MSPA fan-fiction

[kmsumrall]

And We Come to an End (Part 5)

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4)
(Part 6)

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“Nepeta?”

She screamed and back up against the wall.

“Hey! What are you doing? Calm the fuck down you autistic idiot! What the hell are you doing in the food hall? Did you get lost in this fucking darkness?”

The cat girl looked confused. “Kar...kat? W-what are you doing here?”

“It’s like a damn hour since the fucking lights went out. I was going to get that weird eyed dipshit to fix the bulging generator.” He held out his hand. “Come on, we can laugh at him cleaning his walls, fucker must have had a rager in his room.”

Nepeta grabbed his hand and pulled the troll down. “Noooo! Don’t go there! Sollux is... is...” Tears started pouring down her face again.

Karkat was already coming up with a retorting insult but stopped when he saw her face. Realization dawned and he took her hands. “Did someone kill that idi- him?”

“Gamzee is dead too...”

“What?!” Karkat stood up quick. “Gog fucking damnit lousy stupid nooksucking shit! Fucking Fuck why are you all dieing?! This isn’t allowed I have plans!” He glared at the Detecicatour. “Can’t you do your job?”

She shrank back under his tirade and started bawling. “It’s all my fau-fault! Everyone is going to die and it’s my fault! I’m sorry! I-I-I’m scared! It’s to mu-much!” Nepeta buried her face in her hands.

Karkat smacked himself in the head and said, “Look, I’m a sucking horn squeezing messed up larva stain, ok? Hey, lets-”

The world next to Nepeta exploded in a shower of plaster and metal as a robotic fist burst through the wall. “Here is Ar-Aradia,” said a stuttering mechanical voice.

Karkat pulled Nepeta up and held her close. “What are you doing you frog?!”

“I hav-have been told by no un-uncertain means that you are to be el-elimin-minated for the greater goo-ood.”

“Aradia, w-what are you-”

“Run idiot!” Karkat and Nepeta scrambled into the hall. “This way!” An explosion behind them made them run faster than they thought they could.

“I am to-tolding running will not help.”

They hurried down the hall, ducking under bullets, feeling the wind as they barely missed. Heat started burning their backs as Aradia shot hot fire from her hand.

“Where did you she a fucking flamethrower?!” He looked to Nepeta. “There is a split up ahead! Go left and I’ll distract her!”

“Karkat, no!”

“Do it!”

He stopped and spun. “Hey stupid! I heard you were a dead fuck!”

“This is a technic-nically correct stat-statement,” said Aradia as her hand morphed into a sword.

Karakt turned and said “Run stupid!”

She blindly hurried down the hall.

“Nepeta! This way!”

“Tavros?!”

The cat girl followed the big horned troll into a room. A FireryHotSauceFly illuminated what appeared to be the load gaper place.

“What going on?!” she said through heavy breathing.

“I, uhh, don’t know! I heard the explosion and uhh, went to see what was-”

“Aradia’s gone crazy! She said the voices told her to kill us! Where were you?!”

“I, uhh, got worried about Gamzee and went to make sure-”

“Gamzee is dead!”

“- he was ok and I got my Fiduspa- What?!” Tavros slumped down in his chair.

“Sollux too! I think Aradia killed them!”

“I saw her chasing-”

Before he could finish the robo girl pulled the door off its hinges. She raised a gun arm and said “We will beat the B-B-Burger King now t-that-”

Aradia was slammed into the wall by a charging Rhiceno. The two horned beast pinned the girl through her torso. But the animal didn’t last long and fell, body removed from head. She was back up, sparking and leaking blue. The robogirl tried to raise her arms only to be constricted by a Spasnakey. Aradia did some constricting of her own and this one fell as well.

“These things die in vain-vain weather-vane and you are to dye your clothes as well.”

“Not so, uhh, fast! Go, Paprikrat!”

A small red speckled rodent hopped into view.

“I must pau-pause a moment to comment on the inadequacies of that-this choice.”

“Uhh, maybe. Except this is an electric Paprikrat!”

Static filled the air and the lights above them burst, raining down sparks. The Paprikrat reared up and a bolt slammed Aradia. She spasmed as electricity burned hidden inner circuitry. The robot twitched a few more times and fell to the ground.

“You did it!” shouted Nepeta as gave Tavros a huge hug.

“Uhh, yeah!” he replied, checks turning a rust color. “Just call me, uhh, Tavros, Fiduspawn-”

“S-sys-syst-systems comp-compri-rimised. The voices the voices the voices tell me that I must blow-blow-blow up. I am okokokokok with this.”

“No! Paprikrat, hit her again!”

