MSPA fan fiction 2

[NateDude]

I would just like to say, I am sincerely sorry for my actions earlier. I hope that you all can forgive me and let it slide.

[Tenebrais]

This is really compelling, CJ! Can't wait to see how it ends.

[SkaianRedeemer]

You know, as a former and probably future lurker, I would just like to take this chance to say that you are all awesome, plz 2 b keeping the writing!

Thanks for the reviews, Assassin and rae!

Cutting the main body of the rest of the fic in two didn't really go so well, since it's all really one continuous scene after the jump, so I decided to cut it pretty much at the jump. It was either going to be five pages in or two pages out...

But hey, I remembered to put in italics this time!

Musical Thrones
Part 2 of 4: Hearts Flush (Part 1, 3, 4, 5)

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It was easy to get lost in Prospit, so that was ultimately all they managed to accomplish, having flown aimlessly in uninterrupted conversation. They had made a promise: keep to the ground and take as long as it needed, saying without saying that they wanted to eke out another hour, another, just one more before they had to say goodnight. It was a stupid game, considering they would have gladly just talked and laughed and sat hand in hand, tucked tight together inside a link of the golden chain, just like they did when they found their way to it and ran out of silly excuses. But some obstacles stood taller than chemistry and a wonderful evening, some walls that had best be climbed than vaulted, and their hands slipped apart at his window.

”You know,” he said, leaning against the post of his alchemiter as she sat down with a sigh on the inside sill, “I know there’s not much to see here but that doesn’t mean you can’t come in. I could probably, like, alchemize a chair.”

Sheepishly, she started aimlessly braiding her hair, pulling it out from under her. “It’s not that.”

His face fell. “What, what’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing, I just think I should be going home. It’s a long flight.” She continued to braid, tying up two strands of hair from opposite sides of her right horn. She was so intent on keeping her eyes low that she began to lose focus on her hands even as she watched them work, short nail-claws threading through strands and the whole attempt collapsing into a fumbled mess.

“Well… goodnight?” he said. “I had a great time, just the two of us, and I thought you wanted to see that picture of grub Gamzee and Karkat playing in the mud, but sure, if you’re in a hurry or…” She looked almost as though she was wincing at ever word. “…stuff.”

“…Look, it’s just…” she sighed. “Look, I’ll just put it right out there, really fast, because I’m just being a downer on the whole night. Okay, here goes.” She did her best to put on her Serious Face. “I just got out of a real, real serious Pale relationship, and then… well, I mean, you’ve seen what happened. He’s not exactly what I’d call ‘taking it well.’ And I know it’s not fair but this is all way too much at once. I’m starting to feel it’s all just going to get worse if I don’t go home soon. And I don’t… Is that stupid? That’s stupid.”

“Hey,” he said, floating over, “you don’t have to explain it to me. I mean, I’m the king of arbitrary lines in the sand. They all look up to me and go, ‘Oh, there’s the guy that drew me because he couldn’t take Tavros, Karkat and Kanaya talking about Innocent-Teenager-Emblematic-Of-Intended-Core-Demographic-Peppered-With-Largely-Superficial-Flaws-Falls-In-Flushed-Relationships-” He was going full-blast, she could not help but smile a little. “-With-A-Variety-Of-Supernatural-And-Unusual-Matesprits-Including-An-Alien-An-Imperial-Drone-And-Especially-A-Rainbow-Drinker-Who-Fight-Against-Her-Wishes-In-Low-Budget-But-High-Flying-Fight-Scenes for one more damned second, so he told them they only get to talk about it once a day.’”

“Aww!” she said. “They drove you so crazy you memorized the title!”

He sighed. “No, no, it’s okay. Kanaya warned me, you can say it.”

She threw her arms into the air. “It’s the best movie ever!” She almost bounced on her seat in excitement. “The plot is amazing, the romantic plots are each so balanced and the guys are so hot, and the if Kanaya still has her copy we’re all going to have to school everyone together, and we’ll get to show Nepeta! She’ll cry, but Karkat will cry more and he’s already seen it.” She slapped her knees. “And you’ll just have to sit there looking all cute and flustered!”

“Ugh…” he said, trying to hide his horror by floating about, adjusting his shades as she chased his free hand with her fingertips.

“Yeah,” she said between giggles. “Like that.”

Sighing, he turned back and, seeing her outstretched hand, took it and returned to her. Through his window she had the whole of glowing Prospit to frame her, clad in Dersian contrast, with hair over one shoulder and all the dreamselves’ cheating magic to crop out dirt and battle-scars and leave instead a face and form as you would dream to see. So she was drawn, lit and shaded straight from a dream, with all the romance that would imply, but coupled and shackled by the wavering incorporeality of dreams that says “yes, but soon gone.”

As a result, he could really see where she was coming from, even without the trouble going on in their lives. That underlying sense of an artificial dream had clung to his buried consciousness, casting the night, to use her metaphor, like a bubble set to burst, until just there, when something too subtly real for the clumsy hands of dreams, or too foolishly real for their overwrought or surrealist pens, anchored “this is you.”

“You’re gorgeous when you smile,” slipped out.

She immediately blushed, almost taken aback by his sincerity and the conversation’s shift in tone. “Th-thank you.”

“I… I mean, well… ah dammit.” He shifted and might very well have turn away, had she not held him down, “I mean, you’re always pretty, and… hell… and I wasn’t trying to undermine what you were saying, uh, before and well, I just—”

“Hey, hey!” she said, giving his hand a squeeze. “I know what you meant. And come on, I know what you didn’t mean. And I,” she laughed, a touch artificial, but all the same his hand stopped its nervous trembling. “And I’m glad you’re concerned about my feelings but don’t freak out. I mean,” she had her own nervous break, eyes flicking away. “I’ve been having the best… the best… here.” She looked back up. “With you. And I don’t think that you’d start being stupid now.”

That hung in the air between them, neither entirely sure what they could add or even what they would have expected from the other, eyes locked. “I should… go.” In time, she slipped her hand from his and he let her loose, at least, at first.

“Yeah,” he said, tracing his hand up from their parted fingertips, past her wrist and fighter-light up her arm. “I know how hard it can be when you need to put your foot down, when it’s all… well…” He brushed her hair away from her face and stroked her cheek up the frill on the side of her head. Shocks of magenta flushed across her face. “When everything’s so—”

“---EXCITING,” she cut in in a whisper, having seen he was going. A mutual smile teased at their lips as they brushed, met and held a soft kiss by the window sill.

“W-wait,” she stammered, and pulled back.

“What is it?” he asked watching at first with embarrassment and then confusion as she turned and cocked her head this way and that.

“Did you…” she started, bafflement in her eyes. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear wh—”

* * *

“MOTHERFUCKER!”

“Hahahahahaha, what?”

“I don’t know, what the hell did you just do?”

A gasp. “I found a pressure point! Look at us, we’re BOND1NG!!!”

And Feferi woke up to morning breath and voices.

[Wigmund]

D'aww. Just d'aww.

Oh wait, here's some more d'awwwww

[Tenebrais]

That's wonderful, Skaian. Keep going!

[KarneWarrior]

Blue Hell

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"Aradia?"
"Serket."
"Wh-Why are you here?" Stammered the other girl. The faintest hint of a lisp shone through her speech due to the two massive fangs protruding from her mouth. Luckily the troll language is full of polsives and there was little for a lisp to show through in.
"I am here, Serket, to wake you up. And..." Said the robotic Aradia, chassis shining in the faux-sunlight of the Land of Maps and Treasure. "I'm here to get my revenge."

Fast as lightning, She struck, driving her fist into Vriska's gut. Blue blood sprayed from Vriskas mouth where her fangs cut her lips.

"One for myself, and my personal pleasure." Intoned Aradia, never breaking the robotic, slightly supernatural monotone. With a flick of her wrists, Vriska was sent flying into the wooden ruins, sheer momentum bringing the structure down around her head.

"One for The Cripple, who lost a great treasure." Vriska shot back to the soulbot, where a robotic arm was out stretched, waiting for Vriskas throat. With a crunch, Vriskas head jerked back, just enough to save her life.

"One for the blind girl, who no longer hates you." With another flick of her wrist, Aradia pulled Vriska by her very stomach, slamming her into the wall. The second girl lay there, moaning and coughing up blood. The blue liquid seeped out from her broken body, staining the wood around her a brilliant blue hue.

"One for the dead, whom you-"

"Aradia?" Said Tavros. His eyes were locked on the broken bluebloods body. The robot remained expressionless for a few seconds, before turning back to Vriska.

