MSPA Fanfiction VII: End of Thread 6 Flash

[bluelantern]

This is a Gleestuck fic >.>

DAME: CONTACT THE BARD

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DAME: CONTACT THE BARD

Santana began pestering Brittany.

*Santana: Brittany? You’re finally on-line! Where have you been?

*Brittany: I told you. I moved away to a tiny island in the Pacific. It took time to move stuff. We can’t use those machines that bring stuff from a place to another in an instant.

*Brittany: We use the ones that bring stuff from a place to another in hours or days.

*Santana: …

*Brittany: Also, I found my adoptive brother! Just like I told you

*Santana: …

*Santana: You aren’t joking.

*Santana: Usually when you are joking

*Brittany: I never joke. I’m honest!

*Santana: Fine, but usually when you are saying…

*Santana: the things you usually say, you don’t talk about them more than once, and then you never mention it again, because everyone is so embarrassed.

*Brittany: I know they sound stupid.

*Santana: I’m not saying that they’re stupid.

*Brittany:

*Santana: But they’re weird, and obviously made up, and you don’t mention them twice.

*Santana: It’s like every time you go to sleep you remember the dreams that you like the most and forget the old ones.

*Brittany:

*Santana: And… I assumed that this story about tropical islands and adoptive brothers was just because

*Santana: your grandparents actually died and your parents made you move away.

*Santana: So I shut up while you were talking non-sense, instead of asking you to cut it out.

*Brittany:

*Santana: Oh, god. I can’t believe I am going to ask this. Are you serious?

*Brittany: Yes! It’s all true!

*Santana: The dead grandmother and a dead step-grandfather in the middle of the Pacific? With a little boy that your family is going to adopt and move in with, not the other way around?

*Brittany: Yes.

*Santana: Moving to islands in the middle of the Pacific? With volcanoes?

*Brittany: Yes. Two islands.

*Brittany: Only one of has a volcano.

*Brittany: But the volcano is dead. The other island has FRIGHTENING FAUNA. We are living near the volcano.

*Santana: What?

*Santana: …

*Santana: Fuck.

*Santana: So you won’t come back?

*Santana: I don’t care about that. It’s fine.

*Santana: Move to your island, or islands or whatever.

*Santana: What kind of stupid kind of grandparents puts a will that demands you to move to an island in the middle of nowhere?

*Brittany:

*Brittany: Don’t talk about Sugar like that! Blaine says she was really sweet.

*Brittany: Blaine is my new bro! He’s nice too.

*Brittany: His bird scares me, though

*Santana: I don’t care. Your stupid grandma got her wish and everything.

*Brittany: Don’t call Sugar stupid. She was just doing what she was supposed to do.

*Brittany: I belong here, always did.

*Santana: I don’t care! I told you that I don’t care. I don’t care about your stupid island. Your stupid new brother! Your stupid dead Sugar!

*Brittany:

*Brittany: She had your eyes.

*Santana: What the fuck?

*Brittany: Sugar had eyes like yours.

*Brittany: I know that your eyes aren’t actually black.

*Brittany: Santana? Are you still there?

*Santana: How do you know? Who told you? Did you see them? Was it when you were playing that game with your cat?

*Brittany: Close… we haven’t played the game yet.

*Brittany: Hahaha. I told Blaine about it.

*Brittany: He said it was nice that you are almost my Knight in Shining armor

*Brittany: because you are going to be my Dame in Light Armor.

*Brittany:

*Santana: …

Notes: Brittany is suppose to sound "more sane" to people that know about Sburb and Skaya. In their session they have a single forge and two temples, in a manner similar to the trols session, both temples in two islands in the Pacific, the island are close and can be seen at distance with the naked eye, but only be travelled by boat.

[UkiTheMaid]

Oh boy, I said I was going to write something a little bit, hm, more well written and well developed than my previous attempt, and welp, here it is.

Since it's a tad bit longer than 1,000 words, I'm going to link to my tumblr, where I posted it.

Win or Die Trying

SPOILERS FOR ACT 5 GOOOO. Dave finds his brother after his fight with Noir and they talk. This is an alternate take on the canon scene inspired by my own roaming thoughts and this amazing piece of art.

Yeah. Here's an 'intro' bit thingy to ping your interest or something *lol*

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In between fighting winged imps and gigantic ogres, Dave could swear he felt something was wrong. Well, more wrong than things already were, with the obvious prospect of him and the others failing their game, thanks to Bec being prototyped with Jack.

Something kept bothering him on the back of his mind, as if he was supposed to be somewhere else, and not in the middle of a fiery field fighting fiends. A more pressing matter, something way more important…

He tried to pay no mind to that feeling, but it came to a point where that was too strong to ignore. He wasn’t supposed to be in LOHAC. He needed to be somewhere else. Maybe…

Breezing through the monsters to find a portal to anywhere else, he ended up on LOWAS. And right off the bat, things were a complete mess.

There was fire everywhere. Green fire. Jack sure acted a whole lot faster than Dave anticipated.

But, strangely enough, the blazing land wasn’t really the source of his bad feeling. It was something else.

[UkiTheMaid]

...and thought I should cross post them here!

-snip-

These are all so cute, I specially loved the Dave + Tavros one It warmed my heart!

[ArcFour]

Okay, all, here's the next one; the Mage of Hope!


3 - Mage

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What keeps you going, Mage of Hope?

God, you don’t know anymore. You keep trying, and trying, and trying, and you still have no idea.

You used to have an answer. You used to believe in something. You have a hard time remembering what, anymore.

It was something about Fate, you remember that much. Something about the universe not being that cruel. Something about how everyone had a chance, everyone had a possibility.

Yeah, you remember now. You used to believe there was no such thing as a no-win situation.

Sburb did a really good job of proving you wrong on that point, didn’t it, genius?

You remember thinking quite highly of yourself. You were smart, and you were rich, and you were talented, and you were just the best now, weren’t you? Nothing could have brought you down, nothing could defeat you.

You thought you were invincible.

God, you were wrong. You were so wrong.

And the irony of it all? The biggest joke that it’s played on you so far?

You’re the only reason they’re still going. The only reason they’re alive.

The only reason they have Hope.

You see it in every conversation. Isn’t it so plain? So obvious? The way that, no matter how dejected, how depressed, how doomed they feel, by the time you’re done talking to them, you can practically feel the good cheer oozing out of them?

To an outsider, you suppose, it’d just look like you were good at cheering them up, but you know the truth. You feel it, that outside power that guides your fingertips as you type, that leads your tongue to speak the words that will bring your poor, ragged team out of despair. You know just what to say, every single time, and it means you know the truth of it all.

But even knowing the truth, it might have been enough. You could have gone on, paying lip service to the idea of success, to the possibility of winning, to the Hope of a Reward that made it all worthwhile.

If you hadn’t found her body, cooling in the snow of your own world, it might have been enough.

But now, kneeling beside your Mother’s cold, unmoving corpse, you know that you have to acknowledge the truth.

That hope is nothing but a lie. It’s nothing but the fakey-fake nonsense that’s being fed to your team to eke one more day, one more hour, one more minute of effort out of them by the Powers That Be.

You know that you’ve been feeding them nothing but a placebo.

And maybe… maybe you’re done with it. Maybe the cold, hard truth is a bitter pill, but you can’t keep doing this.

But you are the Mage of Hope, and first, the Question must be asked.

What keeps you going?

What kept you going was that meager, improbable glimpse of a future where you could live beside your best friends in peace. It was the barest thought of arguing with your Mother about music choices and making soup together and waiting for her to finish her next book so you could secretly read it while she was asleep. It was the hope that you might be able to live, at the end of it all.

But now she’s gone.

And nothing is keeping you going anymore.

Not even them.

You don’t have the Power to hope anymore. The rest of the world can rot, for all you care.

All of your Hope died with her.

You think you might stay in the snow, and wait for the end.

Doesn't that seem fitting?

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This one made me sad. O_Q

But yeah, this is how I've defined the Hope classes; if you lose hope, you Lose. Simple as that.

Next is the Page of Hope! 8D

[bluelantern]

I liked the Page of Hope story, that is soooo. Jake.