The mouse started gathering energy but became a stain on the robogirl’s foot. “Cat-Voice-kill-animals-pretty frogs-car-”

“No! No No No!” Tavros pushed himself from his chair and pulled Aradia to the ground. She struggled against his vice like embrace but couldn’t break free. “Horsaroni! Get her out of here!”

The steed bit her coat and pulled her up. “Tavros! No! Let me down!” Horsaroni went to the door.

“I will-will count-countdown now. 6-bzzt-1-bzzt-2-bzzt-3-bzzt-5-”

“I’m sorry Nepeta! I lo-” The rest of his words were lost in the wind as the fiduspawn sprinted away.

“Turn around you thing! Tavros needs-!”

The explosion shook the building and the Fudispawn tripped, sending both flying down the hall. Nepeta rolled into a crouched position and grabbed Horsaroni’s noodles.

“Stupid jerky jerk! You let him-”

The animal snapped its jaws, trying to bite its aggressor. It spit and shook, flinging the cat girl away. The animal going wild could only mean one thing. Tavros was dead along with all the others.

For the first time Nepeta realized just how big Horsaroni was. It filled the hall with its muscular noodley mass, sharpened hoofs digging into the ground, cheese dripping from its mouth as it bared its fangs. It whinnied and neighed like a angel from below, spitting and rearing up. The cat girl leaped but the beast hit her again, smashing her into the wall.

Vision blurry, the fanged creature get closer. It opened its mouth and then snap!


The beast fell, neck broken and bleeding marinara sauce. It writhed a moment before it stopped.

Equius stepped into the light FireryHotSauceFly, wiping marinara off his hands and scowling.

“You are safe now.”

“Nooo! You did that to her!”

“What? Who? Tavros just tried to kill you!”

“It was Aradia! You did something with like the heart!”

“What?! She was my mate you green blood! What happened to her?!”

Nepeta back up more. “Nononono! She killed Tavros! Blew up!”

Equius put his fist through a wall, shattering it. “Sollux! I knew I shouldn’t have let that gutterblood help me upgrade the body!”

“H-He is dead too! And you did it!” Nepeta started running down the hall when she fell down, clutching her head.

“Vriska!” Equius growled, holding his head as well. “Stay! Out! Of! My! Mind!” He pushed through a wall, then another and then another, trying to get to the source of the sudden mental onslaught.

After a moment of crashing the pain stopped. “Nepeta! Get over here!” come a shout from the newly formed passage.

The cat girl listlessly shone the light gun across the rubble and followed the voice. Climbing over debris she made her way to what was Vriska’s room. The female blue blood was on the ground, yellow dripping from her cerulean lips.

“It’s mind honey,” said Equius, rubbing the substance between his fingers. “How did she even get this? It completely blew away her brain. I’m surprised she is still brea-”

A loud gasp from the fallen troll interrupted the male blue blood’s speech. “Karkat...” she managed before her eyes rolled back into her head.

“Kar...Kat?” said Nepeta, still in shock.

“Karkat? KARKAT! Of course, it all makes sense! She used the mind honey to delve deep into everyone’s minds! And she found... Karkaaaaaat!” Equius’s voice boomed across the whole building. “I hope you’ve made peace with Troll Jegus because I’m going to kill you!” He started out of the room when Nepeta grabbed his shoulder.

“Lab... He has a lab... I’ll show you.”

The two ran through the black halls to Karkat’s hidden ectobiology laboratory. The strongest troll didn’t even try to open the door. He just rammed straight through.

But the sight inside stopped him in his tracks. Karkat was was sitting at a table, calmly eating some bluegreen lumpy matter from what Nepeta hoped was a very hairy bowl.

He politely wiped his lips with a fresh towel. “Oh, there you are. Would the both of you like to join me? I was just having Terezi over for dinner.”

Not to scare anyone, but there is only one more part.

[Bardic Feline]

And We Come to an End (Part 5)

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4)

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“Nepeta?”

She screamed and back up against the wall.

“Hey! What are you doing? Calm the fuck down you autistic idiot! What the hell are you doing in the food hall? Did you get lost in this fucking darkness?”

The cat girl looked confused. “Kar...kat? W-what are you doing here?”

“It’s like a damn hour since the fucking lights went out. I was going to get that weird eyed dipshit to fix the bulging generator.” He held out his hand. “Come on, we can laugh at him cleaning his walls, fucker must have had a rager in his room.”

Nepeta grabbed his hand and pulled the troll down. “Noooo! Don’t go there! Sollux is... is...” Tears started pouring down her face again.

Karkat was already coming up with a retorting insult but stopped when he saw her face. Realization dawned and he took her hands. “Did someone kill that idi- him?”

“Gamzee is dead too...”

