#switching between my own ocs and fanart every day

[pointlessjey]

What if King with a sombrero sugar skull

[biteghost]

Hi, I have a question as a fellow OC haver and serial doodler : how do you get people involved in your OCs before beginning your Big Project with them ? Do you post character sheets ? Random tidbits of info now and then ? I do post art and doodles but I can't seem to get any interest...

Have a nice day !

Hi Anon! This is a sentiment I've seen and heard a lot over my years of being on the internet. I cannot give you tried-and-true, works-100%-of-the-time advice or anything, though. I can only share my own experience. Here's a list of some important ways to create original work on the internet:

1: Don't care if other people are interested in your original work. I know this is extremely hard on the modern day internet... but at the end of the day creative hobbies and careers rely on personal dedication and enthusiasm in order to thrive and be consistent. Relying on the feedback and enthusiasm of others is a slippery slope, because that enthusiasm can wane and you cannot control it. Being totally obsessed with your own work truly is the only way I've found that makes creating art fun, fulfilling, and exciting after years and years of doing it!

2: Draw whatever you want, when you want to. Invest your time into honing your craft, storytelling and draftsmanship. Your time is limited in life, and it becomes an incredibly valuable resource the older you get. Don't use your time stressing about how to gain an audience. Just make what you want to make and eventually your people will find you. Get so good at what you do that they can't ignore you!

3: If you only care about numbers getting bigger (followers, likes, shares): draw fanart. Characters and Intellectual Properties that are already familiar to an audience makes the barrier to entry extremely low (depending on how well known the IP is). Doctor's note: This approach may creatively drain you and leave you unfulfilled as the years grind on. Side-effects include one day waking up to find you resent the audience you courted by relegating yourself to a single interest for all your years... But hey, it's easier than putting in the work to become a master of your craft!

4: The Bait-and-Switch method. This is a less soul-crushing way to do #3. It goes like this: Draw fanart (or illustrations which don't require context and can be appreciated on their own) to attract an audience. Then share your original work in-between to get the audience that sticks around to care about your original ideas and characters. Classic bait-and-switch. (Note: This is what I do! It's not as calculated or sinister as it sounds, though. I'm an artist with lots of interests, and drawing is how I express my feelings about things that emotionally touch me. I create fanwork when I want to, then go back to drawing my silly little characters in their silly little scenarios when I have scratched the itch.)

5: Unfortunately, you have to make the dang thing. If creating characters is something you find fun and relaxing but you don't want to actually make a story with them, that's fine. Not every creation needs to have an epic tale that goes along with them. Not every character has to have their world put down on paper. There's nothing wrong with that. However, if you DO want to make a story with your characters, the best way I've found to get people interested in them is to actually make their story. Just as you are invested in characters as you read a book, watch a movie, tune in to weekly television programs, or play out their story in a video game so too will audiences find interest and intrigue by reading your stories. Context is the best hook, in my opinion!

6: I'm serious, stop looking at numbers and equating them with value. I've seen breathtaking artists with less than 10 followers, and I've seen artists whose work I would describe as 'schlock' raking in hundreds of thousands of hits. It doesn't mean anything. Just create in your space, and create it the way you want to create it.

7: Hey if you're making a webcomic send me a link so I can read it.

[maaaxx]

how do you feel about fanart?

If anyone ever makes fanart of any of my fics ill marry them on the spot.

I'm usually really weird about fanart and turn down people who ask about it because of the whole situation with 'my' oc's )iykyk) but we got that sorted out so now I'm okay with it.

There was another anon a while back who asked about fanart but Tumblr ate like half my asks a few weeks ago and i lost that ask. but if i remember correctly that ask was asking for descriptions and stuff so I'm just going to tag that onto here too.

ALL of the 'ocs' listed are originally from the art of burning by hella 1975 (just letting yall know).

