ever wanted, and you still selfishly wanted more! Has it ever occurred to you that you're more like Pink Diamond than you think?!"

Angered by this accusation, Black Rutile slashed at Steven's shield as she began crying in earnest, something that Steven had never seen her do before, if she could even express such sadness at all. "Don't you dare compare me to that overgrown brat! I had suffered for centuries because of her, and now it's because of you that I lost everything!" she screamed tearfully. "I admired the Diamonds so much, but it's all their fault I'm reduced to a shell of my former self! Why do I have to keep chasing after a damned half-human rat who always knew what to do to ruin my life?! Why do you keep getting so strong and winning at everything, and even be acknowledged by the Diamonds as one of them, but why was I the one always getting pushed aside?! Why can't you just accept me for who I am?!"

Steven couldn't believe what he was seeing. Black Rutile, who had prided herself as a cunning, devious, opportunistic, sociopathic monster, was showing real sadness for the first time ever since they first met each other on that faithful day when she and White Topaz interviewed him for their fake news show. Everyone has seen Black Rutile laugh, but now Steven isn't sure if anyone has ever seen her cry.

However, Black Rutile quickly brushed her tears away and replaced her crestfallen frown with a psychotic grin. "But now, with Nosiop and the Lapidarist by my side, I can start anew with a new army, a new Homeworld to rule, and an entire universe at my fingertips to enslave! That's why I needed to come with you, to seize the opportunity like I always do! The Lapidarist shall free us of these petty attachments we have forged with each other, and I have to say, revenge feels pretty good."

"Not yet." Steven firmly stated as he stood his ground and awaited another attack from his nemesis.

"Too little, too late. Story of our lives, Steven Universe." Black Rutile smirked as her sadness turned into insane laughter as she lunged at Steven, ready to kill him once and for all.

"So, is this what Black Rutile is truly like?" Dionna of the Sands asked as she and the other Universal Lords watched the fight between the half-human son of Pink Diamond and the rebellious Rutile below their theater box. "I have only heard stories about her atrocities before now."

"Nay, as someone whose life was threatened by her before, this is utterly new to me." Batsputin added with a curious shake of his head. "Never before have I seen someone pour their heart out this much. Metaphorically, of course."

"It is extraordinary to see a Gem act this way." Reximillian agreed with Batsputin. "Is it normal for one of their race to be this emotional?"

"I'm not too sure." King Cobralan answered fearfully. "I'm afraid that should Steven Universe survive this, there should come a time for him to learn the truth."

"The truth about what, my love?" Queen Constricta asked.

"The truth about the origins of Gems and how they connect to us," Cobralan told his wife, making Constricta realize what her husband was talking about. "Captain Boa, inform our special friend at once."

"It shall be done, sire." Captain Boa said as he slithered away. "And I'll make sure to look for Princess Naja and Pyth as well. No one has seen them lately."

"Don't bother, Captain." Nosiop told Boa as he took a break from silently cheering for Black Rutile to face his uncle. "Naja is just in her room, nothing too serious. As for Pyth, wouldn't you like to know?"

While the Contest of Champions was going on, Pyth had retreated into his favorite hidden chambers within the royal family's castle with a torch in hand to search for something he hadn't checked up on in decades. Raising his torch to the wall, the Jormagundrs' royal vizier examined a series of stone wall carvings depicting what could come in the future.

They displayed images depicting what appeared to be figures resembling Steven and Black Rutile fighting each other in the arena, then shaking hands, followed by the two of them facing a large humanoid figure with hair resembling White Diamond's, and then them preparing to fight an even bigger snake creature.

"It is just as the prophecy foretold." Pyth stated ominously. "The sword and the shield shall soon reach an understanding after the shield learns of the sword's true inner self, just in time for Ragnarok."

"Dang, Black Rutile is really going all out." Greg muttered in surprise at Black Rutile's emotional outburst. "Never expected her to be that broken."

"She's lying, I just know it!" Connie yelled as she struggled to rush out into the arena and back up Steven against Black Rutile. "Black Rutile would never say something like that; she has to be faking it!"

"Connie, please calm down!" Pearl said while holding Connie back from recklessly charging into battle. "I know you love Steven, but I think he can handle himself here."

"Still, I've never seen Black Rutile like this before." White Topaz added. "I've been working with her for ages, and even I don't think she would get this emotional."

"Maybe it's because of how Steven ruined her life." Aquamarine said as she fluttered into view, with Eyeball, Holly Blue, and Cat's Eye beside her. "Think of it: she is only now venting all of her frustrations because, in this world, violence is both the only question and the answer."

"And the answer is yes!" Eyeball added cheerfully.

"Ugh, these guys." Lapis groaned in disgust. "What'll it take for you just to give up already?"

"In all seriousness, even we're questioning our loyalty to Black Rutile right now." Holly Blue declared. "We're so sick of her complaining about her losing; we almost selected a superior leader to replace her!"

"But unfortunately, Black Rutile and his new friend had to come in and ruin our fun!" Cat's Eye declared dramatically and swooned into Holly Blue's arms. "Now we are well and truly lost!"

"I'll believe it when I see it, drama queen." Jasper scoffed in disbelief as everyone turned back to watch the fight with bated breath. The battle between Steven and Black Rutile had just gotten more intense than ever, escalating from a duel between rivals to a clash of warriors. But who would make it out of this fight alive was left to the viewers.

"What's wrong, boyo? Too scared to keep fighting?!" Black Rutile snarled viciously as she threw her bowie knife at Steven's eye, only for him to block it with his shield and accidentally injure a Slytherophidian in the audience. "Oh, I get it; you want to go easy on me because you think I'm just so scared and misunderstood!"

"I know what you're going through, Black Rutile. There was a time when I felt scared and alone, too!" Steven exclaimed as he continued fighting back. "Of course, that was half because you made me feel like everything I did was for nothing!"

"Everything you did was for nothing, you pink brat!" Black Rutile responded as she jumped into the air and tried attacking Steven from behind. However, something began to change within Steven in the seconds before she would land the finishing blow.

"You're really just going to stand there and let her kill you?" a familiar voice in Steven's head asked. "Do you give up? Will you abandon their hope? Can you not feel their desperation?" Steven's eyes lit up in shock as the world around him froze, the only ones moving being himself and a being who looked just like him, only more muscular with pink skin and his hair in a pompadour. "Will evil forever rule the universe? HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN?!"

"You again!" Steven yelled at Inner Steven, facing him. "What do you want with me now? What have I forgotten?"

"I'm asking if you've forgotten what it means to stand up for yourself." Inner Steven said, turning Steven around to face Black Rutile, ready to stab him in the back. "Tell me, my friend, are you ready to surrender and let a monster like her claim the victory she craved for so long?"

"But what if she isn't a monster?" Steven asked his darker half. "Fighting her has given me a whole new perspective on Black Rutile as a person. She feels so lost and alone, and it's all my fault. Maybe if she stopped trying to kill me for a minute, maybe we can finally talk things out!"

"Oh please, she's probably lying as always to play with your sympathy." Inner Steven shook his head in disgust before he got an idea. "As a matter of fact, why don't I take the wheel for a bit? I've been wanting some action for a long time now."

"Well, if that's what you want, then by all means," Steven sighed in resignation before stepping away to let Inner Steven take hold. "go get her, tiger."

"You're too kind, my little friend." Inner Steven grinned happily as time resumed to normal, and Black Rutile was about to stab Steven in the back. However, she was quickly met with Steven grabbing her sword by the blade, not caring about the injuries to his hand it would cause, before saying one word in a very deep voice. "FALL!"

Steven's increased volume sent Black Rutile flying back into the arena walls, creating a significant dent in the wall as the Slytherophidians gawked at Steven's sudden change. Not even the two hecklers had any wisecracks to make because of how shocking this was.

"W-what is this?" Black Rutile stuttered in shock at this new development. "Who are you?! Where is Steven?!"

"He's gone." Steven, now under the control of Inner Steven, declared as his body became a pink silhouette with glowing white eyes and a pair of shields in his hands.

"What did you just say?!" Black Rutile shouted. "Answer me!"