“What?!” Karkat stood up quick. “Gog fucking damnit lousy stupid nooksucking shit! Fucking Fuck why are you all dieing?! This isn’t allowed I have plans!” He glared at the Detecicatour. “Can’t you do your job?”

She shrank back under his tirade and started bawling. “It’s all my fau-fault! Everyone is going to die and it’s my fault! I’m sorry! I-I-I’m scared! It’s to mu-much!” Nepeta buried her face in her hands.

Karkat smacked himself in the head and said, “Look, I’m a sucking horn squeezing messed up larva stain, ok? Hey, lets-”

The world next to Nepeta exploded in a shower of plaster and metal as a robotic fist burst through the wall. “Here is Ar-Aradia,” said a stuttering mechanical voice.

Karkat pulled Nepeta up and held her close. “What are you doing you frog?!”

“I hav-have been told by no un-uncertain means that you are to be el-elimin-minated for the greater goo-ood.”

“Aradia, w-what are you-”

“Run idiot!” Karkat and Nepeta scrambled into the hall. “This way!” An explosion behind them made them run faster than they thought they could.

“I am to-tolding running will not help.”

They hurried down the hall, ducking under bullets, feeling the wind as they barely missed. Heat started burning their backs as Aradia shot hot fire from her hand.

“Where did you she a fucking flamethrower?!” He looked to Nepeta. “There is a split up ahead! Go left and I’ll distract her!”

“Karkat, no!”

“Do it!”

He stopped and spun. “Hey stupid! I heard you were a dead fuck!”

“This is a technic-nically correct stat-statement,” said Aradia as her hand morphed into a sword.

Karakt turned and said “Run stupid!”

She blindly hurried down the hall.

“Nepeta! This way!”

“Tavros?!”

The cat girl followed the big horned troll into a room. A FireryHotSauceFly illuminated what appeared to be the load gaper place.

“What going on?!” she said through heavy breathing.

“I, uhh, don’t know! I heard the explosion and uhh, went to see what was-”

“Aradia’s gone crazy! She said the voices told her to kill us! Where were you?!”

“I, uhh, got worried about Gamzee and went to make sure-”

“Gamzee is dead!”

“- he was ok and I got my Fiduspa- What?!” Tavros slumped down in his chair.

“Sollux too! I think Aradia killed them!”

“I saw her chasing-”

Before he could finish the robo girl pulled the door off its hinges. She raised a gun arm and said “We will beat the B-B-Burger King now t-that-”

Aradia was slammed into the wall by a charging Rhiceno. The two horned beast pinned the girl through her torso. But the animal didn’t last long and fell, body removed from head. She was back up, sparking and leaking blue. The robogirl tried to raise her arms only to be constricted by a Spasnakey. Aradia did some constricting of her own and this one fell as well.

“These things die in vain-vain weather-vane and you are to dye your clothes as well.”

“Not so, uhh, fast! Go, Paprikrat!”

A small red speckled rodent hopped into view.

“I must pau-pause a moment to comment on the inadequacies of that-this choice.”

“Uhh, maybe. Except this is an electric Paprikrat!”

Static filled the air and the lights above them burst, raining down sparks. The Paprikrat reared up and a bolt slammed Aradia. She spasmed as electricity burned hidden inner circuitry. The robot twitched a few more times and fell to the ground.

“You did it!” shouted Nepeta as gave Tavros a huge hug.

“Uhh, yeah!” he replied, checks turning a rust color. “Just call me, uhh, Tavros, Fiduspawn-”

“S-sys-syst-systems comp-compri-rimised. The voices the voices the voices tell me that I must blow-blow-blow up. I am okokokokok with this.”

“No! Paprikrat, hit her again!”

The mouse started gathering energy but became a stain on the robogirl’s foot. “Cat-Voice-kill-animals-pretty frogs-car-”

“No! No No No!” Tavros pushed himself from his chair and pulled Aradia to the ground. She struggled against his vice like embrace but couldn’t break free. “Horsaroni! Get her out of here!”

The steed bit her coat and pulled her up. “Tavros! No! Let me down!” Horsaroni went to the door.

“I will-will count-countdown now. 6-bzzt-1-bzzt-2-bzzt-3-bzzt-5-”

“I’m sorry Nepeta! I lo-” The rest of his words were lost in the wind as the fiduspawn sprinted away.

“Turn around you thing! Tavros needs-!”

The explosion shook the building and the Fudispawn tripped, sending both flying down the hall. Nepeta rolled into a crouched position and grabbed Horsaroni’s noodles.

“Stupid jerky jerk! You let him-”

The animal snapped its jaws, trying to bite its aggressor. It spit and shook, flinging the cat girl away. The animal going wild could only mean one thing. Tavros was dead along with all the others.