I just have my own twist on them but the names and general ideas belong to hella :)

Tomkin <3333 (my fav)

if some of these turn into a tangent because their appearances are reflective of their personalities just ignore that.

Tomkins described vaguely in chapter 2 as this:

"He was skinny.  Like far more than the rest of the people he had seen.  But he seemed to have a lot of lean muscle.  He was maybe half a foot taller than Zuko and had a huge smile plastered on his face.  That seemed to be permanent though, as he was smiling every time he saw him.  He also seemed to be the only one without beads in his hair, which was tied half up, with a strand on each side braided back.  He was slightly darker skinned than the rest of the people, and his eyes were the deepest blue.  They were the exact same color as the ocean."

Tomkins 16 at this time, 17 currently. So he's shaped a bit awkwardly, longish limbs. Hes also tall for his age. almost the same height as Nanook (who is 2 years older) and Nanook is only a few inches from Hakodas height (I think) so do with that what you will.

Something that I developed since writing the above description is that Tomkin has multitextured hair. Its about medium brown and is all over the place and its mostly like very wavy but it curls at a few random places. He also switches between having his hair like halfway up and in like a ponytail.

I also dont know how youd incorporate this into fanart but Tomkins pretty.

Thats consistent with most people we're going to see describing Tomkin is that he's attractive but not in your typical like, masculine, handsome, way but instead hes attractive in a pretty way,,, idk. but that comes up a lot eventually (because of a certain topic thats going to come up a lot) so i thought it might be worth mentioning.

His clothes are also usually slightly too short for him because my dude is still growing.

Nanook <33 my other fav.

I dont think Nanook is described anywhere.

He has like pin point straight and its also very messy but unlike Tomkin its more so in a way of he doesnt put an effort into keeping it tied back right. like when you tie a ponytail back and dont fix it for the rest of the day. He has two braids one on each side of his face. his right side braid has one beed on it, left side has two. these are also lazily tied back with the rest of his hair.

Nanook has a scar right at his hairline on the right side of his face too.

besides that, Nanooks just like your average dude. Hes not skinny but hes not overly broad, like i said, hes a few inches shorter than Hakoda.

I think it's mentioned somewhere that he has big eyes. So idk what to do with that.

He's not that interesting to look at lmao.

Chena

Chenas about Chitsangs height and a little less broad.

idk how good of a reference 'chitsangs height' is but he's pretty tall.

his hair is about to the top of his back and has two braids on one side of his head. the rest of his hair is like half tied up in a wolfs tail.

ummmmm idk what else is that important for him.

moving on

Kanuk

Kanuk is a tad bit older than hakoda, so he has a few gray hairs. He has a really skruffy beard which also has some grays in it.

Something to remember about Kanuk is that he's originally from the nwt so his clothes reflect that. the color is a lot more of that bold purply ish color.

Kanuk, like hakoda, is a short king and is about the same height as hakoda.

he constantly looks tired and kind of has that worn look to him. zuko puts him through a lot lol.

[kg2hub]

Wintergala Time!! ❄️🌲

   so my turn to host the event post this time lmao. 

   you may have heard of the fandom’s Kindergala that was hosted from June to July of 2020. the Wintergala is essentially the same concept!  --a fun way to interact with other kg2 creators and fans on tumblr, and a great excuse to dress up your favourite characters and aus in winter themed outfits for the season!

   idea for this is by @fandoms-on-repeat, @hellochaoticpugglepuff, and @frosty-chiion

      ——— ❄️ ——— ❄️ ———

   you can refer to the [kindergala post] as a reference for how it works and standard etiquette, but i will be reiterating the points from there, below:

characters:  any characters from the kindergarten 1 &  2 games are allowed. canon, canon-divergent, AU, and OCs are absolutely allowed

what to post:  you can draw fanart or write a story!  your drawings can be in the form of a multi panel comic, or a simple picture with text in the caption to say what your characters are saying and doing. you can write in quick small roleplays, or novel-length fanfictions. any format goes, as long as you’re having fun!

