Don't Meet Your Gods

The Wolves of Warwick

Time/dimension travel causes the wolves involved in creating Warwick to suddenly gain a level of sentience they did not have before, along with an urge to protect their human pack. They still see Vader as one of them even though he is human and doesn't remember being Warwick with them, and therefore his cubs are their cubs. The wolves can speak, although it is in broken sentences like Warwick, and they don't typically talk to many others outside of their pack.

Vander is meeting up with some people to try and broker peace with the Uppercity. Of course, his wolves come with him. He was hoping they would work as intimidation and protection, but instead, they insist on gently kidnapping one of the Counciler's children.

Here it is, the first instalment! Possibly the only instalment, but hopefully one day there will be more! Enjoy Jayvik fans!

The King's Soulmate

Jayce is royalty, or close enough to it. Viktor is a prisoner from the neighboring kingdom of Zaun. Several Zaunites are brought before them, intended to be slaves to the highest in Piltover. The slavemaster doesn’t think Viktor is all that important, and with his disability, is prepared to kill him once he is not chosen. Much to everyone's surprise, Jayce chooses Viktor and will hear no other argument. He has visions of other worlds due to him messing with the Arcane, so he knows that this man will be the most important man in his life. Viktor has no clue why the King of Piltover calls him Perfect, and he is both flattered and terrified.

Nobody from Piltover knows that Viktor and Violet are the eldest Prince and Princess of Zaun. Zaun royalty does not dress like royalty, so they were assumed to be just another couple of citizens. Tensions rise even further between the two countries, war on the horizon, and Piltover doesn't even know what they've done. Zaun has no proof that they are the ones who took their Prince and Princess, so things build slowly over time. Viktor and Violet assume that Jayce and Caitlyn know what they have done, the statement they are making by keeping them.

Viktor finds out how oblivious Jayce is when Jinx/Powder breaks in to rescue them and kill their captors. Viktor is in the middle of trying to convince the youngest Princess not to assassinate the King of Piltover when Jayce wakes up, sees the armed intruded fighting with Viktor, and immediately puts himself between them, shielding Viktor with his body. This makes the younger girl very confused since she had been expecting a gaudy and snooty man who didn't care for their lives. Viktor manages to talk them both down, and their conversation leads him to figure out how little Jayce knows. Jayce finds out that the assassin was there to rescue the slaves, and while he's actually a little relieved and will make no move to stop her, he really doesn't want Viktor to leave, and makes this clear in his body language and hesitant words. In the end, Viktor stays while Jinx/Powder goes to find the other slaves and bring news back to the Kings of Zaun.

In the end, after some sneaking around of Vi and Viktor's parts, Zaun proposes a peace treaty to Piltover. It is a bunch of normal politics stuff, along with a double-arranged marriage. The King and the Head Guard of Piltover would marry the eldest Prince and Princess of Zaun. Both Jayce and Caitlyn protest, both wishing to be with their partners, but in the end they agree to the terms.

Part of the treaty was also to free all Zaunite slaves, and while Vi and Viktor had been practically free already, this just made it official. They hadn't been expecting the two to actually leave, and both become even more stressed without them. But then the wedding day comes, and the Zaunite royalty arrives, and everyone puts everything together. The main characters are overjoyed and in shock, and they all get married and one day unite the kingdoms through their adopted children.

(Currently working on a fic for this au. I have no clue when or if it will get posted, or how long it will be. Once it is posted I will link it here. Wish me luck!)

Asteria Diamond: Jasper and Pearl (part 4)

Jasper takes her place under Asteria Diamond fairly well, especially when the Diamond's power is used on her, but she does not adjust to the Crystal Gems and their ideas so easily. There are a few skirmishes here and there, just enough to have Jasper get a taste for Asteria's brand of punishment, but things really kick off when Jasper insults Pearl. Pearl, having just gotten concrete confirmation that she was allowed to defend herself, waits her out for a moment before summoning a sword and proofing Jasper with a single swipe. She goes to her Diamond to make sure she isn't in trouble and to ask what to do next, and Asteria decides it would be best to beat out the more violent prejudice sooner rather than later.