"Your punishment is not yet over Serket. But you have paid the bloodprice for most of your deeds. I belive Terezi can administer the final payment without killing you. I'm not sure I could." And with that, the Mechanical automaton that was the new Aradia raised a hand. Something blue and a bit spikey floated next to her hand for a moment, and then they both disappeared in a flash of blue light.

Tavros slowly drove the rocket car over to Vriskas broken form. Reaching down awkwardly, he managed to get a pulse. Vriska was beaten, but not dead.

************

Somewhere on Prospit, another Vriska awoke to a startling sight. Terezi Pyrope was by no means ugly, but hers was not a face Vriska wished to see smiling as soon as she awoke.

Terezi, with a calm demeanor not at all different to Aridias ruthless beating, just raised her hand.

This time, the slap not only stung, but it bruised.

To clarify: I am certainly not a Vriska fan. In fact, I enjoyed watching her get the ever-lovin' shit beat out of her. But she's paid for everything she's done now, and she has a chance for redemption.
Vriska lovers, cross your fingers and hope she does redeem herself.

[Tenebrais]

I hate to nitpick, but it's Aradia, not Aridia. Aridia is a planet in Ratchet & Clank.

[KarneWarrior]

Nice cat- Wait, there's an emote for this isn't there... Ah no, I guesss not. Sadness...

SWEET CATCH!I'll fix it.

[CeeJay]

To clarify: I am certainly not a Vriska fan. In fact, I enjoyed watching her get the ever-lovin' shit beat out of her. But she's paid for everything she's done now, and she has a chance for redemption.
Vriska lovers, cross your fingers and hope she does redeem herself.

I totally feel the same way. *thumbs up* Great fic.

Reset Again
Part 1, 2, 3, 4

Part 5

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Dave pinned Future John to the ground while Davesprite hovered over, "You're not going to kill him," he said, flapping his orange wings, "I'm not letting him die twice."

"It's too late for that," Future John struggled, "One of us is going to die. You can't change that." He wriggled one of his arms loose and swung it to punch Dave in the ear. The blow didn't hurt him much, but it shook him enough that he loosened his grip. Future John took the opportunity to escape. He shuffled away but was too tired to get up. He was mentally and emotionally exhausted. It didn't help that his head was still pounding from the impacts with the floor.

"You just don't get it. It's not fair. You get to live." He looked up at Davesprite with disgust. "Everything I've known for the past year, all my friends, all the things I love, and everything I've become... It's all going to be gone. It's not fair that you get to keep going." He slammed the bottom of his fist into the metal with loud clang. "It's just not FAIR."

"Fair?" Dave replied. "What about Jade? Was it fair that when you died there was no one to save her."

Future John looked down at his feet. Jade hadn't contacted him in the past year either. This whole time he had been bitter about it but if what they were saying was true... He shamefully bit his bottom lip, "What happened to her?"

Dave shook is head, "She died, dude. We lost all contact with her and..."

Future John's eyes shot up. "You lost contact with her? That's it?"

"Well there was a big fucking meteor..."

"You didn't contact ME but I never assumed you were dead!"

"This game is dangerous!"

"What game!?" Future John threw his hands up in frustration. "None of this is real! This is all your bullshit that you've pulled me into! I finished this thing. I left and went back to the real world. Maybe that's what Jade did too! You don't actually know what's happened. The only reason that you're stopping me is for yourself. You're so stuck on this idea of being a hero who saves us all. You're not a hero! You're a selfish prick! You haven't made any sacrifices - not for me or Jade. Even your future self gets a free pass from fading away!

"I'm the one who has to kill myself! Do you know how much that sucks? Do you know what it's like to wake up one day and be told that you have to murder the person that you used to be? I don't want to do this. When I look into my own eyes," he shot John a pitiful glance, "I see how scared I really am. I don't even know for certain if this will work, but I have to try. Because I can feel myself slipping away, and I know that my friends are fading too. I can't let that happen to them. And even if I have to die, if taking my own life will restore their world, it's what I have to do. Just let me do this, and you can go back to playing this save the world game without me."

He hung his head and muttered to the floor, "You already played a year without me just fine. Why does it bother you now?"

"What about Rose?" Davesprite interrupted.

"What about Rose?! I haven't heard from her." He shut his eyes hard and gritted his teeth in an attempt to cover up his disappointment with anger. "Is she a happy future sprite too?"

"Future Rose has already faded away."

Future John turned to Davesprite. He was speechless.

"You can call me selfish if you want. And I know I can be a prick. But don't you DARE accuse Rose of not caring. I was there when she choose to fade away. She was scared. She didn't know if going to the past to get you back would work, but she did know that she would have to disappear. And she was willing to do it so that we could save you. Because more than saving the world, she kept fighting that year to get you back."

Davesprite looked down at his shadow hovering over the scuffs on the metal floor. "There were nights, after fighting waves of imps and monsters, the two of us would make camp and we'd be so exhausted but we couldn't sleep. Sometimes I could hear her crying into that stupid rabbit she knit you. But I knew I couldn't do anything to comfort her, she needed you. So I just had to let her cry and pretend I didn't hear."

Both Johns listened with their mouths agape. Future John was numb all over. He didn't even feel the tears welling in the corners of his eyes. The heat of the burning planet evaporated them as soon as they fell.

He looked down at his hands only to notice that they were turning transparent. He buried his head in them and cried. Even if he still wanted to, there was nothing he could do anymore. His friends were gone. Rose was gone. He was gone.

Part 6

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John cautiously sat down next to his future doppelganger, letting his feet dangle off the edge of the metal platform. Future John didn't even seem to notice that he was there, he just continued to stare.

John turned his head to look behind him. Dave and Davesprite were watching from a distance. They were willing to give John some space, but were keeping a close eye on them in case his future self snapped.

He awkwardly rubbed his naked arm where his sleeve had been ripped off. "Ummm..."

Future John blinked and finally acknowledged his presence. He shot him a look and returned to gazing over the lava. "What?" he asked bitterly.

"I..." John considered carefully what to say, but he couldn't think of anything better, so he just continued. "I'm really sorry."

Silence. John looked at himself expectantly, but after a few moments he resigned to just joining him in looking out across the rolling red ocean.

A few minutes passed before Future John finally spoke. "I'm sorry too."

John jumped slightly in surprise.

"I'm sorry I tried to kill you. Well..." Future John bit his lip, "I'm not too sorry." He sighed. "I hope you can understand."

John put a hand on his future self's semi-opaque shoulder.

"It's just... every thing I've done is gone now. I'm leaving everything, everything, to you and... You're just not me."

John nodded. "Could you maybe tell me about yourself? What went on the past year that made me potentially you?"

Future John sighed and looked up at the dark sky. "I met some awesome friends. I got out of the house a lot more. I competed in a spelling bee, but didn't even make it to the finals." He managed a chuckle, "Don't study with Wheeler. He'll teach you wrong. I got my own cell phone. I started learning how to program games on it. I made this one, it was kinda cool. Really simple but..." he trailed off.

"I had my first kiss..."

John perked up, unable to hid his interest. "Really?! How was it?"

Future John continued to look forward absentmindedly. He shrugged. "Really awkward. A little uncomfortable."

John's face dropped. Future John glanced over at the mess of disappointment and did a double take. He raised his hands and shook his head. "No, no! Don't worry, it gets better!"

John blinked in confusion.

"I'm pretty sure most first kisses are awkward. But it turns out okay, and it gets better with practice. I promise."

John was suspicious, but he let it go. "Who was it..." He stopped when he noticed that his future self's lip was quivering.

"Everyone is going to be gone," Future John's voice was shaking as tears streamed down his cheeks. "God! Were they even ever real to begin with? They were real to me but... But maybe I... Maybe I just needed someone."

John didn't know what to say. He just let him cry. After what felt like hours Future John wiped his face with his increasingly less visible hand and choked back his tears.

"Does it hurt?" John asked, pointing to the transparent hand.

"It keeps getting worse. At first it was just a gentle pull, then like a vacuum sucking me in. Now it feels like my skin is getting peeled clean off. It kinda stings."

John cringed. "I wish there was something I could do. Something to keep you alive, like Davesprite."

Future John hung his head. It was too late. He was going to be gone any moment. He hid his pain and looked up at himself with a smile.

"I think you should take up bowling."

"Bowling!?" John asked with a mixture of surprise and confusion.

Future John laughed. "It's not as bad as you expect."

John smiled. "Okay. Bowling."

