MSPA fan fiction 2

[SkaianRedeemer]

Changed my mind, going to post the last part tomorrow, because I'm still trying to decide if I should add to it. After all, the fic was originally a prediction and didn't have a proper ending - instead, I just sowed it with hints of what was about to happen. We'll see.

So here's this.

Musical Thrones
Part 4 of 5: 13 Carat (Part 1, 2, 3, 5)

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“So what do you care, anyways?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, head slumped into one hand. “I guess between Eridan and my Lusus I just got into a habit of babysitting people. I don’t… I don’t know.” She sighed.

“Fuck, Lady,” he said honestly, if a little spaced. “You look like someone ran over your favourite pet squid or some shit. Whatever happened to the girl that used to come visit in the shallows aLl fUlL Of fUcKiNg gLuBs aNd sHiT and smiling about some damn fish she rescued?”

Feferi sniffed back a tear and shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s just a bad morning, Gamzee. I-I mean. It’s Vriska.” She sighed again and tried her best to get to the heart of it. “After I broke off with Eridan, I felt so happy and free, and since Karkat was trying to run the whole show I just let him. I’ve been sitting most of the game out. But now Vriska is gone and… well, I’ve been sitting this game out but I still think… I think… that I might still be in control of the piece that can capture her.”

“Well that’s awesome, bring her in and we’ll have this done by sunset.”

She clung her arms to her chest. “But… Gamzee, this isn’t as simple as pointing and ordering, if I want to do this I have to get back in the game, maybe back in charge, and I don’t know if I c— I don’t know if I want to.” She gave a short, inadvertent cry and a tear ran down her cheek. “I can’t do both, not do both and keep all I’ve got. No time to think, time to be me, time to be with… He said…” she started, the ghostly traces of a smile trying to force their way out, “he said I was gorgeous when I smile. Isn’t that stupid? I’m crying over a compliment. And besides, has any empress in history ever even smiled, I mean, it’s just stupid?”

Gamzee looked a little confused, and scratched at the back of his head. “FuCk, LaDy, I FiGuReD ThAt'd bE YoU.”

“Huh?”

“Yeah! When we were all little grublings I figured one day we’d grow up and be all sitting around getting ready for another fight against the old regime. And if you weren’t going around making fish puns with everyone you met I figured you’d be planning out the next strike, you know?”

“You…” she whispered, a little overwhelmed. “You would have fought for me?”

He reached up to muss his own hair. “oH FuCk yEaH! I mean, it was a bit of a game, but I don’t think anyone didn’t mean it. Eridan was all up in fucking face about calling you 'M'Lady' he was so serious, Lady.”

“You mean... who are you talking about?”

“Yeah, Eridan and Karkat would have been generals, and Terezi wanted to run the military police. And hell, if I got to go out fighting surrounded by a bunch of like-minded motherfuckers in war paint, I’d die the hApPiEsT BaStArD ThAt eVeR LiVeD.”

Feferi was so touched that for a minute she almost forgot to answer, but did so to voice a last reservation. “People change.”

“yEaH, i kNoW WhAt yOu mEaN.” He held out both hands palms up as way of apology. “Like, if Equius tripped and fell on his ass tomorrow, he’d have eleven sets of hands waiting to help him back up again.” Gamzee began to ponder this as though he had only first heard the idea when it came out of his own lips. “He'd just have to decide if he wanted to get a bandage or a lecuture to go with. We wouldn’t have seen that a month ago, you’re right.”

Tears flowing freely, Feferi jumped to her feet and threw her arms around his neck. “But are you always going to be Gamzee?” she asked.

“…i dOn't tHiNk i kNoW HoW To bE AnYbOdY ElSe,” he answered, confused. She nodded and wiping her tears away, took back to her feet. She collected her trident and returned to the middle of the room, where Karkat and Terezi had returned to making out.

“Karkat,” she said, prodding him with the trident. “Karkat.”

“What?” he muttered, and then when prodded: “WHAT? ARGH!” Terezi lashed out and bit him on the tongue. She then kissed him again and pulled away, looking uncomfortably content.

“Oh my god, you’re delicious,” she muttered. “I am the happiest kismet.”

“WELL I’M GLAD ONE OF US IS!” he snapped.

“Take some of that healing candy” Feferi said, trying to sound unconcerned, “and listen to me. Terezi, earlier, you said something about you being able to justify exiling Jack and breaking the ring.”

Terezi looked up at her warily, as if trying to gauge what trap was being set. “…Yeah?”

“If I got Vriska here, could the two of you tell us something that deserves to be believed?”

“Maybe,” she said, still not entirely sure of the details. “…Yes.”

“Karkat,” Feferi said. “If Terezi and Vriska give you an answer you like, and I can get everyone else under the same roof in the next three days, can you get them all facing forward and back on track to Skaia?”

Karkat’s eyes flicked to his kismet, and gave Feferi a look much like hers. “If you can give me all that, I’ll drop the King’s head straight in your lap.”

“Don’t get cocky,” Feferi said. “You’re in charge, remember? Now I gotta get going. I’ve gotta talk to someone in person if we’re going to catch Vriska. Keep her,” she said, pointing, “here.”

“You got it,” Terezi replied, saluting. As Feferi turned to go, she heard her whisper: “Did you hear that? She called you a girl.”

Feferi walked slow, running it over and over again in her mind, trying to figure out how to make her move so that no one could make an ill assumption. Any bad angle, anything that shook up their reorganization could rock the whole plan… if everyone didn’t know what was really going on… and yet, she had to have Vriska. It was critical. If the Thief and the Seer didn’t stand in the same room and fess up, that was the end of their order. But he would not understand, and if she could not explain it to him, things would snowball, fast. Her mind worked furiously. This was what she had been born to do – the question was simply if she was in a clear enough mental state to—

Her musings were interrupted when Gamzee cut her off and, as explanation, pointed her towards her computer:

twinArmaggedons [TA] began trolling cuttlefishCuller [CC]:

TA: 2o like
TA: ii gue22 you’re 2leeping over after all
TA: iin matter of 2peaking
CC: O)( my god I’m sorry!!
TA: no, iit’2 all riight. ii mean, ii wa2 ju2t glad you fell forward and not back out the wiindow.
TA: anyway, ii alchemiized your recouperacoon and blended iit wiith miine 2o iit'd work out of the water.
TA: you look pretty 2nug iin there.
TA: man, that 2ounded weiird.
CC: )(A)(A maybe! O)( my god, you're t)(e best boyfriend --EV-ER!!
TA: ii dunno, ii mean, ii wa2n't about two make you 2leep on the floor liike 2ome 2chebag.
CC: No, you totally are!! 38D
CC: Look, Sollux, there’s t)(ere's a lot of bad stuff going on )(ere. I gotta go and I t)(ink Karkat's going to need your )(elp.
CC: I mean, I wis)( you could )(elp me but )(e mig)(t N-E--ED your )(elp.
TA: okay, 2ure.
TA: ii mean,
TA: ii'll probably complaiin a biit 2o he doe2n't get two uppiity but ii'll do what he 2ay2 iin the end.
TA: how long wiill you be gone?
CC: I don't know.
CC: I )(ave a lot of serious stuff to do.
CC: --> 38|
TA: got iit
CC: I guess I will see you when I sleep!
CC: First thing!! 38D
CC: -Even if we still have work to do.
TA: yeah, but that’2 2tiill pretty good!
CC: Ya!
CC: But in case I don’t get to sleep for a long time...
CC: *kiss*
CC: *kiss*
CC: annnnnnd...
CC: *KIIIIISS!!*
CC: GLUB 38)
TA: wow, okay.
TA: ii don’t know what 2 do with three of them.
CC: You could give them baaack 3;)
TA: okay
TA: *ki22*
TA: no, okay, thi2 is 2tupid
TA: thiis fluffy shiit we're doiing riight here
CC: 38O!
TA: no
TA: see
TA: ii will ju2t give them 2 you iin person
TA: look at me beiing all effiiciient
CC: )(-E)(-E)(-E)(-E)(-E)(-E)(-E)(-E)(-E!