Asteria, with pearls permission, tests something that they think Rose had done on accident a few times. Pearl is given an order to go along with her fight, which means any time she might have slipped her coding automatically corrects her, keeping her from getting as hurt in the fight. The advantage is slight, but enough to beat Jasper. So Jasper reforms in an arena with Pearl at the other end, waiting for her. They spar three times, Jasper losing all three times. The first time Pearl just poofs her again, the second time they spar for a bit longer so that Pearl can get a good grasp of her fighting style, and the third one is just Pearl making an example of the buff gem. Seeing as Jasper is one of the most powerful gems on the ship everyone learns that day not to mess with Asteria Diamond's Pearl. Jasper admits that Pearl is a strong warrior, but that is as far as she goes. She still has many negative beliefs about others.

Next time Jasper acts up, horribly insulting one of the Crystal Gems which quickly gets physical, she is told by her Diamond that her punishment would be handled by her Pearl. Jasper isn't thrilled, but she's not as insulted as she would have been before Pearl defeated her. Pearl was waiting for her in a sparring room. She was told that she was allowed to move around and be defensive, but she couldn't fight back or summon her weapon. She isn't happy about this but doesn't have time to complain as Pearl immediately attacked. She was using a rounded blade so her strikes hurt, but wouldn't slice through Jasper's form. She took the beating for a while, but eventually she got fed up and fought back. Pearl immediately stopped the fight and chastised her, instructing her to put her hands through the holes in one of the walls. Chains fastened themselves around Jasper's wrists, diamond hard, and Pearl gave her a few good wacks before leaving. After a while she came back, and they did it again. Eventually Jasper stopped trying to fight back, and was worked until she dropped. Just barely not poofed, but exhausted enough that she laid down on the ground and gave up. She half expected Pearl to keep hitting her, but after a few fairly soft thwacks her surrender was accepted. Pearl sat on her back and started to talk to her as she messed with her hair. The action made her want to growl and puff up, but by this point she had learned her place. Pearl talked about her lack of respect for others, and how it all came from a lack of respect for herself. Jasper wanted to deny it, but she was too tired to fight even a verbal battle at this point. Pearl talks her through some big thoughts, before just staying silent. Most of Jasper's hair is braided by the time she is strong enough to lift herself, and Pearl instructs her to leave her form how it is and rest for a few cycles before returning to her for the last of her punishment. Jasper knows better than to fight it, and does as she is told, returning to her bunk room. She settles into her cubby, ignoring the stares of the other gems around her. One of the other Jaspers bothers her, i.e., is worried about her, and Jasper, practically the gem equivalent of half asleep, gives a concise version of events of what happened to her. To the much smaller and weaker Jaspers it sounds like absolute torture, and even more rumors spread about the ex-renegade Pearl. Seeing such a huge gem, a Jasper warrior no less, return from her punishment with a bruised form and an elaborate design weaved into her hair is terrifying. No one has seen Jasper look this beaten before, not even after huge battles. And everyone knows you don't mess with a Quartz's hair unless you want your hands to get cut.

After taking a few cycles to recover, Jasper goes back to complete her punishment. The Pearl exsplains that she will poof her, and gives her specific instructions on how she should regenerate her form. After she was poofed she could smooth over the damage, but she must make some change to her form to show Pearl that she understood her punishment. If Pearl approved of the changes her punishment would be over and her new form would be shown to their Diamond. Pearl told her to take her time, and then poofed her. When Jasper returned she looked fairly similar to before, the main change being the pink diamond symbol on the front. It was still pink and still a diamond, but instead of straight edges between the points each side swooped in, giving it a concave look. It took a moment, but Pearl quickly realized what it represented and found herself pleased. It was a diamond star. Pearl praised her for her choice, and told her to go show their Diamond for final approval. Jasper wasn't sure how to feel at the Pearl's praise, frustrated about how much she liked it. She pushed off the nagging thoughts of Pearl's words and went to show her Diamond her form.