Nothing else was said in the next few minutes that passed. John just watched as the alternate copy faded away into nothing. The potential John that he could have become was gone, and he could never come back. He understood that every new experience he would encounter would make him an entirely different person, and pull him farther away from the image of himself he had just talked to.

John pulled his legs up from the ledge and hugged them tight to his chest. It was a lot to take in.

The clang of footprints on metal alerted John of Dave's arrival. He sat down in the space that moments ago John's potential future self had existed.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Dave asked.

"I think so."

"What did he say?"

"He said I should try bowling."

"That sounds like the lame kind of thing you'd say."

John glared at him. "He also said you suck at spelling."

"What!?"

John stood up. He had just died to give himself a second chance, there was no time to waste it. "Come on, we have to get to work."

&& If you want, while reading the last bit you can listen to the song that kinda sorta gave me this idea. HERE

_____
*phew* And it's finally over! Now I can go back to writing fun, cutesy things. :P Please forgive if Dave is out of character in this. He is the hardest for me to write. I will happily accept any tips or critiques! I really do want to be a better writer.

And to anyone who reads all of this, thanks for sticking with me. I know it's an overdone concept, and my first real attempt at angst, but I'm glad that I could get through it and finish my silly little idea.

[kmsumrall]

Intersting read, cj. I liked it. I admit, I didn't think about further rose either.

On a weird note, does that mean the fan artists have 4 roses to work with? Real, future, dream, and troll. Man, if I could write rose better I'd have her analyze herself.

[Sushi Database]

Okay, I'm going to drop a small excerpt of the massively long fic I'm working on right now. It's not the very start, so some of the early lines might not completely make sense, but I think it was the most interesting early sample to use.

(note that "small excerpt" in this case means pretty long, if only because of how off-the-wall crazy long the full thing's going to be.)

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The Black Queen smiled thinly as Jack reluctantly put on his outfit and hat. "Now, was that so hard?"

Messing with Jack was a favorite past-time of hers. He needled so easily. He had certainly been more petulant than usual recently, but she didn't particularly care. He knew who was in charge, and he was too much of a wimp to cause any real trouble when he got insubordinate. Sometimes he threw the furniture around, but he always got back in line after a bit of venting.

"Oh, but I can see what you meant earlier, now. The replacement I ordered could hardly stand up to the stature of the original uniform."

Jack looked at her warily. "...What are you getting at?"

"Well, I brought a few more for you to try on..."

"Oh- oh no. Fuck that. I'm not going to play dress up while-"

"Yes you are, Jack, because I told you to," The Queen interrupted, while leaning closer to the disgruntled archagent, "and my orders are always followed."

"NO!" Jack shouted, and he followed up his interjection with a swing from his Regisword that the queen lazily dodged. He looked angrier right now than he ever had before, which was quite an achievement for someone who spent much of his time nearly frothing at the mouth. "You've wasted all of your power sitting on your ass in the furthest ring instead of winning the war." He snarled and ripped the clothes he was wearing to shreds. "At least the King is bumbling around on the battlefield. You chose to be completely useless instead!"

"Hmph." The Queen removed her own sword from the sheath in her stomach. "So the dog grows a spine at last. For what it's worth, Jack, you were actually a fairly capable assistant. I'm going to feel so bad about murdering you for the treacherous statements you just fired off."

"I'm not going to die today," Jack said as he reached for the green package on his table, "I wouldn't have challenged you if I didn't know I would be victorious!" He opened the box, and its contents leaped out and onto the floor between Jack and the Queen.

It was possibly the strangest thing the Queen had ever seen. It was a rabbit, patched over with yarn and robotics, and... armed to the teeth with incredibly powerful weaponry. Okay, scratch that. It was possibly the most dangerous thing she had ever seen. "Where did you get that, Jack?"

"'where' isn't important, Queen. What matters is that your death is imminent! Get her!" The rabbit coiled itself up, tightened its grip on the broken sword in its left hand, lunged at the Black Queen...

and disappeared.

The Black Queen opened her eyes. What had just happened? She was still alive, and the weapon was gone. If she could only get a few minutes to sort out her thoughts-

"What did you do? How did you do that?!"

Hm. She wasn't going to get much peace with Jack in the room. The Black Queen lashed out at him with her tentacles, and brought him under a brutal choke-hold. "You will answer me first, Jack. Where did you get that box?"

"I- I won't-"

"Still you think you can deny me!" She threw him across the room. He hit his table, knocking it over and spilling documents everywhere. She grabbed him again before he could rouse himself, and this time dangled him out the window by his neck. "I haven't the patience to deal with you right now, Jack. The fall probably won't kill you; you're a pretty tough boy. It will break most of the bones in your body, though. I'll send someone to scrape you off the ground later. Perhaps then we can talk in more detail then."

She let go, leaving Jack to the capricious whims of gravity, and immediately turned her attention back to Jack's office. Perhaps the origin of whatever that Weapon was could be found among the pile of papers spread out all over the floor?

Most of the documents were useless (although she was amused to find a fair number of them had crude drawings of her alongside various colorful expletives). The only notable item relating to the Weapon was the green box it had come out of, which she now noticed had two handwritten letters inside.As she read the notes, her eyes narrowed. The reason for the Weapon's appearance and subsequent disappearance were suddenly abundantly clear.

Temporal shenanigans.

The Knight of Time was amongst the Four; he must be responsible for this, even if the Witch was the one who wrote the letter. Er, the first letter. Maybe the Knight of Time wrote the other letter? No, he already knew John...

Being so obviously in the dark frustrated the Queen, but she still had enough information to extrapolate some conclusions from. The Weapon had clearly gone through many temporal modifications before reaching Jack's hands. It would be unstable at that point, probably only able to exist in the timeline that spawned it. Which meant that... the timeline had been split. The Knight had split the timeline into two parts, and she was apparently on the wrong side of it.

No... the right side. She was probably not in the "proper" continuity now, considering that the Weapon undoubtedly had some significant role to play that had not been fulfilled, but if she were on the other side of the split she would undoubtedly be dead right now and Jack would be doing a merry jig over her corpse.

...Did time even work like that? Ugh. This was why she hated time travel. She had figured out most of what she needed to know. Best to leave that train of thought be for now.

So, she knew what happened, and how it happened. The only thing left to figure out was why the Knight would feel the need to fuck up the time stream in the first place.

The answer to her final question would come in the form of an explosion.

~~~~

TG: rose i need your help
TT: Will it take long? I need you to do a favor for me.
TG: yeah well that can wait
TG: put on your psychotherapy cap or something
TT: Psychotherapy...?
TT: What are you getting at?
TG: would jade lie about something
TG: i mean does she seem like a big kidder to you
TT: What?
TT: I would need context, I guess.
TT: Could you take a quick screenshot of my room and send it to me? I need to check something.
TG: heres your context
TG: GG: i can't talk!
TG: GG: john's dead
TG: see i have to ask you because she isnt responding to pesters right now
TG: just dropped that knowledge bomb and sauntered off to gog knows where
TT: ...
TT: I think the picture can wait for now.
TG: yeah, no shit

~~~~

The Black Queen was still in Jack's office when the detonation occurred. She ran to the window to investigate, and found the explosion's source immediately: one of the four orbs had shattered, and apparently in rather spectacular fashion. Shrapnel was still flying through the air, although none of it would reach the Royal Quarters.

The orbs were usually completely indestructible. Any weapon could be taken to them without the slightest effect (she personally knew this from her younger, more inquisitive days). There was only one thing that could destroy an orb: the death of its owner.

The Heir of Breath was dead.

...One of the Knight of Time's friends was dead! Maybe that would be worth splitting time over. Finally, she had the answers she needed. With this, she could-

*shkt*

"Next time you throw me out a window, Your Majesty, you might want to pay a little more attention and make sure I actually land. Rather than, say, catching a hold of the side of the building."

Jack stood framed in the window he had been dropped out of earlier, carrying the Queen's sword in his hands and grinning a grin of pure malice.

I'll hopefully be done the full thing in about a week's time, If I'm lucky.

. I love Bad End fics, and this is an interesting one. Looking forward to seeing the rest!

CeeJay Reset Again is kind of blowing my mind a little. It's awesome. Kudos.

[kmsumrall]

I struggled with how to do this and with Terezi's story.
The Alternian and the Troll Part 5

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

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“Hahaha! This is fun!”

“Nepeta! We are out here for work, not for fun.”

The young girl looked up, grey skin obscured by dirt but her smile was as clear as the sun in the sky. “But why can’t work be fun too? It’s like playing a game! Ooo, what are these?”

