MSPA fan-fiction

[Metaflare]

Wow, who knew my story'd be so well-liked. :B Guess I should start writing

And for future refrence, there's no L in my name
EDIT: At least in the "Meta" part

[Sushi Database]

Except the one between the f and a

[Metaflare]

YOU JUST GOT NINJA'D

[Sushi Database]

OH SNAAAAP

[Beep]

Just commenting to say I love the vast majority of the fics in this thread and look forward to reading more in the future.

[Shadow of the Lotus]

In a bit of a rush here; leaving for a 3-day vacation in about 10 minutes and I still haven't packed. I don't know if this thread will hit page 100 before I get back. Just thought I'd bring up the topic of the next thread in passing right now in case it does. I was kinda hoping I'd be able to make the next thread as well but I guess if I'm not here when it does hit page 100 I'm out of the running then, eh? (I honestly hope I still have a shot at it). If the next thread is made it should include a link to the directory at least and, when the AO3 stuff is finalized, a link to that as well. I thought it'd kinda made sense if I was the thread starter as I'd make sure to include that sort of stuff, but really anyone could do that. I do think it'd be better to decide a person to make the next thread instead of using the page 100 topper as it is necessary to include this information. I would also recommend just calling the thread "MSPA fan-fiction 2" as we don't need all that fancy a title and, given that this thread lasted for more than a year, it'd be more of a pain in the ass to have a specific title referring to something as it could quickly fall out of fashion (where as changing the title periodically also sounds annoying to me at least). And uh, I guess that's it. I'm about 80% done with a fic I'm writing but I won't be able to post it for a couple days anyways. I hope that the thread doesn't end before I come back as I would like to make an honest push for creating the next one as well. Have fun everyone~

[Solarn]

This is awesome. I want more. And it has KanayaxRose. Which makes it more awesome.

AND IN OTHER NEWS:

Okay so I had this idea, see? After the game ends for the Kids, Earth will get restored to how it was, and the Troll's (somehow) return to Earth with the kids. The living arrangements are posted after the chapter.

And then things spiralled from there and I made this.

In Which Four Trolls Go To School pt. 1

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If there was one thing John Egbert liked about Sburb, it was that he now had the largest house in the neighborhood. Which was perfect, for his dad had to now house his son, Jade (as her brother refused the thought of her going back to live on that island alone again), and six trolls.

Speaking of which, four of them were in the kitchen, eating a breakfast that Jade cooked before she and John went off to school.

"I still refuse to believe," Karkat said with a mouth full of scrambled egg, "that something this good came out of an animal's ass."

A piece of egg flew out of his mouth and landed on the blue lens of Sollux's shades. "Goddammit KK, thalk afther you swallow."

As the Gemini Troll used his shirt to wipe off his glasses, Nepeta took the chance to swipe a strip of bacon off his plate. "Yoink!"

"Hey!"

"Ya snooze, you lose!" Terezi laughed, as she too stole a strip of bacon from Sollux's plate.

Said Troll slammed a fist on the table in anger. "Bitches and whores, all of you!"

"Hey, I'm a dude! Don't group me with them!" Karkat protested while jabbing a fork in Sollux's direction.

Instead of continuing the argument, Sollux decided to switch topics to avoid further rage, "Any of you know why Thavros and Gamthee aren't down yet?"

Karkat shrugged. "Hell if I know. Also, I call dibs on their food if they don't come down in five minutes. Wait, make that three. I'm hungry."

"I think they're having a...what do they call it...? A slam-fest? They're doing something in Gamzee's room. Whatever it is, I suspect slime." Terezi offered.

"That shit doesn’t exist on this planet, dumbass."

"This is Gamzee we're talking about. Who knows how he does half the shit he does."

"Oh that's bullshit and you know it, you blind bitch."

As the Libra and Cancer Trolls had their usual insult fight, Sollux noticed that Nepeta had a thoughtful look on her face; which usually only happens when she's thinking about her ships. Which Sollux rather disliked.

So he had to ask, "What're you thinking about, Nepetha?"

A curious and yet mischievous glint shined in her eyes. "Maybe you could help me out, Sollux."

"How?"

"I want to go see this school John and Jade go to."

"What." Karkat butted in. "Why?"

"And why do you need my help?" Sollux asked.

Nepeta grinned her trademark grin and stated, "One: Because I think it would be fun and interesting. Two: Because you could find out where it is on a computer, Sollux."

"This sounds fun," Terezi decided, "I want in."

The yellow-blood threw up his hands. "I never said I'd agree to this!"

Karkat rolled his eyes. "Like you have anything else better to do."

"...Thath's beside the point."

Nepeta hopped off her chair and (for a lack of a better term) glomped her heterochromatic friend. "Puuuurrrrrreeeeeaaaaase?"

"Please leth go."

"Come oooonnnn!"

"Geth off me."

"You know you want tooooo."

"Nepetha this is making me uncomforthable."

"Solllllluuuuuuuuxxx-"

"Okay! Fine! Jegus, juth let go already!"

Nepeta promptly did what she was told with a wide smile. "Ready or not, Jade and John, here we come!"

Sollux placed his head in his hands and mumbled something like, "Why me...?"

Karkat took Sollux's plate and finished off the rest of his breakfast.

Terezi decided to end Tavros and Gamzee's fun, as they were making way too much noise for her liking.

Jade and John never suspected a thing.

Living arrangements:

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Jade/John: Terezi Karkat Sollux Tavros Nepeta Gamzee
Rose: Kanaya Vriska Feferi Eridan
Dave: Equius Aradia

Should I continue?

Oh god Eridan lives with Rose. Hilarity ensues.

Yes, continue please.

[LeCrab]

You know lecrab, an outline you wrote was what got me into mspa fan fiction. I wouldn't mind working with you again, if that's ok.

Hey that's pretty cool that I could get you into this! You nailed what I was looking for in that old outline really well and I like the way you write a lot. I'd definitely like to work with you again soon.

This specific idea has been one I've been bouncing around in my head for a long time and I really wanna get going on this soon. I think I'm gonna write it tomorrow since I already have almost all of it pictured in my head (dialog, etc) and tomorrow's like my first day off of work in about two weeks. I want to make this specific story my own, but I like coming up with ideas and laying groundwork for stories a lot, so if I get a new one I'll let you know.

[Graven_Image]

@Lotus: You probably won't have to bother. I highly doubt this thread's going to move 9 pages in three days.

[Metaflare]

Oh god Eridan lives with Rose. Hilarity ensues.

Yes, continue please.

I did that mostly because Rose has that river or something running under her house.

[DocBeard]

Okay so.

Paul: Nice use of the conspiracy theory angle. The twist ending is in character; Jade is reinforcing her, "humans are not trolls." point to Karkat, which is important for Karkat to do his side of the work. He is perhaps the troll closest to understanding human beings and the most reluctant to further that understanding because of his misanthropy. Yeah, it could be read as "lol matchmaker" but I think Jade's point as you write it is more, "John needs someone to help in order to have his shit together. Rose needs someone to watch her back when she dives into crazy town. If I told John about what was going on, he'd flip and Rose would retreat into herself. He had to stumble on it naturally."

Weather this is true or not depends on how insightful you think Jade is.

RA: Nice work. I like Tavros's self reflection on how, in his own way, he's as damaged as Vriska.

VR: I figured John's ever increasing mangrit had something to do with his being able to take Equius's strength. From what we've seen strength sort of runs in the family. And while it would've been a bit out of place, thank you for posting that deleted scene with John hammering Equius across a room. It made me smile.

Noirallegiance was pretty darn great, too. The accents were a little...if you're going to have outrageous accents, they shouldn't all be the same accent. That said, the sheer color of the piece was really amazing, and I hope you keep on keeping on.

[northernVehemence]

Domoz -- continue. please. please.

Cakepan -- I usually skip over carapace fics, but these were just so awesome I had to read them. and then I had to read them again. You had a tough job, because most of those characters don't have a whole lot of characterization (with the exception of Jack Noir and maybe PM), but you wrote them beautifully. I loved how AR just assumed that he was doing really important work, but he just wasn't. please write more!!

Tene -- i'm loving Starfound. How do you write so many fics and keep track of them all??? I can barely do one at a time! i like that Rose and Kanaya are together, but it's not to overstated. little things like them holding hands while they unlock the door are what's endearing about your fics.

sarasvati -- omg i can't wait for Rose's version.

