#At least in WA2.

[satoshi-mochida]

White Album: Memories like Falling Snow coming west for PC in Q3 2023

Gematsu Source

Shiravune will release Aquaplus-developed romance visual novel White Album: Memories like Falling Snow for PC via Steam in Q3 2023 worldwide, the publisher announced. It will support English, Japanese, and Traditional Chinese language options.

White Album: Memories like Falling Snow first launched as White Album: Tsuzurareru Fuyu no Omoide for PlayStation 3 on June 24, 2010 in Japan. It is a remake of the original White Album, which launched on May 1, 1998. A PC version of the remake was released on March 30, 2012 in Japan. Shiravune’s release will mark the first time White Album is ever officially released in English.

Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:

About

The classic visual novel from Aquaplus that launched one of Japan’s most beloved franchises.

White Album is a story of love in many forms.

Toya Fuji is an ordinary college student but for one thing: His connection to the popular singer Yuki Morikawa.

That popular singer, you see, is his girlfriend… and the more popular she gets, the less time the two can spend together. Will they stay a couple, or will their ways part? As winter falls and the air grows colder, the two lay down new tracks in the album of their love…

This album will be as white as snow, and as poignant.

Prologue

Strains of a song drift on the cold winter wind, and outside a music shop, my feet come to a stop. The cathode-ray tubes of the monitor pipe in a picture and I stand here, on the other side, silently watching. On my way home from classes, amid the biting chill, she holds me rapt…

It’s been as ordinary as every other day of my life. Ordinary, that is, in every way except one. We’ve clung together just as always, even since her debut. At least so far.

She leads her extraordinary life, and I live my mediocre one. People meet, and they break up, and get all mixed up together, but the days spin by all the same.

[broadway-sollux]

thii2 2ong wa2 pretty relatable two do not goiing two liie.

thank2 @broadwayaradia for jumpiing iin wiith me ehehe.

now iif youll all excu2e me-

iive got 2ome falliing two do.

lyriic2 by candyGroove under the cut

In a battle, I was flying Just some moron's best-friend guy KK can be clumsy, and he stumbled Down the stairs, into the sky Now I am falling through the air Wind and regret flow through my hair All I can do right now is stare down at the abyss

Suddenly, there's a ring on my palmhusk, I pick it up It's the Angel of Death, and she says "What's up?" I say, "What is it this time?" And she's like "Well, hello, goodbye, I'll see you in Hell." She can be like that sometimes, she's such a nut So I snicker and say, I'd love to, but Gravity is calling, I've got some falling to do

I'm in a state of shock, but it's something new I guess it all depends on your point of view. It's true

This is boring yes, I'm falling But it's taking quite a while Our destination is impending Might as well go out in style I put my arms out to the skies Whistle a tune and close my eyes Trying to briefly realize perpetual motion

Suddenly, sparking tentacles flash into my mind And with total precision they lasso me It's acceleration that’ll spend my life And I'm in too much pain to be nice So I tell them the truth, that I'd rather fall No offense but at least it's predictable Gotta stop stalling, I've got some falling to do

I'm probably gonna die, but it's something new I guess it all depends on your point of view it's true

[thewapolls]

ESPERANZA & BASTIS , the former is a spanish name meaning "Hope" but the other one was actually misromanized, it should be PASTIS... like the liqueur? How weird... I had expected it to mean something complementary to "Hope," that or a another type of girl's name. There are a bunch of drinks named ESPERANZA, but none especially distinct.

HOB & NOB the original Japanese actually just names tehm AKA[アカ] and AO[アオ], "RED and BLUE." They've got a little Red Oni-Blue Oni thing going on, but clearly they're a pair of floating red and blue attack drone things used by a kind of superscientist, so they feel like a throwback to Alhazad's, right?

ENTOMA, the Greek entoma[έντομα] meaning "insects." Not really related to ESPERANZA & BASTIS, but it fit the gap.

MONO& HECTOEYE TITANS just self descriptive titles, but they are conspicuously synonymous with the CYCLOPS and HECATONCHEIRES.

HEIMDALL GAZZO, the villain's flying fortress in WA2, named at least partially after the Norse watchmen of the gods, Heimdallr. I think i mentioned it during the boss poll trivia, but I have no idea what the GAZZO is.

ZKAUBA is an alien wizard in the short story, Through the Gates of the Silver Key, that the human protagonist inhabits.

TSATHOGGUA. So I can't find a good image of this one, so I have no idea if it shares a character model with anything else. But the name at least is an Old One from Lovecraftian mythos.

Y'GOLONAC again we've covered before. Another Old One in Lovecraftian lore.

[homestuck-stories]

Wait I want to request a thing for my best friend.

He adores karkat, sollux, and mituna. So If you could write something with any of them for him that would be lovely!

He loves cats and bees a ton, struggles with OCD and being half deaf (missing an ear). Hes an artist too and loves baking.

Just do whatever is easy but make it really sappy and romantic >:3c fluster him ♡

Hope this is ok to request! Thanks in advance!

♡Fox

—SOLLUX WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING RIGHT NOW. ARE YOU ON DRUGS? Some troll asked on Trollian. The notification arrived soon, being answered by another troll. —… no, iim not iin drug2. why are you a2kiing that riight now, KK? —LET'S SEE. YOU WERE REALLY SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT YOU WANTED. YOU WANTED TO TALK WITH Y/N. I GAVE YOU HIS TAG. AND YOU IGNORED ME. I TALKED WITH HIM. THEY ACCEEDED TO TALK WITH YOU AND, AFTER PUTTING SOME WORK ON IT, I EVEN MAKE HIM AGREE INTO HAVING A DATE WITH YOU. BUT YOU HAVE TO GO NOW IF YOU WANT TO SEE HIM. The other troll tried not to panic. He knew how important it was to cause a good impression on you on the first date, so he said. —oh. 2o you 2ay that iim late. that make2 2en2e. yeah, ii 2hould go now. thank2 for remiindiing me two go talk wiith hiim, KK. ii dont know what iid do iif ii havent 2uch a good friiend —PLEASE DON'T BE DEPRESSIVE AND SWEET WITH ME. YOU ARE KINDA DISGUSTING. BUT YEAH, SAY THANKS. YOU HAVE TO BE THANKFUL I DON'T GO IN YOUR PLACE. THAT KID IS REALLY NICE AND HAS SOME GUTS, SO I FEEL HE COULD WORK AS A GOOD MATESPRIT. TA disconnected that moment, making his way to the place where you were waiting. He arrived as soon as possible for him and, when he arrived, he was so flustered. He wasn't expecting something so… Appropiate. You lacking a part of yourself (your ear) did make Sollux feel alright in a weird but good way. He was insecure because of his doom player condition, which made him half-blind and half-death in some weird way, so being able to see that his date was not perfect… Kinda fixed his vision. Not quite literally, since he was half-blind still. But it was the best he was gonna feel. At least, before talking with you. He approached while you were working on some art. It was a portrait of Nepeta and yourself surrounded by some cats. You both seemed kinda cute for him so it was time to talk for Sollux —hey. that look2 really cool, 2eriiou2ly. —… Huh?… Oh! It's you. Sorry, could you repeat what you said? Sollux was stupid. Or that's, at least, how he felt. Clearly he was half deaf and talking to him standing on kid's bad side was almost awful coming from someone who should understand his struggles. —… yeah, 2orry. ii wa2 2ayiing that… that your art look2 pretty cool. tho2e are really cool cat2 and ii have two admiit that iim 2orry for beiing late. —Oh, I know that you were, but I already came with my own plan. If you weren't coming, I was gonna keep drawing. I already planned everything so I wouldn't feel anxious if you couldn't assist. That sounded kinda bad and sad but then he remembered what KK said. "HE STRUGGLES WITH OCD. AND NO, I'M NOT TRYING TO MAKE ANY JOKES LIKE OLD CRUSTY DICK OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I'M TALKING ABOUT OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER." —2o… how are you? iim pretty bad wiith thii2, 2orry. probably iit2 better iif ii go. my lii2p ii2 makiing everythiing wor2e, iim probably the mo2t obnoxiiou2 troll you ever talked two —No, please! I planned everything because I would find kinda hurtful being alone when I want to spend time with you. Don't feel like you are bad at anything because the only thing you are not good at is making me feel uncomfortable!… Sollux was a little bit confused by your way of wording that, but soon recognized that you were trying to help. —okay… thank2 agaiin. and… ii want to 2pend tiime wiith you two. ii hope that wa2nt corny enough to 2care your a22 haha… You laughed because that sounded really cute. You shaked your head and said, with a smile —A little bit corny, yeah, but not enough. You have to try a little harder than that, sorry. So… I was doing this drawing because I wanted to improve my relationship with Nepeta and, well, I'm doing another one of Mituna. Do you have any request, something do you want me to draw for you? Something that will make you feel better. And that's how you and Sollux spent an evening together.

-------------------------------------------------------- Hey! I hope your friend likes it! I'm sorry if I misunderstood anything about the request, and I'm sorry if I can't capture exactly Sollux's personality! I tried my best and I hope it's good enough to fluster your friend! <3

[pesterloglog]

Aradia Megido, Sollux Captor, Jade Harley, Kanaya Maryam, Tavros Nitram

Act 5, page 3590-3613

apocalypseArisen [AA] began trolling twinArmageddons [TA]

AA: s0llux!

TA: hey what'2 up aa.

AA: y0u will never guess what i just f0und

TA: won't ii?

AA: i d0ubt it

TA: wa2 iit the matchiing ruiin2 2iite?

AA: um

AA: yes

AA: h0w did y0u kn0w!

TA: ii don't know, ju2t a weiird feeliing.

TA: ii feel liike we had thii2 conver2atiion before and that'2 what iit wa2 about.

AA: yeah

AA: me t00

AA: what d0 y0u think it means?

TA: probably nothiing. but now not only doe2 iit feel liike we had the conver2atiion before, but iit'2 goiing diifferently thii2 tiime.