(Something like this for Jasper's new symbol)

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Part 6

Asteria Diamond: Yellow Pearl (Part 6)

Yellow Diamond's Pearl stood primly where her Diamond had left her, doing some organizing for some far off colony as she waited for her Diamond to return. Hopefully her owner would burn her anger out while she was here and Yellow Pearl wouldn't have to deal with it herself. She did not envy Pink Diamond, even if she was a Diamond and would therefore be fine. Her Diamond's current levels of anger made her shiver just by proximity. The air around her Diamond had a tendency to become charged in her anger, and when it got bad enough it would hurt Pearl's gem. Not that she would ever complain, that was not a pearl's place, but she could silently wish for the air to be calm and still. Not long after her Diamond had left Pink Diamond's Pearl entered the ship. Despite there being nothing different about her form Yellow couldn't help but think that something was wrong with the other gem. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what, and that made her afraid. She knew what hiding pain of all kinds looked like, why couldn't she recognize this?

"My Diamond had instructed me to give a message to the gems abord this ship." The other Pearl said. It was clear what that statement meant, but Yellow couldn't help but worry as she handed Pink a ship communicator.

"Of course." Was all she said aloud, but with her body she signed the question, 'are you well sister?'

As she fiddled with the communicator the other Pearl responded, 'I am well. I have been given to a new owner. I am still adjusting.'

Whatever Yellow had been expecting, it hasn't been that. What had happened that she had been given to another? Who had she been given too? If she had displeased her Diamond, why hadn't she been shattered? Before she could voice or sign any of these questions, the communicator went live.

"This is a message from Asteria Diamond to all the gems abord this ship. Every gem who's job is not absolutely necessary to the ships continued functioning are to report to room 8x3 in the conjoined ship. Wait there for further commands. That will be all."

Yellow stared in shock signing, 'what happened?!' the moment she could.

"Come, I'll escort you to the other ship." Pink said, signing, 'to much to share in this moment. Find hiding spot first.'

Yellow considered this, mind racing. "My Diamond may not pleased if she does not find me where she left me."

"If necessary she will be notified of your whereabouts." 'Owner will not be here for some time. (Comforting)'

"Understood." Yellow said, following Pink out of the room and to the other ship.

'I will show you.' Pink signed. Yellow waited, but got no further explanation.

What could Pink want to show her? Hopefully it would explain this horribly concerning situation. She didn't know what was going on, and she didn't like it. She became more and more unnerved as they started to hear a sound. It was the yelling and screaming of some gem, muffled by the walls of the ship. It was always a horrible sound to hear, but Yellow tried to ignore it. As they got closer and the sound got louder, she realized that the gem must be pretty loud for them to hear them from so far away. She refused to acknowledge the pull in her gut until the wailing became horribly loud and painfully clear. She froze, feeling like she had just been dropped into a bucket of icy water. That was her Diamond. That was Yellow Diamond, screaming and wailing like... like...-

Pink put her hand in hers and pulled them along, putting up no fuss at having to practically drag her along. Her vison blurred, time seeming to warp as she was pulled through the spinning fuchsia halls. Pink pulled her into a small room, pushing her down into the corner on top of something soft and tapping her hands in a steady rhythm of comforting sign. (Asteria tried to give Pearl a bigger room, but Pearl wanted somewhere small so she could "hide", so her room is a repurposed closet.) It took a long time to calm down from her panic, and by then she didn't even try to speak. Not for something like this.

'Explain. (pleading)' She signed, staring at Pink (was her name even Pink anymore?) with wide teary terrified eyes. Pink had lost most of the strangeness in her form, and both her signs and eyes were gentle with unspoken pity.

'Me or you first? (Where do I start?)'

She stopped and thought for a moment, trying to decide which choice was better. It was like choosing between the bad news and the worse news, but she needed to know both. 'Beginning, need it all anyway.'

Pink started to explain, sometimes with Pearlsign and sometimes with words. There were parts where she gave the signed 'Redacted.' (I cannot speak of it.) But thankfully the story still made sense without the parts Pink skipped. And what a story it was. A Diamond dead, the rebellion over, the Crystal Gems tamed and a part of the new Pink Diamond's court, and a new order born through the fallout of Asteria Diamond's creation. It was all so much, especially since Yellow now had an idea of why her Diamond was screaming. The new Diamond was apparently not all that thrilled with the current state of the Diamond Authority, and seemingly had the power to do something about it. Pink was just Pearl now. She had asked if she was to call her fellow pearl Asteria Pearl or something similar, but Pearl had said it would probably be better if she didn't. Pearl had said that her Diamond would be alright, but Yellow had her doubts.