For the first time Nepeta realized just how big Horsaroni was. It filled the hall with its muscular noodley mass, sharpened hoofs digging into the ground, cheese dripping from its mouth as it bared its fangs. It whinnied and neighed like a angel from below, spitting and rearing up. The cat girl leaped but the beast hit her again, smashing her into the wall.

Vision blurry, the fanged creature get closer. It opened its mouth and then snap!


The beast fell, neck broken and bleeding marinara sauce. It writhed a moment before it stopped.

Equius stepped into the light FireryHotSauceFly, wiping marinara off his hands and scowling.

“You are safe now.”

“Nooo! You did that to her!”

“What? Who? Tavros just tried to kill you!”

“It was Aradia! You did something with like the heart!”

“What?! She was my mate you green blood! What happened to her?!”

Nepeta back up more. “Nononono! She killed Tavros! Blew up!”

Equius put his fist through a wall, shattering it. “Sollux! I knew I shouldn’t have let that gutterblood help me upgrade the body!”

“H-He is dead too! And you did it!” Nepeta started running down the hall when she fell down, clutching her head.

“Vriska!” Equius growled, holding his head as well. “Stay! Out! Of! My! Mind!” He pushed through a wall, then another and then another, trying to get to the source of the sudden mental onslaught.

After a moment of crashing the pain stopped. “Nepeta! Get over here!” come a shout from the newly formed passage.

The cat girl listlessly shone the light gun across the rubble and followed the voice. Climbing over debris she made her way to what was Vriska’s room. The female blue blood was on the ground, yellow dripping from her cerulean lips.

“It’s mind honey,” said Equius, rubbing the substance between his fingers. “How did she even get this? It completely blew away her brain. I’m surprised she is still brea-”

A loud gasp from the fallen troll interrupted the male blue blood’s speech. “Karkat...” she managed before her eyes rolled back into her head.

“Kar...Kat?” said Nepeta, still in shock.

“Karkat? KARKAT! Of course, it all makes sense! She used the mind honey to delve deep into everyone’s minds! And she found... Karkaaaaaat!” Equius’s voice boomed across the whole building. “I hope you’ve made peace with Troll Jegus because I’m going to kill you!” He started out of the room when Nepeta grabbed his shoulder.

“Lab... He has a lab... I’ll show you.”

The two ran through the black halls to Karkat’s hidden ectobiology laboratory. The strongest troll didn’t even try to open the door. He just rammed straight through.

But the sight inside stopped him in his tracks. Karkat was was sitting at a table, calmly eating some bluegreen lumpy matter from what Nepeta hoped was a very hairy bowl.

He politely wiped his lips with a fresh towel. “Oh, there you are. Would the both of you like to join me? I was just having Terezi over for dinner.”

Not to scare anyone, but there is only one more part.

...You know, given his bizarre behavior at the beginning of the story, I'm surprised I didn't see this coming. But how on earth did he get the jump on Terezi? O_O

Tavros...

[sarasvati]

praisedump!:

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tawawawa: that was pretty adorable in a wow-Vriska-is-emotionally-fucked way. good work. :)

breccia: okay I have to admit, for as kind of "meh" as I've gotten about the trolls, I really liked this. It's nice seeing some genfic for once, especially a Tavros-Gamzee friendship, especially a fic where Tavros is displaying the genuine qualities of his title, that of the Page, a knight in training. It's so easy to go overboard one way or the other--Tavros is too independent, or Tavros is too submissive--but this strikes a good medium, the timid guy with a million hang-ups who wants nothing more than to protect his friends as he grows into something bigger.

yellowedge: original homestuck spinoffs can be tricky to pull off, but your characters so far are interesting; just don't get over your head and make too much happen at once and you'll be fine!

Tenebrais: I haven't gotten to read most of Windows, but fuck I'll jump into the middle of anything, and this is pretty good stuff. Vriska throwing herself prostrate at Terezi's feet left an appropriately bad taste in my mouth, knowing what she's like.

kmsumrall: oh fuck I figured I'd jump right into this but this is obviously something I can't do that with! hold on while I go back and read the rest fffff

holy crap you guys are amazing! <3 I seriously didn't expect this kind of response to my fic, haha

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boper9: thank you! I always imagined that for however organized Dave would try to keep his life, it'd just keep skipping around on him, so I'm glad that came through.

Solaris: I'M SORRY I DIDN'T MEAN TO D:

kmsumrall: thanks! (It's funny you mention it's like Dave writing a book; I originally wrote it in third person and had to change it to second person because before that, it felt like reading an uncomfortably personal journal.)