“Those are tomato vines, Miss Nepeta,” said Mother. Even though she had been as deep as the girl in the garden planting vegetables no dirt touched her plain serviceable clothes or her near alabaster skin.

“Ohhh! Will they grow all big and red and juicy and tasty?”

Mother laughed, the musical sound filling the air in the large backyard. “Well I certainly hope so, sweetheart. Growing your own food is highly rewarding.” She put a finger to her lip and thought about it. “And yes, tasty.”

Nepeta laughed too. She pulled out a few rocks that had worked their way up to the surface and threw them into a bucket. “Hey Mother, how come you and Kanaya have the same horns?”

“Kanaya is my daughter. I’m her mother.”

“I thought you were everyones mom,” said the young girl, confused.

The older woman laughed again. “I suppose I am, in a way. But I gave birth to Kanaya.”

“Ohhhh... birth? Tro- Alternians don’t have eggs or, or-”

“Would you stop that?” Aunt Nancy interrupted angrily. “Why do you only know those awful rumors and stupid things?” She turned back to the melons, grumbling to herself.

“Do you have any kids, Aunt Nancy?”

There was a clang and Aunt Nancy stood up fast. Nepeta gasped when she saw that the older woman had cut her hand with a spade was was bleeding a blue color. Mother stood up as well, taking off the bandanna, her black hair splaying out behind her back. She wrapped it around Aunt Nancy’s hand. “She doesn’t know,” she said softly. To Nepeta she said “Why don;t you go inside for a while? Aunt Nancy and I will finish the work.”

The young girl knew better than to say anymore and rushed into the house. She was careful not to get any mud or dirt on anything as she went to the bathroom to clean up.

“Is anyone in there?”

“Hehehehehe! One second.” Terezi opened the door, her lens reflecting the other girl in a sickly red. “You smell of earth and green.”

“Yeah! I was having fun in the garden!” She stepped inside and started scrubbing her face with the soap. Nepeta made sure none of the soapy dirty water landed outside the sink, “I don’t know how Mother can stay so clean. She is so cool!”

“She sure is.” Terezi leaned against the door frame, an amused expression on her face. “What are you up to today? Still looking for the Fountain of Cute in the back yard?”

Nepeta giggled through the towel on her face. “Nope! Me and Pounce de Leon and Tavros found that yesterday. Turn out the Fountain was us!”

“You’re the best looking trio I’ve ever seen. Hehehe!” The blind girl grabbed Nepeta’s arm. “Let’s get outta here.”

“Get out?”

Yeah. I think I smell the roses blooming or something. I smell rose and I wanna know where it’s coming from.”

“M-maybe we can just stay in?”

“What’s wrong?”

Nepeta looked down at her feet, avoiding Terezi’s questioning gaze. In a small voice she said “I uh, just don’t want to go out into the city...”

“Why would you- Oh yeah.” The blind grabbed the other’s hands. “Look, you can’t let fear or stupid people run your life. Come on, lets go have some fun.”

~

Terezi was confidently walking down the street, cane in one hand and the shaky hand of her friend in the other. “Do you smell cinnamon buns?”

“Te-Terezi... People are staring at us...”

The older girl grinned. “Of course they are. I’m beautiful and your as cute as... as... What’s cute? I can’t see.”

“Cute as a... kitten?”

“Kittens are soft.” Terezi tousled Nepeta’s hair. “Soooffffttttt... Soft!”

Nepeta giggled and stood a little taller. She looked around, seeing the worn buildings slowly get further and further apart. Where there would be dingy alleys now held decorative trees and patches of grass. Soon they came to a waist-high stone wall topped with a black iron fence. Down the way the pair encountered a elegant gate.

“Sanders Park.” Nepeta read out-loud. “I wonder if anyone lives under that name.”

“Wait, we ended up at the park?”

Nepeta gaze Terezi a curious look that was completely lost on the blind girl. “Weren’t you trying to find roses?”

“I stopped following that a few blocks back. I heard a weird sound and wanted to know what it was. It kinda sounded like umtiss umtiss umtiss over and over again.”

“Lets go in. It looks fun!”

Terezi shrugged and they went through the open gate.

Sanders Park was an unusual place in the city as it was one of the few public places with trees and greenery. From the entrance visitors had two choices of windings paths, one going around to a tree grove and the other going to a butterfly house. Flower patches spotted the big green field that was bordering a good sized pond. It wasn’t large enough for rowboats or paddle boats but kids could set out motorized toys for racing or wars.

Nepeta clapped and ran out into the grass, hopping up and down and doing cartwheels this way and that. A swarm of butterflies sprang from the flowers, painting the sky with red and yellow and green and black and grey. The young girl laughed and chased after them, stopping when they started hovering over the pond.

“Come run with me!” Nepeta grabbed Terezi’s arm and pulled her into the grass. “Chase me!”

“No fair! I’m blind, remember?” Terezi laughed and reached out, groping the air in front of her. She dropped her can and stepped forward, arms flailing all about.

Nepeta held back her giggles and jumped top the side, letting the older girl pass. She moved again as Terezi made another wild lunge. Nepeta got right behind her and started making face.

“Gotcha!” Terezi turned quickly and grabbed the other girl in a big hug. Nepeta shrieked in joy and the two fell down, giggling and wrestling.

They laid back and watched as clouds floated lazily by. The two spotted shapes and horses and cats and dragons and all sorts of creatures in the big fluffy whiteness that patched the sky. Soon they were just enjoying the warm sun.

Terezi broke the silence of the sunbathed daydreams. “Its not easy, growing up. We don’t do stuff like this anymore.”

Nepeta got up on one arm and started playing with the blind girls hair. “It’s so slick and smooth! How do you do it?”

“I dunno. I just wake up and its in place. Hehehe!”

“Lucky! Mine just sticks out in tangles and snags. Its a snagasaurus!”

“We can brush it out later. Make you look like a proper lady. Just like Aunt Nancy. Hehehe.”

“Yeah! Terezi, you’re my first friend.” She laid back down, eyes closed. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Aunt Nancy cut herself and was bleeding blue and-”

“What?” Terezi sat up quick. “Don’t just shout that out, it’s private! What did you do?!”

“I-I had just asked if s-she had kids-”

“And you brought up kids? What’s wrong with you?!”

“W-what did I-”

“You made a mistake! I-” Terezi grew silent. “I’m going for a walk!”

“Terezi! D-don’t go!”

“I just need to... clear my head...” She walked briskly way and disappeared behind a hedge.

Nepeta fell to her knees and started crying.

~

“Hey.”

The girl jumped back, staring at who just talked.

“Have a fight?” It was a young boy about her age. Nepeta backed up more. “It’s all cool. I just couldn’t let a pretty girl cry but if you want I’ll leave you, ok?”

As he turned Nepeta cried out “No! I don’t wanna be alone!”

“I sure you’re friend will be back with her wild ways in these crazy days with her tinted haze. She’ll get her say and make anyone pay and destroy all those who get in her way.”

Nepeta smiled through her tears. “That was cool...”

The boy smiled, red hair shining in the sun. “I’m cool. I’m chiller that a fucking penguin on ice, skating around with other people in penguin suits trying to pull off the penguin be failing to even get the red and black right. Of course I'm cool, I’ma Strider.”

“You walk around?”

“Yeah, I walk. I’m the walkest thing since that jogging Lance Armstrong wannabe.” Nepeta saw her smile reflect in his black glasses. “Name is Dave.”

“I’m... uh, Nepeta. I um, like your shades?”

“Thanks little lady. I just wish I could take them off.”

“Are you blind too?”

Dave shook his head. “Naw. I got some weird eye thing.” He put a hand to his head. “Mircoretinal ocular chormadeficiency disorder syndrome.”

“What’s that?”

“Hell if I know. They made it up just for me after an extended symposium about how cool I am. Doctor saunters in trying to look all professional in airs throwing around random medical terms from their inside dictionary thesaurus thing. It’s like they are the ants and big words are the cake they bring in one tiny piece at a time. People like that just can’t walk up and say ‘you got tiny eyes and can’t see color, stay outta the light.’”

“Can’t see color?”

Dave picked up a flower. “See this? Grey. You’re kitty ear headband thing? Grey. That pond? Grey.” He held Nepeta’s hand. “Even your skin, grey.”

The girl jerked her hand away and backed up. “D-Don’t touch me!”

The boy held his hands up. “Hey, I’m sorry alright? My brother Joe says I got a problem with-”

“Get away from her!”

