WEEK 5

[bathymetric]

That's three murders now - and this last trial got more than slightly out of hand. It looks like you might be in for another tough week... or at least, maybe that's just the refusal of this place to change too much. You lose Saturday again, but maybe six-day weeks are starting to feel normal by now. Who knows? The cycle of day and night continues apace, changing so little.

Speaking of change, though, there's a new area to look through, the biggest and most complex yet. And the end of one wing of the facility, from the looks of it - though you can probably guess where more areas might start to open up.

And speaking of opening up (segues!), this week if you're out particularly late, you might sometimes see Angel out and about! So hey, maybe change is on the horizon.

Just gotta hope it's a change for the better, don't you?



SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

[ ooc: Welcome to Week 5! Remember to turn in AC here, threads for regain coins here, and if you feel so inclined you can visit Angel's office hours over here! Or, if you want Angel to come to you, that's now an option! Simply put a prompt after lights-out into your toplevel and indicate you want Angel in the subject line, same as investigations! ]

Comments

[bolderfell]

Huh. Like a coat of arms.

[You know, no one's actually explained this to him yet.]

The Crystal Gems are different from other Gems?

[lovelikeyou]

We're...rebels against Homeworld.

[she's actually a little surprised he hasn't heard Jasper shout about this?]

[bolderfell]

[He's heard about Diamonds and shattering and how stupid and soft Rose is, but people don't typically offer glossaries of key words in their conversations with him. Least of all Jasper.]

That's the only distinction, huh?

[lovelikeyou]

I guess. We aren't any different physically, if that's what you mean.

[well, maybe she should go more basic then?]

I started a rebellion to save the Earth, and its life, and all the Gems Homeworld casts aside.

[bolderfell]

...And yourself? You were cast aside, too?

[lovelikeyou]

...no. Not until I started trying to protect Earth.

[bolderfell]

Wait. Then why would you? You just... for people you didn't even know?

[Why are so many of you LIKE this?]

[lovelikeyou]

I couldn't just let everything on Earth die.

[She sounds more firm than surprised. By now, she's already met a couple organic people who are nonetheless weirdly willing to stan for the Diamonds and their destruction of Earth, so it's not really a shock to be questioned anymore.]

[bolderfell]

[He's not gonna stan the Diamonds, he just--how do people just own up to unselfish motivations?]

But Earth wasn't even your world. Why... What did you think you owed them?

[lovelikeyou]

They...they were alive. They deserved to go on living, not just be destroyed because Gems don't care about anything else.

[is that the same thing as owing?]

[bolderfell]

...So, why did you care?

[It's the most genuine, most bewildered question he's ever asked her. Even more so than why do you have a lion?]

Plenty of humans wouldn't have. Plenty of humans... already don't.

[lovelikeyou]

I don't know why.

[well that's entirely honest at least!]

Your lives are all so wonderful and unique. You get to grow and change, and make choices. Why wouldn't I want to protect that?

[bolderfell]

[He...

...Actually, seriously doesn't have an answer to that. He just kind of stares at her, at a loss, for a few moments.]

...That's. One way to see it. I guess.

[lovelikeyou]

[Rose shrugs. Yeah, guess so.]

I have no idea how much has been lost to Gems already. They'd destroy everything else in the universe, if no one ever tried to stop them.

[bolderfell]

[He nods absently, adjusting the scarf around his neck.]

They do it for themselves, yeah? They're not just destroyers, but... thieves, I suppose you could say. That sound right?

[lovelikeyou]

I...guess you could say that. But I think the destruction part is bigger.

[Thief is really not the same thing as "destroys a whole lot of planets and species wholesale".]

[bolderfell]

[He shrugs.]

Just feel like a lot of living creatures do the same. It's a brutal, uncaring climb to the top.

[lovelikeyou]

Animals like lions kill for food. But that's not the same thing as wiping out whole planets when you don't really need to. Nothing bad would have happened to Gemkind if they just decided to leave Earth alone - they could colonize one of the planets without any life. There were a few right in the same solar system.

[bolderfell]

[After a moment, he nods slowly. That does seem like a dick move.]

Was Earth a.... richer prize?

[lovelikeyou]

It had the natural resources to grow some good Quartzes, but so do lots of places. They wouldn't have given a very important planet to Pink Diamond.

[bolderfell]

Huh. [...He blows out a sigh.] I really don't get the way your world values Gems. Quartz is nice enough--makes for good stonecarving and the like--but it's no ruby.

[lovelikeyou]

Humans on my Earth value ruby a lot more, too! I think it's because Earth isn't that good for growing them. On Homeworld, they're considered common - they use them like cannon fodder. Quartzes aren't much rarer, but they're usually bigger and stronger. That's really all there is to it.

[bolderfell]

I see. Their loss, then.

[For once, Therion offers a smile-adjacent expression in Rose's vicinity.]

Maybe it's different for stones. But when it comes to people, there are things only small, common-looking types can do.

[lovelikeyou]

[Rose smiles, too.]

It's not different at all. Homeworld just thinks it is. The Ruby I know is such a brave, kind Gem...she used to sneak right into Homeworld bases for us without any problem, because no one ever looks twice at a Ruby there.

[bolderfell]

Maybe that's what I'd have been, if I were from your Homeworld. A Ruby. Not bad at all.