TA: 2o iit'2 extra weiird. maybe your voiice2 are iinvolved?

AA: i d0nt kn0w maybe

AA: maybe y0urs are t00?

TA: ii don't hear a goddamn thiing.

TA: do you?

AA: wait

AA: yes

AA: shes very quiet th0ugh i cant tell what shes saying!

TA: oh well.

TA: why don't we pretend there ii2 no 2pooky paranormal phenomena goiing on ju2t once and talk about what you wanted two talk about.

AA: g00d idea

AA: 0k d0 y0u remember what we talked ab0ut regarding kanayas ruins?

TA: 2orta.

AA: i asked y0u f0r help in understanding the glyphs

TA: ii gue22.

AA: 0_0

AA: are y0u just being difficult 0r d0 y0u really n0t remember

TA: ii gue22 ii don't fiind the whole my2tery of the ruiin2 a2 exciitiing a2 you, ok?

AA: well 0bvi0usly!

AA: but i really appreciate y0ur help anyway

TA: 2ure.

TA: how can ii help, then.

AA: well y0u said that y0ud need an0ther set 0f glyphs t0 make sense 0f them

AA: y0u speculated that there might be an0ther set 0f ruins

AA: y0u even guessed they w0uld be blue! it turns 0ut y0u were right

AA: d0nt y0u think that is pretty c00l?

TA: oh yeah, ii am awe2ome about that for 2ure.

TA: but,

TA: ii can't 2hake the feeliing the2e ruiin2 are goiing two be nothiing but trouble for u2.

AA: but y0u say that ab0ut everything!

TA: that'2 becau2e iit'2 fuckiing true about everythiing!

AA: n0 its n0t!

AA: i did find s0me 0ther neat things d0wn here t00 which are strange but quite harmless and n0t f0reb0ding in the least!

TA: liike what?

AA: like this AMAZING hat!

AA: it is an authentic arche0l0gists hat its s0 hard t0 find them in this style

AA: there are n0 h0rn h0les but i l0ve it anyway its great

TA: pretty 2weet aa.

TA: hey diidn't you al2o fiind 2ome biit2 and piiece2 of your biizarre robot doppelganger.

AA: i wasnt g0ing t0 tell y0u ab0ut that!

AA: damn it h0w did y0u kn0w

TA: ii don't know, ii ju2t "remembered" 2ome more 2hiit about thii2 dii2covery, god 2orry.

AA: this is stupid

TA: yeah, well, ii gue22 thii2 ii2 the kiind of 2hiit you have to deal wiith when two p2ychiic2 talk to each other about 2tuff.

AA: maybe

TA: why don't we piick thii2 up agaiin later when we're not feeliing 2o weiird?

AA: well

AA: 0k

apocalypseArisen [AA] began trolling twinArmageddons [TA] and apocalypseArisen [AA]

AA: ahem

AA: sorry to interrupt i wanted to give you both the chance to remember but it doesnt look like this is going anywhere!

TA: what the fuck?

AA: w0w what

AA: is it coming back yet

TA: is WHAT c0ming back, wh0 ARE y0u?

TA: wh0a h0ld 0n.

TA: why am i talking like y0u suddenly?

AA: this is a mem0ry

AA: in a dream bubble

AA: thats right!

TA: 0h.

TA: that d0esn't really answer my questi0n, but 0k.

AA: y0u changed y0ur v0ice because y0u remembered

AA: like i did

TA: remembered what?

AA: that i died

AA: this is my mem0ry and als0 hers

AA: but i went 0n t0 bec0me the r0b0t wh0se remains are in this crater

AA: whereas she did n0t

AA: i d0nt actually kn0w her st0ry 0r h0w she g0t here but f0r me this was the end 0f the r0ad

AA: this is the afterlife

TA: well, shit.

TA: s0 then i guess i'm dead t00?

AA: nope!

AA: you are just asleep

AA: you are also blind!

TA: h0ly shit, i can't see!

AA: yes thats what being blind means

TA: w0w, awes0me! way t0 be awes0mely sympathetic t00 my terrible new pr0blem, aa.

AA: sollux will you shut up and stop being so tragic for once

AA: you knew this was going to happen! your prophecies of personal doom were practically all you ever talked about

AA: i think you were looking forward to this honestly

AA: shes right

TA: i can't believe this, it's alm0st as if i'm getting...

TA: D0UBLE TEAMED.

TA: 😎

TA: damn.

TA: that didn't feel right at all, i think i might have t0 retire the wh0le bifurcati0n gimmick, puns and all.

TA: actually that is kind 0f a relief, maybe y0u're right, i'm feeling better ab0ut this already.

AA: great!

AA: you should be able to relax now that youve been released from the curse of your vision twofold just like you said youd be

AA: you are now merely doomed!

TA: 0h.

TA: that's... awes0me?

AA: being d00med isnt that bad

AA: i spent m0st 0f my life that way remember

AA: at least y0u have the luxury 0f understanding

AA: and the best part ab0ut being d00med is y0u 0nly have t0 put up with it until y0u die

AA: thats the spirit hahaha

AA: actually i guess i dont have to keep talking like im doomed anymore do i

AA: nope :)

TA: this is s0 weird, what am i even listening t0 here.

TA: 0_0

TA: FUCK, i cann0t BELIEVE i just made that face.

AA: hahahahaha!

AA: hahahahaha!

TA: g0d dammit.

TA: 0h yeah, als0...

TA: why the fuck are my teeth missing?

AA: i

AA: dont know?

TA: 0k, well, great, glad we g0t t0 the fucking b0tt0m 0f that mystery.

TA: myssssssstery. mystery. mySSSSthSSSStery. mysterymysterymystery.

TA: man, i can't even lisp anym0re if i try.

TA: please d0n't laugh, i can tell y0u are b0th enj0ying this, i can smell it using my new blind guy n0se p0wers.

AA: really?

TA: n0 n0t literally, i was j0king. i mean n0t YET. maybe i'll ask tz ab0ut it when i wake up th0ugh.

TA: hey what was that n0ise?

AA: what noise?

TA: i think s0me0ne else is here.

AA: oh its jade!

TA: jade?? wtf.

AA: whos jade

AA: shes one of the humans we met after you died

AA: ok

AA: i guess i am out of the loop on chronology for once

AA: thats fine youll catch up!

GG: ummmmmm hey guys i hope im not interrupting!!!

TA: well, yeah, y0u kind 0f were, s0rt 0f a reuni0n 0f cl0se departed friends g0ing 0n here, but n0 big deal i guess.

GG: oh no!

GG: i can leave

AA: no dont!

AA: sollux try to be polite

AA: there is no reason at all for you to feel hostile toward them anymore

AA: jade is very nice and she did nothing wrong

AA: none of them did so when you wake up maybe you should try to reconcile with them or at the very least just say hello

TA: did Y0U?

AA: did i what

TA: be nice t0 them 0r whatever bef0re y0u expl0ded.

AA: well no

AA: but i should have!

AA: i did with you before i left didnt i

TA: i guess s0.

GG: :o

AA: this is awkward

AA: shush you!

AA: what actually happened after i died it sounds complicated

AA: it is!

AA: ill get you up to speed i promise but guys come on lets not scare away our guest

AA: ok then ill shut up

AA: i think one aradia saying things is more than enough probably

TA: y0u can say that again heheheheheh.

TA: but i mean, d0n't say it again literally, because that's kind 0f the wh0le p0int, and w0uld c0mpletely c0ntradi...

AA: oh my god shut up!

GG: its ok! i can take another nap later when you guys arent busy...

AA: no jade its ok

AA: please stay! im curious about why you are here

GG: well...

GG: i have just been enjoying these little naps more and more lately!

GG: each time i go to sleep i meet more new people and learn so much

GG: but i still cant get karkat to take a nap, boy talk about a guy who is anti nap!

TA: ahahahah, yeah, what a d0uche!

GG: seeeeeriously!

GG: he is the douchiest of crabby crabs who ever douched a big douchey crab

TA: l0l.

GG: but yeah, its been fun, i should really thank feferi again for setting it up so we could meet like this!

TA: wait, ff is here?

GG: yup!

TA: 0h g0d, why didn't that 0ccur t0 me, where is she??

GG: ummm probably in another bubble

GG: but youll find her! maybe during your next nap...

TA: well shit, why can't i just g0 glub ar0und 0ut there in the ring and find her n0w?

TA: i mean, aside fr0m the fact that i'm blind and c0mpletely useless.

AA: navigating between bubbles is difficult here

AA: its better to drift between them naturally as they intersect

AA: not spatially but through common points in memory

AA: to navigate the furthest ring you need to have mastered the flow of time!

AA: that is why i am here

AA: i am alive again so i may assist the dead in this way

TA: huh.

AA: jade tell me

AA: have you seen me here before? i mean me dressed like i am now wearing my godhood

GG: yeah!

GG: you were really nice and helpful

TA: wait, what, y0u're wearing a g0dh00d?

TA: why didn't y0u tell me that, what gives? 0r that y0u came back t0 life??

AA: im wearing a hood and have butterfly wings what else would you like to know

TA: man, being blind is dumb, can i like gr0pe y0u 0r s0mething t0 get up t0 date 0n y0ur appearance, w0uld that be weird?

AA: yes sollux that would probably be pretty weird

GG: i think your outfit looks so cute! i love your wings too

AA: thank you your outfit is quite spiffy too

AA: i like that skirt a lot especially

AA: is

AA: is that a skirt?

GG: i am not sure :o

TA: /R0LLING MY EYES.

TA: is what i w0uld be d0ing if that were p0ssible.

AA: shhh!

TA: aa c0me 0n y0u were making a p0int.

AA: yes ok

AA: you see those encounters you had with me before have not happened for me yet because ive only just arrived

AA: time follows strange paths here as does space

AA: if you travel a great enough distance you may discover you are also traveling either backwards or forwards in time as well!

