#Angel Hoseki

[kousaka-ayumu]

"By The Power of Music! Cure Héxie Made Her Debut!"

Previous episode

But before she knew it, a pair of hands which look like it came from the midnight sky wrapped themselves around her.

"𝕿𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖐 𝖞𝖔𝖚, 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖘𝖆𝖛𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖍𝖊𝖗."

That's what she heard before Azalea was taken away.

Now

???

Suddenly the girl opened her eyes, she was standing in a abandoned and destroyed castle but this time she's in front of the gates with a sun on the wooden gates.

She's confused, she never seen this location from any of the books she read, she slowly walked towards gates and there's a sign right next to it.

'Welcome to Ravindra Garden!'

Ravindra Garden? She never heard of this name before.

As she's thinking about the information, she didn't notice that a girl walked behind her.

The girl looked identical to her but the hair is longer and is wearing a purple outfit.

All of a sudden, she held the girl's hand and everything went white.

??? End.

Currently both of them are now in her room with Xuánlǜ, Galaxie, Riah and Amour.

"Okay, what in the world just happened today? First I transformed into some strong girl, then everything in here became a snow valley and that butterfly monsters just became a cute little butterfly, and that Acheron guy is covered by a bunch of snow!" She said as she wailing her arms around like a kid, suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Oh shoot! Hide!" She ushered the fairies to hide, luckily they did, the door was opened and it's Hoseki in her dorm uniform.

She wore a pastel blue dress with black frills, puffy sleeves, white apron with the trump card print, black and white stripe tights and black Mary Jane shoes.

She came from the BiaHart dorm, founded by the Curiousity of the Lost Dreamer. "Fuyumi." She said.

"Hoseki-chan? What are you doing here?" She asked with a nervous smile on her face as she didn't want to tell the tiger beast-girl what had happened yesterday. "Came here to tell you something."

"Sure what is it?"

"A boy was floating in the sky constantly demanding for you're presence."

That sentence is when she froze, oh no, oh no, oh no no no no.

"And the next thing I know I went unconscious along with everyone else's, and the next I woke up to see him gone but.."

"But?"

"I saw a girl with ice blue hair."

'Oh no, oh no, oh nononononono, did she knew? Did she knew?!' The ice blue streaked haired girl thought panicking within her mind 'Don't worry! Maybe she thought it was apart of her imagination or something?!' Demetria said telepathically to her within their mind also panicking.

"Could be an imagination.." Fuyumi responded, the polar bear sigh in utter nervousness he hope that Fuyumi doesnt mess up. "But if that guy's appeared again, make sure to keep yourself safe." She said as she left the room, now that she's alone she nudges the Crusaders to coming out of their hiding spot and Demetria have flee out of the watch.

"That was so close!" Riah said, "You said it Riah." Xuánlǜ replied they were so close to get caught by another being as they're not used to the world of Twisted Wonderland. "Sorry Fuyumi, it just that we're not used to this place." The polar bear said, "It's okay." Fuyumi said.

Meanwhile at the now ruined Ravindra Garden, Acheron was currently being cleaned up by a girl

The girl has white hair with sky blue eyes, wearing a white dress with light blue frills, gold accents, white to gray to black gradient socks and dark blue shoes, she also has a small angel wings and a broken halo. Her name is Elvis.

"And then I got blasted by her! Blasted! I mean blasted by a batch of fucking snow am I right?!" Acheron said complaining and being absolutely bitter with his loss with some girl?! What was her problem anyway?!

"Acheron, Elvis." A voice commanded outside of the room.

"Acheron, sweetie are you okay?" She ask only to be responded with "The fuck not Lurline, I got blasted by a bunch of snow from that PreCure lady!" He's angry that he lost, usually he's bombastic that he won several times before, only for him to be lost this time around.

"What brings you here then Lady Lurline?" Elvis asks"Ammit-sama asks me to get rid of the girl you lost to, I'll see you later bye~" She said and then dissapeared.

Back with our heroes Fuyumi is currently in classes with Demetria inside her watch, the other Crusaders are fooling around in her room and Xuánlǜ? He secretly followed her and ended up separating from her by accident.

And now he got lost in this giant castle that is called Royal Sword Academy. 'God I should've stayed in Fuyumi's room, if I did then I wouldn't got lost in this giant plac-'

Suddenly all he heard was a soft singing, surely he flew towards the source of the song, it's in the music classroom.

It was none other than Hoseki Héxie.

Shinkai shoujo mada mada shizumu

Kurayami no kanata e tojikomoru

Shinkai shoujo dakedo shiritai

Kokoro hikareru ano hito wo mitsuketa kara

For a moment right there, he felt like he was hypnotized by her voice, he never heard a song like this in centuries ever since what had happened, yet for some reason she look likes him........

He was too deep within his thoughts that he never noticed that Hoseki was approaching him and it was only pick him up that snapped him out of his thoughts.

Suddenly he started panicking "Hey, hey hey, it's okay I'm not gonna hurt you." That was said to him from the beast-girl.

Slowly but surely he looked and saw the soft yet kind smile from Hoseki herself, her dull red eyes somehow reminded him even more of him, then he quickly flew out from her hands in a completely nervous wreck.

"Can you tell me who are you?" She asked politely, she looked like someone he knew but at the same time different as herself, slowly but surely he flew towards her "I'm Xuánlǜ, from Ravindra Garden well formerly from Ravindra Garden." He said shyly, almost like his voice is filled with anxiety. "Name's Héxie Hoseki, nice to meet you." She said, in utter politeness.

Then she held out her hand almost as if she wanted to shake hands with him, at first he wasn't sure but later he did, suddenly there was a bright light came from between both of them, with her upper back now has a music note of a g-clef.

Before she could ask something "Xuánlǜ! Where are you?!" A voice yelled out, it was Fuyumi. Hoseki was surprised by it. "Fuyumi?" She said softly, then looked at the eastern dragon "You know her?" She asked, "Yes, since yesterday."

"Xuánlǜ! Xuá-" Fuyumi yelled out before interrupted herself as she went to the music classroom and saw Hoseki with Xuánlǜ in front of her.

It was utter silence before-

"UWWWAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!" Fuyumi screamed out with her all as it was immediately transitioned to a tanned skinned 15 year old girl with long dark green hair with light green streak, green eyes and wore the same uniform as Fuyumi but instead it's a white collared undershirt, blue blazer, and white knee length socks, she also has a golden bracelets. Her name is Midorikaze Kiko.

There's also a 14 year old girl with short dark brown hair with a small braid and an orange streak, has bright green eyes and a gold star marking on her cheek, she wore a white collared undershirt with orange cardigan, blue skirt, white tights and black heels. Her name is Mikanhoshi Seiza.

"Did you hear that?" Kiko ask to be met with "Yeah, but I think we should ignore it, it's their problem not ours." Seiza replied and walked away, Kiko ended up following her "Hey! Just because you're a celebrity doesn't mean you get to say things like that!" She responded as she followed her.

"So what you're saying is that you're a legendary warrior named PreCure and have to fight evil people? Is that why that guy after you yesterday?" Hoseki askes, apparently Fuyumi have to explained everything to a T.

"Sorta, but I'm chosen! The reason is that I have to protect Demetria." The ice streaked haired girl replied, everything that happened was so unexpected to her, it was overwhelming that she couldn't remember some details properly.

"And these guys? Also from Ravindra Garden?" She asked, the Crusaders nodded, she couldn't feel but felt horrible for them, they lived in that place their entire lives only to be destroyed by villains, she can't forgive those villains, ever. "But it's okay, Fuyumi has found us and given us a home, if it weren't for her I could've died from my injury." Demetria said coming from her watch, "But it was because I found you guys outside of one of the classrooms remember?" Fuyumi said with a smile on her face.

"Hold up, I heard of Ravindra Garden before, I saw that in a dream." She said, Fuyumi frozed.

"You mean you wake up in a destroyed and abandoned castle?!"

"Yeah? Wait you also?"

"Yes! Wait up, that was before I became Cure Schnee! I never have dreams like that."

"Same."

"Demetria, do you know about this?" Fuyumi asked, only to be met with "I'm sorry, I don't know anything about that." The polar bear replied. "It's okay."

It was awkward silence between both of them, it was explainable.

"Wanna go to the library tomorrow?"

"Sure."

Meanwhile in the middle of nowhere a woman was cleaning up the mess that she made earlier.

Then she looked at the scene which is covered with redness and her eyes glows yellow.

"Tch." That was the only thing she said as she cleaned up her mouth before everything goes black.

The next day, school is over both girls are now at the library and they were searching for something, it was only until Galaxie stumble across a newspaper.

"Guys, look at this." She said as she picked up the newspaper with her mouth and flying unto the table, the other Crusaders, Fuyumi and Hoseki have gathered around the table with the ice blue streaked haired girl have a book about dreams in her arms.

The following newspaper reads:

25 year old Adele Rossettial, have gone missing since September 16 of 20**, last seen entering the Forest of Rememberance.

"Wait a minute there's more." Fuyumi said as she flipped the page.

14 year old Sophia Claire, 17 year old Scarlattina Dulce, 18 year old Jaune Dulce and 16 year old Maria Cadance have gone missing since November 30 of 20**, last seen entering the Forest of Rememberance.

"Wait a minute, what do they have in common?" Riah asked.

"All 5 of them went missing after they went to the forest of rememberance." Hoseki responded, but before Fuyumi said anything, there were footsteps which startled the group.

"Hide!" Demetria demanded, all the Crusaders immediately scattered to find a place to hide.

The footsteps revealed to be a woman they never seen before.

The woman has strawberry blonde hair with magenta-pink eyes, she wore a white dressrobes with soft yellow and gold details, brown sandals, and a rose hair pin.

"What's going on? I heard some noises h-." Suddenly she was interrupted by seeing the 2 girls. "What are you two doing here?"

"Oh uh? We're just here to search for some books to study for tomorrow!" Fuyumi immediately said as Hoseki nodded.

"If it's for today, I'm fine with this. By the way my name is Ichigo Muichiro I'm you're new botanical teacher from now on." The woman now known as Ichigo left.

But for some reason, Xuánlǜ looked at her wearily as her eyes turned dark yellow for the moment.

"Phew that was close."

Now both of them are at Hoseki's room in BiaHart.

"Now let's see here.."

Future dreams is a prophetic dreams deliver information about future events, while other types of future dreams involve guidance about the future.

(Yes, I got this from google)

"Does this have something to do with the the broken castle from our dreams?" Fuyumi asked.

"I'm not sure about it, but if anything this has something to do with the missing people and the Forest of Rememberance." Hoseki replied as the eastern dragon lied on her lap, currently taking a nap for the moment.

"I'm sure this has to do with both, the dreams and the Forest." Fuyumi said.

Little did they know "Ichigo" was watching them from the window with dark yellow eyes that glows in the dark as wings sprouted from her back.

The next day history classes we're done and the duo are now on their way to botanical class as the sky suddenly turned dark reddish pink and the clouds suddenly turned to some "toys"and everything else murky, which startled the 2 girls.

They immediately go outside to see the other students are now unconscious.

"Hold on, what's going on?!" Hoseki asked utterly terrified as suddenly a giant owl appeared before them, much like the butterfly from last time it also became a grusome monster. It was named Noctua Somnia.

"Hoseki-chan, find a place to hide,I got this." Fuyumi said and the tiger beast-girl did run and find a place to hide.

Then she took a deep breath before..

"PreCure.... Royale Charge!" She yelled out her chant as her body is covered in a ice blue glow, her black gloves appear, then her white boots with ice blue details appear, curls herself into a ball and when she uncurls herself, she is now wearing a white off the shoulder dress with the ice ribbon in the front, a dark grey waist-ribbon and a gray ribbon, the off-shoulder sleeves have a navy blue frill, the dress has a ice blue frill, the center of her chest has a light bluish purple heart with a ice-blue bow and a dark grayish blue tights, her hair is now ice blue that fades into light purple tied up in a right-side ponytail with a golden tiara. The place is now burst into a bundle of snow, she flew down.

"May the snowdrop bloom! Cure Schnee!" She said as she opened her eyes which is now light purple, and stroke a pose.

Suddenly everything became winter, a bundle of snow, the whole school is now in a snow globe with the students now asleep peacefully.

Hoseki was stunned yet amazed by Fuyumi's phrase, yet couldn't help but amazed by her beauty.

Suddenly the owl monster let out a blast of darkness which Fuyumi now Schnee deflected with her snow shield.

Then she jumps really high and her boots landed on the top of the snow globe then blasted herself and punch the owl monster, unfortunately Noctua Somnia used it's wings to knock her back, suddenly blasting her unto a tree which injured her.

"Fuyumi!" Both Hoseki and Xuánlǜ cried out but before she could do anything she was stuck in a birdcage.

"I'm afraid I can't let you help her sweetheart." A feminine yet seductive voice said, then a woman in her 20s, it's a succubus appeared before her.

The woman has blonde hair and dark yellow eyes, she wore a black one piece with a diamond-shape line revealing the middle of her big chest with a 4-point star on her left chest with a skull on it, a dark reddish pink broken heart under both of her chests, long black gloves, and yellow heels. Her name is Lady Lurline, or nicknamed Lurline.

And she's also holding a fork-shaped spear with a white pole, yellow bow and a red rose ornaments.

"Who are you?" Hoseki asked, is this lady working for that Ammit lady?

Suddenly she heard a crash and she saw Schnee crashed into a tree, her eyes widened in horror.

"Now, can you gave me the little dragon, and I'll let you and you're friend go." Lurline said.

"No, I won't let you have Xuánlǜ. Ever." Hoseki stated, she held the eastern dragon into her arms and won't let him go.

Getting a bit impatient, the succubus slide her arm unto the cage, and was about to grabbed him until..

"I can't let you have him ever!" She yelled with all her might as a ray of purple light suddenly hit her and Lurline flew back and thrown the monster off of Schnee.

Hoseki opened her eyes, she is in a place that was reminiscent of a Chinese temple with musical note snapped clouds.

"H-how did I get here?" She asked "You protect me, from that woman." He stated"You we're chosen as well after Fuyumi."

Suddenly he wrapped his body around her wrist and became a watch, much to her suprise but her expression later changed to a more determined one.

"Alright, let's do this."

"PreCure.... Royale Charge!" She yelled out her chant as her body is covered in a purple glow, her hair once used to be dark purple now a light purple tied up in a side ponytail which fades into blue, then she did a little tap dance which led to her heels with music notes appeared on them, then a pastel purple slapped unto her chest then a turtleneck knee-lengh dress appeared along with 2 strands of teal linings created a string, she grabbed a thin music note and wrapped around her arm suddenly a black fingerless gloves appeared alongside the light purple arm warmers, the light ribbon wrapped themselves around the bottom of her chest and a dull red sash appeared along with a pastel yellow fabric with series of music notes along with thin lines appeared as well as a green fabric(?) appeared with a g-clef note,and finally a plum blossom flower landed on her head which created a tiara.

Then she softly landed "Let the songs filled you're heart, Cure Yīnyuè!" She said as her eyes are now a ruby red and strikes a pose.

The place once formerly a winter wonderland now a reminiscent of a Chinese Opera House which coloured dark purple.

Slowly but gently Fuyumi woke up, she put her hand onto her head, feeling a bit hurt after what happened, at first she was confused at where she was but later was surprised when she saw.

"Hoseki-chan?"

What was once Hoseki, is now Cure Yīnyuè, the succubus was surprised as this wasn't apart of the plan.

"Oh my, I wasn't expecting this. You know what never mind, Soulless attack!" She yelled out as she uses her staff to power up the Owl Monster which nearly throw themselves to Schnee but she quickly deflected with her ice shield along with Héxie summoning a harp to amplify it.

