#Super Gem Euclase

[shadow-scaled-scoundrel]

[pemprika]

What are your thoughts on Lapis Lazuli and their impact on the characters of Houseki, such as Ghost and Euc. and obviously what are your thoughts on the ships of LapiGhost and LapiEuc(? idk if thats the ship name)

also omg I wonder if Cinnabar and Lapis have ever spoke, that would be a super interesting interaction lol

i think ichikawa wrote lapis lazuli in such tasteful subtlety and complexity by showing bits of their lore through other characters’ perspectives, i.e euclase and ghost, rather than telling it blatantly. it adds to their mystery and charm! i love how lapis was a rule bender as if they lived to defy. their manipulative and daring personality is a catalyst and speaks in volumes with how euclase and ghost reminisces about them so differently.

with context clues, euclase and lapis seemed like they clashed with their morals, and it makes it all the more interesting to think about euclase’ possible unresolved discontentment with lapis being projected onto phos after changing heads (who knows). i’ve also seen portrayals of euc and lapis being intellectually competitive, like.. one uses wits for good and the other for chaos lol maybe at one point, they had fun playing card games together. 😭

compared to euclase, ghost passively pedestaled lapis and i like to think their fondness for lapis was far greater than the other way around. like...they are giving one-sided yearning even in "death". i like to think that ghost was drawn to lapis' openness and how they weren't immediately off-put by their dual-personality...(cairngorm)

lapis and shinsha are an interesting duo! if it's anyone but sensei, dia, or rutile, there's only a 0.0000000001% chance of talking with shinsha because they'll just avoid the situation entirely. if they were to interact, i envision lapis being curious about shinsha's intellect... maybe they could have deep conversations about the moon and the possibilities of gem mortality...

[aloe-note]

Land of the Lustrous (anime) – Episode 2

excellent foley work again here. the penetrating ringing noise of rutile's hammer in the opening scene draws your attention to that same noise in dia's fight, where it becomes actually relevant. there's also a super juicy squishing noise when euclase strikes the slug thing. love that.

the storyboards work well to show how sudden the sunspots are. they most often appear in a sudden pan away from a conversation scene, already mostly formed. the manga gets the same effect through the inherent time jump between panels. i like this adaptation choice.

i'm glad the anime understands that bort's most important role is making really cool compositions with that hair.

on that note, i think i'm beginning to understand ichikawa's character designs better. fights in this series work so well because the characters are designed as compositional tools. the lanky body types in black and white uniforms, the stupid-long swords, and the arrows used by lunarians form really strong straight lines that ichikawa (or in this case, kyougoku takahiko) can use for striking visuals. the architecture of the gem palace (i forget its proper name) does this too with its rows of pillars and barrel vaults.

this episode *really* loves those pillars btw.

[immortal-dreamer-aes]

I have an obsession with gemstones and military men lets do this

Grif: orange calcite, tries eating plants, plays dead when lunarians arrive, has pieces of almadine to replace lost pieces

Simmons: Almadine Garnet “almadine”, statistics of battles nerd, good at running, replacement arm made from silver alloy (gave up pieces for orange calcite)

Sarge: red jasper “jasp”, laughs during battles, can and will abandon partners to fight lunarians, most likely to be broken by choice, wants a bigger sword than anyone else

Donut: pink diamond, missing right eye but didn’t ask for a replacement, likes helping red beryl with fashion, violently caring to the flowers outside the school, throws their sword a lot

Lopez: Cassiterite, never fully learned how to speak, loses their head a lot, responsible for architecture and weapon repair, sick of everyone’s shit, understands admirabillis but no one believes them

Doc: Alexandrite (violet for doc, red for o’malley), never leaves the school, helps organize medical supplies, gets picked on a lot or just ignored, wants literally one day of rest

Church: Lazulite, breaks a lot, specifically knows what memories are stored where, already been broken a lot but reassembled, lost for a while before returning as a lunarian (ch. 95)

Tucker: Aquamarine, probably looks at some lunarian illustrations and thinks, “they’re hot,” spends too much time arranging their hair, has an adopted admirabillis (junior), has the accidental highest number of gem to lunarians casualty ratio

Caboose: Blue Diamond, talks to every plant and animal along patrol, brings them all home and takes care of them, like seriously their room is a lot of dirt and bugs with birds sitting at the window, scratches their finish a lot, wants a shiro in its full form

Tex: Bort Diamond, has purposely broken other gems if dared, one scratch=death to every living thing in a ten mile radius, only pieces left after most fell into the ocean