Sushi: Dave'll be fine, he just has to get his shit together! XD This started out as a writing exercise to try to get my headcanon for Dave down on paper, then by #2 it turned into a story, and then by #3 I decided that I wanted to do one of these for all the kids. (And did it come across that Jade and Rose are more central to his issues? I was hoping to press John as being the most central; Jade is his solution and Rose is his mirror, but John is simultaneously a sort of rival and his best friend, which makes it complicated. Hopefully this'll come into focus more when I write John's piece.)

Orange: NO DONT CRY D:

foxesforsale: thank you so much! I was worried I wouldn't be able to pull off second person.

nV: thank you! (post-sburb fics with the kids as adults are like my biggest weakness too, haha oh god I need help.) I will for sure write more! <3

rA: a new chapter on Tunnel of Love and we're even! <_< no really if you never stop writing, I'll never stop writing, everything you do makes me want to be a horrible person and copy you I can't help it

PaulPower: thank you! I'm glad I could cast him in an appropriately sympathetic light; one of my favorite things to do is break pretty things, and Dave is a prime candidate with his agonizingly well-constructed persona. (It's also proof that I think way too much about these characters but hey.)

breccia: I REQUIRE A SACRIFICE OF THREE OXEN AND A SHRINE LADEN WITH DELICIOUS SWEETBREADS. really though no I'll write more I promise! <3

yellowwedge: by beg me in person, you don't actually mean forcibly hold me down until I write, do you? D: D: D:

[VagabondRaiser]

"...and then she said she'd love to teach me how to sail. Said her grandpa had a boat, and had taught her."

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Davesprite hadn't expected the imps to serve as such an attentive audience. The fact that two ogres and a basilisk had joined the group in the middle (causing him to have to stop, backtrack, and explain again for their sakes) surprised him even more.

Seated there atop the amber block with its' plush monstrosity cased within, he almost felt like there was a little more to the various aspects of the game. Maybe the imps were only violent towards them because they, the players, attacked first. Maybe the trick to breaking the game was to make friends with the local yokels instead of splattering them like so many faceless Chinamen in a Dynasty Warriors game.

A mental image of the four kids and a half-dozen imps holding hands and dancing in a circle singing songs came unbidden to his mind. Had he been wearing a hat, it would've hit the floor in disgust, or at least contempt for his brain bringing up such disturbingly cheerful imagery.

Or, perhaps, he would've abstained from the furious hat-doffing. Maybe that little thought was just another sign that Jade had rubbed off on him a bit more than he had thought.

While he was lost in thought, the imps began to disappear. At first, only one or two, a sizzling pop like a fuse blowing; then a cacophany of the snap-crackle-popping of reality closing the gap where the imps had just been half an instant ago.

The ogres shared a confused look.

The basilisk hissed.

As one, the three brutes took off in terror, thinking that somehow, the little orange feathery sprite had managed to story the imps out of existence. Davesprite had half a second to utter a feeble 'What the--' and the two giants leapt from the side of the tower, the basilisk attempting futilely to work its' tiny wings fast enough to take flight. It wound up just skittering off the roof at a slightly not-so-steep angle.

In a matter of seven seconds, Davesprite found himself the only living entity atop the apartment construct.

"God fucking dammit."

What Could Have Been: Intermission Two: Picket Fence

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--- turntechGodhead [TG] has begun pestering turntechGodhead [TG] ---

TG: hows it going down there
TG: aside from the fact that im assdeep in alligators
TG: and the fact that they keep trying to eat me when im not looking
TG: then apologizing like its no big deal
TG: and the other fact that two ogres and a basilisk just
TG: goddamn
TG: exploded on the ground next to us
TG: shits great
TG: feels good man
TG: ok
TG: fuck
TG: i was just asking
TG: look
TG: im about fed up with these scaly bastards
TG: how did you deal with them
TG: they keep asking about some magic dicks
TG: you mean disks
TG: or something
TG: this accent of theirs is hard to follow
TG: they mean the records of time
TG: the things i made the timetables from
TG: theyre in the temple
TG: thats more like it
TG: straightforward fucking answer
TG: these guys act like talking trivia books
TG: never tell you what you want to know
TG: tell me about it
TG: anyway watch out for the giant smuppet
TG: what
TG: theres a giant smuppet looking statue thing
TG: it comes loose when you pick up the records
TG: like some indiana jones bullshit
TG: bingo
TG: you can get above it with the sick air though
TG: just gotta move fast
TG: thanks for the heads up
TG: no problem

--- turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering turntechGodhead [TG] ---


Davesprite fumed to himself as he floated back and forth atop the platform above LOHAC, ticking off the possible reasons why the other three kids had gone silent to himself.