[Nakkirz]

I realized that I should start linking together the other pieces of my fic, Felt, so here's some links:

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Part 1: http://www.mspaforums.com/showthread...=1#post4060872
Part 2: http://www.mspaforums.com/showthread...=1#post4061592
Part 3: http://www.mspaforums.com/showthread...=1#post4068410

And, next installment!
Felt, Part 4

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Soon, the group was on course again, plus one member; the monstrous Cans was now a permanent addition, at Clover’s cajoling. And he did turn out to be useful- in the next week, they uncovered another run-down caravan full of supplies, and their new member’s immense strength ensured that they would have rations enough to last them quite a while. The short man chuckled to see Clover crowing and bragging so, telling his tall friend “I told you so,” over and over ‘till the taller man finally cracked and began chasing him around that night’s camp in a rage.

Again, they set out, steadily inching across the desert land. The light grew brighter, and the light hours longer, and every man in the group seemed to become impatient- whatever force had drawn them out into the desert, whatever they were searching for, was closer than ever before. Everyone could feel it, and the tension of this internal knowledge hung heavy around them as they traveled.

One day, as the pink moon was high in the sky above them and hot light shifted down on them through the dusty clouds, Clover and the short, slow man were chatting atop of one of Cans’ gigantic shoulders.

“I’m telling you, we’re missing something!” Clover retorted, clearly agitated. He had been so all day, as had Fin and Trace. “We’ve got a missing piece, here, but- we’re going to find it! We’re supposed to find it today…”

“Did your cue tell you all this?...” his conversation partner asked quietly, already knowing the answer. More and more, Clover’s cryptic conversing with the shiny little sphere proved to be invaluable to finding supplies or avoiding danger; it was disconcerting, in a way, but the slow man was realizing that all of their lives were becoming dependent on it for their well-being.

“Yes,” Clover answered astutely. He had a bit of his intense ‘look’ in his eyes, the look he gained whenever he was sure of something. “It said that we had six of the seven we needed, and that we’d find the seventh… whatever within the week. Gave me that advice six days ago, so we’ve only got one day left to find it.”

“Do we even… do we even know what it is we’re looking for?”

“N… no… I have an inkling of what it’ll be, though…”

The man looked at Clover, curiosity in his blue eyes. “What do you think it is?”

Clover looked hesitant for a moment; then, leaning in, he confided in a low voice: “A seventh traveler.”

There, their conversation ended awkwardly, and the two lapsed into silence. Eventually, Clover was the only one remaining up there, since his friend had had enough rest and begun to walk soon afterwards. This hodgepodge group continued like that for most of the day, with Clover continually sending their designated scout, the tall unnamed man, forward out of anxiety; however, he always came back devoid of information. Then, finally, near the end of the day, just as he’d seen Clover flop down on Cans’ shoulder in despair, his friend excitedly rounded the nearest dune in a cloud of sand and debris.

“HEY! HEYYYY! WAKE UP! I FOUND SOMETHING!! CLOVER, GET UP! I FOUND SOMETHING!”’

Instantly, Clover perked up. “What?! You found something?! What did you find??”

“I’m not sure- it’s kinda buried- but I think we should pick up the pace and look at it!” his friend replied, eagerly hopping from one foot to the next.

“You heard the man, hop to it! Let’s go, people!!” Clover barked suddenly; as if on cue, the slow man scrambled up onto Cans’ shoulder so not to be left behind, and the fast one sped forward again, leading their crew to the treasure he’d found.

“There it is!” he cried as he crested a dune; he pointed with a thin, green finger. “There!”

He almost didn’t see anything, at first; just saw sand, and dunes, and brightening sky all around. Then, he caught sight of something- a different splotch of green against the emerald sand, and another tone. Sliding down from Cans’ shoulder along with Clover, he hurried to the spot- and gasped alongside his small friend. It was a man, lying face down, half-buried in the shifting sandy landscape. His clothes were tattered and worn, and completely filthy; his hair was matted, his limbs thin, and his body looking utterly spent. It almost seemed like he was dead.

“Oh shit,” Clover murmured, then knelt down to dig the sand off the man. “Oh shit! Oh god, he better not be dead!” At a loss for what else to do, the slow man knelt as well and helped uncover the man’s comatose form.

“…He’s still alive,” he observed incredulously as they turned him over onto his back. Indeed, there was a shallow movement to the man’s chest as he breathed, and his dark-circled eyes twitched every once in a while. Beads of sweat were on his brow, a testament to his distressed, overheated state.

“Water! Water- someone fetch him something to drink,” Clover commanded, and Trace obligingly brought them a canteen. Carefully, the short man and Clover splashed the half-dead one’s face with the cool liquid. At the moment they did so, he gave a gasp of surprise and flailed his limbs; or at least, he tried to. His body was too fatigued to allow him movement, and so he simply flopped around like a half-dead fish, giving a moan of anguish as he drifted out again.

“He’s not in good shape, not at all,” Fin observed, looking the man over. “He looks like he’s been baking out here for days, at least. No wonder he collapsed…”

“We’ve got to take him with us,” Clover said firmly, squaring his jaw. “We can’t leave him to die. We just can’t do it.”

“Are you sure?...” the slow man asked uncertainly, casting the unconscious stranger a glance.

“I’m completely positive. He’s what we needed to find, and we’d damn well not let him die, now,” Clover replied. This retort seemed to make a change overcome Trace and Fin; because soon after, they carried the poor man back to the rest of their team, and instructed Cans to watch over him until he woke up. Thus, they traveled on again, with the mysterious new addition cradled in the crook of Cans’ gargantuan arm and being tended to by Clover and the slow man. Every once in a while, they would try to wake him, but to no avail.

Finally, as Clover was dabbing the man’s forehead with a dampened cloth, the man stirred of his own accord. He gave a murmur, then a grunt, then an all-out groan. “H- hey, you! He’s waking up!” Clover said excitedly to his companion, and so they both watched keenly as the man screwed up his face, slowly relaxed, and finally opened his bloodshot, dark green eyes.

The first thing out of the man’s mouth was a loud, hoarse screech of terror at seeing Clover’s round face. “AAAAUGH!” He flailed spectacularly, surprising Cans, which in turn surprised Trace and Fin; Cans dropped the man to the sand in shock, where he made a sickly sound as he connected with the sandy ground. A cracking voice wafted up in the hot air: “Aaaaah… argh, oh… uhhrrgh…”

“Are you alright??” the short man asked anxiously, scrambling down from Cans’ arms to tend to the fellow. “…Are you okay, sir? …Can you hear me?”

“Mmmhfhgh. Urrghhh. Aaagh,” the man replied, curling up on the ground in shock and pain. Part of his incoherence came from how dry his throat was, so the short man offered him the canteen he’d been holding. Recognizing the object, the dried-up man snatched it out of his hands and drank greedily. He didn’t stop until he’d drained the whole thing. The short man had never seen someone drink so fast. “Aaaugh… aah… hahh… oh, gods…”

“Sir! Oh, sir, I’m so very sorry!” Clover called as he came over with Trace, Fin, and the tall man, carrying another bottle of water. “I’m terribly sorry we scared you like that, sir- are you alright?”

