#barbata

[angie-massei]

Rot: The first stage

[decapitaco]

Happy Valentine's Day!

[penebui]

a phossy looking guy

[shiny-gem-ocs]

People who like Houseki no Kuni / Land of the Lustrous, answer this post with what you like the most about the manga + one criticism you have about it!

[soulsty]

This is my contribution to the end of pride month, hope y’all had a good one!

This is part of a big project, but there’s no way I’m gonna finish it before the month is over, so might as well post this now while it’s relevant lol

[hard-times-paramore]

Those who walk away from Omelas.

Man, it's been a while since my Houseki no Kuni oc Iolite has seen the light of the day! I never gave much thought to what happened to them after they were kidnapped by the Lunarians and ground into dust, long before Phos's time. But now that the manga finally ended, I have ideas on how I'd continue their story!

You can see the tidbits of lore I made for them in here and here. Under the cut, I will go on a ramble as to what is next for them.

Those Who Walk Away From Omelas is a short story about the most wonderful, joyous and perfect city to ever exist, but it only remained that perfect thanks to the inhabitants forever torturing a small child. Sounds familiar?

Well, the thing is, even in that story, not everyone in the city of Omelas accepted that. The story has this title because some people refuse to have their happiness and good life sustained by a tortured child, and leave the city.

And that's what I think Houseki no Kuni is missing. Though, let's be honest, I've noticed most people agree the manga became a dumpster fire towards the end, where none of the characters you came to care about had satisfying conclusions or stayed in-character. Would Padparadscha, for exemple, one of the most mature gems who genuinely saw Phos suffering, allow them to be the tortured child? Hello, Ghost Quartz?? Whose main goal was to protect Phos??

Iolite is a Gem with a history of uncovering secrets. If they found out that their happiness on the Moon was being fueled by a tyrant who tortured one of their own into a wreck of themselves, they'd leave that place to go help Phos. And I know they wouldn't be the only one. There were so many revived gems, surely not all of them, even among the characters we do know, would be okay with their metaphorical Omelas. Hell, I even chose Barbata to help Iolite escape to Earth because he was one of the nicest people to Phos during their time on the moon. Even if, by being a Lunarian, he's the part of the worst remnants of humanity, he might still earn his redemption and subsequent ascencion.

Another thing Iolite wouldn't stand for is being stripped of their personhood and turned into a Lunarian. I didn't add any details in their hair in this comic for this reason. I don't know if, in this Fix-it AU I'm making, I'll even keep the gem-lunarian convertion machine. Cause first of all it came super outta left field. Second of all, they wouldn't choose to be assimilated by their enemy after all they knew in their lifetime was war. If I do keep it, and someone else made this decision to convert them, Iolite would never forgive them, and would grieve their old self - further sympathizing with Phos.

What would result, I think, would be the gems who refused the moon probably having to battle the Lunarians once again, as they want to isolate Phos and make them a good praying machine. The cycle would repeat, for now, with Phos taking in Sensei's role and refusing to pray, and taking care of the new gems, like the fandom theorized would happen.

But one day, the cycle would end. I might write a fanfic on how, I might draw it instead, but one day, the Lunarians, specifically Aechmea, the one set up as the villain, would finally get a proper end fitting to their characters.

There's a lot more I'd like to address in this AU. Such as all the gems having a reconciliation with Phos, resolving their interpersonal conflicts, Cairngorm and Ghost Quartz talking out their differences and Cairngorm becoming free from Aechmea's grooming. I'll work on it and write it someday.

For now, thank you for reading what I wrote. If you got this far down my rambles, your epic.

[housekinobrackets]

Round 1: Bentio vs. Barbata

Benito

Barbata

Voting ended onMar 4, 2023

[themadauthorshatter]

Man, this was just in the VOID. Phos is still trapped on Earth, but this is THE VOID.

Time to get it out!!

So last time Phos found their form of happiness through their gem kids, and it's something the lunarians are not happy to see, especially Aechmea and the gem-lunarians, who are ready to not exist anymore. Having found their happiness, Phos told them all to kindly go screw themselves because they don't want to accidentally earse their kids as well as the lunarians, and exiting is awesome, they should all try it sometime. Aechmea is not happy with that and warns Phos to watch their back. The gem kids are all claimed by Phos, who calls themself their parent and swears to protect them.

All that said, let's check back into this happy ending!

Aechmea makes good on his warning to Phos because he sends a bunch of lunarians to Earth, one of these being Bort, who's more than a little frusrtated at the fact that Phos has a chance to help, all they've ever wanted, and isn't doing anything about it.

Phos struggles to fight, obviously, but, when they get broken at the legs and almost shattered, they get some assistance when Labradorite and Phosphosiderite shoot at Bort with a makeshift bow and arrow and slingshot.

Bort is obviously pissed off, but it gives Phos an opening to get a good hit in and make Bort have to leave.