"He's GOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!" Steven boomed loud enough to create a shockwave that rocked the Ouraborium and the entire surrounding city, causing everybody inside to fall over from the sudden yell.

"Wait, this is just like when I removed his gem!" White exclaimed hopefully while the other Diamonds trembled in fear. "If this is anything like that time, then Black Rutile is toast!"

"Steven, you can't do that!" Black Rutile yelled angrily. "This victory is mine!" With an angry battle cry, the Rutile charged at Steven with her sword, ready to kill, only to be grabbed by the face and slammed into the ground. "What happened to you, Steven?! Why are you like this? Answer me, blast you!"

"This is what happens when I cut loose and show you how powerful I really am." Steven announced before picking Black Rutile up and throwing her to the sky before zipping towards the airborne Gem with superhuman speed and striking her with everything he's got. "ATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA-OWATTA!"

"Make it stop, make it stop!" Black Rutile screeched as she felt every last bit of hatred Steven had for her with every attack. But no matter how much she wanted to, she could never poof from the amount of damage she was taking, almost as if Steven wanted her to suffer all the pain she wrought upon others.

As Black Rutile landed on the ground in a cloud of dust while Steven descended from the air, the only thing she could do now was plead for mercy. "No more, Steven Universe! Grant me mercy, I beg of you!"

"You, who are without mercy, now plead for it?" Steven scoffed in disgust at Black Rutile's attempted surrender. "I thought you were made of sterner stuff."

"That's what you think!" Black Rutile briefly regained her bravado and drew her sword, but Steven deflected the attack with his twin shields before grabbing the blade and twisting it into a corkscrew shape.

"No need to wonder where your god is, Black Rutile, for he is right here." Steven declared menacingly, his threat sending shivers down the audience's spines. "And he is fresh out of mercy."

"Oh, how cute, he thinks he's a-." Black Rutile chuckled before she realized what Steven was about to do. "OH SHIT!" With another punch to the face, Black Rutile skidded to the ground so hard she was almost buried within Serpentes's surface. As she burst one hand out of the arena's floor to pick herself back up, Steven stepped on her face, and Black Rutile was forced back into the hole.

"This is where you belong, Black Rutile. Under. My. Heel." Steven coldly declared as Black Rutile continued trying to escape. "Had enough yet?"

"You know what? I give up." Black Rutile said, causing Steven to stop stomping on her as she exited the hole and onto her knees. "Go ahead, kill me. Kill me now." Steven was silent, as if he was hesitating to put her down. "DO IT!"

"FINISH HER! FINISH HER! FINISH HER! FINISH HER!" the Slytherophidians chanted as they beckoned the empowered Steven to shatter Black Rutile just as Steven returned to his senses and realized what he had just done.

"No!" Steven boldly declared upon regaining his humanity. "I refuse to kill someone who's already dead inside as is!" The Slytherophidians gasped in shock at Steven's announcement, but unlike the last time something like this happened, where they made him the scourge of Serpentes, they were willing to hear him out this time. "Just look at Black Rutile here. She's lost everything. Her power, her status, even her dignity. Everything she's been through has reduced my opponent into a pathetic shell of her former self, and I do not think shattering her would grant her any kind of sweet release she would be looking for. Why kill her when she's already killed herself?"

"So that's it? You're sparing me?" Black Rutile muttered in disbelief before she immediately grabbed onto his pant leg like an upset child. "Why?! Why can't you shatter me already?! I've ruined your life, turned you against your friends, and turned the whole universe against you! Why can't you just hate me like I do?!"

"Because after hearing you vent your anger," Steven coldly responded. "nobody hates you more than yourself." On that last word, Steven left the humiliated Black Rutile to be gawked at by the shocked snake people like she was some kind of endangered species. Perhaps Steven was right. No one did hate Black Rutile more than herself. And this made her very worried.

"Uh, this was certainly an unexpected end to such an intense fight." King Cobralan announced as he tried to ease the tension thick enough to be cut with the sharpest swords in the universe. "How about we go to halftime then?!" The Slytherophidians all cheered at the suggestion while their fearless leader wiped the sweat off his brow. "Oh geez, I do not want to know how the Lapidarist will hear about this!"

"Hmph, pathetic." Nosiop scoffed in dismay at Black Rutile's meltdown as a pair of Slytherophidian guards took her away. Regardless of her performance, she was still needed for his plan to succeed, but Nosiop knew she would need to be taken off the board soon.

Minutes later, Black Rutile was left to wallow in shame in her personal quarters at the Ouraborium, utterly humiliated by her defeat and how Steven refused to kill her no matter how much she begged him to end her suffering. But no matter what she did, Steven refused to cave into the pressure of others and stuck true to his ideals. "I thought this time, just this once, I thought I was gonna get what I was fighting for."

"Hey, Black Rutile, remember me?" White Topaz said as she entered Black Rutile's quarters to comfort her old master despite how much she was abused in the past. "I just thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing. Man, Steven absolutely destroyed you back there, huh?"

"Don't remind me." Black Rutile sulked angrily as she turned away. "The nerve of that boy, thinking I was more like Pink Diamond than I realized, and how nobody hated me more than me. Can you believe him?! Always projecting his own issues onto others!"

"But it's true, you are like Pink Diamond!" White Topaz agreed with Steven's accusations. "You got everything you could ever want, yet you still think that isn't enough, so you decided to become an evil megalomaniac bent on conquering the universe because you think you'd be a much better leader than any of the Diamonds combined."

"Because that's what I built my identity on! Or at least I thought I did." Black Rutile stated. "Until I learned that everything I worked for was because White Diamond found my dreams of greatness funny. I swear on my gem, once I learn more about the Lapidarist, I will restore everything to its proper order, except that only I shall be made leader of all Gemkind!"

"Then you truly are lost." White Topaz declared sadly, having now lost all hope in helping Black Rutile make a change. "Goodbye, my Rutile."

As White Topaz turned away and left Black Rutile behind, her former superior could only cry out for her ex-bodyguard to come back. "Topaz, get back here at once! Topaz!" The doors shut behind White Topaz, leaving Black Rutile alone in her room. "TOPAZ!" She fruitlessly pounded on the door with tears in her eyes, desperately trying to get White Topaz's attention, but to no avail.

What once was a proud, arrogant conqueror with delusions of grandeur was now a broken, lonely shell of her former self. Thus continues the tragic tale of the life of Black Rutile.

"What was all that for?!" Steven yelled at Inner Steven in the meantime. "You could've gotten Black Rutile seriously hurt or worse!"

"It's the least she deserves after all she's done to you." Inner Steven firmly retorted while folding his metaphorical arms. "Let's see, lying to you and all your friends, attempting to kill you, gaslighting you into betraying your friends, attempting to destroy the Earth multiple times, shall I go on? Going easy on her just wouldn't be enough if you ask me. Consider yourself lucky you made it out with your mental health intact."

Just then, there was a knock at Steven's door. "We'll settle this later, Inner Me. I think someone wants to see me." Steven said to the personification of his darker impulses as he opened the door to find Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl beside King Cobralan. "Oh hey, guys. Sorry, I got you all worried back there."

"Nah, we're not talking about how you utterly creamed Black Rutile in your fight." Amethyst shook her head morosely.

"We're here because King Cobralan wants to speak with you about something." Garnet added before nodding to Pearl.

"So, Your Majesty, what did you want to say to him?" Pearl asked the Slytherophidian king.

"I wanted to tell Steven that it's time he learns the truth." King Cobralan said forebodingly.

In Loving Memory of David McCallum

September 19, 1933 – September 25, 2023

"So many different ways to tell a story, but that's what makes them so interesting. You can never predict how they're going to turn out."

-Professor Paradox, Ben 10 Omniverse: "And Then There Were Ben"

So ends quite possibly the longest chapter of Snake Eyes yet, and how fitting that it's the chapter marking the halfway point. From here on out, Black Rutile has turned into full tragic villain, we get more hints on her big scheme with Nosiop and Pyth, and next time, Steven learns the origins of the Gems we've all been waiting for. And I can assure you, it'll be one of the biggest bomb drops I've written not just for Alternate Future, but for any of my stories in general. See you then.

