#Black star diopside

[powderedshards]

//OOOH WAIT A SECOND BIG BRAINED MOMENT

[sugolara]

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝

Feat. Katsuki Bakugo x Shoto Todoroki x Izuku Midoriya x fem! reader

An ongoing series.

Synopsis: After a deadly virus leaks all over the world, every country is forced to close down its borders and airports to prevent anyone from coming in and out. Though, it's too late for some people. The dead have risen and are looking for revenge.

Cw: gore, quirkless! au, apocalypse! au, zombie! au, weapons, death, angst, lots and lots of blood, cannibalism, suicidal thoughts, updates thursday/sunday, slow burn, cross-posted on ao3, wattpad, qoutev

BEING HEAVILY EDITED

Inspired by, ''The Walking Dead''

playlist!

" Space Junk - Wang Chung " Wolf - First Aid Kit " Into The Black - Chromatics " My Life In Rewind - Eagulls " Hush - Trills " Bad Before Good - Dayone " Run Boy Run - Woodkid " You're So Cool - Jonathan Bree " So Bored - Gorgeous Bully " Operations - Duster " Blue Light - Mazzy Star " Civilian - Wye Oak " Can't Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers " Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses " Skyfall - Adele " Struggling Man - Emily Kinney (original: Jimmy Cliff) " The Last Pale Light In The West - Ben Nichols " Up The Wolves - The Mountain Goats " Blackbird Song - Lee DeWyze " Be Gone Dull Cage - Kiev " Into Dust - Mazzy Star " Warm Shadow - Fink " Tomorrow Is a Long Time - Bob Dylan " Poison Tree - Grouper " Rhymes Of An Hour - Mazzy Star " You Are The Wilderness - Voxhaul Broadcast " Running - Delta Spirit " People, Turn around - Delta Spirit " The Lion's Roar - First Aid Kit " Pain - Boy Harsher " The Setup - Favored Nations " The Old Death - Ben Nichols " Revolution - Red Shahan " The Man Who Sold The World - Nirvana " Beautiful Mess - Balian " The Day The World Went Away - Nine Inch Nails " Mr. Splitfoot - Paris Motel " Empty Words - Bowery Electric " No Longer Making Time - Slowdive " Step Away from the Cliff - Blue-Eyed Son " Paradise - Silverberg " Take Care (To Comb Your Hair) - Ty Segall " Glad I Had a Friend - Galt MacDermot " Machine Gun - Portishead " Shadows of Planes - Duster " No Peace at All - Aldous Harding " Save Us from Ourselves - Digital Daggers " I'm No Heroine - Emily Wells " Salt in the Wound - Delta Spirit " It's All Right - Sam Cooke " To Build a Home - The Cinematic Orchestra " 6 Underground - Sneaker Pimps " Edge Of The World - Dayshell " Bye Bye Bye - School of Seven Bells " Arsonist Lullaby - Hozier " It's All Over - Johnny Cash " The Stars Just Blink For Us - Say Hi " Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division " Knockin' On Heaven's Door - Guns N' Roses " Runnin' Down a Dream - Tom Petty " Fly Like An Eagle - Steve Miller Band " You Are Not Alone - Mavis Staples " Welcome - Harmonia & Eno ‘76’ " Hope We Can Again - Nine Inch Nails " outside - Oneheart " sleepless - Odyzon " Alesund - Sun Kil Moon " Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd " Don Abandons Alice - John Murphy " Wicked Game - Chris Isaak " Rule of Rose OST - Playing Airship " 1908 - Repulsive " I Shall Cross This River - The Black Atlantic " Easy Way Out - Low Roar " Wherever You Are - Ulrich Schnauss " Waitin' Round to Die - Townes Van Zandt

table of contents:

Season 1: Episode 1: Begin Episode 2: Not alone Episode 3: Gone but not forgotten Episode 4: You belong in this world Episode 5: Because all life is precious Episode 6: Musutafu, we'll meet again Episode 7: Izuku: I'd always thought there be more time

Season 2: Episode 8: During these two weeks Episode 9: Diopside, like your eyes Episode 10: For the first time in a long time Episode 11: Almost complete Episode 12: Determined to survive, stay alive Episode 13: Fear Episode 14: Katsuki: You are going to beat this world

Season 3: Episode 15: Away with you Episode 16: Three months ago Episode 17: Slowly withering away Episode 18: Don't die, not yet Episode 19: How long before I’m alone Episode 20: Nothing else to lose Episode 21: Shoto: Everything you would be will be gone

Season 4: Episode 22: Trouble Episode 23: For however long that'll be Episode 24: Searching Episode 25: The fallen city Episode 26: Stay who you are Episode 27: All together Episode 28: F/n: With you beside me

Season 5: Episode 29: Here Episode 30: Cruel Episode 31: Too loud Episode 32: Back on road Episode 33: All is lost Episode 34: Safe in your arms Episode 35: And so it begins Episode 36: At stake Episode 37: Sorry or whatever Episode 38: Familiar eyes

Season 6: Episode 39: A relief Episode 40: Upcoming trouble Episode 41: Never to easy Episode 42: To good for death Episode 43: Old memories Episode 44: A stroke of luck Episode 45: Be aware Episode 46: Bait Episode 47: A thump in my heart Episode 48: Belong to me Episode 49: One step closer (Towards you)

Season 7: Episode 50: Sorston Episode 51: Tenderness Episode 52: Here to stay Episode 53: The start Episode 54: Crushed Episode 55: Reporting to duty Episode 56: Good morning and goodbye Episode 57: An end to sorrow, grief & regret Episode 58: On the move Episode 59: Confirmation Episode 60: The world was on fire and no one could save me but you

Season 8: Episode 61: Not who you were Episode 62: Just you and me Episode 63: The Plaza Episode 64: The other side Episode 65: To be ready Episode 66: You're here Episode 67: So long, my dear Episode 68: Discard me Episode 69: Secrets you'll soon share Episode 70: I wish you nothing but the best Episode 71: For as long as I live Episode 72: Goodness and kindness can't survive, at least not in the world I dreamed of

Season 9: Episode 73: I'll see you in a while Episode 74: So wait for me Episode 75: Hushed secrets

To be continued...

Book one: Welcome To The New World Book two: To The One You Left Behind

taglist: @mikeyswifie @k0z3me @sky-angel101 @stevenknightmarc @nahwajinswhore @mn-0p @a-helen113 @azrral @mary-jinx @chixkadee @flowers-4-you @im-the-groot

[bekkathyst]

Custom Wire Wrapped Necklaces

These are the stones I have available for wire wraps, for those of you who are interested!

If you would like to claim one, please be sure to read this entire post!

So here’s the rundown. Below is a picture with each stone numbered, and below that is the name of each stone, along with the price.

The price includes the following: the stone wrapped in the metal of your choice (sterling silver, 14k gold fill, 14k rose gold fill), an 18″ chain finished with a handmade clasp, and it includes free shipping worldwide! 

You will choose the style they’d like it wrapped in. There are three example pics below. 

Payment is due when the stone is claimed and all the options are chosen (metal, style, etc). PLEASE NOTE - these will be completed in late May 2023. I will aim to have them done before the end of that month. They take a long time to make, please make sure you’re okay with the wait before ordering. I put the utmost care into this and have extreme attention to detail, and when that combines with my busy schedule, it means that it can take a while. I always aim to get them done early, but sometimes it’s not possible. If you are buying one for a certain event or deadline please be sure to let me know when ordering, so I can let you know if it's possible for it to be completed before then!

To claim: send me a message over the instant messenger with your email address, the country you’re in, the stone you’d like to claim, the metal you’d like it wrapped in, and the style you’d like it wrapped in. I’ll then send your invoice and get started on your pendant! :) 

*Note* These are some of my best, highest quality stones! I’ve been collecting (and hoarding, if I’m honest) hundreds of top-quality stones for 10 years to build this collection I can share with you.

Here are all the stones:

Brecciated Azurite - $140

High-Grade Old Stock Ocean Jasper - $140

High-Grade Old Stock Ocean Jasper - $140

Lavender Quartz Facet - $155

Highest Grade Rainbow Moonstone - $180

Highest Grade Rainbow Moonstone - $175

Deep Red Garnet - $145

Watermelon Tourmaline - $145

Blue Apatite - $135

Genuine Spectrolite from Finland - $150

XXL Genuine Spectrolite from Finland - $325

Rainbow Obsidian - $135

Gold Sheen Obsidian - $120

Silver Sheen Obsidian - $115

Silver Sheen Obsidian - $120

Lavender Chalcedony - $135

Australian Crystal Opal Triplet - $125

Fire Agate - $125

Mozambique Rose Quartz - $120

Blue Labradorite - $125

Rare Purple Labradorite $145

Rainbow Moonstone - $130

True Silver Moonstone - $140

Lattice Sunstone - $140

Confetti Sunstone - $135

Star Ruby - $140

Chatoyant Sapphire - $160

Red Rutilated Quartz Facet - $135

Epidote Included Quartz Facet - $140

Clear Quartz Facet - $115

Black Tourmaline & Epidote Included Quartz Facet - $185

Harlequin Quartz - $160

Phantom Amethyst w/ Inclusions - $150

Ethiopian Opal - $155

Rare Genuine Andamooka Opal from Australia (15.8 carats) - $435

Vietnamese Ruby Gourd Carving (22.75 carats) - $425

Cat's Eye Pink California Tourmaline (San Diego co.) (12.3 carats) - $230

Morganite from Russia - $170

Chrome Diopside from Russia - $180

Pyritized Ammonite Fossil from Russia - $180

Dianite (Russian Blue Jade) - $160

Amazonite from Russia - $120

"Blueberry" Azurite Geode from Russia - $140

Uvarovite Garnet from Russia - $185

Mongolian Turquoise - $140

These are the styles you can choose from (I do very minimalist wrapping so the stone really shines through! And the wrapping is super sturdy!) 

Style #1 (prongs): 

Style #2 (symmetrical): 

Style #3 (asymmetrical):  

I will cross out each stone as they are claimed! 

Extra little note: I have some square wire if you prefer that to the round, just let me know!

Thanks, everyone :) 

[akira-seeya]

Notes for my four swords x land of the lustrous au. eyes emoji (image description below readmore)

(you're going to witness my horrible writing skills combined with this absolute 12am audhd mess of an image and i'm so sorry for that. this is very long)

Image description:

A messy brainstorming page for an LoZ Four Swords x Land of the Lustrous crossover strewn with sketches, handwritten notes, and images. The page is vaguely divided into 5 columns for each color of Link.

On the far left, there is a sketch of Gem Green Link. Above him is a label that says "Aventurine / Hardness: 6.5" in English and Japanese. He wears a black outfit that resembles both the Gems' and Links' uniform designs. His hair and eyes are vivid green with light green specks sprinkled in (representing the mica present in real aventurine). There are thin sparkle lines coming off of his hair, and a bit of green is reflected on the shoulders of his uniform. In his left hand is a thin, long version of the Four Sword. In his right is the sheath, which is connected to the backside of his uniform/belt via two pieces of ribbon. Below the sketch is a reference image of tumbled aventurine.

To the right of Green are the notes for Gem Red Link. The label says "Coral / Hardness: 4" in English, and "Coral (precious coral) (don't worry about the details) / Hardness of 4" in Japanese. Below the text is an image of an oval precious coral gemstone.