(Yellow both loves and fears her Diamond. She was made to serve her, and doing so makes her happy in turn, but sometimes her master had a temper that she will take out on the objects and gems around her. Unfortunately for her, Yellow Pearl counts as both. This did not mean she wanted something bad to befall her Diamond, or otherwise be separated from her. Unfortunately it seemed unlikely that she would be able to see, let alone help, her Diamond in the coming cycles. The uncertainty of it all made her itch with anxiety, but Pearl promised to help her adjust.

Pearl calms Yellow down, before going and helping to sort the new gems. Some upper crust gem kicks up a fuss at Pearl, who gets to show off her renegade side and Jasper's submission to Yellow Diamond's gems. At some point Asteria "tames" Yellow Pearl, and somehow ends up changing her ownership to Asteria even though Yellow Diamond is still around and alive. Yellow Pearl isn't happy about this change, so to ease her into it and to make her feel better she is assigned to help Yellow Diamond when she is awake and needs it. This does not disclude her from the order bomb Pearl got, but Asteria is a bit slower and gentler with it since she knows Yellow Pearl isn't used to the idea of freedom of any kind unlike Pearl.)

When Pearl is summoned to her duties, Yellow goes with her. She didn't know exactly what work they would be doing, but Pearl assured her that she could follow her around and serve Asteria Diamond with her for the time being. Yellow was glad for this despite her fear of the new terrifying Diamond. She didn't want to know what might happen to her with her Diamond unable to have a say in her fate.

They arrived in the room where the rest of Yellow Diamond's gems had been sent too, where several ex-crystal gems and Quartz soldiers were milling about interrogating the new gems. Pearl walked through the crowd with the grace of a pearl and the confidence of a Diamond's belonging. Yellow had to puff out her chest just to try and portray the confidence she had. Pearl headed straight for the Bismuth, and Yellow had to bury her fear from being in the room with Crystal Gems. But her sister made no signs of warning to her, and spoke without fear, so there shouldn't be much immediate danger.

"Bismuth. Are we ready to start sorting?"

"Hey Pearl! Yeah, we should be good to go! There's some we're going to have to play by ear, but things have been going pretty well so far!"

Pearl nodded to the smiling Bismuth, seeming unaffected by the gem's strangely jovial mannerisms. Yellow didn't want to turn her back on the strange gem, but Pearl did it without a second thought so she tried to follow her lead. This time they stopped before what must be Pink Diamond's Champion Jasper. Yellow puffed up on instinct being next to such a large warrior gem, but Pearl seemed just as unflappable as before. She saw no signs of fear in her as she spoke to the much larger gem. How could her sister be so fearless in a room full of gems like this? Did it have something to do with the strangeness she had first seen in her? The pain that wasn't?

"Jasper, round up your squads that are assigned to this and prepare them to start escorting gems to their proper places."

"Yes my Pearl."

Yellow, along with all the new gems nearby, gaped in shock. Yellow stood frozen for a long moment, trying to register what she just heard and fit it into her view of how the world worked.

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Part 6

Arcane possessed Jayce

Due to some experiments with Hextech, Jayce ends up possessed by something arcane. His eyes turn a rainbow myriad of colors, and he is no longer himself. His palms and fingers spark with magic, able to control things and do things he shouldn't be able to accomplish. The arcane being that can temporarily reside in Jayce's skin doesn't mean any harm; it will actually oftentimes try to help, but it isn't the best at helping without instilling a great amount of fear in the process.