Terezi ran put, putting herself between Nepeta and Dave. “What are you doing to her?! Nepeta, are you ok?”

“D-Dave was just-”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll leave you and your sis alone” He started to talk away but glanced over his shoulder. “Hey Nepeta? Even if you are by yourself, you’re not alone.”

Once the boy was out of sight Terezi turned to her friend. “Are you ok? Did he do anything? You want we go get Karkat and we can kick-”

“No! It’s ok, it really is! Dave is really nice! He kept me company when you left me all by myself...”

Terezi looked down. “I’m sorry. I really am. I shouldn’y have gotten mad. I’m the one who made a big mistake.” She pulled Nepeta into a close embrace. “I’m really sorry.”

“What did I do wrong?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t know.” They pulled apart. “I think it’s time you did.”

Terezi's Stroy

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“It was a long time ago, before Tavros and Sollux or even Karkat came to live with us. Back then it was me, Kanaya, Vriska, and... Aradia. We were great friends. The best of friends. We used to play all sorts of games. Kids stuff, make believe, board games, things like that. The town was ours to explore. Remember that old trainyard where I found you? We played there all the time. What did we know? It was a fun place with a bunch of hiding places and cool things to play with.

That old trainyard was once used to ship munitions and supplies for the army across the country. Sometimes we found bullets or broken gun or body armor, dumb stuff like that. One time we found... it was a grenade.

We didn’t know what it was. We just thought it was a ball or something. So were were playing with it when Vriska saw the pun. And then she pulled it. Vriska tossed it to Aradia. She was just holding it. Vriska was to her right. I was in front of her. Then-Then...

.....

Aunt Nancy and Mother paid to fix the facial scars but I still was blinded. I don’t have much feeling on my face. Vriska lost most of the- the left side of her body. Shes still in a coma.

Vriska is Aunt Nancy daughter. She is forbidden from seeing her. None of us can go see her.

Aradia she visits each year. On the day it happened.

[Shadow of the Lotus]

I liked that a lot CJ. I'm still trying to figure out how that alternate reality John could even exist. I mean, the entire thing with the 7th gate and not dying is a bit confusing but I don't think the story necessarily needs a clear explanation for that; still enjoyable without it. Are Wheeler, Opal, and Daisy part of this alternate-reality version of Dave, Jade, and Rose? I thought it was more a coincidence, but the Wheeler thing at the end with John calling Dave a bad speller makes me think maybe they were the same somehow? And I thought you wrote Dave just right actually. Regretfully, I think I have the easiest time writing for Dave. I love Rose but Dave is just a bit easier to 'get into' for me. I can't write Jade at all. I make her a bit well.... hard to say. I just know I don't do Jade well, haha.

[Summergale]

"Walk."

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"Walk."

It was a simple suggestion, and Terezi followed it. She pushed herself up from her golden bed and wandered into the street, her eyes still closed. The dark eyes of countless Prospitians followed her on her journey through the brightly-lit streets. Her feet knew where they were going, though she did not hear the tapping of her shoes against the floor. Her lusus mumbled encouragement in her mind, and she smiled. Finally, the words came for her to stop and look up. So she did.

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"Walk."

It was a simple suggestion, and Terezi followed it. She pushed herself up from her slimy recuperacoon and wandered into the forest, her eyes still closed. The button eyes of countless scalemates followed her on her journey through the brightly-lit woodland. Her feet knew where they were going, though she did not hear the crunching of her shoes against the floor. Her lusus mumbled encouragement in her mind, and she smiled. Finally, the words came for her to stop and look up. So she did.

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Skaia burned bright above her, azure blue and glorious. White clouds drifted across it, and as she squinted ever so slightly a spirograph seemed to pulse in it's center. There was an itch behind her eyes, but her lusus continued to command. 'Look at it,' she said. 'Isn't it beautiful?' Terezi had to agree. The itching got worse as she continued to stare, and suddenly her lusus vanished from her mind and the shock set in. The itching turned into burning, burning pain that made her cry. Her hands flew to her face, golden sleeves flapping. She couldn't see. It was dark. Why had her lusus done this to her, she thought before tumbling to the warm pavement.

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The sky burned bright above her, blazing red and terrible. No clouds drifted across it, and as she squinted ever so slightly the colours changed and she could see orange, yellow, brighter red. There was an itch behind her eyes, but her lusus continued to command. 'Look at it,' she said. 'Isn't it beautiful?' Terezi had to agree. The itching got worse as she continued to stare, and suddenly her lusus vanished from her mind and the shock set in. The itching turned into burning, burning pain that made her cry. Her hands flew to her face, black sleeves flapping. She couldn't see. It was dark. Why had her lusus done this to her, she thought before tumbling to the warm forest floor.

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Miles away, Vriska opened her viewport and managed to smile through the pain. Vengeance.

[CeeJay]

I liked that a lot CJ. I'm still trying to figure out how that alternate reality John could even exist. I mean, the entire thing with the 7th gate and not dying is a bit confusing but I don't think the story necessarily needs a clear explanation for that; still enjoyable without it.

I'm glad you think that the story doesn't need a clear explanation because my own explanation isn't that great, and it might be better for readers to try to figure it out on their own and be just as confused as John is. But if you would like to know, here are my thoughts on the alternate reality...

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I don't know exactly how this story idea came to me, but I knew I wanted John to have to fight himself, I wanted to address the differences between Future Rose and Future Dave, and I wanted John to deal with this idea of nonexistance because it's one of my own personal fears. So I created this "other John" who would be the same, but different.

At first I thought of the 7th Gate as kind of a holding pin. John would have been trapped in sort of a Limbo where he would have to wait for the game to shut down (be completely lost or won) before he could completely die. He lost the game, so he couldn't play anymore, but his data was still in the system. There was some clear mind manipulation going on there. He never tried to get back to the game because he couldn't remember it, any time he tried it got wiped from his memory.

In The Princess Bride terms, he's only mostly dead.

But because Dave changed the timeline and stopped him from going, he was never in the holding pin. He "reset" John's game back to that point.

My original plan was for Lord English to build the world that John was trapped in. He built it by using what he thought would make John the most happy, planning to keep him "dead" there to assure that the other kids would lose the game. And when the timeline changed, he convinced John to kill himself in order to keep them from winning. However, I rewrote Part 2 to make it more ambiguous, because it's possible that John is just going crazy right there and talking to himself. I liked both ideas, so it's up to the reader to decide.

Are Wheeler, Opal, and Daisy part of this alternate-reality version of Dave, Jade, and Rose? I thought it was more a coincidence, but the Wheeler thing at the end with John calling Dave a bad speller makes me think maybe they were the same somehow?

Continuing on about this alternate reality...

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The thing is, it was made based on John's mind and how he saw the world. But it couldn't be made with people from the real world in it. All the people in Future John's world are imps. Because Rose, Dave, and maybe Jade were still living in the real world and couldn't be brought or copied into John's alternate reality, John's friends are imp versions of the kids. They are the same, because John has kinda given them their personalities, but they are different because not only are they imps, but they're living and growing and changing for a whole year just like John was.

Opal is imp-Jade. Daisy is imp-Rose. I tried to keep the names similar. Opal and Jade are both stones, Daisy and Rose are both flowers. Dave was harder. I choose Wheeler, playing with Dave's last name, because riding on wheels is kinda opposite of striding. Also because Terezi showed a picture of Wheeler from Captain Planet to Dave as one of her "this is you" teasings, so it already had a connection to him.

Future John lived a year with these versions of the kids. To him they were real people, different from Jade, Rose, and Dave the way that he is different from John. He was so sure of their reality it wasn't until the end that would even think to consider that they were based on the kids. That'd be like saying "My best friend now is a copy of my best friend from kindergarten!" No one is gonna think that. But I think John, listening as an outsider, was able to pick up on the connections. He might not have understood entirely, but he got it enough to use it to make a jab at his Dave.

Either that, or John just used his future self's comment as inspiration to make fun of Dave.
I bet Dave really is terrible at spelling.

[NateDude]

I love Reset, Its makes me sad, but also makes me happy. It would be neat if there was more to it, But the ending is fine.

[Graven_Image]

CJ, maybe can haz a prequel? Opal, Daisy and Wheeler only have a bit part, but I find myself fascinated with them.

[JudgeDeadd]

Reviewesque thingies

@kmsumrall: Cool new part, though a bit sad. It's interesting that Mother and Aunt Nancy aren't human, or at least, not entirely.

@Summergale: nice concept, good execution.