Sister: honey calcite, hates Aquamarine’s guts, regales a lot with orange calcite, stands by the chord shore a lot while bored, would also fuck a lunarian or moon gem (diopside)

—————————

Carolina: blue topaz, never leaves a fight with a scratch, judges based on hardness, volunteers for winter shifts, takes after bort but hates them being mentioned, stays with lunarian lazulite

Wash: Celestine, winter gem, formerly super awkward but became battle hardened after losing several partners, trains the younger houseki, everyone loves them

York: citrine, extra with their sword techniques, likes annoying Celestine, former partner of blue topaz, missing left eye (replaced with pearl)

North/South: amethyst twin crystals (slight pigment difference), both sneak out at night, north tries talking to animals and holding them, south tends to scare them away, eventually split apart and get taken to the moon separately

Maine: howlite, definitive proof that low hardness does not mean weakness, og Celestine partner, cassiterite level of mute, never hesitates to take an arrow or spear for others, sleepwalks during hibernation

CT: hawk’s eye, nighttime patrol, sits alone most of the time, secretly watches the winter shift, LOATHES the hardness hierarchy

Wyoming: albite, good at dodging, makes up jokes as a pastime during patrol, also very extra with sword tricks, never stays with a partner for long

Florida/Flowers: turquoise, handmade weapons, the only gem that laughs at albite’s jokes, usually quiet otherwise, briefly partnered with aquamarine before being taken

The triplets (ohio, iowa, and idaho): sodalite cluster, the only trio partnership, all three somehow managed to survive a trip into the ocean, play hypothetical games a lot in boredom, never saw a lunarian until it was too late

—————————

Kimball: euclase, command speaker, former partner of Zircon, cracks at the thought of them now, demanding, needs a damn nap, mom friend of the entire chorus group

Doyle: barite, current partner of Euclase, can barely lift the lightest blade, flinches at the slightest bit of movement in the field, euclase has definitely almost broken them in rage

Palomo: green fluorite, lost partners but barely notices, whines during tasks, stutter of the gods, surprisingly still on earth

Jensen: grossular, likes helping with building and architecture but usually breaks something/someone by accident, also hates going outside

Andersmith: Haüyne, everything is symbolic, pats heads for comfort, parent friend, cracked by zircon once

Bitters: Marcasite, sleeps on patrol, doesn’t move when butterflies land on them, has tried eating plants and failed

Matthews: Pyrite, youngest houseki, listens to every command without question, repeatedly broken during battle but always comes back in one piece, covers for Marcasite’s naps

Grey: sugilite, main doctor, scares Alexandrite, psychoanalysis for life, delays fixing to look into individual pieces, desperately wants to dissect lunarians but chooses not

Locus: Diopside, moon gem, refuses to give up pieces of celestine, prefers larger blade but anything works, scares lunarians to a haunting degree

Felix: zircon, moon gem, knives, purposely tries keeping other gems in pristine condition to break them later, lives for annoying diopside

Sharkface: pyrope, moon gem, has tried breaking zircon multiple times, hangs around admirabillis on the moon, wants to see the ocean one day

—————————

Dylan: lunarian, writes about the gems in-depth, tries her best to save any pieces not crushed to dust yet, sneaks between moon and earth

Jax: admirabillis, everyone really wishes he couldn’t speak but he does, tries eating moon dust to Dylan’s dismay, also sneaks between the moon and earth on sunspots

Temple: chrysocolla, lives alone in the ocean trying to find the pieces of orange fluorite (Biff), washes ashore after a while and harasses lunarian Lazulite, breaks another gem to try and negotiate OF being returned

Genkins: lunarian noble, wears as much jewelry as possible, like symbolic pieces (lazulite, bort, etc.), will swing a weapon at any lunarian or gem without warning

Chrovos: lunarian noble, admirabillis breeder, crushes/sculpts gem pieces, adores Pink diamond (makes them a little eyepatch)

—————————

One: azurite, lives for sparring/training, makes jokes about the older gems, hotheaded, easily runs into battle even against orders, likes being partnered with Spinel

East: spinel, fastest of the squad, also hates the hardness scale, first year almost lost to the ice floes, missing torso pieces, coddled by heliodor (in their own way), hates being partnered with Azurite

Raymond: sphene, most likely to cuddle a shiro until it reforms, forgets the hardness of others half the time, that comes at the consequence of crashing into harder gems and breaking, very jumpy but coordinated

