DO THE WORDY THING DO THE WORDY THING DO THE WORDY THING
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Re: MSPA Fanfiction VII: End of Thread 6 Flash
Fair warning, I am about to dump a whole bunch of stuff here.
So on tumblr, there's daily memes, right? Wednesday is called Writing Wednesday, and my ask box is open to prompts then. I only started doing this last week, but I had a bunch of great prompts. So many, in fact, that I made a collective work called Works from Wednesday, which I'll be updating with answers to new prompts as they come and I complete them. (It's also AO3 exclusive, since I don't feel like posting all those little things on DA in individual submissions.)
However, there was one prompt I received that was too good to leave as a drabble, which was this:
Prompt: Hospitalstuck: After being dragged to a gas station for a munchie celebration for a successful date with Kanaya Maryam by her roommate, John Egbert, Rose Lalonde is hit by a truck and then transported to the hospital. Then both her friends and friends of Kanaya continue to visit her, meet each other, and make Rose thoroughly uncomfortable.
Seriously, that kind of prompt is like crack. And because of that, I started writing Bear it All Broken, which will have multiple chapters. It's also on DA. I don't know where it is on my schedule, since it's honestly a fluid story and writes quickly. I don't know. It's just a nice experiment.
...And there may or may not be some update of another story of mine, I think the one that starts with F. Either way, there's lots of cool stuff on my AO3 right now.
Enjoy.
Last edited by Shinji Shazaki; 09-26-2011 at 01:36 PM.
Reason: I can't bloody spell
JEGUS WEPT WOMAN YOU HAVE A LOT OF PROJECTS AND WORKS.
Yes I do, and here's a list of them. Also, there's a tumblr link in there, because I talk rather endlessly about my stuff on my tumblr.
Well, here's the tumblr, AKA Spitting Embers.
We've got Retroversion Dissolution, an ongoing AU involving an original cast: chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13.
We have Frontierstuck, an ongoing AU involving the canon Homestuck cast I affectionately call "the cowboys-pirates-alchemists" story, featuring Rose/Kanaya and John/Vriska so far: chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.
There's Bear it All Broken, an ongoing humanstuck AU wherein Rose Lalonde is hit by a car and the rest of the cast interacts with her in the context of the hospital as well as the past she dwells on: part 1.
We have Couture, a silly little piece of Rose/Kanaya fluff.
We also have To Weave a Tale of Her, another silly piece of Rose/Kanaya fluff done for round two of the Homestuck Shipping Olympics.
I take prompts from tumblr for Writing Wednesdays, and I compile each new chunk of work into Works from Wednesday on AO3.
Finally, I do readings of works, both of others' and of my own stuff. You can find all of my recording here on my Tindeck profile.
@Shinji: Good luck with the fics! Don't get overwhelmed there. Workloads is painful.
You guys. I am buried in notes, you guys. My gog these things are so irrelevant. I have like four outlines of the next chapter alone. I shall combine them into some kind of super-chapter complete with jetpack and laser canon. That is, if I can ever get out of this paper maze of my own devising.
> Skaian: Confound readers with maze of notes
Absolutely not. You refuse to confound the readers with more evidence of your own disorganization. Besides, who are you, TheBrothersChaps?
> Skaian: Be TBC
You tell the demonic voice making you speak in 2nd person to go away.
> But wasn't aHiHH originally going to be in 2nd person to enhance the reader's relation to an alien relationship
Shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up oh god you just added another twenty layers to this labarynthian hellhole fine fine, take it, fine!
A Hand in Holding Hand's Original Notes
(To the current chapter) orHow This Fic Was Supposed To Be Short And Not Consume All My Free Time
Chapter 1 preceded the notes.
Chapter 2 18th Conversation: "Casual aquaintance in the quadrants, friendship vs Relationship"
Body: "Eridan asks Rose for help dating Vriska."
Elements Ended Up In: Chapter 2 went up without any changes.
Chapter 3 18th Conversation: "Auspitice, [Moirallegience] as relationships. Title drop (specifically, 'If matespritship is holding hands, auspitice is a hand holding holding hands.') The failure of a clubbed or diamond relationship."
Body: "Tavros asks for help dating Eridan. Vriska insists she wants nothign to do with the mess (but Rose is sure this is not the case). In the a side plot en route, Rose meets Nepeta during a hunt and talks to Equius, learning that [REDACTED]. In the end, she talks to Terezi, and learns that Dave has broken up with her, causing Terezi to reject his friendship as well. Realizing how much the trolls need their relationships, she agrees to coach Tavros."
Elements Ended Up In: Chapters 3-6. The initial title drop does not occur until Chapter 12 in a different phrasing, along with the discussion of "the failure of a clubbed [...] relationship", while the moirail relationship was discussed in Ch 4 as planned. The redaction has only been hinted at. Yes, even now.
Chapter 4 18th Conversation: "Aspriations and reprehensions pertaining to the (potentially lost) future troll society, apprehensions re raising children, and how it would have changed considering a family dynamic."
Body: "Rose's attempts to coach Tavros are interrupted by Feferi, who Rose derails without knowing the deal in Fef/Aradia's relationship. While standing, she is kidnapped by John to watch terrible troll movies and learns something about Troll aristocracy. In the end, Tavros asks Eridan out on his own."
Elements Ended Up In: The pesterlog is is Chapter 11's (yeah, we just jumped from 6 to 11, in a sense). Watching movies and Tavros "asking out" ("reconciling with") Eridan is Chapter 7's, but movies with the Troll Aristocracy were only in Chapter 12. Given how this chapter was drawn, quartered and shipped to different continents, I hope no one can blame in how the Feferi subplot accidentally slipped through my fingers despite it being the focus of this chapter. Naturally, that slip up lead to the swiss cheese that remains of her early-chapters plot in the current version.
Chapter 5 18th Conversation: None.
Body: "Kanaya asks Rose "out" as well as that is possible, and they go for a walk. Kanaya reveals she is also starting her moult, which will continue throughout the fic. When they return, Vriska accosts Rose in the hallway and demands she auspitice for her and Eridan (since she is asking [as a kismesis, this direct approach] is technically being handled as delicately as expected, though Rose figures Eridan should at least be there). Rose demands she find a moirail first, and discovering that Kanaya has not explicitly broken up with Vriska, gives her time to do so. Vriska is devastated (though in her terms, this means insulting Kanaya as a "baby") and leaves."
Elements Ended Up In: Chapters 8 and 9, with some obvious changes.
Chapter 6 18th Conversation: None.
Body: "Feferi comes to talk to Rose about Eridan, and once she has all teared out [she was going to be VERY upset about VriskaEridan starting up again, since she had been there when they initially broke up], Aradia comes in and figuring that she's 'in a bad enough mood as it is', goes to talk to her too (Rose assists) [starting their auspistice. Yes, it was Aradia's idea, and the initial delay was in Aradia thinking Feferi would hate the idea. She did not.]. Karkat decides this is a prime time to bitch about the saccharine influence the humans are having on the Troll relationship dynamic, which some other trolls decide to talk about, [REDACTED - VIOLET CLEARANCE OR HIGHER]. Finally, unknowingly echoing Feferi: Vriska, who is still upset about losing Kanaya, goes to talk to [Aradia] and asks if she would like to be her moirail. She accepts."
Elements Ended Up In: Chapters 12 and 13, minus the early Feferi scene, of course. The Feferi scene was actually dropped intentionally this time: it wasn't fair to Feferi to force her to babysit her ex and I'd like to think that even if she did approach the subject, she'd do so more maturely than in tears. I also made the auspistice her idea to give her more agency because that plot point was a real clunker and I felt like I had an account to pay in retribution. The concern is voiced by others (Nepeta, Kanaya) instead.
Chapter 7 18th Conversation: [REDACTED - THIS IS YOUR FORMAL WARNING]
Body: "Rose is able to hook up Vriska and Eridan, and [REDACTED - CITIZEN, IF YOU ARE READING ABOVE YOUR CLEARANCE LEVEL, PLEASE REPORT TO THE NEAREST CONFESSION BOOTH FOR COMPUTER-APPROVED FUN]. She starts feeling like she's being driven crazy by the way they keep fighting, and wishes aloud to Jade that she wishes [INTERNAL SECURITY HAS BEEN DEPLOYED TO YOUR LOCATION]. Jade mentions apprehensions in her relationship with Nepeta."
Elements Ended Up In: The pesterlog was dropped entirely in favour of conveying its ideas more naturally throughout the fic and intermission. The rest, including the (treasonous) redactions, are technically all in Chapter 17.
And Beyond
It's at this point that the old notes... very roughly... catch up to the present. I know! It's so similar! I can't tell the difference!
But that's not quite the end of this notes maze. Just like how so much of the planned fic ended up stretched out or placed later in the fic, some elements ended up earlier as well. The original Chapter 8 (following the above) was when Dave and Aradia would hook up rather than in the current Chapter 10, but it would be "more of an aside". Some vague elements of the pesterlog in that same chapter ended up sprinkled throughout all the chapters. Most of the rest is indeed from parts of the fic I have yet to write, being the responsible and speedy author I am.
Despite my cutting us off there, there are actually only ten listed chapters. That is... no longer the case. What is interesting is how little the final paragraph has changed. Yeah, I wrote the final paragraph after writing chapter 1, apparently, and still have it. Ain't I a card. The document then goes on to list my second set of notes, which leads to my third, which leads to--
You are still in a maze of twisty passages, all alike.
> SOUTH
No, no, drop something first to make mapping easi-- dammit feet, don't listen to him! No! Nooo!
Extended author's notes and hastily-written Paranoia jokes! That's what the people want! It's brilliant!
EDIT: I seriously still have not found the notes I'm looking for. Holy crap.
Last edited by SkaianRedeemer; 09-27-2011 at 12:57 PM.
Dear God in heaven, I thought I knew what it was like to have something turn out longer than you expected, but damn.
....................................
....................................
....................................it is with mixed humiliations that I must respond to this by announce that the chapter after next will be the longest in the entire damn fic.
Or something. I don't know, maybe I'll split it and release them both at once or...
Related: Last intermediary chapter later this week, folks.
Last edited by SkaianRedeemer; 09-28-2011 at 02:49 AM.
This is hilarious. I came to this thread for two reasons, and the first was to ask if anyone knew when the next chapter of AHiHH would be up. I guess I chose the right time!
The second reason is I read all of the Dave/Jade fics on Archive of our Own. Are there any good one that aren't on there?
Okay! So. More Midnight Crew. Something in a similar vein to the last piece.
Alternia is a broken world; scarred by the comets of a dying king and seamed by the passage of solar sweep after solar sweep. The desert stretches across half the globe, as best anyone can tell. They say only the Man on the Green Moon can know for sure, but they say so many things, where there are people to say them, and who can know for certain? But those that have travelled and lived to tell of it speak of arid dunes that shift endlessly in hot winds under a burning sky; of nights lit only by the pink glow of the moon and the distant flicker of lightning; of the colossal bleached bones of things that swam in dark water when the world was younger and the oceans were higher, Before.
Alternia is a bleak waste, but for one thing. Umbra, the sleepless city by the faded sea. Home to exiles and renegades, shopkeepers and ruffians. The silver and black jewel that sparkles in the night. Apartment blocks rear their desperate heads over narrow grey streets; canyon walls that close out the sun but funnel rain down onto the hard cement in inclement weather. It’s a city of sleazy gin joints and flickering streetlights, of collars turned up against the chill or the appraising eyes that dog your footsteps. Cigarette smoke and jazz music ride the midnight breezes, when every clock in Umbra strikes that discordant sound, and maybe the clouds open up and maybe they don’t, but you know it’s got to rain sometime.
This is Slick’s town. And he hates it. He hates every glimpse of the green moon in the sky, hates the high tenement buildings, and the narrow streets. Slick remembers streets narrower; spires taller and darker, purple against the black starless sky; and a tethered moon that shone with its own dark glow. How can a pale pink sliver compare, or a green one? Umbra is nothing like Derse.
But there are nights. When neither moon rides high in the sky, and shadows coil deep around the edges of the streetlamps. When the clink of ice in a glass of something to make you forget and the quiet murmur of voices are the only sounds you hear in the crowded bar, and people are playing poker in the back room. There are nights when Slick has them wheel out the piano, who knows where they got the damn thing, and he plays. A requiem for Derse, sometimes, and sometimes an ode to triumph. Because this is Slick’s city, and however much he hates it, it belongs to him.
There are fill directories, and I'm not sure if the one for the second thread is complete (I... was not actually aware there are fill directories). Sadly for your case, I'm only seeing one or two JadeDave fics! Well, it is a fill meme, you can always request more.
EDIT: Unrelated, but Blueberry is the primary art forum mod now, right? I think we may need to update the OP.
Last edited by SkaianRedeemer; 09-29-2011 at 01:19 AM.
In Which I Disgrace The Opening Section Of A Piece Of Good Literature:
Karkat
The adventurous rust-blood stands looking over her most recent discovery, stupidly basking in the glory of having found yet another pointless cave system. I blink. I stare in revulsion. "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM THERE!" I bark. "GO BACK TO YOUR HIVE AND FILL PAILS BY YOURSELF, YOU WORTHLESS GRUBFUCK OF A-..." I notice that my words have no desirable effect on her. She cocks her head, intrigued, then, remembering me from past adventures, decides to ignore me. I scream incomprehensible babble. I punch the air in front of me, ready to fight. I shout to troll-jesus above with the might of a thousand green suns, shaking the ground with my great exhalation. She doesn't care. I've done this before. She knows of me, and yet my war against her kind doesn't deter her.