Then she quickly took a deep breath, she slowly approached the owl monster which they noticed it and get ready to attack her but fortunately Schnee noticed and summoned ice shackles that tied it up.

Quickly she stopped her step and looked at the owl monster, she has a worried yet determined expression on her face.

"PreCure... Symphony Harp!"

She played the harp at the same time she started humming which calmed down the owl for the moment but still weary of it, suddenly chained that look reminiscent of music notes tied up Lady Lurline which suprised her.

Slowly but surely the owl really started to calm down and started shrinking to its original size.

"Looks like I lost here huh? But don't worry, I'll do better next time." She said to herself as she dissapears leading to the shackles falling down.

As Héxie finished playing her harp, everything goes back to normal, unfortunately only Schnee's head Injury stayed there.

Speaking of which, Schnee who transformed back into Fuyumi rushed towards Héxie who transformed back into Hoseki adn hugs her.

"Holy Great Seven you're so amazing!" She said with stars shining in her eyes, Hoseki giggled but her tone quickly switched to concerned"Thanks, but what about you're injury?" She asked "Oh this one I'm f-ouch!" She said accidentally hit her head with her hand.

Later both of them looked at the now small owl in front of them. The former owl monster have returned to its original form which is a magenta owl with light pink tips, yellow beak and cloud markings appeared on the wings.

But before both of them knew it, a pair of hands which look like it came from the midnight sky wrapped themselves around her.

"𝕿𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖐 𝖞𝖔𝖚, 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖘𝖆𝖛𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖍𝖊𝖗. 𝕴 𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖈𝖚𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖌𝖎𝖗𝖑𝖘."

That's what the duo heard before Alora was taken away.

Both of them looked at each other, then looked at the place where Alora was formerly and both of the shared the same question.

What in world is going on?!

End

Taglist: @zexal-club @yukii0nna @fair-night-starry-tears @queen-of-twisted @yumeko2sevilla @sundove88 @cherryartemis0 @vivipuri

[kujo1597]

The “Maybe That Wasn’t Such a Bad Thing” chapter list. On Archive of Our Own it’s really easy to read all this in order but it isn’t so easy on Tumblr so I decided to make a post with everything in order.

A house fire left Peridot with hardly anything. She contacted people she went to university with trying to find a temporary place to stay. One of the people she contacted e-mailed Lapis telling her about the situation and now Peridot and Lapis live together. One night Lapis took Peridot to a club where she met up with a cool and gorgeous girl named Amethyst. She exchanged phone numbers and kept in touch. Then one day Peridot saw Amethyst at work and managed to ask her to hang out with her. The rest will unfold with time.

“Recovery”

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

“A New Life”

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

“How They Met”

One-shot

“Actually, That Was a Good Thing”

(content warning: Mentions of past abuse.)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

[puri5234]

hoseki no kuni She is really cute .   (ﾉ∀`) I love this angel.

[keyofjetwolf]

Pitch Me your thing!

HELLO HELLO MY SUNBEAMS. For most every category, there was an impressive turn-out for pitches, so I thought we’d utilize the weirdness of this year’s GIFTENING to give something new a try. The popular vote winner for each category will happen on the first day, but on the second, the winner will be chosen from YOUR PITCHES. Mostly those pitches will be to me. The exception is in Miscellaneous, where you’ll be pitching to my family, because what I want to do and what is most entertaining isn’t necessarily the same thing.

So! How will we do this thing? GLAD YOU ASKED. I’ll link you to a form in a minute with space for one pitch. Once you fill it out, you’ll be asked if you want to do another. There’s no limit to the number of pitches you can send in! But remember that if you submit multiple entries for the same category, you’ll basically be competing against yourself.

NOW WE’VE GOT SOME RULES FOR DOING THIS (which I mostly stole from Holligay, because I have no creativity this year). Please read them carefully! I’ll toss pitches that break any of these, and I’d rather your hard work not go to waste.

Pitch Me is open for your submissions from RIGHT NOW (22 December) through the very last day of this hellyear (31 December) at 11:59pm MT.

The thing you pitch must have come from what was nominated for THE GIFTENING 2020. (Full list of those nominations in every category below the cut on this post.)

Entries must be unsigned! I’m looking to chose based on the pitch alone, regardless of who submitted it.

The pitch itself must be 100 words or less. HAVE PITY ON ME I CAN ONLY CONSUME SO MUCH.

If you’d like to get some help, ideas, feedback, all that good stuff, the Discord is a FANTASTIC resource I encourage you to use.

HERE IS YOUR PITCH SUBMISSION LINK

And, as promised, below the cut you’ll find the list of all the nominees in every category you guys sent in this year. IT’S A LONG LIST HAVE FUN WITH THAT

Anime

A Place Further Than The Universe/Sora Yori mo Toi Basho Ace Attorney (Gyakuten Saiban) Action Heroine Cheer Fruits Aggretsuko Aho Girl Air Master Akuma No Riddle Alien Nine Angel Beats! Angelic Layer Appare-Ranman Aria Aria the Animation Arrietty/ The Secret World of Arrietty (Ghibli film) Ascendance of a Bookworm Azumamga Daioh Baccano! Beastars Black Cat Blood + (the series) Bloom Into You Blue Drop/Tenshitachino Gikyoku Bodacious Space Pirates (starting right where you left off) BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense Boku no hero academia Bubblegum Crisis Card Captor Sakura: Clear Card Cardcaptor Sakura Castlevania the Animated Series Cells at Work Chaos; Head Chihayafuru Code Geass cowboy Bebop Cyborg 009 Death Note Death Parade Deca-Dence Demon Girl Next Door Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) Diebuster: Aim For the Top 2 Dog Days dorohedoro Dot Hack//SIGN Dr. Stone Elfen Lied Erased (Boku Dake Ga Inai Machi) Escaflowne Excel Saga Fantastic Children Fate/Zero Flip Flappers Fresh Precure Fruits Basket 2019 Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Ga rei Zero GaoGaiGar gekkan shoujo nozaki-kun Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex Ghost Stories (dubbed) Girls' Last Tour Great Pretender Hoseki no Kuni/ Land of the Lustrous House of Five Leaves/ Saraiya Goyou Inari konkon koi iroha Interviews with Monster Girls Inuyasha Isekai Izakaya "Nobu" Jellyfish Princess/ Kuragehime JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable Kaguya-sama Love Is War Kaleido Star Kannazuki no Miko Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Kemono Friends Kiki's Delivery Service Kimi ni Todoke: From Me To You Kino's Journey/Kino no Tabi (2003) Land of the Lustrous (Houseki no Kuni) Little Witch Academia Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files EP0 {"A Grave Keeper") Love is Hard for an Otaku Love Live! Sunshine!! lupin the 3rd part 4 Madoka: The Rebellion Movie Magic knight rayearth Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha March Comes in Like a Lion Mardock Scramble Master of Martial Hearts Mawaru Penguindrum Megalobox Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid Mob Psycho 100 Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) Monster Mushishi My Bride is a Mermaid (Seto No Hanayome) My Love Story!!! My Neighbor Totoro My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom My Roommate is a Cat NANA Naruto Natsume’s Book of Friends Neon Genesis Evangelion (hateblog) New Cutey Honey Nichijou Ōban Star-Racers One Piece Ouran High school Host club Outlaw Star Paranoia Agent Perfect Blue Please Save My Earth Pop Team Epic Pretty Cure Fresh Princess Jellyfish/ Kuragehime Princess Mononoke Princess Principal Princess Tutu Project A-Ko promised neverland (/yakusoku no neverland) Psycho-Pass Ranma 1/2 Re: Cutie Honey Re:Creators Read or Die (OAV) Red Garden relife Revolutionalry Girl Utena Rose of Versailles Ruroni Kenshin Sailor Moon Sailor Moon (viz dub) Samurai Champloo (english dub) Sarazanmai School Days School-Live! Scum's Wish Senki Zesshou Symphogear (listed as just "Symphogear" on Crunchyroll.) Serei no Moribito (Guardian of the Spirit) Shin Sekai Yori (From The New World) Shirobako Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle Smile Pretty Cure (Japanese original)/ Glitter Force (english adaptation) Snow White with the Red Hair Sound Euphonium Strawberry Panic (yuri) Sweetness and Lightning The Devil is a Part-timer The Devil Lady The disasterous life of saiki k (saiki kusuo no Sai Nan) The End of Evangelion (movie) the Promised Neverland The Twelve Kingdoms Tiger & Bunny Tokimeki Tonight ToraDora Tsubasa Chronicle Umineko When They Cry Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid Vinland Saga Violet Evergarden Whispered Words (Sasameki Koto) With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day is Fun Yona of the Dawn Yu Yu Hakusho Yugioh Duel Monster Yuki Yuna is a Hero Yuri Kuma Arashi Yuri On Ice!!! Zoids: Chaotic Century Zombie Land Saga

Non-Anime Animated

Adventure Time Amphibia Animainiacs (Original) Animaniacs (Reboot) Archie's Weird Mysteries As Told By Ginger Barbie Life in The Dreamhouse Batman the Animated Series Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot Big Mouth Bob's Burgers Bojack Horseman Bravest Warriors Captain N: the Game Master Carmen Sandiego (1994) Carmen Sandiego (2019) Castlevania (Netflix) Cats Don't Dance Coco Courage the Cowardly Dog Craig of the Creek Cyber Six Daria Darkwing Duck Dragon Booster Dragons: Riders of Berk DuckTales (2017) Exo-Squad Fern Gully Fillmore! Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Futurama Gargoyles Glitch Techs Godzilla: The Animated Series Green Lantern the Animated Series Hedgehog in the Fog (Ёжик в тумане) Hey Arnold Hilda Infinity Train Iron Giant JEM Kim Possible Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts Legend of Zelda animated series (1989) Legion of Super-Heroes Liberty Kids Magical Girl Friendship Squad Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart The Legend of Korra Moominvalley Motorcity My Little Pony (Classic, NOT FiM) My Little Pony: Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks Onyx Equinox Over the Garden Wall Over the Moon (2020 film) Owl House Primal Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure Redwall Rise of the TMNT Roco's Modern Life Rugrats RWBY Samurai Jack Seis Manos She-Ra (1985) She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Sonic Boom Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse Star vs. the Forces of Evil Strange Magic Super Mario Brothers Super Show Superman: The Animated Series Teen Titans The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo The Animals of Farthing Wood The Dragon Prince The Hollow The Legend of Tarzan (TV series) The Magic School Bus (1994) The Mysterious Cities of Gold The Pirate Fairy (Disney Fairies) The Powerpuff Girls (1998) The Real Ghostbusters Thundercats (1985) Thundercats (2011) Transformers: Prime Tuca and Bertie Twelve Forever Undone Venture Bros Wakko's Wish Wakfu Wander Over Yonder We Bare Bears (TV) Winx Club Wreck-It Ralph (2012) X-Men Evolution X-Men: The Animated Series Xiaolin Showdown

Live Action

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 28 Days Later 3rd Rock from the Sun A Series of Unfortunate Events American Horror Story: Asylum Babysitter's Club (2020) Batman (the old Adam West version) Better Call Saul Black Mirror Blackbeard's Ghost (Peter Ustinov) Boston Legal Boy Meets World Boys Over Flowers Bromance (Taiwanese tv series) Brooklyn 99 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Cadfael Cagney and Lacey Charmed (2018) Chopped Cleopatra 2525 Cloak and Dagger Clue (1985) Community Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Dead Like Me Dead To Me Deadwood Death Note (Netflix) Derry Girls Dimension 20 - The Unsleeping City Doctor Who (New) Doom Patrol Dracula's Daughter (1936) Escape to the Chateau Farscape Fingersmith Galavant Godzilla (2014) Gokushufudo (2020 Japanese TV drama) Golden Girls Good Omens H20: Just Add Water (somewhere in seasons 1-2) Happy New Year Harley Quinn movie Hateblog a REALLY STRAIGHT soap opera. Haunting of Bly Manor His Dark Materials (HBO series) Holes Hot Fuzz House Inception Inside No. 9 Iron Chef America Joan of Arcadia Julie and the Phantoms Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Kamen Rider Build Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Kamen Rider Fourze Killing Eve Knives Out Letterkenny Leverage Little Women (2019) Lucifer Matlock Majisuka Gakuen MASH Merlin Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol Money Talks (1997 film) Motherland: Fort Salem Murder She Wrote Mythbusters Nailed It! Never Have I Ever Once Upon a Time Orphan Black Pen 15 PGSM Pi (1998) Picnic at Hanging Rock (2018) Pride and Prejudice: A New Musical Puppy Bowl Pushing Daisies Rome (hateblog) Russian Doll Sabrina Sense8 Sera Myu: Un Nouveau Voyage Shameless Sierra Burgess Smallville So Weird Star Trek: TOS (or their films) Star Trek: The Next Generation Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Star Trek: Voyager Stargate Atlantis Suckerpunch Supernatural (out of context speedrun the last three episodes) Sweetheart Switched at Birth Tall Girl Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles The Addams Family (1964) The Big Flower Fight The Booth at the End The Bride With White Hair The Crown The Fresh Prince of Bel Air The Good Place The Kissing Booth The L Word The Librarians The Magicians The Muppet Show The Pregnancy Pact The Room The Steve Harvey Show The Stranded The Untamed The Witcher The Wolfman (1941) Torchwood Twilight Zone (original) Twin Peaks Ultraman Nexus Umbrella Academy Van Helsing Warehouse 13 Warrior Nun What We Do In The Shadows (tv show) Will & Grace Wynonna Earp X-Men 2: X-Men United Xena: Warrior Princess

Miscellaneous

Alpha Flight #41-62 Anime music dance party, the logistics of which are to be determined! Ask Hot Pocket and/or Mina-pup AskSharknado: Giftening Edition Attempt to make French macaroons Commentary on old Goggles Critical Role Crowdsourced: A Black Mirror-style day where Jetty has to ask what her choices are of the audience for everything! I give you a menu, you decide what she has for dinner? What does she wear? Does she walk on the track or do the eliptical? Does she go to a movie with Doc or play a video game with Mike? Can be done alongside other stuff. Doodle Day Dramatic readings of fan fiction! Drunk History (or whatever your favorite subject would be) with Jet Wolf! Drunk Sailor Moon Exorcising Closet Ghost Fic Prompts Day Figuarts Day! (Not specifically freeing anyone, just various fun poses and such) Guess the plot of a show based on its opening Her Shim-Cheong (manhwa) House of X/Powers of X Hubby's Choice IDW Jem comics liveblog Intros Only (watch show openings, give commentary, guess what show is about, etc.) Jackbox Games Jet Wolf paints along with Bob Ross Jet and Doc go to Heaven/Hell, respectively: Jet gets to write reams of words about the awesomeness of Rei Hino and Doc has to read all of them and say ONLY NICE THINGS. Jet does Tiktok dances Jet Liveblogs Holligay: A Nature Documentary Jet Ranks Sailor Moon Image Songs Jet Reads Goosebumps Jet Reads Legion of Super-Heroes Jet redesigns the Wolf and Gay offices! Jet shows off her knitting Jet Wolf attempts to recreate scenes from Sailor Moon with Mina and Hot Pocket and/or whatever is in the house Jet Wolf reacts to Sailor Moon tiktoks (in blog form) Jet Wolf reads Love and Rockets. Jet Wolf reads the Jem comics by IDW Jet Wolf reviews her old top 100 Sailor Moon moments list Jet Wolf talks about Archie Comics Jet Wolf talks about each cel she owns and why they are so awesome. Jet Wolf writes Poetry Jet Wolf's Top 5's Jet, Hubby and/or family play board games Jetty Rants and Raves Jet Wolf tries to crack the Gravity Falls Codes Kiwi Blitz on Hiveworks Let's Play on Webtoon Liveblog: Favorite X-Men comic book arcs Livestream Pathfinder one-shot LOONA (Collection of music videos with an ongoing story/universe about GIRLS who are FRIENDS and SAVE THE UNIVERSE) Lore Olympus on Webtoon Mike regales us with "the story of your love" while you get increasingly embarrassed Mina and Hot Pocket day - liveblog like a nature documentary Mister Tsukino Does His Taxes and the Household Budget (Sailor Moon fan comic by Shadowjack) Nancy Drew: Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake Not So Shoujo Love Story on Webtoon Pitch Mishaps for Untitled Senshi Game (it is a lovely day in Juuban, and you are a Horrible Minako.) Pitching hubby's favorite media at (readers/holligay/jill/momigay) Playing with dolls (because how could 3 women not have any dolls between them) Re-Take By Studio Kimigabuchi (All Ages Version) Real or Fake Anime (people submit descriptions of anime you guess if it is an anime that actually exists or not) Reviewing succulents Scavenger hunt! Not entirely sure how it would work, maybe folks could send in asks for you to show things like your favorite Rei Hino object, or the thing that's been with you the longest, etc. sewing/knitting/baking tutorial Share or rant about a Roman history topic Sleepless Domain on Hiveworks Talking to Docholligay 2: Doc Harder (basically you talking to Doc's future womb evictee while still in there and telling them stuff like say the greatness of Rei Hino) The Monster Duchess and Contract Princess (manhwa) The Polar Bear Plunge--I take Jetty to our finest Lake Elmo in January, and she jumps in! Note: THIS IS NOT DANGEROUS, WORRYWARTS. I'll bring a life preserver, I've done it before, and I would do it with her if I weren't pregnant. The Senshi Helpline--The Senshi, taking your advice questions, here and now! The World of Moral Reversal Virtual knitting/crafting circle! Let us craft and chat with you! What-If #24 Gwen Stacy Lived Worm the web serial Write an explanation for a drawing we send you! Yuri Hell's Kitchen

[palettepainter]

Who are your favorites of each of your next gens and why

So I took some time to think about this since I wasn’t really sure which NG’s where my favourite to certain fandoms, but I think I’ve decided! I don’t have exactly one favourite, so I picked a few NG’s from each fandom that I’m in that I’m proud of!