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le-roi-des-bulgares · 2 years

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again im looking too deep into Voltaire’s memoirs. discovered some brilliantly hidden irony that are so good they almost sent me unconscious when i first connected the dots together

1. Where are my lord king’s diamonds?

Early on in the memoirs, Voltaire wrote about how Prince Frederick made promises that once he’s on the throne, Voltaire could expect some “solid” awards from him.

Then, when Frederick ascended the throne, he sent an ambassador, Camas, to France, who stopped at Brussels carrying some gifts from “le roi son maître” to Voltaire:

« Courez vite, dit Mme du Châtelet ; on vous envoie sûrement les diamants de la couronne. » Je courus, je trouvai l’ambassadeur, qui, pour toute valise, avait derrière sa chaise un quartaut de vin de la cave du feu roi, que le roi régnant m’ordonnait de boire. Je m’épuisai en protestations d’étonnement et de reconnaissance sur les marques liquides des bontés de Sa Majesté, substituées aux solides dont elle m’avait flatté, et je partageai le quartaut avec Camas.

“Run, quickly,” said Mme du Châtelet, “surely it’s the diamonds on the crown that are sent to you!” I ran, found the ambassador, who for all his bagage had a little barrel of wine from the late king’s cellar behind his carriage, which the king ordered me to drink. I exhausted myself [literal: dried myself up] with protestations of the astonishment and gratefulness for the liquid gesture of His Majesty’s kindness, which substituted the solid ones that They flattered me with, then I shared the little barrel with Camas.

The passage in itself is comedic enough with the innocent tone and interplay of word meanings, but several dozen pages later, when recounting the Frankfurt affair, Voltaire reminds us of the “diamonds” that Émilie guessed about but was nowhere to be found. Here, Frederick’s agents demand that “I return the precious effects that I took from His Majesty”. Voltaire responds just like Candide :

« Hélas ! messieurs, je n’emporte rien de ce pays-là, je vous jure, pas même les moindres regrets. Quels sont donc les joyaux de la couronne brandebourgeoise que vous redemandez ?

“Alas! Sirs, I took nothing from that country, I swear to you, not even the tiniest regrets. What are then these jewels on the Brandenburg crown that you ask for?”

There were no diamonds/jewels, as early as in Brussels (which is 1740), in the first place. Frederick never gave Voltaire (any) precious stuff so now what is he asking back? Then, the crown is not even crown of a king but a crown of the upstart elector of Brandenburg. It’s the non-existent diamonds on a crown that’s not even based on a "solid” kingship. This one single line has the power to wreck Frederick’s royal authority.

2. “Myrtles and Roses, Ixion and deep agony”

Later Voltaire quotes some one hundred lines from Frederick’s poem to d’Argens, written in Erfurt in September 1757. The poem in the large expresses how Frederick wants to end his own suffering and find peace in death.

Then Voltaire provides a comment: “the ideas are incoherent, the verses in general are badly written, but there are good ones. It’s a lot for a king to write an epistle of two hundred bad lines, in the situation where he was at.” It’s not a harsh judgment at all, not to mention that “two hundred bad lines” was originally just “two hundred lines”, only later changed by Voltaire.

Voltaire proceeds:

La lettre qu’il m’écrivit témoignait les mêmes sentiments ; mais il y avait moins de myrtes et de roses, et d’Ixion et de douleur profonde. Je combattis en prose la résolution qu’il disait avoir prise de mourir, et je n’eus pas de peine à le déterminer à vivre.

The letter he wrote to me showed the same sentiments, but there were less myrtles and roses, and Ixion and deep agony. I fought in prose the resolution that he said he has taken to die, and it didn’t take me too much to determine him to live again.

a short note before getting to the point: “the resolution that he said he has taken” was originally just written “the resolution that he has taken”. The intention is clear as day here!

Two motifs: Myrtles and roses, and Ixion, are mentioned here. This is where things start to go downhill.

The first group are symbols of Erato, muse of love poetry. They appeared at the very end of Frederick’s poem, and only once (He asks d’Argens to make a bouquet of them and place them at his grave every spring UwU).

In a 200-line poem where 190 of them are about philosophical attitude towards death and how EveRyONe IS AgAinsT ME, and only two brief passages about love (which is still surprising and so so characteristic), it’s a bit weird to pick Erato’s garland as a “recurring” motif. I think it can be said that Voltaire avoided picking anything that has any REAL connection to death, because he wants to hint that Frederick’s wish is not real.

The second motif: Ixion. This reference has surprisingly never occurred in the original poem, at least not in the 1840s published version (Frederick makes revisions very often). On the surface it’s one of them “eternal torture” figures that Frederick love so much to use -- the original poem uses Prometheus just towards the end. Ixion, eternally bond on a spinning wheel, occurs several times throughout Frederick’s oeuvre as well.

But, Ixion, the king who knows no hospitality nor gratefulness and is thus punished (he murdered his guest/father-in-law, and attempted to seduce Hera after being invited by Zeus) is nowhere to be found in the Êpitre d’Erfurt. It’s Voltaire’s invention. I can’t help but be amazed at the sheer skill displayed here. This tiny bit of reference says out loud “He’s not a good host to me, he should be punished”. He slipped it into the commentary just so effortlessly, and masked it as a harmless paraphrase with even a tiny bit of sympathy sprinkled on the surface. WHAT A BRILLIANT BASTARD

part of the reason that this invention appears so natural IMO is also how familiar Voltaire was with Frederick the poet. He just looooved to use those motifs.

#corrections are very welcome!!#long post #fritztaire #fritztaire rant

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longeyelashedtragedy · 10 months

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july 2023 favorites

it has been a really really r e a l l y weird month for my music listening lol

i’ve been listening to pink floyd albums on repeat for reasons hard to explain?? (dark side of the moon and wish you were here really) which i haven’t done since like...junior year of high school

especially

money (also...the demo which is fascinating...it’s always interesting to think that songs exist in drafts as well and to learn how they got from start to finish especially when the demo is so different from the final version)

shine on you crazy diamond

comfortably numb (i went to school for the kids of rich former hippies and “the child is grown, the dream is gone” was on everyone’s yearbook pages lol...i feel like i didn’t Understand this song in high school the way i do now tho)

and young lust

es fugt sich again but more toward the beginning of the month

ramble on - led zeppelin

wouldn’t it be nice - the beach boys (confession: never liked this song because of that stupid slowdown at the end until like...last month when it gave me certain franko and jamie jamie jamie Vibes for some reason don’t @ me!)

pyretta blaze - type o negative

sensoria - cabaret voltaire (my fav music video...lol)

blooming conductor medley - the string sisters

idk what else there was probably something

oh! i just heard this one yesterday: insomiac - memo boy/chakra efendi (a real throwback sound lol)

#bateman blogging

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mywifeleftme · 1 year

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65: Young Marble Giants // Colossal Youth

Colossal Youth Young Marble Giants 1980, Rough Trade

When I went to the record shop today, it was with the intention of picking up some interesting-looking, relatively obscure record to review later this year, but ended up going home with a physical copy of Colossal Youth, an album I’ve heard a billion times. For my purposes, this was kind of dumb: lots of people have written about Young Marble Giants, and I agree with the consensus. (Consensus: Minimal, quiet, mysteriously perfect post-punk with mousy female vocals and no drums.) Not least among these writers is Simon Reynolds, whose detailed liner notes from this 2007 Domino reissue also appeared in his essential book on post-punk, Rip It Up and Start Again, that introduced me to YMG in the first place. He does a superb job of evoking the post-punk (and adjacent) scene of the day—let’s revel in the list of artists who earn mention in Reynolds’ write-up:

Public Image Ltd., Talking Heads, Gang of Four, Cabaret Voltaire, the Pop Group, Scritti Politti, Throbbing Gristle, The Slits, Pere Ubu, Brian Eno, A Certain Ratio, The Residents, Kraftwerk, Ultravox, Can, Reptile Ranch, Desperate Bicycles, Swell Maps, The Fall, The Raincoats, Essential Logic, This Heat, Red Crayola, Kleenex, Joy Division, New Order, Cocteau Twins, Everything But the Girl, Stiff Little Fingers, Carmel, The Style Council.