AA: just as if you stay in one place for too long the geometry of space surrounding you will become unreliable

AA: you may swat the air to your left and discover you have just slapped yourself!

AA: the only way to make sense of it is to understand either property very well

AA: and since i am new here i have some learning to do just like everyone else

AA: but i do know one thing

GG: what!

AA: i knew that the first bubble i would enter would be an important one for us to visit

TA: what's s0 imp0rtant ab0ut it?

AA: hang on

AA: we are moving on to a new memory hold that thought

AA: it is important because it will help us begin to understand why we are all here

TA: what d0 y0u mean why we are all here?

TA: y0u mean in the afterlife? that's easy.

TA: because she's asleep, she's dead, y0u're alive, and i'm blind, c0uldn't be simpler.

AA: no no

AA: not why we are in this bubble now

AA: but why we all exist in the first place and why we all went on this adventure together

TA: 0h, that.

AA: there is much to understand and i believe it all begins with one sequence of events

AA: watching will help those whove passed to understand the purpose of their sacrifice and those still living to understand what must be done to complete the journey still ahead

AA: we will let the memories lead the way

AA: are you guys ready?

GG: i am ready!

AA: ok lets allow the next memory to take shape

AA: i believe it is kanayas

AA: i will reprise my role in a conversation i had with her shortly after i discovered the ruins

AA: everybody hide and try not to spoil it for her until she remembers!

AA: hey kanaya

AA: there is s0mething i want t0 give y0u

GA: Oh Really

AA: yes its s0mething very 0dd i f0und when i disc0vered the ruins the 0ther night

AA: i d0nt kn0w what its arche0l0gical significance is yet but i suspect y0u will be able t0 repair it!

GA: This Is A Dream Isnt It

AA: 0_0

AA: w0w!

AA: uh i mean

AA: o_o

AA: wow

AA: you figured that out very fast!

GA: It Seemed Obvious

GA: Either Im Sleeping Or Im Dead Which Is It

AA: oh i am sure you are alive

AA: you are unconscious now and will likely wake up as your new self very soon

GA: My New Self

AA: yes

AA: you are undergoing a metamorphosis which you have been groomed for since you were very young

AA: much like i was for my various personal iterations including this one

GA: You Mean

GA: Being A Ghost And Then A Frog And Then A Robot And Then A Fairy

AA: yes!

AA: but it sure sounds silly when you list them all like that

GA: Kind Of

GA: What Do You Mean We Have Been Groomed

AA: wellllll

AA: that is what we are about to find out!

AA: if you will oblige us by continuing with this memory

GA: Okay

GA: What Do I Do

AA: why dont we go through this conversation again to the best of our recollection

AA: but i guess rather than acting it out we can just talk about it

AA: the old fashioned way

GA: Was What We Were Attempting Before Not Old Fashioned

AA: i have no idea

GA: It Seems To Me The Nature Of The Afterlife Is Probably Very Old Fashioned

GA: Maybe Even The Most Old Fashioned A Thing Can Get

AA: haha yeah you know what i mean though

GA: Yes Then

GA: This Was When You Were About To Give Me That Unusual Gift From The Ruins

AA: yes

AA: i then had sollux deliver the pieces to you so you could stitch it back up

AA: sollux that is your cue!

AA: come out and play the part

TA: s0 we d0n't have t0 hide anym0re?

AA: no of course not!

AA: obviously the jig is up everyone can come out now

GG: yay!

TA: s0 like,

TA: 0k s0 i'm supp0sed t0 act 0ut what i did bef0re, when i br0ught her these shitty d0ll parts, is that's what's g0ing 0n here?

GA: Yeah Im Still Not Sure Aradia Are We Supposed To Be Role Playing

AA: no guys come on this isnt that complicated!

AA: we are just revisiting the past just like we would if we were talking about it

AA: but it just so happens we can watch it happen as we talk about it

AA: and as a matter of fact

AA: this story does involve a role playing game but not in that way!

TA: thith ith kinb 0f thtupib.

AA: youre stupid and you sound stupid!

TA: h0py thith, i b0 th0unb thtupib.

TA: why the fuckth ith by b0uth fthull 0f all thethe theeth subbenly?

AA: i dont know o_o

AA: but you maaay be waking up soon

TA: 0h, 0k, greath, th0 i will mithth the retht 0f the c00l tht0ry, 0k.

AA: maybe not if we hurry this along!

GG: wait! before we do...

GG: hi kanaya! it is nice to meet you

GA: Hi Jade

GA: Uh

GA: What Is That Thing Youre Wearing

GG: you dont like it???

GA: No I Didnt Mean To Sound Disapproving

GA: But I Do Think More Colorful Apparel Suits You Better

GG: yes i know you told me!

GA: I Did

GG: yes but you probably havent yet

GG: not from your perspective..... i could not help but overhear you are asleep now

GG: you told me all about what happened after you woke up!

GA: About What

GG: about how you turned into a vampire

GA: Whats A Vampire

TA: thith ith ribicul0uth.

AA: thollux is right

AA: i mean sollux

AA: kanaya tell us what happened next!

GA: There Isnt Much To Say

GA: I Repaired The Doll And Made Him A Nice Outfit

GA: With A Far More Becoming Palette And Fit Than The Absurd Tatters He Was Found In

GA: I Thought At Least

AA: yes

GA: Uh

GA: Should There Be Anything Else To This Story

AA: not really!

GG: isnt that daves puppet?

AA: yes

GG: :\

TA: aw sthith, i guethth i'm 0utha here.

AA: bye sollux

TA: thee y0u lather eberyb0by.

GG: bye!

GA: Anyway That Is All I Can Remember

GA: I Quickly Began To Find The Doll Unnerving So I Put Him Away

GA: To My Knowledge He Has Remained Secure In My Block Ever Since

GA: Is He Relevant In Some Way

GG: guys why do you have daves puppet?

GG: what is going on here!

GA: Yes Aradia It Seems You Have Some Foreknowledge Of This Narrative Maybe You Can Tell Us Why Any Of This Is Important

AA: this is only a piece of the story

AA: the other pieces will fall into place with successive memories and it will all become clear

AA: but yes alright i will eliminate some suspense and try to serve as a better guide on this tour through the catacombs of our collective subconscious

AA: the separate tunnels we once traveled in the dark as individuals we now retrace together with a torch

AA: on the walls we illuminate the runes which describe a convoluted origin story

AA: an origin we participated in

AA: we were spurred to these actions by that which was being originated

AA: and incited to acts of revenge as we were turned against each other

AT: i DON'T REMEMBER THIS,

AT: i MEAN,

AT: i REMEMBER GETTING JUMPED OFF THE CLIFF BY MY LEGS,

AT: bUT NOT THE THING i'M DOING NOW,

AA: no

AA: our manipulator disguised his tracks well

AT: dO i,

AT: hAVE TO LIE ON THE FLOOR LIKE THIS,

AT: iS THAT IMPORTANT,

AA: no tavros you can get up

AT: aLSO,

AT: cAN WE, oR AT LEAST i, bE NOT IN THIS MEMORY,

AT: bECAUSE,

AT: iT'S ONE THAT'S NOT AS GREAT AS MOST,

AA: we will leave it soon

AA: but you were doing something very important here

AT: wHAT WAS i DOING,

AA: writing a part of the code

AA: an incomplete fragment consisting of four symbols

AA: comprising the first word of a binary refrain

AA: a pair of sounds emerging from the belly of a fabled tyrants menace

AA: but you authored only one sound of the pair

AA: i would write the other

AA: in the soot of my ruined hive i scrawled my part of the code

AA: completing the phrase of legend

AA: the persisting sounds said to accompany the ultimate demise of the tyrant less an arm and an eye

AA: but even these eight characters

AA: the scrawlings of charge

AA: were still but half the code

AA: there was another half by scourge in two parts

AA: one part three symbols

AA: and the other

AA: five

AA: why the scale was tipped in this way between sisters

AA: i cannot say!

AA: each fragment would be transcribed in our rulebooks

AA: sealing the collaboration between rust bloods and blue bloods

AA: completing the code for our sessions architect

AA: not exactly

AA: there was another fragment

AA: oh?

AA: yes

AA: an additional eight symbols

AA: from a wild card source i suppose

AA: it came from a timeline not meant to happen

AA: the one i came from to ensure it wouldnt

AA: thus sealing my fate

AA: i believed the fragment was gibberish from a lunatic

AA: after completing his rampage through our session

AA: since it was not part of the scripted chronology i was oblivious until it was too late to stop it

AA: not that it would matter if i did the timeline had already gone astray

AA: i pieced together what had happened by sleuthing the various scenes

AA: and discovered the text which the code was recorded in

AA: i decided to return to the alpha timeline with the text

AA: as evidence for his madness i guess

AA: in the alpha timeline this text was destroyed

AA: in an explosion caused by a computer virus

AA: this explosion did not take place on my timeline

AA: i identified this event as the difference prompting the offshoot

AA: and returned to our planet via the reckoning just as i did at the end of my life

AA: though that time deliberately

AA: to influence events quietly to make sure it happened

AA: and later joined the rest of our doomed selves to help defeat the king

AA: the others surely had similar responsibilities along the way

AA: as for the book

AA: i lost track of it shortly after i arrived

AA: yes we all lost track of our books

AA: they were gathered surreptitiously by agents assigned to the task

AA: and in the veil their codes were merged with the ghost imprints of other mysterious artifacts

AA: our first guardian was brought to life on the seed to pass through skaias final gate of defense

AA: the first to find alternia

[gho2ty]

@chr0n0kinesis replied to your post “ii rlly need a newer 2elfiie bc the la2t one wa2...”:

ill take a picture of you when you least expect it

​terriifyiing thank you.

[securitycapecreature]

okay i am miscommunicating here. what did you mean by your reply to my Friemd Mutie ask (which was an ask About the ask game.)