Summergale -- was this a writing meme thing where all the topics are provided, or did you make them up yourself? Either way, beautiful job. Sollux is my Gemini homeboy, and it's nice to see him getting some attention. i don't think that fic writers take full advantage of him sometimes.

silrini -- AUGH I'M WRITING A FIC FROM GAMZEE'S PERSPECTIVE TOO!!! WE'RE GAMZEE BUDDIES! seriously, though, awesome job. i can't wait to hear what happened to him in the game!!

Metaflare -- um yes please!! Equius and Aradia living with Dave? holy shit.

Sushi -- amazing as ever. I loved the intro bit, because that totally sounded like something Rose would have written. i lol'd at "Majjikk". and I'm excited that it's only part 1! That means there will be more...right? RIGHT???

unfortunately, due to work and some health issues, i haven't had time to illustrate much of anything. But I'll get to work and I promise i'll have some stuff to show you guys in my next post!!

[Summergale]

Summergale -- was this a writing meme thing where all the topics are provided, or did you make them up yourself? Either way, beautiful job. Sollux is my Gemini homeboy, and it's nice to see him getting some attention. i don't think that fic writers take full advantage of him sometimes.

It's from a livejournal community called 1sentence. I had to swap out some of the prompts that I couldn't do, or the ones that would be a bit mature.

[kmsumrall]

Now, a silly movie story, How Aradia got her Groove back!

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Ok, i'm just joking.

The Alternian and the Troll Part 2

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If one were to look at this house they would be struck with a sense of age, story, history, pride, legacy, and perhaps a vague taste of lemons. Beyond the unqualifiable and unquantifiable personally attributed feelings mentioned early, one thing that certainly stood out above the rest both in height and visibility was the stunted steeple with large windows that were predominantly dominated by twelve symmetrical hexagonal segments that covered the street side wall and was situated offset from what would have been the center line of the abode. Following the natural line this sight made, assuming that your natural line was a curve, one would be drawn to the opening of the large bay porch, an opening that was topped by a triangular roof that could almost be called a gable if one were to stretch their vocabulary.

A balcony covered with flowers came off the left side of the house, sitting on top of a many windowed sitting room, although the view was not what it once was. Various turrets with bow windows littered the steep roof, although the second largest of them look like it made been broken by a windstorm or some severe hail, perhaps the size of golf balls or larger. No stucco or aluminum siding or false wood covered the house, as whoever built the living place wished to show honest brick with its dull red color and its out of place feeling, although one could argue the houses around were actually the ones out of place.

Nepeta didn't see much of this on her initial glance as she was still stuck by the fact that her new friend and perhaps her first friend said that she would be living here from now on. What she did notice was that the stairs were split in half, one side ramped the other side, well, stairs. Nepeta asked Terezi about this.

“That’s for Tavros. He is-” The blind girl stopped. “You know what? You can ask him yourself. Stop gawking and let’s go already.”

Shyly, Nepeta nodded and started walking around to the back side of the building.

“Where are you going?” asked Terezi, confused.

“Um, looking for the servant's entrance. We don’t want to disturb the owners.”

The girl rubbed her eyeless sockets and grabbed the other by the arm. With strength one might not expect from a young girl with a slight build, she pulled Nepeta to the large front door. Like always, it wasn't locked, as this neighborhood, while a little old and run down, was rather trustworthy. They walked across the threshold straight into an argument.

“It’s like I keep telling you. Humans are not going to respect us as long as we keep bowing down to them like fucking little lemurs! We need to fight, take action-”

“Not that kind of action, Karkat. If they see Alternians as dangerous then humans will continue to treating us like second class citizens. We have to go through the proper channels.”

“Don’t be so fucking native you pitstain. We have to show power and willing!”

“The willing we need to show is the willing to integrate.”

“And become humans as well? That sounds reeaaallllllly nice.”

“Out heritage won’t fade out as long as we remember it. We’ve gotten this much by doing that.”

“This much? Then why the hell are we living out in the boonies?”

“Oh, this house is the boonies now? How do you think we got this place?”

“Because Aunt Nancy fought for us!”

“Or, maybe, Mother got a lawyer to-”

A simultaneous ‘ow!’ filled the air as Terezi battered both individuals with her cane. “You two stop all that nonsense right now! We have a new housemate. Introduce yourselves!”

“What’s this fucking shit?! Ow!” Terezi had hit him again. “Guh! Fine! Whatever, new housemate. Right, lovely. Does Aunt Nancy know you brought someone home?”

“We are going to go see her next.”

“Well...” started the angry one, “I’m Karkat Vantas. This troll-”

“Alternian! Troll is a word with many negative connotations-”

“No no! We have to make it our word! Take the power-”

“Just let it drop, Karkat.” The other one looked at Nepeta. “My name is Kanaya.”

“Um... Nice to meet you?” The shy girl started to draw back.

“”You got a name or something? I can just call you ‘you’. That's fucking fine with me if you want to be a nameless-”

Terezi hit him again. “This is Nepeta and treat her nice.”

Karkat grunted and walked off, followed closely by Kanaya. As they left Nepeta was finally about to take in the sights of the main foyer. Spiral stairs inset in the back wall gave way to the upper floor with a flourish. Side tables, or perhaps end table, with deep rich colors were placed at key points near doors and held mirrors and exotic art over them. A long carpet accented the floor with a long stripe of patterned colors, although parts had been worn down by years of wear, it still would have placed a longing in the hearts of the residents if it were to be moved. A high ceiling with dark corners carried what once was a bright and shiny chandelier that was now dulled by the years disuse, disrepair, and discleaning.

Coming from a room of which Nepeta was unable to tell the use of was a tall woman with pale skin, wearing serviceable green work overalls and a loose white shirt, wiping her hands with a fresh towel. She smiled warmly at the pair by the door.

“And what do we have here?” she said in a light, sweet, honeylike voice.

“Mother, this is Nepeta. She doesn't have a home.”

The lady called Mother looked concerned. “Oh dear.” She walked over to the shy girl and placed a hand on her cheek. “Aren’t you a pretty darling. How could someone so beautiful have no home? Well Miss Nepeta, you are not only a welcome guest but I insist you live here from now on.”

The girl smiled, but then looked worried. She stepped back and bowed her head. “Thank you Madam for allowing me to serve in your grace.”

Mother looked sad. “Oh sweetheart, what happened to you? Miss Terezi, please take her upstairs for a warm bath and some biscuits.” Terezi took Nepeta's hand and they started walking up the stairway. “And make sure you introduce the dear to Aunt Nancy as well!” The nice lady called as they went up.

“Wh-Who is Aunt Nancy?” Nepeta asked as she was half dragged down the second story hallway.

“Well-” A loud thump from above interrupted the blind girl’s explanation.

Another loud thump made Nepeta jump and cling to Terezi’s arm. More thumps, closer and closer, louder and louder, more sinister with each sound. A door near the pair shook and rattled. And out from that door emerged a stout lady with sharp features and a stern expression. The woman’s almond eyes narrowed as she pulled cobwebs out of her black hair.

“Oh great, another urchin. Terezi, go put your eyes back in.”

[Tenebrais]

I like where this is going, Kms. Keep it up!

[Sushi Database]

Sushi -- amazing as ever. I loved the intro bit, because that totally sounded like something Rose would have written. i lol'd at "Majjikk". and I'm excited that it's only part 1! That means there will be more...right? RIGHT???

uh yeah its going to be another character arc in the vein of shenanigans, only obviously focusing on rose instead of dave, and continuing some of the plot threads left dangling from shenanigans (consequences of summoning john's spirit)

It's gonna be written a lot slower than shenanigans was, though. Writing Dave is easy, you have a few drinks and get stream of consciousness (at least in pesterlogs). Rose is a great deal more deliberate with her word choices and prone to purple pRose, so she's kinda... harder to write, for me anyway. still fun though

[Graven_Image]

"Few drinks with a stream of consciousness" sounds like how Dave operates every day.

[Cakepan]

Review Responses:

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@Graven_Image: Thank you!

@kmsumrall: Aw, it's nice of you to think that I deserved a first pwnst.

@Solaris: Actual first pwnst! Thank so so much! This makes me so happy, I don't even.

@Sushi Database: Glad you enjoyed it! Nah, he really didn't, but he thought he was doing important work, and that's what counts. At least he had job satisfaction, unlike Jack who pretty much did all the real important work!

