#i really love writing lapidot and even in the au. but i feel like this isn't the best of my works so far

[furashuban]

Vexation ch. 3- Small Talk

FINISHED A NEW CHAPTER OF MY LAPIDOT AU! This is my favorite chapter SO FAR

Link to AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12048483/chapters/30697680

It’s already an hour and half into the nightshift, and there were already a lot of things to do for the two employees to cope. Peridot sauntered out of the counter and headed to the part of the store where it looked like a tsunami washed up half the precinct. It wasn’t too far from the counter, nor was it too easy to look at. Before she decided she was going to take the chance and clean everything up herself, she made sure Lapis was comforted and taking her rest after being provoked by Ronaldo.

“Peridot, I don’t need to sit behind here. I feel calmer already” Lapis said fretfully.

Peridot stared openly at her. “Nope. You need to relax perfectly. And besides, I can still see your fist clenched.” She said. “…You’ve been working harder than me all night and all I’ve been doing is sleeping on the job.”

“Yeah but it’s only been an hour.” Lapis spoke again. “We can just continue on with that we were doing before and stop making this a big deal.”

The petite employee sighed. “Look, Lapis, I know when my girlfriend is troubled and now is the right time for you to take my place.” Peridot said cordially. “Maybe if you just let me clean up instead, I’ll stop making this a ‘big deal’.”

Lapis turned her eyes to the opposite way and solely considers. Of course Peridot would act like this, and sure as hell she felt secure about her overprotectiveness. Maybe it was best to just let her go ahead anyway. “Well���okay then. I’ll rest.” She said.

“Good!” Peridot kissed her on the cheek and ambled out of the counter. Lapis watched her gait while grinning and telling herself not to blush the hundredth time from her needless caress.

Peridot hums and drives her glasses up, trying to review the clutter. First thing she had to do was pull, or maybe push back the store shelf to stand up again. So she skulks to it and tries to NOT accidently step on a chip bag and pop it. The metallic shelf was now below her sight, also occupying a whole isle space to walk on as from what Peridot realizes. “Why the hell did that Fryman guy thought that this was a lever?” she thought.

Breathing in, she kneels down and puts her fingers underneath the downed shelf. Her limbs were now rising up along with the mantelpiece she was now carrying, and at the same time she was groaning high pitched. Gradually yet effectively, the shelf was back to standing up on its base. And Peridot had some parts of her hands paired to make sure it was not going to tumble. It looked like she had this power which was controlling the metal object. Then soon, it was finally upstretched and followed with a gasp.

“You’re stronger than you look, Peri.” Lapis thinks.

Now there were the dispersed bags of snacks muddled here, there, and everywhere in the area. But before Peridot could pick up one of them, someone intruded.

The two employees glance at Pearl’s office door that creaked and was opening gradually. Their manager was finally exiting her room and checking out what had happened, skulking and sticking her head out first. Then she gasps, terrified at looking at the dispersion. She quickly ambles out and panics frantic. “WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED HERE???” she exclaims.

“You mean you didn’t hear all the shouting and crashing from your office a while ago?” Lapis says cynically.

“Of course I heard that! That’s why I came out of my office.” Pearl replies.

“But why didn’t you come out sooner? We were nearly aggravated to death.” Peridot inquires.

“Enough of your questions you two…!” Pearl was amending her forehead and sighing frustrated. “Look just…one of you briefly explain to me what happened.”

Lapis chooses to do the explaining. “Well, an insane customer came in and thought this place WASN’T a convenience store, so he started trashing the place.”

Peridot slides into the clarifying. “But then she scared him off good. Now I’m cleaning up this mess.”

The pink haired manager respires again in both anger and confusion. An insane customer? Scaring them off? Pearl needed more contexts after that but she did not want to ask right away. “I was really close to calling 911 until I heard Lapis stopped exclaiming …” Pearl expressed. “…At least both of you look okay. Is there anything else to report?”

The employees shook their heads. Pearl takes one last gape at the dispersed snacks, glasses, etc. and faces the office door. “Your breaks are in 6 minutes. I’m going to write a record about what happened after this is all done…” she says. The doorknob was stretched and she walks back inside without notifying anything else.

“She didn’t even bother asking if I needed help…” Peridot complains. “Oh well…Back to work.”

She grabs nearest chips named CHAPS and puts it on the shelf. And then another from the other side. She knew that this was going to be one hell of a tedious job the more she returned every chip bag continuously, until her hand was suddenly seized. She looks upwards and sees that Lapis got out of her seat in the counter and tried to stop the petite employee from doing HER job.

“I have a system here when I’m arranging shelves. You’re clearly doing this wrong.” She utters. “I’m not going to sit around watching you work Peri. Let’s just clean up together.”

“Alright…”

6 minutes later and it was time for the two girls’ breaks and the store was surprisingly spotless again. Well, almost spotless anyway…There were still Sunchip packs by the end of the shelf and six minutes of time wasn’t really enough to clean. But they could forget overtime and those could be sorted up afterwards. It was time to do whatever they pleased.

“It’s 1:30 now. I’ll be outside.” Lapis realizes the break time and stands up. “Meet me there if you want.”

Peridot also rises from the isle and watches Lapis exit the store. The blue haired girl doesn’t amble too far from the entrance as she stops where they parked in the parking lot and lies beside the pickup truck. She doesn’t usually spend her breaks outdoors though, unless she just needed to smoke or something. But outdoors was something Peridot likewise needed after spending time inside a bright and quiet store. So she chooses to meet her outside.

Minutes later, Lapis overhears the entrance opening from the door’s bell chime. She was confident and content to know that it was Peridot coming to meet her. She didn’t feel like spending 15 minutes in a parking lot alone anyway. Peridot stops beside her and offers a small cup of a French vanilla cappuccino to her girlfriend. “Here you go.” She says with the cup in front of her vision and was then taken.

“This is like my 3rd cup of coffee by now, Peridot.” Lapis says.

Peridot leans on the truck beside her and then sips on her own cup of caffeine bliss. “It’s a cappuccino. They’re two different things.” Peridot says. “I know consuming too much caffeine is a little unhealthy, but it’s one way to keep us awake.”

It was quieter in the parking lot than it was in the convenience store, and also quite colder than the store too. Ventilation and static from the lightbulbs provided some sullen white noises. Meanwhile outside, there were crickets and light winds, and it took a while for any of the two girls to engage in some kind of conversation. This was more or less the perfect setting for Peridot to have a fetching conversation with her roommate. But what to talk about anyway? Probably something that isn’t too stubborn anything else awkward.

A handful of silent minutes have passed and Peridot sipped her hot drink before engaging to express what she now wanted to inquire. “Hey uh, Lapis…” She says without gaping at her. “I don’t know if you mind me asking this but…Remember those times before we moved in together?”

“You mean like how we first met and everything after that?” Lapis asks?

“Mhm. Those were pleasant moments, right?”

“I guess? We were seniors and you were taller than me.” Lapis says and chuckles. “And even though we barely knew each other at the time, you sure asked me a lot of questions immediately like I was your informant…” she recalls.

“I was new in the school! The principal told me you knew more about the place than I did so we just saw each other right on the spot!” Peridot protests.

“You weren’t really the most sociable type of person when we first met either.” Lapis says and Peridot replies with a grunt.

Their relationship goes way back to when they were around their high school years or so. Lapis was a sophomore and was in the school’s former swim team, and Peridot was new and was bound to be the smartest girl in school sooner or later. Peridot was pretty analytical when she and Lapis met in the principal’s office and began a small tour of the facility. And as for Lapis, she was a bland conversationalist for a tour guide. Every classroom Peridot was introduced to, the blue haired girl would give little to no information about the quarters other than what it was called. It was supposed to be an easy job until Peridot inquired all the contents, space, breathability, possible dangers, etc. And not only was it pointless, it was frustrating.

Both of them once stopped into the gym where Lapis had her swimming practices. “This is the pool. It’s where I go to swim.” She said.

“Hmm, has there ever been an occurrence where someone has drowned here?”

“Please don’t let me answer that. I have no idea.”

“…How often do you come here to swim?”

“I don’t know. Daily? Why do you care?”

Despite any blemishes, they were captivated by each other when the petite saw her future partner walk into the room and the other saw her seated nervously though. Lapis had the most impossible and stunning blue tresses that Peridot has never seen before. And for Lapis, Peridot’s blonde hair was just as immense as hers, and her freckles and glasses were just perfect blend adjacent to her dark green eyes. But appearances apart, nothing would really mesmerize them completely until they’ve spent the whole year together.

“We somehow ended up being in the same class, too.” Lapis says.

“I was pretty happy that we were together in the classroom.” Peridot says. “Well, I’m pretty sure you were in deep hell when that happened.”

“I was, but it’s obviously all good now.” Lapis downed her drink and began contemplating with Peridot. “But dang, it’s been a while now…I can’t remember what happened after that or how we even started hanging out.”

“I can recall what happened…” Peridot remarks. “We share the same interest in watching Camp Pining Hearts, even back then. And a week after we met, you caught me streaming Season 5 on my own in the cafeteria, and you were pretty intrigued. But you weren’t so caught up on the show than I was so, I let you watch with me.”

“OH YEAH. Now those were good times. And then we became friends.” Lapis says engrossed.