@Sushi Database: sorry that I didn't bother with "Esoteric Adventures..." until now. I've read all the parts, and can't wait to see what happens next. I like your writing a lot.

[Lackypoo]

This is my first time posting in this thread. This is also my first time attempting any kind of fanfiction, an untitled one-shot about some random troll who made the mistake of taking on Vriska and Eridan during one of their flarping sessions. I accept constructive criticism.

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We tried to stop them. We tried to put an end to their reign.

Marquise Mindfang and Orphaner Dualscar. Both masters of the petticoat seagrift class and rivals in warfare, they plagued the seas with ruthless conviction and avarice. We heard tales of their bloody exploits. A few of us even saw the shipwrecks left in their wake and the wide spectrum of troll blood swirling together amidst the waves. They were, undoubtedly, the strongest alliance Alternia had ever seen in Flarp history.

But we were confident. And we were numerous.

Twenty cutthroat seagrifts and a handful of Lusii gathered together for one unified strike. We could not afford to be careless, and yet caution would still cost us this victory. We had to be relentless and swift. We decided that we would not yield even to fatigue or injury; we would not risk granting them an opportunity to strike back.

Preparations were made well in advance. I was even nominated one of the leaders of this venture and quickly inspected each crew member’s gear. I decided that we could all do better. We traversed far and wide for any pieces of information we could find. We adventured into dangerous territories to secure better equipment. We gained levels and treasures galore, but we did not care for the usual satisfaction such victories would bring. No, we adventured out of necessity. Everything we did was for a greater goal. We did this not for fun, but for business.

Seven ships in total were secured. I boarded the flagship with three others. Our strategy was clear, rehearsed and repeated more times than we cared to count. We hid behind a rocky outcrop jutting from the steely-blue waters, all boats two rocks from each other to maximize our range. We heard tale of our two targets making their way in that direction towards one of their favorite battle zones. In order to reach their destination, however, they had to pass through a channel dotted with outcroppings. It was the perfect spot for an ambush and it always confused us as to why this advantage had never been utilized by others to bring Mindfang and Dualscar to their knees. Whatever the case, we would take that chance.

We were in position late in the evening when the sun had settled beyond the horizon. Dusk had arrived, but with it a wind that chilled us to the bone. We cursed its inconvenience until it graced us with a thick fog. Under greater cover, we were enthusiastic, even restless for this terrible alliance to be unraveled.

Two hours later, we heard a disturbance in the gentle lapping of water against rock. We readied ourselves as quickly and quietly as possible, none of us saying a word. It was nearly pitch-black with only the faintest fuchsia glow from one of our moons permeating the fog to give us light.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I clutched my spear tightly, a grim sneer stretching over my face. I often thought about how I would plunge my weapon into Mindfang’s throat or through Dualscar’s chest. The satisfaction such thoughts gave me was unnatural, even by troll standards. But I truly wanted to spill their blood. I wanted, even more, the praise and cheers of my fellow seagrifts as I stood over our opponents’ corpses.

My moment had come. I was ready to crush them.

Or so I thought.

Silence reached our ears after a time. All noise returned to its original state. I heard shuffling; anxiety spread through each boat. But we couldn’t be rash. We had to wait.

An ear-splitting crack surprised us, and a burst of light pierced through the fog. The projectile had hit a rock, causing shards and splinters to splash in the water. No harm had been done to any ship, but the call to arms was obvious. Within seconds, orders had been shouted and five boats quickly circled the rocks to close in on the enemy. Mine and an adjacent boat were slightly larger with less speed, so we circled slightly later. Several cannons went off in rapid succession from our comrades, and through the parting fog we saw our enemy’s vessel.

But only one and it was abandoned. We had learned that the two were in constant rivalry, so they weren’t sharing a boat. After we ceased fire, we immediately searched the waters within visibility for any indication as to where either rogue might be.

I heard a softened neighing sound before I realized what was happening. Only a few of us decided that their Lusii would be instrumental to our victory. However, we did not think that our opponents might employ the same strategy.

Another neighing noise, this one louder, directed my attention upwards. Several others followed my gaze to find a large, pale seahorse drifting down through the fog behind and above us. Mounted on its back was a young troll with outlandish hair and a garish, violet coat. He had fins fanning back from his cheeks, the indication of a water troll. Nestled on his right arm was a large gun. Behind his spectacles, he glared spitefully at us as we readied our weapons. He grinned ruthlessly, much like I had just minutes before, right as he pulled the trigger.

The ensuing blast deafened us. It struck one ship, and the laser ripped through its hull as if it were made of paper. One troll was directly caught in the blast and managed to let out a gurgling scream before being obliterated. His two companions and his Lusus were grazed, and all cried out in agony just before the vessel exploded. A geyser of water mixed with blood shot up and came down dripping like rain on several of us. We recoiled from the blast of heat and blinding light.

Those few moments were enough for Dualscar. In mere seconds, he had decimated one boat and neatly vanished back into the fog. We had only come to our senses just as the tail of his Lusus disappeared. Shouting orders, we backed our boats into the rocks once more, afraid of staying too open with such a diabolical weapon floating above us.

Our ships came to a grinding halt, however, and we realized too late how much colder the air around us had become. Looking overboard with the burning vessel as our light, we saw that the dark waters had frozen over. Ice started to creep up the sides of the boats and began to encase our cannons.

A husky cackle arose from the darkness. Several meters away, we saw another boat flying a black flag hover just outside of the ice’s reach. A grungy female with mismatched horns and red boots glowered at us, a wicked grin playing on her lips. The left lens of her glasses glowed, a sinister red in the darkness. She toyed with several small objects in her left hand and I knew it was the dreaded dice that had made her infamous.

Mindfang threw them to the deck. Time seemed to slow as we all listened intently until the last die settled. Then, above us, a blue portal flashed for a just a second. However, it was just long enough for our world to be surrounded by icy flames that bombarded us, shattering the ice and sending waves to lap at us. Three of our boats were caught in the attack and began to sink. Another two trolls died while the others tread water or swam towards the remaining boats.

We didn’t have time to salvage them, however. Another neigh signaled the destruction of another boat, and our comrades barely jumped in time before another blast decimated their vessel. Two boats were left, including my own, and they had now come under fire by Mindfang’s cannons.

We all jumped ship. There was no longer any hope of victory now. A group of hardened, confident seagrifts had been reduced to blubbering grubs in a matter of minutes. I, myself, abandoned my weapon and swam away as fast as I could, trying to ignore the icy-cold water splashing my face.

I looked back briefly to see that the two had begun drifting among the wreckage and rounded up the survivors. I swam even faster. We had heard the rumors of their Lusii, great beasts that would devour anything put in front of them.

My heart was pounding quickly, faster than it had ever done so in my life. I felt fear, a fear that I never realized I could have felt. I cared no longer for the safety of my crew. I only wanted to survive.

I reached land after what seemed like an eternity. Every inch of me was sore and racked with chills. I was fortunate that my hive was close, and soon my Lusus found me curled and shivering on the shore. He carried me by biting the back of my shirt and hurried inside before dawn would break. He curled his body around mine to provide warmth.

After a day’s rest, I was fine. However, I did not move for several more hours. I was frightened to even lift my head in case Mindfang and Dualscar might be watching me with their deadly smiles, ready to feed me to their monstrous custodians.

I gave up Flarping. I never even returned to that channel. I didn’t care to learn the ghastly fates of my fellow seagrifts. I rarely left my hive after that, preferring the security of my hive and the company of fellow trolls online. I had even started to forget the terrible defeat at the hands of two trolls younger than I.

Until, on Trollian one day, I received these messages.

AG: W8 up!!!!!!!! Where did you go????????
CA: wwe wwerent finished playing
AG: > : : : : D

A couple of notes:
~ I probably won't do anything with this unnamed character again.
~ I figure since Vriska's dice have potentially 16,000,000+ attacks, some creative liberties were allowed.

Vriska/Eridan/FLARP/Lusii/Alternia belongs to A.H.

[Sushi Database]

This is my first time posting in this thread. This is also my first time attempting any kind of fanfiction, an untitled one-shot about some random troll who made the mistake of taking on Vriska and Eridan during one of their flarping sessions. I accept constructive criticism.

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We tried to stop them. We tried to put an end to their reign.

Marquise Mindfang and Orphaner Dualscar. Both masters of the petticoat seagrift class and rivals in warfare, they plagued the seas with ruthless conviction and avarice. We heard tales of their bloody exploits. A few of us even saw the shipwrecks left in their wake and the wide spectrum of troll blood swirling together amidst the waves. They were, undoubtedly, the strongest alliance Alternia had ever seen in Flarp history.