Hazbin Hotel: - Iridescence: I’m really proud at how far Iridescence’s design and personality have come since her first design! She started off as (basically) a smaller version of Angel and was more spunky then flirty, now I feel as if she’s more of her own character rather then a clone of Angel! And I’m really happy people like Iri!

- Crash and Dash: I haven’t done much with these two next gens, but they’re designs and their dynamic is one of my favourites to play around with! I’ve always loved the typical duo friendship between two characters so these two are some of my favourites to!

-Velvet and Francis: Velvet was the first NG design I EVER came up with when I first entered the Hazbin Hotel and Zoophobia fandom, like with Iri her design has come a long way and I’m really proud of her current design. Francis I mad much later, and I’m not really sure where the idea for him came from, but his story is another one I’m proud of and I hope I can explore it more in the future someday (only draw back with these two that made me half tempted not to put them on the list is how often they’re stolen on the amino)

Zoophobia:

-Zillia, Brook and Yoyo: These guys are obviously the main trio of my Zoophobia NG’s, I really enjoy drawing them and I like how their colour palettes fit well together when they’re all drawn in the same piece. I know I keep saying this but I’m really happy with how far these guys have come since their first designs - I defiantly prefer their newer designs!

-Edge and Blaire: I’ve always been a big fan of Damian from Zoophobia, never really knew why - his design compared to other characters is pretty simple, but I think it was the fact he was the son to the devil that made me so interested with him, since I don’t remember seeing a character like that in a story before reading Zoophobia! Edge was one of the first NG’s for Zoophobia I designed and since he’s a NG to Damian he’s naturally one of my favourite NG’s! As for Blaire I’m proud with how far her story has come, she didn’t really have any story to her character beyond just being that snarky best friend character to Edge. I feel like her character is more interesting now!

My Hero Academia:

-TJ, Kattei and Rekkei: TJ and Kattei where the first NG’s I made to MHA, plus they’re NG’s to my favourite pro hero Fatgum, I love them! I still want to try and develop TJ a bit more, I have some ideas for Kattei’s story but they don’t come into play until her character is much older, like when she’s TJ’s age. I just feel as though TJ doesn’t have much to hi character, and I want him to be more interesting! Rekkei has also become one of my fav NG’s to MHA! His story is super fun to play with and RPing scenarios with Rekkei and FG with @hazbinextgeneration is always super fun! It was actually our RP’s that gave me the idea to even design Rekkei in the first place!

-Hoseki and Runa: I enjoy their friendship dynamic, I have yet to properly show off their friendship in illustrations but these two are very close friends, and honestly I can see a lot of me in Hoseki sometimes. I won’t spoil too much of their friendship dynamic but lets just say that Hoseki is the more responsible one of the two, and I sometimes felt like that with past friends (to clarify no that doesn't mean me and my friends did anything stupid, I just worry WAY too much and feel as though I have to be the voice of reason in some situations)

-Shosha: This one is more of a design thing, I really didn’t like Shosha’s first design all that much anyway, I just felt as if his hair was too bright and contrasted badly with his darker skin tone, it just looked really odd to me. I’m WAAAY more happy with his new design and I feel as though his new design fits well with how he’s seen as the pretty boy of the school!

[asmodaisjewelbox]

Could you please come here Hoseki-chan...

Finally, a few minutes alone with you I've almost forgotten how comfortable your lap is. I'm sorry for being so busy I've gotten a few job offers inviting me to the human realm. Then some photo shootings and interviews. I-... Huh?

What about the celestial realm?

Oh, silly. You know I can't just walk up to the gate. I believe you've forgotten that I'm a fallen angel. Don't worry I'll obviously smuggle you with me, after all, I can't be separated from you as long as I have to be there.

Now come, I have a small surprise for you in my room.

[smokeybrand]

The Tragedy of Ex-Arm

I absolutely adore Cyberpunk. It’s probably my favorite sub-genre of entertainment. Doesn’t matter what kind of entertainment it is, film, television, comic, animation, whatever, if it’s got trans humanism and a dystopia, odds are I'm into it. Some of my favorite things are all thing GunnM or Battle Angel Alita as it’s known out here in the West, Akira, both Blade Runners, and anything Ghost in the Shell. Well, almost anything. That last thing kind of tied into this essay so, you know, bear with me. I stumbled across something that vibes perfectly with my neon new wave aesthetic while perusing new manga to follow and i immediately bought into the concept. It’s called Ex-Arm and the sh*t is fantastic.

Ex-Arm is a manga written by HiRock and illustrated by Komi Shinya. It follows the young Natsume Akira, who was killed in 2014, only to be integrated into a cybernetic box called and Ex-Arm and used by a specialized police force to fight against cyber crime. He’s partnered with a rather passionate policewoman, Uenozono Minami, and her cyborg partner, Alma. Together, they fight against terrorist in a brand new world where the line between metal and flesh has been blurred into one. It starts kind of low, admittedly, but the narrative picks up almost immediately, Once you’re into probably chapter three, maybe our, you’re hooked. The narrative is excellent, if a little simplistic, but that worked as a framing device for the beautiful art. HiRock does a great job creating scenarios where Komi can really flex his creative ye for action. This thing is, by no means, an Akira or GitS, but it’s absolutely fantastic for cats just trying to get into the genre. You get a kind of crash course into what cyberpunk is and I'm all for growing the fandom. I really enjoy Ex-Arm so when i heard there was an anime adaption, i was hype. And then i heard it was licensed by Crunchyroll and immediately lost all fervor for what was about to happen. And then i saw the trailer. Bruh.

Crunchyroll is a problem for me. When i was younger, and the platform was just starting out, they basically only  licensed anime and subbed it for a nominal fee. They were, effectively, a fansub group gone legit. I was okay with that. I preferred that. Getting y content fresh from Nippon but supporting the many studios making it felt like the right thing to do. When they released their streaming service, they became too rich, too fast. That money went to their head and they began to flex their clout in the industry. Crunchyroll was the first to release a streaming app and they had the most content. Funimation was second but they could only present the sh*t they already licensed but Crunchyroll could show that same sh*t, just in it’s original Japanese format. They are the Goliath in this industry and they began to flex that girth, altering subs to fit their politics, dropping hows they felt were too problematic, and wasting subscription fees on lavish work space and sh*tty original content like High Guardian Spice. This is who got a hold of the rights to not only license Ex-Arm, but f*cking animate it. They opted not to use traditional hand drawn animation in favor of that weird ass, digital sh*t, you See with the new Berserk or that last Git show on Netflix. See, i told you we’d get there. These shows are disgusting to look at and literally lose all forms of kineticism in the movement of the weird CG dolls. It’s like watching a kid smash their Barbies together instead of actual animation. This is the environment i which Ex-Arm was cast. And it’ the worst one so far.

Ex-Arm is a fantastic read with brilliant art and the sh*t Crunchyroll did to it with their disrespectfully terrible adaption should be a whole ass crime. This thing is a f*cking train wreck You can’t even say it was lost in translation or that there were budget or whatever else because you’re Crunchyroll. You sit on the boards of legitimate anime houses as US consultants. Why not partner with them to produce a product that isn’t objective dogsh*t? How do you not learn the lessons of Netflix and their CG animated missteps? Those cats have come a long ass way from Sindonia no Kishi and Aijin. We’ve seen them flex those digital muscles with The Dragon Prince, Dorohedoro, and Dragon’s Dogma. Sure, their GitS 2045 is a little bit of a misstep but i imagine they’ll recover. Netflix is great t that. Hell, the Blu Ray versions of Berserk are infinitely better. Sh*t, man, The Magnificent Kotobuki, GEMBA’s second show after Berserk, is a marked improvement over whatever Berserk was and it was only three years between those release. F*ck, man, Hoseki no Kuni, Beastars, and Promare exist! There are ways to make this sh*t work so why the f*ck is Ex-Arm so goddamn terrible?

This sh*t is a tragedy, for real. Ex-Arm has all of the hallmarks to be a hit stateside. Indeed, if you read the material, I'm sure you’d end up loving the content. It’s really a great example of cyberpunk media and seeing it butchered so egregiously onscreen is mad disheartening. I love cyberpunk. I love Ex-Arm. I can’t help but wonder what a proper studio, someone who knows how to actually create adaptions for this type of content, could have dome with the license. Madhouse, Brain’s Base, Pierrot, Bones, IG, or UFOtable, could have done something miraculous with this sh*t. UFOtable, specifically. The sh*t they’ve done with the Fate series, used t illustrate massive, concrete and steel, neon drenched, cities filled with epic battles fueled by cybernetic enhances action? Are you kidding me? Instead, I'm stuck with a sub-par adaption that robs the core content of everything that makes it great. It’s goddamn tragedy and i absolutely hate it. Ex-Arm is a fantastic manga that you should totally read. Don't watch that sh*tty show, though. Let it be know that lazy, unfinished, cashgrab, content I unacceptable. Ex-Am deserves better than that.

[kaoru-takaida]

In The Way He Smiles... Pt. 3

Sachi attempts to grab Alphinaud. But she's deflected by Hope jumping in the way. She yanks Hope back by her hood, Kaoru grabs onto Hope's arm. Sachi grabs onto Hope by clamping onto each of her arms. "Let her go!!" Kaoru snaps. She hadn't realized how far up they both were till her feet began to dangle and Kaoru hugs Hope to hang on. They're both 10 fulms off the ground.

"Why must you make thissss difficult?" Sachi asks. Kaoru tightens her hold on Hope when she hears Alphinaud yelp from behind her. She looks over her shoulder to find that the huge serpent tail has wrapped itself around Alphinaud, pinning him where he stood.

"Alphinaud!" Both Hope and Kaoru say in unison. Hope tries to pull her arm from the Yokai's grip. But to no avail. "Let go of me!" She shrills. Kaoru feels her mind firing off a million thoughts at once as her heart starts to beat rapidly. Sachi lifts Alphinaud off the ground and pulls him close.

"Thissss one will be saved for lassst. His blood is so pure and of high quality. I can ssssmell it running through his veins." Sachi says. She looks at Kaoru. "As for you, you shall be firsssst. That wound is making my mouth water..." As Sachi attempts to pull Alphinaud away, Kaoru quickly snaps onto his hood, holding onto it and preventing her from taking Alphinaud any further. She holds onto Hope's shoulder and Alphinaud's hood, no sign of letting up. "What's this?"

Kaoru turns to give the Nure-onna a look that scares both Alphinaud and Hope. It's a scary glare that only an avenging angel would wear. "Let... Them... Go..." She hisses. "NOW!"

Sachi keeps her big black eyes on Kaoru. "What are they both worth to you? Would you die to sssave them?" Kaoru scoffs before readjusting her grip on Alphinaud's hood.

"I would KILL if it meant they were safe from you, you throbbing quim..." Kaoru forces through clenched teeth.

Sachi pulls Alphinaud closer, her tail rising. "Then you won't mind if I do thissss?" She lets go of one of Hope's arms and grabs Alphinaud by the base of his braid. She forces his head up and licks his neck, her long split tongue making him cringe in disgust.

"Stop it!" He shouts.

Kaoru scowls even more. "Or how about thissss?" And with that, she opens her wide mouth, and bites right onto Alphinaud's neck. His eyes grow wide with pain. But he doesn't say anything. Just looks utterly horrified as she begins to suck his blood.

Kaoru's eyes grow wide as well, and her body becomes numb. But it lasts for only that instance. That moment between seconds. And the one thing she wants to see now, is his smile... She looks to Hope. "Pull it out..." Kaoru tells Hope, looking down at the arrow.

Hope realizes what Kaoru is saying. "What?!" She shakes her head. "You won't be able to stand the pain!"

Kaoru shakes her head. "Pull the arrow out now, Hope!!" Kaoru shouts. As soon as she does, Hope uses her free hand to grab onto the arrow. She waits a second before quickly yanking it from Kaoru's waist. "AH!" Kaoru screams in pain. She could actually feel the fletching drag through her waist as Hope pulls. Without hesitation, Hope swings her hand over her shoulder, ilms from her head and into the Yokai's left shoulder.

"Aaaaaaaagh!" Sachi howls in pain, taking her fangs out of Alphinaud's neck and releasing Hope. She drops Hope, who grabs onto the base of the Nure-onna's tail to break her fall. Kaoru grabs onto Alphinaud from around his shoulders. She pulls out her rapier, and slices through the tail, missing Alphinaud by ilms as well. Sachi releases another scream of pain and shudders, tossing Alphinaud and Kaoru into the air. Kaoru pulls Alphinaud to her tightly, and they both fall to the ground with a dry thud. Kaoru cushions the landing for Alphinaud, the wind getting knocked from her instantly. "You little wench!" Alphinaud stands up. But Kaoru stays down, unconscious.

Alphinaud quickly removes his grimoure, and powers his aether. Sachi lunges at Kaoru. But is quickly countered as a magical barrier comes up. Hope throws a cure spell to Kaoru. "Hope!" Alphinaud says. "Try to heal and protect her till she can get to her feet." His Obsidian Carbuncle shimmers into view, landing next to him. "I'll try to hold her off." Hope nods and Alphinaud steps away from them, watching as his Carbuncle and Sachi exchange blows to one another. Hope powers up her Aether.

"Kaoru!" Hope tells her, starting to heal Kaoru with a her pulsating light. "Come on. Open your eyes." Hope calls. Kaoru's eyes open and she looks up at Hope. Hope looks relieved. "Good. Hang in there. We'll need your help. I'm healing you."

Kaoru sits up onto her elbows. "Thank you." Hope nods. Kaoru watchs as Alphinaud dodges an attack from Sachi's tail. Kaoru instinctively attempts to stand up. But Hope keeps her on the ground, holding her down by pushing on her shoulder.

