puppetholdsthestrings

[puppetholdsthestrings]

Lazy painting is lazy and self indulgent. 

[puppetholdsthestrings]

Cal’s eyes thinned a bit, detecting a slight undertone of his own from Karkat. “Pawns are only useful when they have  a proper leader to guide them. With a novice, as most chess players are, it would not be anywhere near possible. Pawns are used as distractions, to create openings, to be taken without care.”

He paused for a brief moment, trying to think of a way to get a point across. A point that would certainly irritate the troll. “Other pieces should not be handled so lightly. It would be a loss to lose them, no matter their position, due to their wider range of motions. You, for example, would be a pawn at absolute most. Though those you have close relationships with, well. They may be higher ranked. And a king wouldn’t let go of those pieces. Do you understand?”

A Friendly Surprise.

While at first the explanation of the game seemed straightforward and simple, it later seemed to divulge into something deeper, with undertones he picked up on relatively quick. While this teeth bit at his lower lip in attempt to keep himself as relaxed and focused as possible, he eyed the pieces on the board. A moment or two after Cal finished speaking, he decided it would be best to give an answer of his own. “Sounds like an interesting game,” he spoke, picking up one of his own pawns and looking it over, “Though it doesn’t really seem fair to the pawns to be given a position so low. I mean everyone else at least has some sort of unique thing to them, except the pawns.” His eyes glanced over to meet Cal’s then, as a frown stayed on his lips. “Though I guess even a pawn could take down a king in the right situation.” He favors checkers a lot more though, not just for the much simpler rules, but the fact that all pieces have the same value, and those who make it to the other side are given the power of a king. The whole thing just seems much more ethical to him. Then again, he has no real care one way or the other about the rebellion against the unethical conditions of Alternia. He’s never fought for it, however the desire to be treated with the same respect as a higher blood is something he’s yearned for for ages.

[puppetholdsthestrings]

Cal let out a dissatisfied sigh,”That’s a shame, it’s one of my favorite games. I’m sure that means you aren’t aware of each pieces value, either,” he replied, moving his fingers over one of the slick black pieces, the King. “This is the most important piece, relatively speaking. If your King is captured, the game is over, and you have lost. If there is no exit strategy, if you can not take the piece or pieces threatening your King, if he has no escape, he is slain.”

He had started, and there was a point to his rambling. It would not stop. And perhaps he would get a game out of it, though he figured not. “This is the Queen,” he continued, gloved hand directing to her. “She is much more powerful than the Kind, who can only move one space at a time. She can move in any direction however many spaces she wants in a straight or diagonal line. If you lose your Queen, your chances of success are significantly lower, as she is the most useful for capturing opponents players.”

“The Bishop can go diagonally in any direction, and while useful, has limits that the Queen does not. Next is the Knight, who is even less valuable than the Bishop. He moves in an ‘L’ shape, meaning not very far. The Rook is on the same level as the Knight, moving only in a straight line.  While there is only one King and one Queen, there are two of each of these pieces, as you can see.”

He paused glancing over the pawns before picking one of the white pieces up from Karkat’s side of the board. “ The Pawn is next. There are eight of these, and after the first turn which has the option of moving one or two spaces straight forward, it is limited to one space. It attacks diagonally. They are expendable.”

He brought the pawn closer to his face, blue eyes looking over the piece,”But you should never underestimate any pieces, including a pawn. I have taken a King in four moves using nothing but a Knight and Pawns as distractions.” Somehow his tone seemed like he was no longer talking about chess.

A Friendly Surprise.

Despite his disinterest with the powerhouses, he did take a moment to admire how elegant the room was. It wasn’t hard to assume who had chose the decor, seeing as the Empress’ taste was considerably more gaudy, and he didn’t think the oversized cherub was all that for interior decorating. The idea of him trying to pick out an aesthetic for the room was laughable at best.

After following the puppet out, he stopped in front of the glass table, watching the other take a seat as he took in his words. His eyes scanned over all the small, intricate pieces, and then with some hesitation, took a seat across from the other. In response, he simply shook his head. While the game had potentially grabbed his interest once or twice, his life prior to the hold was spent mostly hidden away in his hive, and things like chess sets weren’t so easy to just go ahead and purchase (not to mention his lusus certainly wasn’t a good opponent with those clumsy claws). 

[puppetholdsthestrings]

The elevator ride was short, only needing to go up a few floors before it dinged, doors opening to let them out. Outside the elevator door was a room, a rather nice one in fact. Furniture picked out by Cal himself, mostly white for things like couches and chairs, and black for wood. Modern, minimalist. The Empress had fought him tooth and nail on the choice, but he eventually talked her out of the ridiculous looking furniture that she had tried to choose. 