The green-eyed man whirled around to face Clover as he approached, flinching a little at the sight of him; then he relaxed, seemingly relieved. He eyed the water the little man carried, and replied in a weak, dry whisper: “…C-could be better. Need… need some… s’ more…”

“Water? Help yourself, sir.” Clover handed him the second canteen, and their parched guest quickly drank it dry as the first one. Once he finished, Clover sat down beside him. “May I ask your name, sir?”

“…Die,” the man replied faintly. “Jus’… jus’ Die. Ughh…” He flopped back into the sand, seemingly exhausted from simply waking up and talking. Truly, he was completely beaten from the uncountable weeks he’d spent traveling the arid wasteland, and he didn’t have very much energy in the first place; so Clover decided to set up camp with his fellows so that their new friend could rest a little more. After a few days of staying there, so that Die could build up his strength again, the party moved on, eager and buzzing to be on their way.

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Die is a weird-ass muthafucka, even by Felt standards. This'll be more apparent with the next few parts! Enjoy~

[Graven_Image]

SkaianRedeemer, that's a pretty good romcom or whatever you've got going on. Might I suggest signaturing links to the chapters? That'd make it easier for people to read the whole thing.

Oh, and I has stuff. It's not HouseBand, sadly, but it'll definitely come out more often.

TrollChums, Part One

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There was a spirograph on the wall. Nobody noticed it. Nobody really paid it any thought. But it was there. And being there was enough.

At the perfect time, exactly when there was the least chance for anyone to be noticing, or paying any thought to this particular alleyway, the spirograph illuminated. And out of it fell four young trolls.

“Well. That was interesting,” said one. As she quickly stood and shook her hair out of the knot it had become in transit, her compatriots slowly rose one by one.

“‘Interesting,’ she says. I could do with this whole ordeal getting a lot less ‘interesting,’” another of the young trolls muttered. “Where the heck are we, anyway?”

“If I’m right, Alternia.”

“And if you’re wrong?” piped in the other female in the group.

“I’m not wrong. It’s just a stock pref-“

“Right, right. Whatever.”

The young troll boy peeked out from the alleyway.

“Where is everyone?”

It was broad daylight. The streets were relatively clean. But not a soul walked them. It was downright unsettling.

The as-yet silent troll waltzed into the street, unperturbed.

“Well, I’d say it’s a mystery. Quick, split up! Jade, Dave, you go that way. Rose, you and I-“

“Oh, shut it, Egbert.”

“Don’t tell me to shut it. You can’t beat me in a trite pop-culture spouting contest. I’m-“

“...Simply the best there is,” sounded a tired chorus of three.

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

A shadow blanketed the area the four stood in.

“You are awake beyond safe hours,” rumbled an electronic voice. Behind them stood a menacing, spike-adorned figure, clutching a bucket in each hand. “Please return to your cluster before you incur serious cellular damage on yourselves.”

“Um... Hello?”

“Hello.”

“We don’t have a, uh... a cluster.”

“Very well. You must then be quartered according to the Seventy-First Vagrancy Act. Follow.”

The four young trolls followed the Imperial Drone (as they soon found out was its designation) to a random structure nearby, almost indistinguishable from the rest. The Drone pounded heavily on the door.

A very tired-looking, very grouchy troll answered.

“YEAH WHAT.”

“These vagrants are without shelter. Under the Vagrancy Acts, you must grant them temporary haven for a period no less then seven days.”

“YEAH, SURE, WHATEVER.” He accepted the four charges from the Drone and not so much led them inside as left the door open for them.

“WELCOME, MY CRAP IS YOUR CRAP, ETCEDERA ETCEDERA.” He quickly made his way to a nearby organic, purplish thing. “PARK YOUR NOOKS ANYWHERE. JUST DON’T EXPECT ME TO SHARE THE RECUPERACOON WITH YOU.” He took a glance at Jade and Rose. “YET.”

He slid inside with a sickening squelch. “NOW, GOOD AFTERNOON.”

Rose sat, almost flushing under the unconfident glares of her entourage.

“Well, it’s a start, right?”

[Nickie]

Omg Nakkirz I am enjoying this story so, so, so much 33

I was half expecting Crowbar for some reason. But Die is awesome and this is sure to be interesting with him around :D
*is excite*

[Tenebrais]

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Equius: D --> Aurthour
Equius: D --> Aurthour, where are you
Aurthoursprite: Equius, my boy!
Aurthoursprite: I am sorry, did I startle you?
Aurthoursprite: I'm sure you should have better reactions than that, haha!
Equius: D --> Aradia resurre%ed you, then
Aurthoursprite: Yes indeed!
Aurthoursprite: In much the same way that she herself has returned, in fact.
Equius: D --> Wait
Equius: D --> You mean she's already ressure%ed
Aurthoursprite: After a fashion!
Aurthoursprite: She, much like me, has become a sprite.
Aurthoursprite: A spirit guide, if you will!
Aurthoursprite: Guiding herself through the medium, it seems.
Aurthoursprite: Quite unorthodox.
Equius: D --> A 100phole, then
Equius: D --> Will she still need the body
Aurthoursprite: I could imagine a body would be useful to her!
Equius: D --> Good
Equius: D --> All this e%citement is making me sweat
Equius: D --> Do you have a towel
Aurthoursprite: Here, my boy!
Equius: D --> It's rather
Equius: D --> Ethereal
Equius: D --> Anyway, do you think you could e%tract for me a glass of milk
Aurthoursprite: I'm afraid my milking days are over!
Aurthoursprite: I'm uncertain as to whether I can manifest the apparatus.
Aurthoursprite: Ah, there we go!
Aurthoursprite: Oh!
Aurthoursprite: It appears to be some sort of laser beam.
Equius: D --> Never mind then
Equius: D --> I sh001d probably talk to Aradia
Equius: D --> I'll talk to you later, Aurthour
Aurthoursprite: I look forward to it!

Graven, I am --Excited about that fic. It'll be fun to see where it leads.

[SkaianRedeemer]

SkaianRedeemer, that's a pretty good romcom or whatever you've got going on. Might I suggest signaturing links to the chapters? That'd make it easier for people to read the whole thing.

That's actually the first time I've missed it, so thanks for pointing it out! Cross-posting here:

Part 1, 2, 3

[Lackypoo]

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Equius: D --> Aurthour
Equius: D --> Aurthour, where are you
Aurthoursprite: Equius, my boy!
Aurthoursprite: I am sorry, did I startle you?
Aurthoursprite: I'm sure you should have better reactions than that, haha!
Equius: D --> Aradia resurre%ed you, then
Aurthoursprite: Yes indeed!
Aurthoursprite: In much the same way that she herself has returned, in fact.
Equius: D --> Wait
Equius: D --> You mean she's already ressure%ed
Aurthoursprite: After a fashion!
Aurthoursprite: She, much like me, has become a sprite.
Aurthoursprite: A spirit guide, if you will!
Aurthoursprite: Guiding herself through the medium, it seems.
Aurthoursprite: Quite unorthodox.
Equius: D --> A 100phole, then
Equius: D --> Will she still need the body
Aurthoursprite: I could imagine a body would be useful to her!
Equius: D --> Good
Equius: D --> All this e%citement is making me sweat
Equius: D --> Do you have a towel
Aurthoursprite: Here, my boy!
Equius: D --> It's rather
Equius: D --> Ethereal
Equius: D --> Anyway, do you think you could e%tract for me a glass of milk
Aurthoursprite: I'm afraid my milking days are over!
Aurthoursprite: I'm uncertain as to whether I can manifest the apparatus.
Aurthoursprite: Ah, there we go!
Aurthoursprite: Oh!
Aurthoursprite: It appears to be some sort of laser beam.
Equius: D --> Never mind then
Equius: D --> I sh001d probably talk to Aradia
Equius: D --> I'll talk to you later, Aurthour
Aurthoursprite: I look forward to it!