Probably you know all of those bands (excepting perhaps Reptile Ranch and Desperate Bicycles? Both worth your time!), but it goes a long way towards establishing what a unique black diamond of a record Colossal Youth was to have stood out among that crowd. And Young Marble Giants did stand out—as Reynolds points out, on the strength of that debut LP and a pair of scant EPs Young Marble Giants immediately became Rough Trade’s second highest-selling act of 1980–81, behind only Stiff Little Fingers. The reaction to the 2007 reissue was similarly rapturous.

youtube

Let’s revel too in Reynolds’ use of language to describe them, the kind of ecstatic ekphrasis that has always excited me in rock writing:

“The individual songs have something of the ‘rightness’ of things found in nature—leaves, snowflakes, pebbles, sea-shells—that are at once miraculous and yet commonplace, marvelous and unassuming.” “…like an old fashioned pocket watch with its casing open to reveal the moving parts, the Young Marble Giants sound would be pared and bare, its meshwork of cogs and spindles exposed in all its intricate distinctness.” “…a feel that was dynamic and propulsive yet curiously suppressed, subdued, even furtive.” “The brothers’ instruments wound tight around each other like fibres twinning into yarn.” “[Allison] Statton sang with a plaintive simplicity and cool pallor of tone that bypassed all the mannered drama of the singerly arts.” “…the sheer emaciation of the sound…”

That’s the kind of writing I can read for ages, analysis that is gestural, pushing at the connotative possibilities of language to compass a pleasure as physical as it is intellectual—really, it’s generous they threw a pretty good record in with the liners. As to why I came home with this and not any of the dozens of other albums I held up for a squint and a sniff, it comes down to a certain satisfaction in finally sliding a record onto the shelf that I always knew I would eventually own. Young Marble Giants have a historical compactness to match their miniaturist sound. I suppose the real pleasure is in owning such a perfectly small and self-completed thing.

65/365

#young marble giants #simon reynolds #post-punk #rough trade #music review #vinyl record #'80s music

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kristabella · 1 year

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Snuffbox

1775-1780 (made)

This box forms part of the group of snuffboxes associated with Frederick the Great of Prussia, who was a cultivated admirer of the arts. He maintained a lengthy, although sometimes heated, correspondence with the French philosopher Voltaire and was a gifted musician, composer and linguist. He had a passion for gold boxes, some of which he may have designed himself. He carried a box at all times; one is even said to have saved his life by deflecting a bullet during the battle of Kunersdorf in 1759.

Although the goldsmith who made the box is unknown, it is modelled on a design by Jean Guillaume George Krüger. Krüger was a London-born artist who was summoned to Berlin in 1753. Twenty designs for snuffboxes survive, all apparently made before the period around 1774 which he spent working in Paris.

Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.

Cartouche-shaped snuffbox comprised of seventeen panels of bloodstone mounted in a cagework of gold and set with a profusion of diamonds, some of which are coloured yellow and others foiled. The cover is set with a vase, coloured to resemble porphyry, in which is set a bouquet of stylised flowers comprised of emeralds, rubies and diamonds, with smaller flowers. This is bordered by diamonds set in gold and sprigs of flowers. The walls of the box are divided into six reserves set with sprays of flowers. The base is encrusted in a similar fashion with a smaller bouquet of cut flowers.

Depth: 7.3cm

Width: 9.5cm

Height: 5.4cm

Weight: 360g

The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London

#18th century #art #Snuffbox #Gilbert Collection

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characternerdocs · 1 year

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Tagged by: @icybreaths

Name: Eri Lorewright, you can refer to me as either! (or Eeri, like Eerie, Lol)

Star Sign: Cancer ♋

Height: 5' 7

Middle name: [REDACTED] cause I’m uncomfy revealing it as it’s really gendered, and I’d like to be a non-binary enigma.

Put your itunes/spotify/youtube on shuffle. What are the first 6 songs that popped up?

This is Home - Cavetown

Lonely Dance- Set it Off

Everything at Once - Lenka

Bubblegum Bitch - Marinana & the Diamonds

Poison Within from Headless

Kill the Beast by Aurelio Voltaire

Ever had a poem or song written about you: Not that I am aware

When was the last time you played air guitar: Prolly a week, two weeks ago. And most definitely to Pick up the Pace by The Play Plays

Who is your celebrity crush?: Less of a crush, more gender envy for Scott Shpeley. He is the singer in the Play Plays and plays Edgar Allan in Catalyst’s musical Nevermore

What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?: Velcro, the hate the ripping sound. It makes my spin itchy. I love the sound of keys hitting against one another

Do you believe in ghosts?: Yes, though I don’t feel like I have any legit experiences. Others that I know have some stories. Other than that though I think building I work in is haunted. I repeatedly have the feeling someone was walked into the room while my back’s to the door, but when I look, no one is there.

How about aliens: Yeah, I figure if we can exist on our planet, why can’t other life exist on another planet?

Do you drive?: Yes, and once I was even licensed to drive a forklift!

If so have you ever crashed: Thankfully not.

What was the last book you read?: The Drowning Girls, it’s actually a play though by Beth Graham and Daniela Vlaskalic

Do you like the smell of gasoline: Eeh... sorta?

What was the last movie you saw?: 7 Women and a Murder

What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?: I don’t know. Mostly it’s all minor stupid things. Like once I crushed a cone incense with my thumb only to find it had just burned out and severely burn my finger. I was trying to declog the dermal we use at work to 3-hole punch paper when it slipped and I punched a perfect circle into my index and thumb.

Do you have any obsessions right now?: Yes, It’s the Nevermore musical. I Love EVERYTHING ABOUT IT! I cannot rationally explain it. but the costumes and props being made primary out of masking tape, sticks, and landscaping fabric give Catalyst’s production such a unique and darkly quirky feel. It’s a part fact, part fiction telling of Edgar Allan Poe’s life birth to death, using lines and themes from his own stories and poems as the lyrics and lines. Which as a life time Poe fan myself is a fun little easter egg hunt to identify what is being referenced. The music is SO powerful, it just rattles round in my head all the time now, especially Dream within a Dream. The setup and narrative style of the show had once of the best pay off I could have imagined; no spoilers but it was great. The cast is FANTASTIC! I love Scott Shpeley and I want to be his version of Poe, because honestly Nevermore’s Poe is just Goth boy Heath and I love that. But also I love Beth Graham, who yes wrote the play the Drowning Girls, but she is super funny and a great character actor. She plays three roles in Nevermore, including Fanny Allan, who I love, best mom. But Beth Graham does a great job of giving all three of her characters distinct voices. Love love love. The amount of love and creativity that has gone into this show is incredible. And I know that my passion and love for this show is crossing the line into unhinged, but E. A. Poe said it best, “I was never really insane except upon occasions when my heart was touched.”

#About me!#Eri #Lorewright #Sorry for the Nevermore gush #rip

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tabellae-rex-in-sui · 2 years

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We know. We know for a fact with evidence that Émilie and Thieriot had rings with miniatures of V's portrait. Émilie had two, one of which is detailed as a ring with V's face surrounded by diamonds, Thieriot's is also surrounded by diamonds.

What I wanna know is did anyone else get these special fancy Voltaire diamond rings?? Was it just Thieriot and Émilie?? They had matching Voltaire diamond rings??

#?????

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voidthewanderer · 1 year

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15 for any OC? *also feel free to add specific songs, of you'd like as well!*

@darling-leech || Misc. Small Detail Ask Meme

I’m gonna answer for the core group, since this is a pretty not as word heavy response for everyone. I’m also going to run under the “more music besides what we hear in game exists, it’s just not popular” idea. Songs linked!

Arsenic: He mainly enjoys things that would be considered alternative. He definitely leans more towards Nine Inch Nails sort of alternative, but can also dad rock or recently released songs by certain “older” rock/alternative bands; regardless of it's actually considered alt at that point. He actually has two favorite songs: Closer by Nine Inch Nails and Cleopatra by Train.