I read that you have notes about those stories and how you deal with the classes and aspects, can you share some of those notes? >.>

[ArcFour]

Thanks, Bluelantern! Fun-fact, though; for reasons that I detail on AO3, this Page of Hope isn't Jake, just as the Maid of Life won't be Jane. In fact, I might as well post that reasoning here;

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I deeply considered adding the Alpha kids into the story. I've actually batted it back and forth every since we learned for certain that Jake was the Page of Hope. After all, I hadn't done Life and Hope yet, right?

However, there are two reasons I decided not to.

First, we don't know for certain what Mom and Bro are. All we have are theories. And the theory I like best is that, by the time all the characters are together, there will be a living embodiment of each Aspect somewhere among the Kids, Teens, and Trolls. Because Eridan, Feferi, Nepeta, Equius, Tavros, and Vriska are all dead, we'd be missing, in theory, Hope, Life, Heart, Void, Breath, and Light, except for the obvious fact that we still have John and Rose, which means the missing four are Life, Hope, Void, and Heart. And we now have Life and Hope. Add in the fact that uU had difficulty seeing Mom sometimes, and there's a good chance she's Void.

Which means Bro is Heart. And I already finished Heart. WOOPS.

I could work around that easily, though; just do an extra Page of Hope, Maid of Life, X of Heart, and Y of Void, outside of the rest of my sets of classes. Simple, right? Well, then I hit the second reason I decided not to; we really don't know much of anything about them yet. Like, at all. What would I write? We have maybe two or three instances of plot for Jake and Jane so far, and not even a name for Bro and Mom.

So, if I DID decide to do it, it would be right at the end of the fic, I think. The idea is still up in the air, but for now, call it a 'probably not'. I've got another 100ish left to do, anyway.

So anyway, there's my reasoning for it. As I said on AO3, I might do it later on, though I suspect not.

And with that, here is the Page of Hope (aka, NOTJAKE)!

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Who is your hero, Page of Hope?

Do you have to have just one?

Seriously, you’ve got, like, a dozen heroes. Probably more, if you bothered to count. You’ve got a few who are more present in your mind, of course, like Batman, or Harry Dresden, or Bumblebee from the new films, but there are plenty of others that come up from time to time.

Like Spiderman. Can’t forget Spiderman, and all of his snarky awesomeness.

Fantasy, science fiction, superheroes, detective noir, cyberpunk, even bad 80s action films; your heroes are all of these and more.

When you were growing up, these were the people you always wanted to be. Optimus Prime, Jim Raynor, Shepard, Link, The Terminator, Wolverine; you wanted to be all of them, and fight all of their battles, and teach all of their morals (and maybe woo all of their women, but you don’t talk about that as much to your friends).

So… so you hope it wasn’t that much of a surprise, what you did. It… well, could anyone blame you?

You weren’t the first in the game, so your friends told you about exactly what prototyping did.

And man, when they told you, you knew exactly what you were going to do.

After all, wouldn’t anyone give anything to be able to fight the villains their favorite heroes did?

So, while the others were getting ready to help you, you made your pile ready. Specific pages from specific books and comic, certain toys, printed screenshots of specific games, and more, all in a neat little pile.

Because when the time came, you were going to have the chance to fight the greatest villains in all of fiction, in real life.

God, it made so much sense when you planned it.

You tried to explain it to the others, later. You tried to explain that you didn’t really understand the scope of it, at the time. You think they understood.

They hadn’t either, after all.

But it didn’t change the fact that you had screwed everyone over so very, very hard.

When you found yourself fighting your own consorts, Indoctrinated to fight you against their will, you understood.

When your enemies changed their skin into monstrous forms, shifting from creature to creature, every one wrong to look at, every one of them powerful enough that you figured you might just need nukes to kill them all, you understood.

When any machine, even your own alchemiters, could be an enemy in disguise, ready to attack you at your weakest, you understood.

Your actions may well have doomed them all.

Yeah. You’re learning pretty well about the price of foolishness.

You are all held, now, in one last bastion. It’s the last safe place from your enemies, and it won’t last long.

You start to think this might be the end.

Then the Witch slaps you upside the head. She was always good at that.

All she has to do is point at the alchemiter, and now you’ve got another stupid, brilliant, one-in-a-million idea.

You look in your sylladex, and pull out the items that are going to redeem you.

You might not survive the next few hours, but by God, you’re all going out in style.

A few hours later, HE is there, in all of his massive, titanic glory. His single, massive eye glows with Sauron’s red fire, and his voice rumbles with the Reaper’s deep, electronic tones, and the Zerg’s sticky, oozing creep grows from every one of his footsteps. He is as immortal and powerful as Apocalypse, and as sinister and changing as the Skinwalker, and as terrifyingly mad as the Joker. He laughs, and god, the combination of the Joker’s high pitched mania and the Reaper’s droning, cold malice sends your heart into your boots.

And that didn’t even take into account all of the minions he had brought with him.

But beside you are your friends, with all of the equipment you made, with love, alchemy, and a lot of luck. Here is the Witch, with Cyclop’s visor and Zelda’s bow. Here is the Knight, duel-wielding a lightsaber and the Master Sword. Here is the Rogue, in all the trappings of a Terran marine’s blue power armor, Impaler rifle in hand.

And here’s you, with Batman’s belt on your waste, Captain America’s shield in one hand, and Dresden’s staff in your other.

And Indiana Jones’ hat, because why not.

You are preparing to go to your death, but you are the Page of Hope, and first, a Question must be asked.

Who is your hero?

Your heroes are the underdogs and the trodden, the diamonds in the rough and the defeated who keep on fighting. Your heroes are the ones who are given power, but out of the goodness of their heart, use it with law and righteousness in their hearts. Your heroes are the ones who stand for something greater than money, or fame, or other selfish things.

Your heroes are the ones who have forgiven you for your mistakes.

Whatever else it’s done, Sburb has turned your friends into everything you ever hoped to be, and more.

Your friends are the greatest heroes you will ever have, and even if this is the end, you’re going down in a way even the greatest of fictional heroes would be envious of.

And maybe, just maybe, you’ll come out on top anyway.

Because, in the end, isn't that how the stories always go?

Dun dun DUN!

Also, Bluelantern, all of my notes are on a GIGANTIC GoogleDoc right now, but I'll post some of the funnier/more interesting ones here later on. The notes are mostly correspondence between Shieldman, SilverKunama and me.

For a taste, here is the total notes we have on the Maid of Heart! Blue is me, Green is Shieldman, and Silver is Silverkunama

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[R105]Maid: She likes being STRONGANGRY. Her FISTS are maidmade of the screams of a thousand angry Vikings thirsting for meadBLOOD. SHE ISN’T TAKING ANY OF YOUR GUFF.
real notes later.
I... I thought these were the real notes
The note ruse was........... a DISTACTION
the writer HASS the real notes
:3
actually seriously I figured that I’d let the Maid be one of the last ones; get a feel for how the other ones go, and see if we want a serious one or a funny one. *nodnods*
Right, we can’t have too many silly ones in such an element. Good thinkin’.
Theory: The maid never gets angry. She’s incredibly passive and the other players laugh at her for her title. If she ends up overcoming her chains etc. etc. then she takes control at some critical moment or... something... i don’t know my idea just died.
Hmm... Well, the problem with that is that the Maid is chained BY her element; forced to serve it, somehow. So if that were the exact case for the Maid, she’d have uncontrollable rages or something. the Page, on the other hand, somehow LACKS his element, and must earn it. So the Page of Rage is a coward, basically.
But an amusingly rhyming coward!
I refuse to find that funny. OWAITTOOLATE.
But yeah, this one needs work, and I’ve got nuthin’. o_o
Sometimes they come to me after a while, so maybe I’ll think of something while I’m writing the others? I don’t know yet xD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermi...osive_disorder <- That might help? XD
That sounds dirty. :P Or horribly horribly fiery or something. “Yeah, sorry, sometimes I just explode. No, I don’t mean I get angry, I mean literally. MY LIFE IS PAIN.”
Also, that sounds interesting, but I’d like to point you to the Mage of Rage, who kind of has this. The Mage, however, tends to work like a bloodlust, so maybe the Maid has it as a sort of completely random thing? That might work, actually.
Maybe she could be, pre-medium, in some kind of psychiatric ward? Like she knows she has something like this, and has let herself be locked away because it controls her and she’s afraid of it, and then once Sburb happens she’s forcibly freed and then I lost my train of thought.
That’s an awesome idea, actually, but one question; is that a decision a 13 year old can make? Just curious. It would probably be something her guardian decided for her, wouldn’t it? I suppose it doesn’t matter in the long run, actually; I don’t have to fill in every detail, after all.
Yes, but the key would be that she thought it was good that she was locked up because she was afraid of herself. Controlled by her impulses etc. etc.
Ah, of course. Yeah, that works well! It would be interesting if the Mage, who has a similar setup, never had the blackout rages until Sburb came along, but the Maid has always been like that. It’s an immediate big difference between the two that could really make them unique. Excellent idea!
Yay, I’m helpful!
So, next one is the Knight, I think. *points upward*

Our notes are SO unprofessional looking, it's awesome.

