Speaking Bitterness
Every gem has their role to play in society. That doesn't mean anyone has to be happy about it.
A wee drabble that occured to me today, idle as I was (financial difficulties keeping me in a bleak mood) and after re-reading the Handmaid's Tale. It got me thinking of the many different ways that women are criticized for doing nothing more than being themselves.
Paragraph one is a delegate discussing the merits of different gems. Paragraph two is what's said about them in common speech.
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Sapphires.
The cloisters are absolutely necessary for clear vision, unclouded by access to outside influences. Their visions are amplified by each other, and a clutch of no less than thirty individuals is required when making battle plans, or restructuring the city.
When outside, they are noted for the cowls that keep them from looking left and right, only straight ahead, so that their travels are not impeded by distraction from other common gems. It gives them a delightful sense of mystery.
Stuck up, frigid little freaks, too afraid of anything they can't see coming to go outside like a normal gem! The whole 'untainted' thing is a joke, you know they just want attention from the Diamonds, as if a Diamond would even LOOK at them if they didn't have to...
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Jasper.
They are pretty glorious to watch on the battlefield, though sadly quite clumsy off of it. The battlefield is what they were made for, after all. They are marvellously powerful, and efficient too. Their needs are very small, which is excellent news for the military budget. They are so adept at living a frugal existence that you could have two hundred to a barracks with just fifty rest pods, and they'll all be healthy and ready for battle when needed. They do not complain.
Ugly, ugly beasts. All that mass and nowhere to go with it. Have you ever seen one try to walk down a lugeway? It's hilarious, they bump into, like, everything! I hate when they get leave, they just flood the city and nobody can move...
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Rubies.
Rubies are very valuable to the city. They are tireless little workers and quite versatile. Yes, there is the temper problem and it has been noted but it tends to blow over quite quickly and casualties have always been kept to a minimum. The good work they do does outweigh the risk, and frankly we have the Amythest patrol for a reason. Rubies keep the city pipes and fixtures ticking.
Why do they have to be so loud all the time? They get into a place and drive everyone away with the noise, they cram hundreds into one district and then when they get sick of it, they all pack up and go find somewhere else to ruin. They are so obnoxious, I can't understand why they don't just have their own section of the city away from everyone else...
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Peridots.
None of the progress gemkind have made would be possible without the hard work of Peridots. They are visionaries, always thinking of new ways to make our lives easier. They've certainly made up for a lack of battle prowess in the weapons they've brought to the military. Their eagerness is a joy to behold, and they are polite to a fault.
Snivelling little insects, always grovelling for scraps from any gem they think is higher up than they are. As if they think it would get them off the assembly line! And have you ever really talked to one? They are so boring...
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Lapis Lazuli.
It's quite a privilege to watch a Lapis at work, really. The tickets for recent performances are expensive, but it's truly worth it to see in person. They really make the most beautiful music. I know a lot of people are having their pearls perform for them but frankly it's much more natural coming from a Lapis, the flow is so much prettier. I don't expect everyone to understand.
What use are they? No really, what possible use are they? They can't fight unless there's water around and even when there is you just know they'd scream and faint and wait for some other gem to get stuck in for them. They're pointless, that's all there is to it.
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Amethysts.
Well, if you have to choose between them, I'd take an Amethyst over a Jasper. Jasper are rather dry, don't you think? You can actually talk to an Amethyst, and they can be quite funny. Yes, they have that willful streak but it just makes them more fun to be around, really. The general public are more at ease with them watching the streets, so as long as they do their job what's the harm?
They are awful, no two ways about it. Crude and vulgar and always throwing their weight around. At least a Jasper will listen to reason, Amethysts just do whatever they want. They're the reason you don't see any Larimars or Lapis walking around after 3rd quadrant anymore. Why are the Diamonds letting this happen?
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pearls.
Oh, they are wonderful, aren't they? So useful and very sweet to look at. A little delicate maybe, but it's not as if we ask much of them. They are expensive, but why wouldn't they be? It takes a lot of work to make them. It's ingenious, really, that they can do so much, you'd almost mistake them for a real gem.
It's disgusting, it really is. Just one more thing the elite gems have to lord it over the rest of us. It's not as if they really need them, it's all for show. And they're not fooling anyone, everyone knows they use them for sex. How sad is that? It's basically a very expensive O-Box.
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Diamonds.
The Diamonds are the cement that holds the entire galaxy together. They are the absolute cream of the crop, chosen for their unique talents among gemkind and their experience in furthering the gem cause. Together they are the pillars that hold up our glorious civilization.
We have to whisper, they have ears everywhere.
You can tell, I'm serious, you can tell by looking at them. Blue always looks like she wants to rip Yellow's throat out, and White would hold her down to let her do it. Even then I don't think the two of them could take her, she's too much for them.
And they've all been extra nice to Pink lately, so there must be some drama going down. Like, why would they bother with Pink if they weren't trying to get her to pick sides?
Pink's been all over the place lately. I mean, she's trying to hide it but there's something going on.
This is going to blow up big time, I'm telling you now.