Ohhh i 7hough7 7ha7 wa2 a grub name.... Anyway

___

Ohhh i thought that was a grub name.... Anyway

-You're my friend<3

-I need to interact with you every day to remain sane

-Love seeing you on my tl

Ownn!!!! You too!!!! At least one hello per day keeps the insanity away

[wholeheartedwonders]

heya iif youre feeliin up two iit could ii get a 2hufflemancy for my 2ollux pyrope tl? chiill iif not ofc (but uh, iif you Do, yaknow, do one, could you liike,,, explaiin. iim godawful at iinterpretiing anythiing haha)

ii dunno iif you need extra context but iif iit2 any 2orta help ii wa2 a 2eer of voiid and (i thiink) 2tiill had p2iioniic2 but liike, wa2 2tiill bliind and all that jazz (<- ii have Liiterally no iidea iif that2 helpful)

a ny way2 thank2 + your blog 2eem2 real cool - 2ollux pyrope

aw, thank you, sollux! that’s very nice of you. i always explain what i find for shufflemancies, so don’t worry, and any extra info is always helpful, even if it’s small.

as i always say: please take it with a grain of salt; whatever i spew here is just my thoughts from the song i got, not fact. i’m just a dude with a phone after all.

that being said, the song i got was please please please let me get what i want (2005 ver) by deftones.

-★-

this song is about getting what you want (as seen by the title.) it’s very short and sweet, with there being emphasis on this being the last and first time this would happen. there’s also a theme of struggle.

this can easily play into how your timeline went since there’s a line directly about life—your life could make “a good man go bad”. it can be assumed that it was one of struggle and yearning to get what you want. maybe all you yearned for was for it to happen at least once, hence the last and first time this has happened. maybe you wanted this because you didn’t want to become “bad” per say. maybe this was the problem you were facing once you became blind or while playing sgrub. considering your classpect, it could be because you were unable to find something in your visions.

please know that, despite this reading, whatever you find through the song lyrics and this reading are up to you. my words are not an “end all". i hope this helps, and if not, i can do another.

[sapphism-and-nihilism]

So recently I started watching a once-lost animated series from the 90's called The Legend of Calamity Jane & noticed that an overhead scene in one episode looked VERY familiar, and I recognized where I’d seen it before IMMEDIATELY. there's a nearly identical shot in the opening to Wild Arms 2's 2nd disc! I don’t know if it’s coincidence or if one heavily inspired the other (TLOCJ came out+aired around 1997-98 while WA2 was released in Japan around 1999) or what but I thought that the similarities were at the very least VERY cool!

[captor-gaming-channel]

okay when ii 2aiid bo22 fiight wiith a baby thii2 ii2 really not what ii wa2 expectiing.

well what were you expecting with that setup?

chiild abu2e mo2tly.

local man abduct2 chiild wiith vacuum. yeah, that'2 weiird enough to be 2omethiing that would happen to me.

now you're just giving Paradox Space ideas.

2omehow ii feel the proce22 of phy2iically cru2hiing gho2t2 iinto paiintiing2 2hould be a lot more horriifyiing than thii2.

you're right. at least throw in some crunching sounds game!

[purple-stuck]

I really adore your writing! Can I PLEASE request a purple Sollux drabble? Maybe interacting with gamzee?

hey, gz. wanna hang out?

Gamzee stared down at his phone, squinting his eyes at the purple text. Somewhere in his addled think pan he thought it was strange. Sollux hardly hung out with anyone in person. He was always a shut in, especially for Purple blood standards. Only clown who'd attended less church was probably Gamzee himself and that was only because Sollux sometimes made video calls. But, ever sense Aradia... it was a miracle he still answered texts.

Still, Gamzee wasn't gonna say no to his blood brother's company. Maybe Feferi helped him cope. Maybe he went pale for Karkat, those two had always been close. Hardly mattered.

WeLl, ShIt. SuRe MoThErFuCkEr. CaN't SaY nO tO a NiCe AnD pRoPeR hAnGiNg SeSsIoN. wAnT mE tO sWiNg By YoUr PlAcE, oR wHaT?

nah. ii'm at the door. ii wa2 iin the area and fiigured ii'd a2k.

Right on cue, there was indeed a knock at Gamzee's front door. Huh. Sollux must've been right at the door when he texted. Made sense. If Karkat was any indication, Sollux had a habit of just barging into a brother's hive like he lived there and playing all their video games. Probably remembered at the last second that he and Gamzee weren't that close.

When Gamzee open the front door, he found himself staring at Captor's chest. Even hunched over as he was, Sollux was still the tallest troll Gamzee knew. The boy managed to be both lankier and buffer than Gamzee somehow. Granted, that's not hard. It'd be a stretch to call any version of Sollux Captor buff, but any purple blood with a proper lusus was going to be thicker than Gamzee.

Gamzee stopped that thought dead before it sunk in any deeper.

"At least I know I'm not interrupting anything." Sollux said dryly. "That's not the hair of someone who had plans for the evening."

Gamzee snorted, appreciating that the ribbing was good natured. Sollux didn't regard him with the same contempt, say, Equius did, so it was hard to take anything he said as an actual insult. Same deal with Karkat, really. "So, what brings you around to my hive? Feferi finally convince you to go outside?"

Sollux's lips twitched into a smirk before he jutted his thumb behind him. "Nah. I'm just picking up an old hobby."

Gamzee's eyes trailed to the cart Sollux had parked at the bottom of the steps, a chill going down his spine at the sight of faintly blue blood trailing down it's side. "Oh..."

Gamzee's eyes twitched back to Sollux, who just sighed. "I'm on my second kill, so don't worry. I don't kill in odd numbers. Plus, I've seen you making diamond eyes at Karkat and I'm not that much of a dick."

Gamzee let go off a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. "Well, it's good to know I won't be adding to Aradia's fucking corpse collection-"

Sollux stiffened and Gamzee stopped dead. Shit. Fuck. He should know better. What was he doing bring up Aradia, fuck-

"It's... fine." Sollux sighed, bringing his hand to his temple as he steadied himself. "I'm fine. It's fine. She would've found it funny, anyways." Sollux forced a smile onto his face. "Besides, you're not wrong. She'd love to throw corpse parties for these motherfuckers in whatever rung of the Dark Carnival she wound up in."

Gamzee laughed politely and stepped aside to let Sollux in before the conversation got any more uncomfortable. Sollux plopped onto the couch, quickly propping his legs up on the table. "You got any video games? I somehow doubt you're much of a shooter fan."

Gamzee grunted, sliding him a faygo as he took his seat. "Nah. Tav got me into fiduspawn. You ever play that?"

Sollux snorted. "Funny story about that, actually. EQ got me into it. I was talking shit about it around him and he protested that NP was into it."

"Did he? Shit, man, good for him. He always kinda... rolls over around me. Motherfucker's always trying to please me."

"Well, yeah. It's NP we're talking about here. You'd complain is I started talking shit about Tavros."

Gamzee blinked. That was... oddly pointed coming from Sollux. Sure, every word sounded like a sarcastic insult when you put it in his mouth, but it sounded like he was trying to make a point. That suddenly serious stare wasn't helping, and it made Gamzee cough uncomfortably.

"Uh, yeah, I would." His eyes flickered towards the door. Towards the cart. "...Why?"

"You got any feelings for him?"

Now this was starting to get wildly out of character. Sollux was the last person to stick his nose into anyone's love life, unless it was to annoy Eridan somehow. Hell, people just being sappy around him annoyed him, which made this even more bizarre.

"Yeah, well, Tav, said he wasn't interested."

"He's not?"

"Look, bro, I appreciate it, but we don't need an auspistice. You can't mediate what ain't there."

"But you do feel something for him. You care about him, pitch, red, I don't care how." Sollux was almost looming over him now, even without standing up. Gamzee was beginning to wonder whether he should go for his clubs when Sollux sighed.

"Right, right. That.... probably doesn't make any sense to you. I'm sorry." He stood up, face not just sour like usual, but outright grim. "Let me show you what I'm talking about."

Sollux made his way to the door wheeled his cart inside, a chill went down Gamzee's spine.

"...Bro. Did you?"

"No. Gog no. Fucking Messiahs above, hell no! I cull trolls but I'm not a sick fuck who parades their corpses around in front of their friends."

Sollux looked down at the cart, at the body hidden beneath the crumpled sheet. He seemed far, far away for a moment, like his soul had been taken by the Messiahs themselves and his body was an empty shell they left behind.

"You... know Aradia's dead, right?"

Gamzee relaxed, more confused and sad now than afraid. "Yeah."

Sollux looked at him. "Do you know how she died?"

Sollux didn't need an answer and he didn't wait for one. The purple voids of his eyes showed behind his matching glasses. "It started... when Vriska abducted me."

"I was out doing my regular, bi-wipely rounds. Looking for two bodies for Aradia to preserve in a 'corpse party'. Or, more accurately, looking to make two bodies for her to preserve."

"I'd spotted a couple of burgundies, so I went to make my move. I'd barely seen Vriska's face by the time the bag was over my head and by then the needles were in my neck. My guess is she'd paid some FLARPers to help her. I know damn well she couldn't handle me alone."

"When I woke up, I was in Vriska's hive. She looked so... fucking smug when she had me all chained up. She explained what Aradia did to her. Talked about how she'd sent some ghosts her way... and she wanted to get even."

"So Vriska was going to have me kill Aradia."

"That's when the torture began. It was pretty amateurish, but that's all it needed to be. She just needed to distract me, make a crack for her to slip into... one opening was all she needed to grab my mind."

Sollux was staring down at nothing by the time he finished, bending the metal handles of his cart with his grip.

"I still remember the walk to Aradia's hive." He said, choking back something. "I could hear her scream in my mind before she even saw me."

Gamzee's hand landed on his shoulder, snapping Sollux back to reality. Sollux pushed the smaller clown back before clearing his throat. "So, the next time I left my hive, I decided to pay Serket a visit."

Sollux threw the tarp off to reveal Vriska's mangled body. Or, what was of it.