But what a daft-panned war it is! The senseless pain!
"AH, FUCK IT," I sigh, and trudge away as she makes her way down into the caves.
No, my think pan isn't so far in the compost accumulation that I'd think like her. All she ever does is explore. She takes in Alternia for what it is, as if she'd never seen it before. Just like the rest of them.
Dear god the pailing. I can't fucking stand watching it, but I am cursed by my own curiosity for all things amorous. They have no shame. No fucking shame at all. Just doing it for the sake of surviving another solar sweep, just to start the whole nonsensical process all over again.
"WHY CAN'T THEY OBTAIN JUST THE SLIGHTEST FUCK WORTH OF DIGNITY?" I demand of the amber sky. It says nothing, but reminds me again of my isolation through its shared hue with my blood.
I flip it off. I fucking hate the sky, just the same as the cheepwallows and these disgusting floral growths.
Of course, I'm not one to say what belongs. I mean, come on, look at me. I've got the blood of all castes smeared on me, the blood of an outcaste flowing in me. What should I say, other than "DAMMIT, POOR FUCKING ME," and cry and hug myself? I laugh and let the tears fall. Dignity? Fuck it. Nobody's around, and I've long since left those who would care.
The tears are fake, anyhow.
10 points if you know the story.
In dedication to Nepeta Leijon: The best meowrail anyone could ask for AO3TindeckTumblr
Re: [FANFICTION] MSPA Fanfiction VII: End of Thread 6 Flash
After a delay brought on by real life, the sixth and final chapter of The Loaded Key is now up on AO3 with three more illustrations by invalidGriffin. It's been fun, and I appreciate all your kind words.
For extra pictures that didn't make it into the fic and some notes, along with lots of great art, check out invalidGriffin's tumblr.
It's 1927, a year of gangsters, daring police chases, and storybook romance. Karkat Vantas is the owner of the hottest Jazz club in town, The Loaded Key, and the leader of the gang of bootleggers that keeps the speakeasy in the basement stocked. It's a lucrative setup, but he'll have to deal with the police, rival mobsters, and his own circle of gang members and friends falling apart around him. And when these three obstacles come together, it's going to take a little dealing, a little luck, and a whole lot of firepower to make it out in one piece.
EDIT: I have no idea why AO3 is saying that only 5/6 chapters are posted....they're all up there.
DOUBLE EDIT: I have re-sized some of the pictures, including ones in previous chapters to make them bigger. They look a lot better now. Go check them out. Pretend that they were always this way and that I CAN actually use photobucket without being a complete cock-up.
Last edited by Decker; 09-29-2011 at 09:29 PM.
I was angry with my friend. I told my wrath. My wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe. I told it not. My wrath did grow.
Decker, that was an excellent end to an excellent fic. The illustrations really added a lot to the way the story went, and I like how everything seemed to mesh together with gang violence, and the 1920s and all that good stuff. Even though it is kind of a bittersweet ending, I feel it resolved itself well.
I was a little confused as to what Eridan and Doc Scratch were talking about at the end there though.
Also, I'm feeling like bringing back my stupid bloodswap fanfic. Hopefully this will not be frowned upon?
@zebtrestalala: I can't imagine what would happen if we started to frown on fanfics in the fanfic forum. I'd have to make my living answering Simple Questions and I don't think I can collapse my word count. ...You were all thinking it.
Okay, so let's talk about the restructuring I've been promising!
The fic is now divided into Acts, chopped just before each recap. The first recap was moved to after Chapter 5 to make it work. The End of Act 3 is almost on top of us, and folks, it's trying to kill me. I thought the name change might help us all appreciate the gravity, as an abstract document attempts to literally break my hands.
You here at the forums might already have noticed, but the fic now has an intermission!
The Dargon Arc was going to be this fic's official intermission as early as its Chapter 2 (like, back in the Spring), so I'd strongly consider giving it a shot. It takes place just after the end of Act 2 (when Rose agreed to auspistice for Vriska).
My chapter-splitting plan made a lot more sense when I was only going to be stuck in my RL project for two months. This obviously was not the way things played out. Since they've been split for so long, I'm just going to leave them where we're used to them.
Gamzee's vision of his Denizen and Rose's Horrorterror has been drastically cut back and clarified to help with all the confusion, mostly by removing his encounter with Nerida, and the Horrorterror just says she had no plans to mess with his head. Sure you didn't. By the way, did anyone spot Nerida's quirk? Yeah, she just capitalizes the letters D-E-A-T-H. Man, with a quirk like that you're just asking to be turned into a ghost. Subtle as a—oh, wait, that was her quirk <i>because</i> she was a ghost? Oh. Okay. Well, that's a hint future readers won't have to deal with, since she won't be coming back, and these notices will be removed by the time I update again.
And now, with no further ado, let's get back to business.
The air thinned as Rose moved, ducking and crawling through the walls and crawlspaces of the lab. It thinned and took on the sharp taste of treated air: sterile, chemical. The metal wall and grew cold as well, the walls and pipes and ladders. Rose was forced to slip on the heavy, lavender-highlighted gloves Kanaya had alchemized for her out of some of Equius' things, and pressed on. She would not have had far to go if the lab had been generous enough to hand her a straight line, but it had done the opposite. Not long after she had left Aradia's section of the lab, the crawlspaces veered. Rose had to go far before she could find any clues at all as to why they were so indirect, or how the voices from Tavros' rooms could have echoed so far. She did not like what she ultimately found.
After ten aggravating minutes of crawling (aggravating, but as she continually reassured herself, still faster than trying the long route through Gamzee's quarters), Rose had reached a hall bordering one of the rooms. She kept an eye on the flat wall to one side for access panels, but found something odd before she came to a single one. Light greeted her up ahead, through a dozen gore-holes that sprouted through the wall about ankle level. The splayed, burst metal lay in lines of three and one line, which had struck so hard it buckled the metal in a thin white line between the holes, was stuck with red gore. Rose pressed on, until she found the source of the cold. She took the corner up ahead and found the next hallway half-lit, with a massive gash cutting through the flat wall from mid-way to the opposite corner. As Rose approached, she saw the floor below the gash had melted and the wall opposite the gash was a great mass, where the melted remains of the flat wall had been outright propelled from the damage and against the heavy pipes and beams. In the opposite wall, partway across the gap, lay a burst machine that pumped light gray smoke into the crawlspace and through the gash. The closer Rose came to the cloud, the colder it got: whatever the machine had refrigerated, it had done so to extremes. Below the gas lay a liquid stain in the slag.
Her path clearly blocked by the cloud, Rose glanced toward the gap. Her breath hissed low as the floor plunged beyond the ripped metal and into a falling abyss that went down, down despite blinding lights into a black shadow below. She wheedled closer and saw a platform beyond the gap, slightly below the floor of the maintenance tunnel. It was at least two feet from the wall. Rose edged up to the gap and looked down, below the platform. There was another below, down at least five storeys of fall.
"I can handle this jump," Rose said aloud to silence her gut. It would save a good deal of time. Lowering to the slick, melted floor, Rose broke in a run, only to have her feet slip on her final push: she cleared the distance but hit the platform flat on her side.
"Lesson learned. Level 76," Rose muttered to the room, hearing an immediate echo. The broken machine had nearly turned the room to winter, and she could see her breath. "Good for two feet of jumping… still not good for landing, apparently." She was still rubbing her shoulder when she finally took in the room.
She was in the Dungeon. That was what Dave called it, at least. While the entire lab was a maze of twisty passages, all alike, the Dungeon alone served no alternate purpose. It was a land of platforms and stairs which floating without limited visible support in the darkness. The whole place seemed to exist only to delay players en route to the heart of the lab: a Dungeon for the them to overcome. It was Terezi's home, bordered Vriska's, and by the sounds of things, Tavros' as well. Vriska and Eridan's voices echoed up infinitely, off of all four walls.
Light shone from nowhere. Rose's limited powers made her more than aware that the light came from no source, and did not even cast in beams. The room was simply illuminated, with no source, and it unnerved her. The eerie light lit the scene dim or bright, at random, but well enough to see. The ratlings had picked apart most of the bodily evidence, but the metal and brick had seen stress no army of pests could undo in two months. Burns and further gashes slashed the walls beyond the platform, revealing even more destroyed access tunnels. Dents struck the wall at random, and one of the gashes had cut across and removed a corner of the square platform entirely, a ten-foot slice. Silvery cuts lined the floor here and there, and a vicious series of them hashed back and forth along a path to an edge, where Rose could make out the holes she had seen before. Strangest of all, Rose could see an encrypted captcha card embedded in the edge, next to the only set of stairs. When Rose went to check it, curious if she could get a sign of what it contained, it teetered away from her and fell spinning into the air below. Rose never heard it hit ground.
As her Seer powers went, Rose's domain was fate and the future. As a result she could not get a clear look at the events that had taken place in the past, but she could piece them together with a little thought. She could see Sollux, firing at will with mind blasts and telekinetically propelled captcha cards at any number of flying opponents. Feferi had fought their foes on the ground, and had driven a particularly stubborn opponent back with spinning, warding blows of her trident against the floor to kick up noise. Finally, she had backed him against the pit. When he continued to hold his balance, she stuck him through and against the wall, and then let him drop.
As Rose took in the scene, she was jarred from her daze as an encrypted captcha card slammed into the opposite side of the platform. It had fallen from above, but it was all so suspicious that Rose turned back to the spot where she had pushed the other. No… Couldn't be… She decided to leave the platform in a hurry, either way.
Rose headed down the stairs, the echoing voices of her charges getting louder as she went. She was almost at the base of the stairs, which branched off to another set in one direction, and the hallway in another. Curious about the other platform, Rose turned back, and immediately wished she had not, as her eyes met with something so horrible she did not believe it. The game cast weird shadows on it, with its lights-without-source, and Rose balked to let them be her only guide. Muttering, she reached deep inside of herself, to her the flame inside built light a slow-turning sun.
It was easier than it had been, but it was not like with the others. Rose's powers and intelligence often fought those days. She had not spent much time in the game as the Seer of Light, and too much as a Servant of Terrors, and there was still a disconnect in her mind. Rose touched on the fire and slowly filled an arm with that same heat. The heat cast out from her hand by the tips of her fingers and spun carefully into an orb in her grip. Rose felt the distinct chill of the air as she approached the edge of the stairs, free of safety rails, and looked out. There could be no denying what she saw. There, against one of the walls, lay a severed column of what had once been an Ogre.
In its size it had been knocked back against the wall in life without falling from the platform, though whether this had been to its benefit or loss, Rose could not yet decide. After a lucky shot from Sollux, the Ogre had been caught in the gushing liquid cold that had sprayed from the machine in the wall above. Those parts of its body that had been caught in the spray had been frozen through, to the walls and floor. Its arms were now gone, most of its left leg and, thankfully in the opposite direction, half of its head. The ratlings and the pit had taken the rest, if they had not rotted into grist, for all Rose knew. What remained spelled an awful story all its own. The tip of lance the size of a tree trunk still remained in its gut: black chequered, it had affixed the Ogre to the wall and a scream on its face. About the lance were four hideous, deep wounds cut with a random savagery. The cold preserved the cuts from the clean-picking teeth of scavengers. Rose realized with a wrenched affinity that they were broad cuts from a chainsaw.
What remained of the legs stood as a final brutality. They were covered in burns and what Rose thought were bruises until she took a look around for the rest of the platform. She saw footprints and wheel tracks, which cut through the battlefield pell-mell in a thin layer of dust. Rose motioned with her arm as though to toss the orb and it dutifully floated out from her, bound by a soft thread of heat. Rose guided it toward the floor with a few gentle motions, all of which it overshot in her inexperience, less dutifully, almost like an outright disobedience. The orb jittered about in the air when Rose told it to bring it to a stop, but she could the area below well enough despite the fidgeting. In the tracks, Rose made out bare metal below the dust, not the usual soft tile: it had been consumed and reduced to blue ash. Blue ash, blue burns. Rose had never seen them in full action, but she heard more than enough about the Flourite Octet. Rose slowly closed her hand, as much in submission as in command: the orb flickered out and the game's trick lighting was left alone. She sighed. Vriska. There was nothing quite like the aftermath of one fight to remind you of the next.
The rest of her walk was quick. She passed by several suspiciously clean tubes of fluid, not unlike the one John had used to tend to Gamzee, but that was the end of her tour. At the end of the hall she found a doorway, which opened into Tavros' cramped domain and let out all the noise.
"Oh dear," Rose said. "Oh… oh dear."
Eridan and Vriska were roaring at one another. Eridan was saying something about how adult Trolls would behave and they were both calling one another wigglers over and over until the term lost all meaning. Rose advanced and was about to shut the door behind her when an adrenaline rush hit her and she slammed it instead. The fighting paused momentarily at the sound, before picking up again.
"What was that?" Rose asked her own hand. She shook her head and continued down the hall in a slight daze. The voices only got louder. She reached a t-junction, and heard them almost at full force to the left, probably in Tavros' computer room.