@Ale: Aw, thank you for the compliment! My friend actually pointed out to me yesterday that it was open ended and that I could continue it if I liked, so I've been considering it. I do sort of have an idea about what would occur after Jack went back to camp and the others actually ended up finding out who he was. But I'm not sure if I'll continue. We'll just have to see!

@reclusiveAmateur:Thanks for the welcome! Everyone does seem very nice here.

@northernVehemence: I'm glad you enjoyed them! Yeah, none of them have any real voice in canon, so I had to figure something out that would work for them. Most of their voices came pretty easily, though, with the exception of WV who I had to think on for a while. AR took a lot of pride in his work, it'd just kill him to know that what he was doing wasn't important, so he refuses to accept it. Aaaah. I don't know if I'll be writing more of this, but hopefully I will be writing more fic! I do have an idea that I've been tossing around in my head for a while.

Reviews:
@Summergale: Aaaaaah. 50 Moments made me tear up. It was beautiful and sad. I think the ones that hit me the hardest were "Stop", for its simplicity and bluntness, and "Denouement" for its tone of finality. All of them were completely wonderful, however.

@Metaflare: Yeees, continue! I'm curious to see where this is going, especially with the living arrangements. Equius living with Dave? That's sure to be hilarious.

@Sushi Database: This was fantastic! You got Rose's writing style down completely in that first part. And I absolutely loved Dave's conversation with Jaspersprite. It was just too cute.

[The Idiotic Oracle]

FINE, I guess you can stay. ^__^ As per request, here' s the snippet/prequel for my recovering addict Gamzee fic. It's from Gamzee's POV, mostly because I thought that a lot of people like writing Gamzee in, but no one actually attempts to write from his perspective. Hope you guys enjoy!

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Gamzee was fiddling with the appearifier, trying to get the right set of co-ordinates for the troll store they were all using to appearify their food, when Karkat walked in.

“What are you doing in here? What are you trying—give me that!” Gamzee stepped aside. Karkat was universally acknowledged by the rest of the trolls to be the best at appearifying. “What were you going after, you dumbfuck?”

“Man, I was trying to get back to the shop,” Gamzee drawled, ignoring his best friend’s ire.

“What for? We’ve already restocked.” Karkat had somehow become in charge of supplying the station with the essentials for troll life, something that Gamzee knew he secretly took pride in.

“Of course we have, but we need something else to celebrate now,” Gamzee told him. “I was going to get a pack of Faygo.”
He felt the sharp glance from his friend, but continued to smile genially, examining the co-ordinates Karkat was inputting for the store, trying once more to commit it to memory. Of all the trolls, he was the only one who hadn’t got it yet. He continued to stare at the numbers, repeating them in his head, even as Karkat set the crosshairs and a pack of orange soda appeared on the platform.

“Is that all you want? Are you sure I can’t get you something else to go with that?” Karkat’s voice was scathing, but Gamzee could hear the question underneath the sarcasm.

“Nah man, that’s all. You’re the best, bro.” Gamzee gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder, grabbed the pack, and exited the room, heading back to his own. According to Aradia and her voices, very soon now they would encounter another group of players, people who, like them, had won their game of SGRUB, and Gamzee wanted to be prepared. Perhaps Faygo wasn’t what anyone wanted to drink, but Gamzee wanted it available for this new species, who might like it. Plus, even if the new players didn’t like it, Gamzee was sure that he could drink it. It wasn’t like a six-pack of Faygo was going to put him under, Karkat’s concern aside.

Still, better to keep it in his room for now, until the new players actually arrived. Gamzee could just imagine the fuss Equius and the others would make if they saw him with his ‘bottles of fizzy sugar’, and quite frankly didn’t want to hear them fuss and be concerned about him when he had no intention whatsoever of returning to his old ways(specifically Equius. Man could that guy get worked up over nothing).

Gamzee had just made it to his room and stored the Faygo next his old clubs and clown make-up when there was a pounding on the door. He stiffened, then sighed. Hopefully it was just someone who wanted him to help in the preparations.

When he opened the door and saw Terezi, though, he laughed. “Hey there, motherfucker.”

Terezi sniffed. “Where is it? I know I smelt that bright orange syrup of yours, so don’t even try to hide it.”

Gamzee laughed again and let her in. “Couldn’t fool you, huh? I thought the new players might like it.”

“And not because you wanted some?” Gamzee gave a half-smile and shrugged, knowing the blind girl couldn’t see it.

“Eh. Little of both, maybe? It’s been a long time, and I thought I’d treat myself a little. And anyone else who wanted some, of course.”

“Hmm.” Terezi made her way to his bed, which was the flat mattress thing he’d specifically requested remain, instead of the sopor-slime filled recupercoons everyone else still had. “You know, no one really knows what happened to you during the game. You were there in the beginning, and then you disappeared for pretty much the rest of the game. It was only when Karkat went to fight your denizen that you reappeared.”

Gamzee’s mouth twitched before he made a face. “It’s not really a nice story, ya know? That time was really…tough. It’s a miracle I made it through.”
Terezi gave a smile. “You know, it drove Equius nuts when he realized you weren’t ‘polluting your perfect blood’ anymore and you were still talking about miracles and ‘motherfuckers’ and rapping with Tavros.”

“I bet it did!” Gamzee laughed, picturing Equius’ indignance.

“So what happened?”

He hesitated for a while, then shrugged and went to sit next to her. “Well, it pretty much started when I went through the second gate…”

I must read the rest of this story. Must. Whereisit

[silrini]

Color me excited for more of this. Gamzee's adventures in the medium are something I've really hoped the comic would address at some point, since he seems so... unfit for adventures. :O but it seems unlikely to happen so yaaaaay fanfics

silrini -- AUGH I'M WRITING A FIC FROM GAMZEE'S PERSPECTIVE TOO!!! WE'RE GAMZEE BUDDIES! seriously, though, awesome job. i can't wait to hear what happened to him in the game!!

I must read the rest of this story. Must. Whereisit

^__^ Thank you guys for your support! I'm feeling upbeat now, so I don't know how well I'll write out another bit tonight, but I'm gonna try, mostly because this idea has been bugging me FOREVER. So you might get another bit tonight. Thank you guys again!

[northernVehemence]

so here's the first part of the Gamzee story! it's going to be rather longer than I thought originally -- the idea was just a day in the life of Gamzee Makara.

i've already written the next part, but I think i'm gonna try a new thing where I write two parts and then I post one, and then I write the next and post the second, etc. so I don't write myself into a corner again, hopefully!

um, please critique this! I really just want to get better at writing.

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I wake up.

The world is beautiful.

I think I might have slept a little more than I intended. I should go to the lab and try to help out my friends, but I can stay in bed a little longer. This blanket is the softest thing I’ve ever felt. It’s like a goddamn cloud made of rabbit pelts and love...man, I don’t even know. It’s just really soft.

My door opens. Hey, it’s my man Karkat. I smile and wave him over. He has to feel how soft this blanket is. It’s fucking unreal.

He doesn’t seem to want to, though. “Hey, get your useless ass down to the lab! You’ve been asleep for 14 hours,” he begins.

I love Karkat’s horns. They’re not sharp, like most trolls, but they’re beautiful. They’re so perfectly glossy. It’s like they’re made of glass or something. No, not glass, I guess. Something stronger. Like...some sort of metal? But their colors are fucking awesome. Like two little candycorn nubs sitting right on his head.

Shoot, man. He’s still talking. I sort of zoned out there.

“...after your little ‘let’s try to take apart Terezi’s computer’ adventure, you fucking brainless --”

“Hey, candyhorns,” I say as I get out of bed, “I was just trying to help that little juggalette out. But I read you. I’ll be down in the lab in 10 minutes. Juggalo’s oath.” I scratch my bare stomach and look around the room. Man, wherever did my work clothes get to? I usually only wear my rattiest pants to bed.

Karkat stares at me for a few moments, but I don’t mind. It’s cool if he wants to take a look. I thought he was all about Sollux, and I don’t really swing that way, but whatever, man, it’s cool.

I collect my face paint and clothing, but I can’t seem to locate my shoes. I think I might have left them in the common area? But hey, that’s okay. Barefoot is cool. I look up, and shoot, Karkat’s gone. I didn’t even notice him leaving. Oh well. I wiggle my toes as I paint my face, my yellow toe-claws clicking against the floor.