Axel: pyrope, former partner of red diamond, original arms missing replaced with gold/platinum alloy (ice floes trying to save spinel), pun-king, also likes tending to plants

West: heliodor, leader of shatter squad™️, protective of spinel (saw them born from the chord shore), strict to the hardness scale, dad friend, has seen a lot of gems lost

Tiny: yellow topaz, lives for architecture and weapons maintenance, also furniture builder, has cracked a few gems with hugs, the best card player

Diesel: dumortierite, moon gem, lotta different pieces, agate legs, different varieties across body (synthetic and captured), barely remembers their name half the time because of it, has a huge soft spot for red diamond and spinel

Phase: spinel (twin crystal), synthetic in torso holes, good at delivering precise damage, never sticks with one hairstyle or outfit, refuses to be seen on earth, takes everything to hold back smashing Azurite

Zero: red diamond, former partner of Pyrope, it’s big sword or no sword, wants to be the last houseki standing on the moon and earth, former winter shift, sleepwalks

[gemrust]

if gems had socials who would be famous

I got carried away I love this ask so much iugytrderdtfg

Okay so Diamond would ABSOLUTELY be tik tok and Instagram famous. They’d do all those tik tok dances n egirl shit and they would totally have an onlyfans that ppl would have to pay WAY too much money for.

Bort would accidentally become a super popular meme image. Dia hates that they see borts unimpressed meme-face TM everywhere they go on the internet.

Rutile would be one of those educational youtubes like vsauce or brave wilderness where they show u how to do fucked up shit, Pads would be the cameraman/test subject in all their vids, sometimes Yellow shows up and sits in the corner eating chips.

Phos would be a vlogger. But not like a good one, like a shit one with 20 subscribers. They’d try and get Cinnabar to help them with their vlogs but their super hesitant cause they don’t wanna be on camera but… Phos REALLY needs the help…

Lapis would be a 4channer, Euclase would be a redditor. They’d post screenshots of their respective websites on twitter and theyd have like 10000 followers each. Not too big, not too small. Also their blogs hate each other and get into embarrassing twitter fights on the daily.

Alex runs a conspiracy channel with half a million subscribers. “the moon landing was totally fake guys the evidence is RIGHT THERE” kinda shit. They go HAM over UFO sightings.

Jade would make Buzzfeed ‘How to’ articles.

Red Beryl would be a SUPER popular fashion instagramer, they promote Sphene and Peridot and Obsidians crafts on the side, which aren’t as popular as Beryl’s Instagram but they still make a good amount of money on Etsy.

Sensei is a boomer who still uses facebook.

NuGoshe? The new Filthyfrank.

[crimsonchimera]

The master is back! H is slowly returning from some health issues and was able to get Nosari’s fabulous self back together. I sanded all their seams as best I could, and now they’re sueded and assembled. Nosari will have better clothes eventually, but this will have to do for now. Shout out to Soom for these fabulous super gem heel feet and resin shoes. Wow! What a look! Nosari ~ Soom Super Gem Euclase . . 🌈Tags: #bjd #abjd #balljointeddoll #balljointdoll #bjdstagram #bjdsofinstagram #dollsofinstagram #dollstagram #instadoll #instabjd #crimsonchimera #bjdsofinstagram #soomdoll #dollsoom #soomsupergem #soomeuclase #euclase #Nosari #solfira https://www.instagram.com/p/CH5wBxfjLTv/?igshid=t3d3c1duza11

[chex-nix]

Thoughts on a hypothetical version of Adorabat where she's literally carved out of a gemstone? Like if she were a Sweetypie made of euclase, hemimorphite, topaz, or aquamarine? How about the idea of every Sweetypie being a living gem? (And before you ask: No, this has nothing to do with Steven Universe. What I had in mind was more akin to Land Of The Lustrous/Houseki No Kuni)

It sounds super interesting 👀👀👀✨✨✨✨✨ unique n I'm pretty sure I haven't seen it done

[houseki-no-suffering]

The HnK rocks as pasta

aka my greatest contribution to the fandom yet. tag yourselves

Padparadscha

bucatini. sexy. suave. the best thing since sliced bread. way better than sliced bread actually. tragically hard to eat. like spaghetti but with a hole in the middle for surprise splashes of sauce and tragic comparisons with a certain rock

Watermelon tourmaline

ravioli. creative and cute, lots of possibilities. hides its true power inside

Phosphophyllite

gnocchi. round. cute. SOFT. a baby. an actual baby. must protecc. 