how to interact:  you can private message someone to ask if you can come up with a plot together-- or send something through asks/inbox, or create a post and tag the person you want to interact with and wing it from there!  of course, you don’t have to feel obligated to talk to other people and can simply do fun winter stuff with your characters if you just want to do that.

ships?:  are allowed!  you can ship your own characters together, or form a ship between your own and other people’s characters if they want to do that. pedophilia and incest are absolutely not allowed, and you are not welcome to participate if you plan to do gross things.

dress code:  winter wear!  anything christmas-y or holiday themed is good for your characters to dress up in

duration:  the Wintergala will last from the last two weeks of December 2020 (dec 20)  to the end of January 2021 (jan 31)

     ——— ❄️ ——— ❄️ ———

   Rules:

   be nice to your fellow creators/kindergarten fans. it’s fine if your characters have conflicts, but keep your personal drama out of the event.

   remember that this is for fun!  we just want to have a cool event where our AUs and blogs have a good time, so try to keep that in mind and don’t take things too seriously.

   general manners and decency apply!  respect other people and their characters.

   no NSFW or problematic ships (minor/adult, huge age gaps, siblings, you get the point)

   any askblog or AU can show up as long as the rules are followed.

   not considered canon unless otherwise specified by blog (this is just for fun)  if you feel okay with doing it, you can have your AU show up without explaining how they’re there. if you have a story going on, you can still bring your characters in if you want.

   if you interact with an AU/blog, @ them or message them so that they know you’ve interacted with them!

   don’t overwhelm yourselves!  don’t feel pressured to do anything, bring characters, or interact with anybody.

   gore, blood, death, and stuff of that nature isn’t allowed for the sake of fun and comfort.

   monster/creature/experiment characters are allowed as long as it’s tagged appropriately!  (body horror, flashing (in case of epilepsy/seizure inducing gifs), eye strain, etc)

   don’t kill anyone’s character, or kill off your own character.

   character conflicts are fine, but try to limit it to arguing and not actual fighting. essentially no violence.

   you can draw or write for the gala. or both, and switch at any time if you can manage that

   you can have as many characters as you feel comfortable portraying and are able to handle, including a few from multiple AUs you have.

   characters should either be from your own blog/AU or be okay with the other creators of that blog/AU to bring.

   characters can ask out characters from their own AU to the gala, or other AUs (make sure that if it’s romantic, nothing is age inappropriate), and you don’t have to have your characters ask anyone out to participate.

   the gala is technically a formal event, but you don’t have to draw your characters in formal wear.

   you can format your posts however you want!  (example:  showing multiple of your AUs in one post, how you draw, digital or traditional, whether you type or draw dialogue)

   if you want your character to do something for the gala (perform on stage, catering, bouncer)  you can. there can be multiples of these kinds of jobs!

   if you need to drop out or have a character leave, just try to make a post in the gala tag saying so. this is so people won’t keep interacting with you/your characters when you can’t respond. you can drop out at any time

   you don’t have to make posts about the gala every day the gala is going on, don’t strain yourself or feel like you have to do anything.

   you can put as much or as little detail into your posts as you want!

   if someone wants to draw your character and they need a reference, try to provide it or give a description.

   try not to take complete control of other’s characters in your posts!  If you want to portray someone else’s character in your post, talk to the owner of the character or work it so you only control your own character.

   doing just sketches for the gala is fine!  you don’t have to make full-on Van Gogh drawings. (but if you really want to go for it, sure, just don’t overwork yourself)

   the background of the gala is an endless white void, this is to make it easier for people to draw. you can draw a few christmas decorations if that’s what you want, though

    ——— ❄️ ——— ❄️ ———

   and with that out of the way, please don’t forget to tag your Wintergala event posts with the hashtag #wintergala !!

    feel free to reblog this post or reply with your AU/askblog if you want to participate, or simply reblog without saying anything to spread the word! 

   finally:  remember to have fun :D

[lycorogue]

Meet My OCs: Willow (Part 4 – Images)

We've made it to the home stretch! This post should be a lot more fun, though, because you get to literally see Willow! I shared some images here and there throughout this mini-series about Willow, but the vast majority of my images of her will be below. 