In the middle are the brainstorming notes for Gem Blue Link, with 2 different gems. The first label says "Dumortierite / Hardness: 7." Under the label are 3 bullet points: "Spiky inclusions!" "Quartz" and "Mostly white or translucent." The second label says "Blue Serendibite / Hardness: 7" with 2 bullet points under it: "Very deep blue!" and "Serendibite is usually black." The notes for serendibite are circled. Below it is a gem and hardness label for serendibite in Japanese. At the bottom is an image of an emerald-cut blue serendibite gem.

To the right of Blue are the brainstorming notes for Gem Vio Link, with 3 different gems. The first label says "Iolite / Hardness: 7~7.5" with 2 bullet points under it: "Greek for violet" and "Very dark color." The second label says "Tanzanite / Hardness: 6.5" with 2 bullet points: "Very deep purple!" and "Almost blue." The third label says "Charoite / Hardness: 6" with 2 bullet points: "Swirly!!!" and "Good purple hue." The notes for charoite are circled. Below it is a gem and hardness label for charoite in Japanese. At the bottom is an image of two oval charoite gems. It is purple with mystic dark and light swirls formed by its inclusions.

On the far right are brainstorming notes for Gem Shadow Link, with 2 different gems. The first label says "Black Opal / Hardness: 6" with 2 bullet points: "Rainbow!" and "Too colorful/not black enough?" The second label says "Black Star Diopside / Hardness: 6" with just a single bullet point under it: "holy shit" with plus-shaped sparkles next to it. The notes for diopside are circled, and has a gem and hardness label for it in Japanese. At the bottom is an image of several oval pieces of black star diopside. They are all black each with a single large cross-shaped shine, refracting the main light source.

Image description end.

[stalkerofthegods]

Urania deep dive

Lady Urania, The muse and goddess of astronomy, may clouds, the freckles of the sky, remind you of the stars, and Lady Urania.  Lady Urania is an Oceanid,  a minor goddess, and is commonly referred to as Lady Aphrodite, But Lady Urania may be worshiped as an individual goddess and has been seen so in ancient Hymns. I am not a worshiper/devotee of Urania but I know well she is amazing, so please respect her, she is a wonderful goddess, even the birds who sing well even dream of her voice, for when she sings along the Muses, the world stops just to see them play.

Herbs •Moonflower or night gladiolus, any plants that grow in the dark and during the night, the flowers called aster (meaning star).

Animals• Tortoise, (the rest is non recorded so this list is UPG) star fish, ursa bear, 

Zodiac • all, but mostly Aquarius because it is rumored that she was born under that star.

Colors • Dark blue

Crystal• (none recorded so this is all UPG) Sapphires and rubies, as well as rose quartz, spinel and garnet (birthstones), star diopside, star tourmaline, star spinel, star peridot, amethyst.

Symbols• Tortoise (the symbol of domestic modesty and chastity), a golden globe, and a golden rod, stars, Astrolabe, Quadrant, Celestial Globe, Scroll, Lyre, heaven imagery

Jewelry you can wear in their honor• vails, stars shaped necklaces, bracelets, etc.

Patron of• Astronomy, Guiding, Constellations, and the stories of heroes preserved in the stars, she was also told to be able to tell the future by reading the stars while they were being put in place, how to predict the seasons, and how to navigate the sea, Scholars, mathematics and knowledge, some say law and order.

Offerings• globe and compass, Astronomy tools, sail curtains, zodiac charts, moon water, eclipse water, sun water, star imergy, candles that are blue and white/black, gold colored stands, wine, pray, photos of herself, photos of the stars, star charts, globe, astrology tools.

Devotional• Go star-seeing, Read the stars, wish on shooting stars, go camping under the stars, make star charts, go canoeing in a lake and row towards your favorite star, Vail in blue, sing in her honor, dance in her honor, listen to music in their honor, pray, study in their honor, study about them.

Epithet's• Heavenly Dweller and Pandemos (Of All the People) 

Equivalents• Selene, Aphrodite, Asteria

Signs their reaching out• seeing their symbols and names, seeing a sudden drawn to them and stars and astrology

Vows/omans• to be a muse.

Number• 9, she is the 9th muse.

Morals• lawfully natural.

Courting• Apollo, Hermes, Amphimarus

Past lovers/crushes• Apollo, Hermes, Amphimarus

Personality• She often looks deep in thought, wondering about the stars, she is often associated to be serious in hymns. 

Home• Mount Olympus

Mortal or immortal • Immortal 

Fact•  Was there when Lady Persephone was abducted by Lord Hades, she can talk to the dead, and she can protect sailors from sea creatures 

Curses• not being able to remember anything she is association with, being bad at the things she is the patron of.

Blessings• being able to see shooting stars, seeing stars in a cloudy day, having inspiration about the future and about astrology.

Roots• She originally came from Athens, and her cult was rooted there.

Friends• the muses, Oceanids and Olympians

Parentage• Zeus and Dione, or Zeus and Titan Mnemosyne, or Titans Oceanus and Tethys.

Siblings• oceanids, and the muses

Pet• none

Children •  Linos (Urania and the possible dads are, Amphimaros, Apollon, and Hermes), and Hymenaios (Urania and Apollon)

Appearance in astral or gen• Long gorgeous Brown hair, brown eyes in deep thought, pale skin, often shown in a dark blue toga with stars.

Festivals • Museia (Μούσεια) was a festival dedicated to Muses which was held every fifth year on the lower slopes of Mount Helicon in Boeotia.

Season • all

Day • night

Status• oceanid, immortal, high in power and lives in mount olympus 

What angers them• insults

Music they like• everything?

Planet• the Sun, stars are suns! And the planet uranus 

Tarot cards• nine constellations formed around the major arcana cards which have identifying digits from one to nine.

Remind me of• constellations, my music taste, dancing.

Scents/Incense • Iris, myrrh, frankincense, 

Prayers• 

To the muses 

O Muses, from whom all stories flow Like the waters of the Hippocrene,

that pours from Helicon’s towering heights onto the sacred planes of Greece; Daughters of Zeus and mothers of song, whose voices sound like chiming bells, heard in the ripples of the stream and the calling of the wind, singing stories older than the many languages of men; Your voices sing within my soul And always have, since I was born, Urania, who in my youth led me to a sacred stream, and turned my face up to the stars; Calliope, who leads me through the lengthy stories that I tell; Terpsichore, who compels my limbs to express what’s in my heart; Euterpe and Erato, who with their sweet voices, charm my soul; Polyhymnia, who speaks to me now, encouraging me to praise the gods; Clio, she who calls my glance back to the rich lore of the past; Thalia and Melpomene, the witty players on life’s stage, who remind me to enjoy the show, and teach me how to cope with endings. Pegasus brought me to you, Once, very long ago. And in that time you’ve taught me well How to sing and dance and write, the many arts of lorekeeping. Sisters, now I call to you– fill me with the voice divine, so that always, always the words will come. 

-https://www.tumblr.com/nyxshadowhawk/752971875692462080/my-hymn-to-the-muses 

Links/websites/sources •https://www.britannica.com/topic/Urania-Greek-Muse https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0138%3Ahymn%3D2 https://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/MousaOurania.html https://uranialondon.com/blogs/news/urania-the-greek-muse-of-astronomy-and-celestial-poetry#:~:text=Her%20worship%20and%20cult%20were,divine%20love%20and%20spiritual%20connection. https://mylifetea.com/blogs/the-gods/a-brief-introduction-to-urania-the-muse-of-astronomy https://www.tumblr.com/evermore-grimoire/750440089330630656/the-evermore-grimoire-greek-mythology-urania https://www.reddit.com/r/mythology/comments/e76bbn/what_flora_would_you_associate_with_each_of_the_9/ https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/s4u4c3/is_there_any_animal_associated_with_stars/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierides_(mythology)#:~:text=In%20Greek%20mythology%2C%20the%20Pierides,sometimes%20called%20by%20this%20name. 

Lady Urania, The muse and goddess of astronomy, may clouds, the freckles of the sky, remind you of the stars, and Lady Urania.  Lady Urania is an Oceanid,  a minor goddess, and is commonly referred to as Lady Aphrodite, But Lady Urania may be worshiped as an individual goddess and has been seen so in ancient Hymns, even the birds who sing well even dream of her voice, for when she sings along the Muses, the world stops just to see them play.

I use resources, I do not own the info, and most deep dives have UPG (that I use in my work.) And I only take some information from sources. I am 14, this is my hobby, I am learning but I spent many hours and days on this, and I am always open to criticism. I have been doing worship for 5 years. Please know you can use the info, I do not sue, but I will take action if this work is used without permission and not put as a resource if used in any work. without permisson and not put as a resource if used in any work, for the public.

[mieowkoid09]

Yoo Joonghyuk would be some sort of obsidian while Kim dokja would be a black star Diopside. Any other ideas for an hnk au for orv?

[lcpislczulii]

Closed RP with blackstarsiopside

@blackstardiopside

Lapis was so nervous.

The moment things were getting genuine and serious, she had left. It wasn’t just her relationship with the Diopside that caused her to flee, but the fear of commitment had definitely fed into it. Her fear of Homeworld, the truth of Pink Diamond, and the realness of growing close to Black Star had all made her feel the need to escape… And so she did. She flew away without telling a soul where she was going or when she intended on being back; she wasn’t even sure if she was coming back.

But there she was standing on the grassy earth, in a staring match with Black Star’s front door. What was she going to say? How could she explain herself? It had been years since she’d last seen the small Earth gem and she wasn’t sure if she could convey her feelings to the other. How was she supposed to tell Black Star that she’d panicked and ultimately damned herself to do exactly what she’d spent 1000 years doing after she was left by the galaxy warp?

Before she could talk herself out of it, the Homeworld gem light knocked on the door. She held herself tightly with her other arm as she tried to keep herself together and not run again.

[revenant-coining]

Diopsidegem, Epidotegem, and Garnetgem

[Flag One ID: a rectangular flag with 6 concentric kite-like shapes. colors in this order from outermost to innermost: white, light grey, grey, green, black-green, grey-green. End ID]

[Flag Two ID: a rectangular flag with 6 concentric kite-like shapes. colors in this order from outermost to innermost: yellow-green, light green, grey, grey-green, dark grey, grey-brown. End ID]

[Flag Three ID: a rectangular flag with 6 concentric kite-like shapes. colors in this order from outermost to innermost: bright red, red, dark red, grey-pink, black, black-pink. End ID]

Diopsidegem: a gendergem subterm; a gender connected to diopside. This gender can also be connected to diopside meanings / symbolism, but doesn’t have to be.

Epidotegem: a gendergem subterm; a gender connected to epidote. This gender can also be connected to epidote meanings / symbolism, but doesn’t have to be.

Garnetgem: a gendergem subterm; a gender connected to garnet. This gender can also be connected to garnet meanings / symbolism, but doesn’t have to be.

Etymology: diopside / epidote / garnet, gem

@local-yurei , @radiomogai

[ID: an orange line divider with a star covered in flame in the middle. End ID]

[clown-demon]

@blackstardiopside

"Ahaha.. don't worry about it." Black Star flicks her hand, not wanting to dwell on her nearly being stepped on by the large, fluffy creature. It was the downside of being as small as she was.