One of the first things it tries to help fix is Viktor's illness. It recognizes Viktor as someone important to Jayce, and it also recognizes that Viktor is dying and in pain. So it goes about working sparks of magic into Viktor's body, trying to help him heal himself. Give his body the jumpstart it needs. Viktor is terrified when Jayce, who is strong and able-bodied, pins him down and starts removing his clothes. He figures out that Jayce is not fully himself quickly enough, but that does not change the terror of the situation. He is helpless against Jayce's body, and no matter how hard he squirms and writhes, he can't get away. Warm, callused hands sparking with the arcane dig into his tender muscles, and while the magical massage is ultimately helpful, it is painful and terrifying while it is happening. Viktor falls asleep before possessed Jayce lets him go, and so they both wake up the next morning with a mostly naked Viktor still pinned by Jayce. Jayce, of course, apologizes profusely, but Viktor mostly just wants to move on and figure out what happened to Jayce. Possessed Jayce hadn't done him any harm, not really, and while he hadn't appreciated the scare, he was more interested in exploring the new phenomenon of the arcane. The arcane creature now bound to Piltover's golden boy tries a few more times to help Viktor through the occasional massage, even taking him down into the forge to help keep him warm, but Viktor works his body too hard for them to make any real progress. He's dying slower than before, but he's still dying. That's when they decide to use the forge and create metal pieces infused with arcane to attach to Viktor; that way, he can have a constant stream of magic helping to stitch his body together. It works in the end, but Viktor has no way of knowing what possessed Jayce is doing. He knows nothing other than that the Arcane creature is holding him down and attaching metal to his flesh with magic.

Asteria Diamond: Bismuth's pov (part 3)

Bismuth hit the bubble surrounding her with her sharp hands, but it refused to pop. They were being floated through the halls of the ship, Garnet stuck in another bubble and Pearl blank-eyed and forced to walk by the Diamond's side. No matter what she did the bubble wouldn't pop, and she could do nothing but watch as the other Crystal Gems were similarly entrapped. They were brought to a seemingly empty room, or at least it had been empty when they had entered. The Diamond did something with her weird song-like powers, and suddenly there were the beginnings of a torture device sticking out of the wall. She shouted for Garnet as the fusion sent her a panicked look, but she could do nothing but watch the rose-tinted scene unfold. Garnet fixed her face into a blank mask as she was restrained, ready to withstand the Diamond's torture. Bismuth glanced at Pearl, who was standing on the opposite side of the room from her cage. The other gem had the presence of mind to be staring at Garnet, but Bismuth couldn't tell if Pearl actually knew what was going on. Her form was stiff and her eyes were blank, only the slightest twitch of her fingers and her eyelids to tell that she wasn't a statue.

(Pearl doesn't stay watching as Garnet's taming becomes more violent, but at this point she is just aware enough to know that Garnet is distressed and is trying to comfort her. Unfortunately she is doing so in Pearlsign, which no one else in the room understands. She isn't quite aware enough to realize this, and once Garnet starts screaming Pearl checks out to do some sorting as a distraction.) Garnet screamed, and Bismuth's gaze snapped back to her. Her friend was twisting and convulsing, writhing in her bonds as the Diamond's song shook her body and the Diamond's hands pressed down hard into her gems.

Bismuth watched in horror as her friend thrashed and screamed, fighting against the Diamond with all of her strength. Bismuth called out to her, trying to ground her somewhere other than the obvious pain she was in. "It's gonna be alright Garnet, you've got this! I'm right here, just keep fighting it!" She kept up a steady mantra of support, despite the horror and dread pooling thick in her gem. She oh so badly wanted to bash this fuckers face in, but no matter how hard she pushed the bubble surrounding her wouldn't pop. She watched in slight confusion as the Diamond leaned over Garnet and pressed a soft kiss right above her third eye. The fusion went from having all of her eyes scrunched shut in pain to wide-eyed shock. She shouted some more, but Garnet didn't respond. Her eyes were blank, glassy and listless in a way Bismuth had never seen. Her body had relaxed completely, sagging against her restraints as the Diamond watched. Bismuth swallowed hard, hoping that it wasn't already too late. That spark of hope was dwindling within her, and she desperately tried to call Garnet back to herself with her voice. Garnet blinked almost frantically, a spark of awareness showing in them once more. Relief swept over Bismuth, and she kept encouraging Garnet to come back. But the other gem didn't come back all the way, didn't start to fight again, barley twitched her fingers. Bismuth begged her to respond, but at this point, she wasn't sure the other gem could hear what she was saying. She growled as the Diamond pressed another kiss onto her friend, now aware of the dangers of the action. After a while, Asteria Diamond spoke for the first time in several minutes.

"Garnet," she called, hands now holding the fusion's instead of pressing into them like before.