Gamzee took at a step back. The amount of patchwork Sollux had to do to get Vriska's upper torso back in one piece would be impressive if it didn't imply how grizzly the scene must've been before he started. Tellingly, Sollux didn't even try to put Vriska's legs back together. He just dumped the soupified slop into a box and put it on the bottom shelf of his cart.

"Jegus..."

"Yeah, I got carried away."

Gamzee backed up and fell onto the couch, mostly just to get away from the smell. Sollux pulled his two swords out of Vriska's head, wiping them clean in one quick stroke.

"So... why are you telling me this?" Gamzee asked.

Sollux seemed to think for a moment, staring at his reflection in the blades. "To try to understand." He waved his blades vaguely over Vriska's... "body" for lack of a better word. "Most of this was unnecessary. She died quickly but... it wasn't satisfying."

Sollux looked at Gamzee meaningfully. "I figured you could tell me why."

Gamzee's eyes widened. "Shit, man, you mean because..."

"Of Tavros. Yeah. Vriska killed him. The army won't take someone who can't walk and he has no where else to go. That's assuming someone like, well, me, doesn't just pick him up off the streets. He's living on borrowed time on a planet like this, and that's all her fault."

Sollux looked at Gamzee meaningfully. "So... is this satisfying to you?"

Gamzee sunk into the couch, staring up at the ceiling. "Fuck, man. You can't do this to a motherfucker. This is a lot to drop on me all at once." He looked at the corpse, trying not to curl his nose at the sight. "...I mean... no. Fuck, I'd hesitate to say anyone even deserves that, but mostly it just makes me feel... kinda sick."

Sollux slumped down. "I don't get it. This should be satisfying. We should be glad that she's dead, but we're not."

Again, Gamzee was there, suddenly resting a hand on Sollux's shoulder. "...Look, man. I'm sorry I'm not any help with this. Karbro is so much better at this shit than me, but..."

"...I guess it's not really her death that we're looking for. We're looking for a way to make it so all the problems she caused never happened. And... that's not gonna happen. I've accepted that Tav's not gonna get his legs back... and I think he's accepted that too. And, Aradia, wherever she might be now up in that Dark Carnival, knows that she's not coming back either. So... shit, maybe we should just... keep moving?"

Sollux stared at him blankly, before that default grouchy snarl crept back onto his face. "That's a really shitty way to end that spiel, you know that?"

Gamzee shrugged, that some color had bled back into Sollux's face. "Well, shit. I'm no Karkat and you know it."

"Yeah, you're not. I'd still be huddled up inside without that grouchy asshole."

Sollux sighed. Not tiredly, but like a weight had been lifted somewhat. With all that off his chest, Sollux tilted his head up. He nonchalantly lined up his swords and slid them down his throat, swallowing up his blades until only the hilts remained to dangled beneath his uvula. Gamzee squinted at him curiously.

"....What?"

"Shit, man, I have no idea how you manage to talk like that."

Sollux smirked, grabbing his faygo off the table and chugging it in two swigs. At this point, he was just showing off. "Very, very carefully. I'll teach you sometime."

Sollux threw the tarp back onto his cart and began peddling it out the door. "I'd better get going, the sun will rise soon." Gamzee waved him off as he opened the door, pausing just before he closed. "Oh, by the way. You owe me a game night. This one derailed."

Gamzee just nodded as Captor slammed the door, knowing that was Sollux-ese for "let's hang out sometime".

[celestiialserpent]

II can certaiinly respect that! II d0n't miind answeriing iinquiiriies liike that, eiither, th0ugh : ) IIt iis benefiiciial t0 my data c0llectii0n t0 exchange kn0wledge ab0ut diifferent speciies and w0rlds, b0th as the 0ne giiviing and reciieviing iinf0rmatii0n.

0000h bii0techn0l0gy iis s0 c00l, II can certaiinly see h0w a s0ciiety that utiiliizes tech heaviily w0uld benefiit fr0m a techn0mancer !

Ah yes, the riig ! S0. N0w thois iis n0t a default f0r all tiimeliines, thiis iis just pers0nal experiience, but. Psii0niics such as myself, at least here, are s0rted iint0 rank based 0n p0wer 0utput and abiiliity t0 wiithstand draiin. Tiier 3 and 4, hiigh 0utput duurable psii0ns, hiist0riically were able t0 be Helmed. We became liiviing p0wer s0urces and naviigatii0n systems f0r shiips, iit wa2 admiittedly a very danger0us and 0ften fatal j0b.

IIn my case, the shiip II was assiigned was the r0yal warshiip, and my helm was aliive. A terr0rbeast 0f s0rts, anciient, parasiitiic, p0werful. My b0dy was entangled wiith iit, p0rts put iint0 me t0 all0w iits tendriils t0 liink diirectly iint0 my miind, nerv0us system, b0nes, ciirculatii0n. II was fused wiith her, and became the shiip, iits miind and p0wer s0urce, b0nded t0 iit by the helm.

We were at war, the shiip went d0wn, II was stiill iin the riig. Where II am n0w iis where II crashed, there are n0 surviiv0rs fr0m the shiip, the helm kept me aliive, and II eventually managed t0, wiith iits help, heal, and rem0ve my b0dy fr0m the tendriils grasp. II keep supplyiing iit iinf0rmatii0n n0w, keep iit healthy, aliive, and iit keeps me safe, tends t0 my w0unds, st0res iinf0rmatii0n as II share iit.

II am stiill the r0yal helmsman, 0ffiiciially. But wiith the war 0ver, and many 0f the iindoiviiduals iinv0lved dead... and myself liikely presumed dead iin the crash 0f the shiip, II supp0se II am n0w unempl0yed. S0 as a h0bby, II study where II am, II learn ab0ut 0ther places and 0ther speciies, and II metiicul0usly d0cument everythiing.

@twotiime2 II had t0 ask s0me0ne what that phrase meant, but am n0w iin the kn0w and can c0nfiidently say II gave myself that permiissii0n and set 0ut t0 acc0mpliish that g0al !

[thewapolls]

Quite understandably the English localization of various Wild Arms games have struggled with the monster "Buckbaird," which has been something of a staple of the series since WA2, never having been redesigned. It's typically just a normal enemy, but 4 opted to make it a relatively minor optional boss.

Apart from the name though, it's weird that it's this humanoid thing with 4 big scythe-like tentacles(?) considering the original Backbeard looks like...

The Backbeard is a character in the classic children's horror/occult manga and anime, GeGeGe no Kitaro, by the late, great Shigeru Mizuki. In it, Backbeard is the leader of an army of enemy "western yokai" who oppose the main cast of Japanese yokai. His army is very conspicuously made up of American movie monsters like Werewolf, Dracula, "Witch", Frankenstein, Zombie, etc.... So it's always been very curious that no one can pinpoint an actual monster behind Backbeard. A common theory is that it was a corruption of "Bugbear," which tends to fit the overall m.o. of things. But due to it being a made up Japanese word, there isn't really a "correct" or official romanized spelling, although people seem to have settled on "Backbeard."

Mizuki was a kind of modern Brothers Grimm for Japanese folklore in the 60s and laid the foundations of countless other yokai and occult centric anime and manga in the decades following. As a monumental force in pop culture his work has been consistently referenced over the years, not the least of which being the recurring appearance of Backbeard in other media.

The visual design itself however can be traced back to a piece of photo collage art, by Masatoshi Naito, called Shinjuku Genkei CHIMERA[新宿幻景・キメラ]: "Shinjuku Phantom Chimera" which was made around the same time as Backbeard's first appearance in the manga. Both Backbeard and Naito's Chimera itself are quite similar to French artist, Odilon Redon's 1878 charcoal sketch, "Œil-ballon," and/or his 1882 painitng, "L'Œil, comme un ballon bizarre se dirige vers l'infini."

[autisticsupervillain]

Queen of the House

Theme: The House Always Wins ~ The Stupendium

Oh my, how I've been looking forward to this. Vriska Serket is basically a rorschach test applied to an entire fandom in mass. Between all the potential character flaws, interpretations, and sympathetic qualities I could use to make her evil, I almost had too much to work with. Well, make her evil-er at any rate. Or, at least, make her the main antagonist. Because, with the way this is going, I might just make a few sympathizers out of you guys.

So, how does Vriska Serket, fandom darling and author's pet extraordinaire, become the big bad of the story she insisted that she was the hero of? Well, crank up Megalovania, ladies and gents, because you're about to find out~

When the story ended, Vriska had everything she ever wanted.

She had mended her relationship with Terezi and gotten to pursue a proper friendship with her. She had gotten the praise she always thought she deserved, as a savior and a Goddess to Earth C and it's people. And, she'd finally gotten a taste of that little paradise planet that John had given her a glimpse of.

And Vriska found that she really wasn't enjoying it.

There was the part of her that missed the old rivalry that she had with Terezi. The endless cycle of revenge, as destructive as it was, was one of the things the kept her motivated and happy, in a strange way. There was the part of her that felt she didn't deserve all the praise she'd gotten, the part she'd revealed to John after she murdered Tavros. The guilty, humane part of her. And, there was the part of her that didn't enjoy Earth. That didn't want to live a subdued peaceful life. Not when there was adventure to be had and treasures to be won. The bored, bloodthirsty side of her.

Vriska wasn't the other side of Terezi's coin anymore. Vriska's recklessness and selfishness weren't being counterbalanced by Terezi's brilliance and sense of ethics because the two just weren't the same people they were back then. The dynamic was just... off now. Now, Vriska was the coin. Two conflicting sides of pride and guilt that she didn't really know how to address.

See, the Gods put some rules in place to keep themselves from interfering to much with the lives of consorts and carapacians. They're more like celebrities than rulers, the citizens of Earth C are mostly just left to rule themselves. So, whenever a war picks up or politics get divisive, the Gods stay out of it.