Crow: They adore anything that's storytelling, however will lean more towards folkpunk and steampunk styles. There's something about the general tone and vibe of the music that resonates with them. Their favorites include things like Another Cog In The Machine by The Cog Is Dead and Give And Take by Poor Mans Poison.

Ripper: Despite his punk attire, he loves dance songs. Sure, he listens to and enjoys everything, but if you really wanna see a grown ass adult open up, put on pop dance songs. That being said, his favorite song is the exact opposite of pop dance, being Dragula by Rob Zombie. Though, he can also very easily be caught listening to Me Too by Meghan Trainor. (I will say, however, if he knew that daycore was a thing, he'd listen to the daycore version of Me Too more than the original)

Shae: Country. It’s starkly contrasts her personality and general vibe, but she loves country music. She has two songs that she wouldn’t be able to pick between as favorites; The Big Black Snake by Pink Williams and Ain’t No Grave by Johnny Cash.

Viorel: He’s only ever known what’s played on Diamond City Radio. However, had he a chance to hear something more, he’d most likely like show tunes that are almost rock opera style. He’d honestly be completely enthralled by the idea of movies like Repo! The Genetic Opera, just seeing how some people viewed the future. Music with a similar tone would also be greatly loved. He’d probably adore songs like Night Surgeon from RTGO and The King Of Villains by Aurelio Voltaire.

#shut it void #friend talk #ask meme #darlingleech #thank you for the ask!!#oc: crow holiday #oc: arsenic #oc: ripper #oc: viorel strum #oc: shae wulfe

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2-wuv · 2 years

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i hope things have been going better for y'all today. i haven't seen the owl house but it is one of the next pieces of media on our List (the order of the List is currently: siamese dream (in order), toh, american psycho the musical (rewatch), our kid brother's favorite fanfic, saw movies (in order this time), star trek voyager (rewatch)).

i'm glad that you like clipping. i was hoping you would, i really like daveed's musical style as well. also @ will we love both of the songs you recommended! usually when y'all recommend songs i pull up lyrics to study and think about while i listen but when y'all recommend songs i already have fully memorized i just just to bob around and think about y'all and reminisce.

today i have Cheesy Halloween music! (we have so many cheesy halloween songs in our possession as well as? several tapes of just halloween and horror sound effects that i'm pretty sure are dr. crane's? i'd accuse dr. west as well but we've had them longer than he's been around).

i'm recommending: batman, wolfman, frankenstein, or dracula by the diamonds for steve, halloween from the be more chill musical for billy, spookmaster by the ghastly ones for eddie (to me the song sounds like you introducing a big bad in your d&d games), riboflavin-flavored noncarbonated polyunsaturated blood by the rigamorticians for your jonathan, and every day is like halloween by ministery for will. also just generally recommending brains! and zombie prostitute, both by voltaire.

this one isn't halloween related but scav was lured out with miss lucy and the water fountain song and has been very insistent that i add the clapping song to the list.

TUMBLR ATE OUR FUCKING REPLY. THIS IS HOMOPHOBIA TO THE HIGHEST CALIBER I SAY!! <////3 AAAASUGHGJjfjsjf

ANYWAYS!!! we're doing better today luckily!!!! however now we r Annoyed bc tumblr is Spotify-phobic apparently!!! fuck shit and other such expletives!!!!!!!! /ref

SO lemme just. tl;dr it!! christ!!

My Dad is Rich - Danny Gonzalez (Steve's rec)

We only come out at night - Smashing Pumpkins (Eddie's rec)

Spooky Ho - Danny Gonzalez (Billy's rec)

Devil Town - Cavetown (Will's rec)

Second Chances - October Fall (Jonathan's rec)

ANDDDDDD BONUS REC FROM CHRISSY BC SHE'S HERE NOW AND DOES N O T WANT THIS VIDEO 2 BE FORGOTTEN BC IT'S A CLASSIC: It's Almost Halloween - Panic! At The Disco

PLUS! THE PLAYLIST WE YOINKED THESE FROM! maybe if I link it this way Tumblr won't be homophobic!!

#anon friend #music recs anon #tumblr is from hell . i am throwing this app into a toxic waste bin. -rosie #edit: OK THAT FUCKING WORKED CHRIST #thank u 4 the cheesy Halloween music btw we r so excited for Halloween we lov all of these sm #wdk what we're gonna do fr Halloween tbh probs just. watch tv n maybe give out candy. what abt y'all tho omg

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semusepsu · 2 years

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Song ask: 1, 28, 37

1. Three songs with the same name

Numb by Disturbed Numb by Linkin Park Numb by Marina and the Diamonds

28. A song that you discovered recently - Last night Youtube recommended me this deep cut by System of a Down that I had not heard before: Marmalade

37. The first three songs that come up when you hit shuffle

Somewhere I Belong by Linkin Park Wolf Like Me by TV On The Radio Almost Human by Aurelio Voltaire

thanks for the ask!

#ask game

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andrewmoocow · 8 months

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Steven Universe Snake Eyes chapter 7: Gods and Monsters (originally published on October 9, 2023)

AN: And so, we enter the biggest bomb I've ever dropped in one of my stories since I revealed that Haruko Haruhara was saved from her destroyed home planet by Rick Sanchez and eventually betrayed him for Atomsk before meeting Dipper and Mabel Pines. The origins of the Gem race has been one of the biggest mysteries in all of Steven Universe with tons of fans giving their own ideas on it, even as far back as the first season. I've pondered that too sometimes, but there are some parts of the series that are best left to the imagination. Well, until now that is! In this version of Steven's universe, the story of Gemkind shall finally be revealed for all to see, and you all have front row seats to a glimpse at a whole universe's worth of backstory and quite possibly the biggest threat Steven will face yet.

Synopsis: Steven and company meet the creator of all Gemkind and learn of an evil far greater than Black Rutile.

Cast:

Zach Callison as Steven

Estelle as Garnet

Michaela Dietz as Amethyst

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl

Aurelio Voltaire as King Cobralan Serpentes

Shirley Millner as Queen Constricta Serpentes

Neil Flynn as Aescul

Henry Rollins as Captain Boa

Jennifer Paz as Lapis

Shelby Rabara as Peridot

Uzo Aduba as Bismuth

Kimberly Brooks as Jasper

Lauren Ash as White Topaz

Grace Rolek as Connie

Tom Scharpling as Greg

Patti LuPone as Yellow Diamond

Lisa Hannigan as Blue Diamond

Christine Ebersole as White Diamond/Gem

Sarah Stiles as Spinel

Peter Cullen as Titanium

Frank Welker as Tungsten

David Kaye as Steel

Corey Burton as Chromium

Bumper Robinson as Gold

Scott McNeil as Iron

Jeffrey Combs as Mercury

Hailee Steinfeld as Zinc

Jason Marsden as Prince Nosiop Jormagundr

Noël Wells as Black Rutile

Keith David as Pyth

Matthew Moy as Lars

Zach Steel as Ronaldo

Atticus Shaffer as Peedee

Cissy Jones as Princess Naja Jormagundr

Enuka Okuma as Rhodonite

Kathleen Fisher as Fluorite

Erica Luttrell as Padparadscha Sapphire

Ashly Burch as Rutile Twins

Jeff Bennett as Murinus/The Sheriff

Featuring Samantha Newark as The Lapidarist

And Joel Grey as King Serpentes I

---

The date, 420,000 years ago. The place, the prehistoric planet that would someday become Serpentes, the capital of the Slytherophidian empire. Before it would become the mighty metropolis that thrived on forcing species from across the universe to compete, Serpentes was a small scattering of snake people colonies dotting the planet's countryside, all under the shaky rule of one monarch, its namesake king Serpentes the First. Serpentes typically spent time away from his subjects on expeditions to explore the planet and learn its history, as he proclaimed himself a scholar. But there was one discovery that would change not just the history of his home planet but the entire universe as well.

"Found anything yet, sire?" a Slytherophidian dressed as a cowboy asked while spitting into a bucket. "We've been out here for weeks and still haven't found any ancient ruins and all that! Might I suggest we quit the tomb raider business, cut back on searching uncharted lands and temples of doom, and go home already?"