“Then we became BEST friends. And now, we’re dating and we live with each other!” Peridot acknowledges and both of them chuckle affably.

Lapis and Peridot developed their relationship closer from that story. Both of them already stopped recollecting their moments, but the story still continues. Eventually, Peridot would come to every swimming competition Lapis had and would be one of her biggest supporters, Lapis would partake and Peridot’s art and learn to make fanart with her, and continue to bond until they realized how much they enjoyed their own company. It was a euphoric sensation when the two opposites, yet so alike, would meet up weekly and daily. And now they were in college and all grown up, romantically dating each other and live happily in an oversized apartment doing the same things they did during their sophomore year.

Lapis checked her phone and saw what time it was. She was enjoying her time in the parking lot with her petite partner, and luckily they still had enough time to be outside. She looks up into the black firmament and found that it was as clear as ever. No clouds were obscuring the sky to become a dark abyss, and the stars were finally out just like what Peridot said earlier coming here. She walks nearer to the tailgate of the pickup truck and puts her almost finished cappuccino cup inside. And then she proceeds to put herself in the trunk by hopping in. Peridot hears her huff and turns to gawk at her.

“Lapis, what are you doing?” she inquires.

“Gonna go stargazing.” Lapis replies.

“On our truck?” Peridot asks.

“Mhm. I’ll be lying down on the trunk.” Lapis says, already lying down on her back against the base. She gawks at Peridot who was watching her outside the truck, and then goes to extend her hand to her roommate. “Join me, Peri.”

Peridot looks at her open grasp and grins lightly. She did not want to go stargazing since they were limited to how long they could watch the night sky. But anything for her blue haired girlfriend, and anything for spending time right. She clutches Lapis’ hand softly and climbs into the back of the pickup truck too. She was given some space to lie down beside one another and takes a few seconds to get cozy. Now it was just them and the pure night heavens.

“I looked this up one time. Another name for the trunk of a pickup truck is called a ‘bed’” Peridot elucidates.

Lapis chortles. “Huh, I wouldn’t mind putting a mattress here though.” she says. “Maybe we could put our TV on the tailgate edge too.”

“You’re a genius, Laz.” Peridot jestingly complements.

“But I’m not a bigger dork than you are though.” Lapis teases and suddenly wraps her in her arms, wrangling the petite’s hair that causes her to squirm and chuckle. She sighs in relief and looks upwards, grasping the sensation of their circumstances. “This is what I need right now. A good ol’ break with my smol girlfriend.”

Both of them try to identify which hemisphere were they facing from the truck. They were familiar with a bunch of constellations from both segments, and chiefly identified as Space Gays for their somewhat needless yet handy knowledge of stars. But tonight, all they could see were twinkling little dots connecting to nowhere. A star map could have been as convenient as their store to bring earlier.

“All I can see is Andromeda.” Peridot says. “I don’t know anything else without my tablet.”

“At least we found a galaxy.” Lapis says. “Do you just want to make up our own constellations?”

“That’s hard work but, sure.” Peridot replies. She points her finger to reach the sky and tries to make her own game of connect the dots. If only she were an actual astronomer so she could officially declare any random assemblage as a constellation. “Hmm…That one looks like a…giant hand.” Peridot says still pointing. “It looks malevolent and maybe wants to land somewhere? I’d sure want to control something like that.”

Lapis squints and tries to distinguish Peridot’s finding. “I…think I see it.” She says. “This one is mine. I’m sure you will recognize this.” Then she points her own hand into the sky and outlines the vague dots for Peridot to tell.

“Is it your tattoo?” Peridot inquires.

“Yep. I knew you would figure it out quickly.”

Lapis’ tattoo was located on her back. It was below her neck, right in between her shoulders, and literally just at the center of her back. It resembled a big tear drop but had a shining lighting that made it look more like a gem instead. Peridot thought it looked amazing the first time she saw it, and by now she has seen it numerous times for multiple reasons why. Lapis had planned on putting something really extra like putting wings coming out of the gem. That would really astonish Peridot for sure.

12 minutes have passed from their break now, and there was definitely not much time left either. The two girls had enjoyed their break outside in the parking lot in their pickup truck, having some small talk and pointing at random stars. If they thought about it, this was the best shift break they had in a while. Peridot relished the grasp of Lapis’ arm enfolding her body as they laid down on a cold tailgate. And the blue haired girl adored listening to her blonde partner chatter about nerdy stuff or stories of their past. This was exactly how they wanted everything to be…Bonding, caring for each other, and not worrying about anything at all.

One last question popped inside Peridot’s mind and needed to be answered.

“Lapis…” she says. “Have you once thought of leaving me alone…? As in if you were angry, would you just run off and never see me again…?”

Lapis felt some uneasiness hearing that. Of course her heart would break terribly, but this just proved how concerned both of them had to be. “Even if I could, I would never leave you out of a sight. I love you too much for that.”

[thatmomentwhen345]

Things I need to remember more often about being in the Steven Universe/any fandom:

1. My headcanons are not everybody’s headcanons and some headcanons get mistakenly spread around as canon.

Ex: I need to stop getting worked up when I see Lapidot fanart just because it is my headcanon that Peridot is aroace, but not everybody’s. I used to think it was canon because of the no fusion representation thing.

2. AUs can be ways of scooting around canon to get desired outcomes and that is OKAY!

Ex: It is canon that Garnet, as far as we know, is not interested in any relationships because she already is a relationship and loves herself that way. However, if someone ships Pearlnet or what have you, it doesn’t automatically mean that they are genuinely disregarding Garnet’s wishes. They could simply have an au where Garnet would be open to relationships. Stop overreacting you big baby (@ me)

3. If someone has an opinion you disagree with, move on. That’s that. Even if their opinion is problematic, they most likely won’t change their mind anyway so there’s no use getting upset over it. You’re just wasting energy.

Ex: if someone thinks that not-aged-up Stevinel is perfectly fine, or just ships it in general, keep scrolling bitch (again, @ me)

4. If you make a mistake, own up to it and apologize.

Ex: Okay this is a more specific story and I doubt that the person who was involved will ever see this but I just want them to know that I’m sorry if they ever do. As a Warrior Cats fan, shipping wars are inevitable and very common. A few years ago when I was dumb and closed minded I got in an argument (on Amino) about the ship Mothpool (Mothwing and Leafpool). I’m not sure why I didn’t like it, it wasn’t because it was gay, maybe I just was annoyed about how much Mothpool stuff was on Amino and YouTube, etc. idk man. But my argument against the ship was something like “Well Leafpool was with Crowfeather, so she has to be straight!” which is stupid I know. So the person I was in an argument rebuttals with something along the lines of “Do you even know what bisexuality is?” I was caught with my pants down here, I had no idea what that meant. I live in a fairly conservative area so I’ve had little to no education on anything regarding the LGBTQ+ community. I, panicking, responded “Of course I do!” Like an arrogant little bitch. I don’t remember if anything happened after that but I feel really bad about that interaction now. I don’t know if I’ll ever find that person again but I’m going to make some sort of apology post on Amino about it. I know better now and I am sorry that I invalidated the Bi’s. I still don’t ship Mothpool but only because I have negative connotations to the ship via my mistakes.

But anyways in conclusion, if you make a mistake, offend someone, or say something blatantly wrong, own up to it.

5. If someone on the Outside™️ of the fandom (or even someone who’s in the fandom) calls your fandom toxic, cringey, or just bad, it might be because they had a negative experience with it and it is most likely not your fault

Ex: If I gave an example I’d have to put a lot more trigger warnings

That’s it for today. I’ll put more if I think of any. I just really needed to write all this down. I still have a lot of guilt about the Mothpool thing. If I’ve hurt you with one of these overreactions I’m very sorry.

[experimentaldragonfire-fics]

experimentaldragonfire’s SU Fic Rec List

Stuck at home? Running out of stuff to read? I figured I’d put together a semi-comprehensive series of fanfic recommendations so that all the hours I’ve spent on AO3 over the years can be considered at least vaguely useful. A lot of these are quite old, so if you’ve only read more recent fics, you might find something that you haven’t seen here!

Please feel free to add your own links and recommendations--I personally would love more reading material! This list will focus on SU fics, but I’ll probably make more for other fandoms going forward if anyone’s interested. Bear in mind that, as I’ve mentioned, since many (most) of these were written a while ago, they might not represent exactly how the plot of the show progressed (though they now provide a pretty interesting look at the older fanfic tropes/theories!)

Also, upfront: most of these, when ships do appear, are Lapidot or PearlRose--clearly, I’m very narrowly-focused on what I read. And if one of your fics is on here and you want to be tagged, let me know and I will do so!

Steven Universe Fic Recs

General (None or canonical/background/multiple ships):

histories by avulle (T, F/F, Gen)

“Pearl (pearl) is born in what would have been the year 100,492 BCE. (She is not older than the entire human race—but only just.)”

An introspective look at the Crystal Gems through the years, written in a style that’s practically poetic and absolutely gorgeous.

Inferior Blue by hTeDruknenPotaT (M, Gen)

"Your name is Lapis Lazuli. Lapis is a fun thing to name your child when your last name is Lazuli, and when your name is Lapis Lazuli, blue seem like a nice color to dye your hair. It's fortunate that blue is your favorite color, that you manage not to despise it after all the blue you've been surrounded by all your life."