Eridan shouted: "if you had the slightest idea wwhat you wwere talkin about—"
"Oh, hey, here's an id8a! I was the one who—"
Step. Rose froze, and turned back. She had just rounded a corner, and it was impossible to see beyond. She turned back, and the sounds repeated. Step. Step. In her pause, the sounds had gained, definitely footsteps. Someone was coming close on two feet. A lich, she thought, probably one of the stray underlings that they kept finding in the Underlab. Liches were certainly subtle enough, compared to their fellows. Worse, they had skills approximating the player they had prototyped. Rose barely understood her own powers, much less to put up with any combination of twelve. She casually brought a hand up in front of her to extract both needlewands from her syllabus.
"—think a8out it, that makes me the one who should 8e calling the shots!"
"you aren't evven fuckin listenin to me"
"Hisssssssss-p…"
Rose rounded to face her opponent, one arm raised in a guard, but no blow came. The hall was empty. Rose kept her eye on nearest corner, checking behind her only once to make sure there was space to retreat. She began to back off.
"Liches don't hiss," she whispered in reminder. They growled, not unlike a hollow Gregorian chant. The hiss was bad. If the lich was clever enough to sneak up on her, even if it was cat-prototyped it wouldn't have hissed. That meant it had friends – stupid ones, but friends – waiting in ambush. Briefly, Rose considered ducking down the hall toward the others, but her visibility would be shot. She certainly was not going to go around the corner to meet them.
"fuckin bitch"
"Jackass!"
"Eridan!" Rose called instead. "John! Jade! Vriska!" Her foot hit the back wall, and she took a quick glance to find that the branch of the junction ended at a dead end, save an abandoned to one side. No one heard her, not over the fighting. Rose banged on the wall, instead. She still had fairly vivid memories of her last few encounters with the Trolls' high-level underlings and did not like her odds.
"if i had my way, vris, i'd show you right off that—"
Step.
A shout escaped Rose's lips and she once again tried to wheel, banging her wrist against the back wall. It took a moment for her rational senses to return. The step had come from behind her, and this time it had been worse. She had felt a hand reach out to brush her arm. But there was nowhere behind her. Her sore wrist was a testament to that. It took her a moment longer to put together the pieces, and when she did she discarded her wands into her inventory and set off toward Vriska and Eridan at a doubled pace, biting her tongue to keep from screaming bloody murder.
Rose found John in the doorway leading to Gamzee's room, head hung and grimacing. When he saw her, he tried to put on a smile, revealing his teeth locked in a grind.
"They're doing it again!" Rose shouted at once. She pointed to the computer room. "Why is it happening again? I thought we had gotten used to it, or… or something!" As she slowed to talk to him, Rose twitched, elbowing back at the spectral presence grasping at her sides. "Why is it worse?"
"I dunno, Rose," he said. "We've been wondering for a while, too. It was always a hiss, sometimes I heard them, but now it's…"
"Argh!" Jade shouted from inside of the room. Rose angled to look, before stopping cold. John seemed to recognize her concern. "Gamzee's sleeping," he said, and demonstrated, using his hands like a pillow before quickly returning them to his ears.
Rose nodded an embarrassed thanks and looked in. Sure enough, Gamzee was sleeping through the storm, even chuckling to himself in his dream. His stump was just visible over the surface of the sopor; to Rose it looked like nothing more than a twisted and tied mass of gray and indigo. Jade stood in one side of the room, near the small office kitchen setup that dominated one wall of the room. She had her back decidedly against the wall and her hands were in the exact pose she would use if she were going to summon her rifle. Rose noticed that John was not exactly eager to move his back from his spot against the doorframe, either. Rose also saw an unexpected sight in the room: Kanaya, who sat with an indigo, woollen bundle in her lap, which she was adjusting. A short examination told her it was some sort of one-armed sweater. Kanaya met her eyes and took on a look of disbelief, before she angrily shooed Rose in the direction of the fight. Rose went at once.
John followed. "I was wondering if it was happening again because they're so mad," he said. "Like, maybe it's supposed to happen when they're mad, and it was only happening before because their voices were, maybe, breaking?" His voice did him a disservice by breaking on its own as he spoke. "You?"
"The Trolls had never really seemed to be aware of their vocal undercurrent," Rose said, "but you may be right. You know the Troll's vocal tones? Jade can mimic some of their tones quite well, so they're not biological, they're a sort of cultural inflection. But isn't it strange that they tend to use the tone when they're emotional, just like the hiss? Perhaps it's not a coincidence." She looked over for a response, but John had not heard her. The fight was simply too loud. Eridan shouted in disgust at something Vriska had said, so enraged that both Rose and John half-rounded on the same invisible pursuer. Rose's put her arm around John's back to push him forward until they had reached the door.
The scene in the room was actually quite tidy, for Tavros. There was nothing torn down and dumped to the floor, there were no fiduspawn-slime footprints or fresh broken 8-balls. The occupants were disruptive enough on their own. Vriska had edged Eridan against a shelf cluttered with Tavros' leftover quest items from the game and they were shouting only a pace apart. Tavros was still in his computer chair, the computer open to an abandoned word processor. His heavy feet were still stuck to the floor, but Tavros had otherwise curled up in to a tiny ball as he watched the fight: a tiny, tiny ball with giant horns sprouting in each direction.
Vriska saw them enter. Her expression on seeing Rose was inscrutable, but with John it snapped back to rage.
"Well, we're all here, aren't we?" She stepped up and away from Eridan. "Well then we can just get this party started, huh????????"
The undercurrent sensation again draped about Rose's back, and for the first time she could make it out Vriska-shaped and -sounding. They were the same height, the grasping fingers were claw-tipped, and Rose could even feel Vriska's long, loose hair tickling the back of her neck as a predator's teeth hovered above the back of her neck. Rose could even smell Vriska – lingering sopor and some sort of mild Troll body wash – but she hoped that was just the fact that Vriska had been in the room for going on half the day. Stuck on weird Troll things, Rose noted that Vriska's fingernails had changed. Where her teeth were still some sort of off-metal, her fingernails were glimmered off-orange in the light, like her horns. Rose was not sure when they had changed colour, but it was hardly her immediate concern.
Rose had not really thought about how to pick apart the fight when she had been en route. She now realized that that had been a critical mistake, but she was not sure any plan would have survived contact with the incident in the hallway. "What is wrong with you two?" she hissed. "The very fact that you've been going on as long as it took me to get here is bad enough!"
Eridan slammed his hands on the shelf to draw attention back to him. "this psycho-bitch's been tryin to call me out for nothin but exactly what i was supposed to do, vris!"
"Stop shouting!" Rose winced as her mind tried to comprehend both spectral Vriska and spectral Eridan crowded her at once. Their position in the real world was slightly impacting the position of the ghosts, but not much. Her pet peeve with the game's lights seemed stupid compared to the two ghosts sharing the same space. She understood just why Jade was on the brink of arming herself.
Vriska flipped her hair away. "Oh, go crawling to the auspistice, Dualscar! Like a heeeeeeeero!"
"Oh that is it!" Eridan said, and shoved her. Luckily for everyone, this seemed to only make Vriska laugh. In the background, Rose could make out Tavros trying to caution his matesprit down with his hands, but no words managed to squeak out of his mouth. "You're just a fuckin cowward vris!" Rose's mind squirmed. It refused to accept this new threat like it had force-swallowed Kanaya's simple hiss and echo, the day Rose had been possessed. Eridan kept on shouting. "You know you can't fight me so you're just going to play mind games!"
"Oh, can't I?" Vriska's smile faded. "…Come see." Her muscles primed. She had not replaced her jacket and her bare arms showed the impact of her still-progressing false moult more than ever. Vriska's muscle definition was very clear, where Tavros and Eridan had lost theirs behind their armoured skin. Rose felt no one would be stupid enough to outright charge her.
No one but Eridan Ampora. Eridan took one step forward and Rose practically jumped, but she was too slow. Vriska snapped out with her hand and grabbed his scarf, using it to slam his gut into her rising knee. For a moment, Eridan was nothing but a mass of cape that Rose could not attempt to pull away, but he rose with a fist to Vriska's hip. That gave him room to stand, and he accidentally snagged her chin with his horn, making her wince and giving Rose an opening. She pushed herself in between them and shoved them apart, twice.
Rose tried to stand firm, or at least to hold her arms firm as her body screamed protest. Rose was perfectly happy to buy John's theory now. Once Eridan had charged, once their bodies were primed for the attack, the undercurrent threw off its pretence and reclaimed its trademark hiss, furious and piercing. It was coming with even the slightest grunts and groans. Where Kanaya, with all her built-up trust, had accidentally sent Rose to a panic, Eridan and Vriska all but destroyed her ability to think straight at all. They both thrashed against her, but diving in between the two of them had swapped Rose's instinct from flight to fight, and she gave them both a final shove in opposite directions. She followed Eridan.
Eridan struggled to fix his cape, and Rose slapped his hand aside. "'[i]Come. See[i]'? She says 'Come see' and you walk in?" Eridan made a face, as though her admonition was the first and only trickle of an idea telling him he had made a mistake. Rose shoved him off to John. Her friendleader jumped when Eridan bumped into him and he practically had to catch him, which he did with some hesitation. Clearly John had taken a hit from the hiss as well.
"Let's get something straight!" Rose said, surprised to find that she was shouting. Vriska brushed her hair away nonchalantly, a small gash on her chin bleeding openly and ignored, her hand on Tavros' shoulder. "I don't care what you two do in your private time. I would like to have some idea so I can actually be an auspistice. But really, I don't care if you spend your time throttling each other, or destroying each other emotionally, or whatever you want to do. In fact: I wouldn't much care if you slipped out of here to Vriska's and made a bucket out of the whole place!" That got their attention. Eridan went numb in John's arms and Rose heard Vriska's gasp of air. Tavros' reaction was less related to the subject, as Vriska's wince had dug her claws into his shoulder.
"uH,,," he said. "uHH,,,"
"Oh!" she said suddenly. "Sorry, wiener." She lifted her hand, paused, and then patted the shoulder twice before settling back, as though that made it all better.
"The only thing I care about is that you don't kill each other doing it, but if you're going to shout so loud you disrupt the rest of the building, I'm going to toss you into this looping room I just found outside! Now," Rose growled, "we're going to talk, and you're going to tell me what happened." They both immediately began to talk at once, trying to overcome the other after only three words. Rose pinched at the bridge of her nose for a moment. Thinking back to her conversation with John, she reached inside of herself and tried to pull out her inner Karkat. "Quiet!" she tried. Nothing. Her tone was all wrong. She sighed aloud and tried something a little closer to home. "Oh, go on. By all means, it's not like the rest of the lab is trying to sleep."
When that did not work, she imitated Eridan and slammed a hand down on the shelf, which did. "Now here's what we're going to do:" Rose said, and she tried to work out exactly what that was. She had to pick one of them to tell their story while seeming impartial, and without Vriska's luck becoming a factor. While Tavros would be neutral, she did not want to put him on the spot. Her mind whirled. Draw straws. Dice. Hands up a needlewand. Eeny, meeny, miny…
As she focused, if only for a second before, she again stumbled over the flame in her heart that represented her powers. It flared with energy, between her adrenaline rushes and her use of it in the Dungeon. Touching it, she thought up an answer.
"I'm thinking a number from one to five thousand," she said.
"Twelve-oh-four," Vriska said before Rose had even finished. Dammit! said her brain. But her heart was not finished.
Eridan sputtered. "Uh… uh… six-twelve?"
Rose shook her head, letting her Seer's heart guide her, if only for lack of anything else. "Thanks for interrupting, Vriska. Furthest wins."
Vriska gasped, covering a laugh. "You're a che8er!" To Rose's relief, Vriska's anger seemed to have faded, and the use of tone went by without incident.
"Hey, why does she away with it?" Eridan had freed himself from John at last.
Rose coughed, just slightly but always loud enough, a trick she had learned from her mother. "You're on the clock, Mr. Ampora, I suggest you start talking." She conjured up a note pad to complete the illusion. The two items that had been pinned below it on her tree dropped out behind her, including the book of introductory Troll Law she had been studying, and but no one seemed to notice.
"Well, you were there," Eridan said. "This morning. Vris challenges me to go grab some coat from, uh…" He looked back at John.
"Oh, uh… I already know!" John said. "…except you never actually brought it up or anything!"
"Exactly!" Vriska said, as though this proved her case, but Rose silenced her with another cough.
"So I start thinking how I'm going to ask him for his coat-thing and then I think… 'Wait a sec, he doesn't have to know at all!'"
"This is how you know he's lying just a little," Vriska said. "He's never thought something through in his life!"
"Hey!" Tavros said.
"Oh, I'm just kidding, Tavroooooooos! You know th8t."
Eridan glared at her, but continued. "I made a backup plan to get Jon to take off his clothes on his own. Then, I carefully arranged for him to upset his drink all over his shirt, which would force him to—"
"Oh yeah!" John interrupted. "He bumped into me at dinner, just a little."
Eridan scowled. "that wwas a carefully planned strategy ingrate" John shrugged. "Anyway, he went up to change and a few hours later I went to get his stuff!"
"Hm," Rose thought allowed. "So that was you in the hallway." She wondered where Dave had gotten to if that was the case.
"What it means is that he's a serious cheater! GU1LTY!" Vriska's impression of her Scourge Sister was impeccable. "By the way, John…" She tossed him his stolen clothes. "They don't fit me either."