Vriska really wants to get involved though. She feels like these opportunities are the best chances that she'll get to work out all of her conflicted emotions she has about her new life. It satisfies that growing itch for adventure and conflict that she has, that bloodthirsty boredom that misses her life on Alternia and her life in the game. And, it also appeals to that lingering guilty side of her. If she really wants to be a hero, really feels guilty about what she did, shouldn't she prove? Shouldn't she step in and earn all the praise she'd been getting? Actually become a hero?

Of course, every time she does bring up getting involved, she gets shot down.

The reasoning given is that, well, they're gods. If they step in to solve tge people's problems, the people will become reliant on them, which is a bad thing when they're arguably not qualified to do. They're not professionals, they're just traumatized teenagers with no real adult guidance. Winning a war is one thing, but solving poverty? Getting involved in politics? Preventing those wars to begin with? That's not something they have the life experience to do, and, if they get involved and start solving people's problems for them, it's what they'd be expected to do, which is a bad combo.

Dirk, Rose, Karkat, even Vriska herself. They're all people who thought they could handle the weight of the world on the shoulders and, when they couldn't, it had disastrous consequences.

Vriska always grumbles, but she concedes the point. Instead, she tries to find other ways to scratch that itch. She tries to go hunting and adventuring with Jake, but finds she can't stand him. He's far to cheerful, chatty, and oblivious, but, worst of all, there are those things about him that remind her just a bit of John and Tavros. Things that she can't quite put her finger on about him but make her uncomfortable none the less. She quickly stops attending these little hunting trips with him.

Vriska then tries to go to Aradia. She wants in on those little multiverse adventures that Aradia had been going on with Sollux, but Aradia slams the door in her face before Vriska can get three words out. Vriska makes a scene and pounds on the door for half an hour before Aradia opens up again.

Aradia explains that, no, she doesn't hold a grudge against Vriska for what she did. Sollux does.

"iit wa2 2uch a 2pur of the moment thiing for you, wa2n't iit? makiing me kiill her. iit wa2 a petty, iimpul2iive act of 2piite, ju2t liike everythiing el2e you do. ii don't thiink you even thought twiice about kiilliing aradiia untiil 2he beat the 2hiit out of you. but me?"

"ii heard her voiice. and ii heard iit on repeat iin the back of my thiinkpan every niight after ii kiilled her. every niight... untiil 2he came back..."

"2o, no, vrii2ka, ii don't forgiive you, and ii don't know or want two know about whatever bull2hiit you hammered on our front door for. now get out of our hiive."

As Vriska sulks her way out of their hive, she again feels those two conflicting responses coming from her pride and guilt. One part of her is indignant. Because it had been just another night for her. It had been just another shitty thing she'd done to someone who pissed her off. Who was Sollux to complain? She was the hero, she saved the day, it should be water under the bridge. She didn't save everyone by being nice, now did she?

But, then her guilty side speaks up. No. She hadn't saved the day like that. But Tavros sure did.

That thought just leaves her feeling more conflicted, bitter, and guilty than she ever did before. In a huff, she storms over to John's house.

Vriska had been expecting, partially even hoping, for his house to be in ruins. In her mind, John's life before the game had been the ideal human life. She thought a lot harder about how John's life turned out compared to how her life did than she'd like to admit. John was one of the few people who could break through her stubborn egotism, after all. So, she'd assume he'd be pretty tired of this new life too, seeing how it effectively stole his old "perfect" life from him.

But, she doesn't find that. Instead, she finds John... perfectly content with his new lidmfe and completely uninterested in finding new adventures.

John had friends. Close friends who knew what he was going through and understood how hard on him everything was. Jade, Dave, and Rose always took time out of their days to check on him, talk to him, be there for him. Even Karkat did his part to help John take the enormous weight of the world off his shoulders, help him settle down and start over so he could be happy again.

Yes, John was nice enough to take Vriska to some dark part of the multiverse if she asked, but she didn't want that. That ugly, prideful part of her was upset that he wouldn't have to rely on her, yes, but mostly, she just didn't want to be pitied. For John, who'd found happiness, family, and love in this new 'boring' world of theirs to tear himself away from all of that to just give her an adventure, would be nothing more than an act of pity. And, in Vriska's eyes, she just couldn't use him like that.

So, Vriska collapses onto her bed that night, and dreams of a way she could easily fix these weird, conflicted feelings she has. Vriska never knew who she was, that's why she was so bad at confronting herself.

But, she knew who she wanted to be, and that person was Marquise Spinneret Mindfang.

And that's who Vriska saw standing before her as she woke up in the dreambubbles.

Vriska fangirls at the sight of her and Mindfang basks in all the attention. Vriska even lists off exact feats Mindfang performed in her journal, leading her Ancestor to boast that she's preparing for an even grander adventure. One that could decide the fate of Paradox Space itself.... and she wants Vriska to join her.

This is everything that Vriska could dream of. At this exact moment, all that inner conflict melts away. Mindfang, the Dreaded Spider of the Sea herself, the person who Vriska centered her entire life around, is offering Vriska the chance to join her. In that moment, both sides of the coin are satisfied.

Vriska gleefully accepts the offer.

Mindfang explains the problem, stating that the battle against Lord English had left a tear in Paradox Space, a wound that threaten to grow until it ripped Paradox Space apart. In order to combat it, she needs to find some Rogues of Life to heal the wound and seal it back together. Without any way to control where she's going in the dreambubbles, Mindfang wouldn't be able to find any without a lot of luck... which is where Vriska comes in. Mindfang never got the chance to unlock her aspect like Aranea and Vriska did, she never got a copy of Sgrub, so she needs her descendant.

Vriska is both ecstatic to be so important and disappointed about not being called on to battle some powerful supervillain or something. Mindfang reassures her that she'd be more than happy to take her to fight a few dangerous villains after the important quest was taken care of, all while heaping on the praise. I wouldn't waste your time with some 8ooooooooring healing quest. I've seen what you can do. I know my descendant deserves 8etter than that."

So, Vriska uses her luck powers to lead Mindfang to several Rogues of Life, whom Mindfang mind controls each time. Vriska questions this, but Mindfang insists it's more practical to just ensnare them and apologize later than try to convince them to tag along. Vriska accepts this, even as the guilty part of her points out how that Tavros did a much better job at getting people to join him just by talking to them.

After Mindfang decides they've gathered up enough Rogues of Life, Mindfang uses the Rogues to reassurect herself and them back on Earth C, allowing Vriska to wake up and meet up with them. Once that's done, Mindfang takes Vriska aside and thanks her for being so helpful.

Before decapitating her, stating that Vriska wasn't needed anymore.

While Vriska is resurrecting, Mindfang orders the Rogues to drain the life out of Earth C and funnel it into her, killing countless thousands before Vriska recovers and attacks her. Mindfang is amped enough for Vriska to be forced to use her Ancestral Awakening form to defeat her, all while she tearfully demands to know why Mindfang has done this. As Mindfang glares up at her descendant with a look of bloodparched rage, she spitefully spits out her motivation for her actions.

What you need to remember is that Mindfang was just a version of Aranea who grew up in a more hostile, deadly environment, where all her character flaws could fester. In effect, she has Aranea's ego dialed up past ten.

While Mindfang was content to be dreaded, terrifying pirate in life, it wasn't until her death that she saw the true nature of the multiverse.

She saw Vriska's adventure, watched her life from beginning to end, and realized how insignificant her own role was. Vriska was saving the multiverse, traveling between timelines, battling demons. Vriska became a God, one who was worshipped by an entire planet. All while Mindfang held no real relevance. She wasn't even a background character, she was a backstory character. A means of giving Vriska motivation and nothing more.

Mindfang was a dreaded pitate, but only on one planet in one timeline. Which is hardly as speck in the vastness of the multiverse. And Mindfang felt entitled to more.

The problem is, she's effectively Aranea, but worse. While Aranea tried to make a story that didn't involve her all about her, Mindfang decided that a story that didn't involve her shouldn't exist at all.

Mindfang was going to suck all the life force out of Earth C, before using the absorbed energy to destroy the Alpha Timeline. With no Alpha Timeline to hold it together, Paradox Space would fall apart, erasing everything that ever was. It would be the most important act ever committed. No one could be more important than Mindfang if no one else existed.

In that moment, Vriska Serket died.

Vriska Serket, the one who paralyzed Tavros. Who blinded Terezi. Who murdered Aradia. Who created Bec Noir. Vriska Serket, the egotist, the murderer, the manipulator, and the abuser, died.

Every reason that Vriska had to exist was glaring right up at her, wallowing in a defeated pile of spite, pride, and ego.

Vriska stared blankly as Mindfang died, completely lost. Vriska didn't know who she was or who she wanted to be anymore.

Vriska walks the desolate Earth, the lost Rogues trailing behind her now that they had no where else to go. With so much of their energy wasted on amping Mindfang, there's little they can do to repair the damage done to Earth C.

Vriska searches desperately for her friends, to no avail. Most of them, she can't even find the bodies of. In some cases, such as with Sollux and Aradia, that gives her hope. Maybe they weren't on Earth C during the attack, maybe they're alive. Most of the time, though, it just serves to make her feel more hopeless.

Vriska never finds out if Terezi survived or not.

Vriska does find John's body however. Several months into her search, she found John, Dave, Jade, Rose, Jane, even Karkat inside a run down home. Vriska remembered being surprised at how lively it was once.

The bodies are to rotten for the Rogues to heal in their current state, but at least Vriska knew John died happy. The rotting birthday cake on the table was proof enough of that.

Vriska would never find any surviving Gods. But she would find survivors.

Eventually, after several years of searching, Vriska and the Rogues would stumble across a small town of consorts, slaving away at all hours of the day in mines and farms. They were being exploited by raiders, forced to provide for their ever growing gang or be killed. So Vriska decides to confront them.