Lapis Lazuli meets a strange young boy who helps to heal the scars of her past.

The first time I read this fic, I stayed up until 5AM and cried into my pillow through the final chapters. And it continued to make me cry every time I reread it. Massive angst warning, but if you can handle fics that are beautiful but tragic, this is for you.

capacity by broken_halleluiah (G, F/F)

After a routine council meeting, Pink Diamond insists on repairing a broken piece of equipment. The result is far more than she bargained for.

A fic speculating on the nature of Pearls in Homeworld society, written well before we got to see any of that in canon. As such, it isn’t entirely in-line with later canon, but is still entirely worth reading.

Breaking Down by PTlikesTea (M, multi)

Rose's world view is shattered by a black market pearl and the realization that everything she knows about them is wrong.

An extensively long series of shorter mostly-self-contained stories exploring a version of Homeworld society where Pearls are considered as little more than disposable property. Major warnings for Pretty Much Everything--definitely keep an eye on the tags--but this is an iconic series of works, started in 2015 and predating many of the later revelations about canon Homeworld. 

A Gem and Her Pearl (Rose) by Potential Violet (G, gen)

Blue Diamond forces Rose Quartz to get a pearl, changing Rose's life, the pearl's life and the course of Gem history. All relationships begin somewhere, this is the beginning of Rose and Pearl's.

Another take on Rose and Pearl’s meeting, and the status of Pearls in Homeworld society (there’s a bit of a theme here with these recommendations). Again, predates most canon revelations regarding the topics, and predates all of the canon information about the Diamonds.

Pearl, Interrupted by AceyEnn (E, multi)

In August, Steven Quartz Universe was born.

In August, Rose Quartz died in childbirth.

In December, Pearl decides she can't handle any of it.

Or: Pearl Tries To Kill Herself And Ends Up In A Therapy Group Run By Her Best Friend's Mom (Well, One Of Her Moms).

Human AU focusing on Pearl dealing with Rose's death--or rather, not dealing with Rose’s death. Major content warnings for suicide attempts, self-harm, etc (please read the tags), but overall a very well-written story. Still updating, despite being first posted in 2016! 

Lapidot:

in which Peridot is Not At All Surprised by the sudden appearance of a new waiter by gaySpaceRock_exe (G, F/F)

Peridot meets the new waiter at her regular restaurant and immediately falls head-first in love. 

Cute and fluffy, what more do you need in a fic? 

Homesick by DrPaine (G, F/F)

An encounter at the Galaxy Warp.

Short oneshot predating the Peridemption/Barn Arc, can be read as friendship rather than romantic. 

Observation by DrPaine (G, F/F)

Peridot is a technician, meant to catch every detail. Not something she’s very fond of, but making yourself aware of your surroundings can be helpful, when you’re slipping into troublesome thoughts.

Incomplete but very much an introspective look at Peri’s character as perceived back in 2015-ish. Not as much focused on romance as on concepts of identity and anxiety. 

Of Stage Lights and Stage Fright by AcrylicPaint (M, F/F)

All Lapis wanted was to participate in the local production, but there was a minor element she hadn't taken into consideration when she agreed to take the leading role, and that was; dealing with the cute techie's constant staring.

That, and the fact she was beginning to stare too.

Human theatre AU, and an excellent completed multichapter fic. I remember that when I first read this, I was in high school and part of the musical, so it was a very topical read--and now it’s the height of nostalgia. 

No Regrets by Raptor_Red (E, F/F)

No Regrets, or, the story of how Peridot tried to romance the blue-haired tattoo artist from the parlor across the street

A personal favorite! The writing in this fic is just so nice to read, and though I’m not usually a fan of tattoo artist AUs, this one really managed to make the whole concept make sense within the story. I can’t count how many times I’ve read this fic. Please read this.

12 O’Clock at Your Local King Soopers by InsomniacArrest (T, F/F)

Lapis works late night shifts, Peridot is somebody's overworked assistant, they both need more sleep and better people skills: the grocery store story.

Is it a Lapidot fic rec list if I don’t include 12KS? Probably the most iconic fic for this pairing, with good reason. Also, consider this a recommendation for literally everything IA has ever written--there are too many good fics to name them all individually, otherwise they’d comprise half of this entire list.

Of Meteors and Minimal Speech by Waypaststrange (moonbeatblues)(F/F)

In which things at the barn settle down, nobody speaks much, and strange lights appear in the sky.

Vaguely fluffy oneshot, very cute!!

Awkward Office Encounters by SilverEyedRukia (T, F/F) 

Due to a broken down air conditioner on a scorching hot day the computers' overheated systems need fixing. Luckily for everyone a blonde technician is up for the job, but unbeknowst to them the IT nerd turns out to be someone they didn't expect her to be, especially not Lapis who kind of asked her out on a date already.

Human workplace AU, starts off relatively comedic but gets into Emotional Territory towards the end.

Camp Pining Hearts by kamanzi (M, F/F)

Peridot and Jasper return to summer camp after their freshmen year of college--this time, as counselors. Peridot is disappointed to learn that nothing is quite the same, especially her relationship with her best friend. Whose fault is this? She blames Jasper's girlfriend.

“‘Let’s go back next year and be counselors,’ she said. ‘It’ll be fun,’ she said.”

Human summer camp counselors AU that’s definitely long enough to use up some stuck-at-home-self-isolating time.

A Week by teamchaosprez  (E, F/F)

Who knew that a single night of drunken sex could push Peridot and Lapis from being roommates with a mutual crush to regularly fucking and maybe - just maybe - eventually becoming girlfriends and standing up to the homophobia surrounding both of their family lives.

A human college AU focusing a lot on working through interpersonal relationships and coming to terms with emotions

Set Me Free by cym70 (T, F/F) 

Being roommates gives Lapis and Peridot a lot of time to get to know each other and, despite their rocky history, they might just be able to make something entirely new.

A friends-to-lovers fic, post-Barn Mates. Very sweet!

Waltz of the Nian by QuickYoke (T, F/F)

Lapis doesn't understand fusion at heart, but she does know she's an unideal partner for it.

 Lapis' relationship with fusion, and also Peridot. A fic that basically encapsulates the ideal of profound prose that makes you feel things, even if you don’t precisely know how or why.

Pushing by Like Hearts by mautadite (T, F/F)

“Sounds like you’re really counting on that road trip magic.”

(Peridot and Lapis do Midway City, and Empire City, and Plateau Ville, and all the places in between.)

Canonverse road trip, because every rec list needs a “the characters go on a long journey together and find themselves, and each other” fic. And because this fic made me feel so many emotions.

A thousand years (F/F)

I have died a thousand years, waiting for you.

 Childhood friends-to-adult-lovers human AU, one of the fic tropes that always just punches me in the face with feelings.

[kiradillinger]

Florist and tattoo-master Lapidot AU

look who is not dead yet 

This was highly inspired by @jacklackolantern ‘s drawing. Thanks for letting me write this =)  Note: the art was just an inspiration, it’s not related to this AU.  It’s simple and short and I’m sorry for my English^^

Peridot is a florist, she has her own small store with flowers and room plants. She studied at the university to become a technician, and had floristics as her hobby, but because of bad and toxic relationships with one professor, she left her studying. This made her feel depressed, and most of her time she tried to forget about the Uni. She was bying lots of room plants to care about them and a few weeks after she realized that half of her apartment looked like a jungle. She understood that this hobby calms her down and she wants this be something bigger. Nobody pressured her anymore and didn't force to learn something she never wanted to know.

At first, she simply grew and sold flowers on the Internet, earning money from writing programms and fixing something, saving for her little dream.

A year later, she finally decided to open a small shop. She borrowed some more money from her friends' family and decided to give herself a chance. The shop was quite small, but the nearest other flowershop was quite far away, so things were going well. Clients were very different. Peridot remembered some and loved to talk with them, and wanted to throw a cactus in others, who complained about dying plants they never cared for.

Lapis dreamed of becoming a tattoo master from her childhood. Nobody supported her, nobody was against. She was a rather independent teenager, and when she came home with her first tattoo (she was 16), no one even scolded her. Years after, of course, she regretted about this tattoo and remade it into another. Now her sleeves are painted with sea waves. She draws sketches herself, and she had a small room where she did the tattoos, but it became too small for her, and as soon as she got an opportunity, she moved to the same place where Peridot's shop was.

Next to them, by the way, was also a store of board games and puzzles, owned by Pearl, and a store of vintage records, CDs and cassettes owned by Steven and Connie. In the same place was Lars’ and Sadie bakery, food court and a few more shops.

When Lapis moved, Peridot was already in this place for about a year. By the way, Peridot is ~23 y.o., Lapis ~25 y.o.

Only having moved, Lapis decided to walk through all the stores/rooms and get to know everyone. She wasn't a very social person, but the past has taught her: when moving to a new place it is necessary to at least say hi.  Meeting with Peridot turned out to be love at first sight, as people call it. Peridot, of course, didn't understand why Lapis was stuttering so much, and decided that she was just worried at a new place among strangers.