John could be actually getting Jade into the game; if that were the case, his silence was a sign that he was focused on the matter. That would also mean Jade was extremely busy with her end of things. For all he knew, she could've had to build a huge-ass squiddle cannon and shoot her dog from it to get into the game, or something.

Since Rose was off exploring LOLAR, and Dave was prone to timeskipping when it wasn't always absolutely necessary, there was the possibility that she was caught up in talking to a future Dave that had come back to explain something or other to her so she could pass it on to the present Dave.

Granted, fixing any huge mistakes by going back in time was clearly a good idea, but he couldn't hardly begin to imagine how much timefuckery Dave was going to get into in the future. Hell, the very fact that he had given the Timetables to Dave meant half of the puzzles in the temple were solvable before getting the records. He didn't want to begin to wonder what might happen if Dave didn't take the records.

The other possible answers, on the other hand, were too disturbing to think about. He didn't have the Timetables any more. He couldn't go back in time again. He'd just have to hope Dave could fix whatever got fucked up. Just like he did.

...before he became a sprite...

He wanted to slap himself. He resisted the urge, instead delving into his mind for the various powers he gained as a Sprite.

There were a number of small bits of information, relatively unconnected aspects of the game; he knew he couldn't go down to the planet until Dave hit the third gate because at that point the weird barrier thing would be taken down from around the building. He couldn't directly fight the planet's Denizen, because it was simply invulnerable to his attacks; he could indirectly damage it by, say, bringing down a cog on its' head or something.

He could contact the other sprites, but only after Dave cleared the third gate. That was a start; he'd have to start giving Dave a play-by-play to get him through shit faster once he hit the second gate. It didn't solve the problem of being unable to locate the other players.

He had combat abilities beyond his own innate skills standard to all sprites, which was a given... themed to his own personal style... so, what, SBaHJ beam? Shooting nanchos and jelly-covered hot gods everywhere? Fuck if that wouldn't be the best thing ever.

He focused back on his inner search. He could tell how far in the game the other players had gotten... he could speak to the--

Wait.

He could tell how far the kids were. How the hell did he miss this?

That meant that if one of them had died, he'd know. He knew Dave had just entered the temple. He knew Jade was still not in the game, but for some reason, her meteor had long already been registered as landed. Rose was... taking a nap somewhere on the island, it seemed. Whether she was up to anything on Derse, he couldn't tell-- a limitation to his sprite radar.

But where was John?

He had gone through the Creation, whatever the hell that was. The game's mechanics then attempted to put him back on track, sending him to a gate that would take him back to his home...

...but something had interfered. John wasn't in the game session any more. Not dead... but not there.

A cold chill ran down Davesprite's back. The game was being weird about quantifying whatever it was that interfered. It was a sprite, but it was a player. It was a 'Maid of Time', but it was an NPC. Quantifying it was giving him a headache something fierce, and he let the matter drop. Some sort of error in the game mechanic, or something, as far as he could tell.

Coiling up against the amber block, he slumped with a sigh. At least he knew the kids were alright. Maybe it was because he was so invested in making certain that there were no other big fuckups, but damn was he getting tired.

Maybe a short nap wouldn't hurt...

[kmsumrall]

A mental image of the four kids and a half-dozen imps holding hands and dancing in a circle singing songs came unbidden to his mind.

Someone totally needs to draw this.

[ToreaderTornado]

Can I just say that I really regret not finding this again once the forums changed? I mean REALLY regret. From what I've seen of the past 2 or 3 pages, I'd say I missed out on some awesome stuff.

So yeah. Keep being awesome, everyone.

[DocBeard]

Now I kind of want to write John having his first look around Jade's house and noticing the stuffed Hass.

Niiice. Go for it.

[Lexxy]

Announcement!

I am calling attention to this in the most relevant threads, but whether or not you have seen SkepticArcher's magnificent lecture in the fan art thread, I would strongly encourage everyone to check out the new item in the Rules Thread regarding complaintive behavior.

[DocBeard]

Wait. Wait. "Self depreciating remarks" are a crime now? I looked at SkepticArcher's post, which seems to be saying, "We are not self confident enough. If you feel neglected, draw more! This ties in with being positive about your work somehow!", which does not really define the line between 'acknowledging mistakes' and 'whining'.

If you guys are going to make blue laws, could they at least be well defined blue laws? As it is I feel like the rule is just discouraging any feedback short of a thin, "Wow omg this is sooooo good kaybye!" for fear of something being taken the wrong way and infractions being slapped around.

