#on top of the imps and the chessboard

[roughentumble]

idea for a witcher/homestuck AU. ciri goes to fight the white frost and seemingly defeats it, but something isnt right about it, and for some reason at the center of it all she finds some sort of game with complex instructions right there. she kind of tells herself that it was leftover from some other traveler, who came to the center of all that is to destroy entropy and found themselves lacking, leaving behind only scraps of who they were. but it seems so pristine... could it really be that...? whatever it is, she feels oddly compelled to play it. perhaps as homage to a soul that was lost clutching a game and thinking of joyful times with their family.

(there is no stopping the white frost. entropy cannot be fought back. but how is she to know? when avallac'h told her otherwise? is it so wrong to dare to hope?)

the game is called something silly, like hmlet(like sburb but instead its. hamlet.)

everyone is already gathered, so when they all slink off to nurse their bruises, when theyre all still together, she brings out the game. eskel thinks its a bit grim. lambert thinks its grim, so he's completely behind it. they shuffle through the confusing rules as the first icy, frozen meteor falls far, far away, on the other side of a world that's yet to be fully circumnavigated.

my preliminary cast list idea looks something like:

1. yen (witch of time) (derse)

2. ciri (mage of space) (derse)

3. jaskier (rogue of breath) (prospit)

4. geralt (knight of blood) (prospit)

5. eskel

6. lambert

7. regis (?)

8. avallac'h

9. cerys (?)

10. letho (?)

11. triss

12. zoltan (?)

with question marks denoting placements that are the most up in the air, though i'd REALLY like to keep letho and zoltan on board. im never going to write this but i am going to have fun turning it over in my head and imagining these 12 as fun gods of a new world.

[homestuckreplay]

hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo!

(page 424-430)

8/2/2009 WHEEL SPIN: being silly :3c VERDICT: incorrect :(

The lore dump concludes!! Personally, I could listen to Nannasprite exposit all day, but it's probably for the best that John doesn't keep Rose waiting too much longer. I really love that her face is now angry in the notification bubble. Does this mean she's officially gone Rancorous?

New information about the light vs dark war really changes the dynamic - the forces of light are destined to lose, so it's not an equal fight. More importantly, Nannasprite - who is in part guided by the game - encourages John to head for the light, and Sburb provides gates that go up, but not down. Fighting on the side of the forces of light is seemingly the intended gameplay path for the player, and it seems like John will follow this path - although not because he's deeply invested in being a good person, he's just focused on saving his dad. I think John is focusing himself on the smaller scale goal to distract himself from the idea that Earth is beyond saving, and because whatever else Sburb has in store for him is way too huge to fathom right now.

But what about Rose? What about Dave? They're much edgier people, and if Dave does find his brother's discs and become Rose's server player, I can totally see them going evil mode together, forgoing building upwards and instead trying to explore the mysterious fog below.

We learn that when four kernels land in four spires in both the castles of light and darkness, then things really begin - I guess this means the first four players to reach this point in the game? Which suggests John is the first person in the whole world to reach this point and to beat the meteor level? I'm actually so proud of him, he and rose are really true gamers 🥹 Four spires feels like a narrative choice made so that John's four-person friend group can be the first four players, except GG doesn't have a copy of Sburb, so it would be funny if the game was John, Rose, Dave and some random guy Todd from Missouri.

It seems like the imps, as the lowest level and most common enemy, represent the pawns on the chessboard. So what's next? Will we meet a different boss type for all the pieces? Will we get harlequin horses for the knights to ride on? Will we also meet the white pieces, the counterparts to the black who John might fight alongside?

Nannasprite says that John's journey is t̸̲̿̄h̴̡͓̐̂ͅe̸͔̦̓ͅ ̸̖͖̎u̸̜͒l̴͓̮͚͋̈́̍̊t̸̜̟̎͜ḯ̷̝̟͂̏ḿ̴̻͍̒a̶̟̎t̵̲͊́͊̚e̴̱͙̠̟̊̚ ̴̢̥̪̪͊ŕ̷̨̗͕̜̑̂i̸̩̗̳̼̋̔͊d̶͙̲͓̯͘d̸̤̦̿͆̿̕l̷̗̯̆͐ḙ̷̢̘́ so to help John out I've looked up the top rated riddle on riddles.com, which is probably the ultimate one? But only look up the answer if you want big homestuck spoilers, because this answer reveals everything.

When Nanna floats through the wall, she leaves ectoplasm dripping down John's Con Air poster which is 1. exactly like a real ghost and 2. kind of rude, John loves that poster. But for sure this is going to tie into John's paranormal lore and ectoBiology. In fact there's a bucket right there for him to collect the slime and do experiments on.

Nanna is EXACTLY like dad. She bakes cookies instead of cakes, and maybe is into a different flavor of clown (perhaps she loves mimes?) but they share so much in common. It really positions John as the odd one out in the family for Not liking clowns and baked goods.

[readingclubstuck]

section 5 image descriptions

Page descriptions for all pages with flashing images in section 5 under the cut! Trigger guide for the section is [link: here].

2313: Rose: Hurry and activate the generator!