"Stay down!" Hope snaps. "You're not fully healed yet."

Kaoru looks at Hope. "Just patch me up. We need to help Alphinaud!" She attempts to stand again. Hope kicks her leg out, trip Kaoru back onto her bottom.

"Stay down!!" Hope repeats. "You don't think I know that?! Think clearly!" Kaoru stops herself. "If you rush in like this only partially healed, you'll reopen the wound. Let me seal it." Kaoru closes her eyes tightly, trying not to look over at Alphinaud.

They can both see he's struggling. Dodging swift attacks, healing his Carbuncle, and casting his Ruin spell continuously. He's putting up a fight... Sachi pulls away. "Why won't you just die?! Sssstobborn boy!"

Alphinaud scowls. "You've killed so many. You need to be stopped!" Sachi smiles at Alphinaud.

"Won't you let me have sssssssome more of that amazing blood of yoursssss?" Sachi asks. Alphinaud grimaces at the thought. Hope finishes healing Kaoru. Kaoru stands. Sachi looks at her. "You... You want the Un-no-hoseki. Isn't that right?"

Alphinaud steps back to join Kaoru and Hope. "THAT'S why you're here?!" Alphinaud asks. Kaoru doesn't say anything. That was answer enough for him. He scowls, scoffing. "Confound it all..."

"I am Keeper of this cave now! Anything in thissss cave is mine!" She says. Kaoru steps forward, alarming Alphinaud and Hope. It's a calm walk, focused. "Aren't you a bit confident..." Kaoru scowls to Sachi, before looking down at the ground, her hair shadowing her face. She removes her rapier and Crystal Medium. "Maybe I should go after that Elezen boy again, just to get a risssssse from you." Sachi lunges forward. It happens in two seconds. As soon as she jerks forward, Kaoru steps in front of her, running the serpent woman through with her rapier. The force of the impact forced Kaoru to take a few steps back. Hope and Alphinaud gasp in surprise. Sachi grabs onto Kaoru's face before snapping her circlet off of her head. Kaoru keeps the rapier in place. "Why..." Sachi asks. "Why go ssssssso far..." Sachi falls to Kaoru's feet, lifeless and with a thud.

Kaoru pulls away with her rapier. She looks over at Hope and Alphinaud. Alphinaud is holding his neck where the bite is, trying to stop the bleeding, blood running down his neck and all over his glove. Kaoru turns again and walking to a light blue stone, displayed on a small metal stand. She takes it into her hand and holds it close to her heart. She then falls to her knees into the pile of gold coins, and cries.

To be continued in Part 4. Hey all! Merry Christmas Eve! Thanks to @louderthanthedj for letting me use Hope in these segments.

[opmb]

MUTYA NG PILIPINAS 50TH EDITION By Noli A. Berioso Photos by Edmund Chua One of the most prestigious national beauty pageant in the country, Mutya Ng Pilipinas is celebrating it’s golden year. For their 50th edition, Mutya will pays tribute to queen makers and spectacles how they put their hearts and souls into molding these beauty queens. Mutya queens also get real on social media as they dared their authentic beauty that’s beyond skin deep. Pre-pageant activities jumstarted the glittering golden celebration. “One Fine Day” with Best Buddies Philippines was an awe-inspiring Charity Event held at the DLSU- CSB. To further promote “Beauty Tourism”, Talent Competition will be staged at one of the posh resorts in Pansol, Calamba, Laguna – Sol Y Viento Mountain Hot Springs and Resort. The Swimsuit and Long Gown Competition is scheduled on September 10 (Monday) at 7pm, followed by Terno Competition on the following day September 11 (Tuesday), 7pm in Ascott Bonifacio Global City Manila. The grand coronation will be on September 16 at the Mall of Asia Arena. The show will start at 7 in the evening with a delayed same day telecast on “Sunday’s Best” (ABS-CBN). According to MPI President Hemilyn Escudero-Tamayo, there will be four major titles at stake for its golden edition. Crown bearers of these major titles will be sent in the international beauty battle royal.

These most sought-after crowns which are created by Hoseki are:

Mutya ng Pilipinas – Miss Asia Pacific International 2018 which will hold in Manila from September 14 to October 4, 2018;

Mutya ng Pilipinas - Miss Tourism International 2018 who will compete in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; December 4 -23, 2018

Mutya ng Pilipinas - Miss Global Beauty Queen 2018 will be held in Seoul, Korea in May 2019

Mutya ng Pilipinas - Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International 2018. Which will happen in China from November 1 -18, 2018

Philippine bets were the front runners to these international competitions. Leren Mae Bautista was the Tourism Queen of the Year International 2015 while Jannie Loudette Alipo-on is the current title holder of Miss Tourism International 2017 respectively. “In the past, our Mutya ng Pilipinas beauty queens became the country’s ambassadors of tourism and culture. Now, we want a pageant that promotes the Filipino women, a stage for them to be empowered, identified, and given credence,” points MPI Chairman Fred Yuson. “Through the Mutya ng Pilipinas pageant, I believe the Filipino women can shine bright in the world by showcasing our beauty, our heritage, our history, and our future”, he adds.

For its very significant 50th edition, there will be 50 official contenders vying for the crown – 10 from Metro Manila, 17 from Luzon, 8 from Visayas and Mindanao and 15 from Filipino overseas communities. As RP’s prestigious pageantry is celebrating five decades of women empowerment, one can expect no less than a vibrant fusion of global allure, attitude and style from among the countless stunning beauty queen hopefuls and queen makers as well.

The 50 official candidates are: 1 Jade Skye Roberts Australia 2 Souarthizae Aynouzscia Violon Cagayan de Oro 3 Ebony Victoria Bangit Melbourne 4 Rein Hillary Carrascal Legazpi City 5 Richelle Valerie Pailden General Santos 6 Gezza Avila Candelaria, Quezon 7 Harmony Matson Florida 8 Arianne Deseree Viardo Bahrain 9 Mae Kimberly De Luna Caloocan City 10 Marina Mercedes Mendoza San Fernando, Pampanga 11 Odessa Dela Cuesta Davao City 12 Joana Marie Martinez Valenzuela City 13 Anie Uson Pangasinan 14 Princess Mariel Palo Agoncillo, Batangas 15 Mina Kim Makati City 16 Shanon Jumaylh Tampon Quezon City 17 Lady Russel Panaguiton Denmark 18 Marseilaise Perkins East Coast Canada 19 Sharifa Areef Mohammad Omar Akeel Sultan Kudarat 20 Jessica Duhay Arizona 21 Nina Ancheta Los Angeles CA 22 Jeserey Sanchez Northern California 23 Agatha Lei Romero Manila 24 Pauline Amelinckx Bohol 25 Bettina Reloj Dingemans Netherlands 26 Katrina Mae Sese Tarlac City 27 Allison Lorenzo Southern California 28 Allhia Charmaine Estores Cavite 29 Anna Clarice Patrimonio Cainta, Rizal 30 Kheshapornam Ramachandran Iloilo 31 Alexandra Abdon Pasig City 32 Hannah Bithiah Meriño Laguna 33 Lishairra James Portugal Binangonan, Rizal 34 Geri Franchesca Camargo Meycauayan, Bulacan 35 Teemee Miguel San Ildefonso, Bulacan 36 Hulda Margaret Sigurdardottir Iceland 37 Alexandra Michaela Bobadilla Paranaque City 38 Eunice Abegail Banagudos Negros Oriental 39 Honey Grace Cartasano Antipolo City 40 Patricia Kimberly Robles Sto. Tomas, Batangas 41 Julie Ann Gil Lucena City 42 Kristine Micah Malicsi Navotas City 43 Anne Nathalie Ruth Longakit West Coast Canada 44 Nikka Marie Cristina Castro Marilao, Bulacan 45 Erginia Vera Bautista Cabanatuan City 46 Julieane Fernandez Taguig City 47 Maria Fe Loayon Cebu 48 Mary Justine Teng Muntinlupa City 49 Mayuko Hanawa Japan 50 Sabrina Binder Germany

Watch out for more exciting updates. Check out the official FB page and website of Mutya ng Pilipinas, Inc. #MutyaNgPilipinas2018 #MutyaGold#MNP50th

[kujo1597]

Recovery

It is a long and difficult road for Peridot. Her stay at the hospital was over but there was still so much else to do.

Thankfully she had her dad there to help.

You can also read this on Archive of Our Own

Chapter 2

The day finally came for Peridot to be released from the hospital.

Unfortunately Peridot was still waiting on her new foot and her bad knee made crutches undesirable so instead she sat in a wheelchair that Angel was pushing through the lobby of a hotel.

“After we get you settled in the room we can pick up your belongings.”

Peridot was quiet.

Angel made sure she hadn’t dozed off; she was still not getting much sleep.

She ended up being wide-awake. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know if I can go there,” Peridot said quietly.

“I know it’ll be hard but sometimes the best things are difficult,” Angel looked at her kindly. “But if it does end up being too hard on you I’ll take you back to the hotel.”

“Okay,” Peridot nodded hesitantly.

“But first,” Angel spoke in a cheery tone, “I need to show you where we’ll be living for the next couple weeks.”

Angel wheeled Peridot to the elevator and up they went to their room.

It was a fairly basic two-bed room. The washroom had a tub in it, the main area had a couple chairs, and there was a small ledge going around one of the outer walls.

“There’s no kitchenette so we’ll be eating out a lot,” Angel said. “I’ve already found a couple nice places.”

“I know some restaurants too,” Peridot said as she looked around the room. “Which bed is mine?”

“Either one. Closer to the door might be better until you get your prosthesis.”

Angel watched Peridot do more inspecting before speaking again, “So, are you ready to pick up your belongings and start filing your claims?”

“No,” Peridot’s reply was quiet.

“‘No’ because you’re not ready, or ‘no’ because you don’t want to?” Angel’s seen Peridot do this a lot.

“Both.”

“You have to do this.”

Peridot sighed. “I know.”

“So, are you ready?”

“As ready I will be.”

“Good,” Angel smiled.

Devastation.

That was the first word that came to Angel’s mind when he saw the apartment building.

Judging by Peridot’s face this was her first time seeing it too.

“Stars,” was all she could say.

They met up with the fire official to begin the process. The official went over the steps with them before they started.

It was hard, to say the least. Peridot was barely able to breathe the whole time.

Angel made sure to check up on her as they took the photos together.

He didn’t expect it to be quite this bad. Peridot had told him that the fire fighters had a hard time getting to her room and now he could understand why.

Thankfully Peridot kept a fair number of her belongings in glass cases she found on clearance and those survived mostly unscathed.

But the majority of her stuff did not.

And most of her clothes didn’t; some were worse for wear but could be brought home.

Well, not “home” per say.

At some point Peridot had broken down.

Angel kneeled in-front of her. “Would you like to go back to the car? I can finish on my own.”

Peridot shook her head. “No, just give me a moment.”

She got the moment she needed and then they finished their task.

Outside of the building next to the car they shook hands with the insurance official and then he left.

“Peridot?” They heard the voice of an old woman before getting in.

She gasped when Peridot turned around to face her. “My Goodness!”

“Yeah, it’s kind of bad,” Peridot said with a shrug. “Oh, and hi Denise.”

“Does it hurt?” the old woman, Denise, asked, her voice full of concern.

“Not as much as it did, now it’s more itchy than anything.”

Denise noticed the small pile of clothes on Peridot’s lap. “Are those all the clothes you have left? I have some old clothes I can give you.”

Peridot smiled. “Yes, that’s all I have left. Sure, I’ll take your old clothes if you don’t want them.”

“Sit tight,” Denise said and then she was off.

But not for long. She returned with a couple fluffy sweaters, t-shirts, and a blouse.

“Thank you, I appreciate it,” Peridot meant it; it wasn’t just politeness.

“You’re so tiny dear, so it’s all too big,” Denise said with a small frown.

“You know I like baggy clothes,” Peridot reassured Denise.

“Can I hug you?”

“Yeah, just try not to squeeze; I’m a bit tender.”

Denise and Peridot quickly hugged. Then Peridot remembered her dad awkwardly standing next to the car. She called him over.

“This is my dad, Angel.”

“Nice to meet you,” Angel offered his hand.

“Nice to meet you too,” Denise shook his hand. “Peridot’s told me all about you.”

“Did she now? She’s told me about a nice neighbour of hers. That must be you.”

Peridot confirmed it.

The three of them talked for a bit before Denise gave Peridot a hug goodbye. 

Peridot and Angel got into the car.

“Would you like to get a bite to eat?” Angel asked.

“Yeah, there’s a restaurant I really like,” Peridot gave him the address.

After eating they got back to their hotel room.

“Has anybody gotten back to you?” Angel asked, a few days prior Peridot had sent e-mails to former classmates.

“No,” Peridot replied with a sigh. “Not that I blame them. I was a huge jerk.”

Angel frowned. “I doubt that, they’re probably just trying to decide if they have room. I don’t believe you ever were a ‘huge jerk.’”

“No, I was, you’ve never seen me at my worst. I’ve said some bad things.”

“Everybody’s said bad things,” Angel knelt in-front of Peridot and held her hands. “The important thing is to apologize and take responsibility.”

“But I never did that,” Peridot protested. “I want to, now, anyway. But now it’s too late!”

“It’s never too late as long as you’re sincere,” Angel smiled. “And to me, it sounds like you truly regret your actions.”

“I suppose I could try,” Peridot slumped in her wheelchair. “Problem is, I don’t know how to convey it, especially not in text.”

“You could always talk to them on the phone.”

“Yeah, I guess I could try,” Peridot gave it some more thought. “But maybe tomorrow. I’m feeling a bit drained.”

“Take your time,” Angel hugged Peridot.

[kujo1597]

Actually, That Was a Good Thing

Four years.

Four years since the last visit.

Four years since the fire.

Four years since college.

A lot happened in four years.

It’s about time Angel got to really catch up.

You can also read this on Archive of Our Own.

Chapter 14

Peridot practically skipped her way through the airport.

An impressive feat for one without two feet.

Her dad finally got enough time off work to pay a visit. The last visit was right after the fire so Peridot wasn’t in a good place.

But now she was!

She eagerly looked for her dad and when she finally saw him her whole face lit up as she waved at an average height Asian man wearing a large sweater-vest and glasses with short receding black hair. He grinned large and lopsidedly and waved back.

Peridot and Angel briskly walked up to each other and hugged very tightly.

“I’m so so glad to see you,” Angel didn’t want to let go; the last time they went this long without seeing each other Peridot nearly died.

“It’s really great to see you too,” Peridot didn’t want to let go either.

But they had to eventually, they were in the way.

“Stars,” Angel took Peridot in. “You look so good. And I see you’re still rocking the mohawk.”

Peridot giggled. “Yep, I stopped for a little bit in college but I actually ended up missing it.”

“And you got a new piercing, that’s cool.”

“Thanks. So, we should pick up your stuff then load up the car.”

“Alright,” Angel firmly patted Peridot’s upper right arm.

She flinched slightly. “Ouch.”

As if a switch got flipped Angel went into ‘protective dad mode.’ “What happened?”

This actually took Peridot by surprise. “Nothing. I just recently got a tattoo so I’m a bit tender there.”

Angel’s expression immediately lightened. “A tattoo, huh? What is it of?”

“Um, well...” Peridot lightly blushed, “some UFOs. The one piloted by Mars People in Metal Slug, a generic retro UFO, and Cosmos, the Transformer in vehicle mode.”

Angel chuckled warmly. “I should have known. You’re always loved space and UFOs.”

They talked some more while picking up Angel’s luggage. Catching up, and enjoying there not being a crisis going on and their conversation continued as Peridot drove Angel to her home.

Feeling some staring Peridot glanced at Angel. “What?”