Cairngorm

mac and cheese. problem child, italy hates it but the rest of the world thinks it’s legit pasta. trying to fit in, currently failing

Yellow Diamond

stelline. a metaphor for tears. tastes like grandma’s cooking and crushing disappointment. each star represents a different hope you lost as you grew older. smile and eat another spoonful

Alexandrite

spaghetti. traveled the world, ambassador of the italian culture. knows many things. too many things. hides trauma about being sold in tins under layers of sauce. lanky

Euclase

ditalini. cute, right? harmless, thats why you bought it. it was a stormy winter night and ditalini was the only pasta to welcome your frozen ass back home. you thought you still had some spaghetti left, but maybe you were wrong. you’re thankful, but not thankful enough. you buy new pasta. you never get to eat it. each time you open your pantry, ditalini is all you can find. you haven’t even bought ditalini in months. since winter started. when did winter start, exactly? it’s still cold, it’s been 6 months and it’s still winter. what’s happening to you? to time? to your pantry? you steal a glance at ditalini, looking for answers. the bag of ditalini smiles at you. this is okay. 

Lapis

candele. Feeds on chaos. looks stylish but secretly evil, never eat this pasta. no seriously. there’s no proper way to eat it, you can only break it in smaller pieces and it’s gonna be a mess in any case. also it’s super good so it’ll trick you into buying more

Bort

maccheroni. the perfect pasta, squared and practical, goes well with just about everything. regularly looks down on other pasta. You’re all unworthy

Diamond

farfalle. frilly and fresh. trust issues. looks cute but actually hard to cook. kind of underwhelming once you’ve had it a few times and farfalle knows. secretly wants to become maccheroni 

Zircon

penne. versatile, great with kids and with simple sauces. trying its best but hides behind maccheroni’s shadow

Cinnabar

filindeu. traditional forgotten pasta that only 3 grannies in a forgotten village in a forgotten region of sardinia still know how to make. looks intimidating, turns into literal soup. extremely edgy, hasn’t spoken to any other pasta in 2000 years. 

Amethysts

gemelli. twisted and kind of creepy. spin it in your hands. keep spinning it. it’s like Archimedes’ screw. spin it again, slowly. it’s an endless loop. it’s fascinating. you can’t stop staring. your consciousness is gradually leaving your body, soon you’ll be free of this physical shell. soon. 

Obsidian

lasagna. yeah yeah, the melted cheese looks like lava and obsidian is a volcanic glass. but also. is this pasta? is this a category in itself? how powerful is it exactly? and is obsidian a gem? a lunarian spy?? we may never know

Rutile

linguine. elegant and stylish. will slip away from your fork and from the conversation with a sassy remark. has a weird thing going on with bucatini but if you mention it, linguine will impale everyone in the room and then itself

Benito

fusilli. extremely underrated. 80% or the reason is because people are still fighting about what, exactly, classifies as fusilli. but you don’t need a dictionary to appreciate its uncomplicated goodness. someday y’all gonna run out of maccheroni and who’ll come to your rescue? who?? respect fusilli.  

Jade

tortellini. on good terms with everyone in the family. a little shy, tends to take itself too seriously. full of good intentions and very, very soft

Ghost Quartz

maccheroncini. mac ‘n cheese’s unproblematic sibling. no cheese, only mac. not so secretly empty inside

Red Beryl

reginette. swirly and creative. arguably the most stylish pasta around. looks like elegant ribbons and is not afraid to call you out on your horrible fashion choices. it’s not wrong though, where did you even find those socks?

Antarcticite

quadrucci. look at it. just look. isn’t it adorable? cute, tiny squares of regular size, arithmetic never looked so comforting. Good and unproblematic, only here to dispense your soup with love and understanding. Perfect for winter

Admirabilis

conchiglie. it literally means seashells. i know. i was running out of ideas. comes in different sizes and levels of pretentiousness, can probably speak latin 

Aechmea

ruote. wth. wth?? look at that, look at that it’s all weird. this is not pasta. everyone hates this. take this weird thing away from me

[king-paimon]

HNK Chapter 81 Leaks Thoughts...(all is not yet lost)

WELL. That happened.

This chapter definitely went in directions that I didn’t initially anticipate. You really can’t predict what’ll happen in this story, which is both good and bad. 

Of course though, I’m already seeing more hate posts about the earth gems, as expected. Sigh. I have a super long post I’m working on regarding my thoughts on the earth gems and the fandom’s feelings towards them and hopefully will post it later today. But anyways, I don’t think this post will be as long as my other ones because unlike the previous chapters, this one had me feeling very.... different. (LOL nevermind, it’s long again. So sorry!)