I pad my way over to the lab. Man, I can walk mad quietly when I don’t wear shoes. Oh hey, there’s Equius. Some people are kind of scared of him, but I think he’s cool. He just wants to be loved, y’know? Isn’t that what everyone wants? He’s walking in front of me, and I don’t think he’s heard me coming. I should try to surprise him. Who doesn’t like surprises?

I creep up behind him, walking slightly faster than he is. He’s busy examining some robotic shit in his hands. Motherfucker’s so damn wise about those robots. He’s a fucking robot guru.

He doesn’t suspect a thing. I’m less than a foot away from him. I bring my hands up and clap them on his shoulders. “Guess who, motherfu --”

He turns and catches my stomach with the back of his arm, and his other hand connects with my throat and shoves me backward. I lose my balance and fall hard on my ass, sort of winded. “Shit, man,” I croak.

Equius turns to face me, and I can tell immediately that he feels really bad. He lets out this little squeak that sounds a little like Nepeta and he kneels down beside me and cradles my head in his arms. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, Gamzee. That was completely out of line. I thought you might have been one of our lower-blooded peers,” he says. He’s sort of starting to sweat, so I sit up on my own and massage my throat.

“No harm done, my man. I wanted to surprise you, but I ended up being the one who got surprised!” I laugh at the irony, but Equius doesn’t. He still looks worried.

“No, that was completely inappropriate. Imagine, someone of my status assuming so much as to hit...” his voice peters out into a hoarse whisper. “You’ll...you’ll have to punish me.”

I laugh a little bit. Equius is always going on about me punishing him for something or other. “Naw, man. No punishment necessary. We’re all buds here.” I stand up and offer him my hand to help him up, but he doesn’t take it, and stands up on his own. I guess he’d probably just pull me back down with him, motherfucker’s so damn strong.

“I must insist,” he begs, dancing from one foot to the other. I pause to consider it. Maybe he could do something for me.

[PaulPower]

More stuff for Friends Who Haven't Met Yet, but not the dreambot yet. Instead here's something from Rose and Dave's perspectives, that slots in between John and Showtime (so I guess that makes Showtime part 4 now? Never do things the easy way, that's my motto).

Part 3: Rose and Dave

TT: Ok, well I need to go to dinner now.
TT: See you around, John.

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Hours later, Rose emerged from what had felt like an interminable dinner as her mother had tried to extract precious nuggets of information about Jade and John. It hadn't worked, but only because she knew so little about them herself. They were the proverbial riddles wrapped in mysteries inside enigmas. And now they were both offline. John was probably at dinner himself now; she couldn't say for Jade. Dave was on though.

She thought back to how she'd met Dave, a couple of years before. She'd been a member of an online poetry group aimed at very young children - all very safe, all very sane, she was practically the only one pushing the envelope - when he showed up.

And yes, he was full of himself and yes, he refused to use punctuation. And yes, technically speaking it was rap, and it had put the other members of the poetry group off. But he'd been the first kid she'd met with a vocabulary like hers, the first to get her allusions to some of the classics - Roald Dahl, Spike Milligan, Lewis Carroll. He knew of a time when Winnie the Pooh and Thomas the Tank Engine were creations of A.A. Milne and The Rev. W. Awdry rather than just TV characters.

She wasn't quite sure how much she liked him, but she certainly respected him. And she'd defended him against the rest of the poetry group, and even resigned when they'd voted him out. Since then, it had been just the two of them, not counting the trolls, at least until Jade and John had showed up. She bickered with him constantly, but she trusted his judgement. And she needed his judgement now.

-- tentacleTherapist [TT] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 21:45 --

TT: So what do you make of our new friends?
TG: jade and john?
TT: Well unless you've been seeing other people behind my back, yes.
TG: haha very funny
TG: i am literally rolling on the floor laughing
TG: damn im tangled up in all these cables
TT: I warned you about cables, bro.
TT: I told you, dog.
TG: but yeah theyre not bad
TG: ok maybe a bit too bright and cheerful for my tastes
TG: and i dont think johns entirely convinced about my coolness
TG: why do you ask
TT: I don't know. It's just... odd.
TT: It's like they knew us already and yet didn't know us already at the same time.
TG: i didnt really get that feeling
TT: Yes, I suspect Jade was starting to wise up by the time she talked to you.
TT: She described you to me as, and I quote, "a friend i havent met yet" (sic).
TG: really?
TG: ill admit it was odd when she started off saying "hi dave!!!" when i didnt know her from adam
TG: but the thing with friendship is
TG: you cant overthink it
TG: just roll with it and see what happens
TG: i mean weve both got pretty empty chumrolls without them
TT: I suppose you're right.
TT: After all, if they're nice people, maybe it doesn't really matter how we met them.
TG: yeah its like the beginning of the universe or something
TG: were still not sure what happened
TG: but once its happened it keeps happening
TG: you can let it bug you or you can get on with your life
TG: sure its a life of girls whose composition makes you go ohgodwhat and boys who like con air of all things
TG: but its still a life
TT: Yes, thank you Professor Hawking.
TG: youre welcome baroness greenfield
TT: She's neuroscience, Dave. Not psychology.
TG: close enough
TT: Yes, I suppose.
TT: How are things with your brother?
TG: oh same old same old
TG: coolest dude on the planet but i still had to scrape a meal together as usual
TG: found an unopened bottle of apple juice though
TG: pretty rad

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Dave sipped his juice thoughtfully as he considered what Rose was saying. She might have a point, it was kinda weird how Jade and John had dropped out of the blue like that. And he generally trusted her judgement, even if she did bicker with him constantly. But at the same time... they seemed to like him. He wasn't even sure how much Rose liked him, as much as she respected him. And they seemed okay with rap, which was a step up from the poetry group. Metaphysics be damned.

TG: but yeah id say theyre fine really
TT: Okay. Thanks.
TG: and hey maybe well form a band some day
TG: piano bass drum machine turntables thats a good nucleus
TG: dont know how youd fit a violin in though
TT: Sometimes I wish I could throw pillows over the Internet.

Yeah, this took quite a lot of inspiration from "we drive by braille" (incidentally, where on earth does that title come from? It's been bugging me since I read it)

e: lol 666

[Bardic Feline]

so here's the first part of the Gamzee story! it's going to be rather longer than I thought originally -- the idea was just a day in the life of Gamzee Makara.

i've already written the next part, but I think i'm gonna try a new thing where I write two parts and then I post one, and then I write the next and post the second, etc. so I don't write myself into a corner again, hopefully!

um, please critique this! I really just want to get better at writing.

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I wake up.

The world is beautiful.

I think I might have slept a little more than I intended. I should go to the lab and try to help out my friends, but I can stay in bed a little longer. This blanket is the softest thing I’ve ever felt. It’s like a goddamn cloud made of rabbit pelts and love...man, I don’t even know. It’s just really soft.

My door opens. Hey, it’s my man Karkat. I smile and wave him over. He has to feel how soft this blanket is. It’s fucking unreal.

He doesn’t seem to want to, though. “Hey, get your useless ass down to the lab! You’ve been asleep for 14 hours,” he begins.

I love Karkat’s horns. They’re not sharp, like most trolls, but they’re beautiful. They’re so perfectly glossy. It’s like they’re made of glass or something. No, not glass, I guess. Something stronger. Like...some sort of metal? But their colors are fucking awesome. Like two little candycorn nubs sitting right on his head.

Shoot, man. He’s still talking. I sort of zoned out there.

“...after your little ‘let’s try to take apart Terezi’s computer’ adventure, you fucking brainless --”

“Hey, candyhorns,” I say as I get out of bed, “I was just trying to help that little juggalette out. But I read you. I’ll be down in the lab in 10 minutes. Juggalo’s oath.” I scratch my bare stomach and look around the room. Man, wherever did my work clothes get to? I usually only wear my rattiest pants to bed.

Karkat stares at me for a few moments, but I don’t mind. It’s cool if he wants to take a look. I thought he was all about Sollux, and I don’t really swing that way, but whatever, man, it’s cool.

I collect my face paint and clothing, but I can’t seem to locate my shoes. I think I might have left them in the common area? But hey, that’s okay. Barefoot is cool. I look up, and shoot, Karkat’s gone. I didn’t even notice him leaving. Oh well. I wiggle my toes as I paint my face, my yellow toe-claws clicking against the floor.