“Oh, sorry, I can’t stop looking at you,” Angel said. “I just can’t get over how well you look. You’ve healed so nicely and I like how you’re doing your hair now.”

“You’re just saying that because I was bald the last time you saw me,” Peridot had intended that to be humourous, but her red cheeks betrayed her.

“No,” Angel said with a chuckle. “I just think it looks nice, it suits you.”

There was a bit of an awkward silence before Angel spoke up again.

“I’m excited to meet Amethyst and Lapis.”

“And I’m excited for you to finally meet them,” Peridot grinned brightly. “Lapis has been doing very well lately so now’s a great time. And Amethyst has been so wonderful. Well, the only time she hasn’t been was after our fight.”

“Has it actually only been the one?” Angel was skeptical.

“Well, we have tiffles here and there, but every couple does; especially after dating for as long as we have.” 

“But it’s mostly just small stuff, right?” Once again, Angel got protective.

“Yeah, just small stuff,” Peridot looked her dad in the eyes. “Don’t worry so much. I know what to look out for.”

“It’s not that simple, Peridot.”

“I know. I have a good network of support too so if, and this is a big if, Amethyst does end up being like that I should be able to get out of it.”

“I’m so sorry,” Angel sighed. “Ever since Jaune I worry constantly. I know I should trust your judgement.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s understandable. And I’m sure that after you meet Amethyst you’ll stop worrying.”

Angel thought, “Jaune didn’t set off any warning bells with me.” He instead said, “Yeah, I’m sure that’ll put my mind to rest.”

Another silence.

“Is Lapis still dumping all of her problems on you?” Angel spoke firmly. “You said she’s doing well but I still worry.”

“Nah, seeing a psychiatrist helped cut down on that. And I’m being more firm and not dropping everything to be there for her.” Peridot laughed. “It’s actually kind of hard for me sometimes. But it’s better for the both of us.”

Angel nodded approvingly.

He was proud of his daughter for managing to build healthier relationships.

Maybe one day he could too...

Peridot pulled into the driveway and smiled when she saw Max looking out the window. She made sure to point him out to her dad.

“Isn’t he adorable?” Peridot cooed.

“Yes, he is,” Angel said, amused.

The door opened and Lapis came out. Angel took a look at her. Her blue hair, myriad of piercings (the most recent being snake bite piercings), and her water witch half-sleeve tattoo.

As okay as he is with Peridot’s body mods Angel can’t help feeling a bit iffy about people with a ton of piercings.

He offered his hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Angel.”

“Lapis,” she shook his hand. “But you already knew that.” She noticed Peridot pulling luggage out of the trunk. “Peridot! Wait a sec so I can help you.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” Peridot called from the car.

Lapis quickly walked up to Peridot with Angel following.

“Seriously, you know you’re supposed to ask for help,” Lapis scolded Peridot.

“Not all the time,” Peridot’s annoyance was clear. “We also need to work on our codependency issues.”

“Codependency issues...” Lapis rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that’s a problem. But so’s your being a control freak.”

Angel unloaded some of his luggage as Lapis and Peridot argued.

“Oh dad,” Peridot turned her attention away from Lapis. “Sorry, we’re trying to talk more and I got wrapped up in it.”

It didn’t quite sound like a conversation to Angel but Peridot and Lapis seem fine so he left it alone.

“It’ll be easier if the three of us brought my luggage in,” Angel said; he saw Peridot about to protest. “Guests can help out too dear.”

Lapis snickered. “Dear?” Peridot looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “It’s just funny. You look like a punk and your dad still calls you ‘dear.’”

“Ha,” Peridot barked a laugh. “Look who’s talking.”

They continued their usual light-hearted back-and-forth as they carried Angel’s luggage into the house.

After he got settled in Peridot office-slash-guest room Angel joined Lapis and Peridot in the living room.

Max ran up to him wagging his tail like crazy.

“Stars, what an excited pup,” Angel had a huge goofy grin on his face as he tried to pet the wiggly little furball. “Yes, hello. I know, I’m new.”

The parent and child both giggled. Lapis looked between the two a bit puzzled by the lack of a resemblance.

After the excitement was over Peridot left to make tea. Angel turned to Lapis.

“Thank you for giving Peridot a home.”

“Whatever, I needed a roommate,” Lapis brushed it off.

But Angel didn’t buy it. “Even so, I am grateful.”

“She’s a good person,” in a rare moment of sincerity Lapis added, “I appreciate her. She’s really helped me out.”

“And I think in some weird way you’ve helped her too.”

“It’s literally the least I could do.”

In that moment they felt a sense of comradery.

Angel didn’t really get how, but he knew their odd bickering was actually a good thing.

The next evening Peridot was fixing her hair in the mirror. Her, Angel, and Amethyst were going to have a nice dinner together.

“Want help?” Lapis offered.

“Yes, please.”

“I don’t get why you fuss over your hair when you’re just going out with your dad and Amethyst,” Lapis half-heartedly complained while playing around with Peridot’s hair.

“I just like to look nice when I eat out and have no idea what to do with it,” Peridot replied. “I actually don’t know whether or not to leave my industrial in either.”

“Well,” Lapis started working a comb through Peridot’s locks, “I always leave all my piercings in. But I also don’t give a shit.”

“True,” Peridot gave it some thought. “Yeah, I think I’ll leave it in. Give my outfit a bit of a casual touch.”

“Do you want your bald spot covered or exposed? I’m combing your hair to one side.”

“Exposed.”

“Alright,” Lapis put product into Peridot’s hair then started up the hairdryer. “I’m giving it some height too. Y’know to ‘balance out your long face.’”

Peridot hissed in pain. “Watch the heat.”

“Oops,” Lapis repositioned the dryer. “Forgot about that.”

After a few minutes of working on Peridot’s hair, combing it over, adding volume, curling the bottom forward a bit, and fluffing the back out, Lapis was done.

“This looks really nice,” Peridot inspected her new ‘do. “Thank you.”

“No prob,” Lapis ran her fingers over the large burn on Peridot’s head. “Have I ever told you it’s awesome how you don’t cover this thing up? Most people would.”

“I’ve actually grown to like it,” Peridot fixed a couple out of place hairs. “It’s hard to imagine myself without it.”

“Yeah, even after seeing old photos of you I just can’t imagine you looking any other way.”

Peridot looked in the mirror some more. “I’m debating wearing those star plugs Amethyst got me.”

Angel happened to be walking by. “I know it’d make me happy to see my girlfriend wearing the earrings I got her.” He smiled warmly. “You’re looking very handsome by the way.”

“Thanks,” Peridot played with the untucked part of her light green dress shirt. “You look nice too.”

Angel was just wearing a simple powder-blue dress shirt, dark green tie, and black dress pants. “Thank you.”

“You’re right too, I should wear the jewelry Amethyst got me,” Peridot fixed her black waistcoat and rolled her sleeves up then put her plugs in. “I don’t wear these often enough.”

“They look nice. So, you ready to head out?”

“Yep,” Peridot replied with a smile. She turned to Lapis. “Don’t forget to eat, and don’t forget to feed Max.”

“Okay, I got it,” Lapis said as she walked Peridot to the door. “Don’t worry so much; you leave us alone all the time.”

“I know but-”

It was at this point Lapis pushed Peridot out of the door. “Just have fun. And yes, I will call if anything happens.” She shoved Peridot’s cane into her hands.

“Alright, bye Lapis,” Peridot waved. “And bye Max, love you, bye.”

“Bye mo~m,” Lapis dragged out the ‘mom’ then closed the door.

This made Peridot splutter.

“Honestly,” she huffed.

Angel couldn’t hide his amusement.

Peridot took the wheel and off they went.

As they were walking towards the restaurant Peridot spotted the unmistakable sight of Amethyst in her usual nice purple sweater and slacks. She quickly ran up to catch her.

“Hey Peri,” Amethyst said. “You’re looking handsome. Love your hair, and the bowtie’s a really nice touch.”

“Thank you. And you’re gorgeous as always.”

The two hugged then kissed.

Angel had seen this exchange and the tender kiss between Peridot and Amethyst helped put his mind to ease.

He finally caught up with them. “I’m glad to meet you, I’m Angel.”

“Amethyst,” she shook his hand. “So uh, I didn’t expect a Spanish name, that’s really cool.”

“Oh,” It’s been a while since Angel was last asked about his name, he softly laughed. “My mother’s from the Philippines and even back then Tagalog names were considered old fashioned.” His laughter turned hearty as he patted Peridot on the shoulder. “Peridot definitely got her progressiveness from her grandma.”

Peridot giggled. “Dad.”

And now Amethyst better understood what Peridot meant when she called her dad embarrassing.

“You guys ready to head in?” Amethyst asked.

They walked and talked together.

“So Amethyst, how’s work?” Angel asked, a pretty standard subject.

“Same old, same old. Waiting tables doesn’t really change and I haven’t even had any funny customers yet. Tourist season is when those start showing up.” Amethyst didn’t miss a beat. “How ‘bout you?”

“Busy as always,” Angel replied. “My team’s about to make a breakthrough so we’re working around the clock.” His chuckle lacked amusement. “Kind of ironic how unhealthy a bunch of people in a medical field are.”

“So, wha’d’ya do?” Amethyst asked, intrigued.

“Peridot’s never said?” There was mild surprise in Angel’s voice. “I help develop advanced prosthetics.” He blushed. “I’ve always wanted to use my love of technology to help people and Peridot, inspired me.”

 Amethyst couldn’t help glancing at Peridot whose prosthetic foot is as basic as they get.

As if she read Amethyst’s mind, Peridot responded. “My foot’s so simple because it’s cheap, and anyway, dad’s team is prioritizing arms and hands. It’s easier to live without a foot than it is to live without a hand.”

“Yeah,” Angel said with a sigh. “It’ll be a while before I can get something better for my daughter.”

“It’s okay,” Peridot reassured her dad. “I’m fine with what I have. It works. So focus on making better hands for those who need them.”

With a small feeling of guilt, Angel recovered. “You right. Sorry, for killing the mood.”

“Nah nah, don’t sweat it,” Amethyst smiled at Angel. “You’re doing good work. That was really cool to find out.”

Amethyst leaned on Peridot who giggled. “You know I’m not good at conversing.”

“You’re good at ‘conversing,’ just not great,” Amethyst stuck out her tongue.

As their exchange continued Angel signed in with the host.

It took a while for their waitress to lead them to their table.

“So where are you from, Amethyst?” Angel asked after everybody placed their drink orders.

“Kansas City,” Amethyst replied.

“Huh, moving to tiny little Beach City must’ve been quite the adjustment.”

“Um,” Amethyst looked away for a split second, “yeah. But hah, uh, I was happy to just have a roof over my head.” She cleared her throat. “Bein’ homeless for a couple years does that to ya.” Regret started to bubble up. “But hey, weren’t for that I wouldn’t have met Peri or made most of my friends or have Steven, so you know. It worked out.”

“Oh right, I think Peridot mentioned that. It’s how you met Pearl, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, her and Rose were going back to their hotel after watching a musical and I,” a quick glance down, “bumped into Pearl. She got all huffy. But Rose took one look at me and knew what was going on. She brought me back with them.”

The waitress took their food orders.

“Where was I?” Amethyst rapped her fingers on the table. “Right. Rose was gorgeous and had this air about her that made you wanna follow her.” Amethyst looked at Peridot. “You woulda loved her.”

“From what you’ve told me I’m sure.”

The couple smiled at each other.

“Excuse me,” Angel interrupted the moment. “I need to use the washroom.”

Peridot got up and Angel shuffled past her. After Peridot sat back down Amethyst spoke.

“Bullshit you look nothing like your dad.”

The sudden exclamation startled Peridot. “N...no, I don’t. His features are way rounder than mine, our eye colours are completely different, and he’s not even short.”

“That’s superficial shit, You two look so much alike! For one thing, you sure as hell didn’t get your cuteness from Jaune. Your dad’s adorable!” Peridot looked very puzzled by this statement. “Don’t judge me Per. You know I like dorks.” Amethyst raised her hand. “Anyway, not just that either. You two have the same smile.”

“We... do?”

“You didn’t notice?”

“No! Nobody’s told me that before either,” Peridot looked happy. “I never knew that.”

“Wow,” Amethyst didn’t really know what to say. After some thought she figured it out. “It’s really obvious. How’d nobody point it out before?”

Peridot wiped her eye.

“Hey, you alright?”

“It’s so silly, such a small thing moved me to tears.”

“Nah,” Amethyst held Peridot’s hands, “all your life you had no idea you looked like the parent you love. Just the awful one.”

Angel returned as Peridot was still tearing up and shot Amethyst a look that sent a shiver down her spine.

“Hey Angel, before you sit why don’t we have a private chat?” She had a feeling what that look was about. Her partner, his daughter, who was abused by her mother is in tears after he left.

“You two can’t leave,” Peridot protested. “Supper will get cold.”

“We won’t be long,” Amethyst put a reassuring hand on Peridot’s shoulder.

“Yeah, we’ll be back before you know it,” Angel echoed Amethyst.

“Hey,” Amethyst spoke softly as her and Angel stood outside the restaurant door. “I get why you’re so worried about Peri ending up with somebody like your ex-wife.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I ain’t good at serious-talk but I’m gonna try.” She made eye-contact with Angel, “I promise ya, I love Peri, I ain’t gonna lay a finger on her, I ain’t gonna hurt her in any way. What Jaune did to her was horrible, terrible, and god,” Amethyst couldn’t maintain her composure, “I wish I punched that cunt when I had the chance.”

Angel’s eyebrows rose then he started to chortle. “You’re right, you’re not good at ‘serious-talk.’ But you know, how inarticulate you were made that speech far more believable. I wouldn’t have bought it otherwise.”

He looked Amethyst in the eye. “It’s literally impossible to never hurt someone. I know that and you know that. Your sincerity when you said that came through. So I trust you with my daughter. I believe that you will take good care of her. There’s something between you two that me and Jaune never had.”

His expression turned serious. “And you’re wrong. I’m not worried that Peridot will end up with somebody like Jaune. I’m terrified. I didn’t see any of the warning signs. They’re not always obvious.”

“Out of curiosity, and you don’t gotta answer this if you don’t wanna,” Amethyst looked at her feet. “How did you end up with that piece of shit?”

“Hah,” Angel couldn’t hold in his bitterness. “It wasn’t an arranged marriage by any means, but my father ‘strongly suggested’ that I marry her. He owns a large company and Jaune had hers, even back then. He was hoping that his son marrying her would open some doors.”

“Peri mentioned Jaune moving to Calgary was a business decision.”

“Yeah, marrying me was it,” Angel pinched the bridge of his nose. “It was such a loveless relationship but I couldn’t say ‘no’ to my father.” He cleared his throat. “But Peridot was born because of it and I wouldn’t trade her for the world. My only regret is not divorcing Jaune before the damage was done.”

“There’s no point in regret,” Amethyst’s blunt statement took Angel by surprise. “It already happened and what happened because that happened did too. No telling how things turn out if stuff happened differently. It’s why I’ll never dick around with time travel.”

Angel started to chuckle and Amethyst joined him. “Yeah, you’re right. Regret does sound pretty pointless when you put it like that. But I can’t help feeling it.”

“Yeah, I get that. That’s like, how you’re wired. I just try not to sweat it, y’know.”

To fill the dead air Amethyst decided to bring up a new happier subject.

“I told Peri to keep it secret so you probably don’t know this. I wrestle pretty much every Saturday.”

“Really?” Angel’s eyes lit up. “Stars. I watched wrestling all the time as a child.”

“Ah! Seriously?!” Amethyst grinned. “Dude! Me too!”

“I watched some American pro wrestling when I first moved to Canada and that was fun. But if you can you should really check out Japanese pro wrestling. It’s very intense and physical with full contact. They even have medics at ringside.”