I know this will sound very strange from someone who is part of the HnK fandom but... this chapter left me feeling... “optimistic.” Like I said, this sounds VERY strange considering this is Houseki no Kuni, where happiness is an illusion, especially after the hell storm that happened in this new chapter but please hear me out!

At first, I was freaking out about how the story panned out in this chapter and was dreading what’ll happen next for Phos when he’s back on the moon. But after thinking about it for a good while, I’m glad he’s being taken back. In Phos’s current state, nothing can be resolved and talking civilly with the earth gems has been off the table ever since Phos took the other gems with him to the moon. I know many can argue the earth gems should've given Phos the chance to talk but think about it: given what Phos had said and done with the earth gems before coming back to earth the last time, realistically, negotiations between them specifically isn’t possible...for now. I’m going to talk more about this in my next post so look forward to it.

Anyways, the reasons why I’m glad that Phos is going back is because of one person: Cairngorm. My theory still stands that Cairn is going to have a big influence as to what will happen to Phos and the other gems from here on out. 

I have a strong feeling that whatever trust Cairn had in Aechmea is waning now after learning that the he’s been hiding very important information from them and the other gems. I’m predicting that Cairn will continue to play the ‘trophy wife’ when they’re around Aechmea, as shown in this chapter when they ask him what he wants to eat after the prayer failed. But, when they get the chance, I believe Cairn will go tell the other moon gems what was really going to happen to all of them and Phos, whether it be through the other gems or Cairn themselves, will FINALLY learn the full truth. It may lead to more sad Phos but he must know the truth regardless.

This could be Cairn’s chance for redemption and the story may progress with Phos and the other gems trying to figure out what they’ll do next. Maybe I’m being too optimistic right now and I know I shouldn’t get my hopes too high but I can’t honestly think of any other way the story can progress from here on out. (But who knows, Haruko Ichikawa may pull another fast one and have the story go in a completely new direction since she’s so good at it, that sadistic monster :’) )

Last thoughts (for now): Oh Padparadscha... you’ve gone through so much and now you can finally rest. I have so much respect for them and I know that his sacrifice was not in vain for Phos and the other gems. I’m hoping this incident will finally return Rutile to their senses and may lead to more changes with the earth gems and more redemption of sorts. We’ll have to wait and see.

Edit: It’s been brought to my attention that I forgot to mention Euclase and his role in stopping the annihilation prayer and his role in the story from here on out (Thank you, Topaz.) I think it was an interesting choice by Miss Ichikawa to have Euclase be the one to stop Phos and not Cinnabar but I actually like it. I think Euclase might be another key player for any hope of bringing the moon and earth gems back together since it was clear in Chapter 78 that Euclase was the only one who seemed willing to talk to Phos (or rather just his head somehow) and seemed genuinely sad that he got shattered. In fact, I looked through the chapter again and I don’t think Euclase joined the others in chasing Phos. Makes me wonder what Euclase will do now after what happened in this new chapter.  

Dang it! This post got long again, I swear this wasn’t intentional, but I think that’s it for now. This leak/chapter certainly was something. But probably for the first time in a while, I’m excited for the next chapter because hope for a happy ending isn’t dead yet. 

[ailixandrite2dot0]

You know, I am kinda mad that there is not much crossover of su and hnk, just a few super cool fanart of characters meeting and stuff. I mean I get it, the tone of the story and the themes and all, it’s all too different to make it a likely crossover, but I being me really want to see the nonbinary rocks all together

Once in a while I think about it, nothing serious, more about hnk gems in the su world than the other way around because the hnk world is super tragic and so. Anyway I was thinking of gem placement for them:

Phos has a chest gem. Then they are shattered and put in a forced fusion, obviously

Cinnabar has a back gem

Lapis had a face gem (cheek?) because between (SU) Aquamarine, Eyeball and Jasper I see a pattern. Probably same shape and placement as SU Aquamarine

Rutile has a forehead gem

Diamond has a chest gem

Bortz has a hand or arm gem

The Amethyst twins... They are twins because they come from a twin crystal, and if I am understanding it well, isn’t that the case of the gems of the (SU) Rutile twins? So they would be conjoined? Or emerged conjoined but managed to be separated

Yellow Diamond has a chest gem

Euclase may have a navel gem

Antarc also may have a navel gem

Ghost Quartz was a permafusion of which one component (Quartz? Clear Quartz?) was shattered and the other (I can’t spell their name) was left sad. The two probably had symetrical placements

My guts want to tell Padparadscha has a back gem but idk why

I still need to analyse everyone else

[magioftheseas]

Aaaaaaaa magi what do you think of HnK's latest chapter

A couple of things:

Can’t fucking believe I didn’t consider DiaBortz fight being a tie/both sides lose like jfc me that should’ve been the most obvious option.