"Well, it's nice to meet 'ya, Frost. My name's Black Star Diopside! But everyone just calls me Black Star" the alien woman chuckles with a smile. Arms were huddled over her chest while the Gem asks "d-do you think we could.. ah.. g-get somewhere warm?"

Fross was glad that she didn't seem offended of almost being tripped on.. It wasn't just because the gem was small, but the polar bear was more on the larger size scale. Not a giant, but still taller than the average human being..

She gave a warm friendly smile. "Black Star? That's a lovely name to have, dear. It's such a pleasure to meet you. And of course, my home is not far from here. I keep a fire place going and some hot cocoa at hand for any guests. I would be pleased to have you over!"

She offered one of her massive paws for the gem to hold.

[powderedshards]

@outofthiisworld asked- ❌ - A piece of information that could be considered blackmail material — Black Star Diopside? 👀 data leak! (accepting)

Probably the fact that underneath the stoic, intimidating demeanor she puts on, she's a petty person who has tantrums whenever things don't go her way. Black Star Diopside's reputation is very important to her so if that information ever got out, not only would she be a joke amongst her fellow Gems, the other Black Star Diopsides would never let her hear the end of it.

[dragonsdenstudiosofficial]

Lilah Parallel Episode 1: Nexus Glow

Today's the day that Lilah is set to officially become a Crystal Gem, but there's one slight problem: she hasn't exhibited any of the important magical powers that every golem relies upon to protect themselves. Lilah decides to ask her guardians for help in making a magical weapon, but they've got problems of their own today: a corrupted diopside is heading towards Beach City, and they need to poof her before she arrives at her destination.

Rated 18+ for swearing & adult concepts, NOT AT ALL FOR KIDS!

JUNE 21, 2019.

3:05 PM EST.

BEACH CITY, LENNAVERE, APPALACHIAN CONFEDERATION.

Marcus “Mark” Parallel exhaled as he inspected the almost banquet hall he’d helped set up in the school gymnasium. “We did alright, Mark,” said Jerry the gym teacher as he pushed in the very last chair, gently so as to not upset the small flowerpots of orange-red poppies adorning the long, white cloth-clad table.

Mark nodded. “Yeah, we did. The post-graduation ceremony’s going to be okay.”

“Are you sure that you don’t want to come?”

“Jerry, I’ve been to fifteen of these things and they’ve all been the same, I won’t be missing much. Besides, today’s Lilah’s graduation too, and I promised her that I wouldn’t miss that.”

“It’s a shame that your kid never got to go here. She sounds like a good egg.”

“You and your obsession with eggs,” Mark scoffed playfully before growing serious. “I wanted her to at least have the option of a normal childhood. It sucks that things have to be what they are.”

“I know,” Jerry sighed. “Sometimes I wonder why these folks keep electing the same jerks to the board. Take care, buddy. Say hi to the kid for me.”

“I will.” And with that, Mark left.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The light went red. Mark stopped at the intersection of Concord and Basset. He’d never liked this intersection, and the reason why hung on the right side of the light facing him.

The sign was an irregular hexagon, a flat bottom tapering up to a skinny top, a black ring separating the white interior from an outer ring of white. Four colorful humanoids – two medium-sized ones in light green and pink lemonade pink, a large one in dark blue, and a slightly smaller large one in electric blue – trampling a fifth, medium-sized black one. Underneath the image was the acronym “G.E.M.” painted in black.

Mark stared longingly at the electric blue pictogram. The light turned green, and he drove on.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two miles outside of Beach City’s western border was a small farm on a large, flat hill. The plantings were of edible species carefully chosen for low invasive potential; beyond them were odd trees here and there, assorted wild plants, and one patch that was completely covered in poison ivy for some reason. Finally, there was the barn-like house standing at the hill’s apex, a humble, dark red wooden building hiding a far less humble interior. Mark and his daughter lived in this place, as did their…foreign houseguests.

Mark drove his car onto a specific patch of flattened ground and pressed a green button on his car keys. The ground beneath him shuddered downwards, a force field extending over him as he descended and the shaft closed. Once the panel was flat on the floor, Mark got out of his car and entered a white-tiled hallway, barren save for paintings of various styles adorning its walls.

“Hey Mark,” said a voice as the living version of the light green pictogram approached from a room off to the side: Talc, a magical alien rock creature known as a golem, an extraterrestrial exile from far across the stars, with pale green calloused skin and curly green hair tied into a long ponytail, dressed in blue jeans and a green t-shirt like an everyday human man.

“Afternoon, Talc,” Mark replied. “How are things?”

“They’re fine,” Talc said simply. “Well, unless you count the corrupted golem alert goin’ off, I reckon that’s not quite as fine.”

“It is not,” agreed a woman standing in the doorway of the room, the living version of the dark blue pictogram: Hope, a former noble standing over nine-and-a-half feet tall, clad in an elegant dark blue sari with striking yellow trim that matched her nails and eyeliner.

“Hey, Hope. What kind of golem is it this time?”

“A chrome diopside,” she replied, handing him a photograph of a blurry green thing soaring over the treetops. “A geokinetic clinopyroxene sighted one mile outside of Beach City approximately forty minutes ago. We believe that she is Diopside. Our Diopside.”

“Emerald of the Mineral Team’s girlfriend, right?” Hope nodded. “Where’s Lilah?”

“Crow’s fittin’ her graduatin’ clothes. She’s mighty antsy considerin’ she’s gonna be an adult once the Sun goes down,” Talc replied. “And you know what we promised her would happen then.”

Mark nodded soberly. “Once the Sun goes down tonight, she’s a Crystal Gem, and she’ll fight for Earth with you three.” He sighed. “I just don’t want her to get hurt, y’know?”

“Neither do we, Mark,” Hope replied firmly. “She is our child too. Even if she wasn’t the last thing that we have of Tourmaline’s essence, we’d still do our best to protect her.” Mark nodded and headed down the hall to Crow’s room.

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“A little easy on the waist there, Crow! Oh, hey Dad.” A shirtless Lilah, a broad-shouldered girl just shy of Mark’s height with striking electric blue hair and eyes, made a pained smile to her father as the living version of the pink pictogram, wearing a lavender sweater, a pink skirt with a purple rhombus pattern, a nonbinary pride flag hairbow, and dark red boots tied a black skirt around her hips a little too hard.

The golem turned around, revealing hot pink eyes and black-painted lips. “Mark!” Crow...well, crowed, dropping the skirt string and flinging herself at him. “It’s been too long! It feels like the last time we saw you for more than five seconds was in April!”

“AP and final exams,” Mark apologized, returning the hug. “They happen every year.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re here, old pal. Someone needs to help us watch the kid while we go hunting.”

“The kid can hear you,” Lilah interjected. “And I’m not a kid anymore, I haven’t even legally been a kid since December!”

“That may be so, but you’re still not a Crystal Gem until sunset,” Crow replied, returning to her ward’s side to finish tying the skirt onto her. “And since today’s the solstice, that's not gonna be for a while yet.” Finished with the skirt, Crow stuck a hand into her wild, fluffy ponytail and started rummaging around, pulling out an empty tin of cookies, a live eastern gray squirrel, and a genuine 17th-century shamisen (“Wow, that was a fun party”) before retrieving a simple white button-down t-shirt with a left breast pocket that she quickly shoved over Lilah’s chest, nimble fingers with gray nails buttoning it up in a flash of pink. “There we go! Just what I needed to finish this up! You look cute, kid.”

“Hopefully cute enough to pick up a cutie someday,” the bluenette said approvingly, admiring herself in the mirror.

“Speaking of hopefully,” Crow said before sticking their head out the door and into the hallway. “Hope, do you want me to scout ahead on Diopside?” they called.

“That would be much appreciated, yes!” Hope called back.

“That’s my cue to leave. Go on, have a graduation or whatever. We’ll be back before you know it.” They gave the girl a brief noogie and left the room to the humans.

Mark sniffled. “My little girl’s growing up…your mother would be so proud of you.”

“You saw the sign again?” Lilah asked.

“Yeah.” He pulled his daughter close. “I wish you could’ve met her, Lilah. I wish she hadn’t been too sad to stay.”

Lilah swallowed. “I do too, Dad. I do too.”

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Talc was chopping some carrots when his right index finger fell off, causing the knife to slip out of his grip. “Darn.” He grabbed the waylaid digit and stuck it back on his hand, and it magically fused back on. Grabbing the knife, he resumed chopping.

“Talc?” Talc turned his head to see Lilah enter the kitchen.

“Oh, hello Lilah,” Talc replied cheerfully as he put down the knife. “You look mighty fancy today.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s simple, but…I like it. It makes me feel like a hot waitress. Speaking of waitresses, do you want me to help you with dinner?”

“Naw, I’m fine. Don’t wanna mess up your duds anyhow. But you can keep me company, I’d like that.” Lilah beamed and watched him get back to work.

A comfortable silence passed between them for some time while Talc made dinner until Lilah thought of something. “Talc?” she asked while something boiled in a steel pot.

“Yeah?”

“When I become a Crystal Gem, do you think I’ll finally get my powers? I’d love to be able to do cool stuff like you guys can. More than just magic passively making it so I never need a bath or get sick, I mean.”

“Aw, don’t worry, Lilah. Powers don’t make you a Crystal Gem. It’s what you’re willin’ to do even if ya don’t have no powers a’tall. An’ I’m not sure ya want my powers. Talcs may be hard to poof and able to regenerate from near anythin’, but our ability to fall apart at will is frankly kinda disturbin’.” As if on cue, his left hand fell off at the wrist. “See?” he asked as he picked it up and stuck it back on. “And I don’t think Hope’s psychics or Crow’s infinite-space hair are quite right fer ya.”

“Yeah, but…still, having tourmaline magic would be so COOL!” she shouted, pumping her fists while her eyes twinkled. “Mom could enhance things, right?”

“Yep, she sure could. Just like how you are enhancin’ my chores.” Lilah giggled, but her face fell once Talc’s back was turned to her. She pulled the chest of her shirt out and looked at the bare spot between her breasts, where a nexus would be if she was a golem and not a supposedly-magical human, and sighed in disappointment. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Crow, do you see her?” Hope asked through her headset.

“I do indeed! Magical flying dinosaur at ten o’clock!” Crow replied. Hope watched on the control room screen through Crow’s eyes as the green thing swooped through the dense forest. She resembled a Triceratops prorsus, only far spikier, with six cruel eyes and two massive, batlike wings emerging from her shoulders. “Should I attempt to ground her?”

“Roger. She’s getting concerningly close to the farm. Take her down before she gets to Beach City.”

“Alright, Di, once you’re uncorrupted I hope you’ll forgive me for what I’m about to do.” Crow placed a hand over a small, twelve-sided lump on their chest underneath their blouse, which glowed a brilliant pink before materializing a pink-and-white-striped crossbow. Nocking an energy arrow, the rhodochrosite aimed it at Diopside’s left wing before firing it. It tore a hole through the membrane, the wound spraying a fluid that was a streaky mixture of a rusty orange and an opaque white. “Alright! Got her in one! Doesn’t seem like she can regenerate that either. She’ll fall to the ground and–”

Diopside, roaring in pain, caused a boulder to come out of the ground. She manipulated it into a half-pipe and used it to slide onto the ground. “Aw, come on! She just HAD to be the one chrome diopside to keep her geokinesis!” Crow whined. The corrupted golem roared and ran off, using the dirt and rock beneath her feet like an unusual surfboard. “What now?”