But we were confident. And we were numerous.

Twenty cutthroat seagrifts and a handful of Lusii gathered together for one unified strike. We could not afford to be careless, and yet caution would still cost us this victory. We had to be relentless and swift. We decided that we would not yield even to fatigue or injury; we would not risk granting them an opportunity to strike back.

Preparations were made well in advance. I was even nominated one of the leaders of this venture and quickly inspected each crew member’s gear. I decided that we could all do better. We traversed far and wide for any pieces of information we could find. We adventured into dangerous territories to secure better equipment. We gained levels and treasures galore, but we did not care for the usual satisfaction such victories would bring. No, we adventured out of necessity. Everything we did was for a greater goal. We did this not for fun, but for business.

Seven ships in total were secured. I boarded the flagship with three others. Our strategy was clear, rehearsed and repeated more times than we cared to count. We hid behind a rocky outcrop jutting from the steely-blue waters, all boats two rocks from each other to maximize our range. We heard tale of our two targets making their way in that direction towards one of their favorite battle zones. In order to reach their destination, however, they had to pass through a channel dotted with outcroppings. It was the perfect spot for an ambush and it always confused us as to why this advantage had never been utilized by others to bring Mindfang and Dualscar to their knees. Whatever the case, we would take that chance.

We were in position late in the evening when the sun had settled beyond the horizon. Dusk had arrived, but with it a wind that chilled us to the bone. We cursed its inconvenience until it graced us with a thick fog. Under greater cover, we were enthusiastic, even restless for this terrible alliance to be unraveled.

Two hours later, we heard a disturbance in the gentle lapping of water against rock. We readied ourselves as quickly and quietly as possible, none of us saying a word. It was nearly pitch-black with only the faintest fuchsia glow from one of our moons permeating the fog to give us light.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I clutched my spear tightly, a grim sneer stretching over my face. I often thought about how I would plunge my weapon into Mindfang’s throat or through Dualscar’s chest. The satisfaction such thoughts gave me was unnatural, even by troll standards. But I truly wanted to spill their blood. I wanted, even more, the praise and cheers of my fellow seagrifts as I stood over our opponents’ corpses.

My moment had come. I was ready to crush them.

Or so I thought.

Silence reached our ears after a time. All noise returned to its original state. I heard shuffling; anxiety spread through each boat. But we couldn’t be rash. We had to wait.

An ear-splitting crack surprised us, and a burst of light pierced through the fog. The projectile had hit a rock, causing shards and splinters to splash in the water. No harm had been done to any ship, but the call to arms was obvious. Within seconds, orders had been shouted and five boats quickly circled the rocks to close in on the enemy. Mine and an adjacent boat were slightly larger with less speed, so we circled slightly later. Several cannons went off in rapid succession from our comrades, and through the parting fog we saw our enemy’s vessel.

But only one and it was abandoned. We had learned that the two were in constant rivalry, so they weren’t sharing a boat. After we ceased fire, we immediately searched the waters within visibility for any indication as to where either rogue might be.

I heard a softened neighing sound before I realized what was happening. Only a few of us decided that their Lusii would be instrumental to our victory. However, we did not think that our opponents might employ the same strategy.

Another neighing noise, this one louder, directed my attention upwards. Several others followed my gaze to find a large, pale seahorse drifting down through the fog behind and above us. Mounted on its back was a young troll with outlandish hair and a garish, violet coat. He had fins fanning back from his cheeks, the indication of a water troll. Nestled on his right arm was a large gun. Behind his spectacles, he glared spitefully at us as we readied our weapons. He grinned ruthlessly, much like I had just minutes before, right as he pulled the trigger.

The ensuing blast deafened us. It struck one ship, and the laser ripped through its hull as if it were made of paper. One troll was directly caught in the blast and managed to let out a gurgling scream before being obliterated. His two companions and his Lusus were grazed, and all cried out in agony just before the vessel exploded. A geyser of water mixed with blood shot up and came down dripping like rain on several of us. We recoiled from the blast of heat and blinding light.

Those few moments were enough for Dualscar. In mere seconds, he had decimated one boat and neatly vanished back into the fog. We had only come to our senses just as the tail of his Lusus disappeared. Shouting orders, we backed our boats into the rocks once more, afraid of staying too open with such a diabolical weapon floating above us.

Our ships came to a grinding halt, however, and we realized too late how much colder the air around us had become. Looking overboard with the burning vessel as our light, we saw that the dark waters had frozen over. Ice started to creep up the sides of the boats and began to encase our cannons.

A husky cackle arose from the darkness. Several meters away, we saw another boat flying a black flag hover just outside of the ice’s reach. A grungy female with mismatched horns and red boots glowered at us, a wicked grin playing on her lips. The left lens of her glasses glowed, a sinister red in the darkness. She toyed with several small objects in her left hand and I knew it was the dreaded dice that had made her infamous.

Mindfang threw them to the deck. Time seemed to slow as we all listened intently until the last die settled. Then, above us, a blue portal flashed for a just a second. However, it was just long enough for our world to be surrounded by icy flames that bombarded us, shattering the ice and sending waves to lap at us. Three of our boats were caught in the attack and began to sink. Another two trolls died while the others tread water or swam towards the remaining boats.

We didn’t have time to salvage them, however. Another neigh signaled the destruction of another boat, and our comrades barely jumped in time before another blast decimated their vessel. Two boats were left, including my own, and they had now come under fire by Mindfang’s cannons.

We all jumped ship. There was no longer any hope of victory now. A group of hardened, confident seagrifts had been reduced to blubbering grubs in a matter of minutes. I, myself, abandoned my weapon and swam away as fast as I could, trying to ignore the icy-cold water splashing my face.

I looked back briefly to see that the two had begun drifting among the wreckage and rounded up the survivors. I swam even faster. We had heard the rumors of their Lusii, great beasts that would devour anything put in front of them.

My heart was pounding quickly, faster than it had ever done so in my life. I felt fear, a fear that I never realized I could have felt. I cared no longer for the safety of my crew. I only wanted to survive.

I reached land after what seemed like an eternity. Every inch of me was sore and racked with chills. I was fortunate that my hive was close, and soon my Lusus found me curled and shivering on the shore. He carried me by biting the back of my shirt and hurried inside before dawn would break. He curled his body around mine to provide warmth.

After a day’s rest, I was fine. However, I did not move for several more hours. I was frightened to even lift my head in case Mindfang and Dualscar might be watching me with their deadly smiles, ready to feed me to their monstrous custodians.

I gave up Flarping. I never even returned to that channel. I didn’t care to learn the ghastly fates of my fellow seagrifts. I rarely left my hive after that, preferring the security of my hive and the company of fellow trolls online. I had even started to forget the terrible defeat at the hands of two trolls younger than I.

Until, on Trollian one day, I received these messages.

AG: W8 up!!!!!!!! Where did you go????????
CA: wwe wwerent finished playing
AG: > : : : : D

A couple of notes:
~ I probably won't do anything with this unnamed character again.
~ I figure since Vriska's dice have potentially 16,000,000+ attacks, some creative liberties were allowed.

Vriska/Eridan/FLARP/Lusii/Alternia belongs to A.H.

XD Nice, Lacky. It's like Troll Tales of the Black Freighter!

[nextian]

This is my first time posting in this thread. This is also my first time attempting any kind of fanfiction, an untitled one-shot about some random troll who made the mistake of taking on Vriska and Eridan during one of their flarping sessions. I accept constructive criticism.

show spoiler

hide spoiler

We tried to stop them. We tried to put an end to their reign.

Marquise Mindfang and Orphaner Dualscar. Both masters of the petticoat seagrift class and rivals in warfare, they plagued the seas with ruthless conviction and avarice. We heard tales of their bloody exploits. A few of us even saw the shipwrecks left in their wake and the wide spectrum of troll blood swirling together amidst the waves. They were, undoubtedly, the strongest alliance Alternia had ever seen in Flarp history.

But we were confident. And we were numerous.

Twenty cutthroat seagrifts and a handful of Lusii gathered together for one unified strike. We could not afford to be careless, and yet caution would still cost us this victory. We had to be relentless and swift. We decided that we would not yield even to fatigue or injury; we would not risk granting them an opportunity to strike back.

