Homestuck Re-read Part 31: ARADIA AGAIN.

I've spent most of today cutting up acetone sheets to test out a print making idea I had (it's probably not a new idea, but I haven't seen it anywhere else) just to come to the conclusion that it Might Work but I need to refine the process a bit. I might also try doing it with a different medium then india inks. Beyond that I am, feeling somewhat distressed despite there being no obvious cause. I feel cold and damp and like I've been standing alone in the rain waiting for someone who forgot about me to pick me up. Unfortunately I have obligations I must attend to tonight so I cannot just wallow in my sadness. I am doing today's upd8 very early in the day so I can be free to fulfil my duties later.

Without further ado, I present today's upd8.

homestuck.

John answers Vriska while wandering the castle grounds. She confirms John's father is in another castle. Fortunately we do get another characterizing moment for Vriska. She seems concerned that John would be upset with or mad at her. She wants John to like her and this is the first time trying to get someone to like her is proceeding somewhat healthily; it only takes the other person being completely divorced from any context of Alternian society and what that would imply about who she should be and how she should act. Unfortunately, this precedes her admitting to killing Tavros purely out of frustration. She admits this all to an extremely understanding John despite thinking he will reject her for it just out of a desire to have some way to get it off her chest.

John becomes a lot less understanding when she reveals the backstory to her and Tavros' relationship. That he is actually the second person she's killed that she cared about. That the person who she killed out of frustration over his weakness and inability to get stronger with her help was paralyzed by her. She tries to excuse it as kids being kids, that she was trying too hard. But John is still scared and upset by it.

She explains that around 6 sweeps of age, or 13 years old for humans, trolls start reaching the age where they start killing more. She thinks that as part of sburb's role of causing a coming-of-age for the players that in their case, maybe they shouldn't have started cooperating between teams. Maybe if they killed each other more they would have had more god tiers and more success.

MURDERSTUCK

Terezi leaves a number of messages for Karkat. She's going after Vriska alone, and for everyone else's safety they need to stay out of it. Karkat thinks about an addition 12 grubs that he created but cannot explain. Sollux wakes up and spits his teeth back out.

John tries to console Vriska as she contemplates trying to kill Jack. She's worried that feeling bad about killing an innocent she cared about means she isn't strong. He still cares about her, despite everything she told him, and doesn't want her putting herself in harms way. She tells him about the ancestor trolls; figures of legend who a troll may have a high genetic correlation with. Vriska knows the legends of this are true, she's walked in the footsteps of Spinneret Mindfang and experienced the life the Marquise left for her.

She believes the extra trolls Karkat created were the ancestor trolls. Mindfang was bound to her by the retro-causal nature of paradox space. I wonder what we'll learn about the other eleven.

Back on the meteor, Sollux wants advice on being blind. He's talking it all fairly well, he doesn't seem too distressed or upset. He is talking a little like Aradia did when she was a ghost though, which tracks. He probably lost his only other life. He asks Terezi for advice on being blind and accepts her help, even if she isn't a magical dragon. The conversation ends as Terezi smells something... bright?

Aradia

It's so, so nice to see her happy. She has so much emotion and personality that comes through when it isn't being muffled by death or robots. She's so kind to Dave, even if she's messing with him a little. This isn't really our dave. This is the one who died when Dave failed to kill himself and godtier. She's gently shepherding him into the afterlife proper. It doesn't sound all that bad, to be honest

AA: but there is plenty of time to satisfy various curiosities you might have about existence and whatnot

AA: there are all sorts of friends to meet

AA: ones you already know and ones you dont

AA: there is plenty of time for just about anything

AA: lots and lots of time

AA: enough time to understand that time isnt much of anything at all

as far as depictions of an afterlife go, I'd be quite happy with endless time to satisfy my curiosity and meet new friends and well, anything.

It's so nice to see her happy :) Even if it raises concerns about her fluttering around out in paradox space.