Before I continue, how about another quick recap of my Meet My OCs series thus far?

I started up this multi-post series almost exactly a month ago. I had wanted to do something like this for MONTHS, and I'm finally getting my lazy butt in gear. This way, you guys get a chance to learn about these vocal people that have been hanging out in my head for years.

In Part 1 of this series, I introduced the concept, as well as explained the real-world influences that helped me create my two story worlds of Gyateara and Glitches.

Part 2 of the series talked about the inspiration that birthed each of my four main Gyateara characters.

Part 3a did the same, but for my four main teenage Glitches characters.

Part 3b then talked about the Glitches main supportive cast of six adult characters; each one originating as a canonical X-Men character.

Today is Part 4 Day; the official start of the individualized characters' bio posts. I couldn't think of anyone better to start off the next part of the series than my most present character: Willow Driver.

In Meet Willow: Part 1, I shared Willow's background, gave an overview of her personally, and talked about her powers.

Meet Willow: Part 2 focused on her main relationships.

The epic post that made up Meet Willow: Part 3 told her plot line/story arc main events within the play-by-post game X-Future that Willow originated in. The end of the post also discussed which of those main plot events will find their way to my original story Glitches.

Next up, I’ll have a few writing samples to showcase Willow, and I’ll conclude today’s massive series of posts with two customized wrestler entrances I created on Hubby’s WWE13 game. So.. just two more to look out for! 0_0

All caught up? Great! So let's get to the fun of Willow's Multi-media presence. Starting with some more fun art of her.

I know I already shared this in Meet Willow: Part 1, but I love this image of Willow so much I'm going to show it off whenever possible.

Prior to commissioning @edendaphne to draw me the gorgeous above photo, I had some other hand-drawn artwork of Willow. For two different birthdays, @chibisunnie included the X-Future core group for personalized cards she drew me.

Check out the full-quality image on her DeviantArt

Hubby and I routinely pointed out the almost perfect parallels between the “Girl Meets World” characters Lucas, Maya, and Riley and our X-Future characters Chayse, Willow, and Lia, respectively. So Chibi went ahead and drew Chayse, Willow, and Lia as Lucas, Maya, and Riley all hanging out in Riley's bay window.

Check out the full-quality image on her DeviantArt

Last birthday, I wanted Chibi to have my X-Future characters interacting with her Team Giraffe Guy characters. Willow is dancing with her OC Todd, Trish is giving her OC Zahir a mini-heart attack, and Lia is chilling with her OC Bob the Pumpkin Cat from her other original story The Pumpkin Prince.

I still absolutely love how energetic Willow looks in both of these images, and I think Chibi really captured who she is. <3

Prior to the commissioned piece by Eden, or the two works of fanart as birthday cards drawn for me by Chibi, I used doll makers to help me visualize Willow.

My first incarnation of Willow was thanks to a hodge-podge of items designed by ChaZie for her Dollz over on Dollz Mania. (anyone else remember these being huge in the early 2000s?) You see, ChaZie designed easily a hundred different Dollz creators/designers, each of them with their own themes: Halloween, fantasy, fairies, Scene, Kardashians, Lady Gaga, Valentine's Day, etc. Back in 2012, I had spent WEEKS saving nearly every element of nearly every doll designer ChaZie created. I gathered them all into one MASSIVE Photoshop file with nearly all of ChaZie's doll bases, hair, clothing, accessories, pets, etc. That way I wasn't restricted by the designer theme groupings ChaZie created; I could take hair from Lady Gaga, put it with a Halloween costume, and throw on some fairy wings. Using this method of Frankensteining ChaZie's designs, I created a large portion of the early X-Future cast. One of the firsts was, obviously, Willow, shown here in her first X-Men uniform design.