I pad my way over to the lab. Man, I can walk mad quietly when I don’t wear shoes. Oh hey, there’s Equius. Some people are kind of scared of him, but I think he’s cool. He just wants to be loved, y’know? Isn’t that what everyone wants? He’s walking in front of me, and I don’t think he’s heard me coming. I should try to surprise him. Who doesn’t like surprises?

I creep up behind him, walking slightly faster than he is. He’s busy examining some robotic shit in his hands. Motherfucker’s so damn wise about those robots. He’s a fucking robot guru.

He doesn’t suspect a thing. I’m less than a foot away from him. I bring my hands up and clap them on his shoulders. “Guess who, motherfu --”

He turns and catches my stomach with the back of his arm, and his other hand connects with my throat and shoves me backward. I lose my balance and fall hard on my ass, sort of winded. “Shit, man,” I croak.

Equius turns to face me, and I can tell immediately that he feels really bad. He lets out this little squeak that sounds a little like Nepeta and he kneels down beside me and cradles my head in his arms. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, Gamzee. That was completely out of line. I thought you might have been one of our lower-blooded peers,” he says. He’s sort of starting to sweat, so I sit up on my own and massage my throat.

“No harm done, my man. I wanted to surprise you, but I ended up being the one who got surprised!” I laugh at the irony, but Equius doesn’t. He still looks worried.

“No, that was completely inappropriate. Imagine, someone of my status assuming so much as to hit...” his voice peters out into a hoarse whisper. “You’ll...you’ll have to punish me.”

I laugh a little bit. Equius is always going on about me punishing him for something or other. “Naw, man. No punishment necessary. We’re all buds here.” I stand up and offer him my hand to help him up, but he doesn’t take it, and stands up on his own. I guess he’d probably just pull me back down with him, motherfucker’s so damn strong.

“I must insist,” he begs, dancing from one foot to the other. I pause to consider it. Maybe he could do something for me.

XD...I love your Gamzee already. You have him pretty much spot on. And Equius's reaction to accidentally hurting him...priceless.

[silrini]

In which I tell a whole bunch of authors how awesome they are.

Metaflare:

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In Which Four Trolls Go To School pt. 1

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If there was one thing John Egbert liked about Sburb, it was that he now had the largest house in the neighborhood. Which was perfect, for his dad had to now house his son, Jade (as her brother refused the thought of her going back to live on that island alone again), and six trolls.

Speaking of which, four of them were in the kitchen, eating a breakfast that Jade cooked before she and John went off to school.

"I still refuse to believe," Karkat said with a mouth full of scrambled egg, "that something this good came out of an animal's ass."

A piece of egg flew out of his mouth and landed on the blue lens of Sollux's shades. "Goddammit KK, thalk afther you swallow."

As the Gemini Troll used his shirt to wipe off his glasses, Nepeta took the chance to swipe a strip of bacon off his plate. "Yoink!"

"Hey!"

"Ya snooze, you lose!" Terezi laughed, as she too stole a strip of bacon from Sollux's plate.

Said Troll slammed a fist on the table in anger. "Bitches and whores, all of you!"

"Hey, I'm a dude! Don't group me with them!" Karkat protested while jabbing a fork in Sollux's direction.

Instead of continuing the argument, Sollux decided to switch topics to avoid further rage, "Any of you know why Thavros and Gamthee aren't down yet?"

Karkat shrugged. "Hell if I know. Also, I call dibs on their food if they don't come down in five minutes. Wait, make that three. I'm hungry."

"I think they're having a...what do they call it...? A slam-fest? They're doing something in Gamzee's room. Whatever it is, I suspect slime." Terezi offered.

"That shit doesn’t exist on this planet, dumbass."

"This is Gamzee we're talking about. Who knows how he does half the shit he does."

"Oh that's bullshit and you know it, you blind bitch."

As the Libra and Cancer Trolls had their usual insult fight, Sollux noticed that Nepeta had a thoughtful look on her face; which usually only happens when she's thinking about her ships. Which Sollux rather disliked.

So he had to ask, "What're you thinking about, Nepetha?"

A curious and yet mischievous glint shined in her eyes. "Maybe you could help me out, Sollux."

"How?"

"I want to go see this school John and Jade go to."

"What." Karkat butted in. "Why?"

"And why do you need my help?" Sollux asked.

Nepeta grinned her trademark grin and stated, "One: Because I think it would be fun and interesting. Two: Because you could find out where it is on a computer, Sollux."

"This sounds fun," Terezi decided, "I want in."

The yellow-blood threw up his hands. "I never said I'd agree to this!"

Karkat rolled his eyes. "Like you have anything else better to do."

"...Thath's beside the point."

Nepeta hopped off her chair and (for a lack of a better term) glomped her heterochromatic friend. "Puuuurrrrrreeeeeaaaaase?"

"Please leth go."

"Come oooonnnn!"

"Geth off me."

"You know you want tooooo."

"Nepetha this is making me uncomforthable."

"Solllllluuuuuuuuxxx-"

"Okay! Fine! Jegus, juth let go already!"

Nepeta promptly did what she was told with a wide smile. "Ready or not, Jade and John, here we come!"

Sollux placed his head in his hands and mumbled something like, "Why me...?"

Karkat took Sollux's plate and finished off the rest of his breakfast.

Terezi decided to end Tavros and Gamzee's fun, as they were making way too much noise for her liking.

Jade and John never suspected a thing.

Living arrangements:

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Jade/John: Terezi Karkat Sollux Tavros Nepeta Gamzee
Rose: Kanaya Vriska Feferi Eridan
Dave: Equius Aradia

Should I continue?

I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE NEXT BIT. THIS LOOKS SO EFFING AMAZING. ^__^

Sushi Database:

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The Esoteric Adventures of Zazzerpan the Learned, part one

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Across the field of bones, the Complacency gathered.

To the casual observer this antediluvian assembly of venerable geezers might appear accidental, as if a wagonload of senior citizens had gotten lost and forgetful on their way to the breakfast buffet. But these men were no mere retirees. Where their contemporaries would be wielding metal detectors and searching for Old War memorabilia, these men held Staves of Majiikk Powers Unrealized. These were wizards of the highest order, unmatched by reputation and wisdom. The Complacency had assembled in the golgotha to cast their sorcellations upon the landscape as a grizzled angler casts his net upon the ocean. Wading in bones up to their knees, they were determined to divine a witness to this grim spectacle.

Ockite had not journeyed with the rest of the Complacency in years... perhaps a decade. He was a scholar, not a practitioner, of the arcana aphotic. But for this endeavor they needed the entirety of their conclave. He was troubled deeply by the implications of this event; he had not been present when the wreckage of Syrs Gnelph had been discovered and this was his first time surveying the damage. That the children he himself had chosen and helped teach would use their talents in this manner chilled him to his bones. This had to be a frame-up, he knew it for sure, but the evidence seemed stacked against their disciples. Today, if there was an alternate explanation, they would find it. He tugged his beard pensively, signaling that he, too, was ready to proceed.

Moving as one, the wizards waved their arms and danced awkwardly, trying to carry out the rituals as best they could with their ancient, failing limbs. Withered hands gripped walking sticks as if holding onto lifelines as the majjikk energies flowed out of the Phantom Realm into their beings. With each verse of incantations they became conduits more than men. Bones shook on the ground, trembling like a child on her first day at school. The spirits were answering their call.

(Ugh. Scrap that whole last paragraph.)

~

Surviving in a broken session came down to a simple routine, over time. The Black and White armies weren't really a concern, first of all. Without prototyping all the destined player's sprites, the Black royalty seemed to know instinctively that the Reckoning wasn't happening, even though it had sort of already happened to Earth. And they seemed okay with that. Stable time loops were getting destabilized all over the place, but it didn't seem to be affecting anything. Rose and Dave had no idea how the White armies felt about it on Prospit, but from what they'd seen spying from Derse, life went on uneventfully. Imps and ogres still attacked them periodically, especially Dave, but for the most part things were peaceful.

For the most part.

Rose tried to control her breathing. Her fists were clenched around the ends of her needlewands, trying to stifle the humming sound they made constantly. She just had to wait it out a little longer. He was close, she could hear him. And he could sense her here, somehow, but... so long as she stayed quiet he wouldn't find her. Just a little longer.

There was a shifting sound behind her. Then, a rippling in the air. No! Not now!