"Yes My Diamond." Garnet responded in a placid tone, and Bismuth felt like the air had been knocked out of her. She had never heard those words from Garnet, and she had hoped she would never have had to. Despair tried to rise up and swallow her, but she pushed it down.

"Unfuse for me." The hands and the restraints retreated, and Bismuth held her breath. Please don't be brainwashed, please be strong enough to resist, come on, no one tells Garnet to unfuse, this should snap her out of it! Right?

"Yes my Diamond."

There was a bright white light, and Ruby and Sapphire appeared. Despair gnawed at her as she watched Sapphire and Ruby be restrained, only a single cuff necessary to keep them in line. She had stopped shouting now, knowing it would do them no good. She glanced back at Pearl, who's eyes were blank as she stared at a spot on the floor. There wasn't a thought behind her eyes, and the despair climbed higher. Pearl was brainwashed and out of commission, Garnet was now brainwashed as well, to the point where she obeyed when told to unfuse, and now Ruby and Sapphire were getting the Diamond treatment. The Diamond was on Ruby now, murmuring to her with her song infused voice and periodically pressing kisses into her gem. Ruby whimpered and squirmed a bit, but didn't fight like Bismuth wished she would. She tried to strain and hear the conversation, but she only got a few words here and there. Then she heard the dreaded words once more.

"Yes my Diamond."

Asteria Diamond ran her claws over Ruby's hair, undoing the restraint and praising her.

"Good gem. Now wait here for a moment while I talk to Sapphire."

The Diamond moved on to her next pinned prey, while Ruby stood next the them, fidgeting and watching with anxious eyes. Bismuth tried to get her attention, but Ruby only met her eyes once, shook her head, and went back to looking at her lover. Bismuth didn't know how the other gem could stand watching her love get molested by a Diamond. It was hard enough for her to watch, and she wasn't nearly as close as they were. Eventually Sapphire gave her own, "yes my Diamond," and was allowed down from the restraint table. As suspected they immediately held hands, and to Bismuth's surprise the Diamond didn't object.

"Ruby, Sapphire. Fuse."

Bismuth was shocked, trying to figure out why the Diamond would want the two gems fused. Of course Ruby and Sapphire did as they were told, and in a flash of light Garnet was back. Bismuth couldn't help but hope something would finally go their way, but then she saw the altered design on Garnet's chest. She looked almost exactly the same, except now there was the outline of a diamond etched in black. It sat right below the tip of her half star, giving the shape a pink background. It hurt to see the symbol of a Diamond on a gem she knew had never had to wear one. Bismuth could see the angle here. The Crystal Gems' cross fusion war machine, brought to heel by the newest Diamond. Garnet took a step forward and knelt down on one knee before Asteria Diamond. Her arms crossed over her chest in a salute, something else she should never have been forced to do, and spoke.

"I am at your service, my Diamond."

Bismuth wanted to scream, but instead she fixed her eyes on the Diamond. The bastard seemed far to pleased with herself. The Diamond's next words were so laced with song that Bismuth could barely understand them, but it is clearly praise of some kind. Another kiss was pressed into Garnet's form, on the back of her offered knuckles this time, and the fusion was quickly lost to the Diamond's power.

The Diamond stepped away from Garnet's still kneeling form and turned to her. Bismuth bared her teeth in a growl, knowing that it was her turn now. The despair trying to swamp her told her that she was powerless to fight the Diamond's power, but no matter what she would fight till she could fight no more. For the Crystal Gems. For Biggs. For Garnet. For Pearl. For Rose. There was no room to fight her restraints, but she fought anyway. Her struggle against the unyielding metal was cut short as the Diamond once more started to sing, the sound echoing with power in her ears as it sank into her form like a stone sank into water. It was like a lullaby with power behind it. It surrounded her and tried to drag her down, a gentle but all-consuming pressure that had her muscles unclenching. She grit her teeth and clenched her jaw. She had to keep doing it every time the song dragged against her, but she kept making sure to twitch her fingers and toes. It could do her good to save her strength, but she couldn't let this consume her. She couldn't let the Diamond do what she pleased with her. No matter how trapped she was, no matter how angry she was, she wouldn't back down from the Diamond's strength. She didn't care if it got her shattered, she wouldn't let this monster use her against her friends. Against her home.

She narrowed her eyes at the Diamond in challenge. "That all you got?"