“Trail her,” Hope instructed. “Try to use your arrows to drive her into the ocean, her geokinesis is less effective on wet sand and useless on water. Don’t let her see you or else she might attack. Keep her as far away from Beach City as you can. When the time is right, call me and I will send Talc to tag in and beat her down.”

“Roger!”

Hope turned off the screen, removed her headset, and buried her face in her great blue hands. “This is not how today was supposed to go,” she grumbled. She heard a knocking at the control room’s door. “Come in.”

Lilah entered. “Hey, Hope…how’s the mission?”

“Well, Diopside has been grounded, which would be less concerning if she hadn’t retained her ability to move said ground.”

“...oh. Well…I was wondering…how do you use your diamond powers? Like, making a weapon and stuff? I didn’t ask Talc ‘cuz he doesn’t seem to do that…”

“It simply isn’t Talc’s style to fight with essence-born weapons. He can do it, but he prefers to fight with his own raw strength. As for me…well, I can tell you that it takes time and concentration to do it effectively; why, it took me the equivalent of 212 Earth years just to make my first spear alone. You need to feel it inside of you…you need to envision everything about it…then you call upon the desire to fight deep within you…”

Placing a hand near the top of the vertical white belt beneath her sari that went from her neck to her waist, the blue diamond pulled a long spear with a curved, pale pink blade and a dark blue handle out of her roughly rectangular nexus. “And there you have it.”

Lilah stared at the spear in awe before Hope willed it away in a puff of blue light. “Wow…I hope I can figure out how to do that.” She thought for a moment before shyly looking up at Hope. “Hope? Can you…tell me about Mom? Maybe if I knew how she was as a leader, I could figure out how to summon her weapon.”

“I have told you many stories about your mother, but if it helps you understand your potential abilities I can certainly tell them again,” Hope replied, patting her lap. Lilah sat on her knee and looked up at the taller woman, who tapped her chin pensively. “Let me see…ah, the story of how we met Gray Diamond. That was a good example of your mother’s leadership skills.”

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Five thousand and seventy-eight years earlier…

“Tourmaline, you’re not going to like this,” said Grape, a slender purple golemette with red-violet hair in a short bob, as she meekly handed a report to the leader of the Crystal Gems.

Tourmaline, a lanky, long-legged, pale blue-skinned golemette with a mohawk-like braid of cyan hair that went down to her butt, raised an eyebrow at the report. “Kindergarten activity? But that’s impossible. We destroyed the five sanctioned Earth kindergartens centuries ago, and none of them were on the south polar continent.”

“Then it appears that this one is unsanctioned,” said Pyrope, a dark red golemette with an almost square-shaped red afro, a silver sunglasses-like visor covering her eyes, and a stoic, almost monotonous demeanor coloring the way she spoke.

Tourmaline nodded. “How old is this data? I’d imagine a few Earth years given the signatures involved.”

“That’s the thing. The report is from this morning,” Grape said nervously.

The indicolite’s cyan eyes bulged out. “Th-this morning?! That’s not good. Pyrope, get a ship. Grape, get some troops. I want Ruby, Ben, Spinerva, the Malachite Twins, Rubellite, Ametrine, and as many ices, sapphires, aquamarines, lazurites, and pectolites that we can spare. We need to take out this kindergarten before Homeworld can exploit it.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Grape saluted before turning on her heel.

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Two hours later…

A green spaceship touched down in the would-be Larsemann Hills. Disembarking came Tourmaline; Pyrope; Grape; two teal golemettes with similar proportions to Crow and Grape; a limber pink golemette in a coral trench coat and hat with crimson hair in two large pigtails; a tall, pale blue-gray golemette with slender digits and an indigo golemor with similar proportions; a diminutive crimson golemor with a sour expression; four equally-small golemettes in indigo, dull green, papaya pink, and pale, ashy blue, the pale blue one wearing a star-shaped eyepatch over her right eye; five wide-eyed, ultramarine blue golemettes; a golemor resembling a masculine, red-toned version of Tourmaline; a short, stocky golemette with piebald purple-brown & yellow skin; a pale blue golemette with pointy cheeks; and eleven blue-skinned golemettes with spindly limbs & small noses, some of which had white hair instead of their race’s standard azure.

“Brrrr!” Ametrine, so nicknamed for her colorful complexion, shivered as the group approached a large hill riddled with numerous humanoid-shaped holes at its base, a large patch of unmarred rock dividing the holes into two separate groups. “It’s so cold! Why the vulkzara would Homeworld put a kindergarten here?”

“No humans,” Green Sapphire replied loftily. “There’s a circular oceanic current that keeps human boats from getting this far south. Given that most carved-ones turn against the Empire the moment they learn we’re not the only sapient species out there, it’s in the Authority’s best interests to keep them in the dark.”

“So they park the next kindergarten where no sane human would ever go,” Ruby finished with a scowl. “Anyone see anything?”

“There’s something over there,” one of the ices, Snow as shown by the pale blue snowflake embroidered on her white coat, said as she squinted at something in the distance. “It looks like a…recreational shore ball, of all things.” She walked over and brought it back to the others. It was an icosahedral black device floating in the middle of a shimmering clear bubble made of a strange sort of rubber.

“The heck is it?” Rubellite asked.

Tourmaline picked it up and turned it over, grimacing when she saw a retracted blade on the black thing’s underside. “It’s an injector,” she said grimly. “It’s got a protective force field that masks its magical signature, no wonder we didn’t detect them until now.”

“That’s an injector?” one of the lazurites, JJ-19 or “JJ” to her friends, said in disbelief. “But it’s so tiny. I could kick it.”

“Ah, but don’t let your eyes deceive you! That right there is the most modern piece of injector technology out there!” All eyes turned to see a ruby golemor, similar to Ruby save his maroon complexion and wider shoulders, appear from behind the hill, grinning smugly at them and with another such injector in his stubby hands.

“Maroon Ruby,” Tourmaline growled as the corundum arrogantly trotted over. “Yellow Diamond couldn’t be bothered to come here herself, so she sent her best stooge out instead?”

“Ah, you wound me, my dear enemy!” he said as he came to a stop in front of her and immediately started posturing. “I am on Special Assignment™ to test one of my little experiments. If it works, I get paid handsomely and your little rebellion ends.” He smiled wickedly at her. “Allow me to demonstrate the properties of my new Stealth Injectors.

“Magical barrier to prevent detection during transport.” He tapped the pole opposite the blade in a specific pattern, the spots where his fingers touched it lighting up orange and pink as he went. The barrier fell and the injector core fell roughly into his hands.

“Coded activation to prevent meddling from outsiders.” He pressed some buttons on the top of the little injector, which glowed yellow-green as he activated it.

“Enchanted boron carbide blade on collapsible proboscis to ensure rapid strikes with deep intrusion.” The blade shot out of the injector on an extendable tube, puncturing a hole into the rock behind him.

“Easy deposit of seed crystal.” The blade struck again, this time opening while inside the hole and dropping a little white thing no bigger than a marble inside of it. The blade retracted into the injector, which fell silent.

“And my own patented mixture of elbaite sweat and rose quartz tears to speed up growth!” The inside of the hole glowed before causing a shower of rock to explode out of the cliff. Tourmaline reflexively made a cyan bubble around herself to protect her from the blast. When the dust settled, another hole had been blown into the mountain, and stepping out of it was a human-sized golem resembling a skinnier Hope, only a dull dark gray in color and wearing the default gray-and-white uniform that all newmade golems wore.

The Crystal Gems gaped in horror as Maroon Ruby finished his spiel. “With Stealth Injectors I can make an entire army in a centirot. I’ve been covertly incubating a blue diamond worthy of Earth for the last five of its years, and since she’s due to emerge today I’ve decided to start on her court so we can really fight you off. And that measly graphite was just a demonstration. Her court will also need…”

“Ice!” Twenty ice golems appeared from the valley behind the hill, soon followed by...

“Xenotime!” Two amber brown golemettes with unusually large hands;

“Hematite!” Three black golemettes resembling taller corundums;

“Chromite!” A dark gray, freckled golemor resembling a larger, masculine Spinerva;

“Albite!” A white golemette with broad, pointy shoulders;

“Pyrite!” A strong-jawed golemor with metallic dark yellow skin;

“Rutile!” A very thin brownish-maroon golemette with deep wrinkles on her cheeks;

“White quartz!” A towering, stocky golemette with snow white skin & shaggy white hair;

“Brown zircon!” Four pumpkin spice brown golemettes with almond-shaped faces and more relaxed expressions compared to the other new emergees;

“Schorl!” Two black golems, one male and one female, with Tourmaline’s rough proportions if not having slightly shorter legs;

“Brown dravite!” Another tourmaline golemette, this one honey-brown and wearing a golden skirt, black-and-white high-heeled sandals, and a magenta cat’s-eye visor with matching nail polish;

“Grandidierite!” A slender seafoam green golemette;

“Almandine!” Three golemettes resembling dark purple Pyropes;

“And white corundum!” A golemette resembling a white sapphire rounded out the list.

Most of the new arrivals (sans the zircons, who, being born diplomats, were naturally quite mellow) glared at the horrified Crystal Gems, not noticing the somewhat crumbly texture of the rock from which they’d emerged. Suddenly, there was a loud Crack! from the hill behind them, and everyone turned to see a large gash emerge in the rock face between the previous exit holes. “And now for the grand finale!” Maroon Ruby declared. “I give you EARTH’S VERY OWN BLUE DIAMOND!”

KABOOM! went the rock, flowing out in a wave as a massive hole appeared in the side of the hill. Loose stone pelted the golems below, the Crystal Gems having the sense to pull up personal bubbles for protection. The new ones didn’t know to do this, so they ended up getting bruised in various places when the rocks hit them, but Maroon Ruby oddly seemed to get the worst of it somehow. When the commotion finally settled, everyone was left staring at a thirty-five-foot-one-inch-tall hole in the dead center of the hill…and listening to the footsteps within getting closer.

Walking out of the hole came a figure similar to Hope, only much skinnier, with a thinner, more pointed face and the proper height of a diamond. Then she stepped out of the hole and into the light, revealing that rather than the expected kind of sky blue that Maroon Ruby had said she’d be, she was instead a sort of grayish-blue like sealskin. Everyone stared at the newcomer, who blinked at them with large gray eyes. “Is there something wrong?” she asked, her voice surprisingly feathery and light given her stature.

“Yes, there IS,” Maroon Ruby glowered furiously. “How the Light-damned vulkzara did you end up off-color?!” He turned and pointed at the new tourmalines. “You there, tourmalines! You’re Kindergarten inspectors by caste, inspect it!”

“You deposited a blue diamond seed crystal here because this region is high in the boron needed to give a diamond a blue color, with the necessary carbon being sourced from local mineral deposits, carbon dioxide trapped in ice as bubbles, and assorted organic microorganisms living in the soil,” spoke the dravite in a nasally, nerdy voice as she adjusted her visor with a long-nailed index finger. “It would appear, however, that her nexus also incorporated significant amounts of hydrogen impurities as well, most likely sourced from the same ice used to source some of her carbon.”