Except then Shieldman went and sorted them really, really well, so it's like a cross between HIGH CLASS PROFESSIONAL and THREE RANDOM PEEPS ON A COMP.

Actually that kind of sounds like Homestuck right there; the sweet spot between HORRIBLY STUFFY-PROFESSIONAL and POSTER CHILD FOR TEH SLOPPINESS. 8D

[NeoDarklight]

Hmm... I was thinking of doing a Homestuck/Drowtales crossover fic. Except I'm not quite sure where to start. I'd make it a text-only fanventure, but I don't think there are that many people here who also read Drowtales. Anyone care to share some advice?

[bluelantern]

Wrote this today. Mildly based on this: thepageofhopes.tumblr.com/post/13517446964/homestuck-title-test and my idea for a gleestuck crossover AND ArcFour fanfic >.>

STAR OF TIME

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You Always knew that you are meant to special, famous, a star.

From early childhood your mother trained you dancing, acting, singing.

All for nothing.

Well, almost for nothing.

You still get to be a Star when the Game comes.

You make the most of it. If this is your time to shine, you will make it worth.

And times seems to shine right through you, not exactly your pulse or blood, but like your voice. The sound of time is a trained skill at your disposal, and by god.

You are always there. When your friends arrive in the medium. When they encounter their first imps, or when they find denizens, you welcome with a smug and a wave of your hand to destroy your enemies.

Some resent this and you call them ungrateful, but the only punishment that you give is holding the spotlight even tighter.

There were so many of you that "star" no longer fits, you are a constellation, more yet, a galaxy.

The challenge of the Ultimate Reward is like a black hole, you know that you can face it. With all the power you gained.

Your friends can't.

Because every time you were always there to take the spotlight from them. They never developed or got strong like you did. You didn't eve had the decency to share the secret to Rise Up beyond the mortal sphere until the last minute before facing the black king, and not all of them accepted the invitation.

The Seer tells this knowing all too well this is a doomed timeline and it was your mission to go back and fix it.

The Seer dies a second later.

It takes the death of the Heir to actually move you back to actually realize that all of this is your fault, it is his death that makes you realize.

Stars aren't suppose to shine alone.

You return to the moment where you hope that you can change and make a difference.

She, you, is there about to prototype after entering the medium, you jump right in the sprite and greet your confused past-self.

You don't have legs as sprite, and your nose is now a pig snout. Your face is a joke, not meant to be a Star.

But you (both of you, all of you), have to learn that there is nothing wrong in staying in the background.

[psychapprentice]

Fieldstuck- Chapter 3

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The streets of San Francisco were desolate. It was the night of Christmas Eve, less then 2 hours from Christmas, normally a day of great festivity by people of all creeds. However, while normally full of life and color, even at night, that night the city was as still as if had been devoid of life for centuries. The buildings' windows were dark, like eyes closed in a rejuvenating slumber. A streak of red in the sky threatened to rouse the city from its torpor, but it slept soundly on.

A few minutes later, a tiny patch of light was visible at the bottom of one of the thousands of buildings that rose from the ground. From an aerial view, it would be impossible to tell, but closer to the ground, one would have been able to see a boy leaving his house in the dead of night, turning off the light in the hall, and silently closing the door. That boy was named Luke Urban, and although he didn't know it, he was about to embark on the greatest adventure of his life.

Luke closed the door behind him, careful to remain silent. It was almost 11, and his older sister could be quite severe. Once outside he relaxed a little, although he knew getting back in unnoticed would require an equal amount of stealth.

Luke had a mop of blond hair, which he was constantly brushing off his face. He still had traces of freckles from his younger years, which he was a little embarrassed by. His eyes were a deep brown, and they reflected images almost as perfectly as a photograph.

He wasn't wearing a coat; it was unseasonably warm out, even by Californian standards. Even though he was only planning to be gone for a few hours, his friend Will had recently been reminding him to be prepared for anything. Luke took his warnings to heart, since, even though he was hardly superstitious, and believed his friend had access to more knowledge than he let on. For those reasons, as well as good old common sense, Luke's sylladex was packed with stuff he felt he might need.

His modus of choice was the Slots modus. The back of the modus card had an electronic slot game, which changed based on the items in the sylladex. It depicted the picture of each item, and in order to retrieve an item, he had to get the machine to land all three slots on that item. If he failed, it ejected any items shown in the slots. The inconvenience of that modus made it a rarely used one, but Luke still used it because he believed his uncanny timing allowed him to get what he wanted most of the time. Also, he had lost a lot of objects using the Slots modus.

His sylladex contained his laptop, the Sburb discs, and a few other things. To save space in his sylladex, he was wearing a backpack, which contained rope, medical supplies, a lock picking kit, and a few bottles of water. Luke could be impetuous at times, but not foolish.

He had two other items not contained in his sylladex: a skateboard, which he was riding, and a digital camera, slung around his neck, at the ready in case he needed to take a picture.

He had never seen the city this quiet. It was a stifling silence, the kind no one dares break. He was so spooked by the quiescence that he almost shouted, just to break it. But even he couldn't muster up the gumption to shatter the illusion of world peace. To remember this moment, Luke pulled out his camera and snapped a picture, right at the top of a hill, of the night San Francisco slept.


When the flash went off, Luke noticed something in the corner of his eye. The light reflected off of a tiny yellow patch of light an inch off the ground at the base of a building. He knelt down, and saw that it was his chameleon, Tori, who had run away a few days ago.

He picked her up and scolded her. “You have got to stop running off. Honestly, you're almost as bad as me.” He captchalogued her in the hope that it would keep her from disappearing again. It never helped, and she always seemed to make her escape even from within her card.

Luke saw a shack ahead of him which he had never seen before, so he went over to investigate. It was in front of an imposing tower that he had never taken the time to investigate. He made a mental note to infiltrate the building with the spirograph design. He approached the boxy structure. It was actually an old-style metal-frame elevator, with a sign over the door that said “Authorized Personnel Only”.

“That's enough of an invitation for me,” he thought, snapped another picture, then stepped inside. It only had one button, “B1,” so he pressed it. To his surprise, it didn't require any sort of key to work; the door closed and he began to descend.

The elevator jerked to a stop after what seemed like five minutes, and he saw a long tunnel. The walls of the tunnel glowed an eery shade of green, which was, in Luke's mind, reminiscent of “The Simpsons” portrayal of radioactivity, and it made him a little nervous to enter the passageway.

He went in anyway.

The tunnel had a slight decline, and as Luke descended, he couldn't shake the feeling of mystery, intuitively wary of what may lay ahead, yet unable to resist the power his curiosity held over him. He pressed on, the jade light at the end of the tunnel growing ever brighter.

When he finally stepped out into the room at the end of the passage, he saw in front of him an enormous grid, composed entirely out of perfectly cubic objects, all glowing with the same verdant hue he had seen in the tunnel. The grid was divided into four sections by two paths crossing through it. Looking back the way he came, Luke saw a sign above the entrance, that read “SN,” with the curves of the S filled by a Spirograph and an atom.

Snap.

He continued looking around the creepy room, which he was guessed was some sort of lab. On the edge of the grid nearest to the entrance there was a strange terminal, which Luke decided to investigate. The screen, with the words SN_HUBGRID at the top, depicted what appeared to be a representation of the grid in front of him. Luke gathered it was some sort of index of the individual cubes. One of the squares on the screen was blinking rapidly, and below the screen were the words “unlock SN_LAB1224.”