[Orange]

Admittedly this is on my mind as well. I do my best to give constructive criticism when I see a genuine need for it, though if I have comments about artwork that sound overly critical I tend to keep them to myself. :c I don't like making people sad when frankly I don't have a whole lot of talent myself (insofar as I don't have talent in many areas; I like to believe I'm a very competent writer). But the distinction to be made between the two is sometimes blurry depending on one's individual perceptions. Thankfully we do have a lot of levelheaded mods around here, so I'm not exceptionally worried about somebody having a bad day and just slapping infractions on everybody.

EDIT: Well it's good to have that clarified. c: Like I said, I wasn't worried about it being some kind of ban-happy spree or anything. Just wanted to make sure I was thinking correctly about what the new mandate is.

[Lexxy]

I'm not sure how you're getting discouragement of critique out of any of this, as that has nothing to do with this new guideline. If you are consistently down on yourself when you post your work, it is not only an unhealthy attitude to have, but after a while it makes you seem like you're fishing for compliments and makes others feel obligated to comment on work they otherwise didn't feel inclined to, which should be entirely up to every individual to decide. There IS a difference between self-deprecation (I drew this and it kind of sucks but here it is anyway) and being humble or pointing out areas you need work on (I think the anatomy could use a little work, but here is a drawing I made today!). I also take issue with people who consistently drag up posts they've made pages in the past with comments like "posting this again because everyone ignored it ;__;." What SA is trying to say is that instead of throwing a pity party, people should try to use perceived negligence or disparities between their work and other more experienced artists' work as motivation to improve.

If you have a suggestion as to how to make that post more clear on any of these distinctions, then by all means send me a PM. I have been getting a lot of feedback that way and have tried to make small changes here and there to accommodate the forum's needs.

e: The only hardline rules in here are ones that are indicated as bannable offenses, and even then we are extremely, extremely kind about avoiding real penalties in here. Everything else serves more as posting guidelines than strict adherence. More than anywhere else, the content of this subforum is subjective and needs to be handled on a case-by-case basis. If you'll notice, I haven't handed out a single infraction yet. I'd like to keep it that way as long as possible by maintaining civil discourse.

[NotASenator]

Wait. Wait. "Self depreciating remarks" are a crime now? I looked at SkepticArcher's post, which seems to be saying, "We are not self confident enough. If you feel neglected, draw more! This ties in with being positive about your work somehow!", which does not really define the line between 'acknowledging mistakes' and 'whining'.

If you guys are going to make blue laws, could they at least be well defined blue laws? As it is I feel like the rule is just discouraging any feedback short of a thin, "Wow omg this is sooooo good kaybye!" for fear of something being taken the wrong way and infractions being slapped around.

Seriously, I know this is a thread for writers, but I have absolutely no clue what you are trying to get across here.

[DocBeard]

Lexxy, the clarification between guidelines and things that merit infractions handles any issues I'd have with the rule. Thanks for taking the time to respond, I appreciate it. I know I can sound kind of salty sometimes.

Seriously, I know this is a thread for writers, but I have absolutely no clue what you are trying to get across here.

"While SA's point is an excellent one, I feel making it a hard and fast rule is a bad idea. If you are going to do so anyway, it would be a good idea to define your terms better, as they are pretty vague and I feel this would discourage the open exchange of ideas." That better, or am I still failing to communicate?

[Lexxy]

Perhaps I should make a precursor in the rules to denote what is hardline and what is subjective?

[sarasvati]

I think that would be an excellent idea, Lexxy. The fandom is still growing; there'll be new people coming in who'll be clueless about how the rule actually plays out in the community. Best to clarify early and avoid future confusion.

[DocBeard]

That'd be your prerogative. Honestly the "THIS IS A BANNABLE OFFENSE" was a pretty strong implication, and I feel sort of foolish for not picking up on that.

[NotASenator]

Lexxy, the clarification between guidelines and things that merit infractions handles any issues I'd have with the rule. Thanks for taking the time to respond, I appreciate it. I know I can sound kind of salty sometimes.



"While SA's point is an excellent one, I feel making it a hard and fast rule is a bad idea. If you are going to do so anyway, it would be a good idea to define your terms better, as they are pretty vague and I feel this would discourage the open exchange of ideas." That better, or am I still failing to communicate?

Now that you've removed the whole part about squashing criticism, yeah, makes sense.

[reclusiveAmateur]

Yeah, as a rule, it would be one of the most awful ideas I've ever heard, tbh. As a *guideline*, it works just fine. I think it would be a great idea to clarify the difference. ^^

[Lexxy]

I'll ponder on that and maybe make the revision tomorrow, as I've got work to get back to. Thanks for the feedback, guys!

[nextian]

Whoa, you have an icon, rA! What happened there? My world has been shattered.

Thanks for the rule, Lexxy.