The raiders are awed to see one of the "Old Gods" still alive and kicking, but they do not back down and bow in reverence as Vriska would partially expect. The world has turned into an empty, rotting place, so everyone is operating under the idea of kill or be killed. While the raiders are clearly intimidated, they're not going to give up without a fight and they make it clear that they will fight Vriska and her group to maintain control of what little resources they've managed to seize.

Vriska could crush these raiders easily. In the past, she happily would have. But now? She just doesn't want to kill what little life is left on Earth C, especially seeing how they'll likely need every hand on deck if Earth C is ever going to be habitable again. She wants to better now. She wants to do good.

So, Vriska challenges them to game. She makes up a card game on the spot and challenges them to it. If the raiders win, Vriska and the Rogues leave, allowing the Raiders to go on as normal. If Vriska wins, she gets control of the settlement, with the Raiders becoming her muscle. The Raiders agree, seeing it as a better alternative to a fight they knew they couldn't win, and they inevitably lose when Vriska rigs the game in her favor with her luck powers.

Vriska spots an opportunity to rebuild Earth C and, using the raiders as her enforcers, sends her forces out in search of more resources and settlements. Her goal is to unite Earth C under one banner so that everyone can pool their resources into making the world habitable again. As such, all settlements found are immediately "persuaded" to join and those that resist are dealt with by Vriska herself, using that same card game scam.

It takes several decades, but Vriska gradually unites the world and makes it livable again. However, she has no interest in returning Earth C to the way it was, as a bunch of different countries with their own worldviews and opinions. She remembers how often wars broke out and how she wanted to get involved but couldn't, so she decides to sude step that problem entirely.

She creates a new world order, centered around the card game scam she used to conquer the world to begin with.

How it works is that, when people get out of school, they immediately go into the work force in order to get enough money to participate in the Gambler's Den. Those who win big in the Den get House Dollars, which is the currancy that allows people to buy their way up into the world. But better homes in nicer neighborhoods, where food is cheaper and taxes are more lax.

Those who manage to get to the top of the Gambler's Den have to challenge Vriska to the game. If they win, they get let into the House. A paradise eerily similar in aesthetic to John's old neighborhood, wherin the citizens have Vriska's ear, meaning they get some say in how Earth C is governed and run. If they lose, they go right back to the bottom again.

Naturally, the whole system is rigged. Not only can Vriska simply decide wether or not she loses with her luck powers, she has the game's rigged. If someone gets far enough to catch Vriska's attention, she had them spied on and looked into. If Vriska likes them, she has the automatic game machines rig the games in their favor and send them straight to her so she can decide whether they go in the House or not. As "Queen of the House", the Housr and the Gambler's Den are rigged in her favor on every level.

Thing is, Vriska isn't trying to be an evil dictator here. She genuinely thinks this is a step up, as it's what the people themselves seem to want. Of course, the people aren't going to argue against anything she does because she's literally their only remaining God and she rebuilt civilization, so it's not like she's a good judge of that. Basically, her two halves are finally working in tandem. She's soothing her conscience by finally giving the people what they "want" and she's appeasing her ego by rigging everything in her favor and convincing herself and the world that she's doing what's best for everyone. Her compassionate side is leading the dance for once, sure, but that's still leading her down the same path.

The two sides of the coin are identical. It's a rigged coin. And both sides lead to Vriska justifying her own despotism.

Of course, she's not stopping there. Vriska wants to protect her people from all threats, just as she did when she was rebuilding Earth C. By rigging the Gambler's Den so that her most ideal subjects are forced to join the military, Vriska is able to create an army that she uses the conquer the universe. Meanwhile, the Rogues are sent into the dreambubbles to try and find the ghosts of her dead friends so they can revive them or, failing that, find other God-Tiers who can join their cause.

It's a few years after Vriska discovers a way to cross into other timelines and decides to start preemptively conquering the multiverse that she finds her friends again. The Rogues immediately bring John back to life and Vriska enthusiastically hugs him. The two embrace for a solid minute before Vriska decides to bring him up to speed.

John is... horrified.

After he finally managed to reunite with most of his friends in the dreambubbles, they'd heard tell of an evil empire born out of the main timeline that had begun subjugating the multiverse. John and friends joined the resistance against it... but they never thought Vriska was the one who created it.

Vriska tries to justify herself, but it just leads to an ugly, tearjerking arguement.

"I'm doing this for you! 8ecause I want to 8e like you! 8ecause I want to live in a world like yours. You showed me that I could 8e happy, good even, in a more caring world. It's not my fault the things I have to do to protect this stupid paradise planet! I want to 8e a good person, John! ....8ut... I have to 8e a hero...."

John teleports back to the dreambubbles, distraught that Vriska won't see reason. Vriska, meanwhile, readies her armies for war.

They'll see reason. They all will. Then... they can be friends again. They can be happy... in way Vriska was never allowed to be. But, until then, she had duties to attend as Queen of the House.

[homestuck-headcanonymous]

2weetheart2

a/n: this is part of the tiktok au, so sollux is a famous twitch gamer and feferi is a tiktok star in a presumed “love triangle” with eridan ampora, a commentary youtuber and brother of cronus ampora the famed tiktok eboy, and sollux. this one takes place a little later in the timeline, so they’ve all graduated highschool

disclaimer: i’ve never seen a twitch stream, because my computer can’t handle it.

stream: “tiime to bully 2mall chiildren on fork kniife with the boy2″, August 14, 2020, by users twosquared, coolerthanu, toreadorneverland, and shoutykat. ran from 5:30 pm DST to 8:00 pm DST

streamtime transcript, from 7:30 pm DST to 8:00 pm DST

twosquared: hell yeah, ii ju2t kiilled BOTH tho2e famiily vlogger chiildren!! at ONCE!! 2uck on that, eiight-year-old2 who make more money than me!!

coolerthanu: nice, dude

toreadorneverland: wELL,, tHEY CAN’T REALLY,, hELP BEING EIGHT,, rIGHT? sTILL,, gOOD JOB,, i GUESS

coolerthanu: they can help it, just go up to a birthday cake and press age up. poof! cool teen!

shoutykat: ...DAVE, HOW LONG WERE YOU PLAYING THE SIMS *THIS* TIME? DO I HAVE TO GO OVER AND LURE YOU FROM YOUR WEIRD FUCKING GAMER DEN OR SOMETHING? DO I NEED TO CALL YOUR SISTER TO MAKE OMINOUS THREATS FROM A SHADOWY DOORWAY AT YOU AT 3AM?

toreadorneverland: wAIT,,, yOU WERE SERIOUS WHEN YOU SAID THAT? i THOUGHT IT WAS A JOKE! dOES,, iT ACTUALLY WORK?

twosquared: fiir2t of all, what the FUCK are you guy2 talkiing about? 2econd of all, are we just goiing to glo22 over the fact that tav 2aiid “ii gue22″ to me getting a double kiill2hot?? a DOUBLE KIILL2HOT??

toreadorneverland: sORRY,, yOU KNOW I DIDN’T MEAN IT LIKE THAT,,, rIGHT?

coolerthanu: dw bro, he’s just being dramatic for the hell of it. he’s not actually mad.

shoutykat: ALSO, WHAT THE FUCK IS *UP* WITH YOU AND THE NUMBER TWO? YOU’RE ALWAYS DOING THOSE DUMB FUCKING DOUBLE KILLSHOTS.YOU’RE FUCKING OBSESSED WITH IT. I KNOW YOU’RE A GEMINI, BUT I DON’T GO AROUND CALLING MYSELF “CANCERDUDESIXTYNINE”, RIGHT?

twosquared: iit’s like de2tiined to be, kk. my eye2? two diifferent color2. my triick move? two kiill2hot2 at once.

coolerthanu: his dick? two of them. arms? two of them. 2 x 2 is four- his approximate mental age. also yes, sol, i stole that line from rose.

twosquared: ii’m bii2exual. ii have a boyfriiend AND a giirlfriiend. the only connectiion between you and cancer ii2 that that’2 what people call your content.

toreadorneverland: oH WOW DUDE!! uHH,,, i SUPPORT YOU!! 

twosquared: ah 2hiit. that 2liipped out.

coolerthanu: are you, like, serious dude?

twosquared: fuck.

shoutykat: SOLLUX, I REALLY HOPE THIS ISN’T ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR SHITTY JOKES.

twosquared: goddammiit.

coolerthanu: dude if you need us to end the stream we’ll do it, i know coming out is kinda risky sometimes-

twosquared: actually, y’know what? fuck iit. thanks for the offer dv, but i don’t need it. yeah, i’m really fuckiing bii. yeah, ii’m datiing a guy and a giirl, and y’know what? they’re both fuckiing amaziing, and iif anyone’2 gonna quit 2upportiing me becau2e of that, then ii don’t giive a 2hiit. ii love my giirlfriiend. 2he’2 2weeter than fuckiing 2ugar and ii’m pretty 2ure iit’s 2ciientifiically impo22iible to be 2ad iin the 2ame room a2 her, iit’2 liike 2he’s made of 2un2hiine, 2he’2 adorable. ii al2o love my boyfriiend ju2t a2 much. he’2 a huge goddamed romantiic, he briing2 me flower2 and he 2tay2 up late memoriiziing love poem2 so he can reciite them to me when ii can’t 2leep liike a fuckiing lullaby, he’2 kiind and gentle and wonderful. and they’re datiing each other too, and that’2 great, becau2e iit make2 them both really fuckiing happy.

twosquared: my giirlfriiend 2pend2 like 2 hour2 before each of theiir date2 fu22iing over her makeup and what to wear becau2e 2he want2 to look pretty for u2, even though my boyfriiend and ii both thiink 2he’2 beautiiful no matter what. my boyfriiend ii2 the only one of u2 that can actually fuckiing cook, 2o when we have date niight2 at home, he alway2 2pend2 hour2 makiing 2omethiing fanta2tiic for iit. my boyfriiend and my giirlfriiend are both early biird2 so they do thii2 thiing iin the morniing where they curl up next to each other on the couch and my boyfriend driink2 hii2 fancy tea and my giirlfriiend driink2 her riidiculou2ly 2weet coffee and they read together, and that’2 liike theiir thiing, and iit’2 the fuckiing cute2t.