Preparations were made well in advance. I was even nominated one of the leaders of this venture and quickly inspected each crew member’s gear. I decided that we could all do better. We traversed far and wide for any pieces of information we could find. We adventured into dangerous territories to secure better equipment. We gained levels and treasures galore, but we did not care for the usual satisfaction such victories would bring. No, we adventured out of necessity. Everything we did was for a greater goal. We did this not for fun, but for business.

Seven ships in total were secured. I boarded the flagship with three others. Our strategy was clear, rehearsed and repeated more times than we cared to count. We hid behind a rocky outcrop jutting from the steely-blue waters, all boats two rocks from each other to maximize our range. We heard tale of our two targets making their way in that direction towards one of their favorite battle zones. In order to reach their destination, however, they had to pass through a channel dotted with outcroppings. It was the perfect spot for an ambush and it always confused us as to why this advantage had never been utilized by others to bring Mindfang and Dualscar to their knees. Whatever the case, we would take that chance.

We were in position late in the evening when the sun had settled beyond the horizon. Dusk had arrived, but with it a wind that chilled us to the bone. We cursed its inconvenience until it graced us with a thick fog. Under greater cover, we were enthusiastic, even restless for this terrible alliance to be unraveled.

Two hours later, we heard a disturbance in the gentle lapping of water against rock. We readied ourselves as quickly and quietly as possible, none of us saying a word. It was nearly pitch-black with only the faintest fuchsia glow from one of our moons permeating the fog to give us light.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I clutched my spear tightly, a grim sneer stretching over my face. I often thought about how I would plunge my weapon into Mindfang’s throat or through Dualscar’s chest. The satisfaction such thoughts gave me was unnatural, even by troll standards. But I truly wanted to spill their blood. I wanted, even more, the praise and cheers of my fellow seagrifts as I stood over our opponents’ corpses.

My moment had come. I was ready to crush them.

Or so I thought.

Silence reached our ears after a time. All noise returned to its original state. I heard shuffling; anxiety spread through each boat. But we couldn’t be rash. We had to wait.

An ear-splitting crack surprised us, and a burst of light pierced through the fog. The projectile had hit a rock, causing shards and splinters to splash in the water. No harm had been done to any ship, but the call to arms was obvious. Within seconds, orders had been shouted and five boats quickly circled the rocks to close in on the enemy. Mine and an adjacent boat were slightly larger with less speed, so we circled slightly later. Several cannons went off in rapid succession from our comrades, and through the parting fog we saw our enemy’s vessel.

But only one and it was abandoned. We had learned that the two were in constant rivalry, so they weren’t sharing a boat. After we ceased fire, we immediately searched the waters within visibility for any indication as to where either rogue might be.

I heard a softened neighing sound before I realized what was happening. Only a few of us decided that their Lusii would be instrumental to our victory. However, we did not think that our opponents might employ the same strategy.

Another neighing noise, this one louder, directed my attention upwards. Several others followed my gaze to find a large, pale seahorse drifting down through the fog behind and above us. Mounted on its back was a young troll with outlandish hair and a garish, violet coat. He had fins fanning back from his cheeks, the indication of a water troll. Nestled on his right arm was a large gun. Behind his spectacles, he glared spitefully at us as we readied our weapons. He grinned ruthlessly, much like I had just minutes before, right as he pulled the trigger.

The ensuing blast deafened us. It struck one ship, and the laser ripped through its hull as if it were made of paper. One troll was directly caught in the blast and managed to let out a gurgling scream before being obliterated. His two companions and his Lusus were grazed, and all cried out in agony just before the vessel exploded. A geyser of water mixed with blood shot up and came down dripping like rain on several of us. We recoiled from the blast of heat and blinding light.

Those few moments were enough for Dualscar. In mere seconds, he had decimated one boat and neatly vanished back into the fog. We had only come to our senses just as the tail of his Lusus disappeared. Shouting orders, we backed our boats into the rocks once more, afraid of staying too open with such a diabolical weapon floating above us.

Our ships came to a grinding halt, however, and we realized too late how much colder the air around us had become. Looking overboard with the burning vessel as our light, we saw that the dark waters had frozen over. Ice started to creep up the sides of the boats and began to encase our cannons.

A husky cackle arose from the darkness. Several meters away, we saw another boat flying a black flag hover just outside of the ice’s reach. A grungy female with mismatched horns and red boots glowered at us, a wicked grin playing on her lips. The left lens of her glasses glowed, a sinister red in the darkness. She toyed with several small objects in her left hand and I knew it was the dreaded dice that had made her infamous.

Mindfang threw them to the deck. Time seemed to slow as we all listened intently until the last die settled. Then, above us, a blue portal flashed for a just a second. However, it was just long enough for our world to be surrounded by icy flames that bombarded us, shattering the ice and sending waves to lap at us. Three of our boats were caught in the attack and began to sink. Another two trolls died while the others tread water or swam towards the remaining boats.

We didn’t have time to salvage them, however. Another neigh signaled the destruction of another boat, and our comrades barely jumped in time before another blast decimated their vessel. Two boats were left, including my own, and they had now come under fire by Mindfang’s cannons.

We all jumped ship. There was no longer any hope of victory now. A group of hardened, confident seagrifts had been reduced to blubbering grubs in a matter of minutes. I, myself, abandoned my weapon and swam away as fast as I could, trying to ignore the icy-cold water splashing my face.

I looked back briefly to see that the two had begun drifting among the wreckage and rounded up the survivors. I swam even faster. We had heard the rumors of their Lusii, great beasts that would devour anything put in front of them.

My heart was pounding quickly, faster than it had ever done so in my life. I felt fear, a fear that I never realized I could have felt. I cared no longer for the safety of my crew. I only wanted to survive.

I reached land after what seemed like an eternity. Every inch of me was sore and racked with chills. I was fortunate that my hive was close, and soon my Lusus found me curled and shivering on the shore. He carried me by biting the back of my shirt and hurried inside before dawn would break. He curled his body around mine to provide warmth.

After a day’s rest, I was fine. However, I did not move for several more hours. I was frightened to even lift my head in case Mindfang and Dualscar might be watching me with their deadly smiles, ready to feed me to their monstrous custodians.

I gave up Flarping. I never even returned to that channel. I didn’t care to learn the ghastly fates of my fellow seagrifts. I rarely left my hive after that, preferring the security of my hive and the company of fellow trolls online. I had even started to forget the terrible defeat at the hands of two trolls younger than I.

Until, on Trollian one day, I received these messages.

AG: W8 up!!!!!!!! Where did you go????????
CA: wwe wwerent finished playing
AG: > : : : : D

A couple of notes:
~ I probably won't do anything with this unnamed character again.
~ I figure since Vriska's dice have potentially 16,000,000+ attacks, some creative liberties were allowed.

Vriska/Eridan/FLARP/Lusii/Alternia belongs to A.H.

Lacky, this is shockingly awesome. It's all very Ishmaelian and I love it, particularly the image of Eridan with "outlandish hair and a garish coat" and Vriska as ominous orchestrator of doom.

[silrini]

Okay. I knew I shouldn't have put off commenting on awesome fics till the end of the week. ANYWAY:

@SkaianRedeemer- I'm really enjoying your view on troll romance! Personally the TZ/KK one didn't seem quite right to me, but it still worked! And Feferi and Sollux are adorable. Can't wait for the next one!

@KarneWarrior- I liked that little snippet! I've always felt that Vriska is redeemable, if a huge bitch, so I really hope she does too. ^__^

@kmsumrall- I am really, really liking Alternian and the Troll. Especially Dave with his sunglasses! Man, this is a really cool story. Can't wait to read more.

@Lacky- That was pretty epic. Wow. I really enjoyed that, seeing the reversal of the FLARPing Vriska and Eri did. Excellent work for your first fic! You have well-earned this:

@CeeJay- I was waiting until you finished to comment on Reset, and d'awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! ;__; It was so sad and yet sweet and I loved it, and, and. I totally second a prequel with Wheeler and Opal and Daisy. Sooooo cooooooooool.

Now to go see if I missed any epic fic.

[Lackypoo]

@Sushi
@nextian
@silrini

Ahaha, thanks for the first pwnst! And thanks for the compliments, I'm glad you guys enjoyed it.

[KarneWarrior]

@Sil: I actually didn't think she would have the chance, but Aridia was pretty brutal, as was just general karma, and she's certainly not done paying yet. But as long as she doesn't do anything evil (Douchey doesn't count; that's just her personality) she may be able to rise to the middle of my troll list.

Also, Homestuck x Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. I'm doing it. I'm doing it now.

[Cathartes]

Oh, God, Willy Wonka? That book terrified me as a kid. What are you going to do to the poor characters????