And in the spirit of having just gotten into a ... thing ... over in Serious Business about how fic is art, saras, fuuuck I love your writing forever, and it is, if not art, at least asymptotically approaching it. You and rA should become second-person-genius crimefighters, swooping through the internets and demolishing mediocrity.

[kmsumrall]

I tend to follow Scott McCloud when saying what is or isn't art. "Art is anything not directly related to survival or reproduction." Subjective as all get out, art.

[Shadow of the Lotus]

Whoa, you have an icon, rA! What happened there? My world has been shattered.

Thanks for the rule, Lexxy.

And in the spirit of having just gotten into a ... thing ... over in Serious Business about how fic is art, saras, fuuuck I love your writing forever, and it is, if not art, at least asymptotically approaching it. You and rA should become second-person-genius crimefighters, swooping through the internets and demolishing mediocrity.

I do wish we got a bit more attention from other folks sometimes... but I guess it is a larger commitment to read fic and all. And we sure have an active fic writing community!

[Sushi Database]

(Okay so this totally seems mistitled, but give it some time. Also it was not inspired by tonight's updates, although they do make it feel... especially appropriate. :O

I know I said I'd be waiting longer on this stuff but I went through my whole shift at work with this burning in my brain. x_x)

The Esoteric Adventures of Zazzerpan the Learned, prelude

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"We have to be adults about this."

She didn't even know how to respond to that. Balled up a fist. Uncurled it. "Adults."

"Things cant be the same. I still love you, but-"

"But what?" She stared him straight in the eyes. "Jon, I love you! And we can make this work!"

"I have a son now, Roz. ...We have kids. We can't just... take risks like we did before, not anymore. We have a responsibility to protect them."

"So we protect them! They don't have to get involved in this... in any of this!"

"And if one of us dies? If we leave them alone, who'll take care of them? I just lost the only family I had. Do you have any family?"

"You know I d-"

"I wont leave my son without a father, Roz. Not for the business, not for Dr Harley... not even for you."

She looked away. "We can... you can rebuild the shop, you-"

"Roz."

"-you can work there, I'll keep working, if anything happens to either of us we'll each have the other-"

"Roz."

Tears were streaming down her face. "You really want me to go away?"

"You know I don't. But Dr Harley, his research... it was always dangerous, but it's getting more dangerous now and I can't be involved in this. He's... I wont speak ill of him, but he doesn't think about consequences, you know that. If it was just like the old days, just you and me, I'd go ahead and come what may but things cant be the same now."

"I cant... I cant give up the research, Jonathon. I can make a better life for her. She'll go to a good college, she'll have anything she ever wants-"

"I know. I'm not asking you to give up the research. ...I wouldn't do that to you. But I cant follow you along this path."

"You..."

"Shh." He embraced her, drying her tears with his handkerchief. He always had whatever he needed on him. "We'll still keep in touch."

"What's going to happen to us?" she asked, holding him, one last time. "I didn't want any of this. I'm not ready for this!"

He didn't know how to answer that. He didn't know either. So he squeezed her tighter and kissed her hair, and tried to keep from thinking about how beautiful she was, about how hurt she would be by this. A man has to do right by his son, first and foremost. And a woman by her daughter.

And they would be parents, now.

[Lexxy]

I do wish we got a bit more attention from other folks sometimes... but I guess it is a larger commitment to read fic and all. And we sure have an active fic writing community!

I hope the rule wasn't misinterpreted so far as to make you guys think I was directing it specifically at you I actually have the most trouble in the drawing threads, which is mostly what SA's post refers to, as those tend to move very quickly and people that get overlooked sometimes get their panties in a bunch. You are all very supportive of each other's works in here, and because the writing and reading of fics is a slower process, I feel like everyone gets a little bit more attention when attention is paid. I just copied and pasted the announcement in all of the most popular threads (fanart, romart, doodle, fan music, and fanfic).

[Shadow of the Lotus]

Oh no Lexxy! I didn't think the rule was directed at us in the least. I think we keep pretty up-beat around this thread anyways~ I was more bemoaning how uh, inside-looking the fan-fic thread can seem. It was a reflection of the fan-fiction debate in the serious business forum. (Just wish we could get more people reading the fics in here, you know? Though we have been moving ridiculously fast the past month and have so many contributions it's hard to keep up with it all). I think you're doing a wonderful job as a moderator and have been very excited to play in this playground you provide for us.

I've been working on a fic the past two days. Having a bit of trouble writing it up as I want to make it absolutely perfect. Somewhere around 3, 4 pages done right now. Aiming more for 10 (so I guess it might be a 3-part fic or something but I'm waiting to write it all before I post it). It is more John x Rose stuff; geez, I need to broaden out.