twosquared: who know2? maybe 2omeday we’ll end up datiing 2omebody el2e too, and then ii’m gonna love that 2omebody, becau2e they’ll be theiir own per2on wiith a miiliion diiferent thiing2 to fall iin love wiith. ii’m happy wiith who ii am and who ii love and ii’m not giiviing 2omeone the chance to force me to hiide that. love i2n’t fuckiing fiiniite unle22 you make iit be. iif 2omeone can love one partner iinfiniitely, why can’t ii love both of miine the 2ame way? ii’m not goiing to claiim that every poly relatiion2hip is good, but iif there’2 no balance iin it, then that’2 not a problem wiith the relatiion2hiip, that’2 a problem wiith the people iin iit.

coolerthanu: ...damn, my guy. okay. cool. first of all- great speech. moving as hell. second of all- we have your back, especially if someone tries to shit on you about this. when i came out, you literally wingmanned me into a relationship with karkitty over there. third of all, this is the exact same way that roxy came out to me as nonbinary, why does this keep happening.

shoutykat: OF COURSE WE SUPPORT YOU, YOU NUMBSKULLED FUCKASS. WHY WOULD WE *NOT* SUPPORT YOU? WHO WAS THAT RANT EVEN FOR? THE TWITCH CHAT THAT’S BEEN GIVING YOU LIKE FIVE SUBS A MINUTE? THE ONE FULL OF RAINBOW POGGERS? *THEM*?

twosquared: ii mean ii wa2 kiinda braciing my2elf for a way wor2e reactiion, 2o thii2 ii2 a plea2ant 2urpriii2e. al2o, kk, “fucka22″? ii mean ii’m flattered that you thiink ii’d be a top, but frankly that’2 ju2t iincorrect.

toreadorneverland: wELL,,,yOU SEEM REALLY HAPPY,,i’M GLAD!! aS LONG AS YOU ALL LOVE EACHOTHER,,, tHAT’S ALL THAT YOU NEED!! oNE,, uHH,, qUICK QUESTION THOUGH,,, nOT TO BE RUDE,,, bUT ARE THESE PEOPLE,,, wHO WE THINK THEY ARE? uHH,,, iT’S JUST,, tHAT THERE’S TWO PEOPLE WHO,,, uHH, sEEM A LOT LIKE,,, tHEY COULD BE,,,yOUR BOYFRIEND AND GIRLFRIEND,,

twosquared: aw thank2 t! and yeah, unle22 you’re liike 2uper mii2guiided, iit’2 probably them.

coolerthanu: yeah, we know, you three are the least subtle people on the planet. do you guys want emotional repression lessons from dirk or some shit? you��re so obvious.

twosquared: agaiin dave, thank2 for the offer but that 2ound2 awful, and no. al2o, can we wrap thii2 up? ii’ve got an appoiintment wiith the large cuddle piile of blanket2 and my cool hot boyfriiend and giirlfriiend on my bed over there.

shoutykat: UGH, *FINE*. WE ALL ALSO DIED IN FORTNITE WHILE YOU WERE GIVING THAT SPEECH ABOUT THE INFINITY OF LOVE ANYWAYS, SO IT’S PROBABLY TIME. WE’VE ALL GOT STUFF TO GET TO ANYWAYS.

coolerthanu: aw karkitty, if you were so excited to meet up with me, why didn’t you just say so?

shoutykat: ...SHUT UP.

toreadorneverland: uHH,, sOLLUX, aRE YOU GOING TO,,uHH,,dO THE SIGNOFF? ,,,i MEAN I CAN DO IT,, iF IT’S AN ISSUE,,,

twosquared: nah dude, ii know how you hate doiing the 2ignoff2, ii can handle iit.

twosquared: 2o that’2 iit for today, everybody! pre22 2ub2criibe to 2upport the channel, and follow to get all 2tream notiifiicatiions. ii 2tream every 2iingle day from 5:30 tiil 8:00-10:00 LA tiime, 2houtykat 2treams monday to friday at around the 2ame tiime, coolerthanu 2tream2 whenever, but he’2 got a youtube channel, 2triiderbrozproductiion2, and toreadorneverland 2tream2 game2 on monday2, wedne2day2, and friiday2 from 5:00 pm tiil 8:00 pm, plus a 2torybook 2tream every thur2day from 7:00 tiil 8:00. youtube channel name2 are the 2ame a2 twiitch for me, tavro2 and karkat, and all other 2ociial mediia2 are on our profiile2. ii2 that everythiing?

coolerthanu: yeah dude, you got it. bye, everyone.

STREAM ENDED

Sollux breathes a sigh of relief as the lights and cameras and monitors, one by one, click off, leaving the room gently lit with the glow of Feferi’s fairy lights strung up around the room. From behind him, a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders, the pink glitter on the nails softly shimmering. He greets her with a kiss on the hand, and soon he’s curled up with his boyfriend and girlfriend in bed. These nights are more common now, all of them legal adults in one house under the artificial stars of the LA sky.

“Eridan? Can you do that thing you do?” Feferi whispers, careful if for no more reason than to not break the soft stillness of the darkening room.

“What do you mean, dear?”

“The way you recite poems. You know, when I can’t sleep.” Sollux murmurs, lisp just peeking through.

Sollux can feel Eridan start to blush, even in the warm darkness.

“I... didn’t know you both..remembered it that much. If you’d like though, I’ll try.”

Eridan’s voice settles like a melody in the room, gentle and lyrical around the delicate words.

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach, when feeling out of sight for the ends of being and ideal grace..”

Sollux realizes that his hand is interlaced with Eridan’s, Feferi’s draped overtop. He doesn’t remember doing it. It is second nature to him, the soft affection of being present. The lights glimmer down to nothing. A peacable, if early, night. There is a sense of contentment, of a longing fufilled- one that he hadn’t known he’d had.

“I love thee to the level of every day’s most quiet need, by sun and candle-light”

Eridan remembers, absentmindedly, while saying words that he knows by heart. He remembers the grating harshness of loneliess- of wanting, so badly, to be fixed by another that he could not fix himself. He remembers the fear of realizing the way he loved was different. He can still feel the weight of all he has left to say, the idea of coming out to an audience built on dregs of rejection and rejecting hangs like the sword of Damacles over his head, but it is easier here. The world seems softer, wrapped in the gentleness of favourite blankets and the light of a waning moon.

“I love thee freely, as men strive for right. I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.”

Feferi has always wanted to do what’s right. She knows that she can’t always know what’s best for everyone, but she still feels guilt at every percieved slight. She loves too deeply, too fiercely, Eridan used to tell her, with too solemn an expression for such a young face. She had a heart big enough for the entire world. She knows that she wants to come out on her own terms- a teen starlet who’s pan and polyamorous is hot news to pick up, after all. She’s scared to, of course- she knows that a part of her soul will still be the little girl she once was, starving for affection, but she’s growing. Learning. And in the arms of the two boys she loves, she feels as though, for a moment, the entire world is right.

“I love thee with the passion put to use in my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.”

Learning the boundaries of their relationship when it was new wasn’t quite easy. it wasn’t something any of them had ever done before. Feferi was the one to suggest it first- it would break her heart, after all, to break either of theirs. They hated each other at first- rivals over a girl, tale as old as time. Still, it slowly simmered and faded. Sollux saw the walls of protection fall when Eridan brought Feferi a dozen pink roses, eyes not competing, but earnest. Eridan saw the bravado collapse when Feferi fell from the branch of a tree while filming and Sollux rushed to her side, eyes wide, hoping she was alright, begging her to never do that again. An understanding turned to an alliance, and an alliance turned to love. It was December, and they were sitting together at Feferi’s insistence, hot cocoa and a book to while the night away. Eridan read in the same voice, and at the ending, he left a feather-light kiss brushed over Sollux’s lips- and Sollux pulled him back in.

“I love thee with a love I seemed to lose with my lost saints. I love thee with the breath, smiles, and tears of all my life; and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.”

It was a warm night, cozy and cooled by the breath of autumn in the air, and there they lay together, lulled to sleep by the melody of a love poem and the gentlie chimes of wind on glass, Sollux’s heart filled to bursting with love for his sweethearts. There was a gentle, whispered, goodnight.

a/n: the poem is how do i love thee, or sonnet 43, by elizabeth batter browning. it’s like 4am so i didn’t proofread and i’m also very sentimental.

[gho2ty]

they call you gho2ty because you have been haunting me since we were wrigglers! you taught me a lot about what it means to care for someone, what it means to love them, and what it means to respect them. many of those things through trial and error. i'm beyond honored to still be among your friends, though i do miss you dearly. if i ever end up in the bubbles because of some poor choices made on my part, i hope you will eventually repay the favor i paid you way back when and bonk yourself on the head with a cartoon mallet every now and then to visit. because that is what i did every time. i am not sure i told you that. maybe i did to make you feel bad some time, but i hope we can mostly just laugh about it at this point? oh, what lives we have led. i am so proud of you. i feel like a farmer who has to go outside every day to turn her prize-winning giant pumpkin over so it does not get a pumpkin bed sore from being so prize-winning. except instead of a pumpkin, you are my friend, and instead of bed sores, i am making you drink bubble tea once a week so you keep at least one physical routine. because i love you.

2o much triial and error.

you diid tell me you diid that, but ii dont know iif iit wa2 two make me feel bad, and anyway2 ii knew you had two do 2omethiing of the 2ort anyway2, ju2t logiically. ii wiill be 2ure two keep a cartoon mallet on hand iif that ever happen2.

were iin a 2tate of perpetually mii22iing eachother, even though were both riight here and the bubble tea ii2 very ta2ty. becau2e ii al2o love you.

thank goodne22 ii dont get bed 2ore2 anymore. tho2e 2ucked 2o bad.