"No, Murinus, there has to be something we're missing. I know it!" Serpentes muttered to himself while examining the map in his hands. "We just need to keep looking!"

"Look, Your Highness, I can totally get your eagerness to explore, but I'm happy with just kicking back and letting you do all the work." Murinus said before turning his tail into feet and kicking them on a rock. "Hey, do you see a light somewhere over there?"

"A light? Where?!" Serpentes excitedly replied while gazing out into the horizon. "By Jove, I think you're right! We must go there immediately!" To the king's delight, he could see a faint beam of light ejecting from an ancient temple hidden in the distance. "Come along, Murinus!"

"Me and my big mouth," Murinus said to himself as his king dragged him along toward the temple as the beam got even brighter the closer they got. Upon arriving at the temple, the beam of light was at its absolute brightest, and Serpentes couldn't be more excited.

"Hm, I must say, this would make a nice castle to live in." Serpentes mused as the duo entered the temple, which was filled with crystals and rocks jutting out of the walls and the ceiling. But the most peculiar inhabitant was a large, crystalline being gently clutching a bubble housing a strange gemstone. "And who might you be?"

"Almost there, my child. Almost there." The being whispered to her bubble before she turned to discover Serpentes and Murinus in front of her. "More snakes? You shouldn't be here."

"Do not worry, giant woman. We come in peace." Serpentes calmed the being down. "My name is Serpentes, the king of the Slytherophidians. And this is my companion, Murinus. Say hi, Murinus."

"Howdy." Murinus tipped his hat to the giant woman. "Say, what's that you got in there, madame?"

"Oh, this?" the giant said, presenting the gemstone inside her bubble to the two Slytherophidians. "I've been working on it for the past couple of eons. I call it Gem. It is an advanced lifeform that possesses extraordinary powers unseen by mortals, but I'm not sure how I can test it to make sure it won't harm anybody with how powerful it is."

"Then, why don't I help you take care of it?" King Serpentes offered his assistance. "Maybe I can set up a way for it to grow and control its powers so that everyone can watch and see how strong it is."

"That is a wonderful idea, Serpentes." The giant agreed with the king and shook his hand, sealing the deal.

"By the way, I don't think I ever got your name," Serpentes said.

"My name?" the giant replied. "My name has been lost to time, but you may call me the Lapidarist."

In the present day, Steven and the Crystal Gems were being taken through the Jormagundrs' castle towards a hidden doorway by the royal guards, all having no idea what to expect when King Cobralan said it was time for them to learn the truth. As the trip grew longer, the group was soon joined by different sets of guards escorting Greg & Connie and the Diamonds.

"So, uh, what are we doing?" Greg asked nervously. "I was going to cheer you up after your big fight with Black Rutile, but then suddenly, these guys told me they had something I needed to see."

"Do they have a birthday surprise planned for Steven?" Peridot added just as curious.

"I don't know." Yellow Diamond answered. "But whatever it is, I don't think we'll ever be the same after today."

"You are indeed correct, Yellow Diamond," Aescul said as he led the group through the dark corridors hidden within the castle walls to a mysterious chamber that closely resembles the Crystal Temple back on Earth. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet your maker. Hee, I always wanted to say that."

"Wait, our maker? As in the creator of all Gemkind?!" Pearl squawked in shock as the Gems and humans bore witness to a massive, crystalline being kneeling before them, its face utterly blank except for a large diamond on it and wild, spiky hair not unlike White Diamond's.

"Hello, my children." The giant said. "I am the Lapidarist. I am the creator of all Gems."

"Dude, this is so sick!" Amethyst yelled in amazement. "We're face to face with our actual god here!"

"Correction, she is our god as well." Titanium declared as he and the other Metals emerged from the shadows of the chamber to meet their sister race. "So the rumors were true. Our creator still lives."

"Hello there, Miss Lapidarist." Steven greeted the Lapidarist. "My name's Steven Universe. Uh, do you like being called Miss, or do you prefer any other pronouns?"

"On the contrary, my friend, my species has evolved past the need for what you call genders." The Lapidarist explained. "But Miss Lapidarist does have a nice ring to it."

"So, this is the mother of all Gems?" Spinel wondered while scratching her head and sitting on Yellow's shoulder. "How come we never knew about this?"

"Hello there, Lapidarist." White Diamond said sourly as she glared at the creator of the Gem race. "Fancy seeing you again after millions of years."

"Ah, Gem. What a surprise." The Lapidarist greeted White with an inquisitive tilt of her head. "What is it you're calling yourself these days, White Diamond? Not sure if I like the name."

"Okay, enough with the introductions, everybody!" Mercury complained. "Now then, big lady, the snake people said they were going to give us answers, and by your name or whatever, we're gonna get some answers!"

"Actually, we prefer to be called Slytherophidians, Mr. Mercury." Captain Boa corrected the curmudgeonly Metal medic. "The Lapidarist has been the royal family's best-kept secret for generations, all the way back to our first king Serpentes I."

"We've been watching your race for a few years now because the Lapidarist wanted to see if Steven truly meant well in making the radical changes he did to Gem society." King Cobralan added.

"Well, I sure did, no matter what certain emotionally stunted terrorists may say," Steven said assuredly, unaware that Black Rutile, Nosiop, and Pyth were watching from afar.

"Hmph, yeah, right." Black Rutile said glumly while the three villains kept themselves hidden. "Just wait until I use the Lapidarist's powers to wipe you out for good."

"So Miss Lapidarist, earlier you called White Diamond by the name Gem," Garnet said. "We'd like to learn more about that; thank you."

"That was the name I was given when the Lapidarist created me," White said, rolling her eyes as she cringed at the thought like a human would when remembering their awkward teenage years. "And a name I've abandoned for eons."

"Well, allow me to enlighten you." The Lapidarist said while altering the entire room like a holodeck to present the Crystal Gems with White Diamond's hidden past.

In the beginning, there was only one. A single black infinitude, so cold and dark for so very long that even the burning light was imperceptible. But then the infinitude found release, and at last, the darkness broke, filling it with shining stars. From these stars came the Lapidarists, who filled this newly born universe with life. On that day, the universe as we knew it was born. Cells, molecules, atoms, from ions to pions, muons to gluons, neutrinos, gravitinos, these were the first planets to be forged by this race of builders, with life blossoming on each one. Life, a precious gift persevering in the face of every obstacle, but it would soon come under attack.

Where there was light to create the first sentient beings, there was a being of pure darkness and evil that sought to extinguish it. A terrible snake-like creature of frightening power known as Squamata devoured planet after planet, millions of voices suddenly crying out in terror before they were just as suddenly silenced. The Lapidarists tried all they could to stop this threat from becoming more powerful. They created many races like the Magmen, the Metals, the Slytherophidians, and the races of the first Universal Lords to combat it. While they successfully sealed Squamata away beneath the future planet of Serpentes, it came at the cost of the entire Lapidarist race being wiped out except for one. Declaring itself the guardian of the monster's resting place, the last Lapidarist isolated itself from the rest of the universe in a hidden temple where it spent millenniums forging the being that would eventually save the universe from their ancient foe. But all of that changed one fateful day.

"Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the first-ever challenger of the Contest of Champions, Gem!" King Serpentes announced as he revealed the Lapidarist's creation to the other Slytherophidians. Gem was a tall, pale-skinned female humanoid with copious amounts of mascara applied and dressed as a warrior, but her most distinguishing feature was a gemstone attached to her forehead. "I had found this creature one day years ago on an expedition to the wilderness of our planet and brought her home with me. That was when I got the idea to have her compete against species from other worlds to see who is truly the strongest in the universe. Now then, release her competition!"

The gates opened, and out came a green, hulking humanoid with massive muscles wearing only purple pants that let out a booming roar. Gem just smirked and pulled a spear from her gem that she used to fight the monster.

"What an astounding display of strength, ladies and gentlemen!" King Serpentes exclaimed as Gem duked it out with the ogre-like beast, showing great tenacity and grace compared to the monster serving as her opponent. "Perhaps if more were to come, we would make this into an annual event where champions from far and wide could come and display their powers, like the Grendel we captured, for example!"