In their first meeting, Peridot gave Lapis a gerbera flower. "This flower means a smile and a good mood. I hope you will like it here. There are no bad people here. Pearl can be hella nerdy and act like a grandma, but she's okay too." Lapis felt like a teenager in love.

One day she decided to visit Peridot again, and casually asked her about the meanings of some flowers. Peridot spoke enthusiastically, and at some point Lapis realized that she wasn't listening, simply staring at her with a foolish, loving expression on her face. Peridot was so fascinated by the story that she didn't notice.

At their second meeting, Peridot gives her a tricolor tulip. "It means you have beautiful eyes." Lapis almost dies at her desk in her room.

They often have lunch together, or close their shops for half an hour to go and eat at the food court. Peridot admits that lately she was kinda sad alone, but seeing how Lapis is interested in flowers makes her feel better. Lapis feels embarrassed, but she really likes flowers. Although she likes Peridot more.

Once Peridot comes to her studio and asks how painful it is to erase a tattoo. Realizing that this is quite unpleasant, she is upset, and shows Lapis her old tattoo she made in uni – a few microchips on her shoulder, a symbol that someday she would become a cool technician. She shares her feelings that everyone was waiting for her to become a technician, but she betrayed her family's hopes, and she's not sure if she's doing the right thing now.

Lapis calms her down and says that if she likes it all, if she likes to give people beautiful bouquets and see their smiles, then this is great and she does everything right. And then she offers to change the tattoo and make a new one on top. Peridot asks what flower Lapis associates her with, and Lapis says "a sunflower." "You are sunny and cheerful and that makes me believe that everything will be fine in the future." Peridot smiles shyly and says that sunflowers would probably look good.

Lapis remakes her tattoo. It takes a lot of time, but in the end it’s great. Peridot asks how much money she owes, and Lapis replies that a cup of coffee and something sweet will be enough. She helps Peridot to take care of a fresh tattoo, and every time Peridot removes she shirt to give an acces to her shoulder, Lapis seems to be redder than the most red roses at Peridot's store.

These moments can't leave Peridot indifferent. She begins to notice how comfortable she is next to Lapis, and how Lapis cares about her, and that sometimes they don't look at each other like friends. And it seems that the entire mall thinks they are dating.

A couple of days after her tattoo is completelly healed, Peridot comes to Lapis and directly asks if she likes her. From such a question Lapis freezes, but Peridot looks serious, and Lapis, gathering all her courage, answers that, yes, she likes her. Very much.

Peridot exhales happily and gives her a white violet. “If you'd said no, I would give you a regular chrysanthemum. It means you are a good friend.” “Then what does the white violet mean?” “Let's try to be happy.”

[voidsung-icefire]

Is shipping ok?

I’m sorry if this might evolve into something really different about half way through. I am very frustrated by things I have been seeing for a while now and I just want to get it out of the way.

So shipping. Yes. Taking fictional characters and imagining them in relationships of various sorts. There are so many different reasons to ship, from thinking that the pairing has a lot of potential in canon, to simply thinking the two characters look attractive and wanting to enjoy some spicy art of them. There are as many different reasons to ship as there are ships. So...is shipping ever a bad thing?

It can be. It can definitely be in certain situations. The first being using it to taunt someone. If the only reason for your ship is so you can shove it in the face of someone you know doesn’t like it, then this is wrong. An example of this would be some people who ship Tracer with Soldier76 only so they can “fight back” against the LGBT community by annoying them with their art work. These shippers are not good. The second situation is a bully shipper, a person that goes and imposes their ship as if it had supreme value over others. Attacking people with different ships online, going as far as to attack creators of the original work because they believe their ship is somehow more important than what the original creator of the characers feels. An example would be certain Lapidot shippers who bullied a Steven Universe writer over the internet relentlessly because the characters were shown to be only friends in an episode she had a hand in writing. These behaviours are unacceptable.

But are their ships the same?

No. Of course not. The reason behind these specific shippers shipping, and the behaviour they had towards others are wrong, cruel and entitled. But others may like these pairings for different reasons and behave in a well mannered, polite and kind way towards others. It is not wrong for them to like these things. It is not the ships that are bad in this case, it is the behaviour of the people that is wrong.

Overall, shipping is ok. It is not canon. It is a fan creation. One can recognize the canon, appreciate it, and still make art of a different ship on the side for a multitude of reasons. And that’s ok. Maybe a canon pairing wasn’t to your taste, like how Katara ended with Aang in the Last Airbender. Maybe you would have liked her to be with Zuko more. You know that Aang was the one to get the girl in canon. You respect that. You can still make art and AU fanfiction where Zuko gets her in the end.

What about McHanzo? Big Overwatch ship. Entirely non-canon. The two characters have never met. McCree displays a very seductive personality with several lines particularly directed towards women. And although he can be bi, he himself stated one of the reasons Ashe was never his type is because she’s rich. And Hanzo is very much rich. And even has that rich kid snooty attitude. Nowhere near a canon ship. But it’s everywhere. And it is allowed to be. People are not doing anything wrong by making their own worlds where these characters can be together.

Maybe Widowtracer? Widowmaker was brainwashed and no longer feels most emotions, including love. Tracer currently has a very lovely girlfriend in canon. So Widowtracer is very much non-canon. But it is still ok to ship these two. For a number of reasons. Some just find them hot. Some want a Widowmaker redemption and see Tracer as a way for her to move on from her past. Some want the three ladies together as an OT3. You can write up various scenarios where Emily leaves Tracer for various reasons, and that is completely fine because that’s what fanfiction is all about. It’s your take on the scenario presented for you.

Maybe Pharmercy? Ah. An interesting one. Also entirely non-canon, but for a reason some more..distasteful people...seem to ignore. We have a bit of a Lapidot situation here, because, you see, Mercy is intended to be with Genji in canon. The two write letters to each other in the Christmas comic (the same comic that revealed Tracer to be gay, first showed Torb’s wife Ingrid, had Jack holding a picture of his ex Vincent, showed Ana’s ex Sam, showed possibly Reyes’ daughter he had with his ex, showed Widowmaker at her late husband’s grave...) and were intended to get voicelines during Valentine’s Day where they would exchange chocolates. A very romantic gesture. Well...some Pharmercy shippers threw a fit, bullied the creators and now those voicelines have never been pushed to the live game. But they still exist. So these specific shippers had bad manners and are thus wrong, but Pharmercy as a ship is still completely fine. If you recognize the canon, respect it, but still want to make art of these two ladies together for a number of reasons, that is completely acceptable.

And what about intercanon pairings, pairings that go as far as to break the boundries of fictional universes to bring characters together. Like Jack Frost with Elsa, or Merida with Hiccup. Characters that will never meet because they are from different worlds made by entirely differnet companies. And those are also ok. Completely fine. Go express yourself. Make art.

Now here’s why I was upset enough to write this. I have long been witnessing immense levels of hypocrisy in the shipping community. Where some ships are put on holy pedestals and considered to have some sort of moral superiority. And all other ships are somehow inherently wrong and the people who ship them, terrible people.

So here’s the question: is it ok to ship a canon gay character in a straight relationship?

And to that I answer...is it ok to ship a canon straight character in a gay relationship?

If you answer no to one but yes to the other....why is that? Why is it okay for one way but not the other, when both are exactly the same. Yes, canon, breaking canon...most shipping is breaking canon. All fanwork is breaking canon in some way because only what the creators create and declare is canon is, well...canon. So why is some canon breaking considered ok when others are not?

I’ve heard the justification that you can’t ship a gay character in a straight ship because that is just a too important trait in a character to break. But why would the other way be ok then? Why is it ok to break the sexuality canon with straight characters but not gay ones? What about genderswaps? Would all rule63 fanart be inherently wrong because you’re breaking an important canon aspect?

What about all the reboots with different looking people in the lead? So let’s say...should Miles not exist because Spider-man was originally white? All the films that cast a woman to play a character that had always been established as male? These reboots have a right to exist. It’s artistic expression. It’s remix. It’s perfectly acceptable. Of course, there will be some backlash, there always is when you reinvent an established character that already has a sizeable fanbase. But ultimately, it is a matter of opinion on if someone likes the new version of the character or not. The new version its self is not right or wrong. It just...is. It just exists and does its own thing in its own way.

There are people who act like certain characters are inherently a certain way because a certain group somehow has....ownership...of the character. That Spider-man can only ever be white because he was white and belongs to white people. That’s not how that works. A character does not...belong to whatever arbitrary group because they have certain characteristics in common.

A character...is personality. It is actions. It is feelings. A character...is someone anyone could potentially relate to. That anyone can potentially like and dislike. It always just...baffles me when people act like they can only like and relate to a character if that character is an exact mirror of themselves. When I was a kid, I liked to watch Danny Phantom. And I thought he was cool. I liked how he had super powers. I liked how he fought the ghosts. I never once thought I couldn’t like him because he was a boy and I’m not. In Overwatch, I main Reaper. He’s an older latinx American man that I headcanon as bisexual. I am literally none of those things. He’s still my favorite. Soldier76 is gay. I’d say since most of the population is straight, it’s safe to assume most Soldier mains are straight. Should they stop playing this character because he’s gay and is somehow now off limits to straight people? No, of course not. Everyone can like or dislike any character.