Graven, I am --Excited about that fic. It'll be fun to see where it leads.

I like the way you presented Aurthour in this. I have the distinct impression of him being a jovial British adventurer, an image that especially fits with his moustache. The laser coming from his udder was also hilarious.

[Graven_Image]

I'm -EXCIT-ED. Are you -EXCIT-ED?

TrollChums, Part Two

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“So.”

“So.”

“So what?”

“So what now? We’re stuck in this house until dark, presumably. Our gracious ‘host’ is napping inside a giant purple egg sack. What was your plan?”

“I don’t know, alright? My plan was to find carcinoGeneticist. Instead, we’re parked with what’s-his-name. I’ve got nothing.”

Such was the typical resentment of those who think they’re playing blackjack, and find themselves in a game of speed chess.

And the kicker was, they weren’t playing against anyone but themselves.

“So what now, to repeat my last point.”

“First off, let’s pull Oscar out of his can over here. Maybe we can beat some answers out of him.”

“Now, Dave. Violence is never the answer.”

“Yeah. Unless you’re asking ‘what is never the answer.’”

“But if you answered ‘violence,’ you’d be wrong. Because violence is never the answer.”

“Oh, will you three shut your trap? How about we just ask him?”

“Well, if you’ve got it all figured out, go on.”

“GOOD GOG, SHUT UP. ALL OF YOU.”

The troll had emerged from his cocoon without any prior instigation. He was now angrily snooping around in the kitchen, for whatever particular sustenance was appropriate at this hour of the day.

“YOU’RE LIKE A BUNCH OF SCHOOLGIRL KISMESES, HONESTLY,” he said, stalking over with a fistful of raisinet-esque particles. “YOU,” he pointed at Dave, “ARE WAY TOO UP FRONT. YOU’VE GOT NO HOPE AT ALL. YOU,” he pointed at John, “ARE ABSOLUTELY CLUELESS. YOU TWO,” he motioned at Jade and Rose, “COULD DO A WHOLE LOT BETTER THAN THESE GUYS. BUT YOU WON’T BECAUSE I IMAGINE YOU’VE KNOWN THEM FOR, WHAT, FOUR CYCLES?”

There was a pregnant pause as the troll munched on a few of his troll M&M’s.

“THE WAY I SEE IT, YOU’VE GOT ABSOLUTELY NO BUSINESS HATING EACH OTHER AT ALL. NOW THAT I’VE THOROUGHLY SKEWERED YOUR INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, PLEASE SHUT YOUR GRANULATING AIR HOLES. IT’S HIGH NOON.”

With that, he turned and slid back into the cocoon. The room was silent for a moment.

“SERIOUSLY, I’LL GO CAVALREAPER ON YOUR BULGES IF I HEAR ANOTHER WORD.”

With nothing better to go on, the four visitors silently and quickly decided to shut their air holes. The trip had been exhausting, and some shuteye was not totally uncalled for.

Plus, they had no idea what a cavalreaper was. But it didn't sound pleasant.

[informal]

>:

Karkat Vantas and the Chocolate Factory
Part 1: much swearing and anger precedes the accidental givaway of a important plot item by the main character who is very angry about this fact and goes home only to be confronted by another who won another plot important item. Much angst is mixed in as well.

You immediately realize this is going to be funny as hell.

Yeah, this pretty much was funny as hell. I think my favorite part is the fact that Karkat made Gamzee win, which is obviously why they are going to be bEsT fRiEnDs. Behind him, the face-painted troll honked. FUCKING. WEIRDO. Made me laugh out loud. Also, I am imagining Tavros in a Willy Wonka outfit, and it is the most amazing thing.

Trying out something here. We'll see how far I can stretch it, and how far people are willing to put up with it.

Infinity++
Part One: Ne Cede Malis

I'm definitely interested to see where this is going; I'm a little in love with Rose being John's psychotherapist. There's also something really sweet about Dave thinking about time loops and how he could've helped fix things before they got worse.

[sarasvati]

Paul: Diamonds are Forever is SUPER CUTE. it's awesome reading upbeat post-sburb stuff where everything just kind of worked out awesomely in the end. adorable.

Doc: ffff I love this. solid stuff! I love all the subtle (and some not so subtle, oh John your subconscious is kinky) explorations of John's character, and the way it's woven into an otherwise innocuous action-dream sequence.

TheAngryBeard: oh my fuck is this marathon infinity that I spot?? holy crap that brings back memories. clever. I'm looking forward to more of this like YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE.

AND UHHHH I guess I wrote something. this started out as a huge project but it just never worked out right. it stands decently on its own, so I figured better to put it out here than just let it languish while I wait for it to magically resolve its issues. I'll keep it listed as unfinished but honestly I don't see myself ever coming back to it.

this is seriously AU. also tiny bit of dave/jade.

as her city burns
how to play a game like war.

[Frankie the Tomboy]

0k well it's been just about ages since I originally posted these two and I thought I should relink them here or something because I'm too lazy to reformat the whole pesterlog (which is basically what they are completely comprised of) and my standards are almost as low as my self-confidence
Hwyl Fawr now

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Unless anyone wants me to write something in Welsh in which case I am totally up for it since it's the only thing I can actually do. >.< But it would have awful grammar. ._.

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Why would anyone even want that I mean no-one here siarads Welsh not even I do properly DAMN

[silrini]

Blah, this is a continuation of the Bro story thing I posted earlier. I meant to do a whole bunch of short snippet things, up to and maybe even past Bro's POV before and during the Strife! with Dave, but this one is turning out to be WAY long and I'm losing steam so I'm gonna post this first part here and see what you guys think. First snippet here.

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It felt awkward, taking a baby back to an apartment decorated with freaky fetish puppets, but hey, it wasn’t like you had known he’d been coming today exactly, or you would’ve cleaned up some. Besides, they were ironic puppets, so they didn’t count, right? Right. It also felt weird putting the kid down on the table, but you didn’t really have any appropriate chairs and you needed both hands to dial. Actually, it was kinda amazing the lack of foresight you’d had, considering you had known the kid was coming. You resolved not to let Lalonde know. You didn’t need to give her more any more ammunition against you.

The phone rang several times before Lalonde picked up and snapped into the phone, “What?”

“Nice to talk to you too, Lalonde.” You had called your adoptive sister by her last name since she had married some ridiculously old and wealthy scientist just to have him die half a year later (the fact that both parties had agreed that the best way for her to get all his research and scientific discoveries was for them to marry was completely irrelevant in your mind). In retaliation, she had started referring to you by your last name as well.

“Oh, Strider. Hang up, would you?”

You frowned. “What?” But she was already gone. Confused, you slowly put the phone back on the receiver. A minute later it rang, and you picked it up. “Lalonde?”

“Of course. What do you need, Strider?”

“What was that all about?” you asked, keeping half an eye on the baby, who was examining the things on the table with interest.

“I was just about to head out when you called, so I had you hang up so I could call you back on my cellular phone.”

You winced. “You’re talking to me on one of those huge blocky things? Should that be even possible?” You could see the picture in your head, and it was absolutely ridiculous.

“No, I don’t think so, but Dr. Harley sent me this one, so who knows what it’s capable of.”

“That man is fucking crazy, you know.”

“Yes, but who of our acquaintance isn’t? What did you need, Strider?”

Might as well say it and be done. “A meteor just crashed onto my favorite record store today.”

“Aha. So you now have a newborn in your care? Is it a boy or a girl?”

“Boy.”

“What are you going to name him?”

“Uh…still thinking about that. Anyway, it’s not so much about the kid himself as what came with him.”

“Mm-hm.” Her voice was completely uninterested. “Excuse me for a moment, Strider, but I have my own meteor to deal with right now.”