"Just a little bit more, you disgusting Grendel!" Gem exclaimed eagerly as she began stabbing at the monster with her spear, causing it to leak pink blood to the cheers of her adoring fans. "Yes, you all love me!"

"And what a shocker, everyone!" Serpentes exclaimed as Gem finished off the Grendel. "Gem has slain the creature! She is truly an amazing warrior!"

"Oh, thank you, thank you all!" Gem accepted the riotous applause as she reunited with King Serpentes outside the arena. "Oh, Your Majesty, I had so much fun today!"

"Perfect, Gem. And you'll be having more fun for years to come." Serpentes said as the two walked away to the temple from whence she came, which was now having a new castle built over it.

"Um, Mr. Serpentes, if I may ask a question," Gem asked her king. "Have you ever thought about letting me explore the planet like you do? Maybe even the whole galaxy, the universe even? I bet there are infinite possibilities for me to explore out there!"

"Now, now, Gem, don't get too excited." Serpentes calmed Gem down. "I admire your enthusiasm, but your one true purpose is here, right at my side and fighting in the Contest of Champions."

"But I just want to explore like you do!" Gem urged her father figure, now sounding an awful lot like a certain pink diamond. "Why can't you let me?!"

"I understand, my dear, but the universe is a vast and dangerous place filled with millions of species that could no doubt either kill you or steal you for themselves," Serpentes explained. "Please understand that this is why you are forbidden from ever leaving Serpentes. Now, I'm off to speak with the construction workers, so you behave yourself, young lady."

Although Gem understood why Serpentes was so protective of her, she felt utterly sheltered in the world she called home. However, while the king did say Gem was forbidden from ever leaving the planet, she assumed he didn't mean more than one of her.

"Wow, White was just like Pink when she was created?" Steven realized as his eyes were opened to White Diamond's past while giving the three Diamonds a smug smirk.

"Maybe that's why you abused her so much because she reminded you of yourself," Connie added wryly.

"Guess it's true what they say. Some people are more alike than you think." Gold giggled at White's embarrassing memory while the Diamond blushed in shame.

"Don't make that face at me, White; don't deny what you were in the past." The Lapidarist chided her creation. "Do you remember what happened afterward?"

"Do you not?" White asked, her eyes widened in genuine surprise as she tried to dodge the question.

"Ooo-hoo-hoo, this should be juicy!" Steel giggled eagerly as White took a deep breath and came clean.

"Yes, I remember what happened afterward," White admitted. "For hundreds of years, I took advantage of a loophole created by Serpentes and created the first Gems."

Using technology stolen from another race that she reverse-engineered herself into what would later be known as Injectors, Gem began using Serpentes's resources to create more beings like her that she would dub Gem. However, this would come at the cost of the planet slowly suffering the effects of these Injectors draining its life energy, causing dozens to die in uncharted parts of the planet. Upon discovering this courtesy of Murinus, Serpentes sought to do something about this crisis.

"Are you sure that Gem could be to blame for all of this?" Murinus said as he and Serpentes marched to the Devil's Palm canyon, named as such for resembling a humanoid hand with a plateau in the center where the palm would be. "At least she ain't running off to explore the universe."

"And that's the problem!" Serpentes exclaimed. "When I said she was forbidden from leaving, this was not what I meant!" Soon, the duo arrived at the Devil's Palm, where they discovered not just one colorful humanoid with a gemstone on her body but dozens upon dozens more of them. "What in the?!"

"SERPENTES!" the new species all cried out in delight at Serpentes's arrival.

"Hey, your Majesty." One of them greeted casually as Serpentes tried moving his way through the sea of humanoids to reach Gem.

"Gem, what is the meaning of this?!" Serpentes yelled angrily at his creation. "Whatever you are doing, you will soon destroy this whole planet! Is this what you wanted, to tear our world apart and then abandon it to find some other planet to terrorize?!"

"No, my lord, this is not what you think!" Gem urged Serpentes. "You forbade me from leaving Serpentes, but you didn't say the same for all these creatures that I call Gems. Nice name, don't you think?"

"Yes, that is a very nice name, but that's not the point, my child." Serpentes said while drawing out a sword from his hip. "I am sorry, but to ensure the safety of our planet, I'm afraid I'll have to shatter you."

"Is that so?" Gem said as she drew her spear with a smirk. "Then come on, enough talk! Have at you!"

"I will do what I must," Serpentes replied as he readied his blade.

"You will try." Gem added before the two went head-to-head in a mini-Contest of Champions. The Gems that Gem created began cheering for their mother figure as the Slytherophidian and the Gem clashed under the scorching afternoon sun, while Murinus saw fit not to get involved in the situation and wait until it got better.

"You can't keep doing this, Gem!" King Serpentes urged his mighty warrior. "This technology you stole from the Metals was designed to harvest resources from planets at the cost of slowly killing them! How did you even find such things?!"

"Steel practically gave them away when the Metals decided they wanted to live in harmony with their colonies instead of committing genocide." Gem revealed while nimbly dodging a sword swipe. "He just happened to dump them all here one day and let me take some for myself."

"I should really tell them to stop using other planets as a garbage dump for their old tech." Serpentes muttered to himself before seeing an opening on Gem and jabbed his sword into her gem, causing a slight crack.

"W-what did you do?" Gem whimpered in fear as her form glitched while Serpentes looked down at his tail in shame at what he had done. "What did you do to me?"

"I'm sorry, my dear." Serpentes apologized while stroking Gem's face. "But I am only doing what is right." With another stab of the snake king's sword, Gem was utterly shattered, her namesake gemstone on her forehead being reduced to four pieces in four very familiar shapes. "Murinus!"

"Yes, my liege?" Murinus asked as he emerged from his hiding spot before being handed the four gem shards. "Oh no, you didn't."

"I want the Lapidarist to find somewhere for these shards and all of these Gems to flourish so they won't cause any more damage to Serpentes." King Serpentes ordered, looking out at all the Gems inhabiting the Devil's Palm Canyon. "I can handle one Gem, but this many would give me a headache."

And so, with help from the Lapidarist, once she was told of what happened, Gem and all of her creations were exiled to an uncharted planet that would one day become the Gem Homeworld. Hundreds of years afterward, the first of Gem's shards would reform into White Diamond, followed by Yellow, Blue, and Pink Diamond over the next couple thousand years, eventually forming the Great Diamond Authority and beginning to conquer a good portion of the universe that the Universal Lords didn't dominate.

Though the Lapidarist was disappointed at what Gem had become, she vowed not to interfere. She had no choice but to watch as the Diamonds wreaked havoc across the universe, conquering and destroying planet after planet as her story was passed down for generations. At the same time, her fallen kinfolk's other creations, such as the Metals and the Magmen, began rising to prominence in the intergalactic community.

"And that is the story of the Gem race." The Lapidarist concluded her story, having blown everyone's minds with the history she revealed to the Crystal Gems once hidden from the public eye. "I am truly sorry that I have been the author of all your pain through my creation of the Diamonds."

"We know you didn't mean any harm, Lapidarist," Bismuth said. "You only wanted to create life, but then it went horribly wrong."

"And we've carried it with our family for generations." Queen Constricta said while everyone was still unaware of who was spying on them.

"This is most interesting." Nosiop muttered excitedly. "Perhaps once we gather our army, we can unleash this snake creature and prove to the Slytherophidians that we were meant to be conquerors!"

"Yes, conquerors," Pyth smirked deviously like he had other plans in mind that didn't align with the prince's.

"As I said, I am truly sorry, but I can make a change." The Lapidarist stated while presenting a mechanical, orb-like device. "This is an Accretionator. A powerful device with the ability to create a strong gravitational pull that can draw in various asteroids and cosmic dust to revive an entire planet. Observe." To demonstrate, the Lapidarist created a hologram of a Gem colony that Steven and Connie recognized, the planet that the jungle moon they once visited as Stevonnie orbited. When the Accretionator was inserted into the planet, asteroids and space dust were vacuumed to the planet's surface, making it as good as new, like it was never conquered and colonized. "Impressive, isn't it? So tell me, do you accept this bargain?"