She tumbled out of her hiding space and fell three feet to the ground. "Ooof. ...Good game."

Jaspers extended a furry tentacle to help her up. "Rose that was kind of cheating if it werent for my spooky eldritch princess powers i dont think i could have found you!"

"I kind of forgot you had those," Rose said. She had been hiding in a dormant pocket of null-space, in a convenient fold between dimensions. These little pockets were all over the place, if you had the spells to look for them. They were like the crawlspaces of the universe; little creepy and a small chance of interdimensional spiders, but basically safe.

"I forget i have them sometimes too!" Jaspers sunned himself in the window for a few moments before, as always, a new idea hit him. "Rose can we have lunch?"

"You don't eat, Jaspers. Remember? We talk about this, every day?"

"Rooooooooooose!"

She smiled and walked over to the alchemiter, taking out the punchcard for a can of tuna fish. She inserted it and let it do its magic. Can opener, where's that can opener?

"Here you go, Jaspers," she said, passing him a bowl full of tuna fish. He ate at the table, now. She set about making herself a sandwich. "We'll both have lunch and then play another round, okay? This time, I'll find you."

"No cheating though rose!" Jaspers said with his mouth full. "You cant use magic to find me that isnt fair!"

"You used sprite powers to find me."

"Yeah cuz you used magic to hide!"

"It seems to me," Rose said, putting the top slice of bread on her sandwich and carrying it over to the table, "that you should be allowed to use sprite powers to hide and I should be allowed to use magic to find you, to keep things even."

"No no more powers okay i promise i wont use them either!"

"You promise?" she extended a pinky. "You don't have any fingers. How can I be sure I can trust you?"

"Roooooooose come ON!"

"Very well." A noise from her computer alerted her to a message. "Oh. Just a second, Jaspers. Dave is on."


TG: okay i'm winding down for the day
TG: reversing back to my pad
TT: Hello, Dave. I was just having lunch.

"Hello dave strider hi!" Jaspers said with his mouth full of tuna fish.

TT: Jaspers says hi.
TG: hey jaspers what's up with the coolest cat in the incipisphere
JASPERSPRITE: I'm pretty good hey dave!
TG: whoa i didnt know you could do that
JASPERSPRITE: Yeah im pretty amazing like that!
JASPERSPRITE: I wanted to tell you im a big fan of your comic dave!
TG: awesome
TG: always cool to meet a fan
TG: who's your favorite character
JASPERSPRITE: I like that one guy that plays the video games!
TG: no way that's my favorite too
JASPERSPRITE: Oh wow so cool!
JASPERSPRITE: Okay well i'm not sure how im doing this chat thing but im gonna go back to my tuna fish!
JASPERSPRITE: Later dave strider!
TG: haha what a great cat
TG: btw rose calsprite says
TG: HEE HAA HOO HAA HOO HEE
TT: Reassure me right now by telling me Calsprite cant hack this chat.
TG: calsprite cant do anything useful
TG: worst sprite ever want to trade
TT: No thanks, totally happy with mine. We were just playing hide-and-go-seek.
TG: well arent you a bastion of fucking productivity
TG: i'm just gonna crash and maybe chill in derse for a bit
TG: thought you might want to hang out, kick some fresh jams
TT: I don't think I can really sleep right now. It's something like midday here.
TG: how can you even tell it's always bright as fuck on lolar right
TT: It gets somewhat less bright towards the evening.
TT: I might be interested in hanging out later, but for now I'm keeping Jaspers company.
TG: dang stood up for a cat
TG: i might be jealous if it wasnt such a cool cat
TG: any progress finding your mom
TT: No. I'm taking a break.
TG: no rush or anything right
TG: uh
TG: one other thing
TG: you heard back at all about that summoning thing
TT: No.
TT: When it happens it will probably be... sudden. I'll try to let you know.
TG: okay
TG: see you around lalonde
TT: Catch you on the flip side, Strider.

It had been about a week and a half since they've arrived in the Medium, and a little over a week since Dave's shenanigans in Dave Village. Since then Dave had toned down his time-hopping a bit and had begun only contacting Rose linearly along her timeline. They weren't making progress through the game as quickly as he had in those first two days, but it was a lot less stressful for both of them. And really, what was the big rush? She devoted most of her time to scrying, for any information that could help them progress. Mostly cool gear for Dave to bring back, but what she really wanted to find was information on her mother. She hadn't seen her mother since... before entering the Medium, when she strifed with her and was given Maplehoof. Rose had enjoyed the vacation from her mother's insane, drunken brand of psychological warfare, but she had to admit... she was worried. The incipisphere was a big place, and she could really be anywhere. When time came for Dave to reverse one last time and fix everything, she wanted Past Rose to be able to find Mom.

And yet... nothing. Repeated scrying attempts continued to reveal nothing at all. On some level Rose felt the reason it wasn't working was because... well, she didn't really know anything about her Mom. She drank vodka martinis. She was rich, and was some kind of... scientist, or doctor, or something? She liked to torment her daughter by mocking her interests. But what was her first name? Did she have any hobbies? Where had she gone to college?

Try as she might, Rose couldn't even remember what her eyes looked like.

"You ready rose?"

Rose sighed and closed her hubtop. She put a smile on her face and turned back to Jaspers.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Let's do this."

I loved the story with Dave Village and didn't manage to mention it to you then, and I'm so glad to see you continuing with it! ^__^ I love how in-character Dave and Rose are. And Jaspersprite.

kmsumrall:

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The Alternian and the Troll Part 2

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If one were to look at this house they would be struck with a sense of age, story, history, pride, legacy, and perhaps a vague taste of lemons. Beyond the unqualifiable and unquantifiable personally attributed feelings mentioned early, one thing that certainly stood out above the rest both in height and visibility was the stunted steeple with large windows that were predominantly dominated by twelve symmetrical hexagonal segments that covered the street side wall and was situated offset from what would have been the center line of the abode. Following the natural line this sight made, assuming that your natural line was a curve, one would be drawn to the opening of the large bay porch, an opening that was topped by a triangular roof that could almost be called a gable if one were to stretch their vocabulary.

A balcony covered with flowers came off the left side of the house, sitting on top of a many windowed sitting room, although the view was not what it once was. Various turrets with bow windows littered the steep roof, although the second largest of them look like it made been broken by a windstorm or some severe hail, perhaps the size of golf balls or larger. No stucco or aluminum siding or false wood covered the house, as whoever built the living place wished to show honest brick with its dull red color and its out of place feeling, although one could argue the houses around were actually the ones out of place.

Nepeta didn't see much of this on her initial glance as she was still stuck by the fact that her new friend and perhaps her first friend said that she would be living here from now on. What she did notice was that the stairs were split in half, one side ramped the other side, well, stairs. Nepeta asked Terezi about this.

“That’s for Tavros. He is-” The blind girl stopped. “You know what? You can ask him yourself. Stop gawking and let’s go already.”

Shyly, Nepeta nodded and started walking around to the back side of the building.

“Where are you going?” asked Terezi, confused.

“Um, looking for the servant's entrance. We don’t want to disturb the owners.”

The girl rubbed her eyeless sockets and grabbed the other by the arm. With strength one might not expect from a young girl with a slight build, she pulled Nepeta to the large front door. Like always, it wasn't locked, as this neighborhood, while a little old and run down, was rather trustworthy. They walked across the threshold straight into an argument.

“It’s like I keep telling you. Humans are not going to respect us as long as we keep bowing down to them like fucking little lemurs! We need to fight, take action-”

“Not that kind of action, Karkat. If they see Alternians as dangerous then humans will continue to treating us like second class citizens. We have to go through the proper channels.”

“Don’t be so fucking native you pitstain. We have to show power and willing!”

“The willing we need to show is the willing to integrate.”

“And become humans as well? That sounds reeaaallllllly nice.”

“Out heritage won’t fade out as long as we remember it. We’ve gotten this much by doing that.”

“This much? Then why the hell are we living out in the boonies?”

“Oh, this house is the boonies now? How do you think we got this place?”

“Because Aunt Nancy fought for us!”

“Or, maybe, Mother got a lawyer to-”

A simultaneous ‘ow!’ filled the air as Terezi battered both individuals with her cane. “You two stop all that nonsense right now! We have a new housemate. Introduce yourselves!”