“I meant the WHY she’s off-color, not the HOW!”

“From what little education I have received in my two decirots of life, I have learned that the likelihood of a diamond carved-one forming off-color is two thousand times higher than the mean likelihood of all other mineral races combined. Combined with the high speed of formation pushed by Stealth Injectors and the long time a diamond carved-one’s nexus typically takes to form, it is likely that the nexus was pushed through its formation faster than it could naturally self-correct.”

“In plain Saxsilla, please?” Maroon Ruby demanded.

“You made her too damn fast,” the male schorl said bluntly.

“Is that bad?” the new diamond asked, touching her bangs with her right hand nervously…a hand now revealed to only have three fingers, the ring finger and pinky being missing entirely and the rest of the hand being quite narrow as a result.

“Oh my luster! Your hand! It’s…HIDEOUS!” Maroon Ruby screamed. The new diamond hid her right hand with her left and looked ready to cry. “Fine. You know what? Maybe Stealth Injectors for a diamond aren’t such a good idea. Shatter this one and we’ll try again with a standard injector. Hopefully we’ll get some good ones before Yellow Diamond asks where I’ve been for the last five reevs…”

“Wait…shatter her?” the pyrite spoke up, horrified. “You want to…KILL her for being off-color?!” He turned to face the Crystal Gems. “Is this allowed?” he asked frantically.

“It’s Homeworld’s way,” Pyrope said bluntly. “Off-colors are seen by the Empire as aberrations to White Diamond’s quest to bring the Brilliant Light to the entire universe.”

“But…she’s our Diamond!” protested the chromite as he pointed to the worried-looking new diamond. “We’re meant to serve the Diamond of Earth, and that’s her!”

“You misunderstand,” Maroon Ruby growled. “You are not supposed to serve the first diamond that comes out of the dirt! You’re supposed to make a bunch of diamonds, then all the on-color diamonds of the same color fight each other in Diamond Duels, the one that wins them all gets to stay, and if the remaining ones of different colors want to duel, then they can do that. Either way, the last one standing is the one that you’re meant to serve. Normally it’s only then that you make a court, but we’re kind of in the middle of a civil war so I had to rush that too because, in case you’ve overlooked that part of the reports, WE’RE A LITTLE SHORT ON PERSONNEL!” he shouted.

“...what happens to those who lose Diamond Duels?” the albite asked nervously.

“They get shattered,” Grape said with a wince, causing the new diamond and her court to gasp in horror. “A diamond who can’t win a Duel is seen as a liability to the Empire’s strength. And the less you know about what they do with the remains…”

“Then we want no part in this empire,” the grandidierite said firmly. “Gray Diamond is our diamond, and we will defend her to our last breath.” The other new golems agreed loudly, and Gray Diamond looked much happier at this declaration of loyalty.

“You will do no such thing!” Maroon Ruby growled. “Yellow Diamond will have my nexus if I don’t give her good results!”

“And you won’t give her any results,” Tourmaline said, having snuck up behind him while he was distracted with his ranting. Her hexagonal nexus glowed cyan, and in a flash she pulled out a brown polearm with a curved cyan blade and sliced Maroon Ruby neatly down the middle with it. In a puff of smoke, he was reduced to a round-cut enchanted ruby that she quickly bubbled and teleported away. Looking up at Gray Diamond, she smiled as she dissipated her polearm. “There’s a lot you need to know about the Empire,” she said. “But I can tell you’ll do good things.”

“Yeah,” said Aquamarine, the gears audibly turning in her round-cheeked head. “Like the legal restrictions that you as Diamond of Earth can put on Homeworld…”

Tourmaline laughed nervously when the diamond’s hand caught her eye. “Oh…you know, we have a technician who can give you a prosthesis to make up for your missing fingers.”

“B-because it’s bad to be different?” Gray Diamond squeaked nervously.

“No, because having more fingers will improve your grip strength, and you’ll need a good grip on your weapon if you’re going to fight. You do wish to fight, do you not?”

Gray Diamond shifted her size downwards to match Tourmaline’s height. Grinning, she took the (much) older woman’s hand and shook it vigorously with her deformed one. “Of course! Although…” she added shyly, “will your group accept me like mine have?”

“‘A course we wills,” Spinerva said reassuringly in her anachronistic Empire City accent, waving her hands as she spoke. “Mah own diamond’s off-collah, an’ she’s wunna da ones who stahted dis whole shebang in da foist place. Don’t be a joik and beat up Hoimwoild and you’ll be a damn fine Crystal Gem, jus’ da same as alla ya coit.”

“Yeah, same here, same court, except I actually am an offie,” Ametrine added, showing herself to the new golems. “And if they can accept me, and all the other ones we’ve got, then they can accept you just as well.”

Gray Diamond looked to her court, who nodded, then turned back to face Tourmaline. “Then as my first action as Diamond of Earth, I pledge this planet in the name of the Crystal Gems!” Everyone around her applauded, but no one applauded louder than a very proud-looking Tourmaline.

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Present day

“As for Maroon Ruby, we did let him out eventually…in Egypt while a mastaba was being built,” Hope finished. “The minute he saw mankind he turned on Homeworld and gave us all of his technology free of charge, just as Green Sapphire said he would. Changed his ways too, he never wanted an off-color shattered again.” She sighed wistfully. “Gray was…a good friend. She was very kind and sweet, and she gave up using the caste system in her court without any fuss whatsoever the minute we asked her to do so. Her being the first corrupted golem we found…hurt, to say the least.”

Lilah nodded. “I wish I could’ve met her, Hope. Thanks for the story.” She left the room, sighing as she wandered back upstairs. She was no closer to figuring out how to summon her mother’s weapon. To figuring out what it really meant to be a Crystal Gem.

“Hey, Lilah?” Talc asked. “I got a call from Crow, they’re taggin’ out. Dinner’s done, just gotta let it cool first.”

“Hopefully you’re back before it cools all the way,” Lilah said. Talc nodded and left.

“Lilah?” Mark called from the dining room. “Can you help me set the table?”

“I’ll be right there!” Lilah called back.

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Crow returned home exhausted and sweaty. “Hoo boy,” they wheezed as they collapsed on the dark red armchair in the living room.

“Crow, would you mind wiping yourself off before you get manganese in the furniture again?” Mark asked sternly while Lilah helped him put the silverware and napkins on the dining room table.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m wiping,” Crow said dismissively with a wave of their hand. They retrieved a white towel from their hair and wiped their face on it, staining it pink in the process, before shoving it back into their hair. “Phew! What an evening, am I right?”

“Yeah…” Lilah trailed off. “Say, Crow?”

“Hmm?”

“You’ve got a ton of weapons in there, right? So you’d know how to summon them better than anyone.”

“We are NOT summoning weapons at the dinner table,” Mark interjected with a frown.

“Trust me, Mark, I’m not making that mistake a second time,” Crow said casually. “Kiddo, what’s gotten into you today? Even yesterday you weren’t this antsy. What gives?”

“Well…I still haven’t gotten my powers yet,” Lilah replied sullenly. “If my hair wasn’t blue you wouldn’t even be able to tell I have Mom’s essence within me. And yet…no tourmaline powers.”

“Oh, kid, don’t worry about it! It’s probably just an age thing. Natural-born golems don’t start developing their special abilities until they’re almost sexually mature; your hair didn’t start turning blue until you hit puberty, after all. You’re about the physical and mental equivalent of an injection-produced golem right now, so I’d say you should be getting your tourmaline powers in the next coming weeks.”

“I keep telling myself that,” Lilah grumbled, staring at her chest in annoyance. “Do you think my transition fucked up my development?”

“Kid, listen. I was a seamstress before the rebellion. The idea of me summoning a weapon was considered ludicrous on Homeworld. And yet, because I honed my willpower and creativity…” They pulled out a pink-and-white-striped broom out of their nexus. “...I can summon whatever I please. Just let it happen naturally and you’ll be fine,” they went on while dissipating the broom.

“And as for your gender stuff…maybe it did, maybe it didn’t. I don’t know. You’re literally only the second human made by magic, there’s a lot we don’t know about folks in your position. But I do know that transitioning made you happy in your own body, so trust me: a little delay in summoning weapons is worth your three extra years of gender euphoria.”

“And even if you never figure it out, you’ll still be as much of a Crystal Gem as the others,” Mark said reassuringly. “Because being a Crystal Gem isn’t about having powers, it’s about doing the right thing for other people.”

Lilah nodded. “Thanks, guys. I feel a little better now.” There was a knock at the door. “I’ll get it. Maybe it’s Talc.”

“If it is, then why didn’t he teleport in?” Mark muttered as she left.

“Who knows?” Crow shrugged. “I’ve lived with him for almost five millennia and I’m still finding new things about him.”

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Lilah slipped on a pair of black flip-flops and opened the door to see two girls her age, a chubby long-haired blonde with green eyes and a skinny Japanese girl with patchy red highlights in her hair, both of them wearing the reddish-orange cap and gown of Beach City High, on her doorstep. “O-oh! Molly, Saki! I wasn’t expecting you to be here!” Lilah stammered, flushing immediately.

“I told you we should’ve texted her,” the Japanese girl, Saki, hissed.

The blonde, Molly, lightly elbowed Saki in the gut. “The surprise was better. Anyway, hi Lilah! We noticed you weren’t at graduation.”

“W-well, yeah, I’m kinda not allowed to go to public school anymore,” Lilah murmured.

“We know. So we brought you a little something! Saki, you have the pot, right?”

“Pot?” Lilah’s brow furrowed. “You guys know how strict our drug policy is, right?”

“FLOWERpot, Blue,” Saki corrected, lifting her hands to reveal a small red flowerpot with orange poppies in it. “We snuck it here from school so you could have a graduation present. It’s not much, but…”

“We thought it was wrong that the school board kicked you out of the district after fifth grade,” Molly finished. “Seriously, what kind of justification is ‘your mother is an alien and therefore you’re not technically an Appalachian citizen’?”

Lilah took the flowerpot and smiled. “Thanks, guys. It’s lovely. I don’t want to keep you from the ceremony.”

“The ceremony ended two hours ago, Lilah,” Saki said.

“Wait, really?”

“Uh…yeah? Our graduating class was literally twenty people?”

“Oh, right. I keep forgetting how tiny our town is.”

Suddenly, they heard a deep rumbling noise from below. “Uh…what’s that?” Molly asked with a gulp. Bursting out of the dirt a few feet from the barn came Diopside. She was covered in nicks and scratches, and both wings were visibly mangled. She roared, slit pupils narrowing.

“Get inside,” Lilah ordered.

“Don’t have to tell ME twice!” Saki yelped as the other girls ran into her house.

Lilah set the flowerpot on the dining room table (“What?” Mark asked in surprise when he saw the flowerpot) and ran to Crow. “Crow, Diopside’s here!”

“WHAT?!” Crow tumbled off the chair and to their feet. “How?!”

“I’m sorry!” That was Talc rushing upstairs from the back room. “She went underground and I lost her signal!”

“And our systems decided that NOW was a good time to update,” Hope glowered as she stormed up the steps behind him. “Turrets and arms are offline. I’ll set up a barrier to keep the humans safe. Talc, Crow, draw Diopside away and give her all you’ve got!”