“I am shocked to hear that, just shocked. We have never, ever had a convenient coincidence like this happen before, ever.”

“Shut up Strider. I’ll be back shortly.” You sighed as you heard the tell-tale sounds of Lalonde putting the phone down on the ground and heading off. You turned back to the table and nearly had a heart attack when you saw the kid had gotten ahold of one of your smuppets, and was happily chewing on the protruding back end of the toy.

“Ohhhh no. No no no no no. I’m gonna go out and get you some real baby toys, because there is no way I’m gonna let you chew on the fetish puppets. Come on, give me that now.” The kid had a surprisingly strong grip, but you managed to wrench it from him and put it on the counter behind you. The kid screwed up his face and began to cry.

“Dammit!” You fumbled with the phone until both your hands were free and picked him up, which didn’t make him stop crying but made you feel less like a complete ass. “Dude, don’t cry, you can’t have the smuppet, man, they’re not age appropriate. Having you chew on smuppet ass is a level of irony even I won’t sink to.”

“So you admit you have to sink to achieve these oh-so-wonderful ‘levels of irony’?”

You jumped. “Dammit Lalonde!”

Her voice was smug. “Your oh-so-ironic puppets are suddenly not age-appropriate, despite you telling me over and over there wouldn’t be a problem with them. Admit it, Strider, you just lost.”

“Oh shut up, Lalonde,” you growled, more concerned about the way the child was crying, thin little wails that tugged on your heartstrings. “The puppets will be fine. The smuppets, on the other hand, are a problem. You never asked me about the smuppets, only the puppets. Ha.”

“Is he crying because you took away his puppet?” Lalonde asked, completely ignoring your jibe. “Try feeding him. I’ve read up on this. Babies will cry when they’re hungry or tired, and I’m sure travel by meteor would be exhausting for a child. I would feed him and put him to bed.”

“Wow, Lalonde, you researched how to take care of babies? How very scientist of you,” you mocked, even as you walked over to the fridge to see if you had any food you could feed the infant on your shoulder, who’s cries had subsided into a sort of snuffling hiccup. Of course, when you opened the door, a couple unbelievably shitty swords tumbled out. Why the hell had you put those in there? Oh wait, it was because you were tired of tripping over them in your bedroom. Wow, sometimes you had the worst ideas. You peered at the meager amount of perishables in your fridge. “So what should I give him? Milk or something?”

Comments/critique welcomed. ^__^

[CeeJay]

silrini, I just luv this brofic. So. Much. Baby Dave is so adorable, and Bro stumbling around trying to take care of him is just so sweet.

[silrini]

silrini, I just luv this brofic. So. Much. Baby Dave is so adorable, and Bro stumbling around trying to take care of him is just so sweet.

Lol, I spend a lot of time with my three younger cousins, who adore me, and then I try to picture this lone cool-guy with ironic fetish puppets and awesome ninja skills trying to adjust to that. It made me lol. Rose's mom isn't going to have a really easy time of it either though. In fact, the only one that I can really see being a sort of natural parent is John's dad. Although I think Jade's grandpa could adjust. ^__^

[Shadow of the Lotus]

Here's a fic that I've been meaning to post for a while! I got inspired to write it after watching "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and had a lot of fun writing it (even if it took me forever to write). I even have a something little extra at the end of it all. I'll explain more in the third post. I could post this all at once, but I think folks usually prefer to chunk larger fics into readable parts. I call this "A magical evening."

Warning: Does contain spoilers for "The Sorcerer's Apprentice."

Part 1:

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Boom! The sound of an explosion thundered down and shook Balthazar Blake as he rushed to climb the stairway. Accompanying him was his peer and fellow disciple of Merlin, Veronica Gorloisen, as well as a dull grinding noise as the stonework of the walls pushed into one another. The climb was short. Nearing the wooden door at the top of the stairway, Balthazar could hear the shrieks of spells on the other side. His ring glowed a bright red as Balthazar pushed against the door. Although driven by a fear for Merlin's safety, the two disciples found it hard to imagine the powerful sorcerer in danger from any intruder. However, a sharp pain had alerted them both to Merlin's danger earlier. Fearing the worst, Balthazar and Veronica left without searching for Merlin's third disciple and their friend, Maxim Horvath.

The door swung open. The finely worn wooden surface felt smooth to Balthazar's touch. It was an old door, an ancient door. Merlin had been alive for centuries and had spent his years gathering the three most talented sorcerers and sorceress as his personal apprentices. A bright flash greeted Balthazar and Veronica as they walked into Merlin's room. Maniacal laughter filled the room as Horvath, their trusted friend, loomed over Merlin who had collapsed onto the floor. Balthazar's eyes widened while Veronica took a small step back. Their beloved master, Merlin, defeated by their own comrade. Balthazar let out a yell as he dived towards Horvath. Their rings crossed as magic spells burst forth and cracked the stone walls of Merlin's room. Given the time, Balthazar surely would have defeated Horvath. However, a cloaked figure from a nearby corridor leapt forth and aimed her ring at Balthazar. The evil sorceress Morgana le Fay had long been a rival of Merlin. Jealous of Merlin's power, she had seduced Horvath and convinced him to betray his former master.

All powers have their limits. To push against this boundary and taste the absolute perfection of any power requires sacrifice. It is a dangerous thing, to push against this boundary. But for the desperate, such sacrifices must be made. Morgana had a power which could contend with Merlin's. With Morgana's ring aimed at Balthazar, Veronica has little choice over what to do if she was to protect her friend and love. Without second thought, Veronica aimed her ring at Morgana and bound Morgana's soul to her own. Although temporarily saving Balthazar, a battle soon raged within Veronica. Although Morgana's soul had been bound to Veronica's, it was possible for the bound soul to dominate the one it was bound to. The sheer magical intensity of Morgana's soul quickly overtook Veronica's own. As Veronica struggled to maintain her dominance, Balthazar dispatched of Horvath. Turning to view Veronica after his victory, Balthazar witnessed as her soul was fully taken over. With no other option, Balthazar pulled out his Grimhold and trapped both Veronica's and Morgan's souls within its bounds. As Balthazar was occupied, Horvath jumped outside a nearby window to escape. However, his escape would be short and, centuries later, he too would be trapped in a separate layer of the grimhold. Balthazar vowed to one day find an apprentice gifted in magic who could defeat Morgana and save Veronica. Clasping his old Master's ring which he had taken from Merlin's corpse, Balthazar set out to find the Prime Merliner.

"John."
"Just wait, just wait! That's only the beginning. It gets ever better"
"I'm sure, John. It does sound... interesting."
"Oh man, and Balthazar is played by Nicolas Cage. He's a wizard, Rose! A wizard!"
"I know, John. And I appreciate you describing the movie's opening scene."
"He wears this fedora and everything! It is so awesome."
"John, I'm sure the movie will be wonderful." Rose tugged at John's shirt. She could understand that John was excited about the movie but wasn't this a little much?
"I don't mean to diminish your enthusiasm, John," Rose continued, "but we're here now. Don't you think the movie theater is a better venue for our... 'excitement' than my mother's car?”

At times, words fail. Though encompassing many of the abstract concepts that surround us every day, words still rely on a normative construction which pervades their use. While the word 'wall' describes a structure most would be familiar with, the simple reality is that the finer details constituting what a 'wall' is are filled in from expectations. Words may be used as a mortar; a binding which fills in the gaps necessary to describe a particular wall. However, describing any concept in its actuality carries demands so extensive that they prevent outright its construction. Such as it is, when one describes John's joy as he looked over at the nearby movie theater, an ample does of imagination is needed.