The diamond hummed in reply, before reaching out and putting her hand inside Bismuth's gem. Bismuth jerked and yelped as the Diamond's fingers rubbed her gem, waves of calm turning into spikes. Fingertips stroked the facets of her gem, making her pant and whine at the song's strengthened intrusion. She threw her head back with a clang, heaving for breath as she fought against the encroaching apathy. The fingers turned into a full fist, and the lulling song turned into an almost harsh demand. Bismuth knew she wouldn't be able to fight it forever, not with the gentle pressure in her gem that insisted she stop fighting. She screamed out her anger and fear, yelling with all her might like it could keep her from the Diamond's clutches. It was only over if she gave in. But it felt so much better than she thought it would. She had braced well for pain, and against that she was strong, but the sweetness of the song beckoned to her like the scent of rose petals on the wind. The song shook her with the force of it, but it was trying to bury her in calm and peace, not the pain or numbness she had been expecting. There was a cloud of apathy that came close, but it hadn't managed to muffle her. Bismuth had the feeling that it wasn't staying on the outskirts because of a lack of ability. The Diamond leaned over her, and she stared with wide eyes as a kiss was pressed into her sternum. The storm of rage and calm fighting faded into the background.

She saw the conversation Rose had with her when they first met. It was like she was looking through Rose's eyes, but she was detached in a way she wasn't when looking through her own. It took her a moment to realize that this was an information transfer in the form of a memory. Rose asked her what she wanted to be, and a spark of awed rebellion caught in Bismuth's eyes. Rose was gleeful when she had shown her the first weapon Bismuth had made with her own two hands. The memory was soon soured by the thought of war. Of Bismuth choosing to make weapons because it was useful, not because it was what she wanted. Rose wanted Bismuth to be who she really was, not what she made herself to be for Rose's benefit.

Bismuth blinked hard, jarring herself out of the memories. The Diamond still sang above her, sharp diamond eyes soft with the emotions Rose had once held. The Diamond's words were woven with intent, notes of reassurance laced deep in them as she spoke. "With the death of Rose Quartz, it may be the end of the Crystal Gem rebellion, but it is not the end of the Crystal Gem ideals. As long as one of us is standing to brandish the star, the spirit of the Crystal Gems lives on." With her words, she showed her palms, which each had half of the Crystal Gem's symbol sitting there. It wasn't immediately obvious, but seeing them both side by side left no doubt. Bismuth realized that this was somewhat mimicked by the two triangle cuts in the other gem's dress. There was a triangle cut around her gem, and another tringal cut flipped the other way above it. A diamond symbol cut in half horizontally, and a star symbol cut in half vertically, This might not be normal fusion, but it was similar enough. Rose was a part of this gem. Unfortunately, so was Pink Diamond. That thought held her back from giving in and falling into the ocean of song. It was one thing to trust Rose, but it was another to trust a Diamond.

"...S-still a Diamond!" She managed to gasp out, shaking with the effort to resist the blanket of calm. She knew things like talking and breathing would be easier if she did, but she couldn't bring herself to trust a Diamond with herself. Asteria Diamond hummed again, an almost mournful note to it this time. Before she could really question it, another kiss was pressed right above her gem.

This time instead of one of Rose's memories, it was one of Pinks. She had a feeling this was a long time ago, when the Diamond was still young. Bismuth probably hadn't even emerged at the time this conversation happened. Pink Diamond was not the cruel dictator Bismuth knew now. She was bright and bubbly and kind. She was small and deep-cut and not the color she should be. Nothing the other Diamonds did or said could make her act like them. Pink confronted them about how they treated her, about how she came out wrong. The other Diamonds brushed her off. She was just too young and immature for her duties. She could have a colony like the rest of them when she grew up and acted like a Diamond should. Pink Diamond looked at the shards of an off-color who couldn't do their job right and tried to find the difference between them and her. She couldn't.

Bismuth gasped in shock as she came back to herself with a few sharp blinks. Her already shaken world just did a spinning jump and had ended up upside down with everything having gotten jumbled up and eventually fallen out.

"Even Diamonds can be different."