Guessing that whoever left the cube unlocked did so deliberately, Luke located the one in question on the real grid and examined it. He noticed that each of the cubes had an outlet for plugging things into them, but, as far as he could tell, they had no power cord or other source of electricity. They also had the same atom symbol that he saw on the SN logo. He decided to take it so he could investigate it later. He also chose to avoid the strange little platform with the triangley fractal design that was in the middle of the grid.

Snap.

On the left wall from the one where he had entered was a sign similar to the one he had seen before. This one had the same “SN” logo as the first, but underneath it was “Skaianet Laboratory,” and below that, “Unestablished In:”. The number below it, “0000:00:00:00:11:13,” was apparently some sort of timer, because he remembered that it had read “0000:00:00:00:12:24” when he had first arrived, and the number furthest to the right went down by one every second. He was a bit puzzled by the phrase “unestablished in,” but he decided not to dwell too much on it. Additionally, he noted that the timer had potentially been counting for as many as thousands of years, assuming all of the sections were used originally. Of course that probably wasn't the case, since it would have been impossible for technology this sophisticated-looking to have been around for more than a few decades.

Looking around for anything of further importance, Luke discovered an enormous terminal on one of the walls. It had a huge screen, which depicted what looked like a map of the world. Scattered across the map were dots of varying colors and sizes. A bar across a section of the screen, labeled “Time” showed what was apparently an explanation of the dots; it was a spectrum of hues from blue to red, just like the dots. The word “Impact” was written in the red zone.

There were also a few boxes on the screen. He didn't understand them, but he could tell they they were different methods of measurement. He presumed that they were meant to be used as search filters by size, location, and time, whatever those meant, which he got from the labels above each box and from the controls in front of him. He did not understand how to work it though, or what the relevance of each filter was.

Luke experimented with the bizarre controls in front of the screen, and discovered how to zoom in. The default coordinates appeared to be centered over the lab, as he could tell when he zoomed in enough. There was a yellow circle over the lab. By using manual controls, he found out that he could look at other places that had circles.

There were dozens of red dots around the world, and four blue ones. There was a red dot overshadowed by a larger green circle, about a mile south of the lab. He saw one other green dot, which he realized was right over his house. There were two other yellow dots, one in Australia and one somewhere in Midwestern America. He zoomed in on the latter, and saw that it was hovering over a forest near a large home. There was also a smaller red dot near the yellow circle.

Looking at the world map again, he realized that he recognized one of the larger red dots' locations. It was just south of Ireland, about equidistant from two rather large blue circles. It was the site of a high-profile meteor crash a few years ago. His sister had told him about it because apparently a research team from her firm had investigated it and discovered a strange type of metal. Another red dot was near his house. In fact, he remembered having visited that exact location once, only to discover a rather sizable crater.

Thus, he drew the conclusion that this monitor must keep a record of meteor impacts, denoted by red dots. He then theorized that different colors showed relative times to impact, and that the yellow circle above the lab meant that it was due to be obliterated.

“Or rather,” he thought, turning to look at the timer behind him, “unestablished.”
0000:00:00:00:10:36

Snap. Snap.

With two strange pieces of equipment sorted out, and one awaiting examination in his sylladex, Luke turned his attention to the far wall and the computer it contained. He walked over to it, still nervous about the platform in the center of the hubgrid.

The computer was a fairly recent model, and it sat on a desk with a chair in front of it. It was on standby, so he sat down and moved the mouse. The screen slowly came to life, and he saw a huge title to a text page, written in gold font.

Congratulations!
If you are reading this message, you may have already won! Your species has proven worthy and competent enough to complete Sburb at some point on its timeline. This qualifies it for one special edition Sburb Gold session pack. Your party has been selected for this limited time offer. To take participate in this challenging expansion, go to http://psww.skaia.net/expansions/gold and input passkey 18634122476413098. Please make sure that all members of your party download the expansion patch on the devices that they will be using to run the game.

WARNING: Sburb Gold is specifically designed to be difficult, and failure may be more likely. Play at your own risk. Players in a session must all download and install the patch in order for game completion to be possible.

Snap.

Although he did not understand any of that, Luke did pick up some things. The article had something to do with Sburb, and it gave instructions for downloading what appeared to be an expansion for the game. Since this was clearly Skaianet Laboratory, as the sign showed, this Sburb Gold patch was probably legit.

Luke took his phone out, and saw, to his surprise, a message from Kara.

show spoiler

hide spoiler

-esotericEngineer [EE] began pestering chromaticInfiltrator [CI] at 22:08-

EE: Hey Luke
EE: Did you get my present?
CI: whoa what the hell
CI: whereve you been?
EE: At home
EE: Where do you think I've been
CI: its just that no ones seen you for almost a week
EE: Actually four days
EE: Ever since Gwen gave me a great idea
EE: Well?
CI: well what
EE: I posed a question
CI: oh yeah
CI: there is a suspiciously olive box awaiting me under the tree
CI: assuming i get home by midnight i will definitely open it on christmas day
EE: Wait where are you now if not home?
CI: running around town like the hooligan i am
EE: Ah of course
CI: actually something cool just happened
CI: im in a lab right now
CI: i think this is where they invented sburb
EE: The game?
CI: no the car
CI: duh the game
EE: I don't really see the point of it
EE: It's been sitting on my desk for over a week
CI: wait what?
CI: you mean we could have been playing it this whole time?
CI: i thought i was the only one who had it
EE: Well I guess you thought wrong
EE: Will signed us all up for it
CI: god damn it
EE: But like I said It seems kind of boring
EE: What's it about?
EE: Houses or something?
EE: Lame
CI: alright it does sound lame when you put it that way
CI: but i think i just found the point of playing
CI: in this lab theres a big monitor with a bunch of multicolored dots
CI: guess what the dots represent
EE: Is it meteors?
CI: meteors!
CI: god damn it
CI: howwwwwwww?
EE: Lucky guess?
CI: ok theres definitely something going on with you
EE: Maybe
EE: I'll tell you later
CI: but the point is the meteors are coming to kill us all
CI: theyre aimed like right over our houses
CI: and something tells me this game has something to do with it
CI: you know since the monitor is here in this skaianet lab
EE: Even if they were related to Sburb
EE: Which I'm not conceding as true
EE: Do you honestly think a computer game could shield us against meteors?
EE: It sounds more like by playing we are basically sealing our fate
CI: well maybe not
CI: but arent you curious anyway
CI: dont you want to see where this rabbit hole goes?
EE: I've never been particularly fond of rabbits
EE: The problem with investigating such a burrow is that the rabbits probably peed in it
EE: I don't know about you but I find rabbit urine to be pretty unpleasant
CI: yeah but the danger of running into bunny pee is what makes it such an adventure
EE: OK please stop
CI: the point is the meteors are already coming so why not play anyway to find out why while we still can
EE: Or we can get away from them while we still can
EE: Which I intend to do right now
EE: If its coming to my house then I am going somewhere else
EE: I happen to have a date this evening, but I'll try talking to you from my hideout
CI: oh man this has bad idea written all over it
CI: i guess maybe youre right though
CI: its probably a coincidence
CI: maybe the good folks here at skaianet were game designers and meteorologists
EE: You do know that meteorologists don't study meteors, right
EE: It's just a fancy word for weatherperson
CI: what?
CI: thats stupid
CI: then whats a person who studies meteors called?
EE: I have no clue
EE: An extra-mineralogist
CI: i thought you had no clue
EE: I didn't
EE: Then I looked it up
CI: whatever
CI: i guess if you think so then maybe the games meaningless after all
CI: but it still sounds fun and im definitely playing it
CI: also i found a cool expansion already
EE: Luke no offense but I really have to go now
EE: And not just because of the meteor
CI: ok bye

-esotericEngineer [EE] ceased pestering chromaticInfiltrator [CI] at 22:12-

Luke turned his attention back to the matter at hand; the computer in front of him reminded him that he had a choice to make. Gold or no gold? He decided to get more input on the matter with the person who it would affect the most, being the only person who seemed willing to and capable of playing the game with him.

-chromaticInfiltrator [CI] began pestering genteelAromatherapist [GA] at 22:13-

CI: gwen we need to talk
CI: theres something i need to decide and it affects you too
CI: youre not even listening are you
CI: god damn it gwen wake up
CI: im pretty sure i only have like 5 minutes to decide

He then realized that she wasn't even online, which meant her phone was turned off. Luke thought about it for a while, before realizing that it was stupid of him to deliberate that much. “It's just a stupid game, so who cares if it's too hard and we lose?”