Rose kept her eyes on her pad as she made a few notes. "What a shame there's no one in this lab that's a good enough seamstress to refit your clothes."
Vriska growled at her, but Rose was already half way to changing the subject. "What about you, Vriska? Don't tell me this whole fight is about him winning your bet. I'm not in the bookie business so you'll have to excuse me if I need to spend the next part of the month studying up."
"Tsk," was all Vriska had to say. "Listen, Lalonde, this isn't about Numbfins winning the bet! I don't mind that! Vriska Serket pays her debts! This is about him being a cheating cheat cheater!" Her theatrical tone had evaporated in the end, and she took an angry step in his direction. "More importantly: he didn't actually do the bet! He was supposed to do it in front of Karkat! Maybe I'd go with it if he was a good manipu8tor, but all he is is a shill! You didn't pull it off, I don't have to do a thing!"
Rose raised an eyebrow just so. "So this whole fight has less to do with your relationship… and more to do with whether or not this is a legitimate business transaction?"
"Aww, that's not fair, Rose," John said. "Think about it! Anything can be romantic if you do it together!"
Rose would honestly rather not, and was glad that the others had not overhead John. Eridan had gone into a rant about intent versus law, while Vriska chanted "No one cares. No one cares. No one cares," through the whole monologue Even Tavros seemed put off by that point. The sad look on his face looked deep enough to etch there permanently. Rose turned over to Eridan and stepped close enough to whisper.
"…What are you doing?" she asked.
Eridan huffed at her. "I'm pointing out that she's a lying backstabber is what I'm doing."
"Is going for a swim really this important to you? Or whatever else you're trying to get out this?" Rose checked back at Vriska, who was behaving, if only by miming jokes about Eridan to John and Tavros. "Because if you and Feferi weren't still awkward, she would have taken your 'swimming' idea and turned it into a mandatory pool party the second Gamzee is back on his feet." Eridan took this in, and then continued to take it in. "Stop thinking about everyone in their bathing suits."
"ww-wwhat?" Eridan coughed. "Roz! Tav and Vris are right there." Rose crossed her arms. "…besides, that's not really private, is it?"
"Eridan, if you're aiming for intimacy, I'd try an angle that doesn't make her want to gut you."
Eridan harrumphed and slicked back his purple spike of hair. "Just givin' the lady what she doesn't want, babe."
Rose backed off, apprehensive. "…Flirt later," she instructed, and turned to her other charge. "Vriska!"
Vriska was trying her best to suppress a laughing smile into a smooth, and she leaned one arm against Tavros' chair. "…Yeah, babe?" she said.
Rose turned a sharper shade of red. "I don't see what you see in him at times like these," she admitted.
"Then you do see what I see in him!" Clearly this was meant as a joke, but Rose did not follow. Vriska groaned. "Ugh, you Humans!" She squashed her fingers into a rough spade. "But seriously, yeah, times like these he can just go jump off a cli— …sorry, Tavros."
Rose was not sure what she found more surprising: that Vriska was apologizing, at all, or how Tavros reacted. "No…" he said, "it's okay, Vriska. We can be attracted to different parts of his personality." He did not even look up when he said it, or fall into his usual chocolate malaise. He was so focused, and put out, by the fight that he was no longer paying attention to anything at all.
Rose tried to turn back to the subject at hand, if only because it was Vriska and focus was paramount. "Look, first things first: are you actually opposed to doing the swimming thing?"
Vriska paused for a moment, not to consider the answer so much as to decide if Rose deserved the information. "…Nah. It's not so bad a plan. Swimming's fun. We relive a few childhood memories, he gets and eyeful, I get an eyeful, I hold his head underwater until he stops struggling… it could be fun!" Rose had tried to maintain a stoic, neutral expression, but it must have cracked, because Vriska looked at her funny and then added: "…Gills."
"Right!" Rose said, before she could hide her surprise. She tried to regain her composure. "…Point two. Why not give him this one?"
Vriska twitched, and then smiled. "Rose, I knew you'd ask that! That's why I took my valuable time to prepare this answer." Vriska grabbed Rose by the arms and shook her. "What?"
Rose knocked her away. "Give him this one, so that he doesn't lose interest in these games you're so fond of. So fond of rigging, might I point out, so he's not exactly going to win those either."
"Oh, Rose," Vriska said, with a roll of her eyes. "You're not thinking like a planner. Throw a few more layers into your stupid plan there! See, with your plan, all he has to do is keep cheating! Which he's going to do if I give him this one!"
Rose lowered her voice to a whisper. "But you're cheating! I know this might be alien to you, Vriska, but when you play a game, someone's going to lose, and if you change the rules—"
"Don't you lecture me!" Vriska said, ignoring Rose's change in volume. "You don't know the half of it!"
"What, the half of your 'layers'?" Rose leaned in closer. "If this isn't about the bet, then this is just you trying to humiliate him!"
"Of course I'm trying to humiliate him!" Vriska had suddenly dropped to match Rose's whisper. "What about this don't you get? That's even what I said! In front of him! And Feferi and Sollux! His ex, his black crush, how public does it have to be?"
"…but not Tavros."
Vriska pulled slowly back from Rose, perhaps having not even noticed her previous volume shift. "…Tavros knows the deal."
Rose allowed Vriska to take a step further away from Tavros, who was either still hiding in his own little world, or was pretending he was not listening. "Does he really?"
"Of course he does! …Look," Vriska leaned back in. "I might not want to be 'the jerk messing with his boyfriend,' but I'm still the jerk messing with mine! Tavros understands that! The only one who doesn't understand that is you four!" Vriska threw up her arms. "Besides, say I do ruin Eridan's day in front of everyone! Tavros will just listen to the mighty Orphaner Dualscar's whining for an hour and then coddle him like one of his chow mein monsters or… or him."
Vriska waved an arm toward the door, and Rose looked involuntarily. There she saw Jade standing between her and John, looking incredibly guilty. Just past her friend, Rose caught sight of a pair of legs in black and white-spotted pants.
"EHhHhHheHe," came a familiar chuckle, followed by the sound of Gamzee smacking his lips twice. "wHaT's Up, DoC?"
Rose caught sight of Kanaya in the hallway, not meeting her eyes and leaving Gamzee to his own free will. Jade and John was more direct.
"Uh, everything's fine, Gamzee!" John said.
"Yeah, uh, but maybe John should give you a look in the other room!" Jade said.
Gamzee, who had been using John as a perch, wobbled and slipped forward. He shouted "Fuck!" and fell into Jade's arms, and she and John struggled to right him. They managed it, apparently to his drowsy amusement, but there he caught sight of Rose.
His eyes locked on her, and his smile vanished. Though she had seen him, asleep, he had not seen her in a week and a half. "…hey Rosie."
"…Hi," Rose said. She tried to look him back, and shook out her hands as if to assure that they were empty. After a moment, Gamzee simply and slowly nodded and turned to the others, nodding to Eridan and Vriska as though obliged.
Suddenly, almost forgotten, Tavros took to his feet behind Rose with a soft whirr of machinery. "Hey bro," he said, his voice still dreamy but without his usual lack of confidence. "If you're up to it maybe we can get you to, uh, a wash, you know?"
"Fuuuck," Gamzee said. "I must be fuckin' rank." He raised his stump to sniff his armpit, and began to giggle at the results. "Alright, my man, we'll see how well I can do this without dragging your poor self into it."
Tavros raised one leg and then the other, the machinery spinning in a diagnostic test Equius had installed weeks prior. "I have, uh, all the confidence in you, bro. All of it." Vriska rolled her eyes. When Tavros was satisfied with the results, he crossed the room.
"Thank you," Rose whispered, no more able to meet his eyes than Gamzee's. Tavros barely nodded in response, and spent only a moment longer to squeeze Eridan's hand in passing before helping his moirail out of the room.
"Tavros!" Vriska called. "We keep writing when you get back?"
"Uh… yeah, I guess so, Vriska." Tavros took Gamzee's good arm over his back and they headed out. John and Jade stayed behind, as did Kanaya in the hall. She sighed as Gamzee passed and pretended to return to her work.
Vriska could not help but notice. "So this is how we're doing things now?" she said in the direction of her ex. "Karkat rants at us about 'Troll Pride' and we shove everyone who's fighting to opposite ends of the compound?"
Kanaya closed her eyes. Rose could understand her disappointment in her. To be stuck with a matesprit that could not even own up to her own mistakes… Rose wished she could talk to Gamzee. She wished, and the shame pushed her well beyond the final straw Vriska had already laid on her back. Rose cut in front of Vriska. "Shut up. You have no right—"
Vriska laughed. "I'm concerned for the wellbeing of my auspistice!"
"Well here's my concern for you!" Rose stuck a finger in Vriska's face. "You tried to pull one over him, he pulled one over you. Guess what! That means you lost."
Eridan burst out laughing, and all Vriska could manage was "W— No!"
"Aw, that was classic, Roz!" He slapped his knees. "Just shut her right the fuck down, that's the way to do it."
"Quiet," Rose said.
Vriska came closer to Rose's feelings with a solid "Fuck you!" and an attempt to get around her. Rose cut her off. "Out of my way," she growled. Rose felt too crowded between Vriska and her sensory double to move out of the way even if she had wanted, even if they did both protest. Rose did not either way. "You have no say in this!" Vriska said.
"I have every right to step in on this unbalanced relationship! If you don't want me to do the job any more, say so!" Rose gave her a pause in which to do so, and even Eridan stopped laughing, as if worried Vriska would immediately take Rose up on the offer. When Vriska said nothing, Rose was not reassured: her charge looked more ready to throttle her than break up with her. "I don't care if you go swimming or don't, but frankly, between all the punishment you've doled out, breaking his bones and all the humiliation, I think you do owe him. Now, I'm not your referee. But if you're going to make it personal, I just thought I'd throw it in there that you obviously lost!"
"Personal?" Vriska barred her teeth. "The 'other sides of the compound' thing was a fucking joke! Gog! I thought you were supposed to be the calm one!"
"If everyone else gets to shout, so do I!" Rose felt a sting at her eyes. Vriska was right, Gamzee had flipped her completely out of her calm. Instead of checking for tears, she had an ugly thought and pinched the skin on her arm. Nothing. Rose supposed that was good, but only to a point. Though she could still imagine a certain tentacled nothing getting a good laugh out of her situation, Rose was forced to admit that this was a situation of her own poor devising.
"Alright," Rose said, and coughed as her voice broke. "I just want this to play out fair for everyone."
"Like hell." Vriska again tried to push past Rose, hard enough that Rose did not attempt to block her. She made for the door, but caught Eridan smirking at her as she went to pass. "What do you want?"
"Just waiting to see when you and Roz are gonna wrap up so we can go for a swim, you know?" He grinned.
"Now?" Vriska looked back toward Tavros' chair. "We're writing. I was just going to cool off!"
"Oh come on," Eridan said. "He's giving Gamz a bath and shit. By the time he gets up he'll be dead on his feet, probably want to go straight to the 'coon. But we've still got time for a night-time swim, I think."
Vriska almost shook with rage. "You do not cut into my time with Tavros, Eridan. That was the deal!" Over her shoulder, she repeated herself: "That was the deal!" to inform Rose. To Eridan she added, almost genuinely, despite holding up a fist: "It's not fair."
"Oh, so now it's important what's fair."
Vriska whirled back to Rose and Rose's guard went up. She felt the phantom presence behind her and saw Vriska's arm pulled, as though for a punch but with the fingers loosely splayed, claws ready. But some last measure of self-control stopped Vriska. Once Rose was sure she had pulled her attack, she dropped her defence and reached up, hoping to pull Vriska away from Eridan. Vriska shook her off, and Rose gestured Eridan away instead.
"Listen, Vriska," she whispered. "We talked about this. If you've got feelings for Tavros—"
"This isn't about Tavros!" Vriska snapped, though her tone was as much hurt as angry. "All that Tavros matters in this is that he doesn't deserve him. This is about you! And your nosey, nosey-nose habit of trying to pick my brain and break my plans! I did not bring you into this just so you could stamp on my feet or… or sneak around in my secrets!"
"…All right," Rose said. "But you also didn't bring me in here just to let your relationship fall apart. He's not going to stay with you under your boot, Vriska. And I don't think either of us want it to reach the point where I have to really intercede, if he decides he can hate someone easier to deal with day-to-day! I will not believe you wanted to bring me here to sit aside."
Vriska sputtered. "I didn't— Didn't bri—" She continued to ramble and spit, a train derailed and smashing about. Rose did not like to see it as much as she wanted to be far from it, from it and Gamzee and Kanaya's disapproving look. When Vriska had recovered her countenance, there was ice in her breath. "You know nothing about me," she spat. "Nothing at all. You'll see."
Where she could not meet Gamzee's eyes, or Kanaya's, Rose could meet Vriska's, and they shot daggers at her until Vriska turned about to speak to Eridan. "I am not swimming tonight, Eridan!" She snapped up an eight ball that lay on the desk. "I'm getting some notes and I'll be back in an hour, and I expect you gone." Eridan grunted a laugh. Vriska snarled at him, but then turned to the door. "John?" she asked, and pointed to the cut on her chin. John shook his head: though it was still stained, it had stopped bleeding some time ago. "Good," she said. "See you later."