“Can do!” Talc said as he and Crow ran outside.

“What about me?” Lilah asked.

“You can inspect the barrier for cracks in case Diopside has the sense to attack it.”

Lilah frowned, but only for a moment. It wasn’t the glamorous job of fighting the corrupted golem, but it was just as important for her father’s and friends’ safeties. “Okay. I can do that.”

Hope nodded and started singing in the native golem language, causing a dark blue translucent shell to grow around the house. Molly and Saki exchanged a confused look. “I swear I’ve heard that before,” Molly said as she tried to place the tune. “Wait…is your diamond mom singing the Camp Pining Hearts theme song in alien language?!” she asked incredulously.

“She’s a fangirl,” Lilah shrugged. “And it works. The show’s all about emotional barriers, right?”

“I mean, yeah, but…” Molly shook her head. “Oh, it doesn’t matter.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Outside, Crow summoned a double-bladed axe with long, narrow blades, equally as pink as their other weapons. Talc, meanwhile, summoned a pair of gauntlets the same shade of dark red as his shoes. Crow raised an eyebrow at this. “You’re armoring up?”

“I failed to get Diopside poofed before she came stompin’ around here,” Talc replied firmly. “I’m not takin’ a chance a’ her escapin’ again.”

“Fair enough. HEY, DIOPSIDE! OVER HERE! YOUR FIGHT’S WITH US, NOT THE BARN!”

Diopside, who at that moment had been poised to ram into the front wall, turned around. Her sextet of slit pupils narrowed and she roared at them. “That’s right! Over here!” Talc yelled, slamming his fists together. “Come and get some!”

Diopside pawed at the ground and raced at him, intending to ram him. Talc jumped out of the way. She rotated the ground beneath her feet with her powers and rammed into him without losing momentum. Talc caught her horns with his hands and dug his feet into the dirt, wincing as the strain on his joints increased. Diopside eventually ran out of steam, allowing Talc to twist at her head hard enough to snap off her right brow horn. Rustwhite blood leaked from the wound until Diopside’s nexus glowed light green followed by the wound, the lost adornment regenerating in a flash of light within seconds.

“Go for the horns!” Talc ordered as he tossed the broken horn away. “She’ll tire herself out remakin’ ‘em!”

“Works for me! TIME TO POLL OUR CLIENT!” Crow hollered, jumping high into the air and cleaving off the remade horn with their axe.

“Crow, fewer puns and more focus!” Hope called from inside the barn.

“Hey, I don’t see YOU out here– OOF!” Diopside had swung her tail at them, knocking them over. “Oh, you’ve got my skirt dirty! YOU ARE POOFED, YA HEAR ME?! POOFED!”

“Their magic will clean it up in minutes,” Lilah muttered.

“I find that in situations like this Crow just shouts for the sake of shouting,” Hope replied as Crow, Talc, and Diopside tussled. Suddenly, thunder boomed, lightning flashed, and it started to rain heavily. “Shit.”

“At least the water will make it harder for Diopside to bend the dirt…right?” Mark asked.

“Well, with that many injuries she’ll at least have a hard time focusing,” Lilah muttered.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Indeed, Diopside shrieked and writhed in pain as the water pelted her open wounds. Eventually, her common sense returned for a bit and she used her geokinesis to erect a protective roof of dirt over herself. Or tried to, at least; the wet dirt was slack under her telekinetic grip. Eventually, with a far bigger tug than intended, Diopside lifted a large chunk of earth out of the ground…exposing a Stealth Injector embedded in the dirt. “How the hell did that get in there?” Crow asked.

“Musta landed here durin’ the war and got swallowed by the swamp that used to be here,” Talc replied. “Don’t think we should worry about it none, batteries’ll be dead by now.”

“Right,” Crow nodded. “Stealth Injectors trade capacity & capacitance for speed. A full-sized clunker can last for 350 years, but these things die after ten.”

It was at that exact moment that the injector was hit by a random bolt of lightning (which also passed through Diopside, causing her to drop the dirt and shriek in pain). It lit up, reenergized, and fell out of the dirt, landing button-first on numerous stray rocks kicked up during the fight in sequence and rolling down to the poison ivy field. It lit up, the blade shot out, and something was buried into the soil. The poison ivy began to wither and crumble, and the soil below started turning ashy and gray before frosting over.

“...okay, nevermind, maybe we should worry about it,” Talc said, his jaw slack with disbelief.

“Of ALL the shitty coincidences that could’ve happened today!” Crow seethed. “WHY?!” they raged at the rainclouds above them.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What…what’s happening over there?” Molly asked.

“Diopside unearthed an injector, and that freak bolt of lightning recharged it,” Lilah replied uneasily. “Can they do that?”

“Well, yes, it is possible to recharge an injector’s batteries through large electric shocks, but lightning has too high a wattage for that to be practical!” Hope replied frantically. “I don’t understand it, that injector should’ve melted from a current that size!”

“Injectors?” Molly asked. “Is that what that virus-looking thing was?”

“Injectors are how golems are cloned, they’re full of seed crystals made of…I think it’s something with silicon in it?” Mark guessed.

“Silicone infused with magic, yes,” Hope nodded.

“Yeah, and they get soaked in the blood of the golem you want to make, then they’re zapped with electricity & magic and shoved into the dirt. Over several years the seed crystals grab the elements needed to make the target mineral and build gemstone shells around themselves.”

“The resulting constructs are magical gemstones called ‘nexuses’, and once a nexus is complete it forms a golem with the nexus inside the chest,” Hope continued, tapping the bump between her sizeable breasts where a human’s heart would’ve been. “It’s what gives us our fantastic powers, it’s what stores the essence that makes us who we are…and it’s what remains of us if we are too badly hurt until we repair ourselves from within the safety of its extrauniversal interior.”

“I’ve told you all this shit before, guys,” Lilah remarked.

“It’s been a while!” Saki protested. “So the ground’s crumbling because the magic rock that virus-looking doodad stuck in it is…eating it?”

“To some extent. We do not know who the donor was for the blood in that injector,” Hope replied, watching uneasily as Talc and Crow engaged Diopside again. “But we do know that injection consumes a considerable amount of energy to create the phylacters – magic atoms – in our bodies, energy that the nexus takes from the chemical bonds of the surrounding material, rendering it cold and inert.”

“Including anything that’s alive,” Molly gasped in horrified realization. “Is that why you started that war you were in? To stop your empire from doing what happened to that tangle…to the entire Earth?!”

“Partly. The other reason involved finding out that our entire oppressive society was built on the lies of a single madwoman.” Hope looked outside and saw Talc snatch the injector from the ground. “Talc! Shut that thing off before it injects again!” she called. “We don’t want to lose the entire farm!”

Talc pried the back of the injector open with his bare hands while pushing Diopside’s face away with his foot. “We’re in luck!” he called back. “The injector only had the one crystal, and the lightnin’ fried the battery! It only had enough juice for one go!”

“Good!” Crow said, pausing momentarily to wring out their hair. “Now the humans will only have to worry about some inverse radiation!”

“...radiation?!” Molly squawked.

“Cloning with injectors takes a lot of energy,” Lilah explained. “So much that even after the golem’s emerged, the spot they came from keeps sucking energy in until everything’s balanced. Especially true of Stealth Injectors since they need so much energy to make golems come out in minutes instead of decades.” With a scowl she added “And that’s why it’s such an evil way to reproduce. It doesn’t just kill the things living in the soil on top of the nexus, it kills everything within range unless it’s magical. Which amounts to only golems.”

“Uh…guys?” Saki asked. “That giant green space ceratopsid…is it doing something?” Everyone turned to see Diopside curiously testing the dirt with her powers. Thanks to the injection the energy once keeping the rainwater liquid was now being drained into the new golem, and the muddy dirt was subsequently freezing into thick, black ice even fifty feet away from the injection site where Talc, Crow, and Diopside currently stood.

Diopside seemed to smirk. As it was solid and had a repetitive molecular structure, ice was therefore a mineral. And with that many dirt inclusions, lifting it would be no trouble at all. She turned her head, formed the snirt into a rectangular pillar, and slammed it into Talc’s chest. His head came off, bouncing on the dirt for a bit before stopping. “Ow,” Talc groaned, still very much alive. His headless body fumbled and flailed for his head. “Over here, goshdarnit!” he barked at it.

Paying him no mind, Diopside turned her attention to Crow, whom she began to pelt with a flechette of dirty icicles. Crow dodged momentarily, but slipped on a patch of muddy ice and fell, landing hard on their right knee with a sickening CRACK! and an agonized cry. Then Diopside turned to the barn and summoned a great bevy of pillars toward the barrier, cracking it and forcing Hope to sing again to undo the damage.

As she pointed out where Hope needed to sing to repair the barrier, Lilah swallowed. Crow was out of the fight until their knee healed, and Talc was out until he could reattach his head – not an easy task when the ground was that slick. Hope couldn’t fight Diopside; she had to keep the barrier up to protect the humans inside, and Lilah knew her aunt enough to know that Hope had trouble multitasking. And her dad, strong though he could be, was no match for a geokinetic alien dinosaur capable of flight, especially when the Gempire’s Smallest Kindergarten™ was so close by.

She knew what she had to do. “I’m going after her,” she said, marching towards the open doorway.

“WHAT?!” Mark cried, reaching out to grab her but failing.

“Blue, this is nuts! You can’t do this!” Saki protested.

“I have to! We’re out of other options! And technically, I’m already a Crystal Gem. We all agreed I’d be one when the Sun went down…well, the Sun’s covered by clouds, so it’s technically ‘down’ in the sense that it’s not usable right now.” She held her head high and tried to ignore the frightened look in Hope’s face…and the twisting feeling in her intestines. “I have to do this. I may not have powers, but I need to do something.”

And it was at that very moment that two somethings happened. First, glowing cyan lines traced over a spot on Lilah’s chest, forming the outline of an intricate hexagonally-cut gemstone before bursting into light, a polearm identical to the one Tourmaline once wielded clattering onto the porch.

Next, the dirt of the poison ivy patch, now completely bare and gray and icy, suddenly burst upwards in a messy SPLURT!, kicking up a tall plume of frigid grayish-brown dust. When the plume settled, a pale orange right hand shot out of the hole left behind, extending on a long, ribbonlike arm before slamming hard onto the remaining part of the ground. The other hand on an equally-rubbery left arm shot out and landed, then two bare feet on equally-elastic legs emerged as well.

Pulling herself out of the hole on all fours, then skittering headfirst up to the front door before flipping herself upright, was a pale orange-skinned golem wearing the default uniform of the Mohs-8 caste. She had a chin-length bob of safety orange hair and blinked at the world with large, equally-orangine eyes, taking in the shocked Lilah, the shocked golems, the unattended polearm, and Diopside slamming another wave of dirty ice into the barrier while Hope was distracted. And then she said her very first words:

“Did I miss something?”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Uh…” Lilah wracked her brain. Fighting a corrupted golem was one thing, she expected that by now. But meeting a new golem that wasn’t one of her guardians? “Well…” she started as she looked around before noticing the sturdy metal poles supporting the roof of the porch. Her eyes wandered over to the newcomer. Elastic limbs, thin neck, and large eyes; a true spinel like Spinerva, only orange instead of pink. Then she saw the polearm on the ground. Her mother’s. “Actually…you can help me with something.”