I was totally right in Phos being alone though so I’m patting myself on the back for it.

As for actual content within the chapter:

tHAT SURE WAS A PRINCESS MONONOKE MOMENT, Y’ALL KNOW THE ONE. Like damn, my shipper heart would’ve gone insane if I wasn’t worried more about Phos. It still might be.

Lol at the earth gems getting shattered despite their pleas when that’s what happened to Phos centuries before. Not so great when the shoe’s on the other foot, huh?

I’m glad Euclase remained because they’re the one whose interactions with Phos I’ve been looking forward to the most aside from Adamant, but then I realized I fucking forgot about Rutile.

Oh, and Cinnabar.

I…don’t think Cinnabar will be the next treasure because like…they’re even frailer than Phos is, right? Unless Cinnabar bits grant the power of mercury, not really seeing how this would contribute to Phos sacrificing bits of their self to build a stronger one. So, I think Cinnabar will be fine. Ish. Eh. I don’t like to be sure in anything though since hnk just does whatever the fuck it wants sometimes.

I should say something about Benito…………but I don’t have anything to say. I just think the situation was kinda funny. Whoops.

Rutile’s the real wild card, I think but they’ve already been super involved before so maybe not… I feel like they should just stay completely uninvolved until the aftermath where they’ll be putting everyone back together but…that’s what I would do. I have no fucking idea what Ichikawa will do. Ichikawa’s a lot scarier than I am.

Hhhhhhhhh.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

[rutilation]

This chapter was largely exposition, so I don’t have quite as much to pick apart.  As such, this ended up being less of a wall-of-text and more of a bullet list.  That being said, let’s dive right in.

Aechmea’s explanation of how the Admirabilis came to the moon doesn’t add up with the information we got in volume 2.  According to Aechmea, the Admirabilis had been living on the moon for fifty years when the story began, and the multiple references we have to generations of Admirabilis indicate that their species doesn’t live very long at all—maybe around 25-30 years.  So there’s no way Ventricosus was alive before the Admirabilis supposedly took refuge on the moon.  And yet, she mentioned several times that she grew up in the waters off the coast of the gems’ island, even saying that it “still smells as it did before the Lunarians arrived.”  Now, it’s possible that she was lying about this, and it was all part of her ploy to lure Phos out to sea.  However, she didn’t really have a strong reason to do so—telling Phos that she grew up in miserable captivity and wants to see her ancestral homeland is just as likely to tug on Phos’s heartstrings.  Furthermore, when Aculeatus wakes up, he mentions being “close to home” and he was obviously in no state to get his story straight with Ventricosus beforehand. 

As some other people have pointed out, Ichikawa foreshadowed this chapter’s reveal that the Admirabilis have become cannibals all the way back in chapter 10, so I don’t think it’s a matter of Ichikawa making up a new backstory for the Admirabilis several years after the fact.  No matter how I look at it, Aechmea’s explanation seems phonier than a three dollar bill.  (Well, there’s probably some truth to his account of events; but my gut says that he’s—at the very least—leaving out crucial information.)

Even if we were to entertain the idea that his story is true, his explanation glosses over how and why the Admirabilis went from being refugees to being livestock.  If we generously assume Aechmea isn’t lying, the most charitable interpretation of this debacle still involves the Lunarians taking advantage of the Admirabilis’ plight in order to turn them into science experiments.  His spin on the situation really seems like it’s tailored to paint them as responsible for their own misfortune so as to discourage Phos from sympathizing with them.  I’ve never had the chance to mention this, but the moment in chapter 66 when Cicada mentions that foul-smelling gunk was sprayed on Phos’s avant-garde pillar bed to repel the Admirabilis raised alarm bells in my head.  Someone clearly didn’t want Phos getting too chummy with the snails.

To take a step back, the moments in which Phos interacts with Admirabilis are some of the warmest parts of the story.  The arc with Ventricosus was pretty much the only time when compassion won the day and Phos’s good intentions had good results.  In addition, the chapter we had with Variegatus was, in my opinion, the moment when the narrative affirmed that Phos hadn’t completely lost their capacity for kindness under Lapis’s influence. 