And then she turned, grabbed Eridan by the back of the neck and kissed him. Her other hand grabbed his scarf as if to keep him from breaking away, but after a moment of panic it was clear it would never have entered his mind. When she released him, she swatted the scarf end back toward him, thumping him in the chest, and left without another word. The four of them watched her leave, and only Jade said anything, if volumes, with a barked "Ha!" Eridan looked at Rose and half-smiled.
"…I'm going to bed," Rose said. Deep in the back of her mind was her promise to talk to Eridan about their relationship, but at the moment the very idea made her feel woozy. She felt half obliged to pinch her arm again, which only served to remind her: "…I'm going to bed the long way."
Jade and John gave her sympathetic pats as she went. Kanaya had disappeared.
When Rose steps out of the wall, she is standing on the same platform canon!Terezi and Vriska would have their showdown, along with all that followed, if not the previous showdown as well.
"Twelve-oh-four." Rose's birthday.
Yeah. "Jon". I… I don't know how it sounds any different either.
Vriska's claws are orange because someone noted that Aradiacestor's skeleton (when she electrocutes herself) does not include her horns. That means they're probably made mostly of keratin, same as fingernails. This was always sort of likely (I mean, that's how things are on Earth), but that clever forumite spotting the image brought it to the forefront of my mind while I was writing. So why are orange fingernails only on post-moult females? The most scientific reason of all, folks: the retcon wizard did it. Best to leave her to her work.
Kanaya's voice actress was not available for this episode, apparently. I didn't even know that was possible! All kinds of crazy stuff going on behind the scenes over here.
Okay, seething impersonal mass of strangers. Should I write a bloodswap fanfic?
Originally Posted by HarMegidon
I just am asking why she is selling sausages at a funeral.
Originally Posted by inexpediency
Everyone is a hedgehog...on the inside.
Originally Posted by Tesseract
On a deadness scale of normal to doorknob I would rate her as double doorknob
Originally Posted by Jitka
fuck yeah sodium hexametaphosphate
that is my favorite hexametaphosphate
Malakin:because its actually the truman show just with ponys
crash826:that
crash826:makes
crash826:far too much sense
gingerale:xD
Malakin:think about it
Malakin:it all makes sense
Originally Posted by Catbread
Those sound like some pretty badass park rangers.
Originally Posted by ranasan
Wow... it's like if someone managed to manifest Missingno. from Pokemon Red and Blue into the real world, grind it up into a fine powder and then snort it.
18:21 Girard so I learned something at the barber:
18:22 Daniel ?
18:22 Girard The entirety of England, London in particular, is actually a stage for the biggest production of the musical Oliver ever made.
18:22 Girard England is a giant musical.
18:22 Girard This explains the small children with cockney accents and giant hats who dance in the streets.
18:23 Daniel ...DAMN YOU MARY POPPINS!
18:23 Daniel DAMN YOU TO HELL!
Decker, that was an excellent end to an excellent fic. The illustrations really added a lot to the way the story went, and I like how everything seemed to mesh together with gang violence, and the 1920s and all that good stuff. Even though it is kind of a bittersweet ending, I feel it resolved itself well.
I was a little confused as to what Eridan and Doc Scratch were talking about at the end there though.
Also, I'm feeling like bringing back my stupid bloodswap fanfic. Hopefully this will not be frowned upon?
Thanks for the kind words!!
The "Information" was actually the information about Karkat's gang and Vriska. Doc Scratch believes that Eridan should have known about the setup and relayed the information to Doc Scratch. As from Doc Scratch "Contacting him later"...who knows?!
EDIT: To all the people asking "should I do this", I always say about fic writing that it's better to seek forgiveness than ask permission.
Then again, I am a horrible enabler.
Last edited by Decker; 09-30-2011 at 06:11 PM.
I was angry with my friend. I told my wrath. My wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe. I told it not. My wrath did grow.
Blood: It's What's For Swapping (part one: wherein a lusus is an enormous tool)
> Enter name.
You attempt to type something suitably derogatory into the text box, and are rewarded with a syringe jammed up your parser. Let's try that again, shall we?
> Fine. Terezi Pyrope.
You are TEREZI PYROPE. You're STILL NOT BLIND. Damn it.
You have been attempting to blind yourself for the past sweep. Every morning, as the sun comes up, you walk to the door, steel yourself and utterly fail to stare into its bloody red eye. Ever since your lusus died. At this point, you understand that you're never really gonna go blind.
When you walk to the door, though, you can really see it. Feel the light coming through the door and know, just KNOW that this time your pupils will shrink from their sight to a blessed, beautiful void. You'll never have to deal with all this color and sight and light again. And then you fail.
Again.
We should probably examine your interests. It is your wriggling day, after all. (It's your wriggling day. Forgot to mention that. Hardly worth mentioning, anyway.)
You aspire to become a VIGILANTE, fighting the BRUTAL ALTERNIAN REGIME, FAUNA AND GENERAL HOSTILITY with your own personal BRUTALITY. Specifically, you wish to become a VIGILANTERMINATOR. As such, you practice with your COOL-ASS SYRINGES all the time but end up looking like a DWEEB who tries to LETHALLY INJECT HER DOLLS.
What's holding you back? Your hatred of BLOOD and its vivid shades, for one thing. In fact, you hate ALL STRONG SENSATIONS. Bright color, loud noise, intense emotion, you name it you hate it, due to the THREE SWEEPS OF PAIN you went through thanks to a PARTICULARLY STUPID LUSUS. Anyway, you like writing CHIP MUSIC but it ends up PRETTY DAMN BLAND due to your AFOREMENTIONED SENSORY DEPRIHATION.
Your trolltag is gunmetalCallisto and Y9UR S9EECH IS 9E99ERED WITH THE SYM69LS 9F A CRIME FR9M THE MISTS 9F ANCIENT HIST9RY
Oh look, somebody is trolling you. Goddamnit, why did you get Trollian anyway.
...Oh god THIS GUY. You are not entirely sure, but you think the ANCIENT CRIME you mentioned has something to do with this immense douche. Not really for any real reason. You just blame everything on him.
(HIDE PESTERLOG)
-- calamariGigantes [CG] began trolling gunmetalCallisto [GC]
CG: HI AGAIN, TEREZI.
GC: 9H 69D Y9U
GC: WHY THE HELL D9 Y9U KEE9 TALKING T9 ME
GC: D9 Y9U GET 9FF 9N HARASSING PERFECTLY N9RMAL GIRLS 9R S9METHING
CG: OKAY, FIRST THING: I AM THE EMPEROR.
CG: IF I DID GET OFF ON HARASSING PROBABLE LOWBLOODS, IT WOULD INSTANTANEOUSLY BECOME FASHIONABLE AND I WOULD HAVE TO FIND A NEW HOBBY, LIKE GIVING MYSELF A CHEESE GRATER MASSAGE.
CG: WHICH IS PROBABLY MORE ENJOYABLE, BUT WHATEVER.
CG: ALSO, I FORGIVE YOU FOR THAT.
GC: H9LY SHIT ARE Y9U TIRIN6 T9 TALK T9
GC: I MEAN SERI9USLY WHAT ARE Y9U EVEN TRYING T9 F9RGIVE ME F9R
CG: WASTING MY EXTREMELY PRECIOUS TIME OF COURSE.
CG: SERIOUSLY, THOUGH, LET'S CUT THROUGH THE DISGUSTING ROTTED FISHMEATS OF THIS CONVERSATION AND GET STRAIGHT TO THE ROTTED BLADDER-BASED CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM.
CG: FEFERI MADE A GAME.
GC: 6ULLY F9R HER
GC: WAS THAT ALL Y9U TR9LLED ME F9R 6ECAUSE I W9ULD REALLY APPRECIATE THE END 9F THIS C9M9LETELY TERRI6LE C9NVERSATI9N
GC: I W9ULD SAV9R IT LIKE FINE WINE
CG: NO. ALSO, SHUT UP.
CG: IT'S SPLIT INTO TWO TEAMS. THE UNBELIEVABLY USELESS BUNCH OF SWILL-BLOODED IDIOTS TEAM AND THE AMAZING HIGHBLOOD WARRIOR KINGS WHO LORD THEIR SUPERIORITY OVER THE OTHER TEAM TEAM.
CG: NAMES PENDING.
CG: I WANT TO INVITE YOU ONTO TEAM SUPERIORITY.
GC: WHAT
GC: WAIT
GC: WHY?
CG: I AM OFFERING YOU A CHANCE TO BE ON THE TEAM THAT DOESN'T WET ITSELF EVERY FIVE INCHES OF MOVEMENT. I ADVISE YOU TAKE IT.
CG: SO WE HAVE A CLIENT AND A SERVER. YOU ARE GOING TO CONNECT TO ME USING THE CLIENT AND I AM GOING TO BE AN AMAZING LEADER AND WRECK SHIT LIKE IT'S GOING OUT OF STYLE.
GC: N9
CG: THEN YOU
CG: WHAT
CG: DID YOU JUST REFUSE A GRACIOUS GIFT FROM A PHYSICAL EMBODIMENT OF THE TRANSCENDENTAL MASTER OF THE ALTERNIAN EMPIRE
GC: YES I DID
GC: DEAL
GC: WITH
GC: IT
CG: EXCUSE ME WHILE I CONSULT THIS REFERENCE DICTIONARY.
CG: AH, HERE'S YOUR PICTURE NEXT TO "TERRIBLE DECISION MAKER".
CG: THERE WASN'T EVEN AN ENTRY FOR THAT. I JUST GOT THE DICTIONARY COMPANY TO CHANGE IT SO THAT WAS IN THERE.
CG: THAT IS HOW MUCH I AM AMAZED AT THE SCOPE OF YOUR BAD DECISIONS.
GC: IN FACT...
GC: N9W THAT I KN9W THIS IS HA99ENIN6, I'M 69IN6 T9 6ET 9NT9 TEAM ACTUALLY THE BEST AND LEAD THE SHIT 9UT 9F IT
GC: AND I AM 69IN6 T9 9ERS9NALLY 6RIND Y9UR TEAM'S FACE INT9 THE DUST
GC: SMELL Y9U LATER KARKULT >X)
CG: WAIT
CG: BUT
CG: ...SHIT.
CG: SHE HATES ME, DOESN'T SHE.
...You're actually feeling pretty good now! I mean, you may still be a cowardly anon-blood with no chance of achieving your dreams, but at least now you have an opportunity to rub a dude's face in the dirt!
For the record, you have forgotten that Karkat can have you killed on a whim. You have been talking to him far too much to remember he is capable of handing you your ass like you've known nothing but years of bitter ass famine.
You've got a head full of ambition, a sky dark enough to obscure the colors of the neighbor's hive, and the rest of life ahead of you.
Today may be a slightly less shitty night than usual!
Originally Posted by HarMegidon
I just am asking why she is selling sausages at a funeral.
Originally Posted by inexpediency
Everyone is a hedgehog...on the inside.
Originally Posted by Tesseract
On a deadness scale of normal to doorknob I would rate her as double doorknob
Originally Posted by Jitka
fuck yeah sodium hexametaphosphate
that is my favorite hexametaphosphate
Malakin:because its actually the truman show just with ponys
crash826:that
crash826:makes
crash826:far too much sense
gingerale:xD
Malakin:think about it
Malakin:it all makes sense
Originally Posted by Catbread
Those sound like some pretty badass park rangers.
Originally Posted by ranasan
Wow... it's like if someone managed to manifest Missingno. from Pokemon Red and Blue into the real world, grind it up into a fine powder and then snort it.
18:21 Girard so I learned something at the barber:
18:22 Daniel ?
18:22 Girard The entirety of England, London in particular, is actually a stage for the biggest production of the musical Oliver ever made.
18:22 Girard England is a giant musical.
18:22 Girard This explains the small children with cockney accents and giant hats who dance in the streets.
18:23 Daniel ...DAMN YOU MARY POPPINS!
18:23 Daniel DAMN YOU TO HELL!
Land Of Hunting Jackets and Pick-Up Trucks (Rural Ontario)
Posts
49
Re: MSPA Fanfiction VII: End of Thread 6 Flash
Alright this is my first Homestuck fan-fiction so I'm not to sure how this is going to turn out
For One Small Moment
A world in panic, a time of confusion, the words that describe the apocalypse are short, and yet provide enough description to speak one word, fear
Your name is Pete Trommer and you are currently playing a game with your friends. On any other day this might seem normal, but today, well today you are playing a game that causes the death of humanity.
You are currently residing in the living-room of your families apartment, watching one of the many news programs that have invaded almost every station. The news is always the same, "No signs of life from London.", "New York destroyed by several unknown objects.", "Scientists find that cities being destroyed by meteors." "Las Vegas dissapears in flash of light." and these were only from the last 5 minutes. You switch off the TV and lift yourself off the couch deciding to find out if your server partner is able to use his computer or not.
-- laughableSmartass [LS] began pestering matrixFirestarter [MF] at 20:30
LS: Hey do you have your computer back yet?
MF: no, fucking imps still have it
LS: Ohh, okay nevermind
MF: alright, see ya
LS: Bye
-- laughableSmartass [LS] ceased pestering matrixFirestarter [MF] at 20:32
You are now sitting in your room infront of your computer wondering if you are going to survive. Meteors have been spotted over Seattle already. On a normal day you might be sitting in this exact spot, chatting with your friends, and sending them the latest jokes and puns that you can think of, finishing that homework you have been putting off for the last few days, or you might just be with your family right now. You never really knew how it felt to be abandonded, your parents were always hovering over you, making sure nothing happened, but with your parents stuck on the other side of the city, it feels as if all your troubles and fears were here with you.