“Sure thing, what needs doing?” the spinel asked.

“Well, you see that giant monster over there?” Lilah asked, pointing at Diopside, who was now chasing after Talc’s headless body. “We need to poof her before she causes any trouble, but we’re kind of stuck at the moment.”

“Well, then it’s time that you got unstuck. How can I help?”

“I need to get this polearm into her so she’ll poof, but I’m not strong enough to engage her directly. Luckily, if this works I won’t need to get up close and personal. Can you tie your legs around these poles so you’re facing away from me?”

“Sure thing!” The spinel stretched a leg over to one post and wrapped it around, then did the same for the other so that her slender back faced Lilah. “Now what?”

“Pick up that polearm on the ground.”

“If that’s a polearm, is there a poleleg too?” the spinel pondered as she picked up the weapon with elastic hands.

“Uh…we’ll check on that later.”

“Lilah, do you need me to make some noise?” Crow asked.

“Yeah! Noise will work! I’m gonna need a straight shot at Diopside!” Lilah agreed, grabbing the spinel by the waist and walking backwards into the house.

“Kid, this is incredibly crazy and we’ll have to have a long talk about this afterwards, but right now I am completely within the moment! HEY, DIOPSIDE! OVER HERE! I FUCKED YOUR MOM! OR I WOULDA, IF YOU WEREN’T BORN FROM AN INJECTOR! NO, YOU KNOW WHAT? I FUCKED YOUR BLOOD DONOR! SO THERE!”

Diopside’s attention left Talc and fell on Crow once more. She roared and tried to send more ice towards Crow, but failed to move her projectiles more than a foot. Even with the spinel’s emergence draining heat from the soil, the early summer heat had started to warm it back up again, enough so that the ice had somewhat softened – making it difficult for Diopside to wield once more. “Not so tough without your cheats, are ya?” Crow taunted further before grabbing their knee and groaning in pain. “Ow, ow, don’t like that, don’t like that at all.”

Diopside charged and tossed Crow into the air with her horns. “When I let go, wait until I say ‘now’ to release the polearm!” Lilah told the spinel. She pulled further back and exhaled, then let go.

The spinel shot forward like the living slingshot she was. When the spinel’s hips moved in front of her knees, Lilah barked “NOW!” and the spinel let go of the polearm. It went sailing through the air like a ballista bolt and plunged into Diopside’s neck, emerging from the other side in a burst of rustwhite blood. With a choke and a splutter, Diopside exploded into a puff of white smoke, disappearing completely save for her nexus: grass green, circular step-cut with one row of facets on the crown beneath the heptagonal table, and about the size of a four-ounce tub of Vaseline.

Talc’s body caught Crow before they could hit the ground. “Nice catch!” Crow complimented. Talc’s body set them down and they grabbed Diopside’s nexus, summoning a small pink bubble around it. “Hot diggety damn, Tourmaline’s polearm! I haven’t seen that since…well. Nice shot, kid! You too, newbie!”

“Is that my name?” the spinel asked Lilah as the latter let go of her.

“Nope, we’re giving you something better than that,” Lilah replied while the spinel removed her legs from the posts. Spotting the flowerpot on the dining room table, she smiled. “And I think I know just the name.”

“Can someone help me get my head back on?” Talc asked from somewhere unseen.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“To Lilah and Poppy, the newest Crystal Gems!” Glasses of water clinked together ironically. Talc was back in one piece, Diopside’s nexus was safely stored in the vault below the barn, and Saki and Molly had decided to stay the night while the storm passed…and until the “inverse radiation” in Poppy’s exit hole sucking the life from its surroundings could be dealt with.

“Today’s been so full of orange!” Molly giggled after dinner was finished. “Our caps and gowns were orange, our school is orange, the flowers were orange, the new magical rock alien is orange; heck, even your nails are orange!”

“That was deliberate!” Lilah laughed as she inspected her fingernails, which were painted the same slightly-reddish-orange of the flowers and Poppy’s hair. “I figured if I couldn’t go to graduation the least I could do was to wear the school’s color.”

“You kidding?” Saki chuckled. “If I knew what today was going to be like I woulda skipped graduation entirely.”

“But then you wouldn’t’ve gotten me flowers. Admit it, Saki; you’re a sap.”

“I-I am not!” Saki blushed. “A-and anyway! Where’s the newbie anyway?”

“Here she is!” Crow declared, emerging from the basement stairway with a flourish. “Presenting Poppy in her own ‘do!”

Poppy bounced into the room, her uniform gone. In its place was a solid vermillion yinzi eingyi blouse, a longyi skirt with a checked pale orange-and-white pattern, the white diamonds each having a little dot in their middles like an eye, and simple dark brown flip-flops the same shade as the nail polish on her fingers and toes, copper rings gracing the second & fourth digit of each hand and foot just as similar steel rings did on Lilah’s and Hope’s. “How do I look?” she asked cheerfully.

“You look adorable! Like a proper little businesswoman who could also kill you,” Lilah giggled. “Excellent work as always, Crow!”

“If it’s not excellent, I didn’t make it!” Crow laughed. “Now let’s get you introduced to everyone. This is Mark, you took care of his poison ivy problem…”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sometime later that night, Hope knelt in front of a great stone coffin bearing a carved visage of Tourmaline on its top. “She’s a Crystal Gem now, just like you,” Hope said. “I wish…” She sniffled. “I just w-wish y-you could’ve s-seen her f-first v-victory…”

“Hope?” Talc suddenly appeared and knelt next to her. “You okay?”

“Just…sharing the news,” Hope replied as she wiped her eyes. “Talc, I’m so worried.”

“Yeah, the inverse radiation bugs me too. We got a way to fix that?”

“Yes, the Sun-Sucker’s finished now, but…oh, confound it! Talc, I’m worried that Lilah’s going to get hurt. I’m worried that she’s going to end up walking her mother’s path and blame herself for not being able to save everyone. A-and then…”

Talc put a hand on her right shoulder. “She won’t,” he said firmly. “We’ll make sure she won’t. She ain’t goin’ down that path now that we know what steps led her mom there.”

Hope exhaled as he removed his hand. “I-I know, but…and that’s just what we can do, Talc. I’m worried about something else. Something that we can’t do anything about.”

“What worries you?”

“Diopside. She was the 31,500th corrupted golem we’ve found.”

“That number a bad omen on your planet?”

“No, but it might as well be a bad omen on this one. The number of golems stranded on Earth before White Diamond sang the Corruption Song wasn’t that much more. And at the accelerated rate they’ve been emerging after Tourmaline…” she stared at the coffin before continuing, “we might find the last one within the year.”

“And we don’t have a cure for that still,” Talc finished with a sigh. “Bugs me too.”

“That wasn’t my only concern, Talc. Think about it: White Diamond couldn’t send personnel directly to Earth during the war, not when we were so good at convincing her people to turn on her. So she turned most of us into monsters so that we could not give up the sheep about her lies.”

“Goat.”

“Whatever. The point is, now that most of us are devoid of sapience almost none of us could expose her. And we remaining few have spent the last five millennia rounding all the others up, every Crystal Gem and Homeworld troop that she marooned on Earth prior to the Corruption. All into one place. Do you see what my concern is now?”

Talc’s brows furrowed. “I’m havin’ some trouble…d’you think that someone will try to destroy us all once we’re all together?”

“Yes. I’m afraid that Homeworld will return once we’ve done White Diamond’s dirty work of rounding up the remaining Crystal Gems, and potential Homeworld deserters, for her, a-and then…” She trembled. Talc didn’t need to be told what would happen next.

“Easy now, Hope,” Talc replied in a soothing voice as he watched her cry silently. “White Diamond left us alone after the Corruption, we’ve been lookin’ around for years and we never saw no sign a’ her drones or spaceships. And if she does come back, well, then we’ll finish her off right then and there. Just like we promised we would.”

Hope exhaled shakily. “I would be happier if she was able to see that.” Talc didn’t ask who “she” was and simply sat with her, letting the much larger alien lean her big blue head on his much tinier shoulders. “I would be much happier if she could see what kind of woman her daughter was becoming.”

Neither one noticed Lilah peeking her head into her mother’s shrine while their backs were turned, having heard the tail end of their conversation. Frowning again at the spot on her chest, she left the mourners in silence.

[lemon-jade-stan-account]

Updated Gems!

In descending order: Carnelian, Apricot Agate, Banded Carnelian, Nephrite, Jade, Moonstone (Black Agate + White Zircon fusion), Opal, Goldstone, Crackle Quartz, Tourmalinated Quartz, Howlite, Turquoise, Gold-Included Quartz, Amazonite, Chevron Amethyst, Citrine, Blue Onyx, Petrified Wood, Purple Agate, Tourmalinated Rose Quartz, Raspberry Rhodonite, Pink Variscite Jasper, Tiger's Eye, Cubic Zirconium, and Snowflake Obsidian (Akoya Pearl + Black Star Diopside Fusion)

(All are edited versions of gems from actual extended SU Canon)

[archive-double-knots]

[ @blackstardiopside​​ // X ]

    The excitement of the smaller gem must be infectious because suddenly Mulberry felt much more upbeat than before. 

        “I’ve started going by Mulberry.” She offers, holding out her hand. “I’m still getting used to this whole individual name thing. It’s nice to meet you, Black Star Diopside.” Mulberry smiles, it was nice not being treated like some sort of criminal just for how she looked. It was a bit strange to see someone in Beach City not give her a look over, or even a glare, but it was certainly welcome. 

[ebcnylead]

"HAPPY MOTHER'S DAAAAAAAAYYYYY!" Beams the Diopside as she wheels in a large, multi-tiered cake on a cart for Black Diamond. It's also decorated in sparklers to look more flashy and draw attention. "AND I thought we could go to a tea party, so I made us a reservation!"

Happy Mother's Day!

@blackstardiopside

Ebony was more than delighted to see her shining star. Especially on mother's day. She never failed to blow her mother away with everything she did for her. She was even more gobsmacked when she got a look at her surprise. "Oh it's perfect and I'd love to! Come give your mommy a hug!"

[the-mortuary-witch]

PERSEPHONE

WHO IS SHE?

Persephone, also known as Kore (meaning "young woman” or “girl" in Greek), is one of the main deities from Greek mythology. She is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, the Goddess of the Harvest. She is also the wife of Hades, the God of the Underworld, and she is associated with spring, fertility, and rebirth.

BASIC INFO:

Appearance: Persephone is typically depicted as a young and beautiful woman, with long, dark hair and eyes. She is often shown wearing a white dress or robe, and she is usually associated with flowers, especially flowering plants that bloom in the spring. She is also often associated with pomegranates, which symbolized her wedding to Hades, and which she ate while she was in the Underworld.

Personality: Persephone is usually depicted as kind, gentle, and compassionate. She is often seen as a mediator and peacemaker, and a defender of the innocent and vulnerable. She is also often portrayed as a motherly figure who is caring and nurturing. She is also sometimes seen as defiant and rebellious, and she is known to have a more powerful side that can punish those who defy her.