Everyone can ship any character with any other character.

And some people don’t like that. Some people think...that certain groups...should have different sets of rules.

That’s not how it works. That’s not how equality works.

We are all human beings. If it works one way, it has to work the other way in return. A white character can be reimagined as black, a black character should be able to be reimagined as white. A male character can be rebooted as a female character, a female character can be rebooted as a male character. A straight character can be in a gay ship, a gay character should be able to be in a straight ship.

Some people think that certain groups should have different sets of rules. And that is unacceptable. You are not inherently better or more special or more important than others based on arbitrary traits you have had since birth.

If you think that certain people should have fewer rights based on the color of their skin, you are a racist. If you believe that certain people should have fewer rights based on their gender, you are a sexist. If you believe that certain people should have fewer rights based on their sexual orientation, then you are some form of bigot.

We are all human beings. We are all equal. We have the same rights, we play by the same rules. And if you advocate for something other than that, then you are not advocating for equality, so stop using that as your excuse.

Like the only group that should have special preferential treatment is people with disabilities because they simply cannot function properly if everything was left the same as it is for the majority of people. People in wheelchairs cannot use stairs. They need better access. That’s a given. But even they have the same laws, the same rights.

If you really still think that you deserve special treatment, that you should have additional freedoms, that certain people inherently deserve less than you and should have more restrictions placed on them, based on arbitrary traits they were born with and had no control over, then you are a terrible person. If you are going through a whole load of mental gymnastics and reaching out to find justifications for why you somehow deserve more than other people based on these traits, then you need to get out, talk to some real people and reevaluate certain things. If you can justify giving less freedom to others based on these arbitrary traits, you are opperating on the same mindset as genocidal tyrants.

And freakin read Animal Farm. If you haven’t, I’ll give you the TL:DR

Human farmer is an oppressor to the animals. The animals kick him out and establish equality. The pigs, after some convoluted stuff, decide that they deserve preferential treatment. The pigs thus become the oppressors over the other animals. The cycle continues, implying the pigs will be one day driven out and some other group will find some bs excuse for why they deserve more rights than the rest. Featuring the iconic line:

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

[jacklackolantern]

Angel AU [Aka me reading too much Neil Gaiman]

[[the quotes used are from Niel Gaiman I did not write them, thought they’d just sound nice in this Lapidot AU]]

[They were on the rooftop of Lapis’s apartment building. Lapis silently looking out to the city and stayed even as it started to rain, she had a lot on her mind lately, most prominently the blonde haired angel that had barreled into her life just a few months ago.]

[She found out that Peridot had been temporarily assigned to Steven a Nephalim child, when his usual guardians were out on some business. Lapis was just the human that babysat him when Greg his dad couldn’t be around to take care of him. At the time Lapis’s life was slowly falling apart. No job, except well watching Steven when needed, no family or friends to support her, a college drop out, just got out of an abusive relationship, she would have been homeless if Greg hadn’t let her stay in one of his studios]

[Then Peridot came along. Steven had introduced her as one of his cousins, though there really was no family resemblance at all, that and Peridot acted like such a huge snobby bitch that it was impossible she was related to Steven at all. The fact that during the introduction she was wearing a white suit that just screamed arrogant pompous ass did not help. It was hate at first sight.]

[The next few months however, even after her assignment with Steven was done, the blonde angel would fly in to annoy her every now and then. “Steven asked I look out for you” she said in that annoying nasally voice]

[While that was sweet of Steven and really so like him, it wasn’t needed. Or so she thought. Peridot had spent most of her days with Lapis ever since and was sort of a psuedo guardian angel to her by the time the first month was over.]

[Peridot would remind her to eat, sometimes brought her food, woke her up when she overslept, she even managed to land a job thanks to her and when the nightmares came, the blonde was always there in heartbeat to chase them away.]

[And Lapis… Lapis was ashamed and scared to admit that she actually loved the company. Loved that someone was there that seemed to give a damn about her. Even though they were just asked to do so. She didn’t want to get any close, not this time and not again. She didn’t want to let anyone in anymore… but Peridot]

[The angel had easily wormed her way into Lapis’s heart, had somehow found a way in and Lapis wasn’t sure if she wanted her to leave. She had gotten attached, she was probably falling in love and that was dangerous for someone like her. ]

[Again she had closed herself off, from both Steven and Peridot, no matter what they tried to do she refused to talk refused to even be anywhere near either of them.]

[Peridot had finally confronted her about it and like always Lapis had lashed out]

Peridot: Lapis were all worried, as much as you find it hard to believe we care about you, I care about you!

Lapis: [she looks away] I… know… believe me I know…

Peridot: then why are you shutting yourself off from everyone!?

Lapis: BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO GET CLOSE TO ANY OF YOU! I’M NOT LETTING ANYONE IN, NOT AGAIN!

Peridot: Lapis… [she tries to reach out to her but pulls back her hand when Lapis flinches away] Lapis, I know… I’ve seen and Lapis, I promise none of us will ever hurt you the way they did.

Lapis: You don’t know that.

Lapis: [she looks at Peridot] You once told me you didn’t know a lot about love. Well let me tell you then what it is. Its horrible. It makes you vulnerable. It opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess it up.

[she grips her chest and is now glaring at Peridot, as if she was the one to cause all this and in truth a part of Lapis did blame her for feeling this way.] You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life… You give them a piece of you.

[she looks away, trying not to cry] They didn’t ask for it. They just did something dumb one day and, like smile at you, care about you, and then your life isn’t your own anymore. Love… love gets inside you, it eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so a simple phrase or word like “maybe we should just be friends” or “goodbye” turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart.

Peridot: [quietly stands in front of Lapis as the girl poured out all her pain and hurt, wishing she could do something to ease it, to make it go away]

Lapis: and it hurts. Not just in the imagination, not just in the mind. It’s a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love.

Peridot: [no… no that wasn’t it] Lapis [and she approaches the raven haired girl]

Lapis, its ok and I understand if you’re scared of it [she reaches out to hold one of Lapis’s hands in hers]  but you don’t have to be alone.

Steven, Greg even Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst, they care about you.

Lapis, I-I care a lot about you to I- [she wanted to tell her the truth, but before she could Lapis gently pushes her away and walks out the room]

Peridot: Lapis...

========================================================

Lapis: [was on the rooftop, looking out into the city, paying no mind as the rain completely drenched her from head to toe]

Peridot: You know when I said I knew little about love? That wasn’t true. [she approached Lapis, spreading her right wings to shield Lapis from the rain]

I know a lot about love. [she looks up at the sky as the rain fell over them] I’ve seen it, centuries and centuries of it, and it was the only thing that made watching your world bearable.

All those wars. Pain, lies, hate… it made me want to turn away and never look down again, never come back down. [she smiles and looks at Lapis, who still refused to look at her] but when I see the way humans love, you could search to the furthest reaches of the universe and never find anything more beautiful.

And yeah I know love is unpredictable, unexpected, uncontrollable and at times unbearable, it’s also very easy to mistake for loathing. [she chuckles turning away and looking out into the city] But I also know its unconditional.

I- Lapis… what I’m trying to say is… I think I love you. [her right hand inches closer to Lapis’s left, when she doesn’t feel Lapis flinch away at the contact, she gently takes Lapis’s hand in hers.]

I never imagined I’d know it for myself. My heart… it feels like I can barely contain it. Like it’s trying to escape because it doesn’t belong to me anymore. It belongs to you.

[She looks down at their hands and then at Lapis] And if you wanted it, I wouldn’t ask for anything in exchange, no gifts, no deals or demonstrations of devotion.

Nothing but knowing you loved me too. Just your heart, in exchange for mine.

[ajora]

Hopefully this will work because I am in a restaurant on my tablet and mobile tumblr is weird asf.

Yeaah. I get frustrated in SU fandom (a medium with mostly female main characters, incidentally*) especially because Jasper, Bismuth, and Amethyst get so much hate and guess what? They’re not the standard slender femmes. Jasper and Bismuth are subject to a fantastic amount of butchphobia, especially from guys who consider themselves “woke” and make jokes about them being unreasonably angry. And that’s especially suspect with Bismuth because she’s *coded* black*. The same guys who, incidentally, think Lapis is a poor pretty uwu delicate water angel who doesn’t want to hurt anyone honest uwu (nevermind, of course, that I think RS?, has gone on the record saying that Lapis wanted to take her problems out on someone and Jasper was convenient. Jasper was a) much less powerful than Lapis, b) subject to months of emotional abuse at Lapis’ hands. But, of course, it’s Jasper that’s the abusive brute and Jasper who’s painted by fanfic authors as an animal who deserves Lapis’ abuse and shattering at her hands). When a slender jasper turned up on the show, Jasper fans were told to stop liking the original because Skinny Jasper is the good jasper, even though she appeared for like a minute and we know nothing about her. When Topaz appeared, we were told that we finally have a "nice" butch to like and can stop liking Jasper and Bismuth now. And so on. 