He logged on to his laptop and discovered that he had, for some mysterious reason, access to an unsecured wireless network, among the several secured networks that he suspected were broadcast from inside the lab. He went to the site specified on the terminal and entered the lengthy password, taking care to write it down so he could tell his friends if they ever decided to play. Suddenly, both his phone and his computer started beeping him.

show spoiler

hide spoiler

-ostentatiousAuthor [OA] began pestering chromaticInfiltrator [CI] at 22:14-

OA: I wouldn't do that if I were you.
CI: what
OA: Do you just randomly download anything that a computer tells you to?
CI: wow you are so undeniably psychic
OA: Actually, I'm not.
OA: I'm acting solely on what you told me.
CI: you should put more effort into your lies
CI: i think i would remember telling you something like that
OA: Not if you didn't do it yet.
CI: if i didnt do it yet then how can i have already told you?
OA: I hope that once you've figured that out, you'll tell me.
OA: Because I honestly have no idea what's going on.
CI: well did i tell you to tell me why i shouldnt
OA: Yes, you did, before you disappeared.
OA: You said that what you're about to do causes all of the trouble.
CI: what trouble do i cause?
OA: Apparently, all of it.
CI: but what does that mean?
OA: No clue.
CI: well then why on earth should i not do it
CI: it sounds fun
CI: who doesnt like a good challenge right
OA: Whatever.
OA: I'm not the boss of you, and I am certainly not going to convince you to do otherwise.
OA: I'm just the messenger.
OA: Also, you should probably do it fast.
CI: oh yeah
CI: crap ive gotta get out of here
CI: bye

-chromaticInfiltrator [CI] ceased pestering ostentatiousAuthor [OA] at 22:16-

0000:00:00:00:00:42

Luke scrambled to get all his stuff together and made a dash for the exit he had come in from. He was in such a rush that he forgot to cautiously avoid the fractal platform in the hubgrid's center. As he stepped squarely on the triangle design, he suddenly felt a tingling in his feet. The sensation spread even faster than he could think, and a feeling came over him like he was being blown through the air. When he opened his eyes, it took him exactly two seconds to realize what had happened; his surroundings were completely different. He had been transported.

He heard a roar overhead, and looked up in time to see a streak of red tear across the black night, leaving a trail of crimson in its wake. He saw exactly where it was headed, and turned north to look one last time at the laboratory.



The meteor made impact, creating a terrific cloud of flame where the Skaianet tower once stood, as Luke just stood there, awestruck.

Snap.

EDIT: Whoa, what the fuck!? PICTURES!?!?!?

[Kestral]

Here's something I've been working on for a bit. I doesn't have a good title yet, so be aware that its title may change part way through. Without further ado presenting: Hex Asending:

show spoiler

hide spoiler

Act one
Start

You wake up, and yet you don’t. Glancing around your room, you see it is exactly how it normally is, excluding a shift in color from green to gold. It is unusual for your dreams to be so detailed, or so accurate. And as you scanned your room, as always, you note, as always, what a royal mess it is. Machines parts, half finished sketches, and tools, all strewn about the floor and the floor was by no means the only usable horizontal surface (UHS) covered. A small desk sits in the corner with more sketches pushed to the side to make space for a laptop. Your sister gave it to you on the condition that you make some friends online if you aren’t going to make any in real life.
You’re not antisocial, it’s just that you and your Sis move around a lot, so making friends is hard. It doesn’t help that your name is Fern Anuket. This is a problem for such obvious reasons that you don’t even bother to think about it. You haven’t been making much progress on making online friends either. It just seems a bit weird to click on a random name and say, essentially, “will you be my friend?”
Oh well. Hey! What’s happening? The light coming in your windows, which you just noticed don’t correspond with the windows in your real room, is changing from a golden-y light to a blue-y light. You apologize to yourself for the terrible adjectives. You rush over to the window and look out it.
A huge golden city lies under your golden tower, anchored by a golden chain to a golden planet that you can see in the distance. Looking out you see two more towers that are much like your own also on the chained city. Suddenly, recognition dawns. So that’s what this is, stupid lousy subconscious! No wonder everything seemed familiar. Oh well, as long as you’re having this dream, you might as well see who your idiot of a subconscious put in the other towers.
Flying out the window, you make good time over to the other tower. Or you would be, if the clouds weren’t so distracting. Seriously, every time you start to move you catch a glimpse of the clouds in your peripheral vision and stop all forward progress to look at it. Oh well.
“Hey”
You turn around to see a young man, of approximately your age, floating next to you.
[color="#669933"]“Oh! Hi!”{/COLOR]
“I see you finally woke up”
“You’re from the other tower? I was expecting my lousy subconscious to put someone I knew there.”
“Uhh I’m not sure what to say to that”
“Oh well. Hi, who are you?”
“Hi my names Adam and I have decided that you are very strange whats your name”
“Err, I’d rather not say... And I didn’t mean ‘what’s your name?’ I meant, who are you?”
“Im not sure what to say to that either who are you”
“I’m an inventor of mechanical creations, an artist, and someone who is currently asleep and having an odd dream.”
“Its cool that you think of titles for yourself you seem very sure of who you are but you are still very strange and wont tell me your name for some reason”
“Yeah, I guess I’m being weird. Oh well. This dream is interesting, I mean, normally my dreams are sort of meta, but this one takes the cake.”
“I still have no idea what to say to that.”
“Ha ha! Ok, I’ll stop being such a social idiot.”
“Heh I like that social idiot Ill have to use that at some point so you’ve been cloud-gazing seen anything cool”
“Yeah, I saw this weird image of me and some guy I didn’t know sitting on the edge of a huge canyon. I guess my subconscious is sort of cool, if not original.”
“That does sound cool hey do you think I exist you keep talking about your subconscious”
“No, I don’t think you exist.”
“Im not gonna bother trying to change your mind Im gonna wake up soon so maybe I will see you tomorrow goodnight”
Adam turns around to fly back to his tower, leaving you feeling confused and sort of like an idiot. A few hours later, you wake up, and find that you remember almost all of the dream.

Be the other guy

A few hours ago, you woke up from an interesting, if disappointing, dream. You had been awake on Prospit’s moon for six years of your life and despite all the friends you have made there, you have been impatiently waiting for someone from one of the other two towers to wake up. Then, to your delight, last night one of them did. And she thought it was just a normal dream. She was so sure you didn’t exist, and she refused to tell you her name. And she was going on and on about how her subconscious was unoriginal. I was like she had seen a place like that before. But how? You guess she could have a house like yours, the towers on Prospit’s moon look just like it, except on yours the bottom floor is the atrium, and on the moon there are levels underneath it. And...
Your thoughts ramble away without pausing to breath, just like your speech does.
Lost in thought, you trip and stumble on a root that you didn’t see because it’s dark out. You wish you had a head for technology so you could rig up one of those cool transportalizers at school. Hey, that girl said she was good with technology, or at least that’s what you think she said.
“Hey, bro, are you ok?” Your older brother asks. Like everyone else in your culture, you live with your siblings. The adults live elsewhere and the only ones you ever have any interaction with are your teachers.
“Im ok do you think you could rig up one of those transportalizers at school”
“No, do you think I made them? All our cool tech was just in the house when I found it.”
“Still it would be great if you could maybe it would help with your challenges”
“Shut up, don’t remind me.”
Right, you just made the mistake of mentioning the challenges. The day after you turn fourteen you have to go through something called the challenges to become an adult. Your brother’s fourteenth birthday is in two weeks, and although he does his best to hide it, you know he’s scared. No one knows what the challenges are, and failure is terrible. Many who fail don’t survive. Because no one knows what they are, most thirteen year olds spend the year speculating on what the challenges are and attempting to prepare. But you’re sure your brother will succeed, he’s so cool, and you caught him scaling the side of your house in the middle of the night. After freaking out because you thought he was gonna fall and die you saw he was doing fine and fell back asleep.
That sort of thing is pretty normal for you.
“Uhhh so what time are you done with school today im staying late for football and track And maybe ill try out for that other game thats also called football for some reason but you dont use your feet wait that would involve being in more than one place at once or transportalizing a lot id prefer transportalizing a lot because being in more than one place at once seems confusing...”
“It’s ok, I’m not mad at you. You don’t have to babble on. And bro, you do way to many sports.”
“Ok.”