Sorry for the quality. My computer crashed about 3yrs ago, and I lost that ChaZie dollz design master file, so all of the ChaZie design dolls I showcase will be downloads of my posting the images online.

Anyway, once Sebastian was introduced into the X-Future canon, I decided to re-design Willow to see how she might look in the future. So, here is Mama Willow with newborn baby Sebastian, as well as Adult Willow in a much more traditional X-Men uniform as she took on the mantle of one of the Great Protectors.

Finally, a picture of Willow in street clothes while with her brother Shawn. I had already posted this in Meet Willow: Part 2, when I talked about their relationship. However, why not re-share it, right?

A couple of years into playing X-Future, I was introduced to the Chibi Maker doll generator by gen8. (can also be found here) I couldn't resist coming up with Chibi-fied images for the main X-Future characters. Naturally, I went with Willow's classic Cheshire Cat illusion for her chibi verseion.

After losing my ChaZie master file, I tried to rebuild it, but at that point Dollz Mania had shut down. I'm slowly beginning to find ChaZie's doll makers popping up on other websites, but I needed other alternatives for character designs and re-designs. That was when I was introduced to the X-Girl doll maker by Candy. I've had a lot of fun designing characters in this game, and decided to re-designs Willow to give her a more mature look now that she's not 15 anymore.

Hubby and I also tried to re-create, and then re-design, Willow's X-uniform.

I really like how the uniform re-design turned out.

I was fairly content on my representation of Willow with the wide variety of above images. Then, late last year, I started playing the fashion designer mobile game Love, Nikki.

I was just enjoying the game for what it was; not even thinking about X-Future/Glitches. But then I started finding more and more blue and white clothes that made me think “Willow would like that.” Soon that was my mission. I found a few white/silver hair options that I tried out, and aimed for a make-up set that would give me aquamarine eyes. Since hitting my main Willow make-up and hair goals, I've had loads of fun designing and re-designing Willow in the game.

The blue and white striped socks and those blue eyes were what first made me want to find a way to build Willow. I also tried out just about any silver/white hair and blue eyes combo.

After getting the aquamarine eyes I loved, the next trick was trying out the hair styles. There are soooo many platinum-white, white, gray, or silver hair styles in this game! This isn't even all of them; just the ones that seemed Willow-esque. First up was an an attempt to keep Willow's short hair:

Picture #3 was the only one that really worked, and I ran with that hair for a little bit. I just liked the pseudo-punk look of those sharp edges.

A lot more of these could possibly work, although they aren't the Willow I had in my head. Even so, I could picture Willow with hair styles #2, #3, and #4.

I really can't picture Willow growing her hair out so long. It would bother her to have so much of it. However, out of the above pictures, #2 would be close, if it were the right color. Beyond that, I think #4 feels the most like Willow, with #1 being close behind.

Sadly, the ones that are the closest to Willow's hair style are all the wrong color. #1 is almost exactly Willow's hair style, just parted the wrong way; her longer side is over the right eye. Although it's a bit too short, and clearly the wrong color, #2 is at least parted on the correct side, and it does have some blue tips; probably the second closest to her canonical look. I could picture Willow in all of those hair styles, though.

This hair style isn't all that bad, and it is pale, but it's still platinum-blonde instead of Willow’s silver.

After a LOT of working and re-working, I decided this hair style works best. It's short, but not terribly masculine, choppy, or overly fancy. It's also the right shade of silver, and the low-lights in the hair almost look like they're blue. Once I had it figured out, the next trick was the outfit. I had her in this one for quite some time. Then I was playing Love, Nikki during the winter. I also got some coats that would work really well for her. I went formal and fantastical with the cape, and then more canonical and “real world” with the down vest. For both images I also included some extras that made it look like she was creating illusions.