And Amethyst? She’s a tiny little chubby who is coded Latina, and lapidot fans rip into her and her fans all the time because she’s “fat” and gross and totally doesn’t deserve to be shipped with Peridot. Up until I turned off anon asks a few months ago, I was still getting “kill yourself” messages from angry lapidot fans for daring to like Amethyst. And, of course, if anyone vents frustration about Lapis getting away with things (abusing Jasper for months even though Lapis herself is more powerful, creating a living situation where Peridot did not feel safe enough to express herself or thoughts she felt might incur Lapis’ wrath) and her fans being assholes, we’re all suddenly just mad because she’s ~*~depressed~*~ and secretly we all just hate women.

So, yeah. Woman-majority mediums has their problems, too.

Anyway! I think you’ll like B5, too. Just some notes: It’s not DS9 and was intended to be a novel for television, so it has a lot of novel-variety overwriting in the dialogue. I think it’s fun, though, and enjoy rewatching to pick up all the foreshadowing. Also, B5 really didn’t make a whole *thing* about its same-sex representation the way Dax’s ex-wife did when that episode came out (or, say, evil!Kira falling into Evil Bisexual tropes). It’s just really kinda subtle and you get whammied with the admission in season 3 if you weren’t already open to the growing relationship between those characters. And, of course “you’re just a nice couple on honeymoon” said to a couple of guys going spying to another planet. So I thought that was nice. And the science felt a lot more natural to me. 

Anyway, I love B5. I like Star Trek, too, but B5 filled in all the little cracks in my soul when I was a lost, angry, hurt little late-teenager/young adult and I’ll always love it for that. To quote something I needed back then: “Babylon 5 was the last of the Babylon stations. There would never be another. It changed the future and it changed us. It taught us that we have to create the future or others will do it for us. It showed us that we have to care for one another, because if we don't, who will? And that true strength sometimes comes from the most unlikely places. Mostly, though, I think it gave us hope, that there can always be new beginnings. Even for people like us.”

* Although boy is it telling that most of the male fans all glom onto Steven and the minor male characters/townies or create male gems outright rather than bother with writing the gems, who are generally coded female and stated by RS to be nonbinary women. 

** I would argue that Jasper is coded some variety of minority, but I’ve seen crewniverse human AU art that suggests otherwise and lord who even knows anymore. But she’s Native to me because a) her birthplace is literally on reservation land, b) that whole thing with her being made in a crappy Kindergarten and her sisters being substandard to gem norms. Peridot trash-talking the place sounds a lot like gringo tourists going through the reservation and trash-talking the housing situation and lack of amenities. (NB: While I have been living on the reservation for the past few months, I’ve not grown up here and don’t have the long-term effects of growing up here. *But* I have memories aplenty of spending every summer in a poor, tiny little village in Mexico and crossing the border every time because my parents didn’t want to deal with me, and that had a huge impact.)  

[criticalalexandrite]

Why do you hate each of those episodes?

1.) The Zoo The fact that it took an environment that mirrored real life human zoos and even if you ignore that the humans there are in fact slaves,. Because they were most likely kidnapped there and they’re not allowed to leave. But then the show had the nerve to make light of that kind of situation.2.) That Will Be AllThe beginning of The Great Diamond Woobification, which killed all my hope for the Diamonds being interesting and complex villains. Also why didn’t Holly Blue notice that Pearl wasn’t wearing a Homeworld outfit? That really distracted me.3.) RocknaldoThe episode was falsely advertised and all it did was flanderize Ronaldo rather than…properly develop him which was annoying.4.) The Trial There’s so many plotholes in this episode I’d have to make a whole post addressing all of them.5.) Three Gems and a BabyPearl trying to kill baby Steven and not being called out on it ruined the whole thing for me. Also the moment of the Crystal Gems attacking one of Steven’s babysitters was less charming and more annoying for me.6.) Beach City DriftStevonnie being told that being rightfully angry at Kevin for harassing them makes them just as bad as Kevin is a gross moral, especially for kids. (The one thing I loved this episode was Stevonnie officially being given they pronouns. Bless. Ok and also the joke about Greg REALLY loving his car, that was legit gold.)7.) BismuthI don’t even need to explain this one. Just look at the other SU critical blogs that feel like Bismuth was unjustly treated. Becky even revealed through the release of the art book that Bismuth is an anti Black Lives Matter caricature. Considering the “reverse racism” execution of the episode, that’s horrible! And incredibly racist!8.) Gem HarvestEpisode moral was crap because it basically said “You HAVE to forgive your bigoted relatives cuz they’re family!” As if found family isn’t a completely viable option in these cases. As if tolerating relatives who want the POC family members dead/enslaved is wiser than hating said oppressive relative. As if in real life this approach to forgiving bigoted relatives would actually work. Also the deportation jokes were absolutely disgusting. What are you doing CN sensors? Also Pumpkin being brought into the show just to be a cutesy mascot was annoying9.) I Am My MomThe Crystal Gems being so stupidly useless so Aquamarine can seem strong was annoying. Steven not fusing with Connie to beat up Aquamarine and Topaz was annoying. Steven sacrificing himself to “atone for his mom’s crimes” was annoying.10.) Lion 4: Alternate Ending A needless fakeout episode that could’ve given us more lore on who or what Lion is but didn’t for no reason.11.) Steven’s DreamRacist Korean joke, beginning of Blue Diamond’s ugly design and woobification and a stupid reason for Steven going to Korea with just Greg. ALSO WHY DO NO HUMANS IN KOREA NOTICE THE GIANT BLUE WOMAN SHOWING UP EVERY FEW YEARS. WHERE IS THE GOVERNMENT IN SU. ANSWER ME, REBECCA.12.) Barn MatesOOC Lapidot fanservice clearly done just so Zuke can have her Lapidot roommates AU fantasy, which I thought was annoying. In all seriousness though I was originally looking forward to this episode. I wanted the show to make me like Lapidot. But it didn’t because I didn’t enjoy the new dynamic chosen for them which to be honest doesn’t really fit them imo. It also gave birth to neon gremlin Peridot which I will never forgive this episode for doing.13.) Cry For HelpMade Pearlnet toxic when it didn’t need to be. Pearl originally shuns Sugilite because of Garnet and Amethyst’s sensual dance, yet her dancing for the Sardonyx fusion is some of the most sexualized fusion dancing so far. Villainized Garnet for getting mad at Pearl when Pearl literally manipulated her. None of the gems were on Garnet’s side (except Ruby, we later find out)  which is a questionable writing choice. Demonized Sugilite again at the end for no reason other than crewniverse might need to work out some worrisome world views.14.) Steven’s BirthdayOOC Connverse moments and makes Steven’s aging process even more confusing to avoid drawing an actual teen Steven.15.) The New Crystal GemsMore Lapidot fanservice filler, Lapis saying “I almost drowned a lot of people” and Pumpkin is still annoying for me.16.) Adventures in Light DistortionOne of the worst filler episodes to date imo (third to Rocknaldo for me and Gem harvest is second worst filler episode), the Steven crying scene was annoying even if half-understandable, no proper seizure warning for the ship’s lightspeed mode animation, the whole aspect of how the Red-eye ship travels doesn’t fit with how it functioned in past episodes and the Crystal Gems still not putting any effort to help the Rubies who are hardly a serious threat was annoying.

[h2-ohmygosh]

My favorite lapidot fanfics

Here it is!! The compilation of my most favorite lapidot fanfics to celebrate this blog reaching 1k followers! I want to thank every single one of you for staying around and enjoying this lovely ship with me! It means a lot really X3

Now on to the goods under the cut~

💚💙

Set Me Free by cym70

Rating: T

Last updated: Finished

I remember I was avidly looking for some fics involving the development between Barn mates and Beta, I really wanted to see how these 2 became so close, and this fic gave me a wonderfully written, emotion filled story. 

I just love the pacing here, the author didn’t rush anything. Soft and slow and so lovely, everything I coud ask for in their development -afterall they had all the time they wanted. But still not satisfied, there’s something that just completes this fic, that you’ll have to discover for yourself when you read it ;)

Warnings: risk of fluff overdose, some slight angst in the middle.

💚💙

Of Stage Lights and Stage Fright by AcrylicPaint

AU: Human

Rating: M

Last updated: Finished

If you like theatre you’ll surely love this one. I myself learnt a bit more about productions, as an example of how much effort was put into this story. There’s just so much emotion and detail it’s a pure joy to read. There’s s/exual tension and slow burn too, but trust me you’ll love it as much as I did.

Warnings: Drinking, drunk fights, Lapis has one case of anxiety but nothing too bad, s/exual tension.

💚💙

12 O'Clock at Your Local King Soopers by InsominiacArrest

AU: Human

Rating: T

Last updated: Finished

Definitely my favorie story from the lapidot fanfic queen Insomniac Arrest. It’s a long ride, slow burn, but totally worth it. I really admire how much characterization is put into this and with such realism. She wasn’t afraid to touch some themes that were important for the characters to grow, and there’s lots of fluff and subtle references from the show too! The ending is the sweetest thing and I’d rather not spoil anything than gush about all my favorite parts, but I’d love to talk more about it with anyone who’s read it!

Warkings: Stalking, accidental overdose, angst. DO NOT read if you’re sensible to these subjects.