Days in the future, but not many

You are sitting on the roof of your dream-house with the other person who’s awake. You should really give her a name, if she isn’t gonna tell you her real one. Maybe Amy, you like the name Amy. Hey, you wonder if she still thinks you don’t exist.
“Ok person who still wont tell me her name now do you think I exist”
“Oh well, I guess most of the evidence points towards you existing.”
“I wish there was a way I could contact you in real life then I could prove that I exist and we could talk to each other more and that would be fun”
“That’s it! There is a way to contact each other in real life. Do you have a computer?”
“I think so theres probably one somewhere in my house I dont remember my waking life very well but I know it exists”
“Huh, that funny, I remember mine well. Anyways, assuming you have a computer, we could get in touch via this site called pesterchums.”
“Wait a minute I already use pesterchums so I must have a computer welp”
“Problem solved. So my chumhandle is apparatusDesigner.
“ApparatusDesigner cool now I have a name for you but its really long maybe AD oh I know youre Addy”
“Oh well, that works. What’s your’s? I should probably know incase you forget.”
“Its uhh oh come on I know this drat it Im sorry I just cant think of it ugggh this is frustrating normally this isn’t a problem ok it is I just normally dont have someone to talk to its so cool you woke up finally and now you think I exist wh-”
“Ok Adam. And I didn’t say I thought you existed, I said most of the evidence pointed towards your existence.”
You slump. you got so excited...
“But I hope you exist. There has been something I have been wanting to ask you but I want to be positive that you exist in real life.”
“Ok so youre just being over cautious with some cool secret that you dont want someone who doesnt exist to know wait that doesnt make sense”
“Haha! No it doesn’t. I just want an answer that I’m sure doesn’t come from my subconscious.”
“Ok that makes sense oh no now Im really curious are you sure you cant ask me now”
“Yes. Just make sure to message me tomorrow.”
“I will and sorry in advance if I message you at some weird time cause we probably dont live in the same time zone”
“It’s fine. Besides, I won’t be at school tomorrow.”
“Why not do you go to some weird school it is a Thursday tomorrow so I dont see why-”
“I got suspended.”
“What”
“I got into a fight. Scratch that, I picked a fight because I felt like it.”
“I dont know what to say you seemed like such a peaceful person ummm”
“You’ve known me for what, four days?”
“And youve been so nonviolent the whole time I...”
Your brother has always been very against violence. It’s sort of how you grew up. Being all peaceful and stuff. He even refused to let you sign up for some martial arts. Even the peaceful kind. You are sort of stressing out.
“It’s not like I’m about to attack you. Relax.”
“I I just I dont know.”
“I can hear you forget the apostrophes. It’s sort of odd.”
“What apostrophes dont make any noise how did you...”
As weird as this subject is, you’re glad she changed it.
“I don’t know. And yes, that’s why it’s odd that I can hear you leave them out.”
“I suddenly understand every- wait no nothing”
“Hahaha! Yeah, but I’m sure you’ll understand someday. About hearing things that you can’t hear.”
“Did you see it in the clouds that would be an interesting thing to see”
“No. I have no idea how I would have gotten that from a cloud. I just had a feeling. I sometimes just know things about other people’s life and what it will hold for them. My friend classifies it as ‘odd.’”
“I thought you said your sister gave you the computer so could make friends.”
“Friendsss. Plural. I have one, but we don’t talk much. She’s sort of annoying, but it’s nice to talk to someone.”
“Well now you have two and maybe if you didnt pick fights with people-” Rats you weren’t suppose to bring up that topic again.
“That’s not the reason I don’t have friends.” Her voice deepens, she’s getting angry.
“Ummmm ok sorry I said...”
“Relax I’m not mad at you, I’m mad at almost everyone else.”
“Ok still sorry I brought it up my brothers so against violence Im just nervous I dont really know what to say”
“It’s fine. Oh well.” Her voice returns to its normal, easygoing, pitch.
You sit in silence, watching the clouds. Ever sense you met Addy, your perception of her has been swinging wildly. Maybe that’s just what you get when you’ve been looking forward to meeting someone for a long time. You come up with your own personality for them. Then they wake up, and they’re nothing like you imagined. It’s sort of disappointing. As Addy would say, oh well.

How do you use color? I'm completely computer illiterate. Also, is there such thing as something being to long for one post even if you spoiler it? The next scene was really long so I didn't include it.
Critic is very welcome. I'm working on character development and foreshadowing. If anyone has any guesses as to what Fern and Adam's titles are it would be appreciated. (Both to find out if the foreshadowing worked and to find out what fits.)
Please don't tell me this is good just because it's my first post. Tell me it's good if it is actually good.
Edit: I figured out colors! I will color part too at some other point.

[Shinji Shazaki]

Erm...

Hmm. I haven't been here in a wickedly long time. I should have something good to mark my return. I know!

I bring to you chapter 16 of Frontierstuck: The Last Edge of the Frontier.

In which hopes for the futures are stated; all hell breaks loose; a last stand is made; and Rose gains closure on many things before looking forward to a new journey.

When it is not ass o’clock and my head is not splitting, I will post the chapter to DA and then make a more coherent post about the chapter itself and what this ending means for Frontierstuck on the whole.

oh my god it’s doooooooooooooone

[Shinji Shazaki]

All right, as I promised last night, here is the final chapter of Frontierstuck on DA, broken into two parts because it is a really big chapter.

I'll be making posts on my tumblr regarding the chapter itself, what that last line means in the scope of my writing scheme, and what exactly my writing scheme is going to be from now on, as I have rather extensive plans.

Sorry for the massive delay in getting this written and posted. It's been rather bad for me this last little while, but I am very happy to finally finish this story. You've all been wonderful readers, and I hope you enjoy this final chapter and the various other works I'm going to produce in the future.

[SkaianRedeemer]

Congrats, Shinji!

[penguinbound]

Heir of Self

show spoiler

hide spoiler

I am the Heir of Self.

I just don’t understand it. I didn’t think that was even a title. But I guess it fits. I guess. Being in a three person session where the other two are lovebirds is just a recipe for loneliness. If you’re not in the couple. I’m not in the couple.

I guess that was obvious.

The point being, I’m by myself. The Heir I breath is for mySelf. That took me a while to think of. I’m not a genius, but I try. Anyway, I don’t think I have a power. What kind of power is Self, anyway? There’s no... use for it. I just can’t wrap my mind around such a lame power concept. Time and Space, those are a real couple of powers(they are also the powers of the couple).

And then there is Self.

I mean, what the fuck does Self do? I can’t clone myself. Despite how utterly appropriate that would be, all trying to do so resulted in was a change in pants. That was a joke, too. I can’t realize all the things I’m good at, or whatever. I’m just... me. And that is honestly the worst power ever. I thought our titles were supposed to help us? Challenge us?

The only challenge about the title is that it does ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOTHING. I mean, I guess it could teach you to rely on your self, but I’ve been doing that for years, now. It’s not hard. I just don’t see a good thing that can come out of this. Even my nifty god pajamas are stupid bland white and gray.

My symbol is a solid circle.

I just. I hate this game. I don’t have powers, I don’t have a cool jacket, I don’t have anything. I have myself.

That’s not good enough. I can’t do anything for my teammates if I’m just me. I’m an average kid. I’m good at firing my gun(now I am), and I’m decent at running. But I’m not doing all the cool shit my friends are. I can’t pick up the slack. I can’t leap through time, I can’t turn planets pocket-sized, I can barely fly. I don’t even get the fucking full ability to fly.

I’m plain, I’m average, I’m the worst fucking kind of god.

But, I suppose that’s where the challenge lies. I just don’t like the challenge. I can’t grow from it. It’s making me a worse person. If I had badass powers, I wouldn’t be so irritated at having to try to shoot an enemy before running to try and get another shot in without getting hit. I wouldn’t have to be jealous of my friends wasting their enemies with fucking meteors because of teamwork or love or some stupid bullshit.

I suppose in the context, I’m not a god. I’m pretty much Jesus without all the nifty shit he gets. And I’m not a carpenter. I would love to turn water to wine. Mage of Wine. That’s my kind of title. But, no. I get Heir of Self.

And it’s fucking terrible.

You know what I learned from my title?

That I really hate myself.

I’m so.

Fucking.