Phos is surprised and thankful for the help and asks if the two were hurt at all.

They weren't, which is great because Phos gives them a verbal reprimanding, telling them to stay out of sight when the lunarians come or less they'll be broken or, worse, taken away.

Both understand and help Phos patch themselves up before they all go about their day, reading, learning, playing cards, and all that other good stuff.

Phosphosiderite isn't really done, though, and meets up with Phos, asking if they can have a new name.

Phos is very confused and Phosphosiderite explains that they feel like the two both being called Phos is weird and confusing because even though they're the same they're also very different. And they feel like they're saying their own name whenever they talk to Phos.

Okay, they're new nicknames are Pho, Sid, and Sider, so they can use those.

Sid(I'll use the three interchangeably) is very confused and amazed at how Phos came up with those names out of the blue, and Phos simply explains that it was a matter of taking a long name and making it short.

The other gems spot this and race forward, each asking for Phos to give them a funny, cute nickname.

Hope you get the giggles at this too, because it works on Phos, who hands out their nicknames.

Tiger's Eye is now Tiger.

Labradorite is now Dori.

Snowflake Obsidian is now Snow.

Lepidolite is now Doli or Dolly.

Red Jasper is now RJ or Red.

Sodalite is now Soda.

Selenite is now Selen.

And Moissanite is now Mo or Sani.

Confession time: I had to take a screen shot of the names to do this

Back on track, the gem kids do their thing, i.e. mess around with each other, play in the sun, follow Phos around like a bunch of ducklings, all that good jazz, until they take a field trip to the chord shore to look for any new gems, Sid joking to Mo that they won't be the baby anymore.

While they find nothing, they find something else: two lunarians.

The gem kids panic, Sid and Dori arm themselves with a slingshot and bow and arrow while Phos gets their sword ready, but the lunarians reveal themselves to be Barbata and Antarcticite.

Phos has an immediate cathartic moment, asking Antarc how they’re on Earth and asking Barabata if Aechmea ordered him to come to Earth and attack them or make them pray.

Using their own talking devices, Barbata admits he actually did think about asking Phos to pray, but thought otherwise upon seeing their students... kids... things. He tells them that the gems they wanted to brimg back are indeed back, but are all lunarians, as they've seen with Bort, Diamond, and Antrac. The gems can exist until they become nothingness now, but they can only achieve it of Phos prays for them.

Phos, unhappy, asks Antarc if that's why they've come back, so Phos can pray them into nothingness?

Antarc doesn't want that, instead asking if Phos still takes care of winter.

Phos cries gold and mercury as they say yes they HAVE been taking care of winter, as the little all need their sleep.

More as a joke than anything, Antarc asks if they're doing it right, saying they'll review Phos's work the next time Winter comes.

The littles watch this and silently wonder if they should or shouldn't attack, but they ultimately are told to stand down when Phos tells them Antarc and Barbata are friends of theirs.

They're all skeptical, but Phos assures them all that neither mean any harm and even ask the gems to introduce themselves.

Tiger and Dori glance at each other, approach the two lunarians and ask one very simple, very serious question that they have to answer honestly, OR ELSE.

Antarc and Barbata agree and the twins give their question:

Do the two like jellyfish?

Barabata has never heard of one, but Antarc lights up, as they've missed seeing the jellyfish.

It gives them points, but the twins and other gems need to convene for a moment, all of the gem kids gathering in a corcle and having a conversation amongst themselves, much to Phos's annoyance.

It takes a a simple moment, but the gem kids come to their conclusion: the two lunarians can stick around for a little while, but the minute they make Phos cry, all bets are off.

Antarc's amused by their attitudes and Barbata just doesn't know what to do, but the group heads back, Phos apologizing for the gems' behavior.

They get back to the school and mostly just hang out, the some gems talking with Antarc while others hang out with Barbata as he studies the jellyfish, finding them interesting.

When night comes, Phos ushers their kids to bed, despite their protesting and insisting that they're not tired, because Barbata and Antarc are very bright and rich in light.

Phos still sends them all to bed, and they listen, and it gives Phos time alone with Antarc and Barbata.

The first thing they do is apologize for everything, for letting Antarc get taken, for not listening to Barbata and cutting him in half, and for everything in general, and that includes trying to hurt Adamant.

Antarc stops them. Are they a little mad that Phos tried hrting Sensei and split up the gems? They are, but they're putting that behind them because as cool as the moon is, without Phos there to run their mouth and break bad, it got very boring very quickly, so here they are.

Barbata's staying on Earth, too, intrigued at the natural organisms on Earth and the new gems, and very entertained by Phos and their family.

The three stay up and mingle some more until the gem kids awake to join them, and we close with Antarc being horrified by Phos and Sid and saying there's now two Phosphophyllites.

While everyone laughs, Sid tries to swat at Antarc, though they are stopped by Phos, for obvious reasons.