“Seriously? Man, but not as much theatrics though, right? See, I like heels and for me, the stories and stunts are the main draw.”

“We have theatrics too, but not as much and the stories are more focused around the strength of man.”

Their animated conversation about wrestling continued until they got back to the table. And sure enough, the food was there.

Peridot was annoyed but that dissipated when she saw how well her dad and girlfriend were getting along.

The rest of supper was very laid-back.

The next evening Amethyst came over to Lapis and Peridot’ for supper. As Angel helped with the dishes he heard Amethyst and Peridot talking in the next room.

“Man, I can’t get over that poncit palabok,” Amethyst sounded full and satisfied; making Angel feel proud. “You told me your dad taught you how to cook and now i really believe it.”

Peridot giggled and Angel heard the familiar sound of her resting her prosthetic foot against the side table. “Yeah, he’s a really good cook. I’m nowhere near as good at cooking Filipino food as he is.” A happy sigh. “It’s been so many years since I’ve had it.”

As Peridot and Amethyst talked Peridot’s voice got higher. Angel finished with the dishes and was just about to go into the living room when Lapis stopped him.

“Wait, when Peridot’s voice gets like that, her and Amethyst are about to get super mushy.”

“Uh, okay?”

Apparently Lapis knew Peridot very well, Peridot spoke again, sounding a touch bashful, “Um, heh, I have something to show you.”

“Oh really?” Amethyst seemed interested but also casual. “You just took your foot off and gotta be honest Peri; if I carried you right now you’d be covered in barf. I’m too full.”

Peridot found this statement amusing apparently. “Don’t worry, I can show you on the couch.” There was a shuffle then

“Yyyoooooooo!”

a very enthusiastic response from Amethyst.

“You got a tattoo! It’s so cool,” Amethyst got quiet for a moment then chuckled. “Is that Cosmos?”

“It is! I also have Mars People in my tattoo.”

Some more chuckling. “So much for ‘nerdy yet understated.’”

Then Peridot laughed. “Yeah, I did go all-out with the nerdiness. But it was worth it; I’m really happy with it.”

“You should be, it looks awesome! I’m so jealous!”

“I’m surprised I ended up getting a tattoo before you did.”

Amethyst groaned. “I’m having a hard time finding a place. You’re lucky you’re pale. If I want a colour tattoo then I need to see somebody who has experience working with darker skin. I found a couple people but they didn’t do the style I want.”

“Hm, well, I’m sure you’ll find someone.”

The couch creaked. “You’re right. Just gotta keep looking. You should tell me where you got your ink, maybe they can do mine. The style of yours is so freaking rad.”

“Alright, I have it written down. The address is in my office.”

Once again, Lapis stopped Angel.

“Not yet,” they heard Peridot shuffle and giggle. “That means they’re about to be super gay and embarrassing.” 

After a few minutes Lapis let Angel into the living room and the girlfriends were cuddled on the couch.

“Oh, dad,” Peridot’s cheeks were a bit red. She glanced at Amethyst.

“Don’t worry, keep cuddling; it’s not bothering me,” Angel waved his hand.

“So Angel,” Amethyst wasn’t shy in the slightest, “what time do you leave tomorrow?”

“Around six,” Angel replied.

“Gross,” Amethyst was obviously not thrilled. “I might not be seeing you off then.”

“Oh, you’re staying the night?” Angel briefly wondered if there was another guest room. Then he remembered that his daughter was an adult. And he had a flash of shyness. 

Of course, they’ll be sharing a bed.

“Is something the matter?” Peridot’s voice snapped him out of it.

“Nothing’s wrong. I just sometimes forget how old you are,” Angel laughed.

A blush made its way across Peridot’s whole face, she buried it in Amethyst’s hair. The luscious mane shook as Amethyst couldn’t hold in her chortles.

The rest of the night went well; Peridot eventually got over her embarrassment, Amethyst and Angel talked more about wrestling, and Lapis drew.

Peridot let out a breath as her and her dad stood in the airport.

“Well, this is it.”

She really didn’t want to say her goodbyes. Three days wasn’t a long enough visit.

“Yeah, this is it,” Angel felt the same way.

There was a long stretch of silence.

“It’s too bad you couldn’t meet the rest of my friends,” Peridot said awkwardly, her heart ached.

“Heh,” Angel smiled.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m just so glad to hear you say that,” he gently hugged Peridot. “You’ve never had a group of friends before. I’m proud of you.”

Peridot returned the hug a bit tighter. “Thank you.”

“Oh Peridot, we’ll see each other again. I promise.”

“I know, but I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too. I’ll try to visit more often.”

“I should try to come out there sometime.”

“And maybe bring Amethyst.”

Peridot broke the hug to look at Angel. “You’d like me to do that?”

“Well, yeah, I like Amethyst and she might want to see where you grew up. Imagine the stories you can tell her.”

Angel knew how Peridot ticked, she’s always loved telling stories.

Sure enough, Peridot’s eyes lit up. “You’re right. I’ve told her a few things but she doesn’t know the places.”

“Exactly.”

The boarding message played. Father and daughter both clicked their tongues.

One last hug and Angel was off.

“Bye, love you,” he waved as he headed towards the gate.

“Bye, love you too,” Peridot waved back, choked up.

But she knew she’d see her dad again.

And it’s not like they don’t talk every week.

[kujo1597]

I’ve been thinking for a while that I need to make the entries in my “Maybe That Wasn’t Such a Bad Thing” series easier to read on Tumblr. So I made a tag specifically for that.

Not Such a Bad Thing Universe

It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue but I’ve never been good at naming things.

For those wondering what the heck that series is all about:

A house fire left Peridot with hardly anything. She contacted people she went to university with trying to find a temporary place to stay. One of the people she contacted e-mailed Lapis telling her about the situation and now Peridot and Lapis live together. One night Lapis took Peridot to a club where she met up with a cool and gorgeous girl named Amethyst. She exchanged phone numbers and kept in touch. Then one day Peridot saw Amethyst at work and managed to ask her to hang out with her. The rest will unfold with time.

There’s also a short fanfic I’m working on called “Recovery” which is about Peridot’s dad helping her recover from the fire.

And guys, I would absolutely love fanart and if you do decide to draw some you can tag it as that and I will *hopefully, depending on Tumblr shenanigans* see it and reblog it. And squeal in happiness.

[kujo1597]

Actually, That Was a Good Thing

Jaune Diamont was a force in Peridot’s life. She was the main reason Peridot was so poorly adjusted and is still jumpy at times.

Those boreing silver eyes, the reason Peridot has considered wearing coloured contacts on multiple occasions.

Logically she wouldn’t be coming to Beach City, it’s been a whole month without hearing more about the situation.

But things didn’t sit right with Peridot.

Soon she would find out why.

You can also read this on Archive of our Own.

Chapter 10

“Is it weird that I’m still worried about my mother?” Peridot asked.

“No, like, dude, she broke some of your bones, it’d be weird if you weren’t worried,” Amethyst replied.

“But it’s been over a month with no word!”

“A month’s not that long.”

“I suppose...” Peridot didn’t look much better.

“Maybe you should take self-defense lessons from Pearl,” Amethyst suggested.

Peridot mulled it over. “I suppose that could come in handy.”

“Aw dude, she can teach you how to use a sword,” Amethyst was more than enthusiastic. “You could get one of those cool swords that double as a cane! Some jackass’ll try to pick you off then you can whip out your cane-sword!”

Peridot found Amethyst’s enthusiasm contagious, but there was an issue. “Aren’t concealed blades illegal?”

Amethyst scratched her cheek. “I dunno, maaaaayybe you should look into that. But dude, a cane-sword!”

Appreciation filled Peridot’s body, she leaned on Amethyst’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Amethyst sounded confused. “What for?”

“Being okay with my disabilities,” Peridot sounded sad.

“Ah Peri... of course I am. You’d have to be the worst of the worst to not be.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“And they don’t make you any less cute, sweet, nerdy, and just awesome overall.”

Peridot blushed. “You’re pretty awesome yourself. I’m so happy we’re dating.”

“Me too,” Amethyst was also a little red. “You’re the best partner I’ve ever had.”

“I love you.”

“Love you too.”

A couple days later Peridot came over to the beach house, she brought a duffel bag with a change of clothes in it.

“Hey Peri,” Amethyst smiled and waved. A glint on Peridot’s ear caught her eye. “Ah coool, you got that piercing.”

“Yep,” Peridot said with a small smile.

Amethyst inspected it. “Looks good.”

“Thanks,” Peridot laughed a bit. “It was surprisingly painful.”

Amethyst chuckled. “Yep,” she touched one of her earrings, “poking a hole through cartilage kinda sucks.” She leaned towards Peridot. “So, which hurt worse? Getting your tongue split or the piercing?”

“I have to think about that one. My tongue was split with a burning hot scalpel,” Amethyst’s eyes went wide when she heard that. “And I had to go twice since the first cut couldn’t go as far back as I wanted. But it wasn’t that painful. Still hurt of course, but the piercing was a sharper pain but didn’t take as long.” Peridot hummed in thought.

“Jesus Peri, I could never do that.”

“Hm? It’s not that bad. There’s also another method. You know how sometimes cheese is sliced with a wire? Think something like that. They take the wire and clamp your tongue then-”

“Nope,” Amethyst cut Peridot off. “No more about that. The burning scalpel thing doesn’t sound so bad suddenly.”

Peridot giggled. “You didn’t strike me as the squeamish type.”

“Yeah,” Amethyst rubbed the back of her neck.

“There’s nothing wrong with that. I must confess, I get a bit squeamish around broken bones.” Peridot went against her instinct to add, “that just happens when you see your own knee shards.”

“But that’s about it, huh.”

“Pretty much, yeah. Studying biology helped with that.”

“Alright you two.”

Pearl’s voice startled Peridot and Amethyst. The soldier-turned-dancer hasn’t lost her touch.

“If you’re done talking I have a lesson to teach.”

“Oh, okay,” that was quicker than Peridot expected. “I need to change first.”

“I’ll meet you in the back yard,” and with that, Pearl left.

Peridot quickly changed into a tanktop and shorts, the closest thing she had to athletic wear. Then she went into the backyard and saw Pearl standing there waiting near some rose bushes.

“Glad you could show up. Now, we’ll start with some stretches then run laps to warm up.”

“Oh, so you’re not just jumping into the lesson?” Peridot asked.

Pearl put her hands on her hips. “No, of course not, do you want cramps?”

“Alright, just let me change my foot.”

So Peridot did then Pearl led her through some stretches before running laps.

When they were finished Peridot doubled-over and started coughing hard.

“Hey, you okay?” Amethyst asked.

“Well, I’m not coughing up black gunk,” Peridot joked as she pulled out her inhaler.

Pearl raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t used to have asthma.”

“Smoke inhalation,” Peridot responded after a couple puffs. “It’s not uncommon.”

“Well,” Pearl ran over Peridot’s physical limitations in her head before continuing to speak, “at least you don’t need to run around when fending off an attacker. You’ll need to run away of course but other then that.”

“Remember, my main concern is well over a foot taller than me.”

“That’s not important in this case, no matter how tall a person is they have the same bone and muscle structure as any other.”

“Okay.”

“Are you ready for the lesson?”

“Yep,” Peridot put her inhaler away.

“Alright,” Pearl cleared her throat. “You should avoid punching somebody in the face, you’re at high risk of breaking your knuckles if you do that. If you want to strike a person’s face do it with either your elbow or the heel of your hand, like this,” Pearl demonstrated and Peridot copied her. “Close, your thumb wasn’t placed correctly.” She showed Peridot again and Peridot got it. “Excellent.”

They went over the move a few times before Pearl moved on.

“Of course when against somebody as tall as you claim your mother is you should strike their solar plexus with your elbow. In fact, your elbows and knees are valuable weapons.”

Peridot laughed with a crooked smile. “Well, my elbows perhaps.”

“Ah, right,” Pearl glanced at the scar on Peridot’s knee then fidgeted with her fingers.

“Pearl, it was a joke,” Peridot was too used to talking to Lapis and Amethyst apparently. She decided to get things back on track. “So, any special way I should use my elbows?”

Pearl regained her vigor and spent the next few hours teaching Peridot self-defense.

A week later Peridot went to the beach house short of breath of barely able to walk.

“It can’t be happening,” ran through her mind on a loop.

She even had a hard time knocking on the door.

Almost as if she predicted Peridot’s arrival Garnet opened the door.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“My mother,” Peridot struggled to even get that out.

Garnet didn’t seem surprised or perhaps that was just Garnet being Garnet.

“Please, come in.”

Peridot complied and sat on the couch, Garnet called Pearl and Amethyst into the room. It didn’t take long for them to arrive.

“Okay Peridot,” Garnet took charge, “I need you to calmly explain what’s going on.”

“I got this e-mail,” Peridot pulled it up on her phone then placed the device on the table for everyone to see.

Peridot.

     I am in the area and would like to meet up with you. I heard about your financial situation and have a proposition for you.

     E-mail me the address of a decent restaurant so we can meet there.

                                                                               Jaune Diamont

Amethyst blurted out, “What a frigid bitch.”

And Pearl glared at her. “Language.”

“Yeah, I think there’s something more important going on here,” Amethyst gave Pearl a dirty look.

“It’s good that she wants to meet in a public place,” Garnet said.

“What should I do?” Peridot’s voice was quiet.

“This is a tough one,” Garnet gave it some thought. “If you refuse she may hunt you down. I looked into her and her company, she has the means. So you should agree to meet at the restaurant. At least it’s crowded. And because of that I can sit at a table near you without arousing suspicion. That way if things take a turn for the worse I can intervene.”

Peridot looked up. “You would do that for me?”

“Of course,” Garnet placed her hand on Peridot’s shoulder. “You’re a Crystal Gem like us.”

“When you say it like that it kinda sounds like a gang,” Amethyst said with a chuckle. “But yeah, we’ve got your back.”

“I’ll be there too,” Pearl added then smirked. “I doubt she’s ever seen real combat so she’s completely outmatched.”

“Thank you so much,” Peridot teared up, this was the safest she’s felt since the phone call.

“Okay, you need to reply to this e-mail; I’ll walk you through it,” and so, Garnet did.

The arranged date arrived, Peridot walked to the restaurant. Her knee was sore but Lapis needed the car.

She took a deep breath then opened the door.

A quick look in the waiting area and Peridot didn’t see her mother anywhere. Jaune’s usually very punctual.

Peridot’s heart pounded as she walked up to the hostess.

“Um, hi,” Peridot shyly waved. “Has a Jaune Diamont arrived yet?”

The hostess didn’t recognize the name.

“She’s uh, my mother and she’s...”

Peridot trailed off when she felt somebody stand next to her, she looked at this new presence.

A very tall imposing woman, one may argue that at six-foot-five she didn’t need high heels but that didn’t stop her from wearing them.

Her hips were wide and her shoulders were broad making her even more intimidating, she wore a perfectly tailored golden suit-jacket with shoulder pads making her upper body look larger than it already is.

This woman dwarfed Peridot.

Her long sharp face with its high cheekbones permanently showed displeasure. Her hair was short and perfectly maintained, the only sign that the blonde isn’t natural was her thick black eyebrows.

And those eyes.

Those piercing silver eyes.

Peridot’s breath hitched, her mother was somehow scarier than she remembered.

She briefly thought that she was lucky to just end up with a broken knee and back.

“Nevermind,” Peridot’s voice was quiet as she spoke to the hostess. “She just arrived.”

Peridot turned to Jaune. “Hello, it’s been a while.”

Those silver eyes bored into Peridot and displeasure turned to disgust at the sight of the choices Peridot’s made with her body. “Yes, it has been.”

Everybody in the room could sense the bad-blood between them.

Having been briefed by Garnet, their waiter led them to their table then they sat down.