"Uh, we're going to need to discuss this among ourselves first," Peridot said as the Crystal Gems huddled together to discuss the Lapidarist's offer. "You saw what that Accretionator can do, right? Hundreds upon thousands of worlds revived in seconds! Do you realize what this means?!"

"Yeah, but what about afterward?" Lapis asked. "Are we just going back to how things were before Era 3 started? I think I know someone who would love that."

"Yeah, yeah, Black Rutile and all that," Jasper added sarcastically. "If Steven didn't completely break her body and her spirit, she'd accept the deal faster than you can say, 'Pull the lever, White Topaz.'"

"So what should we do?" White Topaz asked while looking back at the Lapidarist, patiently awaiting their answer. "I don't want to keep our literal goddess waiting."

"Well, ladies, your final answer?" Captain Boa spoke up. "No need to keep a lady waiting."

The Crystal Gems broke their huddle and turned to the Lapidarist. "Look, we're flattered by your offer and tempted by the chance to heal those broken worlds." Pearl declared. "But we just can't do it; the price is too high."

"The entire reason why we became who we are today is because we wanted to freely express ourselves," Amethyst added. "We wanted to live our own lives without anyone telling us what to do or how to do it."

"And we don't want to harm others simply because they are different. Everyone should be able to coexist regardless if they are flawed." Garnet stated firmly. "Like the Diamonds, for example. They have done horrible things in the past, but they're working to make a change for the better, no matter how hard it may be. I'm sure we have made ourselves loud and clear."

"How interesting." The Lapidarist said with a tilt of her head. "I thought I could coax you into complying like you did with so many other individuals, but it seems I was wrong. You prefer to make a change in your own way."

"You're right," Steven replied. "Besides, we once met alternate versions of ourselves from another dimension who were like our polar opposites, and they didn't want to make a change either."

"Should you tell them, or should I?" White whispered to the other Diamonds.

"Tell them what?" Iron asked, overhearing the three Gems' conversation.

"I don't think I like where this is going." Zinc said disdainfully as the Diamonds turned to face the Gems.

"Steven my dear, lately there have been rumors going around of a cover-up we've been performing," Yellow stated shakily. "Well, I must say that the rumors are true."

"What rumors?" Tungsten asked curiously.

"There were rumors that we were hiding the fact we did indeed wipe out organic life on a couple or so planets." Blue Diamond declared. "Well, suffice to say, the rumors were true. We exterminated all life on planets that were trying to fight back, and we hid the truth by saying we would never kill organic life. It's a secret we've been hiding for years, but somehow, the Slytherophidians found out and used it to blackmail us into coming along with them!"

The Crystal Gems all gasped in shock at this revelation. While they were aware that the Diamonds had done many horrible things over thousands of years, they were always told that the planets they conquered were primarily uninhabited, so hearing that a few worlds turned into colonies did house intelligent life was quite possibly just as, if not even an even bigger shock than learning of their species' origins. But no one took this harder than Steven.

"Why am I not surprised you'd hide something so horrible from us?" Steven said gloweringly, trying his best not to lose his temper again. "I wanted to give you three a chance, even after all the horrible things you did to me, us, and everyone. But no, you just keep hiding secrets from everyone, just like my mom did when she was alive. And especially a secret this awful. This is why I'm always so uncomfortable around you because I'm worried that any moment, whenever I turn my back, you'll just go back to your old ways and try to kill me. So destroy all my friends if you want, because I will make you pay for it."

"Steven, you don't understand. We never wanted it to be like this!" White exclaimed as Steven quietly stormed off.

"You pressed the Mom button." Amethyst declared. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Steven, wait!" Spinel yelled as she jumped off Yellow's shoulder and ran off after Steven, leaving the Crystal Gems, the Diamonds, the Metals, and the Slytherophidians alone with the Lapidarist.

"You know, my offer is still on the table." The Lapidarist suggested to the Diamonds.

"We appreciate the gesture, but it will take more than just one device to atone for what we've done." Blue politely declined the offer. "Is there anything else you want to tell us?"

"Indeed, there is." The Lapidarist replied. "There is a prophecy that states that on the day of Ragnarok, there will be a mighty warrior who will emerge from the merger of a group of troubled beings to save all reality from Squamata." She then began to chant the prophecy out loud while her body shined every possible color in existence. "Enlightened warriors of clashing kinships come from afar to banish the Eclipse. Only when united in heart and mind, can they stop the worlds from being aligned."

"So definitely a fusion then." Garnet declared after a quick analysis of the prophecy.

"Yeah, but of who?" Greg asked curiously.

"That is for you to find out, my mortal friends." The Lapidarist said while reverting her body to normal. "But in the meantime, I sense a great crisis on the immediate horizon."

Elsewhere in the Jormagundrs' castle, Princess Naja was pacing about her room after being locked away by her brother's enforcers for trying to interfere with his plans. "Nosiop can't get away with this." She muttered to herself. "But who can possibly help us in this hour?"

"Hey, anyone in there?" Lars asked as he knocked on the door. "One of the guards told us that somebody got locked up in their room. Can you tell us who you are before we break you out?"

"I'm Princess Naja Jormagundr!" Naja introduced herself to her rescuer. "My brother had me imprisoned here because he's plotting to conquer our race, and he and Black Rutile didn't want me getting in the way! You must tell Steven Universe at once!"

"Don't worry, miss, we got your back!" Ronaldo yelled as he tried breaking down the door by ramming into it. "Agh, my shoulder!"

"Hey, Paddy Sapphire, can you shapeshift us a key hand?" Peedee asked Padparadscha.

"Ooh, Peedee will ask for my help to free the pretty princess!" Padparadscha said before the door opened, revealing Lars, Ronaldo, Peedee, and the Off-Colors on the other side of the door.

"Looks like our princess wasn't in another castle after all," Lars said as he took Naja by the hand and gave her a gentlemanly kiss. "So, what's this about your brother?"

"He wants our race to become conquerors because no one could take him seriously," Naja explained. "He has aligned interests with Black Rutile to further those goals, and I fear they will doom you all."

"Oh dear, not Black Rutile." Fluorite shook her head in disgust. "Nosiop has made the wrong choice. Black Rutile is one of the evilest, cruelest Gems we know."

"Or is she?" Rhodonite wondered. "After her big meltdown to Steven, I'm having second thoughts about Black Rutile."

"Of course, she could also lie to gain people's sympathy." The left Rutile twin suggested.

"That is so like Black Rutile to do that." The right Rutile added.

"So, now, what do we do?" Peedee asked. "Are we just going to wait and see how this goes?"

"Everyone, I have another vision!" Padparadscha exclaimed. "Prince Nosiop Jormagundr is going to make an announcement!"

"Hey, she's right!" Ronaldo gasped before pointing at Nosiop slithering into the stadium. "Look over there!"

At the Ouraborium, Nosiop had returned to his family's viewing box, where he sat on his father's throne alongside the other Universal Lords to make his grand speech. "Today, people of Serpentes, shall be the most glorious day our planet has ever seen." Nosiop declared with Black Rutile and Pyth standing on either side of him. "As of today, I shall now take my father's place as your ruler, for he is not fit to be a king or a Universal Lord. Let this be a wake-up call to you Slytherophidians, the Universal Lords, the Gem race, and the ignorant masses across the entire universe! I shall soon arrive with an entire army of loyal Gems at my side to face down an ancient foe my father has hidden from you for so long! We all must answer to the hand of fate, and fate has chosen me to conquer this world!"

As soon as Nosiop finished his speech with an evil laugh, the entire stadium was sent into a frenzy, wondering if their prince was joking or if he intended to conquer Serpentes. The Universal Lords were left shocked at this declaration, but none were as affected by this as Black Rutile, who looked to one side as she began contemplating her role in Nosiop's plans.

And so, Nosiop pulls off step one of his grand plan. Announce what he's doing to the world and make everyone so scared and confused, they'll have no idea what to do with him. Yeah, talk about dropping a lot of bombs in just one chapter, but this isn't the end of it! Next chapter, we'll be in the homestretch with chaos aplenty and a contemplation of where certain characters will end up by the end. It can only get crazier from here, folks.

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