Average.

And it’s complete bullshit.

[Megafire]

Freedombound chapter 4, Karkat: -- is up on AO3.

Enjoy.

[Quirk]

Why did I do this. Why. This is always a horrible idea.

[Triangle Man]

Why did I do this. Why. This is always a horrible idea.

I laughed and then I laughed again.

Especially when Vriska showed up out of the blue.

It wasn't as bad an idea as you thought it was!

[Quirk]

I laughed and then I laughed again.

Especially when Vriska showed up out of the blue.

It wasn't as bad an idea as you thought it was!

I know, it's just a bit of self-depreciating humor.

I mean, even I can't hate Vriska when she pulls a Kondraki and releases Jack and 682 just to mess with Terezi.

Also, just imagine Nepeta playing with all the cat SCPs. MAXIMUM D'AAAAAAW

[Triangle Man]

I know, it's just a bit of self-depreciating humor.

I mean, even I can't hate Vriska when she pulls a Kondraki and releases Jack and 682 just to mess with Terezi.

Also, just imagine Nepeta playing with all the cat SCPs. MAXIMUM D'AAAAAAW

1) Agreed on both points. Vriska would do that, perhaps.

2) Alternate worlds are fun and cause harality.

3) Jack riding 682 is probably one of the more terrifying things in this universe, right?

[Quirk]

3) Jack riding 682 is probably one of the more terrifying things in this universe, right?

682 is a giant unkillable lizard that will adapt to resist any force used against it, and has an undying hatred of everything. Everything. It wan't to kill everything.

So does Jack.

So yes. It is pants-shittingly terrifying, were it not so silly.

[zebtrestalala]

Hey guys! Long time no see! Seeing as most of my other projects have so wonderfully self destructed EXCEPT for the murder mystery I wrote for troll cops, I toyed with the idea of another murder mystery. And then I wrote 2 chapters of it.

Right here on AO3

I'll tell you right out that it's not an "Everyone is human" kinda fic, and I would really appreciate if you guys could give me some tips on what I'm doing, seeing as stories bound in real life are not really my kind of forte.

[Grand Mal]

TROLLAIN GAINAX, CHAPTER FOUR

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Your name is Rossiu Ampora. Your Interests? You have none. You have devotion. You hare a proud believer in- no, knower of the teachings that belong to the Church of the Sternful Saviours. They have no time for such a luxury as mirth. Mirth is fifteen-thousandth on your religion’s list of priorities, if it’s on there at all. Order, Morality, and Rationality occupy the top three space, but you are not quite sure which goes exactly where.

Ah, but it does not matter. All that matters- all that can help in a crazy world such as this –is devotion. You are devoted to the Church. You are devoted to the Hemospectrum. You are very much devoted to the fine young empress, whom you guard and assist in the matter of Lusus feeding. You are also fairly loyal to your friends, which isn’t a big thing in the Good Book, but, hey, nothing against it in there. Overall, your life of waiting for the Paradise Planet couldn’t have been any smoother.

And then the game came along.

“Go ahead,” the princess said. “Lighten up! You need to play with something for once and a while,” she said. Oh, how those dastardly landwellers hath twisted her mind. You are stuck in this uncompromising realm with rowdy miscreants from every corner of the caste system, and, worse, a possible mutant revolutionary. You can’t shake this irrational fear that you will never be able to return home, to reach that glorious promised land of Bureaucracy and Civility. Suffice to say, all your energies are being directed towards shushing those thoughts, and finding a way out of this illogical, frivolous, childish game.

***

Your name is Shimon Nitram. You are fascinated by the concept of tunneling, and have bored through the old cliff-face more times than you can count. The thing is as porous as pummous by now, but you try not to worry about it collapsing. You are an incredibly humble and well-meaning lowblood. You don’t try to upset the established order too much, but your good Moirail (who would most definitely not want to be called Shirley) sometimes doesn’t know where to stop with the nonstop thrills and risks. You try to perform pale duties to the best on your abilities, but old Kamiza sometimes makes you feel like a bit of a failure in that regard. Not that he hasn’t been immensely helpful on his part. Oh, god, you’re so ungrateful.

Look, you don’t really have time for an exploration of the Psyche. Right now, you find yourself in the world of Sgrub. It seems to be even more dangerous than that scary flarp thing that Kamiza drags you on so much. He didn’t even get back to you about that Haruko girl before he and Reida dropped you into this terrifying realm. Boota, your fairy-bull Lusus, can talk now, so you guess that’s a plus. By the empress, you are so utterly weak. If you were a real man like Kamiza, you could handle this ridiculous predicament. Pierce the heavens indeed.

***

Your name is Fefnia “Nia” Peixes, and you can barely contain your excitement for what is a-going down. Oh, how you marvel at the monumental change of scenery. This is truly one of the best games you’ve ever played. So many new friends to meet, so many new places to explore, and your Lusus, Gaag’hee’ll, is alive and well, and talking to you without needing to whisper in eldritch tongues!

The only downside just might be Megido and Makara. Reida has been a thorn in your side for so long. Why, whenever you see someone less fortunate than you, (and let’s face it, who isn’t), your tender heart, really starts to-

Well, one gets the Idea. But Reida is refusing to cheer up! All she does is fall into endless expanses of despair and hopelessness. Same with poor Shinzi, who in many ways has it worse. At least you think Reida is faking, given her ridiculous lies about the whole trollian race going extinct. That’s just silly! If it were extinct, all of your life's work would be for naught!

HAHAHAHshehadbetterbefuckinglying.

**

You are Kamiza Pyrope. You need no introduction.

So, what do the peoples think? Once I get through the last show, I'll probably switch to narrative format.

[KarneWarrior]

For the first time I was congnizant of a plot being formed in my head. It was...weird.

But anyways it involves grubs and astral projection on a psychic field ala Persona 4's TV except not.

Once I flesh it out some more it could be awesome.

[zebtrestalala]

Perhaps indeed. I am a little confused by what you mean by all that but I trust that you will come up with something decent at worst Karne.

Also, Mal, is it bad that I'm only familiar with TTGL out of, I'm pretty sure, all the animes you've been referencing in that fic. It looks pretty good, but the majority of the references are lost on me. Reminds me of that one thing that Graven did a while back, but that might have been exclusively TTGL, if I'm not mistaken.

[Kestral]

Here is part two of Hex Ascending. I think I'm gonna end up keeping that name. I still want to know if there is such thing as to long even if it's spoilered. Also how do I post links? I want to link to part one.
Hex Ascending, part two. It has mild swearing, in case anyone cares.

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Hours in the future

You are tinkering with a robot when pesterchums alerts you that someone is trying to contact you. You’re technically grounded, but your sis doesn’t care.
“Just so you know Fern, you are grounded. Have fun and do your homework at some point,” she told you before leaving the house to do whatever she does during the day.
On your computer you see poorly puchuated yellow text asking for someone named Addy.
woodsyAthlete [WA] began pestering apparatusDesigner [AD] at 14:06
WA: Hey Addy
WA: Are you there I exist just so you know
WA: Hey Addy
WA: Hey
WA: You must be busy
AD: I’m here.
AD: You type very fast.
WA: Im impatient What were you waiting to tell me I had to wait hours
AD: I will assume that you are Adam.
WA: Der Who else would I be
AD: I don’t know. Anyways, I guess I have to ask you. Oh well.
WA: What what what
AD: Relax, it’s a stupid question. Anyways, have you ever read or heard of a webcomic called Homestuck?
There, you asked him.
WA: No
WA: Im sort of disappointed I was expecting something more Um I cant think of the word
AD: Profound?
WA: Yeah Whats the deal with this comic Why is it important
AD: Well, one, it’s interesting, and two, I really think you should read it. It’s important.
WA: That didnt answer my question So I just type in Homestuck into a search engine and bam Important comic I dont see what this has to do with anything
AD: Unless you pay a lot of attention you wont see how important it is until act three. Also, it wont show up on any search engine.
WA: Why And are you saying that a webcomic isnt on the web
AD: Yes. My friend showed it to me. As near as we can tell, it’s not from this universe.
WA: Cool
AD: It’s a bit of a mystery. My friend says that it is also stored outside of time and somehow keeps updating.
AD: Anyways, here’s a link. It will send you to a website and on that website is a link to MSPA (ms paint adventures). Click on the link that says Homestuck. It’s the only one that works.
AD: btw, almost none of the links work.
You send him the link, and check to see if your other friend is online. Nope, but she probably will be in ten minutes. She’s like clockwork, that girl.
WA: Ok Im there Ahh the kid just blinked Whydidntyousayitwasanimated
AD: Hahaha sorry.
AD: Ok, I’ll leave you to read your webcomic. And please, at least read until act three.
WA: Ok, see you tonight.
apparatusDesigner [AD] ceased pestering woodsyAthlete [WA]
Ok, you have nine minutes until she’s on. That’s not really enough time to continue work on your robot, it’s not really enough time to do anything, so you dink around on your computer for a bit.