“Don’t you have any self-respect?” Jaune eyed Peridot’s cane, the nitpicking began the second the waiter left.

“‘Self respect’ is why my knee didn’t heal properly,” Peridot retorted. 

Thankfully that didn’t cause Jaune to fly off the handle. “You have a backbone at least.”

It actually took a lot for Peridot to not say, “a broken one.”

Jaune gave Peridot another once-over. “So where do you work?”

“Oh, from home,” Peridot replied, Jaune wasn’t surprised. “I’m a freelance programmer.”

“Are you paid well?”

Peridot shrugged, “Enough to get by.”

“Is that so?” Jaune looked over her glass mid-sip.

“Yeah, I mean, it could be better so I won’t be living on my own any time soon. But my roommate and I get along fairly well.”

“Was the dog a necessary expense?”

“Yes, he was.”

“I looked into the breed, it costs two-thousand dollars on average,and you also have to pay to feed it and groom it.”

“I’ve made room in my budget for Max’s expenses. I’ve actually gotten very good at budgeting.”

“Have you now?” Jaune’s skepticism was obvious. “So then why, after three years are you still in debt?”

Their food arrived just before Peridot could respond.

She thanked the waiter then when her and Jaune were alone again she gave her reply. “The cost of living is quite high in the US and my medical bills were expensive, and home-insurance only covers so much.”

“And there aren’t any expenses you could have cut out? Did you need to desecrate your body?”

“Desecrate?”

“Your ears having gaping holes in them, I heard that you got your tongue cut in two, and that piercing is distasteful as well.”

“Even so, I think ‘desecrate’ is a bit of a strong word.”

“Don’t push it Peridot.”

“As for the money issue, those things hardly cost anything.” Peridot opted to not tell Jaune that her dad paid for a few of those things. He didn’t deserve a phone call from her.

Jaune took a bite of her meal and made a face. “Is this really your idea of a decent restaurant?”

“Its the best I can reach on-foot.”

Amethyst was fuming as she listened to Peridot’s exchange with her mother. Jaune would not stop picking Peridot apart.

“Fuck, I wanna punch that bitch.”

“Stay calm,” Garnet placed her hand on Amethyst’s fist. “You knew going in that she would do this.”

“Frankly, I expected worse,” Pearl said.

“They’re in public and Jaune can’t risk the bad P.R. so she can’t get violent,” Garnet’s plan was going well. But seeing a mother act like that didn’t sit well with her either. 

Jaune put down her knife and fork. “I can’t eat this garbage anymore. Let’s cut to the chase. I originally wanted to hire you but after seeing how you present yourself I’m having second-thoughts.” 

“What?”

“If you go to every job interview looking like that I can see why nobody will hire you.”

“Job interview?”

“What did you think this was?” Jaune’s tone was ice-cold.

“I don’t know,” Peridot threw up her hands. “That you’re my mother and it’s been over a decade since we last saw each other. Maybe I thought that you wanted to make amends. Maybe,” Peridot’s voice rose, “I thought you might have changed! But you didn’t!”

“Why would I have? I never did anything wrong.”

Peridot slammed her hands on the table and stood up. “Never did anything wrong! What about my knee and back?!”

Jaune loomed over Peridot. “I didn’t do that to you on purpose.”

“Not according to the records,” Peridot met Jaune’s eyes, adrenaline coursing through her body. “But you and I both know that you used your money and influence to get away with what you did to me!”

“Watch it.”

“Or what? You’ll hit me? You’ll ruin your reputation?”

“I don’t need the business from this podunk little town.”

“You’re so high-and-mighty aren’t ya? You... you clod!” Peridot’s heart was pounding.

Jaune looked the angriest Peridot’s ever seen, her veins bulged out on her face and neck, she made a fist. But the second Jaune’s diamond-studded hand closed Garnet was between her and Peridot, and Amethyst and Pearl stood next to Peridot ready to fight.

“Not another movement,” Garnet’s voice was firm.

“Do you think you can intimidate me?” Jaune glared down at her.

“Perhaps not, but it may interest you that I am an officer of the law,” Garnet returned Jaune’s glare. “Now, I want you to leave Beach City and never come back. If I hear you’ve returned I will do everything in my power to put you behind bars.”

Jaune sneered. “This isn’t worth my time.”

And with that, she left.

Peridot collapsed in her chair on the verge of a panic-attack. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

“She got torn-down by the Peri-dactly!” Amethyst was hyped and wanted Peridot to be too.

“I can’t believe I just did that.”

It didn’t work.

“I can’t believe you called her a ‘clod’ right to her face,” Pearl laughed. 

“I can’t believe I just did that,” Peridot’s crisis continued.

Garnet put her hand on Peridot’s shoulder. “Let’s calm down.”

Peridot looked up at her. “Okay.”

Everybody sat at the table with Peridot.

“I’ll help you take steps to file a restraining order,” Garnet was the first to speak. “With one of those she can’t legally touch you.”

“Hopefully,” Peridot said, mostly over the shock of telling-off her mother.

“Not ‘hopefully,’ definitely.”

Peridot clutched her stomach and groaned. “I hope she doesn’t sue me for slander.”

“What? No way can she do that,” Amethyst raised an eyebrow. “Right?”

“Jaune doesn’t have a case,” Garnet replied. “If Jaune does try to sue Peridot there will be witnesses to set the record straight.”

“Yeah, so you’ve got nothing to worry about,” Amethyst hugged Peridot.

“Okay, thank you,” Peridot looked at her friends and girlfriend. “All of you.”

“I’d say ‘any time’ but with any luck we won’t have to do this again,” Pearl tried to tell a joke. 

Peridot laughed at the attempt.

“Well, if it’s alright with you I’d like to finish eating, I’m pretty hungry.”

Garnet offered to pay for the meal and Peridot let her pay for Jaune’s half. Then Peridot finished her lunch with the rest of the “Crystal Gems.”

The ordeal with her mother wiped Peridot out so she went straight home and collapsed on the couch.

Max quickly ran into the living room and poked and prodded her until she acknowledged him.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” Peridot plopped him onto her chest.

Lapis wasn’t home so Peridot talked to Max.

“As you know, I saw my mother.”

Max quirked his head.

“Yep, in some ways it went better than I expected. She didn’t insult me too much and she never struck me. She tried, but Garnet intervened.”

Peridot sighed. “The exhausting part was when I gave into my emotions and called her a clod. It feels kind of good to get that off of my chest but she’s even bigger than Garnet.”

Max raised his ears.

“I know, right? Bigger than Garnet! Thankfully Garnet raised a good point and is a police officer so she had a good way to dissuade my mother.”

“And Garnet even offered to help me file a restraining order.”

Another quirked head.

“It’s this thing saying that one person can’t come within x amount of feet as another.”

Max yawned.

“Yep, with one of those I can rest easy. One less stress in my life, that’s for sure.”

Peridot ruffled Max’s fur with a smile, he did his job, he helped her sort out her thoughts and feelings.

And for that, he deserved a treat.

When Lapis got home Peridot went over what happened with Jaune. Then they finished their day like any other. The only change was Peridot being less uneasy.

Peridot’s phone rang as she was changing into her pajamas. She quickly answered it.

“Hello?”

“How’d it go?” the familiar voice at the other end sounded very concerned.

“It went fine,” Peridot replied. “And hi dad.”

“Oh, hi,” Angel sounded a bit embarrassed. “I was so worried that I forgot to greet you.”

Peridot laughed. “That’s understandable. Anyway, to elaborate. Mother picked me apart as you’d expect. Then she revealed that she wanted to hire me but changed her mind when she saw how I look. Or at least that was the reason she gave me.” Peridot’s tone turned bitter. “It wouldn’t surprise me if she just wanted to give me false-hope.”

“I understand your line of thinking but that’s not really her style. She hates wasted time and effort.”

“That’s true. Anyway, I lost my temper and called her a clod.”

Angel sighed. “Oh dear... What happened after that?” His fear was clear.

“Well, she wanted to punch me. But thankfully Garnet, the police officer, stepped in and threatened to arrest her.”

“That’s good, but I worry about her coming back. Garnet won’t always be there.”

“Don’t worry, word quickly spreads around Beach City and Garnet’s going to help me file a restraining order.” Peridot smiled. “Everything’s under control.”

“I’m so glad to hear,” Angel sounded like he was tearing up. He recovered. “Wait, what’s wrong with how you look?”

Peridot chuckled. “Dad, you’re the one who let me change my image. I don’t look that different from when I was eighteen. Well,” Peridot felt a bit guilty, “I did break the limit you set for stretching my earlobes.”

Angel actually laughed. “Peridot, I set that limit because you were young and still figuring yourself out. I didn’t want you to regret something so visible and not easily reversed. You’re old enough now to know what you want to do with yourself.” He paused. “So, how big are they?”

It was then that Peridot realized that she got her curiosity from her dad.

“Big enough to fit my thumb through,” Peridot replied,

There was a shuffle as Angel put his thumb against his earlobe. “Wow, that’s really big.” There was a slight hesitation before he asked, “you’re happy with it, right?”

“Yeah,” Peridot rubbed the back of her neck. “I mean, I sort of regretted the last stretching at first. Two centimetres is hardly anything on paper. But uh, it’s kind of a lot when it has to do with your ears. I’ve gotten used to it and I’m happy with the decision. But... that’s the last time I’ll be stretching my ears.” Peridot laughed awkwardly.

“Like I said, you’re old enough to know how far you want to go with it.”

Is it normal for a mixed Japanese/Filipino dad to be so okay with body mods?

Peridot concluded that no, no it’s not. 

“Thanks dad.”

“You’re welcome, but why are you thanking me?”

Deja vu.

“For being so cool of course.”

“Aw, come on, I’m a huge dweeb,” Angel was obviously blushing.

“But you’re a cool dweeb,” Peridot started to blush too. “Thank you for being such a great dad. I don’t want to think about where I’d be without you.” She teared up a bit.

“Oh Peridot,” Angel sniffled. “I’m your dad, of course I’ll be there for you.”

“Mother wasn’t.”

“Yeah, well, your mother’s a horrible person. You’re the only good thing that came out of our marriage. And I’m beyond proud of you.” 

Peridot broke down crying.

“Oh no, I made you cry!”

“I love you so much dad.”

“I love you too,” Angel started to cry too.

It took a bit for them to recover then they moved on to light-hearted topics.

In that moment Peridot loved and appreciated her dad even more than ever before.

A part of her hoped that maybe one day she could make a child as happy as he makes her.

[kujo1597]

Recovery

Your child leaving the nest is a wonderful and slightly scary experience. A parent feels a lot of pride watching their little one find a home of their own. And the scariness of it comes from not being able to keep as close a watch over your child. Them moving to another country makes it so much harder to keep an eye on them in case something does go wrong.

Sometimes weekly phone calls just aren’t enough.

(A/N: This is chronologically the first part of my fanfic series, “Maybe That Wasn’t Such a Bad Thing” which eventually leads into my currently ongoing Amedot fanfic “Actually, That Was a Good Thing.” I really wanted to do something involving Peridot and her dad.)

Chapter 1

Angel got a phone call he never never wanted to get.

It was about how his daughter was in the hospital after her home burned down.

Problem is, he’s in Calgary and Peridot is in Beach City, a whole country away.

Literally, Beach City’s about as far south as the US gets.

He was also so busy at work and needed to convince his boss to give him time off.

Thankfully (depending on your perspective) this did qualify as a family emergency so he got the time off he needed.

The plane ride was awful. They always were but adding the stress of your only child being in the hospital made it even worse.

Angel walked down the hallway of the burn ward.

“Oh stars,” ran through his mind. This was looking really bad.

He saw a middle-aged Indian doctor stepping out out Peridot’s room.

“Hello,” he greeted her with a slight bow of his head. “I’m Angel Hōseki.”

“I’m Doctor Maheswaran,” she offered her hand and Angel shook it. “You must be Peridot’s father.”

“Yes,” his curiosity took over. “How bad is it?”

“Over a third of her body required skin grafts. The majority on her back and a fair number on her face,” Dr. Maheswaran was obviously experienced.

Angel’s throat tightened at the mention of Peridot’s facial burns. The idea of something happening to his little girl’s sunny face was awful to him. 

He sighed. “Thank you for telling me.”

“Depending on how long your visit is a nurse may come in to clean some of Peridot’s wounds,” Dr. Maheswaran noticed that Angel was ill-at-ease. “From one parent to another. This is a situation I wouldn’t want to be in either. But your daughter has taken well to her treatment. I assure you that she will make a full recovery.”

After Dr. Maheswaran went over the care Angel needs to give Peridot they said “goodbye” then he entered the room.

The first thing he noticed was just how tiny Peridot looked in that hospital bed. It was a sight that he’d never wanted to see again, not since divorcing Peridot’s mother.

It was hard, but he looked at Peridot. Her short blonde hair, or at least what was left of it was messy. Parts on the top were sticking up in a way that reminded Angel of when she first started trying out crazy new styles. He found it amusing that she apparently was still doing that.

But the amusement didn’t last when he saw the burns on the left side of her head; they were mostly on her cheek and temple but some went well past her hairline and also were on her forehead. The doctors had to shave off a bit of her hair in order to treat the burns.

Her upper left arm was bandaged and through some of the gaps in her hospital gown he saw even more wrappings. When Peridot turned her head in an attempt at sleeping he got a better look at the burns on her neck..

Angel walked over and sat on a chair near the wall.

Peridot opened her eyes, somehow the shining silver was instead a dull grey.

“Hey dad.”

“Hi sweetie,” Angel greeted her back.

He tried to subtly look at her some more, at the grafts on her forehead, the bandages on her lower right arm, and how her hands were completely wrapped up.

The room was quiet. Peridot was exhausted and Angel didn’t know what to say.

What do you say?

“I wish the circumstances were better but it’s nice to see you,” Peridot broke the silence.

“Yeah,” Angel sighed. “So how are you? You know, considering.”

“I’m doing better. Tired. I can’t sleep. Too sore and itchy.”

“I’m glad you’re doing better at least.”

Peridot nodded, she wasn’t kidding about being tired.

“So when do you get out of the hospital?”

“I think in a week,” Peridot tried to rub her eye but her bandages got in the way. “It depends on how well I heal. But I don’t know where I’ll go.”

“I managed to get a few weeks off of work. You can stay in the hotel with me.”

“Thank you.”

Things got quiet again.

“So, any interesting shows or games lately?” Angel asked, a topic that usually got Peridot enthusiastic.

The shine returned to Peridot’s eyes. “Why yes!” She winced as she smiled too widely. “Tales of Xillia 2 came out and it’s great.” She frowned. “Well, a bit too real now since the main character is drowning in debt due to medical bills. But before this incident I was having a blast. The combat system is really fun.”

Peridot enthusiastically talked about her new game with Angel listening intently. In that moment he almost forgot about where they were and why. Peridot’s bright eyes and smile were unchanged. Apart from the missing tooth. Peridot mentioned getting punched by a clubmate...

A nurse entered the room interrupting them.

“Peridot,” her voice was sweet, “it’s time to clean your face and neck.”

“Aw, already?” Peridot whined.

“Yes dear, you can continue talking afterwards,” the nurse glanced at Angel. “Would it be okay if your dad watched? He needs to know how to do this.”

“That’ll be fine.”

The nurse carefully washed Peridot’s face, neck, and a small part of her chest as Angel watched; she gave him instructions along the way. Occasionally Peridot would flinch from the pain.

“All done,” the nurse announced. “You did very well this time.” She smiled kindly.

Peridot tried to smile back but her cheek was too tender.

 After saying their goodbyes the nurse left to tend to other patients.

“So you were telling me about how your favourite show is on Blueray now,” Angel tried to resume the conversation.

But Peridot didn’t want to.