Bismuth stared into Asteria's soft weary eyes, and slowly, shakily, started to loosen her iron grip on her mind. Rose had always wanted freedom for all gems. All those who didn't fit within the Diamonds machine. She wasn't surprised that Rose's soft heart had gone out to a Diamond as well. Said Diamond smiled at her as she lowered herself into the lapping waves of calm. She had been right, it felt wonderful after days and days of stress and panic.

"We will bring peace." Asteria Diamond sang. And Bismuth found she believed her. If there was anyone who could fight the Diamonds, it was another Diamond.

Bismuth does take her time accepting the new order, but with further reassurance from her new Diamond and talking with Garnet and Pearl she accepts that Asteria really does want what is best for them and the Earth. Asteria also told Bismuth that if she was ever worried about something or needed anything that she could come to her like she could with Rose. The Diamond did tell her that for now, it would probably be best not to do so in front of any Homeworld loyalists so that she doesn't cause any more drama with them than she already has just by being there. Bismuth likes to help out with the lower class's work when they let her and has a tendency to make friends with gems whose ideals lean more toward the Crystal Gems, even if they don't realize it. Soon enough, she finds that she has a knack for picking out perspective Crystal Gems from a crowd, and when combined with Pearl and Garnet's own talents, they can separate a group of gems by what introduction they will need to Asteria's rule. They might miss a few here or there, but when Yellow Diamond's gems come, they separate them out by who needs to be informed with a firm hand and possibly threats to keep them in line until they can be handled individually, while the softer, typically kinder gems are more receptive to the positive changes that come with working under Asteria Diamond.

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Part 5

Part 6

Powder's Jinxers

A bunch of Jinxers travel back in time. All of them are very confused, and it is causing chaos. Sevika manages to calm everything down by corralling them into the Last Drop and dropping Powder on the counter with some trinkets. She encourages her to talk about her inventions, and with a captive audience, she really gets going. After a while, Vander sends her to bed, and they have a meeting of time travelers plus Vander, since he’s one of the original revolutionaries and everything directly involves him and his family.

Boba's Vode

For some reason Boba has time traveled, probably because of Din, into the past. Back when his ba'buir was still alive. They end up in a situation where they and their allies are cornered in an old temple, hiding from an enemy/army that they do not have the strength or numbers to fight. There is an artifact in the temple, and they are all told that while it can summon a person's relatives to them, living or dead, but it can only do so for very close relatives. This is seen as not super helpful, but Boba resizes that he has a really big close family. And so, after asking some clarifying questions, ("So if someone touched it and wanted their Vode, it would bring all their Vode to them?") he touches the artifact and calls for his Vode. His millions of Vode. It's a good thing the temple is big.

Pack or Prey? - Chapter 1 - BlackFoy - Arcane: League of Legends (Cartoon 2021) [Archive of Our Own]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62210176/chapters/159141145

Shimmer Eyes (original notes)

Several people have time-traveled back into their past bodies. Vander is not one of those people, but he does become very concerned when Powder falls mysteriously ill. She's feverish, screaming, talking gibberish, and her eyes flash a sickening purple.

Her siblings are also very worried, but nothing they try makes her better. His patrons notice how stressed he is, but it isn't until Sevika catches wind of the state of his youngest that something comes of it. She goes into a strange frenzy, refusing to tell him what is going on, just insisting that she knows what is wrong with Powder. Vander doesn't trust her, but he's at his wit's end, so he doesn't punch her in the face when she bundles Powder into a blanket and takes off down the road. He couldn't make sense of what either of them were saying, Powder's feverish name-calling or Sevika's perfectly sober name-calling, but at least neither of them seemed distressed by being called Ogre and Jinx. He becomes more and more on edge as they make their way further into Silco's territory, but Powder is the most relaxed she's been in days once Sevika makes some comments about "going to help you feel better and making sure your Dad doesn't stab anybody." Vander didn't think he was known for stabbing people, but if it gave Powder some comfort, he didn't care.

Then they walk into a room with Silco, and he freezes. For a moment, Silco is frozen as well, staring into each other's eyes, but Sevika quickly intervenes. She shows Silco Powder's eyes with urgency, and Vander's panic goes up even further with Silco so close to his daughter. Especially when Silco's good eye widens in shock, and he traces Powder's face with something close to reverence.