The generator whirs behind the mausoleum in the rain. A cord is dragged inside. [panel 2] Rose stands inside the mausoleum with the cord at her feet. The small room is made of brick, has a window through which lightning flashes, and on the back is a cat statue with angel wings. In the center of the room is a coffin on a pedestal with a cross on top.

Narration: You fire up the GENERATOR and drag a cord into the MAUSOLEUM.

It of course would be foolish to run the GENERATOR inside a confined space. GENERATOR SAFETY is everyone's business.

2314: Rose: Defile tomb.

Rose kicks the coffin off the pedestal with a KONK. The coffin falls open on the other side, revealing a dead cat in a suit.

Narration: Sorry, Jaspers. Have to make space for the LAPTOP.

Besides, your final resting place is already a mockery. You should have decomposed years ago under a bed of petunias like a normal cat. Not given to a taxidermist and fitted with a tiny, custom-tailored suit, and then stuffed in a coffin built for infants.

2324: ME?? ==>

The Joker KERNELSPRITE flashes and divides as we previously saw, the dark half of the kernel descending and taking its place atop one of four purple towers below. The lighter half ascends and takes its place atop one of the four golden towers above, pointing downward. Some nondescript imps hanging around John’s Slimer spring toy suddenly burst into motion and jester’s outfits appear on them. The small 3x3 chessboard becomes an ordinary chessboard and the pieces also become jester-themed, while an entire jester-themed chess set appears and begins to play against each other.

Spritelog:

JOHN: ME??

NANNASPRITE: Yes, you, John!

NANNASPRITE: Before your mishap with my ashes, you may recall the Sprite's previous incarnation, which resulted from itsKernel's "hatching".

NANNASPRITE: You see, this hatching occurs automatically in response to your arrival! The result is a pair of Kernels, one dark, one light, each carrying the information they were prototyped with before the hatch!

NANNASPRITE: One goes down, to a kingdom entrenched in darkness. The other, up, to a kingdom basking in light! Each comes to rest in an Orb atop a Spire, of which there are three others in kind. The Four Spires are situated above a throne, and these two thrones preside over the two respective Sovereign Powers!

NANNASPRITE: And once the Kernels are situated, that is when the game is afoot. The true war begins, light versus dark, good versus evil.

NANNASPRITE: This is a war that the forces of light are always destined to lose, without exception!

2377: Rose: Drop something heavy on one of those imps.

Rose takes the piano with the cursor, making two of the imps scatter. She lowers the piano over the head of the imp on the pogo ride, then drops it, breaking the piano in half and breaking the imp in a burst of shale and grist.

2401: John determinedly runs up the wall, spins in the air for a few seconds, and then shoots through the door to the study, taking an imp’s hat off in the process. The text “NICE ABSCOND, DUDE!” appears.

2403: Refrigerator: Level up for slaying the imp.

A refrigerator bounces in the center of the screen, while six smaller refrigerator images flash back and forth around it. The background flashes purple and green.

Narration: The REFRIGERATOR skyrockets up the ECHELADDER to a new rung: FIVESTAR GENERAL ELECTRIC and earns 285 BOONDOLLARS.

Things are really looking up for this feisty appliance.

2415: the opener dilemma remains unsettled, most unfortunately

John stands in front of a former imp now crushed into grist by a bookshelf. He holds his index finger up to his mouth in thought, while a speech bubble above his head rapidly alternates between a red question mark and a can opener.

Narration: It is unfortunate.

I guess.

What are we talking about again?

2416: but it has been a pleasure nonetheless.

The bookshelf retreats to the wall. John waves his arms in confusion as his speech bubble alternates between a red question mark, the can opener, the words PLEASE, THANK YOU, and YOU ARE WELCOME. A speech bubble with Dave’s head in it points to John.

Narration: Thanks for the courtesy.

It's not really necessary, but thanks anyway.

2417: oh, but thank you

a speech bubble above john’s head alternates between PLEASE, THANK YOU, and the wanderer’s face. Dave’s speech bubble is still there, as well as one containing an agitated Rose in front of it. John has his eyes closed in an expression of consternation and is still waving his hands, as Rose bats at his head with a crumpled hat she holds in her cursor.

Narration: Ok.

2435: Rose throws a bathtub through the wall and window, destroying the imp and making John jump and shout.

2456: Colonel Sassacre, wearing aparently a magician’s hat, vibrates in the center of the page, surrounded by small pictures of the old Sassacre text. The background flashes orange and pink.

Narration: The Colonel soars to new heights on his ECHELADDER, reaching the rung: ONE MAN JULEP VACUUM, and pockets 9550 BOONDOLLARS.

Chump change for the genteel, aristocratic southern colonel.

2457: Bathtub: Level up for slaying the imp.

The bathtub pulses in the middle of the screen, surrounded by four smaller bathtub pictures flashing back and forth diagonally. The background appears to be waves in light and dark blue.

Narration: The BATHTUB surges heroically and surpasses the rung: ARCHIMEDES' AQUACRADLE, proceeding directly to vaunted rung: TAFT-JAMMER. The tub makes off with a cool 490 BOONDOLLARS.

The tub's BASIN CAPACITY remains unaffected.