Dink around on your computer for nine minutes

You do exactly that. Oh look, she’s logged on.
apparatusDesigner [AD] began pestering literaryFanatic [LF] at 14:14
AD: Hi.
LF: hi fernny!
LF: long time no see!
LF: except, we don’t actually see each other
LF: ):
AD: I have something important to talk to you about.
LF: ok but before we get down to important business, we should talk about random stuff!
LF: your school is still going on at this time.
LF: there are three reasons why you could be talking to me right now.
AD: What part of important do you not understand?
LF: your school is closed for the day, you are sick ):, or your school was hit by a meteor.
LF: or you got suspended again ):.
LF: or idk.
LF: sorry that’s a lot more than three.
AD: That is two more than three. Also, the thing I need to talk to you about, It’s important!!!!
LF: calm down! Do I need to go over there and start the papping and the shooshing?
AD: Oh a Homestuck reference, just what I needed.
AD: Seriously, I need to talk to you!
LF: i’d stop making homestuck references but...
AD: I’m not going to humor you.
LF: ...
AD: Really I’m not.
LF: ....
AD: Really.
LF: .........
AD: Oh well,
AD: ...but addiction is a powerful thing.
LF: :D
LF: ok, now what do you want to talk about?
AD: Agggh!!!!! You’re so frustrating!!!!!
LF: bluh, bluh, bluh. i’m listening now.
AD: Please stop with the Homestuck references. I really can’t handle it right now.
LF: are you going to respond with an athletic maneuver of some kind and win a metal or some shit?
AD: No!!!!!!
AD: Or actually yes, but I refuse to describe it in detail.
LF: ok i’m really listening now. does the important thing have something to do with why you cant handle (hehehe) homestuck references?
AD: Yes.
LF: does it involve mystery, intrigue, humor, and a good story?
AD: Maybe.
LF: I’m all ears!!!
AD: Actually, you’re all mouth.
LF: :D
AD: Ok, this is not a lead up to an elaborate role playing scenario like it usually is.
AD: And that sentence is absolutely true and also not a lead up to role playing.
AD: Neither is that one.
AD: I’m not sure how to show you how serious I am.
LF: just get on with it!!!
AD: Oh well. I sort of don’t want to tell you because I feel like that would make it more real.
LF: wow you finally have me listening and now you don’t want to talk about this “important thing.”
AD: Ok, oh well.
AD: I woke up on Prospit.
LF: there are two possible responses to this. He he, she’s just roleplaying, or oh god oh god oh god oh god! the meteors are coming.
LF: because i am your friend and it’s my job to believe you and i love a good story i’ll go with the second one.
LF: so oh god oh god oh goh og odg!
LF: shit!
LF: *so oh god oh god oh god oh god!
AD: I don’t think the meteors are coming any time soon.
LF: Oh right, the clouds.
AD: No, its that, assuming that a webcomic that until recently I thought was complete fiction accurately represents what is going on, the people playing Sburb
are always on the verge of maturity.
LF: so...
AD: When do kids become adults?
LF: fourteen. Ohhhhhh.
AD: So we probable have about two years.
LF: whew. heyyy, was i on prospit’s moon?
AD: No, just two other guys.
LF: so hopefully i’m on derse.
AD: Yeah it would suck if you weren’t one of the heros.
LF: awww :)
LF: was there anyones else awake? did you know anyone there?
AD: Yes there is someone else awake, and no i didn’t know him.
AD: But I know he actually exists, I just finish chatting with him.
LF: what’s his name? it would be so weird if i knew him.
AD: Adam.
LF: i don’t know any adams.
AD: Oh well.
LF: you two should go gather more info proto!
LF: find out what you’re the hero of. and your title.
LF: and find out if i’m a hero.
LF: actually, do that first. I need to know if i’m gonna die or not.
AD: Ok, we will do our best.
AD: I don’t what I’ll ask the Prospitians though. “Have you met this person who may or may not be sleeping on Derse?
LF: :)
LF: you could cloud-gaze.
LF: look at the puffy oracles fernny!
AD: Really, you need to stop this constant barrage of Homestuck references.
LF: also ask adam when his birthday is. all the players birthday must be close together, like mine and yours.
AD: Ok. I think I’ll go. I’ve got some robot tinkering to do.
LF: wait, if prospit is real, then are sylladexes real?
AD: I doubt it.
AD: It seems unlikely that we had them all along and never new they were there.
LF: hold on i’m gonna try to captchalogue something.
AD: Holding.
AD: Well?
AD: Hello?
AD: Are you still there?
literaryFanatic [LF] is now an idle chum!
You wonder what could be taking her so long. She normally reports things right away, in a very excited manner. She’s probably got her nose in a book looking for information. You’d wonder if she had ever even heard of the internet if she hadn’t just been using it to chat with you.
LF: fernny!!!! guess what!!!!!
AD: Based on the number of exclamation points I’d say you successfully captchalogued something.
LF: i know you’re excited :). you always pretend not be excited when you are!!!!!
LF: i bet you’re flipping you’re shit right now!!!!
AD: What did I say about not being able to handle Homestuck references right now?
LF: quit pretending not to be excited!!!!!!!
She’s right, you’re incredibly excited. You are looking around your room trying to decide what to captchalogue.
AD: How did you do it?
LF: know that you were excited????
AD: You know what I’m talking about.
LF: :P i picked something up and thought very hard about captalogueing it.
AD: It sounds rather simple.
Ah look, there’s a bolt sitting right next to you.
LF: it took a while to get it!!!
Well, now it’s in your sylladex, that was very simple. Why did it take her so long?
LF: now i’m trying to figure out how to get it out ):
AD: You tried to captalogued a book and started reading it.
AD: That’s why it took you so long.
LF: yupppers! we know each other to well!!!!
AD: I’m guessing you have a stack modus? That’s what I have.
LF: yupppers again!!!
LF: i guess it’s like the simplest one so everyone starts out with it?
LF: that doesn’t make any sense!!!! i think array would be simpler!!!
AD: Oh well,
AD: I think if I ever get array I’ll just stick with it.
LF: Shhhit!
LF: I just fired a book at a bookshelf on accident and knocked it over!
LF: got to go!!!
LF: bye!!
literaryFanatic [LF] ceased pestering apparatusDesigner [AD]
AD: Wait!
AD: Ughhhhh.
Oh well, as soon as you get the bolt out of your sylladex you’ll get back to tinkering.
Hours pass, you and Adam chat about sylladexes. Apparently he already knew about them because his brother showed him. He keeps sending you commentary on Homestuck, and you have sense stopped responding.
WA: This is sort of boring
apparatusDesigner [AD] is now an idle chum!
WA: Wait is the meteor heading towards his house
WA: Im so confused What is going on
WA: Rose is my new favorite character
WA: Oh no is John dead He cant be dead
WA: Never mind
WA: They have a really weird culture Why do they live with adults
WA: Dave is my new favorite character
WA: Is WV a chess piece I dont understand
WA: Jade’s house looks exactly like mine I need to talk to you
WA: Are you even reading this
WA: Addy I need to talk to you
WA: Its getting creepy how similar Jade is to me Not including dead grandpa and her dog
WA: Especially her dream
WA: ADDY PAY ATTENTION
WA: Why is Prospit in the comic Where are you Addy
WA: I think I need to go do something else
woodsyAthlete [WA] ceased pestering apparatusDesigner [AD]
Whoops, looks like Adam needed to talk to you. Oh well.

Author Notes

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I kept worrying that it was to meta and self referencing, then I realized that it was no more meta and self referencing than Homestuck. Whew.
Edit: here is an attempt at linking to part one. I hope it works. Hex Ascending, part one