Symbols: pomegranate, waxing moon, narcissus, bones, seeds of grain, bats, torch, flowers, and deer

Goddess of: spring, the dead, the Underworld, grain, and nature

Culture: Greek

Plants and trees: asphodel wheat, willow, narcissus, lily, ivy, cherry tree, lily of the valley, daisy, lavender, vines, roses, pomegranates, oak, and hibiscus

Crystals: rose quartz, pigeon’s blood, rosolite, star diopside, flower agate, grossular, balas ruby, chiavennite, red spinel, clinoptilolite, Mozambique garnet, heliodor, African jade, uvarovite garnet, biotite, green calcite, hiddenite, green agate, African emerald, quantum, vivianite, indigo gabbro, green jasper, diopside, garnet, clinochlore, aventurine, iolite, and snowflake obsidian

Animals: deer, bat, black ram, parrot, and monkey

Incense: rose, pomegranate, jasmine, apple, vanilla, almond, horal, bergamot, and cinnamon

Colours: green, pink, black, light blue, purple, magenta, indigo, and yellow

Numbers: 3, 6, and 7

Zodiacs: Cancer, Scorpio, and Taurus

Tarot: High Priestess and Ace of Pentacles

Planets: Moon, Pluto, and Venus

Days: Monday, Ostara, Beltane, Lammas, Samhain, Lesser Mysteries. Eleusinian Mysteries, Proerosia, Stenia. Thesmophoria, and Heliogenna

Parents: Zeus and Demeter

Siblings: several paternal half-siblings and maternal half-siblings

Partner: Hades

Children: Melinoë, Zagreus, Dionysus, and Erinyes

MISC:

• Grains: due to her connection to the cycle of life and death. She is often depicted with grains, such as wheat, barley, and oats, which symbolize the cycle of life and death.These grains represent the cycle of life, as they are sown and then harvested, only to be sown again in a constant cycle. This symbolic representation of death and rebirth aligns perfectly with Persephone's association with the underworld and the cycle of seasons. Therefore, she is associated with grains to showcase the cycle of life and death.

• Spring: due to her connection to the changing of seasons and rebirth, she is often depicted as rising from the afterlife in spring, representing the renewal and rebirth of nature.This is because in the Greek myth, Persephone spends part of the year in the underworld with Hades, but returns to the land of the living in spring. Her return symbolizes the return of light and warmth, and the blossoming of nature.Therefore, she is associated with the season of spring as she symbolizes the rebirth and rejuvenation that comes with the new season.

• Pomegranates: according to the myth, Hades abducted Persephone and took her to the Underworld, where he forced her to eat a pomegranate. This act was a symbolic gesture of his hold over her, and it was also seen to symbolically represent her connection to the Underworld.The pomegranate became closely associated with Persephone and the Underworld, and it has remained a symbol of Persephone and her association with the Underworld ever since.

• Flowers: she is associated with flowers due to her association with spring. She is often depicted holding a bouquet of flowers, or being surrounded by blooming flowers.This is especially the case from the Greek festival of Anthesteria, which was a celebration in honour of Persephone's return from the Underworld. During this festival, people would decorate their homes and temples with flowers, representing the growth and renewal associated with Persephone's return.

• Birds: mainly doves, she is frequently depicted with a dove on her shoulder, and she overall shown with doves all around her.There are a couple of reasons for this. First, doves have long been symbolic of peace and tranquility, which aligns with Persephone's gentle and calming nature. Second, doves are often associated with symbols of fertility and rebirth, which aligns with Persephone's connection to the Underworld and spring.

• Water: she is associated with water for a couple of reasons. First, she is the Goddess of spring, and water is a vital factor for life and growth. Water is necessary for flowering bloom and green plants, so it is closely associated with the growth and renewal associated with spring. Second, water is also a symbol of rebirth and renewal, as it is a fluid element that is constantly changing and transforming. This fits well with Persephone's role as an Underworld Goddess and her connection with the cycle of life and death, as death and rebirth are represented as a transformation process.

• Gold: the Underworld is associated with riches and treasures that are commonly represented in the form of gold. This connection to riches represents the fact that the Underworld was a place of great wealth and abundance, and it represents the treasures that were found there, such as gold, jewels, and precious metals. This is another aspect of Persephone's connection to the Underworld and her role as a divinity of death and rebirth.

• Trees: they represent the natural cycle of life and death, as they grow and flourish during the warm months, then shed their leaves during the winter months, before starting the cycle all over again.Trees are also associated with fertility and rebirth, as they produce seeds and fruit that propagate new life. This ties in with Persephone's role as a Goddess of spring, and her connection with the Underworld and the cycles of nature.

FACTS ABOUT PERSEPHONE:

• She takes her role in the Underworld seriously.

• Her epithets included but were not limited to: Despoina (The Mistress), Melindia (Honey), Aristi Cthonia (Best Cthonic), and Kore (The Maiden).

• Unlike Hera and Amphitrite, Persephone didn’t have a husband that constantly cheated on her (she was married to Hades). However, there is a myth about her cheating on Hades with Adonis, depending on the version. As far as I know, Hades did nothing about the matter. I think that implies it didn’t count as cheating to him, or maybe Persephone only loved Adonis as her son, which makes sense to me since she raised him. But yes, it’s perfectly acceptable and legitimate to say she cheated on Hades.

• Persephone is often called a spring or vegetation Goddess but all that seems to mainly be related to Demeter, her mother, when it’s time for Persephone to return her. Truly incidental. Persephone was much more an Underworld Goddess than a flowery Goddess.

• There’s evidence to suggest that, as far as religious history goes, Persephone as a character in religion is older than Hades, and was an underworld deity too.

• Some sources suggest Persephone was the mother of Dionysus, but to be fair Dionysus has a bajillion origin stories.

• As far as I know, and correct me if I’m wrong, it wasn’t too popular to depict Persephone with red hair colours until the Victorian era, when a popular red-headed model was used for a famous painting of Proserpina (the Roman equivalent to Persephone). Before, she had occasionally been depicted with red hair, but black and blonde were just as popular. Nowadays, in media, she’s often portrayed as red or pink haired, although even that trend is dying again.

• Some people like to think Persephone was a minor or weak Goddess. That was simply not true. She was considered frightening in her own right.

• Someone tried to kidnap her right from the Underworld. Hades had him attached to a chair for eternity.

HOW TO WORK WITH PERSEPHONE:

First, set up an altar or sacred space dedicated to her, you can then set offerings such as candles, flowers, and other symbolic items are also essential to respectfully honouring her. Prayers and incantations can be said to her to ask for guidance, support, and her blessings. Meditation and visualization can be used to feel Persephone's presence and connect with her energy. Feast days and holidays can also be celebrated to honour her.

PRAYER FOR PERSEPHONE:

“Lady Persephone, Goddess of the Underworld. I come before you in humility, I seek to find peace and healing to shed myself of pain and strife. I ask for your guidance and strength in my time of need to weather through the storms of life.”

“Thank you for your love and kindness. Please open my path to the light and give me the strength to continue to walk down this path. May we all find peace and healing, in the realm of both life and death. Hail Lady Persephone.”

SIGNS THAT PERSEPHONE IS CALLING YOU:

• A sense of calmness or peace around you.

• Feeling connected to nature and the changing of seasons.

• Attracting more birds or other doves.

• Seeing or smelling flowers in unexpected places.

• Having vivid dreams about death and rebirth.

• Experiencing a sudden increase in energy and motivation.

• Feeling connected to the Underworld and the realm of death.

• Having a deep feeling of contentment and acceptance within yourself.

OFFERINGS:

• Pomegranates/pomegranate juice.

• Honey.

• Floral tea.

• Breads.

• Flower crowns or arrangements.

• Dark chocolate.

• Flowers.

• Crushed mint.

• Animal bones.

��� Jewelry.

• Art of bats, rams, or deer.

• Crystals: rose quartz, agate, black onyx, pink tourmaline, obsidian, coral, and jasper.

• Spring water.

• Grains.

• Plants.

• Incense: vanilla, almond, horal, bergamot, and pomegranate

• Sweets.

• Dirt from a dead plant (or person).

• Wine.

• Seeds.

DEVOTIONAL ACTS FOR PERSEPHONE:

• Stop to smell flowers.

• Pair lace and leather together, she loves this.

• Singing.

• Plant flowers.

• Wear pomegranate scented things--perfume, lotion, lip gloss, etc.

• Tend to wild plants if they need care.

• Go barefoot more often and feel the way the ground feels on your bare feet.

• Honour the dead.

• Support local farmers and beekeepers.

• Honour the deaths of animals and if you can, bury them or leave them in a place where nature will care for them.

• Buy yourself a nice bouquet of flowers, or make your own.

• Place flowers on barren graves.

• Spread seeds of native flowers on the sides of highways or other unincorporated places (be sure to check local laws on this).

• Wear something fancy when you feel like it, make yourself feel like the royalty you are.

• Offer her fruits/nuts.

• Listen to music that reminds you of her.

• Wear a flower crown.

• Collect crystals like rose quartz, garnet, citrine, green tourmaline, and topaz.

• Rose quartz is a go-to stone for me for many Gods, Persephone being one of the many.

• She really digs topaz and the tourmaline in my experience.

• Love yourself, of course, just as she loves you.

• Gardening.

• Taking care of graveyards.

• Visiting forests and fields.

• Learn about local plants, flowers, and herbs.

• Creating flower crowns.

• Going bone hunting.

• Creating a more biodiverse lawn/backyard.

• Not killing animals (spiders, mice, etc.)

IS IT SAFE TO EAT OR DRINK AN OFFERING I GIVE TO HER?

It's generally not considered safe to consume food and drink offerings that you give to Persephone because of her connection with the underworld and the realm of death.While food and drink offerings are traditionally given to the gods as a gesture of thanks and respect, in the case of Persephone, these offerings are associated with the underworld and the cycle of life and death. Consuming such offerings represents an immersion in the underworld and could lead to negative consequences. It should also be noted that Persephone is a deity of death, and consuming offerings meant for her may be seen as a disrespect to her position.

[prettycdds]

"You're a king, really?! What's it like?" (Have a starstruck alien @ Magnifico)

✨ " Indeed I am. " Look at him, he's shining.

There's something that admiration and praise did to the king, it couldn't be summarized as mere pride. It was like stoking a flame, filling an already vibrant being with more life. He raised his chin and smiled down at the smaller being with a grin so bright and an always jolly chuckle at the question. " Well, I'd say it's.... challenging, but very fulfilling! To be a king is to have an entire land of people place their faith in you, after all. But, it is my greatest happiness to be that someone. Of course-- keep in mind I'm something of an outlier amongst kings... " He humbly shrugs, but as he does a trail of glowing glitter dusts along the air.

" So tell me then, do you have nothing like a king where you're from? " Anyone can be excited to meet a king, but the way the question is asked comes across as perhaps exceptionally new to the concept. He tucks his hands regally behind himself and bounces his shoulders. " I assure you, I'm just as excited to meet you. In all my years and all my travels, I never imagined meeting a being from beyond the stars. Black Star Diopside... " He tests the name on his tongue with some fascination-- well, it certainly sounds celestial. Perhaps its just what becomes of those who pursue the arcane as the king does, but he couldn't help but want to know ever more. " If you don't mind, It'd be a pleasure to hear more about yourself. "