Instead of dwelling on this thought you slide back in your chair let out a sigh, and send yourself back to the memories of a normal sunday evening. And for one brief second, all your troubles slip away, and the second, while short, is enough to clear your troubled mind.
Days on the Great Ship Cooky [sic]
In which: Sareth and Eridan talk about the sea; Rose Lalonde has tea with Granny Weatherwax; Gamzee, Cadel Darkkon, and Drizzt Do'Urden slam a faygo; Dwarves attack; And a Kitten sinks the boat.
Sareth (No last name given) leaned on the railing of the ship. It was very, very large, containing every possible character you could think of. It would be his luck to get the room next to Arantir while Leanna got the room next door to Mr. Buff-douchebag. Erm, that is to say, A Soldier Of The Imperial Legion. What a name!
Something small waddled up. That something was clothed in a garish purple cape, square, blocky glasses, and-
"The sea is vvery beautiful!" It said hopefully, gratingly, and most prominently, lovingly.
Xana chose this moment to quip: Oh, the little flirter. I'll just get out of the way, shall I? Sareth wanted to cry for her not to leave him alone with the little beast, but instead what came out was "Yeah."
"I greww up there."
"I know."
"Do you lovve the ocean?"
Sareth thought this one through. "Sure."
The thing that was Eridan Ampora sprung on top of Sareth, eye to eye, and screamed "THEN WWHY WWONT YOU LOVVE ME?!"
I can tell you two are getting along swimmingly. Said Xana.
* * * *
Below decks, two very intelligent women sipped two very distinct cups of tea. One of the cups belonged, technically, to Nanny Ogg, which is why it said World Best Grandmother in large, flashy letters. However, Nanny Ogg was not present. The two women who sat appraising eachother in silence were Granny Weatherwax and Rose Lalonde.
Neither wished to be the first to blink. Neither had, for the past fifteen minutes. Neither knew that the other had cast a short spell to keep their eyes moist, and neither knew that the third person in the room, Dobby, had placed a platter of cupcakes in the center of the table. That of course, would require a break of concentration, which would be unforgivable.
Granny Weatherwax reached forward and smacked the young Rose Lalonde across the face. She hardly flinched, never breaking gaze. Her only response was to slap Granny back.
"Dobby has a very bad feeling about this, yes he does," squeaked a tiny little voice from underfoot.
* * * *
In another room, on another deck (it was a very large ship), Three quite small people sat comfortably in a quite small cabin enjoying some not-quite-so-small bottles of Faygo.
Cadel tasted the orange drink, rolling it in his mouth for a little bit. Swallowing, he said "Not too bad. I wouldn't drink it by choice, but not too bad." Gamzee nodded sagely and motioned for Drizzt Do'Urden, who downed the whole bottle of the stuff. After wiping his lips, he sat in deep thought.
"So?" Prompted Cadel, glancing over at his new dark-elven friend.
"This is... The best stuff I've ever tasted." Drizzt said with certainty. Gamzee laughed, fell on some horns, and scared the shit out of him and Cadel. Drizzt snickered and sheathed Twinkle.
"So, what about this sopor pie you've been talking about?" he said, eyes gleaming. Gamzee produced a neon green pie and began to slice it.
* * * *
There would have been more stories. For example, it's not often that Ender Wiggin defeats the Cunning Man, or falls in love with Tiffany Aching (Who was the one who really brought the Cunning Man down; girls sometimes have to trick men into thinking they have some power). Nor is it that common for Dumbledore to meet Gandalf and sing a duet. There is a story that could have taken place between Bransen Garibond and a small girl in a wheelchair, afflicted with Cerebal Palsey. A Genius with numbers, and with a small stone, she could have been righted, set on equal footing (pardon the pun) with everyone else.
This never happened because Dwarves are assholes and blew a kitten through the hull of the boat, killing almost everyone on board. It's all really tragic, and sob-worthy. Anyone with a heart would cry. Why the poor kitten? Why?
But it happened. It's sad, but true. It's time to go home. Stories over. The words have been said, the deeds have been done. The Game is finished. Dwarves fucked it up. They always do.
I would like to tell you Eridan got punted over the edge but really his last moments of life were spent thinking. The last thing to go through his head was the furry cannon ball that brought the ship down.
You see, this is what happens when I'm grounded and can't write.
I for one would love to see a shipping fic between Ender Wiggin and Tiffany Aching. Also Rose and Granny Weatherwax would be too badass to mention.
Voided, Part 3 (Contains Links to 1 and 2), Part 4
(formerly known by the plagiarism-tastic name of Red Dead Sagittarius)
You are now NEPETA again. You just woke up from a STRONG slumber, and found that your very best moirail is in the hands of a very responsible and wonderful young lady. You really do like Aradia, even if she lives in the middle of the desert and is kind of a recluse and she speaks in a really weird dialect of Alternian. Equius has talked about her before, and from what it sounds like she’ll take good care of him, no doubt something that she picked up from her own lusus.
Suddenly, you get a sort of tingly feeling in your toes, and everything just clicks. Of. Course. That would be PERFECT!!!!!!!! You take a brief second to compose yourself, and tune down the shout poles a bit. That would definitely be a bit improper to do in a chat room, which you intend to do!
You have to tell someone right now!! ======> Nepeta: Consort with partner in crime
--athleticCircuiteer [aC] began trolling crustaceansGore [cG]—
AC: :}) < Karkat!!!!!
CG: V_ò^ó_V *AN ANGRY CRAB CRAWLS OUT OF HIS FORBODING CAVE AND SNAPS ANGRILY AT THE OBNOXIOUS MUSCLEBEAST’S HEELS
CG: V_ò^ó_V *IT GROWLS “FOR THE LAST FUCKING TIME CALL ME KARCRAB”
AC: >:}P <*The proud musclebeast thin% that this is dumb!
CG: V_ò^ó_V *THE FROTHING CRAB THINKS THAT YOU’RE DUMB
AC: >:}( < Why do you always get so grouchy when someone calls you by your given name?
CG: V_ò^ó_V BECLAWS UNLIKE *SOME* PEOPLE I ACTUALLY CARAPACE ABOUT MY ROLEPLAYING.
CG: V_ò^ó_V MEANWHILE OTHER PEOPLE ARE INSULTING THE NOBLE ART BY BEING AIRHEADED DIPSHITS AND SHORING NO DEDICRUSTACEAN TO THEIR FUCKING CHARACTERS.
CG: V_ò^ó_V A *PROUD MUSCLEBEAST* WOULD NEVER COME PRANCING UP TO A CRABBEAST WHINNYING ITS NAME.
CG: V_ò^ó_V IT WOULD BE ALL HIGH AND MIGHTY LIKE EVERY BLUE BLOODED CREATURE IS.
AC: :}) < Well maybe I don’t want to be high and mighty did you ever think about that?
AC: :}) < Maybe I just hoove some sense of etiquette and manners!
AC: :}) < Any marebe a few manners w001dn’t be so bad for you!!
AC: :}D < Anyways I have news for the shipping wall!
CG: V_ò^ó_V OH MY GOD DON’T SAY THAT IN CHAT.
CG: V_ò^ó_V WHAT IF SOMEONE CLAWS LISTENING IN?
AC: :}/ < There’s no steed to be so paranoid all the time!
AC: :}) < Besides, shipping walls are supposed to be mare you happy!
CG: V_ò^ó_V THANKS.
CG: V_ò^ó_V IT MAKES ME FEEL ZOEA MUCH BETTER HEARING THAT FROM THE GIRL WHO PLAYS BATTLEBOTS WITH HER ROMANTIC INTERESTS.
AC: >:}O < Do not!
CG: V_ò^ó_V DO TOO.
AC: D{:< < Do not!
CG: V_ò^ó_V DO TOO.
AC: :}( < Karcrab why are you always so difficolt to deal with?
CG: V_ò^ó_V BECLAWS I’M A CRAB AND THAT’S WHAT CRABS DO.
CG: V_ò^ó_V WE’RE NOT ALL RAINBOWS AND BULLSHIT OR EVEN STUCK UP PRUDENESS LIKE YOUR STUPID LUSUS.
AC: >:}( < Aurthor is abs100tely the best lusus ever and you are jea100us!
AC: :}O < And you got me completely off track! >:{(
AC: :}D < I think that Aradia and Equius might be f100shed for each other!
CG: V_ò^ó_V FLOOSHED? WHAT IS THIS FLOOSHED YOU SPEAK OF?
AC: >:}P *The noble musclebeast doesn’t have to deal with the crabby crab’s asinine-ness!
CG: V_ò^ó_V *THE CRABBY CRAB TELLS AC TO DEAL WITH IT, OR GTFO.
CG: V_ò^ó_V BUT THAT’S GREAT THAT THAT INSECURE LITTLE ASSHAT FINALLY FOUND SOMEBODY WHO CAN FUCKING STAND HIM.
CG: V_ò^ó_V MAKE ME WONDER ABOUT ARADIA’S SANITY THOUGH.
CG: V_ò^ó_V HEY BEFORE YOU GO ANYWHERE, HAS SOLLUX TALKED TO YOU YET?
AC: :}) < No, why w001d Sollux ever want to speak to me?
AC: :{) < It’s not like we were ever close or anything!
CG: V_ò^ó_V FOR ONCE IN HIS LIFE THAT STICK IN THE MUD IS ACTUALLY SETTING UP A GAME.
AC: :}O < But I thought Captor hated games.
AC: :{/ < He’s always acting so serious about everything!
CG: V_ò^ó_V I KNOW IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.
CG: V_ò^ó_V SOLLUX HASN'T PLAYED A SINGLE GAME IN OVER A SWEEP.
CG: V_ò^ó_V AND EVEN BEFORE THE INCIDENT HE NEVER REALLY GOT INTO THEM, ONLY WHEN I ASKED HIM TO. AND HE WAS TERRIBLE AT IT.
AC: :}) < So why now?
CG: V_ò^ó_V APPARENTLY IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
CG: V_ò^ó_V LIKE CRUCIAL TO SURVIVAL IMPORTANT. AND I'M CLAWAYS DOWN FOR SAVING MY SHELL.
AC: :}) < Oh gosh!
AC: :}) < So he's telling you that our lives, neigh, even the world, will end?
CG: V_ò^ó_V BASICALLY. AND YOU KNOW HOW MATTER OF FACT HE IS. IF SOLLUX IS SAYING THAT OUR LIVES DEPEND ON IT I BELIEVE HIM.
AC: :}) < I don't hoof any reason to not believe him.
AC: :}) < But he can be a little bit confusing sometimes!
AC: :}) < And also a little bit dry.
CG: V_ò^ó_V THAT'S SOLLUX IN A NUT SHELL.
CG: V_ò^ó_V HE AND GAMZEE ARE GOING TO BE A HOOT. THIS WILL BE ZOEA MUCH FUN.
AC: :}) < Karkat what on Alternia is a zoea?
CG: V_ò^ó_V SHUT UP AND STOP QUESTIONING MY CRAB PUNS. A ZOEA IS A BABY CRAB.
AC: :}) < :}P
AC: :}) < I will refreign from saying anything else but that you are being immature.
CG: V_ò^ó_V AND THERE YOU GO BEING A BROKEN RECORD AGAIN. I’M DONE HAVING A CIRCULAR ARGUMENT WITH YOU, NEPETA. I WILL UPDATE *THE THING* AND YOU BETTER ANSWER SOLLUX WHEN HE TROLLS YOU.
AC: :}) < Okay Karcrab! Talk to you soon!
-- crustaceansGore [CG] ceased trolling athleticCircuiteer [AC] --
If Karkat/crab has one thing going for him, it’s that he’s woefully transparent. Even if shipping might be more of a guilty pleasure for him, you know that he likes it. Just like he likes silly roleplaying, deep down in his crabby little heart. He’s not really as grumpy as he seems, you think. Just a bit silly. And you are a very peculiar blueblood in that you have a penchant for silliness.
However, this guy has no penchant for silliness whatsoever. You almost don’t want to answer the message flashing on your screen, but Karcrab did ask you to, and you try not to intentionally piss off Karkat too much. Oh well. Here goes nothing.
-- theoreticalAssessor [TA] began trolling athleticCircuiteer [AC] --
TA: np.
TA: nepeta.
TA: th12 12 ur6ent np come on.
AC: :}) < Yes Sollu% what do you want
TA: okay we'll make th12 2hort and 2weet.
TA: 2ee1n6 a2 you mu2t be bu2y w1th your h16hblood preoccupat1on2
TA: a2 karkat told you 1 need you to play a 6ame.
TA: he d1d tell you r16ht?
AC: :}) < Yes, he did tell me!
AC: :}) < Just because he's filly doesn't mean he can't get anything accomplished
TA: well 1t'2 2afe not to a22ume anyth1n6.
TA: 1 mean for all 1 know karkat could have been attacked by h12 lu2u2 or 6ot d12tracted by 2ometh1n6 2h1ny.
AC: :}) < Sollu%, I think you are not being very charitabull to one of your best friends!
TA: do you mean that 1n a fr1endly fr1end 2en2e or an anta6on12t1c fr1end 2en2e?