(Seriously, chapter 51 fills my heart with love, and also anxiety.)

Compare all that to the bad vibes that Aechmea brings to every panel he occupies.  Essentially, I think the way the story is framed strongly encourages the reader to put more stock in the Admirabilis’ version of events than Aechmea’s.

In this chapter, both Phos and Aechmea briefly say something ambiguous when the other walks out of the room before the narrative abruptly jumps to another scene.  Not sure what to make of that, but it seems deliberate.

I sure do love how Cairn can only be proactive and set goals for themselves when they’re literally trying to die.  Wonderful.

Their rather naïve attitude towards death in this scene makes me think that they too need to have a heart-to-heart conversation with a snail in order to fully grasp the concept.

This chapter suggested that Barbata and Aechmea have some shared history, which possibly sheds some light on Barbata’s attitude.  Chapter 73 implied that he feels pretty guilty about his culpability in the suffering that the gems and Admirabilis are enduring, which raises the question of why he’s involved in all this in the first place.  Everything we’ve heard about the Lunarians’ science experiments makes it seem as if that’s where most of the senseless cruelty is taking place.  So, why would an otherwise decent-seeming guy like Barbata have involved himself in it instead of opening an Italian restaurant or something?  That’s clearly what he actually wants to be doing.

Well, If he were ignoring his own conscience and going along with Aechmea’s plots out of sentiment for a friend, that might explain why he seems so ambivalent.  We don’t know much about him though, so this is all speculation on my part.

I also appreciate how lowkey alarmed he is by Cairn and Aechmea’s relationship.  It’s a very low bar to clear, but compared to the blithe cluelessness we get from the gems, and sycophantic fawning we get from the other Lunarians, it’s a breath of fresh air that one (1) character understands how fucked up this is.

I can’t wait to find out whether I’m right or wrong about Euclase because it will be terrible either way.  If I’m wrong about them I’ll be super embarrassed.  But if I’m right about them, then Phos is in for even more suffering.

On a more thoughtful note, I don’t think the future conflict with the earth gems is likely to arise from them accosting Phos with pitch forks the second they step off the vessel—I mean that might actually happen, but it’d get resolved pretty quickly. 

Chapter 71 made it clear that Phos heading back to earth with their tail between their legs is pretty much what Euclase wants to happen.  So, if things are going to get truly dicey, it’ll be if and when Phos continues to press the issue of Kongou praying for the Lunarians after the first couple refusals; and now that they actually have time to explain themselves, there’s a possibility that Phos being completely honest about what they’ve learned and what they’re trying to achieve might create rifts among the earth gems.  The truth can throw everything into chaos and all that.  If I’m right that what Euclase values most is the status-quo, then Phos may wind up becoming a liability in their eyes even if they’re no longer harassing Kongou with guns blazing.  And the possibilities which arise from that fill me with fear.

What I’m getting at is that I’m in desperate need of a story arc in which Phos goes to live with their snail friends for a while, allowing me to detox from both moon and earth related nonsense.  Make my year, Ichikawa.

[thatsnotbeautiful]