“What’s this fucking shit?! Ow!” Terezi had hit him again. “Guh! Fine! Whatever, new housemate. Right, lovely. Does Aunt Nancy know you brought someone home?”

“We are going to go see her next.”

“Well...” started the angry one, “I’m Karkat Vantas. This troll-”

“Alternian! Troll is a word with many negative connotations-”

“No no! We have to make it our word! Take the power-”

“Just let it drop, Karkat.” The other one looked at Nepeta. “My name is Kanaya.”

“Um... Nice to meet you?” The shy girl started to draw back.

“”You got a name or something? I can just call you ‘you’. That's fucking fine with me if you want to be a nameless-”

Terezi hit him again. “This is Nepeta and treat her nice.”

Karkat grunted and walked off, followed closely by Kanaya. As they left Nepeta was finally about to take in the sights of the main foyer. Spiral stairs inset in the back wall gave way to the upper floor with a flourish. Side tables, or perhaps end table, with deep rich colors were placed at key points near doors and held mirrors and exotic art over them. A long carpet accented the floor with a long stripe of patterned colors, although parts had been worn down by years of wear, it still would have placed a longing in the hearts of the residents if it were to be moved. A high ceiling with dark corners carried what once was a bright and shiny chandelier that was now dulled by the years disuse, disrepair, and discleaning.

Coming from a room of which Nepeta was unable to tell the use of was a tall woman with pale skin, wearing serviceable green work overalls and a loose white shirt, wiping her hands with a fresh towel. She smiled warmly at the pair by the door.

“And what do we have here?” she said in a light, sweet, honeylike voice.

“Mother, this is Nepeta. She doesn't have a home.”

The lady called Mother looked concerned. “Oh dear.” She walked over to the shy girl and placed a hand on her cheek. “Aren’t you a pretty darling. How could someone so beautiful have no home? Well Miss Nepeta, you are not only a welcome guest but I insist you live here from now on.”

The girl smiled, but then looked worried. She stepped back and bowed her head. “Thank you Madam for allowing me to serve in your grace.”

Mother looked sad. “Oh sweetheart, what happened to you? Miss Terezi, please take her upstairs for a warm bath and some biscuits.” Terezi took Nepeta's hand and they started walking up the stairway. “And make sure you introduce the dear to Aunt Nancy as well!” The nice lady called as they went up.

“Wh-Who is Aunt Nancy?” Nepeta asked as she was half dragged down the second story hallway.

“Well-” A loud thump from above interrupted the blind girl’s explanation.

Another loud thump made Nepeta jump and cling to Terezi’s arm. More thumps, closer and closer, louder and louder, more sinister with each sound. A door near the pair shook and rattled. And out from that door emerged a stout lady with sharp features and a stern expression. The woman’s almond eyes narrowed as she pulled cobwebs out of her black hair.

“Oh great, another urchin. Terezi, go put your eyes back in.”

This looks like such an amazing world you're building up here, I really am loving it. And when you say Mother, do you mean Rose's mom? Or like Mothergrub? Either way it's awesome.

northernVehemence:

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um, please critique this! I really just want to get better at writing.

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I wake up.

The world is beautiful.

I think I might have slept a little more than I intended. I should go to the lab and try to help out my friends, but I can stay in bed a little longer. This blanket is the softest thing I’ve ever felt. It’s like a goddamn cloud made of rabbit pelts and love...man, I don’t even know. It’s just really soft.

My door opens. Hey, it’s my man Karkat. I smile and wave him over. He has to feel how soft this blanket is. It’s fucking unreal.

He doesn’t seem to want to, though. “Hey, get your useless ass down to the lab! You’ve been asleep for 14 hours,” he begins.

I love Karkat’s horns. They’re not sharp, like most trolls, but they’re beautiful. They’re so perfectly glossy. It’s like they’re made of glass or something. No, not glass, I guess. Something stronger. Like...some sort of metal? But their colors are fucking awesome. Like two little candycorn nubs sitting right on his head.

Shoot, man. He’s still talking. I sort of zoned out there.

“...after your little ‘let’s try to take apart Terezi’s computer’ adventure, you fucking brainless --”

“Hey, candyhorns,” I say as I get out of bed, “I was just trying to help that little juggalette out. But I read you. I’ll be down in the lab in 10 minutes. Juggalo’s oath.” I scratch my bare stomach and look around the room. Man, wherever did my work clothes get to? I usually only wear my rattiest pants to bed.

Karkat stares at me for a few moments, but I don’t mind. It’s cool if he wants to take a look. I thought he was all about Sollux, and I don’t really swing that way, but whatever, man, it’s cool.

I collect my face paint and clothing, but I can’t seem to locate my shoes. I think I might have left them in the common area? But hey, that’s okay. Barefoot is cool. I look up, and shoot, Karkat’s gone. I didn’t even notice him leaving. Oh well. I wiggle my toes as I paint my face, my yellow toe-claws clicking against the floor.

I pad my way over to the lab. Man, I can walk mad quietly when I don’t wear shoes. Oh hey, there’s Equius. Some people are kind of scared of him, but I think he’s cool. He just wants to be loved, y’know? Isn’t that what everyone wants? He’s walking in front of me, and I don’t think he’s heard me coming. I should try to surprise him. Who doesn’t like surprises?

I creep up behind him, walking slightly faster than he is. He’s busy examining some robotic shit in his hands. Motherfucker’s so damn wise about those robots. He’s a fucking robot guru.

He doesn’t suspect a thing. I’m less than a foot away from him. I bring my hands up and clap them on his shoulders. “Guess who, motherfu --”

He turns and catches my stomach with the back of his arm, and his other hand connects with my throat and shoves me backward. I lose my balance and fall hard on my ass, sort of winded. “Shit, man,” I croak.

Equius turns to face me, and I can tell immediately that he feels really bad. He lets out this little squeak that sounds a little like Nepeta and he kneels down beside me and cradles my head in his arms. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, Gamzee. That was completely out of line. I thought you might have been one of our lower-blooded peers,” he says. He’s sort of starting to sweat, so I sit up on my own and massage my throat.

“No harm done, my man. I wanted to surprise you, but I ended up being the one who got surprised!” I laugh at the irony, but Equius doesn’t. He still looks worried.

“No, that was completely inappropriate. Imagine, someone of my status assuming so much as to hit...” his voice peters out into a hoarse whisper. “You’ll...you’ll have to punish me.”

I laugh a little bit. Equius is always going on about me punishing him for something or other. “Naw, man. No punishment necessary. We’re all buds here.” I stand up and offer him my hand to help him up, but he doesn’t take it, and stands up on his own. I guess he’d probably just pull me back down with him, motherfucker’s so damn strong.

“I must insist,” he begs, dancing from one foot to the other. I pause to consider it. Maybe he could do something for me.

NV, I love how you characterize Gamzee. I dunno if I could write someone that loopy and whimsical, but you manage it! Also, the opening is perfect for Gamzee. ^__^ The only thing I would suggest is when Gamzee starts drifting off while Karkat's ranting, have some indication. Like, "He doesn’t seem to want to, though. “Hey, get your useless ass down to the lab! You’ve been asleep for 14 hours,” he begins, but his hair is flopping awkwardly because it's too long and he needs to cut it. His horns are almost obscured by the mass." something like that to help the reader understand and transition better. Oh, and also, Equius sounds a little weird to me in my head. I just can't see him saying 'Oh my god', or anything. I dunno about that though, I'd have to go back and actually check to see if it's similar to the way he talks. But other than that, this is really good, and I'm looking forward to more! (And I saw that little Karkat/Sollux in there. ^__~)

PaulPower:

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Part 3: Rose and Dave

TT: Ok, well I need to go to dinner now.
TT: See you around, John.

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Hours later, Rose emerged from what had felt like an interminable dinner as her mother had tried to extract precious nuggets of information about Jade and John. It hadn't worked, but only because she knew so little about them herself. They were the proverbial riddles wrapped in mysteries inside enigmas. And now they were both offline. John was probably at dinner himself now; she couldn't say for Jade. Dave was on though.

She thought back to how she'd met Dave, a couple of years before. She'd been a member of an online poetry group aimed at very young children - all very safe, all very sane, she was practically the only one pushing the envelope - when he showed up.