TA: au6h how the fuck d1d we 6et to th12 top1c of conver2at1on.
TA: 1t'2 not even lo61cal.
TA: here.
-- theoreticalAssessor [TA] sent you the code sgrub.exe --
TA: 1t'2 the 6ame that fefer1 and 1 2et up.
AC: :}) < You and Feferi, huh?
TA: don't even.
TA: 1t wa2 a mutual12t1c bu21ne22 a6reement.
TA: 2he'2 alr16ht at code2.
TA: 1 need 2omeone who'2 not bl1nd to look over all my 2h1t.
AC: :}) < Shippers gonna ship!
TA: 2ee th12 12 why 1 wa2 afra1d of talk1n6 to you.
TA: you take everyth1n6 people 2ay and tw12t 1nto your 2tup1d l1ttle world v1ew2.
AC: :}) < It's better than being so stuffy and stupid all the time!
TA: 1 th1nk you mean lo61cal.
TA: anyway2, you're wa2t1n6 my t1me nepeta.
TA: 1 have 2tuff to do.
-- theoreticalAssessor [TA] gave up trolling athleticCircuiteer [AC] at 23:01 --
AC: :}) < I mean
AC: :}) < Hmph
AC: :}) < That wasn't very mooture of me you're right but I just think that you tend to act all haughty all the time just becud you see things
TA: np.
TA: really.
TA: 1 have to f1nd 2omeone to lead the the team2 and everyth1n6.
TA: not now.
TA: we'll have t1me to have debate2 when we 6et 1n.
-- theoreticalAssessor [TA] gave up trolling athleticCircuiteer [AC] --
Like you said, grumpy and serious as always. Sollux was never too much fun, but after he went blind, you started liking talking with him even less. You suppose it’s not his fault, if you had had your eyes gouged out than you wouldn’t be too trusting of people either. But really, it’s just common courtesy to try and be polite to someone of higher blood!
Not that everybody deserves it, sure, but you hate being thrown aside like yesterday’s trash because someone has “Better things to do.” If there’s one thing that grinds your gears, it’s people who have no manners! God, you could go on about this for hours and – oh hey someone else is trolling you.
-- coupledColmena [CC] began pestering athleticCircuiteer [AC] --
CC: *AA couple of buzy beez buzz up to the mighty muzclebeazt!*
CC: *The cheerful one greetz her with an excited buzzing!*
CC: Hello Nepeta!
AC: :}) < Oh hi Feferi
AC: :}) < *says the slightly perturbed musclebeast*
CC: Don't get angry, we have a game to play!
[color=#00007f]AC: :}) < Oh I’m not angry with you don’t worr[/ color]
CC: AAnd even though it will deztroy the world we're going to have a blazt playing it!
CC: Zomeone might even DIIEE!
AC: :}) < Um
AC: :}) < Feferi have you not been taking your moodication again?
CC: Heehee, that'z funny!
CC: You zee, it'z medication for my moodz, zo II guezz it would be moodication!
CC: What makez you think that?
AC: :}) < Just that you're acting awfoaly e%cited about all of us dying
CC: You zee that'z juzt it! IIt iz exciting!
AC: :}) < How w001d you know?
CC: Beecauze zhe'z told me about them!
CC: You know, that zad little voice inzide my head?
AC: :}) < Oh my gosh Feferi don't you remareber how bad you crashed the last time you didn't take your meds?
CC: But zhe had to tell me zome important thingz!
CC: AAnd II couldn't hear her with the medication droning out all my thoughtz!
AC: :}) < But I thought that was the point!
AC: :}) < Good gosh, why are all of you so filly or so…anti-filly?
CC: Anti-zilly? Doez that mean Zollux already talked to you?
CC: MAAN, he haz no clue how to divide and conquer!
CC: AA hive can't operate on one bee alone!
AC: :}) < I don't think he likes to trust other people sadly
CC: IIt iz kind of zad!
CC: But that iz beezide the point! The point iz that teamz are being made!
AC: :}) < Have you all decided on a team for me?
CC: No we hiven't! Zollux iz all about avoiding *them* though.
CC: He zayz the two of uz zhould zplit up zince we both developed the game.
CC: But II think that that'z really unneccezary.
AC: :}) < Mmhmm
AC: :}) < Go on
CC: II mean naturally *they* are going to want to form a team.
CC: AAnd II know that they aren't going to want your moirail on the team.
AC: :}) < So you're wondering if I want to be on your team?
CC: That'z EEXAACTLY what II'm wondering!
AC: :}) < Sure!
CC: OOh boy thiz iz going to bee the bezt team!
CC: IIt’ll bee you, me, Zollux, Equiuz, my moirail, and…well, the zixth guy or girl!
AC: :}) < So you did hoove the teams figured out after all
CC: Well if you put it like that I guezz zo!
AC: :}) < Do you really think that Sollux will be willing to do that though? He seems pretty stubborn
CC: WHOO KNOOWZ?
CC: It might bee FUUN to find out!
AC: :}) < If you say so Feferi
CC: II know zo! Truzt me on this, it’z gonna bee great! Now we juzt need to get Equiuz the code and we can get ztarted!
AC: :}) < I’ll take care of that, I need to talk to him anyways
AC: :}) So I guess I’ll give you a buzz once I have it covered
CC: Hahahaha, yezzzzzzzzz. Welcome to the zwarm, Nepeta.
AC: :}) < Were all those z’s really necessary?
CC: Nope! TTYL, girlfriend!
-- coupledColmena [CC] ceased trolling athleticCircuiteer [AC]
Feferi honestly scares you sometimes. She has this weird brain problem that is unsettling to deal with at best, and you feel a little strange accepting this "gift" you received from her and her rude definitely-not-matesprit-in-every-single-way-but-really-they're-together-they-just-need-to-pull-their-heads-out-of-their-load-gapers. By which you mean Sollux. You just got done dealing with Equius' possible death at the hands of the authorities, the last thing you need is everyone else you know dying around you. Though some of them might be a lot more difficolt to deal with than others, (i.e. the Lady Pyrope) you've never wished death on them.
Well, not in that way, just in a "if you weren't talking to me from miles away I would punch your head off" sort of way. But not really! You're not even that violent of a person! You would never harm anyone of a higher blood than you! And probably not lower than you either! Maybe you should just go build some shipping robots now, then troll Equius when you've cooled down.
======> Be one of *them*
You'll have to specify! "Them" includes multiple people!
======> Be the empress-to-be
You cannot be the Empress! She is far too busy to deal with your shenanigans!
======> Be Terezi?
Terezi appreciates your attempt to be her, but she feels that she was not addressed properly, and requires you to try again.
======> Fine, be Lad- no, fuck that, let's be Equius again
Good choice! He is the main character, after all! Kind of. However, it would appear that Equius is still unconscious. Maybe we should wait until the next part to be him?
Yes, the author seems to think this is a good choice too.
Yeah, so I revived it. It's about a thread old. Oh well. Hope people still like it.
In case you were wondering, Colmena is the Spanish word for Beehive.
Also, that other bloodswap seems interesting. I don't think I've ever seen Terezi as the Red-Blood Character, and rarely Karkat as the Emperor. I'd be interested to see how the relations pan out. Then again, that's why I'm writing a bloodswap as well. Because I want to see how the relations go.
ALso Karne how many universes is that fic a mix of?
Hello, everyone! I kind of disappeared for awhile, and come November, I'm going to disappear again, most likely. But I wanted to, at the very least, finish Rage (and maybe work on Hope, depending on the time!)
So, here's the Sylph (and once again, I reiterate my previous stand on Sylphs; they are HARD)
7 – Sylph
To Kneel, and in Kneeling, Submit. That is your Quest.
You wonder what crime you must have committed, what sin you must have embraced, to have been cursed with this punishment. Perhaps it was in another life. With Sburb, anything is possible.
You were once happy. You were content. Life had given you everything, and you knew enough of the tragedies of life to be happy with what you were given. Fulfillment was not a gift that Life gave lightly, after all.
But perhaps you did not treasure it enough. Perhaps you had somehow slighted your Father, your friends, your life, and in doing so, lost it.
You can’t think of what you did, but you must have done something to deserve this.
The Game began, and with it, you lost your world. But you had your family, your friends, your life, and so you began to think that maybe it was enough.
But the Game began to take them, as well, and it took them through you.
At first it was only against the Enemies, the creatures that the Game defined as Against You, and with them you didn’t mind; these were monsters, mindless, meaningless, and so you could allow yourself to use the Rage the game granted you against them.
When it turned to the inhabitants of Derse, you were wary, but they had, time and again, tried to kill you, and perhaps this was meant to be. So you allowed yourself to wield your Rage against them.
When you were guided to Prospit, you began to rebel, but the Rage took you where it would. The Game had decided that they must die, and die they did, torn apart by teeth and hands and a Fury that tore at them through you, and you were powerless to stop it.
And it didn’t stop at Prospit.
Your best friend was the first to fall, and all you can ask is why. She falls with fear and betrayal in her eyes, and all you can ask is why.
Soon they all fall, dead by your hand, dead by Fury’s hand.
Soon the universe dies, by your hand, and as reality comes crashing down around your ears you wonder if, perhaps, this was always meant to be.
Perhaps some Destinies are never meant to succeed.
Perhaps some Titles were never meant to bring success.
You are the Sylph of Rage, and your Quest is to Kneel, and in Kneeling, Submit.
And you hope that your next life will be happier.
Notes:
So, this one is based off of the idea that not all Titles can be successful, and a few are even actively harmful to their session. Also it's because I couldn't figure out any other way I liked to do the Sylph. -_-
Next is the Page!
My Stories
The Game, and Those Who Play: "A set of stories detailing moments in the lives of those who play the Game, and the destinies they are a part of. Some Players will fulfill their own Destinies. Others will fail. And so the Game goes."
Or: That story where ArcFour tries to achieve the improbable, with various measures of success/failure!
Or: That story that's so big that the chapters can't fit into the signature!
Or: That story that's pretty much jossed about once a week, much to the author's dismay!
Or: That story with the Sylphs. What's up with them? God.
I'm not sure how it happened, but it seems I've managed to time out events so that half the cast is injured at the exact same time. Huh. Have a chapter full of injuries, I guess.
The Land of Heat and Clockwork was, for the first time in hours, strangely silent, save for the distant rumble of machinery and the low hiss of lava engulfing brick. Imps, ogres, and other beasts had long since scattered, wandering off aimlessly to other places after realizing they had nothing left to attack, and the island of rubble sinking slowly into the volcanic mire was left barren.
After a while, a glowing orange hand clawed its way forth from the top of the heap and shoved aside a twisted support beam, and Davesprite crawled jerkily out from beneath the detritus and collapsed atop the pile. He was breathing hard, trails of something that looked like molten apple juice dripping from his feathers and speckling the crumbling brick beneath him. Heat from the ocean of lava all around him made the air shimmer disorientingly in front of his eyes.
GG: d//ve
GgG; dÀv% ar@y ou )))kay/?
Davesprite blinked slowly and tried focusing on the chat window that had popped up in his iShades. Jade's text was flickering and glitched, and a moment later he realized that one of the panes of his shades had been splintered.
#tG: ye)H
Ttttttt: h*0ldon
The sprite rolled over onto his stomach and made an effort to push himself upright. His arms wobbled a bit, that glowing yellow something making trails across his skin, but a moment later he'd fluttered his wings and was floating again. Beneath him, the pile of brick that had once been Dave's house sank another inch or two into the lava.
He took off his glasses and, with with only the faintest bit of regret, (even with all the alchemization his shades had been through, they were still, in his mind, a present from His John) used a thumb to punch out the offending lens. On the other screen, Jade's words snapped back into coherency.
TG: alright better
TG: so whats going on
GG: oh my gosh dave you're bleeding a ton!!
TG: jade
TG: girl
TG: sprite powers
TG: think ill live
GG: are you sure?
TG: ton of bricks cant stop the strider
TG: im like a human bomb shelter squatting there all cheeky and concrete
TG: whole world comes crashing down around me in the unholy nuclear apocalypse and im all bitch im lined with lead
GG: daaaave!
TG: screaming women and children huddling up inside my feathery nurturing bosom
GG: dave stop doing metaphors!!
GG: we've got to find dave!
GG: you!
GG: other dave!
GG: well who cares what we're calling him because we have to find him!!
It was only then that the realization hit him, the thought that somebody in his apartment did not have sprite powers, was not build to withstand the weight of a million cascading bricks.
Davesprite's heart sank.
TG: jade
GG: we have to get him out from under all this stuff!
GG: he's gotta be here somewhere! help me dig!
Her cursor whizzed past him and began picking up bricks, throwing them at random into the lava. Below, the deadly ocean consumed another increment of debris.
TG: jade
TG: im sorry
TG: i dont think
GG: SHUT UP AND HELP ME DIG!!!!!
A steel girder flew past Davesprite's head, and with a small, uncomfortable gulp that left his throat feeling strangely tight, the sprite nodded and sank to the ground, reaching out with bleeding hands to start pulling bricks away. In silence they worked, sprite and cursor side-by-side, while LoHaC slowly engulfed the remains of Dave's apartment in heat and light and molten stone.
At last Davesprite reached down to pull a piece of concrete aside, and his fingers came back smeared with red.
He swallowed again, painfully.
TG: ok jade
TG: i need you to do something for me
GG: did you find him?