I then had to switch her up for spring:

And again for summer, so this is what she's currently wearing in my game:

We'll see what other kinds of visuals I can make of Willow over the next few months/years.

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

Alright, well now that you have a good mental image of what Willow looks like, how about we find out how she talks and acts?

Next up: Meet My OCs: Willow (Part 5 – Stories)

[breakingdownsu]

Chorus Chapter Four

Note: This has been a busy week but I'm more or less back on track, thank goodness. I'm hoping to set up a blog soon to archive all of my writing in one place, along with any fanart I've received and anything else I've done over the last few years. When I started writing fanfics back in prehistoric times everyone had archives, webrings and mailing lists and I'm an old fashioned girl at heart sometimes. I'll link it once it's finished.

Double note: If you haven't already, I suggest you read A String of Pearls before continuing. Most of the OC characters I've written about there will be popping up here as well (and it includes the origins of Murder Pearl.)

…..

New to the list of things Steven had to be very worried about (along with Pearl's disappearance, the awful nightmares that were probably foreshadowing of something unpleasant and his dwindling supply of food) was that the unfortunately-named Murder Pearl would live up to that name at some point by turning on him.

As it was, she had found some sort of pole somewhere in the workshop and was methodically sharpening the end with blankly serene expression on her face. It was unbelievably creepy, and yet Ginger, who was sitting directly in the line of the sharpened pole should Murder Pearl decide to skewer someone with it, was calmly ignoring them both to fiddle with a holographic screen of data.

Complicating matters further was the third pearl in the workshop, the one Steven had healed with his magical spit. She was hiding under a table covered with a tarp, (and had been since she regained consciousness) the edges of her feet were the only part of her visible. He had been told in no uncertain terms by both Orthoclase and Ginger to leave her alone until her Jasper returned. He could hear her sniffling under there, and that was awkward on top of all the other awkwardness.

Distantly, Steven wondered if Garnet and Amethyst were worried. He had been gone for, he estimated, three days. They had left him alone during missions for longer periods of time, they had always been quite lackadaisical in this manner. He knew Greg would be worried by now, and probably Connie too. Sadie as well, and maybe the cool kids.

Maybe I should go back for a little while. Get more food, let everyone know I'm okay, tell them we have a plan...

Even as he thought about it he knew he couldn't. He was neck-deep in Homeworld's criminal underground, and if television had taught him one thing it was that criminals tended to disappear without a trace. If he left he probably wouldn't be able to find them again.

As he stewed, his stomach made its feelings known. Loudly.

Ginger swiveled in her chair.

“Are you unwell?” she asked, again with more curiosity than concern.

“Hah, no...I'm just kind of hungry...” he laughed nervously. Murder Pearl was also looking at him.

“Hungry?” Ginger asked, tilting her head and blinking owlishly.

“Yeah, uh...where I come from, we put things in our mouths....”

...he didn't miss both of the pearls flinching ever so slightly....

“...to give us energy and make us feel...happy, I guess. I brought food but I'm running kind of low now,” he finished.

Ginger hummed thoughtfully, and Murder Pearl laid down her murder stick for a moment.

“The higher caste gems ingest gallium and compound mix for recreational purposes,” Murder Pearl said. “I don't think it gives them energy...”

“No, it doesn't,” Ginger agreed. “But those are chemical...it sounds like the Steven requires...organic matter?”

“Just Steven is fine,” Steven piped in.

“I will think on this,” Ginger told him. “We cannot have you unwell at this stage in the plan.”

“Wow, okay, thanks!” Steven blurted out gratefully. It probably wouldn't be anything like a donut or a cheeseburger but at least it would be something...

Orthoclase burst into the workshop then in her usual loud fashion. At some point she had donned some sort of chain-link head decoration and painted triangles under her eyes, and the little kid in Steven for a moment reflected on how effortlessly cool she was. She was carrying what looked like a burlap sack and tossed out the contents on the operating table.