The car seat shook as John bounced up and down. The vibrations traveling from the John's seat to Rose's seat and finally to Rose only served to accentuate the roll of Rose's eyes. Well, it was good that John was excited at least. Contrary to her building frustration, Rose liked John; a lot in fact. Although she had been careful to keep her emotions hidden while they were tackling the game sburb, Rose had developed a crush on John. John shared the sentiment; at least Rose thought he did.
Even if Rose had been sure, she still would be guarded. It had taken all her will just to overcome her natural reservations and agree to this date with John. Rose placed her left hand gently on John's right knee in hopes of calming him down.
"Come on, John. It'd be a shame if we missed the movie."

A blurred nod and a quick unbuckling of his seat belt was all that greeted Rose's touch. Geez, he really was incorrigible at times. Rose followed John and unbuckled her seat-belt before stepping outside of her mother's van. Ms. Lalonde gave Rose a slight nod from the driver's window as Rose walked up next to John. Insufferable. It was bad enough that her mother and John's dad were going on a date tonight. Her mother's nod was infuriating; as if she understood everything Rose has been thinking the night before. Rose hadn't gotten much sleep. The idea of being more open with John about her feelings had been too much for poor Rose. At least their respective parents' date could be used as a cover. Rose sighed. Her head drooped slightly as the van drove away. John simply waved goodbye to his dad with a big, goofy smile on his face. At least John looked calm.
Rose shook her head as she lifted it up. "Shall we go John?"

[Shadow of the Lotus]

A magical evening

Part 2:

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It was a short walk to the movie theater from where Ms. Lalonde had dropped off John and Rose. A gentle summer breeze blew across the parking lot; a hazy dusk painted the lot an amber orange. Pale shades of yellow mixed in with the orange intermittently; an early adieu to the sun from light posts that had already flickered on. The evening was fast approaching and it would surely be dark by the time the movie finished. Bright, neon lights came into view as John and Rose neared the theater's entrance. Rose had always loved this movie theater. A large, neon sign hung over the entrance way. Ornate letters entwined together into 'Scepter Theater' which lit up as a faded, candy red. The theater had been around for decades but had recently been refurbished; on the outside a romantic callback to older days, on the inside modern accommodations and stadium seating. There were even two projectors for 3-d films though Rose found the recent push for the medium vexing if anything.

The line for tickets was longer than John and Rose had expected. By the time they had gotten their tickets, had them ripped, and had run into the theater, the opening scene had already started. To John's disappointment, the movie theater was sparse. The magic of Nicolas Cage had failed to draw in a large crowd even though the movie had only released the week prior. A small scattering of groups dotted an otherwise barren arena. The top four rows were completely void. Rose trailed behind John as he made his way along the center walk-space dividing the lower six rows from their upper counter-parts. She didn't really care what she might miss of the film.

"Hey Rose," John stopped half-way along the walk-way, "what soda do you like?"
Rose stopped where she was and tilt her head to the right. "Soda?” She straightened her head, “Grape soda more often than not. Why do you ask?"
"Well," John smiled, "I thought I'd get us some snacks and all! I'll be right back." John turned around and started to walk back towards the theater's entrance. As he passed Rose, she reached out and grabbed John's left hand with her right before quickly releasing it. John turned around.

"John, why don't you find a seat?" Rose offered. "I'd rather you not miss any of the movie."
"Oh! Don't worry about that" John said, a quick smile stretched across his face as he turned around again, "I've already seen the opening anyways online; you haven't. Hope you like popcorn!"
Five seconds later and John was already out of Rose's sight. Lovely. Rose had plenty of chairs to choose from. What would best compliment this captivating jaunt? Perhaps the older couple sitting to her right in the first row of the upper half of rows could provide her the means towards personal fulfillment? Surely the children fidgeting along the 4th row from the center could assist in detailing Rose's joy. Goodness knows not to discredit the bawling infant held in the top of the bottom half of rows. Heaven forbid forgetting such a blessing. Rose had been left alone to watch the opening of a movie she only had come to see on account of John. Surely greater restraint was used in topping the ice cream of life with such wonderful sprinkles of joy. The kaleidoscopic rainbow of good luck sprinkles surrounding Rose had hardly ever been a grayer gray. The occasional green speck dotted an otherwise gray reality. Mold found its way into many a things and Rose's luck sure smelled rotten.

Rose sighed. It was best to sit near the top. The rows were empty and, hopefully, John could find her easier up there. Dejected, Rose began her climb. Stopping at the second row from the top, Rose head for the center of the row before sitting down. Time couldn't be wasted, there were wizards and rings to be had. John's description of the movie's start was annoyingly accurate. Balthazar and Veronica made their way up the Merlin's room. Merlin was mortally wounded by Morgana's blast. Horvath betrayed his master but was unable to save Morgana from Veronica's soul spell thing. All in all, Rose's expectations were met. Nicholas Cage. As a wizard. Tempt not fair ice cream parlor worker of the cosmos; one can drown in sprinkles thrown with such abandonment. Wizards with rings? Why rings? This was so dumb. A proper wizard shapes reality by channeling their will through a proper magic wand. Why would you change it to rings? Just as a montage of Nicolas Cage traveling the world looking for the 'prime merliner' had come to an end, John appeared from the side of the theater. He carried his usual goofy smile, a large box of popcorn wrapped by his left arm, and...

"Just one drink, John?"
Clasped in John's right hand was a single, large drink. Two straws poked through the center of its plastic lid; either straw pointed the exact opposite from the other. John had made his way to Rose's row and sat down in the seat to her left. Carefully, John placed the cup in the cup-holder of the arm-rest between himself and Rose.
"Oh? Yeah, just one drink." John said; his eyebrows shifted down as his smile lessened. "I like grape soda too so I thought it'd be easier just to share a cup."
Rose didn't really mind but her looks said otherwise. While surprised, a lingering irritability painted Rose's face due to the movie itself. However, she picked up on John's concern quickly.
"That certainly makes sense.” Rose said, quickly affixing a smile. "And I imagine it made it easier to walk back here as well."
“Yeah.” John nodded. He grabbed the popcorn box and shoved it at Rose, "Popcorn?"
"Perhaps later."

[Shadow of the Lotus]

A magical evening

Part 3:

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Having set up the underlying plot, the movie continued with a shift to a small boy in a school bus. The main character, Dave, was soon going to meet Balthazar the wizard while chasing down a note. The note contained the response from a pretty, young, blond girl Dave had recently asked whether she liked him or not. Dave was the prime merliner and would accidentally release Horvath from the Grimhold. Balthazar and Horvath would have a fierce battle before both were pulled into a device similar to the grimhold. The device would trap their souls for 10 years. Once the time had passed both would be released. But Rose and John hadn't gotten to that part yet. The story was set in New York. As Dave's bus passed by the Chrysler tower far in the distance, he drew King Kong fighting off airplanes on the bus window with a red marker. Dave then turned around and gave a wink to the young, blond girl who was giggling at him, Becky. How incredibly dorky. Honestly, it sounded like something John would do; flirting through old movie references.

"John, you should have told me." Rose deadpanned.
"Huh?"
"Surely they paid you well?"
"What?"
"The movie," Rose pointed with her left hand towards the screen, "I hadn't realized you were among the cast. Was it exciting to meet Nicolas Cage?"
"Oh man, that would have been so cool." John turned to his right to look at Rose. "I am totally cooler than that kid though. Didn't you hear his name? He's Dave, not me."
"I don't think Strider would use antiquated movie references to woo a pretty blond."
"What? King Kong is a timeless classic. And ok, so maybe that isn't Dave Dave." John shoved a handful of popcorn into his mouth, "bUf that ifn't how I'd voo," he swallowed, "a pretty blond. I'd be way cooler."
"Try and escape as you might, John," Rose smirked, "you can't deny the similarities."
"Bluh bluh, fine. You're totally the blond though."
"Perhaps. We'll have to see."