WINDY THING

Vriska is getting ready to fight Jack, but promises to check in again before she goes. John is going to retrieve the tumour from the battlefield.

John's father and Rose's mother are happy together. But good things don't last.

Vriska reads Mindfang's journals for courage. The Marquise's description of her encounters with her kismesis Dualscar read like Marquis de Sade. Her mental domination of a low blood slave is not complete, she leaves enough ambiguity for the poor girl to not know if she is undressing the Marquise willingly or not. She describes the girl's heat against the skin below her petticoat, she remarks on how attractive her horns are and the shapes they make against the slave's messy hair. There is a potential for mercy for the girl, but with her mind forever altered. Devotion to her slaver placed directly into her synapses. All done in the name of base pleasure and to frustrate a black love.

Two days later the girl is killed by Dualscar. The past plays out again in the present before our eyes. Confrontation between Mindfang and Dualscar, Confrontation between Vriska and Eridan. It's interrupted, however, but not ahistorically. In the past the highblood rested on a throne in a corner splattered with all but one colour of the spectrum; in modern nights he walks and heralds his own arrival with a cacophony of vocalized honks.

A neophyte of the court is tasked with bringing justice to the Marquise. Terezi has lost blood to whatever vampire now walks among them.

Things come to ahead. In the past the subjuggalators(?) crushed Dualscar. In the present, Kanaya the vampire fashion queen fucking knocked them off. She also punches Vriska's lights out. Her last act of vengeance is a lot more messy, however. The rainbow drinker bisects Eridan. Kanaya is so fucking cool with her blood smeared lipstick and broken shades. Even Vriska agrees.

SLAUGHTER

Jack has a new hat and a scarf. He sees himself as an unstoppable demigod who can only be sated through random and unstoppable bloodshed. He wants nothing more then to snuff out John and Dave again, or to get a crack at Rose. But deep down, there is a good dog inside of him, who has a best friend. The loyalty between a girl and her dog saves her life once but will it save her again? It actually gives us some insight into how Bec felt about Jade, because Jack can't help but slip up

He says, you mean the very same droll who couldn't manage the one simple task assigned to him, to steal the White Queen's ring from the very same adoring, wonderful girl and master and friend in question?

Wait.

He says he just means girl. Just girl. You didn't hear any of that.

I never really assumed the love Jade had for Bec wasn't reciprocated, but it's nice to see that it is.

Jack is, a bit existential. It is good to get reminded that sburb NPCs are still people. They seem to have full internal lives and complex feelings and emotions. Nothing could have prepared him for this actual future.

Aradia is still over dying. She's skipped straight to the end, again; physically at least. She still needs to wait for everyone else to catch up. It's as good a time as any to explore some past memories.

An aradiabot entangled with Lil Cal appears before a meteor on it's way to Alternia.

Her past self finds the broken remains of the robot mixed with Lil Cal. Inside she finds a hat and a laptop. It brings her so much joy. Jade shows up in this dream!

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

We enter a new memory, one that is important to understanding the meaning behind the adventure we're all going on. Although we don't see it play out perfectly, Kanaya catches on pretty much instantly. Jade introduces herself to Kanaya in person and is complimented on her dress. We see that Kanaya repaired Lil Cal and gave him a felt suit. Sollux wakes up and checks out of the dream. This story is, of course, retro-causal in the most literal way. Compelled to occour by the being it's occurrence creates. Tavros had strange unseen wall writing: "t1ck". The resident ghost provided a second half. "t0ck". Of course it can't be easy; the pair was only half. The scourge sisters wrote the other. 8r8k. h34ds.

No, 5 pieces? honk HONK?

Flarp manuals used by agents along side other artifacts. They lead to the creation of Doc Scratch, the first Guardian of Alternia.

Thank you for reading today's upd8. I have finished just in time to fulfil my duty to my friend and help them prepare for an exam. Wish me luck that shall surely help me in the past from your perspective.