#poor white

1) “Headphones”: This is the closest one to being finished, but I dunno, I just don’t think this kinda style works for me. Besides that, I don’t know how to draw people from the back, so it’s already starting really wonky XP. I’d like to come back to this idea when I’m just a little more skilled (or at least better at drawing people’s backsides)~

2) “Substitute”: If a Unit becomes inoperable for more than 24 hours while in “Public Mode”, it’s the Leader’s responsibility to fill-in for them until they're fixed. The Leader can only fill-in for one at a time, so missing halves of a pair (Red & Blue or Yellow & Green) are prioritized to maintain the personality balance, otherwise the next in command is prioritized. Ex) If Red, Blue and Yellow were to all become inoperable, the Leader would prioritize replacing Yellow so Green still has a foil, but if only Blue and Yellow were inoperable, he would prioritize replacing Blue. In the case of a total party wipe, he wouldn’t change at all because he’d be too depressed to do anything.

3) Initial concept for Substitute: If the Leader becomes inoperable for more than 24 hours while in “Battle Mode”, the next in command will automatically become “the Leader” and turn off their “personality core” until the designated Leader is fixed. The role can be trickled down all the way to Green (the last in command), but he’d still just be subject to the Captain since there’s no one else beneath Green to command. In effect, his personality core would just be turned off to simplify his decision-making capabilities since him being the leader under any circumstance means that something has gone terribly wrong with their unit.

4) “Mascots”: Just thinking if 1010 had little mascots of themselves like some other K-pop groups do.

White: Seagull

Red: Shark

Blue: Dolphin

Yellow: Sea Otter

Green: Octopus

I wanna think of some non-white animals for White though so his cheeks will stand out more (white on white doesn’t work too well, but I can’t make the seagull gray and have it still easily recognized as a seagull). A sea turtle maybe?

5) This is a panel from an old scrapped comic, but I'm using it to talk about a headcanon since it’s kinda relevant to a couple of the other sketches:

The color 1010s are all “branches” of White: They’re all derivative of his base programming with an extra “personality core” to set them apart. Being the “Leader” is just a mode that any of the 1010s can turn on or off, but since White doesn’t have his own core (or rather his personality core is indistinct from the base program), he’s actually the most expendable of the group despite having the most powerful role.

Technically NJ shouldn’t be a part of the tree since they don’t directly “inherit” anything from him, but if you wanna define the tree as being who lead to the creation of who, then it goes:

Neon J. designed and programmed White (the base 1010), making NJ White’s dad/creator.

The others are derivative of White’s programming, making White their dad/superclass (and NJ their grandpa).

Red & Blue were introduced during Mark II, making them the 2nd generation/subclass A.

Yellow & Green were introduced during Mark III, making them the 3rd generation/subclass B.

“Steven, I really don’t think this is a good idea for you to join us with this meeting until you’re used to hearing about all the awful stuff we did in the past.”

“Guys, come on, I AM used to it, it’s been two years already, besides, she said if she was going to come to this meeting, all FOUR diamonds have to be there, FOUR you guys, not three, mind telling me how you’re going to still talk to her without me? Or without threatening her and appearing scary to your gems?”

These questions left the diamonds speechless, as much as they didn’t want him to see what they used to be like, if they wanted to change and gain their gems trust, they had to see this gem with Steven to show they are willing to talk to gems themselves and not through their superiors. “Okay...you win.” White said with a downcast look, still wishing there was another way to talk to her. “I just hope you don’t start hating me, like everyone else hates her.”

They walked down the halls together, White staying to the right of Yellow and Blue with Steven all the way to the left of them, she was trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and Steven (‘cause of what was going to happen next) without seeming like she was trying to avoid him.

When Steven saw the gem they were supposed to meet with, it was a white sapphire with her gem on her chest, they hated this one specifically because she had just as bad a past as White, and some gems even said she might have even more authority than the diamonds ‘cause of her special ability, and that she actually had White on her knees at one point begging her.

She was greatly treasured by White, but also hated her more than anything, instead of being able to see the future, she could send you into the past to change it, but the only problem was she was considered defective and couldn’t be replicated so if they ever shatter her and then need to go back in time to save the planet, they’d just be doomed, so since they couldn’t shatter her, it gave her a lot of power over them, since the only times they would ever resort to using her was when they were desperate and didn’t have time to torture her, and even if they did, it wouldn’t do anything, she would just make them wait even longer to use her power. She’d make them do unspeakable things, and didn’t even care if the planet, or even the entire EMPIRE was destroyed because she didn’t let them save it.

All three of them flinched backwards when they saw her, they were dreading bringing Steven to a NORMAL meeting when they didn’t know SHE was the one he had to meet with, now they were petrified stiff when they saw he had to meet with HER of all gems.