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Becoming Human by Gemology

AU: Domestic

Rating: G

Last updated: 2017-01-06

This au is peculiar, written before Barn mates and the “new era” of lapidot, this story offers a different perspective on Lapis and Peridot living together on earth. It features interpretation of their personalities from the earliest lapidot days, with Lapis being the funny easy-going one and Peridot the more reserved of the duo. Regardless, it’s a good read with interesting scenes and a captivating writing style. The story isn’t finished but I kinda like where it stopped, it leaves it to your interpretation how they’ll go from there.

Warnings: Lapis has a sort of panic attack (won’t give details bc spoilers).

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Lapidot Tuesday by Silver-Eyed-Rukia

Rating: T

Last updated: Finished

I think this was one of the first fics I ever read in the lapidot tag that I really enjoyed. The dialog here is on point and flows so nicely, and I like how the author connected the prompts from lapidot tuesdays into a plot! Well thought out and enjoyable.

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Sensation by DrPaine

Rating: G 

Last updated: Finished

*Cough* I, well, you see… Okay, I confess. I’m trash for peri eating glowsticks, even more if there’s lapidot in it. The writing style here gives a hazy, almost dreamy feeling I appreciate too.

Warnings: Sensory overload? (but like in a good way)

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Oh Undone by saltyspacerock

Rating: G

Last updated: Finished

This one explores some angsty thoughts with Lapis in a wonderful writing style. I personally like to think that Peridot was just poofed here, but that could be up to your interpretation.

Tip: Listen to the song linked before you head it, you won’t regret.

Warnings: Angsty, it could be interpreted that peri was shattered or not present anymore.

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Pushing By Like Hearts by mautadite

Rating: G

Last updated: Finished

Peridot and Lapis go on a road trip!! This is the type of fic that I cherish dearly because it’s so sweet and happy and lovely. This is just fluff, all fluff that warms your heart and makes you cry with joy (or at least I did), seriously read it. There are some bonuses that I’ll let you guys find out for yourselves though~

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Oops by TheDeathEcchi

Rating: G

Last updated: Finished

A tiny fic with a lovely idea, I just couldn’t let this one out of the list.

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That’s -Your- Fault! by favorite

Rating: G

Last updated: Finished

Ah another one with good'ol limb enhaced Peridot. I just find this one really peculiar and it explores a curiosity I’m sure most of us already had.

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Out With The Tide by PeridotBestWaifu

Rating: G

Last updated: Finished

This one is just wonderful. I love how much thought was put into showing us what goes in Lapis’ mind here, and things escalate in such a realistic way I could think this was another episode, except with much more feeling. Also Peridot is a sweetheart.

Warnings: Beginning of a panic attack.

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Curtain in 5, 4… By KingRiles

Rating: M

Last updated: 2017-05-18

I haven’t even finished reading this one yet, but I can tell it’s a good story. And also we need more amputee!Peridot AUs???

Warnings: (taken from the tags) drinking games, homophobia, implied s/exual content, PTSD, some angst.

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Like Couples Do by InsominiacArrest

Rating: T

Last updated: Finished

This one is a sweet oneshot focusing on their playful banter while playing “hide and seek” :3

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Poof by A_Zap

Rating: T

Last updated: Finished

Really like this one!! A nice and realistic approach on how things would go if Peridot was poofed, specially on Lapis’s part.

Warnings: Some angsty flashbacks.

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Glow Like You Mean it By InsominiacArrest

Rating: G

Last updated: Finished

Another fic from Insomniac Arrest I cherish dearly, I simply love this gem glow headcanon! Expect lots of fluff and certain two gems not being able to hide their feelings for eachother X3

Tip: Check [this] tag that inspired the fic~

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Bonus:

Antifreeze by dement09

Not really a fic per se, but this list would feel incomplete to me if I didn’t add it :p I have a feeling most of you have already read this comic, but if not, new lapidot rule, go read it! 

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And that’s it for now! I might add more stuff to this list as AO3 fills with new beautiful stories, thanks for checking out and feel free to suggest me fics to read! 

[furashuban]

Vexation

I started part 2 of a lapidot au series I’m writing

Link to AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12048483/chapters/27281544

hope ya’ll enjoy

Chapter One:

"Peridot, wake up..." Lapis barely gets up and whispers to her girlfriend while she taps her shoulder continually. Peridot whines irritated and squirms once while trying to fall back asleep, declining to get up and face the blue haired girl at all. But Lapis continued to poke her until she responded properly.

"Peridooot wake uup..." she spools her voice and signaled softly. She then went from tapping Peridot's arm and waist gallingly to clutching her arm and shaking her a little rough right off the bat. Just a few instants later, the petite and weary blonde shakes her grasp away.

She moans terribly tired. "Ungh...What time is it Lapis?" she asks.

"Its somewhere passed midnight. We're gonna be late for work again." Lapis replies. "C'mon, we don't want to get in trouble."

It's 12:10am. The bedroom, in addition to the whole apartment, reeks with paint, debris and wastefulness in general. Lapis crawls out of the bed and walks to get her uniform out of the closet. Subsequent, Peridot senses her absence and rouses up out of the blue, still feeling a bit unrested. She grabs her glasses off the cabinet beside the bed, rubbing her eyes before putting her visors on. As she was groaning and stirring herself awake, she felt like something wasn’t feeling precise. The current condition did not feel familiar to her personally.

"Uh…Were you...trying to wake me up?" she inquires. Lapis would never try to wake the blonde up. Not even during a work night.

She looks back at her. "…Yeah. I was." she answers back.

"Why?" Peri scratched the back of her head.

Lapis squints a little. "Because you told me too...?" she replies. "Last afternoon you told me "Lapis, since we both have the same work schedule, we should probably wake up and go to work TOGETHER now" or something like that." she imitates.

Regardless of their timetables being the same, one of them would tend to prepare ahead and go to work early, leaving the other to struggle and panic behind. It’d be clear on which one was which, and the reason why was because she wanted her partner to get more sleep than her. But she did not know that.

"Oh yeah...uh." Peridot says. "Sorry. I'm just used to waking up on my own since you constantly leave me here."

"Well not anymore, Peri." Lapis replies. "If you want us to go to work together, then we're definitely going to work together. But you're still going to drive though."

Peridot grins assertive. She finally got out of their bed and stretched a little, raising her arms up in the air and exhaling relaxingly. She walks to where Lapis was to also get ready her employee attire. "I think this is the first time I've seen you up this late, Laz." Peridot mentions and gapes at her still smiling.

Lapis chortles. "I guess I look a little messed up, don't I?"

"Nah, we both look messed up." her puffy yellow mane was tussled by her blue haired partner.

10 MINUTES LATER

The only routine the two girls had to follow was this; Wake up, Put on some clothes and their uniform that etched their blandly red nametags; [Hello, my name is LAPIS] [Hello, my name is PERIDOT] Drink a glass of water, Head off to work.

And what job on earth did they choose to stir themselves up in the middle of the evening? They were the staff of a convenience store during late night hours. It started off as a last minute option to earn some money for certain things. Apartment rent, meep morp materials, etc. It was Lapis' idea to get her first job at a nearby convenience store, but it was mostly recommended by one of her friends when it was told that she was looking for work. Sooner or later, she got her roommate Peridot into joining her so that the nights would be less secluded and boring. But because of their worry for each other, she gave her cautions on the sheer hell of customer service. She quickly and eagerly accepted it.

“Are you sure you want to work with me? This is something you have to think twice about before saying yes, especially for someone busy like you.” Lapis asked that day.

“Of course I do! I mean, it doesn’t seem so bad seeing that I’ll be with you, too anyway.” Peridot said pleasingly and finalized a promise.

Apparently it became a permanent part-time job for both of them since they found out that they couldn't resign. No one else wanted to stay up until 6 o'clock to sit behind a counter and restock food isles and stuff like that. So they stood with it, until it gradually became a one way ticket to tediousness and hell.

Peridot and Lapis spent too much time at home getting ready. Though ironically, their aim at first was to get to the store in time. They went out of their apartment shortly and got in their vehicle which was a stale white pick-up truck. Peridot would be the one behind the wheel driving and Lapis in the front seat beside her. The engine started stridently and was driven out of the parking lot, and a short-term drive to a narrow road begun. The lamp poses illuminating the empty roads at this hour were blinding the two girls a little, and the town was practically dead as there was no sign of any activity.

"At least the sky is clear this time." Peridot remarks as she looked up while driving. "The stars are finally out."

"We could go star gazing later during our break if you want." Lapis suggests.

"That sounds good. But we don't have a telescope and our break is only 10 or 15 minutes." she answers. "Star gazing should be experienced for the whole night."

"We could still do it anyway."

A partly closed and silent plaza was up ahead. The only store open at this time was the convenience store. It glared grizzled lights that were even more blinding than the lamp posts, coming from inside and outside, and the whole store was as big as Lapis and Peridot's apartment. The blonde drove to the parking lot and took a spot that was a lot inches away from the store. Not like it mattered anyway. The engine was turned off and they opened their doors. They just had to walk to the store next.

"This still feels weird." Peridot expresses discreetly.

"Why so?" Lapis asks.

"Well, this isn't like my normal routine. I'm used to rushing to the store on my own and now...I got company with me."

Lapis breathes heavily but amiable. This was beginning to feel irrational to respite by some means. She makes both of them halt for a second and lays her hand on short girl's shoulder, making them gawk at each other as well. "Look, Peridot, you don't have to feel like this is unnatural." she says. "It was your idea that we go to work at the same time. I didn't expect you'd complain a lot about it."