HNK ch 71 thought dump

- everyone wondering where Jade and sensei were during the raid... i guess now we know! - i like that the earth gems had a plan and weren't just fighting back to protect themselves... although there was that too. so now we have a situation where each side is trying to persuade the other, huh. - i like that they ultimately want to get Phos and the moon gems back on their side rather than simply writing them off? (presumably, anyway, i suppose it's possible they just want to get them back since having them there, telling the Lunarians about all their weaknesses, is risky for them, but i prefer to think they don't want to give up on their friends in addition to that...) - i'm excited about Jade & Euclase strategic duo having a chance to shine - i'm actually excited about Euclase taking the lead in all this planning, as well, and getting to see how they go about that. i agree that it's p brutal that their nice words to Phos were just a trick (although... i think they actually meant what they said, too, that they want to try and change things together? bc if they get the moon gems to come back they'll be together again), but... ever since Lapis i've been wanting to see a more manipulative character enact their machinations (i mean, there's Phos, but Phos is also ineffective bc they're Phos, and there's Aechmea, but Aechmea is a slimy bad guy so). ever since Euclase said they thought Lapis was "dangerous" and there was all that fanart of Euclase v.s. Lapis, i've also wanted to see something like that, so... i'm excited - i'm a big fan of how Sensei has given up his leaderly position and his role of protecting the gems so now it's the other way around. the gems have to protect him, and the gems have to teach him things he hasn't managed to learn himself. it's good (the "say thank you, not sorry!" is particularly... ow... my heart) (i'm assuming the reason why he didn't mend the gems before was bc of their society's seemingly very strict "everyone has a role to play" -- and mending ppl was Rutile's role back then. maybe that's changed?) - speaking of Rutile they look like they just had a very wild night out and now they're hungover omg... - i'm still wondering why Padpa and Rutile were so... like that... maybe Rutile being that aggro was all part of the plan too but somehow i doubt it - i love that everyone theorized Padpa would lose their hair BUT INSTEAD IT WAS BORTZ... they look cute but RIP Bortz's gorgeous signature silhouette :[ - i guess we've confirmed that breakages CAN be fixed with hair though (maybe it didn't work with Padpa bc their holes were too large??) - i'm unexpectedly getting Shinsha/Bortz dokis... - Shinsha worrying abt Phos and Sensei just being like "are u sure u don't wanna be with ur crush" though - Shinsha blushing... and everyone being appreciative towards them even tho the circumstances are not ideal at all sighs (super in line with the series' theme of "getting what u want but not in the way you at all expected/necessarily would've wanted after all" tho...) - "that smaller Lunarian" did they mean Cairn... they don't even recognize Cairn anymore lmao amazing - god that cut from the earth gems all happily being together to Phos isn't jarring at all - Cairn just dramatically smashing Phos' head bc they didn't wanna hear them blab...... - poor Yellow, i've become fonder and fonder of them throughout this arc (compared to before when i was just neutral about them), they're so perplexed, help them - so a good amount of time has passed between Phos finding Cairn and now - "i must inspect you thoroughly when we return" "can you not say that while we're out in public" *giggling* .................. - Phos hearing all that like getting stabbed with daggers and then waking up all alone after being repaired...... again.

[1unadiviner]

weird weird dream

inuyasha even tho i haven’t thought about it in years but i DID see gifs yesterday so i guess i’m just super easily influenced. i was wee babby inuyasha who’d been kidnapped and also had a skitty that was psychic. sesshomaru was itachi however and claimed he hated me but also was the one who saved me. skitty died using their psychic powers to help him though. we get back to this village in the forest? there’s someone there. they didn’t look like anyone in particular but there were orochimaru vibes and they wanted to kill me. the villagers were neutral on this. sesshotachi went to attack but got his back cut open and bled out in front of me.

dream switch. this one’s shorter. we’re downtown at my work. i’m antarcticite, following after kongou-sensei/master adamant, whatever we wanna call him. there’s a few other trusted gems- bortz and cinnabar and euclase maybe? we’re on the corner before my main station, right in front of our office- but it was a hotel. phosphophyllite was across the street, watching as we entered the lobby and then the elevators. we were abandoning them for their treachery. it wasn’t said, but i was the only one who looked back and i knew. they just watched us, not moving. we went into the elevator and went up, up, to the penthouse, which was our base. kongou-sensei went to rest, while we started cleaning up clothing and general mess. it was a comfortable place, but it had been abandoned for a very long time, and we were still patching it together.

there was more, but that’s about when i started waking up and started exerting more control over the dream, so it started making more sense and was more of a daydream

[pasdechat]

Thinking about the gems painting each other’s nails.

Phos making a mess of Cinnabar's hands (there’s glitter everywhere for days) Rutile using a mix of their yellow and Padparadascha's red Dia painting Bortz's nails a sparkly white and then painting their own a black color that has hints of red in it Yellow painting Zircon’s nails, alternating between yellow and orange and then doing the same to their own nails Jade being super serious about adding cute white accents to Euclase’s nails

[crimsonchimera]

The master is back! H is slowly returning from some health issues and was able to get Nosari’s fabulous self back together. I sanded all their seams as best I could, and now they’re sueded and assembled. Nosari will have better clothes eventually, but this will have to do for now. Shout out to Soom for these fabulous super gem heel feet and resin shoes. Wow! What a look! Nosari ~ Soom Super Gem Euclase . . 🌈Tags: #bjd #abjd #balljointeddoll #balljointdoll #bjdstagram #bjdsofinstagram #dollsofinstagram #dollstagram #instadoll #instabjd #crimsonchimera #bjdsofinstagram #soomdoll #dollsoom #soomsupergem #soomeuclase #euclase #Nosari #solfira https://www.instagram.com/p/CH5wBxfjLTv/?igshid=rr5zq3m0w55t