GG: is he ok dave??? he's not hurt really bad is he? i can't see from here!
TG: yeah i found him
GG: what do you need me to do?
TG: i need you to minimize your sburb window
GG: why?
TG: dont ask that
TG: just swear to me youll do it
TG: swear to me you wont look
GG: oh no...
TG: you have to swear jade
TG: minimize the window and dont you dare look you have to fucking swear
GG: i
GG: i swear
TG: alright then
TG: im gonna dig him out
- - - - - - - - - -
One moment the Draconian Dignitary was swaying on the spot, clutching a morningstar in one blood-slick hand and shouting up at Jack to shut off the goddamn lightning, and the next he found himself sitting dizzily on the tile, vision wavering and and vaguely aware of a heavy pressure against the back of his neck. The crackling red light had died away at last, leaving the room barren and scarred with long burn marks and bits of rubble, and the balcony upon which the Sovereign Slayer had stood moments before was now empty. Draconian gazed up at it with unfocused eyes.
"Damn."
"Draconian?" said a squeaky voice just behind the Dignitary's head.
The pressure at his neck turned out to be the Courtyard Droll, pressing a garish, wadded-up hat to the rapidly bleeding wound left by Rose's pen. The little Dersite leaned forward and his face swam into view, looking wide-eyed and worried. "You okay?"
What a fantastically stupid question, said something at the back of Draconian's mind, vindictive and dizzy with blood loss, but aloud he only muttered, "Fine, Droll. I'm fine."
"Wow, you're really bleeding a lot! The back of your suit's all-"
"Don't." Draconain muttered, cutting him off. "Don't describe the suit. I'd rather not know."
"...Okay, Draconain." Droll shifted his grip on the hat a bit nervously. "I think it's okay though, I bet if we washed it with... oh geeze, bleach, or that stuff that smells like lemons! Or baking soda! We'd need a LOT of baking soda..."
The Dignitary gave a quiet hiss of wounded pride and ran his finger and thumb across his temples while Droll rambled on. "Droll. Droll, what happened? Where's Jack?"
"I think he went after those kids. Rose and the other one. When you were bleeding a bunch and it looked like you were going to lose the fight, he just went crazy! He put his fist in the air and made his ring do that thing with the red light and then the kids ran away and he flew after them." His voice dropped a bit of its forced cheeriness. "He was really scared for you, Draconian."
"Of course he was," said Draconain flatly.
"No, really! He got this look on his face when he saw you get stabbed. It was just for a second, but I saw it. He looked..." Droll seemed to searching hard for the right words. "His face looked like my whole body felt, when I saw Hegemonic dead."
The tall Dersite was silent for a while, simply sitting and allowing that to sink in.
"He was scared for you," Droll repeated earnestly, pressing the hat almost painfully into Draconian's injured neck, "'cause you're his crew and we look out for each other. I told you he was still Jack."
"I know he is." The words left his mouth automatically, but the Dignitary was strangely relieved at how much he believed them.
"Draconain," Droll said squeakily, and the Dignitary winced as the hat shifted painfully again.
"Droll just- ah! -just let me do that." He reached back and wrestled the bloodstained wad of cloth out of Droll's fingers. It was soaked with dark red, which made Draconain cringe inwardly at the thought of what his most expensive suit must look like at this point. He reapplied it to the injury with steady, calculated pressure. Droll, hands now freed, scrambled over and sat beside him on the tile, watching him a bit anxiously.
"Draconian... I'm really sorry."
"Well. We can try the baking soda."
"Not about your suit! I'm sorry for... this whole stupid idea I had. I have stupid ideas all the time, but this one was really REALLY dumb and now you got stabbed and Jack might be messed up for good, and it's all because of me." The Courtyard Droll glanced away miserably at the scorched sweep of tile in front of him. "Bringing Rose here so she could ruin everything."
"You're right. That was stupid."
Droll gave a little keening, resigned noise, as if he'd gotten the answer he expected. "I took my hat off."
Draconain gave him a blank look.
"You said," Droll stated quietly, and (oh god, was he actually crying?) wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, "That if this landed us in a convoluted mess of fiery death, that was on my head. So I took my hat off. Now it'll fit."
The statement was so very baffling, and so very, very like the Courtyard Droll. After a moment of nonplussed silence, the Dignitary reached out stiffly with his free hand and gave Droll a half-hearted pat on the shoulder.
"It's a figure of speech, Droll. We're not actually putting anything on your head."
"Oh."
"And to be fair, it was stupid of me not to shoot that idea down the moment you said it. And stupid of Jack to let a little girl turn him into a nervous wreck. We've all been stupid."
"Oh. Okay." That seemed to be enough for the Droll. He wiped his eyes one last time and looked up at Draconian with a small attempt at a smile. "How's your neck?"
Draconian cautiously let up on the hat a bit, but the bleeding seemed to be slowing, and while light-headed he was far from any danger of dying due to blood loss. Dersites were tough. "It'll heal." After a few false starts he managed to stand, hat still pressed to the wound, and looked around the room. "We should go find Jack; I don't trust him alone with that girl, even if he's trying to kill her."
Droll nodded seriously and pointed to a doorway at the end of the massive hall. "They went that way." Draconian swayed slightly, and he added, "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine, Droll."
"How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Three."
"You didn't even look!"
"You've only got three."
"Oh yeah!"
- - - - - - - - - -
A frantic scramble through an endless maze of identical purple corridors. Breathing hard, Dave's weight on her shoulder, getting heavier and heavier as his eyes drooped and his flight failed him. Drops of blood hitting the floor, leaving a sparse, spattered trail behind them.
A familiar hallway, a door, a room. A clicking lock, a scrape of furniture as a tall velvet armchair was pushed up against the door, and Rose at last collapsed into the displaced chair and buried her head in her arms.
It was her old prison. Save for the armchair she'd used to barricade the door, the room was as she left it: the unreadable books in their shelves along the wall, the single high window crossed with bars. The door that locked from the inside as well as the out. It wouldn't stop Jack for a second, not with that ring that could tear through steel and stone, but it seemed right to lock it. Something about it gave her permission to stop and breathe.
Dave had splayed himself out in the other armchair, gangly arms and legs sprawled at careless angles, and he was gritting his teeth and attempting to peel off his bloody shirt. "Shiiiiiit."
"It might not be wise to do that. We don't know how bad the injury is," Rose advised quickly, trying her hardest to keep her voice authoritative and steady.
"'Bout to find out, aren't we?" Dave countered savagely, and lifted the front of his shirt up to bare his chest.
Both dreamers, simultaneously, hissed in shock.
"...Yeah," said Dave, when he'd found his voice again, looking suddenly horribly pale. "Yeah, you're right. Let's leave the shirt on."
He lowered it slowly into place, while Rose kept her hands clapped firmly to her mouth, to keep from asking something panicky and unhelpful like how are you still alive? Instead, she dropped them shakily and managed, "It must be a game mechanic. Our real bodies aren't harmed when our dreamselves are injured, but perhaps the same can't be said for... for... Dave, where on earth did you fall asleep?"
"Oh, I just thought I'd conk out any old place, so I picked a spot under the sign saying helpless hero, kill at your leisure. I'm at home in my bed, Lalonde, under the watchful orange eyes of what is apparently the worst guardian angel ever spawned by a coolkid and a bird. Shit shit shit. Shit." He devolved into shuddering coughing for a moment, and Rose looked on with carefully masked horror, feeling more helpless than she ever had in her life.
"What are we going to do?" she asked, in what she hadn't intended to sound so much like a whisper.
Dave just shook his head. They sat across from each other in their chairs, two icy stoics who'd never bothered to learn how to reach over and hug each other and cry like the children they were.
"Guess I just thought once I bailed you out, we'd find an open window and fly for it," Dave admitted. "Spectacular Strider plan A, B, C, and D, right there." He leaned his head back against the dark velvet. "If I had my time turners I could get us out, but I can't even dream-logic them up out of thin air. Doesn't want to work for actual important stuff."
"If I had my needlewands, I could blow a hole through this palace and fly us both out easily."
"Life's full of missed opportunities." Dave coughed painfully. "Heh, yeah, actually, Plan A could work. If you go for it now they'll never catch you. They'll just follow my blood, right? And that'll buy you enough time to get out and hide in the city somewhere."
"That idea is absolutely ridiculous!" Rose snapped.
"It's perfect. Knight in shining armor sacrifices his valiant ass for the Princess of the Moon. Egbert would eat this up."
"No one is sacrificing themselves, Strider!"
"He'd probably tear up and everything. Oh maaaan Dave, this is just like what Nic Cage did in shitty-ass movie number fifty seven, with the terrorists or the aliens or some-"
"Dave!" Rose stood up abruptly and slammed the palms of her hands into the arms of his chair. He looked up at her through his shades, expression as blank and unreadable as always, but this time it was on a face white as chalk and slightly tense with pain. "That type of language is woefully defeatist, and we will exhaust our other options before it comes to placating anyone with your bleeding torso."
"Was Nic Cage even in fifty seven movies?" Dave said distantly.
"Focus, if you please."
"They all run together after a while. Like, make enough terrible movies and they all start to look like the same movie. I never even saw Con Air. Sounds like a brand of hairdryer." Dave was staring past her now, speaking without really addressing anyone. "Don't tell Jade, okay? Wanna look like a good housekeeper, don't leave all my dead Daves lying around for little miss voyeur to trip over. Falling down all these dead Daves, haha."
A strange fear came over Rose, and she reached out hesitantly to take the Knight by the shoulders. "Dave..."
"Don't tell her. Don't let her see, you can't let her see me lying there with blood all over, she won't get it, she'll freak. Gotta clean it up before she sees."
"Dave!" She shook him, and was rewarded by a gasp of pain and a string of curses.
"Jesus girl, don't shake the package! What do I have to do, slap a Handle With Care sticker on here?"
"Stay with me," Rose implored, staring into his face.
"...Right. Yeah. Can do."
Against her more rational judgement, she climbed into the armchair and huddled up beside him, careful not to jostle his injured chest. Hesitantly, she placed an arm around his shoulders, the way she remembered him doing not so long ago. "Dave, I'm going to go fetch my needlewands."
"Sounds good. And I'll go fetch ten thousand dollars and the space shuttle Atlantis, that sounds just about as doable."
"They're with my other body," she explained, ignoring his sarcasm. "If I wake up, fight off the imps guarding me and fly to Derse, maybe I can get us out. Fight Jack, or cause enough chaos to distract him." It sounded like a foolish, unrealistic plan even to her, but it was better than nothing, and Dave seemed to realize that as well. With Dave's real body injured or possibly dead, it was no longer just their dreamselves at stake.
"Go for it," said Dave. "At least if he gets here first and kills us, you won't be here to feel it."
"Defeatist language, Strider," Rose scolded, leaning into him and closing her eyes. "Be here when I get back. I'll be horribly disappointed in you otherwise."
"I wouldn't dream of disappointing you."
Uneasily, she allowed herself to sleep. She felt for the body with the scrape on its face, the one she'd left lying in the sand. And she awoke.
- - - - - - - - - -
There was an i-beam punching straight through Dave's chest. Davesprite stared down at it glassily, his body lying there in the rubble, and in his mind's eye a heath vital hovered just above Dave's head, the last few seconds of his life draining away as the meter rapidly depleted. A resurrection kiss wouldn't work, not from him, not in this timeline where he wasn't the Prince of the Moon. He dived into the debris and began trying to hoist his dying body off the girder.
TG: ok heres how this is gonna work
TG: long story short its bad
TG: like stepped on a landmine bad and i know youve eaten in the last twenty four hours so really dont look
TG: but im a sprite
TG: and that means i have sburbs official permission to abuse my powers to their fullest and fill the health vial of whoever the hell i want
TG: problem is i dont know if just filling his health vial is actually gonna work
TG: since you know landmine and all
GG: :(
It had to work, because this was Alpha Dave and Alpha Dave was important. One of the people he was supposed to be protecting, with a future and a purpose and a best friend he could talk to without turning it into a fight. The timeline needed an Alpha Dave.
The timeline needed a Dave.
I'm a Dave.
He could let the meter run out. He could do nothing, and be the Alpha Dave again, John's Dave, the "our" Dave, the only Dave, if he just let the meter run out. Say he'd tried, and he'd failed, and he'd done all he could, and Jade would never know.
GG: i know you can do it dave!
GG: you said you wouldn't let anything bad happen and i believe in you!!
"Aw hell," said Davesprite, and he pulled his Alpha self free of the last few inches of metal and focused his healing powers as hard as he could.
Originally Posted by Megafire
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Re: MSPA Fanfiction VII: End of Thread 6 Flash
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Eridan starting up again, since she had been there when they initially broke up], Aradia comes in and figuring that she's 'in a bad enough mood as it is', goes to talk to her too (Rose assists) [starting their auspistice. Yes, it was Aradia's idea, and the initial delay was in Aradia thinking Feferi would hate the idea. She did not.]. Karkat decides this is a prime time to bitch about the saccharine influence the humans are having on the Troll relationship dynamic, which some other trolls decide to talk about, [REDACTED - VIOLET CLEARANCE OR HIGHER]. Finally, unknowingly echoing Feferi: Vriska, who is still upset about losing Kanaya, goes to talk to [Aradia] and asks if she would like to be her moirail. She accepts."