"I'm not complaining. I’m just...ugh…" Peridot says affronted and faces downwards. She really had no idea how to express that she actually esteemed her roommate’s closeness while walking to work together for the first time. For the moment, she decided she was just going to keep that aside. "I-I'll just...stop talking for now."

Lapis merely grins and chortles soundlessly. "Okay, let’s go."

They walk to their way to the door at last. The evoked and usual ‘We're Open’ sign was right at their faces. Lapis halts and grabs the entrance handle, pushing it open and posturing like a distinguished doorman. "After you, Peri” she says. “I wouldn't want you pushing the door too hard and hurting someone again." she was referring to an incident where she was knocked out by a door pushed too hard by the petite girl.

Peridot laughs fretful. "Yeah. I guess I'll just go in..." she ambles swiftly to some degree through the door and is followed by Lapis. The entrance casually shuts closed, and the sounds of vents, running coolers, as well as other white noises were encasing the ambiance of the store. It was a familiar and underwhelming setting. The two girls were about to head across the counter and proceed with the usual customer service career. "Alright...Let's get to w¬–––" Peridot mentions before they both halt and shudder.

Somehow shorn of perceiving after they have walked in, they were faced a suited, slim woman with short rose hair. AKA, the manager. Their boss was leaning against her office door with her arms crossed and an impatient expression, staring cold right at them. Peridot and Lapis respired perplexed and sheepish as this would be a certain moment that they'll either be given a warning, or as unforeseen, getting fired. "–––WOAH uh...Hey, Pearl..." Lapis says with fault in her tone. Her along with Peridot's appearance were gracelessly writhed. "What are ya doing out here...?"

Pearl sighed visibly upset. "I was waiting for you two...For 12 minutes, and for the 7th time this week." A clipboard holding a few employee records was also grasped in her hand and immediately goes to write some new things down. "This has been happening frequently with you girls and it's starting to seriously get on my nerves." She stops writing and massages her head.

‘Manager Pearl’ was apparently the friend who recommended Lapis to work in the store. What they weren't aware of at the time was the consequences of them working TOGETHER. There was a side of Pearl that Lapis and Peridot did not know and were intimidated by, and there was a chunk of the two girl's personality that Pearl was distasteful around. Outside of work, Pearl was garrulous, tuneful, and exceptionally lovely to all her friends. Peridot and Lapis were very productive when it came to their passions and were good at wasting time on a day to day basis. That all changed a little when they started working together, realizing that Pearl was incredibly strict and bossy, and Lapis and Peridot were easily jaded people.

"Look, Pearl, we were really going to come to work early this time but we had to delay a bit back in our home because..." Peridot tried to explain before she was ceased.

"I don't want to hear it Peridot." Pearl says lightly. She withdraws her clipboard and stares at them disappointedly. "I'm sorry you two but...If you keep this up I'm going to have to replace you soon."

They both widened their eyes in realized shock. "You mean you're going to fire us?" Lapis asks hesitant. Pearl answers back with a nod. "But...you can't do that...!" the blue haired speaks ahead without thinking.

"And why is that, Lapis?" Pearl asks.

Peridot goes ahead to defend Lapis’ protest. "Well...It's not like this is a busy store. Not many people come here at this time, Pearl....Ma'am." she implies.

"Yeah. It's basically a waste of time too since we wait for a like a whole hour for that door to open." Lapis adds.

"And besides, no one else wants to get a job here, and you can't force anyone to be hired either so..."

"Alright I get it!" Pearl exclaims. "You two obviously have a lot to criticize about your work hours and our store, but I'm the one in charge around here, and I decide what’s okay for all of us. And since you recklessly still want your jobs for some reason, this will be your last warning." the two girls sigh noiselessly.

Pearl opens the door to her small office and takes one final look at her co-workers. "Oh, and one last thing…Don't do anything foolish, and make sure you satisfy every customer's needs." she says lightly. They both agree mildly peeved since they have to take note of that every week. Pearl finally closes the door and retreats to her own work. The only thing left to see was the cheap plaque the read ‘Manager’s office’. Meanwhile, Lapis and Peridot were head off to their retail positions and begin the nightshift.

The nerd took charge of cashier and counter duty. Meanwhile, her girlfriend needed to re-stock an isle or freezer with stuff that had either expired products or lack of anything.

"I'm going to head to the back and see if there's any more bags of those Chaps stuff.” Lapis proclaims.

"And I'll try to make us some more coffee to keep us awake." Peridot says and transfers to the cappuccino machine which was left of the counter. She prepared two middling cups and waited for the drinks to be brewed. But before the blue haired girl stepped into the back of the store, a question popped into her head and needed Lapis to answer it.

"Hey, Lapis, why do we still keep this job anyway?" she asks curiously.

"We're broke, Peri." she simply answers back. "And I don't think anyone else would want to hire people like us at the moment, let alone look at our resumes."

[magewardensurana]

Dear Creator Letter

First of all, thank you so much for writing or drawing something for me.  I’m really looking forward to seeing what you create! (And sorry this letter is slightly late in being posted.)

I like: fluff, families of choice, domestic scenes, and angst with a happy ending.  I tend to prefer canon to AUs, too.

For DNWs: rape, incest/pseudo incest, pretty much every soulmate trope, whatever the hell a/b/o dynamics are, animal death or cruelty, major character death and character bashing (unless stated otherwise), unrequested background pairings.

For age rating, nothing higher than Mature.  I don’t mind a bit of sexual content, but that shouldn’t be the focus.  I’m more of a ‘fade to black’ and suggestive dialogue kinda of woman.  So, no excessive sexual or violent content, please.

It’s up to you what you want to write or draw for me, but I’m including some suggestions below.

Fullmetal Alchemist

I’m only interested in manga/brotherhood canon.  I don’t mind using things like Rose’s 03 last name, and I don’t mind adopting parts of 03 canon as long as it doesn’t contradict manga canon.

Background EdWin, AlMei and Royai are fine.

Rose/Paninya

I’d really like to see their first meeting (maybe Paninya went to help repair Reole, or Winry invited them both to her wedding?).  If you manage to work in Winry deliberately trying to hook up her two single, lesbian friends I would love that.

Maria/Olivier

ANYTHING. As long as it’s Marier content I haven’t had to create myself I’ll be happy.

Resident Evil

I have no interest in the (non-CGI) movies at all.

Background Valenfield and Aeon are both fine.

Rebecca Chambers/Claire Redfield

First meeting (pre mansion incident)? Vendetta AU where everything is the same except Claire is there? Rebecca and Claire team up to defeat BOWs with the power of science and NGOs? I don’t mind mentions of Steve/Claire, but would prefer no mention of Rebecca/Billy other than as friends.

Jill Valentine/Ada Wong

Normally I’m an Aeon and Valenfield kind of woman but in this case I will make an exception. Did Ada arrive at the police station a few days earlier and meet up with Jill instead of Leon? Did Ada rescue Jill from Wesker before Resident Evil 5? Did Ada take one look at Jill and see she was a justice loving former cop associated with the colour blue who has hair that is either blonde or brown depending on the game and go ‘shit, she’s exactly my type’? I don’t mind! As long as there’s no Leon/Either Redfield Sibling it’s fine.

Rain Ocampo/Nadia

Don’t get me wrong, still don’t like the movies. However, I do like Rain and as far as I’m concerned Nadia’s girlfriend is Gameverse!Rain (who is also a BSAA agent). Anything you want to do with these two is fine, but if you include anything that mocks the movies I’ll be very happy.

Ace Attorney

I really, really like Ace Attorney case fics and there’s not enough of them.  I also find it quite hard to read AA stuff that doesn’t fit my own headcanons so:

Maya, Adrian, Fran, Pearl, Lana, and Aura are all lesbians.  Mia, Athena, Trucy and Ema are all bi.

(for the male characters, if you plan on mentioning them, Phoenix and Klavier are bi, Miles and Apollo are gay).

Fran/Maya is a NOTP of mine. I don’t mind references to Godot having feelings for Mia but they’re non-requited.  I really don’t like Nahyuta and don’t want him mentioned unless it’s negative.

Phoenix/Miles being mentioned as a couple is always welcome.  I’m not the biggest fan of Apollo, though.

Fire Emblem (Awakening)

Severa/Kjelle

If you’re referencing their dads I have Henry!Severa and Libra!Kjelle.

Any timeline (even the bad ones) in Awakening is fine, but nothing about Fates since I like to pretend that game never happend

Say’ri/Tiki

I’d love to know what their S support looks like, or what they do after the war.

Fire Emblem (Blazing Blade)

I’d love something set in the years between Blazing Blade and Sword of Seals, or what Lyn and Florina are up to during Sword of Seals.

Fire Emblem (Three Houses)

Shamir Nevrand/Leonie Pinelli

Post BE ending. Other than that I don’t mind.

Steven Universe

What I said about not wanting AUs goes double here.  I don’t mind human!AUs but there’s so many of them.  I just want some Gem stuff.

Also, I don’t want anything higher than a teen rating for this.

I’d prefer Lapidot to not focus on fusion.  But I’d love something about Opal for Pearlthymst.