“Jasper came through for us,” she said with a careless but triumphant shrug. “Six pearls, all deregistered.”

Steven peered over at them, until Orthoclase beckoned him closer so he could examine them closely. One was cracked badly, one was covered in scratches but apart from that they were all in good shape. One was significantly smaller than the others.

“That's a seed pearl,” Orthoclase explained as Steven gingerly touched the miniature one.

“Seed pearl?”

“Yeah, it was the fashion for a while to make them smaller,” she continued. “Lasted about four orbits before they were discontinued. I thought they'd all been processed but I guess not.”

Homeworld really was a terribly strange place. Gems talked about making other gems in miniature, like some sort of weird hobby.

“Those two are damaged,” Steven said, changing the subject. “Can I heal them?”

“Go ahead,” Orthoclase said with a sweeping gesture. “Less work for me if you do.”

Licking his palm, he fixed the cracked pearl and then the scratched one. For good measure, he fixed the others too, just in case they had damage he couldn't see.

“Remind me to get you filling some tubes for me before you go back to Planet Whatsit,” Orthoclase said, sinking onto the couch and throwing one foot into Ginger's lap.

…..

A few hours and one fitful nap on the couch later, the pearls regenerated.

Steven ended up naming them (in his head) after the Disney Princesses because that was all he could think of. One of them (he thought it was the one that had been scratched to pieces) had a long elaborate braid that reached her ankles so once he had dubbed her Rapunzel the rest of them naturally followed.

The one that looked like she had actual gold threads running through her hair: Aurora.

The pale blue one in tattered indigo and the remains of a fancy hairstyle: Cinderella, obviously.

The silver one with the long white hair: Elsa. She was the one who had been badly cracked.

The pale green one with the red hair....he kept switching between Anna and Ariel. It was hard to know until she opened her mouth.

And the seed pearl, who stood no taller than Steven's waist....Thumbelina. (He knew it wasn't Disney but it might as well have been.)

“I assume you all know the plan,” Orthoclase announced, confusing Steven because not one pearl had said a word to anyone.

Still, they all nodded in perfect unison. Even Murder Pearl.

“Great. If you have any questions, ask Pearl. In fact, I have a question right now. What in Core's name are we supposed to do now?”

She punctuated her question by poking Ginger's shoulder with the tip of her foot.

“I have located a loom to centre our structure on,” Ginger replied, barely responding to Orthoclase's needling. “It is isolated, and large enough to shelter over fifty pearls.”

“Sounds great,” Orthoclase drawled. “What's wrong with it?”

“The owner will take some convincing...”

“I knew it...”

“But I believe we have something she wants.”

“Hm,” Orthoclase mused. “Okay, we can work with that. Get her on the line...”

“She won't respond. We have to go there ourselves. And she may not let us in.”

Orthoclase sighed, flopped across the couch. All the pearls kept their silence, but Steven noticed their hands and fingers moving gently. Maybe they were nervous. Steven certainly was.

“Well, we might as well try,” she said at last. “We'll go next cycle, suns are going down.”

With that, she was gone. There were crashing sounds in the back of the workshop where she was clearly setting up to work for the rest of the night. That left Steven alone with the pearls.

“So,” he began, addressing the one he dubbed Elsa. “I'm glad to see I was able to fix that crack in your gem...are you feeling better?”

“Yes, quite,” she said faintly. “Thank you.”

“What happened? Is it okay for me to ask, I don't mean to be rude...”

“That's okay,” she said in that same oddly serene way they all seemed to have of talking. “I was owned by several Jaspers, they did not treat me gently.”

That sick squirmy feeling was getting to be something Steven was used to. There were implications rife in that little sentence but he couldn't dwell on it, for the sake of his own sanity.

I need to find Pearl and get the hell out of here.

“I'm sorry,” he mumbled lamely.

“Not your doing,” Elsa replied in a way that was almost sweet.