Talk between Rose and John was infrequent as the movie progressed. Scene after scene weaved together a simple plot. Dave had to learn how to use his innate, magical ability in order to stop Horvath from releasing Morgana. Horvath gathered power from a variety of sources to overcome his disadvantage against Balthazar and to steal away the grimhold. All in all; your typical summer movie. Rose wasn't the type to talk during a movie while John was too entranced by the spectacle. However, they did share playful banter during some of the more ridiculous scenes. The interaction between Dave and Becky was cute. After the initial act with Dave, the film jumped to ten years in the future. Dave had grown up and was a graduate, physics student while Becky had become a DJ. They had otherwise lost contact since their childhood acquaintanceship but found one another through a physics class that Dave was the TA for. It is difficult to describe how much of a dork Dave was. The clearest example Rose could think of was sitting to her left. It was very strange how much like John this Dave was.

Rose tapped John's right shoulder just as Dave saw Becky leave on a subway. John leaned in as Rose whispered in his ear.
"Lightning and thunder? Really John?"
"That is so lame. You have no idea."
"Not up for defending your word choice?"
John sat back up-right while staying turned to Rose. "What? Oh man, I told you. I'm not that Dave."
"You don't need to hide it, John." Rose leaned back into her chair. "Lightning and thunder are perfect names for biceps."
"I'm telling you, I am not that dorky."
"I know, John. I'm just teasing."

Despite her reservations, Rose was actually having fun watching the movie. It wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it would be. With John as easy to tease as it was, Rose was enjoying herself. However, her lack of sleep from the night before had started to take its toll. While the movie was more engaging than it had any right to be, the simple reality was that Rose was starting to droop. The box of popcorn John had bought earlier was nearly empty. Most of the popcorn had been eaten by John but Rose had taken up a recent interest in its consumption as a means of staving off sleep. Its salty kernels, coupled with the scene playing out, had made Rose very thirsty. It was a classic scene; the one everyone expected to see. The Sorcerer's Apprentice is based loosely on a scene from Fantasia in which Mickey Mouse, as the apprentice of a sorcerer, had charmed brooms and mops to aid him in cleaning up a room. Catastrophe befell Dave much as it had Mickey; his cleaning supplies took on a mind of their own as his training room quickly filled with water. So much water... Rose smacked her lips quietly and thought of the soda to her left. The soda could quench Rose's thirst while its caffeine would help her wake up.

Rose's left hand brushed against John's right as she reached for the cup of grape soda. Usually, Rose would have pulled her hand back and apologized to John. However, Rose's lack of sleep affected her reaction. Rose was aware of what had just happened; aware in so much as the dim acknowledgment one gives to passing trees while on a long, car ride. That her hand had brushed John's was similarly treated. Oh, John's hand? Hmm, felt pretty warm. Rose reached out with her left hand, grabbed John's right, and lifted it up to her face. John's hand was hardly a cup of grade soda. Rose knew that; of course she knew that. Why wouldn't she know that? Her lips pressed against the fleshy part connecting John's thumb to his pointer finger and began to sip. Grape soda? Well yes, Rose did mean to take a sip of the grape soda. No, she was aware that flesh and grape soda carried distinct flavors. It is common knowledge that flesh and grape soda taste different; even the most amateur cooks are aware of that. What do you take Rose for? Pushing down, Rose continued to kiss John's hand.

Strangely, John was being rather clam throughout all of this. Shouldn’t John be flipping out or something? Here Rose was, kissing John's hand, and he was just sitting there continuing to watch the movie. What was so interesting about it anyways? Rose lifted her head and looked towards the screen as she let go of John's hand. There was Dave. Not the Dave from the movie but Dave Strider. A glaring red light pulsed behind Dave's head as it was brought into closer focus. He reached up to his sunglasses and began to lift. Dark, wriggling tentacles burst forth from where Dave's eyes should have been. This wasn't right... Something soft brushed against Rose's left cheek. John meowed as Rose turned to see what it was. Jaspers?

Rose woke up. Her head jerked up as her consciousness returned. To Rose's left was John, the cup of soda still sat in the cup holder of the arm-chair between them. The popcorn box was on the floor; John had apparently finished it. Balthazar was still on screen, currently sunk into some carpet. Rose's eyes darted left and right as she took all this in. It was just a dream. A strange, weird dream with... her kissing John? Rose cradled her head in her hands. What nonsense.

“Oh hey! You're awake again,” John said, “You're missing out on all this cool wizard stuff.”
“I... I'm sure...” Rose tried her best to gather her thoughts as her hands returned to their sides.
“Are you ok?” John asked. He turned to his right.
“Yes, I'm fine.” Rose sighed, “I don't think I'll need any more of the soda, John. You can move-”
“Oh, the arm-rest?” John interrupted.
“No, John, I-”
“Don't you worry nothing!” John took the cup in his right hand and placed it beneath his seat, “The cup was empty anyways.”
The arm-rest was shortly lifted, “I don't mind at all.” John smiled before he turned back to the movie.

Great. The arm-rest was up. Rose leaned to her right, away from John. It was hard enough for Rose to keep her eyes open; she certainly didn't want to act out any of what she had just dreamed. Over here, away from John, was safe; safe from acting out nonsense dreams, safe from opening herself up to John, safe from admitting to herself whatever in the world the point of that dream was. John covered in cat hair? And Dave with tentacles for eyes? Seriously, what the hell? What a great time to self psycho-analyze as well.

Rose's head started to fall to her right. It was getting too hard to stay awake again. She nuzzled into the top right corner of her chair's back; trying her best to make a pillow out of the cheap foam making up the chair's head. Nicolas Cage sure was doing a poor job of entertaining. However, it was difficult to keep a stressed, young lady who missed the previous night's sleep awake. Stupid wizards. Not even Cage's 'charm' could lift the scum from this overtaxed aquarium. Aquarium? Scum in an aquarium? Rose glared at herself; she really needed to work on her metaphors. Sleep grabbed Rose once again as she debated the merits and detraction of using aquarium scum as a metaphor.

As Rose slept, the movie continued; much to John's delight. It was one of the best nights he had ever had. Nicolas Cage, as a WIZARD; wow. And to share it all with Rose. John looked to his right; Rose, who had fallen asleep again. His smile faded slightly. John was glad Rose was here. He had always wanted to see a movie with Rose. However, John had expected the night to go a bit differently. Rose liked wizards, didn't she? Wouldn't Rose want to see a movie with wizards? Maybe John was just boring... John leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling. Whatever the mistake was, John had made it. Another night, a different movie; maybe next time Rose would have more fun... if she even wanted to go on another date. John swung his head around to face the screen. The movie was still fantastic and he was glad to have gotten a chance to watch it with Rose.

The movie was just hitting its climax. Horvath has collected the rings of many powerful wizards and was getting ready to release Morgana. The rings were worn on Horvath's cane and conducted the innate magical power of Horvath like some electricity thing. Could this movie get any cooler? Oh man, and Dave and Becky were just about to save the day and everything too! Sure, Rose was tired and all, but John couldn't just let her sleep through this. Lifting his right arm, John leaned over to his right and tapped Rose's left shoulder.
“Rose! Rose! You HAVE to wake up for this part! It's so cool.”

Even John could appreciate that a grumpy yawn was hardly a positive response. However, he didn't have enough time to pull away or otherwise apologize. Rose was less than awake; hardly aware of what was going on or what she was doing. All that mattered was that John was bugging her, trying to get her attention again. Something about the movie. Maybe it was over? Whatever. Rose pushed back against her chair with her right shoulder and rolled over towards John, quickly trapping his right arm.