And yes, he was full of himself and yes, he refused to use punctuation. And yes, technically speaking it was rap, and it had put the other members of the poetry group off. But he'd been the first kid she'd met with a vocabulary like hers, the first to get her allusions to some of the classics - Roald Dahl, Spike Milligan, Lewis Carroll. He knew of a time when Winnie the Pooh and Thomas the Tank Engine were creations of A.A. Milne and The Rev. W. Awdry rather than just TV characters.

She wasn't quite sure how much she liked him, but she certainly respected him. And she'd defended him against the rest of the poetry group, and even resigned when they'd voted him out. Since then, it had been just the two of them, not counting the trolls, at least until Jade and John had showed up. She bickered with him constantly, but she trusted his judgement. And she needed his judgement now.

-- tentacleTherapist [TT] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 21:45 --

TT: So what do you make of our new friends?
TG: jade and john?
TT: Well unless you've been seeing other people behind my back, yes.
TG: haha very funny
TG: i am literally rolling on the floor laughing
TG: damn im tangled up in all these cables
TT: I warned you about cables, bro.
TT: I told you, dog.
TG: but yeah theyre not bad
TG: ok maybe a bit too bright and cheerful for my tastes
TG: and i dont think johns entirely convinced about my coolness
TG: why do you ask
TT: I don't know. It's just... odd.
TT: It's like they knew us already and yet didn't know us already at the same time.
TG: i didnt really get that feeling
TT: Yes, I suspect Jade was starting to wise up by the time she talked to you.
TT: She described you to me as, and I quote, "a friend i havent met yet" (sic).
TG: really?
TG: ill admit it was odd when she started off saying "hi dave!!!" when i didnt know her from adam
TG: but the thing with friendship is
TG: you cant overthink it
TG: just roll with it and see what happens
TG: i mean weve both got pretty empty chumrolls without them
TT: I suppose you're right.
TT: After all, if they're nice people, maybe it doesn't really matter how we met them.
TG: yeah its like the beginning of the universe or something
TG: were still not sure what happened
TG: but once its happened it keeps happening
TG: you can let it bug you or you can get on with your life
TG: sure its a life of girls whose composition makes you go ohgodwhat and boys who like con air of all things
TG: but its still a life
TT: Yes, thank you Professor Hawking.
TG: youre welcome baroness greenfield
TT: She's neuroscience, Dave. Not psychology.
TG: close enough
TT: Yes, I suppose.
TT: How are things with your brother?
TG: oh same old same old
TG: coolest dude on the planet but i still had to scrape a meal together as usual
TG: found an unopened bottle of apple juice though
TG: pretty rad

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Dave sipped his juice thoughtfully as he considered what Rose was saying. She might have a point, it was kinda weird how Jade and John had dropped out of the blue like that. And he generally trusted her judgement, even if she did bicker with him constantly. But at the same time... they seemed to like him. He wasn't even sure how much Rose liked him, as much as she respected him. And they seemed okay with rap, which was a step up from the poetry group. Metaphysics be damned.

TG: but yeah id say theyre fine really
TT: Okay. Thanks.
TG: and hey maybe well form a band some day
TG: piano bass drum machine turntables thats a good nucleus
TG: dont know how youd fit a violin in though
TT: Sometimes I wish I could throw pillows over the Internet.

I love this series. It's the best. ^__^ Keep writing!

[silrini]

In which I make a double post to bring the first part of the recovering addict Gamzee fic to this thread. If anyone has a better name for it, please inform me, because this is kinda ridiculous to type. ^__^' And sorry it's so short, I have a hard time writing high-as-a-kite Gamzee.

Also, being completely computer-stupid, could someone give me the codes for the different colors of text used by the trolls? Until that happens, they're all just going to be black, and that's no fun. Thank you in advance!

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The place Gamzee landed in after following Tavros’ instructions was full of fog. He could barely see the trees two feet from him, and everything after that was a dull grey wall, impenetrable and forbidding. The young troll found he didn’t much care though, feeling only a twinge of alarm before his usual calm reasserted itself.

“Haha, wow, look at all this.” He waved his hand through the air in front of him, as if he could catch or maybe part the fog. “Look at this grey shit, coming down from the clouds or whatever. Fucking miracle, man.” Laughing, he ran through the fog aimlessly, having to swerve suddenly and randomly as trees and other undergrowth appeared in front of him, which seemed to him only that much more miraculous. Trees and bushes appearing from out of nowhere. What the fuck was that all about? Fucking miracles were everywhere. He stopped quickly though, as running only reminded him of how thirsty he was. Fuck, man. Where the hell was he supposed to get anything to drink? Well, maybe he’d find some water or something.

It was as he was standing there, contemplating on his thrist, that he was attacked. It wasn’t a very well-coordinated attack, the imps being nearly as startled as Gamzee to find someone there. Gamzee fumbled out his Juggalo Club while they were still regrouping, and the fight began. The young troll didn’t really want to hurt these guys, but he wasn’t so complacent as to let himself get killed, and there was no way to talk to these guys and get them all straightened out. It was with regret that he hit them until they turned into the weird octagonal things, and afterwards he spent a moment with his hands pressed together, praying for them. He regarded the octagons with grief, until it suddenly occurred to him that maybe they weren’t dead at all. Wouldn’t it just be a fucking miracle if instead of killing them, he’d just turned them into these weird colored octagons?

“Haha, bro, are you in there?” Gamzee reached out to touch one of the shapes, only to have it disappear under his hand. “Whoa!” He went around, touching all the octagons, until they had all disappeared. “That is some serious miracle, bro!”

The only thing that made sense was if he was somehow carrying around those little imptagons, like their fucking souls or something were now with him, and Gamzee liked the sound of that. “Hell yeah, motherfuckers!” He reached for his husktop to tell Tavros about the imptagons.

He spent several minutes this way, trying to get his Miracle Modus to co-operate, spitting out everything in his inventory in the meantime. His unicycle, three pies he’d packed for food, the Joker Club, the Miracle Club and a horn he’d packed as an afterthought soon littered the ground, and still no husktop.

And his Modus was now empty.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

adiosToreador [AT] began trolling terminallyCapricious [TC]

AT: uHH, gAMZEE,
AT: wHEN YOU GET A CHANCE, cOULD YOU LET ME KNOW HOW YOU ARE,
AT: sINCE YOU HAD PROBLEMS GETTING INTO YOUR SECOND GATE, aND I’M NOT SURE I SAW YOU TAKE A COMPUTER WITH YOU,
AT: jUST LET ME KNOW, OKAY,

terminallyCapricious [TC] is an idle chump

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

He was unaccustomed to the sickening jolt of fear that sliced through him as he realized he’d forgotten to pack his computer. But it was alright, he thought after he’d stood there for awhile. This was a game, right? And in a game there was always a way to win. Gamzee would just have to find it. Still, he was a bit uneasy, and kinda hungry too, so he sat down to eat some pie and calm down. By the time he’d finished, he was laughing at how silly the whole thing was.

“Man, what a stupid thing to do. Karkat’s gonna be all swearing and calling me names, bro. Hahahaha!” He honked the horn, the sound ringing out through the empty forest.

“Uh…excuse me?”

Gamzee turned to see a large rabbit creature with white fur standing just behind him, looking at him timidly. “What the fuck is up, my motherfucker? Come have some pie, man.”

The rabbit walked over to him, sitting on the ground across from him. “I must ask that you don’t make that noise anymore. You’ll attract all the imps and things!”

“Sure thing, my man. Here.” Gamzee passed the rabbit the half-empty pan. It took it, but didn’t eat. “So who the fuck are you?”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

If any of you get the vague Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles reference, you win an internet and a plate of virtual cookies.

Author notes:

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-Gamzee's world is the LAND OF RAINFOREST AND FOG

-I was too lazy to think up some troll animal to be the inhabitants of LORAF, so I just ganked earth ones. Yeah.

-In my mind, sopor slime is basically troll marijuana, since it can be used safely(in the recupracoons), but also be used as a mind-altering substance(Gamzee's case). So after asking my mom, who may as well be an encyclopedia(or Google), about marijuana and the various effects, I've arbitrarily decided that trolls had the same kind of biology as humans, meaning that the sopor slime is fat-soluble, which means that in order for Gamzee to get 'sober' in time to fight the final boss, he has to lose pretty much all of that fat. Sorry Gamzee. I just wanted you guys to know, both as a warning and to show off my science-y knowledge. ^__^ (Plus I have nowhere near enough knowledge to make a whole new biology system. NOWHERE NEAR.)