“Well well well, it took you long enough, oh, but I guess I can see WHY you took so long. Hmm, so this is the great Steven Universe, the one who saved all gem kind, hmm, I didn’t think he’d be...organic.” She said with major amounts of disgust in her voice, putting her pointer finger under his chin to get a better look at him.

“Back off sapphire!! He’s not here for you to look at and judge! Lets just this over with!” Yellow snapped while she pulled Steven away from her, putting him up on her shoulder to make sure she can’t get too close again, Steven didn’t object to this at all, he was even a little grateful, she was making him uncomfortable before.

After a couple hours of negotiating, the sapphire decided to start mentioning her past, and all the gems she’s tortured and punished, this was making all three of them a little uncomfortable, since she didn’t even sound like she regretted doing it and that she might have actually enjoyed it. Steven saw that this and tried to ask her if she feels bad for it, her answer shocked all of the...she didn’t.

She said they deserved what they got, White then jumped in the conversation, completely pissed off and confused.

“What the stars do you mean they deserved it!? A ruby who bumped into me DESERVED to be shattered!? No she didn’t! it was just an honest mistake, and I didn’t even notice it back then!”

“It was strictly forbidden for anyone with lower authority than an diamond to touch the great empress of Homeworld unless she says they can, and anyone who breaks the rules are to be shattered.”

“Yeah but even then I let it slide once in awhile, even back then I would’ve spared her, since it was only on my shoe and not even my skin, so I didn’t even feel her!”

“Well in that case, you were being soft.”

“No I-”

“And I don’t even know why you’re trying to justify this, you shouldn’t feel any regret either, it shows more weakness than even a defective gem such as yourself should show.”

“Who are you to tell me how I should feel!?!?!?” White snapped, tears now flowing down her face, messing up her makeup and causing it to fall with her tears down onto her cheeks.

“Because, I am you.” These words rang in White’s head over and over again.  “We are exactly the same, we have the same past, we are both nothing like everyone else, we are both living demons. Face it White, you’re just a big a monster as me.”

“NO I’M NOT!!!” White screamed as she ran away in tears off to her room.

“White wait! You only called this meeting to hurt her, didn’t you?” Steven said as him, Yellow and Blue all ran off after her.

They found her laying on her bed with her back turned to them, still crying only this time her face had turned entirely blue. “White, are you going to be okay to continue with the meeting? If you’re not we can easily end it by saying you’re not coming.” Yellow tried to assure her, sitting down on the edge of her bed behind her, not wanting to force her to look at anyone if she doesn’t want to.

“And then you never have to see her again, and if we ever need to time skip again, me and Yellow will simply do it, you can cut her out of your life.”

“It’s not what you guys think it is, I’m not sad, well okay I am a little sad, but I’m mostly afraid, everything she said is what I think about myself, and I’m afraid she’s right.”

“WHAT!?!?!?” Everyone screamed their heads off at this, how the stars can she think that stuff about herself, that sapphire IS wrong, she is not a monster anymore.

“White how the stars can you say that about yourself!? That sapphire was only saying that stuff to hurt you, you are NOTHING like her, you’re caring, you’re kind, you’re still loved DESPITE your past.” Steven said jumping in front of her and grabbing her face by her cheeks and making her look straight into his eyes.

She sat up and made him let go. “It still doesn’t excuse what I’ve done in the past, a couple good things can’t make up for millions of bad things you guys.”

Authors Note: okay I’m too brain dead to write an entire argument, so time skip.

“How can you know what I feel like!? You didn’t get in a mindset for so long you cause your entire FAMILY to fear you!! Nobody can know what I feel like!!”

“You know what, you’re half right. I can’t know that type of pain, but Yellow and Blue can.”

“White, we know it’s hard  to forgive yourself when you have a past like that, and a stupid bitch to remind you of it, but you can’t remain miserable forever, you’ll just make everyone else worry about you and then they’ll be miserable too.”

“I just don’t know how you do it, I’ve been trying for the past two years and I still can’t, how did you two do it?”

“Well, when you have someone else around...” Yellow wrapped her arm around Blue’s neck and turned to smile at her. “...who loves you, and is always telling you you’re not bad anymore, it really helps.”

“...So I have to get a girlfriend?”

“What!? Pfft heh heh! NO!” Yellow and Blue both laughed at how adorable and clueless she was.

“It doesn’t have to be a GIRLFRIEND specifically, it can be anyone, a close friend, a coworker, a family member, anyone who knows you (or at least doesn’t HATE you), even we’ll help.” Blue sat down and hugged her, while Yellow sat down on the other side and put her hand on White’s shoulder.

“We just hate seeing you this upset.”