He squirmed in surprise. It didn't feel like John was trying to pull away from Rose; more so that he wasn't sure how to react. She wasn't really sure either. Rose leaned in closer to John and rested her head on the front of his shoulder before closing her eyes. Her body turned towards John with her left shoulder pushing against the inside of John's right arm. Grabbing John's right arm with her right hand, Rose draped it over her right side so that the tip of John's hand rested on top of her hip. Rose moved her right arm over John's stomach and grabbed at his left side. Rose opened her eyes and looked up. What a big goofy grin. John's cheeks were bright red and pulled back. Rose turned to face the screen. Looked like the giant lightning battle between Dave and Morgana was just about to end. Pity. Rose wouldn't mind if the movie had gone on for another hour. It was Nicolas Cage after all.

And the extra

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ClorinSpats, a totally awesome person I'm sure you've seen post around, had her mic break recently and I thought that I could help her buy a new one by commissioning her for a picture or two. That up there is a WIP of a pic I've commissioned. However, due to computer restrictions, she won't be able to finish that pic for a while. Since it will be a while, she said it was ok for me to post the WIP with the fic instead of waiting an additional week or two for her restrictions to lift. The picture looks pretty great so far though, eh?

[KarneWarrior]

Also, I am imagining Tavros in a Willy Wonka outfit, and it is the most amazing thing.

This has to be drawn.

[Nickie]

Silrini, that was so damn cute. Seriously.

[KarneWarrior]

Gahhh! Writers block! I need help:
Who should be who in my WWatCF parody? I hate getting characters started...

I already have:
Karkat/Charlie
Tavros/Willy Wonka
Gamzee/Agustus Gloop (Because none of the trolls strike me as fat and Gamzee had to be included somehow)
Sollux/Mike Teevee (Duh)
Aridia/Countergirl at the candy shop (so she essentially isn't availible)

[SkaianRedeemer]

Okay, I'm done here. Ain't nothing more to see here, go back to your homes, or rather, stay here and continue reading excellent fanfic, that is probably the better option.

Musical Thrones
Part 5 of 5: False Friends (Part 1, 2, 3, 4)

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The Land of Sand and Zephyr sat silent, wind and storm forever away the only noise in that small corner, a spot in the centre of nothingness, too far from consorts, minions or other occupants, save for two quiet voices. The builders had been sent away, and only the voices remained, deep within a fort built brick for brick entirely out of boondollars.

“I’ve got to admit,” one of them said, sitting in a high throne of cash, his normal chair beside him. “This is probably… the best thing ever.”

“Told you,” said the other, lounging toward him with her head in one resting hand.

“Where did this all come from, again?”

“Well, most of it’s from our sidequests but you know..." she crossed her arms behind her head and lounged with a mischievous grin. "You gain a level here and there, right?”

And all at once the gate exploded in a flash of light, bricks raining down on bricks and sand, and in the hole past smoke and charred edges could be seen a young man riding atop a preposterous device, a mount of titanium and better, two legs and ten guns, scrounged from Caves and Silence and alchemized to meet his needs. He lowered his weapon and to the surprise of the first indoors, the other gave a shout of delight.

“Orphaner Dualscar, you old sea-dog!” she shouted, slipping into a pirate’s accent as she closed the gap. “Where’ve ye been? We’ve searched high and low for ye and there’s been narry a sight or sound.”

“Soul searching, Mindfang” he replied, and reached out to shake her hand. “I didn’t quite find what I was looking for, but when I heard a pretty voice I had to go turning back.”

“Sweetness doesn’t become ye, Orphaner,” she said with a sly smile.

“That’s all right,” he said. “I wasn’t talking about you, anyways.” He let go of her hand and sat back on his robot, revealing with a gesture that her wrist had been bound by a laser-corded set of manacles to his own. She stared at them, dumbstruck.

“…you 8acksta88ing traitor.”

“I’d prefer ‘privateer,’” he said with a grin. “For the Empress of Twelve. And funnily enough, as I understand it, that’s what I’m supposed to be calling you.”

“The what of what?”

“Well, I suppose I'm just making things up to suit my fantasies. Not quite Empress,” he said, a shining example of how sometimes, even the best laid plans with the best intentions go just as quickly to waste and shambles. “And not quite Twelve, but I think we’ve all got some ideas of what Fef and Kar’s little shindig is about, and I’m as entitled as anyone else. Now, c’mon.”

She barred her teeth at him and it was entirely possible that she wasted an attempt to probe at the control of his mind. He just smiled back in reply, no sense of the ovverwwhelming emotion that had recently characterized his fellows, his calm hinting at the things he had seen, the hunting whisper from ahead lurking in his mind, and his utter confidence in his simple misunderstanding. He could not bend or break. Tomorrow would see a trial of peers, tomorrow would see the crab and the centaur fumble for power but he knew – he knew – that in the end everything would be set right again. Equius was coming, Vriska was coming, Eridan was coming lost and misled, and though he had no say in the matter, tomorrow Karkat would see Skaia.

“Tavros!” he shouted, with a wave of the Crosshairs. “…Let’s go.”

Author's Note

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Yeah, that's where it stops. Again: the fic was originally a prediction. I predicted that:

1. Terezi would exile Jack without telling Karkat.
2. Betrayed, he would confront her and they would become kismets.
3. Sollux/Feferi seemed pretty vogue at the time ("at the time" being when it was just remotely being teased at) so I threw that in too. It was a nice contrast to the kismesis.
4. It hadn't occurred to me what "uniting the two races" actually means (in hindsight, it is a fairly obvious hint) so I assumed Feferi would be stepping up to pull her friends together.

A few other parts of the prediction didn't get into the fic, like the conclusion/what I think Rays and #@!&^ means, and Gamzee(diamonds)Fef more came from an art forum comment praising a Gamzee(diamonds)Vriska pic with "Gamzee is everyone's moirail." Thanks, random forum poster! You inspired like a third of my fic.

Just as one last bit of trivia: the alt ending I decided not to go with would have involved a month-later conversation between Nepeta and Jade (their second, Jade being "a new friend to play animals with"). It was going to hint back at the results of the Troll's counsil hinted at here, but I decided it was aggravatingly vague and would leave that up to the individual reader.

Last of all: is Eridan being exiled by Fin? Yessir. Yes he is.

Okay, no more yammering. 1000 points to anyone that's read this far. Later!

[informal]

Gahhh! Writers block! I need help:
Who should be who in my WWatCF parody? I hate getting characters started...

Terezi as Violet? Since she has the licking thing going on. Maybe Vriska could be Veruca Salt, though she's not exactly spoiled...however, she is certainly a bad enough egg. Equius could create all the Oompa Loompas. XD

[SkaianRedeemer]

Gahhh! Writers block! I need help:
Who should be who in my WWatCF parody? I hate getting characters started...

I already have:
Karkat/Charlie
Tavros/Willy Wonka
Gamzee/Agustus Gloop (Because none of the trolls strike me as fat and Gamzee had to be included somehow)
Sollux/Mike Teevee (Duh)
Aridia/Countergirl at the candy shop (so she essentially isn't availible)

I sort of felt Gamzee would be an (all the?) Oompa Loompa(s?). Maybe I'm just a little too familiar with the excess makeup in the original.

[KarneWarrior]

Well, there's also the thing wherein Agustus waddles his ass over to the chocolate river and drinks it down despite warnings from EVERYONE ELSE IN THE ROOM. Gamzee seems to be the only troll dumb enough ((stoned enough?) to do that. Although I guess Vriska could've worked if she had too.
Also, I can't help but laugh every time I think about what Gamzee would say getting lifted up by the giant Fudge-maker-droids or whatever.
"WoAh, I'm FlOaTiNg! FuCkIn' MiRiClEs, MaN!"

[SkaianRedeemer]

Okay, yeah, the tube thing I can (and want to) see.