“Did you fix my scratches too?” Rapunzel asked, so quietly he could barely hear her.

“Yes, I did,” Steven replied. “Is that okay with you?”

“Quite,” she said. “But my owner may be confused when I am returned. If I am returned.”

If. Why if?

“Why's that?” Steven asked, knowing he was going to regret it but unable to stop himself.

“She made most of the scratches.”

Steven looked away, struggling to find words. It was only then that he noticed that Thumbelina had at some point climbed down from her spot on the operating table and was kneeling at the gap between the floor and the tarp that covered the Jasper's pearl. She was silent but her fingers were moving. The sniffling that had been a constant since the pearl woke up had stopped.

…..

When Homeworld's suns rose again, they set out for...wherever they were going next. Steven ate the last of his rations, hoping Ginger would come up with something for him to do foodwise soon. They passed a checkpoint, and as usual Ginger was checked with that horrible machine.

“Why can't they just ask her to open her mouth?” Steven whispered to Orthoclase as they watched.

“Pearls won't open their mouths, even under orders,” Orthoclase whispered back.

Steven blinked. He hadn't really expected an answer, just assumed the officials did it to be mean.

“Why?” he asked, baffled.

“No-one really knows,” Orthoclase responded. “It's just some sort of pearl-wide trait, they can't do it even if they want to. It means you have to crack their jaws for checks and certain repairs, and they'd probably choose to avoid that if they could...”

With every passing moment, life just seemed to get bleaker and bleaker for pearls. Where would it end?

Ginger was rubbing her jaw when she was returned.

“I think that Topaz has a grudge against me,” Orthoclase said as they walked away. “And she takes it out on you. Sorry about that.”

“That's okay,” Ginger replied. She sounded tired.

They walked for a long time. The public transport system only brought them so far, and it was clear whoever they were going to see was well-off. The residences they passed got bigger and bigger the further they went, until they arrived at a truly enormous estate on the outer edge of the city.

Orthoclase whistled as she rang the doorbell.

“This is really something,” she hissed. “I feel like I'm going to be tossed in isopod just for being here...”

The door creaked open, and standing in front of them was yet another pearl.

“My owner is not taking visitors today.”

“Yeah, we figured that,” Orthoclase drawled. “But we have an urgent matter to discuss with her so we aren't going to let her blow us off.”

“Just close the blasted door, Pearl!” a voice shouted from inside the estate.

“I suggest you give her different orders unless you want me to yank her right here and now,” Orthoclase called back.

There was a moment of silence, during which Steven didn't know where to look. He hadn't expected Orthoclase to make outright threats...

...and then a sharp tapping noise heralded the arrival of another gem, who gently pushed the pearl out of the way. Steven looked up...

Lapis?

...no, it's not.

This gem looked much older, far more severe than Lapis even at her angriest. It put Steven in mind of the dowager queen of some exiled nation, or something. She was dressed in what looked like an evening gown, long and straight, and her hair was pinned back immaculately in a perfectly formed bun.

The pearl looked almost like a daughter or a younger sister of this dowager. She was dressed in a shorter dress with a fuller skirt, her hair simply tied back with a green ribbon.

Neither of them looked like the kind of gem Orthoclase would ever associate with.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn't call the Amethyst squad,” the Lapis growled, squaring up to this gem who could easily break her in half.

“Well, Pearl? Have you got a good reason for her?” Orthoclase asked Ginger.

“Yes.”

The Lapis turned to Ginger, confusion masking her annoyance.

“We have need of your pearl's skills,” Ginger began.

Incredibly, the Lapis' face softened. She looked from Ginger to her own pearl and back.

“In return, we can offer you music that has never been heard by any gem before,” Ginger finished.

Orthoclase shot a look down at Steven, a what-the-hell-kind-of-plan-is-this sort of look.

But the Lapis sighed, straightened and opened her door fully.

“You'd best come inside then,” she said. “Don't touch anything.”