“I’m sorry dad,” she said with a sigh.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about.”

“I should have gotten a home inspection.”

“Home inspections can’t find everything. The issue would’ve gone unnoticed. That being said, yes, you should have. But that’s just because it’s always a good idea.”

There was a twinge of guilt in Angel’s heart when he saw Peridot’s downtrodden face.

“Peridot, nothing you could have done would’ve prevented this. Just be glad that you’re safe and sound.”

She teared up and Angel gently hugged her. He wanted so dearly to rub her back as she cried into his shoulder. Instead he stroked the back of her head.

“It’s okay, you’re safe. That’s what’s important.”

Peridot nodded.

Yes, that is what’s important.

[kousaka-ayumu]

Homepage info:

Part 2

❃Rules❃:

Request are sented at only one at a time

Child! Reader and Teenage and adult characters will be platonic.

I'll only write fanfics and drawing fanart with a fandom that I know of.

No repost without permission

X if for ships while & is for friendships

No incest

❃Fanfics❃

Regulars:

- W.I.T.C.H

Twisted Affection

Yandere Cornelia X Will

Passionate Love(hasn't started)

Taranee X Will

Accidental Confession(hasn't started)

Irma X Will

She is mine! (WIP)

Yandere! Irma X Will

Sleeping Redhead(Hasn't started)

Matt X Will

Familiarities(hasn't started)

Phobos and Will

Nightmares(hasn't started)

Matt X Will

- Twisted Wonderland

Dragon Card(hasn't started)

Malleus X Ace

Rivals to Lovers(hasn't started)

Leona X Malleus

Ocean Hearts(hasn't started)

Floyd X Riddle

A Gangster's Lover(hasn't started)

Yandere Gangster Deuce X Ace(Adult, gangster AU)

Dragon of Flowers(hasn't started)

Malleus X Ace(Ace is whiterose child au)

A Fae's Lover

Yandere Malleus x Ace

True Love(hasn't started)

Jamil X Kalim

A Snake's Angel(hasn't started)

Yandere Jamil X Kalim

Her Diamond In The Rough(part 1 and 2)(WIP)

Yandere female Jamil X female Ace

Heart of Roses(A Fae's Lover part 2)(WIP)

Yandere Malleus X Ace

A Queen's Heart

Yandere! Riddle X Yandere! Deuce X Ace

A Snake and Baker's Prey(NSFW)

Trey X Jamil X Ace(SMUT)

RWBY

Insane Love(hasn't started)

Yandere Weiss X Ruby

A Robot's Lover(hasn't started)

Penny X Ruby

Predator(hasn't started)

Yandere Blake X Ruby

Keeper Of My Heart(hasn't started)

Weiss X Ruby(W.I.T.C.H au)

Greek Knight(hasn't started)

Pyrrah X Jaune

Sisters(hasn't started)

Yang and Ruby

Black And Yellow (hasn't started)

Top! Blake X Bottom! Yang

An Heiress's Rose(hasn't started)

Top! Weiss X Bottom! Ruby

❃Crossovers❃

Guardians of Remnant(RWBY x W.I.T.C.H) (hasn't started)

The Guardian and The Dragon(W.I.T.C.H x Twisted Wonderland one-shot)(Will and Malleus) (hasn't started)

A Survivor's Wonderland(DRV3 X Twisted Wonderland) (hasn't started)

A Ninja's Wonderland(Ninjago X Twisted Wonderland) (hasn't started)

Guardians and Ninjas(Ninjago X W.I.T.C.H) (hasn't started)

Unique Warriors(PreCure X Twisted Wonderland) (hasn't started)

A Fairy's Wonderland(Twisted Wonderland X Winx) (hasn't started)

PreCure All Stars: Twisted Festival(PreCure X Twisted Wonderland)(hasn't started)

A Hero in Wonderland(MLB X Twisted Wonderland)(hasn't started)

❃Arts and Headcannons❃

Rose Draconia(Old and New)

Dawn White/Marmoreal(Old and New)

Rose's past

Team RWBYS as Guardians of the Veil(1st and 2nd)

Sarah Hale/Roselight

Angie Swan(For @phoenix-manga, @phnxart )

Darcelle Swan

Sonomi Hoshiakari(Cure Forest)

Kaidah Akahono/Garmadon(Cure Dragon)

Mizuki Aoumi(Cure Ocean)

Yumeri Cordelia(Cure Isleen)

Taiyou Kiihikari(Cure Thunder)

Fuyumi Hoshiakari(Cure Schnee)

Hoseki Héxié(Cure Yīnyuè)

Seiza Mikanhoshi(Cure Astralle)

Kiko Midorikaze(Cure Iiesar)

Hokori Shroud(Cure Íroas)

Farah Alsaari(Cure Faith)

Akio Hoshiakari(Cure Joy)

Alyssa's reveal

Alyssa Rosseta(Show)

Alyssa Rosseta(Movie)

❃Special fics❃

Christmas(2022)

Christmas(2023)

❃Songfics❃

Kowareyasuki(An Malleus overblot one-shot/Ace is WhiteRose's child AU/Malleus x Ace)

❃Request fics❃

Yandere! Malleus x Idia

Yandere Azul X Jamil part 2

Yandere Floyd X Riddle

❃AUS❃

Twisted Wonderland X RWBY

❃Writing for other AUs❃

This Life Is Mine(Headmistress Rosehearts AU)

❃EAH X TWST❃

Rose X Dawn(History)

❃Character Birthdays❃

Fuyumi(RSA)

Hoseki(RSA)

Sonomi(NRC)

Kaida(NRC)

Note: Ocean's, Isleen's, Schnee's, Yīnyuè's, Astralle, Tornado's, Íroas's and Faith's designs and poses are owned by @phnxart /@phoenix-manga

[kujo1597]

Recovery

Peridot started calling and e-mailing former classmates but things weren’t going so well... Her past was biting her in the butt.

For Angel this was difficult to watch. He needed to go back to work but it didn’t feel right to leave Peridot in her time of need. 

He didn’t want to fail her again.

You can also read this on Archive of Our Own.

Chapter 3

“Hello, Melissa McGarett?” Peridot paced as she talked on the phone. “This is Peridot Hōseki. I don’t know if you remember me-”

“-No, wait! Please don’t hang up!”

Peridot groaned and ran her fingers through her uneven hair. She tossed her phone onto the bed.

“Another one?” Angel asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I told you I was a huge jerk,” Peridot threw up her hands. “And since my apartment’s been condemned I’m not even going to have a roof over my head soon!”

“I’m sure you’ll find somebody, try not to be discouraged,” Angel tried to raise his daughter’s spirits. “Have you tried the robotics club?”

“The only member I could find contact info for was the one who knocked out my tooth. No way she’ll let me move in. I was the worst to her.”

Some more pacing. “Dr. Maheswaran said I could shower, right?”

“That’s what you told me this morning.”

“Good, maybe I’ll have better luck once I feel less disgusting,” Peridot looked towards the bathroom. “Do you need to use the washroom?”

“No, I’m fine, thank you.”

The bathroom door closed with an increasingly familiar click. Peridot put her stool into the tub and removed her clothes. She wanted to look in the mirror but decided against it. She wasn’t sure she was ready.

Peridot let the water run for a bit before getting in and removing her foot.

That shower felt better than any shower she’s had before.

Oh how sorely she missed it.

She was sure to thoroughly clean her hair, getting all the remaining soot out; the main culprit of her feeling gross.

Peridot’s eyes subconsciously closed as she cleaned her body. The bandages had come off just a few days ago.

It was one of Peridot’s longer showers. It was familiar but also unfamiliar. The scarred third of her body felt foreign.

It was unsettling.

But also the new reality.

Peridot dried off and put her foot on then stood up.

She needed to accept that reality.

With a deep breath Peridot took her first good look at herself in the mirror.

“Stars,” Peridot couldn’t wrap her head around the sight. She moved her left arm and watched the way the grafts moved.

Seeing the mechanics of things always helped her understand them.

And for Peridot, understanding was the first step.

“Hm,” the misshapen lump where her left nipple used to be actually bugged Peridot more than it should have. Especially since her piercings were now asymmetrical.

After another once-over Peridot got dressed. She then ran a comb through her hair and something else bothered her.

It was so patchy.

Then a thought occurred to her.

“Are you feeling better?” Angel asked when Peridot stepped out of the washroom. “You were in there for a while.”

“I’m feeling less gross,” Peridot replied. “I took a good look at myself.” She glanced away for a second. “Um, wow. That’s uh, a large portion of my body.”

“It is,” Angel’s voice was heavy and tired.

“Hey dad?”

“Yes dear?”

“May I borrow the car?”

“Sure,” Angel got the keys. “What for?”

“I think I’ll swing by the barber shop and get my head shaved,” Peridot rubbed the back of her neck. “My hair’s really bothering me.”

“Or I could book you an appointment at the hair dresser’s,” Angel offered. “You don’t have to shave your head. They could trim your hair down to even it out.”

“Yeah, but, I dunno... It’s pretty damaged anyway, why not grow new hair?”

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Angel gave Peridot a firm look. “We can go to the barber’s on the way to lunch if you really want to.”

“Dad,” Peridot didn’t expect this much resistance. “It’s hair. Besides, I’ll still have fuzz so I won’t be bald bald.”

“Alright,” Angel gave in. “Just making sure you weren’t being rash.”

“Well, maybe a little,” a hesitant confession. “But my hair grows very quickly anyway.”

“That’s true.”

They got up and left the hotel.

Peridot giggled as she rubbed her head at the restaurant. “Feels weird.”

Angel quietly looked at Peridot, his expression unreadable.

“Aw, c’mon Dad,” Peridot’s seen him like this a few times before. “Is shaving my head really as unusual as the other things I’ve done to my body?”

“No,” Angel replied with a small laugh. “I guess not. It’s just such a big visual change; for one, I never see your tongue.”

“Yeah, and I guess my earlobes aren’t all that stretched,” Peridot shrugged. But something in the back of her mind added, “yet.” She mentally shook it off. She promised her dad that she wouldn’t stretch them more than she already did.

And a Hōseki never breaks a promise.

The buzz of her phone interrupted Peridot’s thoughts. She pulled it out, as rude as it was, and took a look.

I got your e-mail. I’m not looking for a roommate but my friend might need one in a month or two. I’ll talk to her.

-Melanie

“Oh stars,” Peridot’s hands were shaking. “Dad! Dad! I got a reply! Thank the galaxy I thought to save my phone!”

“You got a reply?” Angel’s attention was torn away from his food. “That’s great! What’d it say?”

“It said that she knows somebody who may need a roommate in a month or two. So it’s not an instant solution.”

“But it is one,” Angel finished Peridot’s thought. “And in the meantime you can still look at other options.”

“Yeah, things are looking up for me,” Peridot smiled, but not for long. “The next step is finding a new psychiatrist...”

“You don’t like yours?” That was the first Angel’s heard about that.

“I hate him.”

“You do? Why?” A reply like that’s never a good sign in Angel’s experience.

“He belittles my feelings, says I should be over my trauma, and I slipped up and mentioned that I’m ace so he’s trying to ‘fix me’ by giving me pills to increase my sex drive.”

That was a list and a half.

“Okay first, dear, libido is a private topic; not something you talk about in a restaurant,” Angel wasn’t entirely sure what to cover next. “Uh... second, I’m surprised. His reviews were excellent. Very little negative feedback.”

“Let me guess, all the positive reviews were left by men,” Peridot raised an eyebrow.

Angel checked because he honestly couldn’t remember. “It’s all anonymous but you don’t like him and that’s the important thing. So I guess the search continues.”

“You know, I can take a look. They’re going to be my psychiatrist.”

“I know,” Angel felt a touch guilty. “I just want to help however I can. You have so much on your plate already.”

“I appreciate it but you’re doing a lot already. You’re paying for the hotel, you bought me clothes and a new 3DS, you treated my wounds. And,” Peridot blushed, “you just being around is a huge help, I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Angel smiled as he returned his sights to his phone. “I’m glad to hear that I’ve been helping. But I want to make up for for my mistake with the psychiatrist.”

Apparently stubbornness was genetic...

Angel’s search stopped. “She’s promising. Doctor Fluorite, she’s highly regarded and known for her open mind and gentle techniques, but will be firm when necessary.”

This piqued Peridot’s interest, “Anything about her being queer-friendly?”

“There is a positive review left by somebody who mentioned being gay” Angel looked at Peridot. “And guess what, she’s in her sixties and I know how much you like women that age.”

“Wha-” Peridot was flabbergasted. “Dad! Why’d you pick that grouchy shallow-minded straight guy over her?!”

“She’s not as highly rated as him,” Angel knew Peridot wasn’t mad, just shocked. “I wanted the best for you.”

“So is Dr. Fluorite taking patients right now?” Peridot struggled to read the upside-down and tiny text.

“Yep,” Angel nodded. “I take it you want me to book an appointment with her for you?”

“Absolutely!” Peridot was actually excited to meet Fluorite. She sounded so perfect.

With a chuckle Angel booked the appointment.

After the errands were run and supper was ate they returned to the hotel room and Peridot collapsed onto her bed.

“I don’t wanna move for at least three days,” Peridot mumbled into the pillow.

Angel chuckled. “Yeah, we did overdo it a bit with our little celebration.”

“I can’t remember the last time I had a meal with appetizers and dessert,” Peridot flopped onto her back then let out a satisfied sigh.

Some awkwardness hung in the air. 

“What’s wrong?” Peridot asked.

“Do you think you’ll be fine on your own now?” Angel hesitated before asking this question. “I need to go back to work but I can’t leave you if you still need me.”

“I should be fine,” Peridot was a bit choked up, she hoped she hid it.

“Are you certain?” Angel didn’t miss it. “I’m sure my boss would give me more time off if I asked.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll be fine. I’ll just miss you; that’s all.”

“And I’ll miss you too.”

“So I guess I should look into cheap motels,” Peridot said absent-mindedly.

“Nah, I’ll keep paying for a hotel room for you,” that was Angel’s plan to begin with. “It’ll just be a single room.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Perhaps not, but I want to.”

Peridot gave Angel a look.

“I know you want to be independent but considering the circumstances...” Angel got his thoughts in order. “There’s nothing wrong with getting help.”

“Alright,” Peridot gave in, “I’ll let you pay for the hotel room.”

“And remember, if you need anything else I’ll help you. You don’t have to do everything alone.”

“I’ll remember, I promise.”

Angel let out a sigh of relief. “Okay.”

That night dread kept Peridot from getting much sleep. 

She didn’t want to alone so soon.

But her dad needed to get back to work; he had responsibilities. Huge ones, in fact.

He was helping better the world. 

All Peridot was was a programmer.

Like she’s done so many times in her life Peridot swallowed her dread and went to sleep.

Angel’s flight left very early in the morning. Both him and Peridot rubbed the sleeps out of their eyes.

“What an awful hour to leave,” Peridot griped. “Why do planes leave this early?”

Angel laughed. “You didn’t have to come.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, of course I did. I love you so I have to see you off.”

Such a blunt way of showing affection...

But that was Peridot and Angel adored that about her.

“I’m going to miss you,” he said. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Peridot wiped her eye, but this time it wasn’t because of sleeps.

“We’ll see each other again,” in all honesty, Angel said this mostly for himself. Peridot wasn’t the only one who felt dread.

His child did almost die, after all.

“Yeah,” Peridot looked up at her dad. “We will. We’ll see each other again, I’ll have a relatively full head of hair, and we’ll eat something nice.”

Angel smiled warmly. “I’ll make poncit palabok.”

“I look forward to it,” Peridot smiled back.

This eased the pain of separation.

They had a plan for when they next met.

And that plan made everything more bearable.

It wasn’t until much later that they went through with it.

But not exactly, what they hadn’t expected was the two additional people to their meal.