He stepped out silently, moving to a white chair that was across from a white couch, a glass table with a rather expensive looking chess set in between. “Sit. Do you know how to play?” he questioned, his smile still gone from his face as he spun the chess board, glass and porcelain, so that white faced Karkat.

A Friendly Surprise.

The icey glare from the puppet was enough to send shivers down his spine, his body tense as he looked down at the other, while his breath caught in his throat. When he was suddenly close, his body immediately backpedaled a few steps, hesitating before nodding silently. He’d never felt fear like that sense what happened with Gamzee, and it unsettled him entirely. Rather than protesting now, he simply followed Cal to the elevator without a word, glancing around a bit as they walked. Nervous was an understatement right now - he was absolutely riddled with anxiety about what Cal was planning, and just what he was capable of. He wracked his brain for what he possibly could’ve done recently to piss the other off, but the search warranted nothing.  As he stepped into the elevator with the other, he cast a few glances over at him every now and then, but otherwise avoided eye contact, just keeping his gaze on the numbers of the small screen as they ascended higher into the hold.

[puppetholdsthestrings]

Cal’s expression was no longer a smile or one of amusement, but irritation as he turned his head to look back at the Vantas with a glare. “Do you think you’re being cute or funny?” he demanded, cold blue eyes even colder as they thinned to a glare. 

He flash stepped in front of Karkat before he spoke again,”We are going upstairs now, and if you continue to cause problems, you will regret it,”he ordered before turning on his heel to walk towards the doorway out of the common room and to the elevator. If he had to physically drag Karkat, he wouldn’t be happy.

A Friendly Surprise.

Unfortunately, there was only so much time one could take while eating a sandwhich, and despite drawing out every one of those seconds to be as long as they possibly could be, he was soon finished. For an added bonus, he carefully washed, dried, and put away the plate to give him some extra time, while he wracked his brain for any possible excuse he could use. He glanced at the clock before looking over to Cal. “You know it’s getting pretty late, I should go get some sleep,” he insisted, despite it still being way too early to sleep - not that he even got to sleep much. Constantly night terrors got to him and prevented his body from resting, so unless he was utterly exhausted, sleep was hard to come by. He just hoped the puppet didn’t know that.

[puppetholdsthestrings]

Cal nodded with a smile, not showing the slight irritation. He had given him the option verbally, even if he hadn’t really meant it. But Karkat could only take so long to eat, and there wasn’t a way for him to get by Lil Cal.

As the troll ate, Cal bounced from guard bot to guard bot, checking the ones who had slight damage from restraining slaves. He should do maintenance on them soon, perhaps increase the amount of juice they could serve to slaves, better the metal that held them together. But that took so much time, and he had so little free time most days.

He glanced at Karkat from where he stood by a guard bot in the common room, wondering how long he could possibly draw out one sandwich.

A Friendly Surprise.

Constantly he questioned the ties Bro and Gamzee had to this puppet. He wondered just what Bro saw in him, though then again they did seem to be ‘family’ (human relations were weird). Gamzee, on the other hand, he was pretty confident had something to do with the powers of control Cal had. He doubted Gamzee would just so willingly be that friendly with him. His grip tightened a little on the plate in his hands, biting at his lower lip as he listened to Cal speak. Upstairs didn’t sound like such a good place. The forbidden area held maybe a spark of curiosity, but mostly dread for what could be to come. Understandably, he didn’t trust Cal in the slightest, and up there he wondered just how badly his shit was going to be fucked up. “I’d rather prefer to be here to be honest,” he responds, as if some salvage lied in the public area. Regardless, he ate slow, trying to draw out the time as much as he possibly could.

[puppetholdsthestrings]

017

[puppetholdsthestrings]

[puppetholdsthestrings]

>> permission granted from the artist

[puppetholdsthestrings]

guess my favorite kink

I got really lazy with coloring

[puppetholdsthestrings]

“Well, two of my very dear friends seem to think you are worth their time. Perhaps I want to see what all the fuss is about, hm?” he responded in at least a more sane tone. His cold gloved fingers tapped in a roll along Karkat’s shoulder. “You can finish eating before we leave, if you would like. Though you know, for the time being, we’re simply going upstairs!”

Upstairs, where only the power houses were permitted. Upstairs where they spent casual time, more Lil Cal than the others. Upstairs, where Lil Cal had practically tortured Herana for getting too full of herself in the past. But he wouldn’t jump right into torture. Not until Karkat slipped up.

A Friendly Surprise.

He knew something was up, but he had never anticipated that Cal would be renting him. It made his entire body freeze in horror, his mind cycling though endless possibilities of what could happen, most of which ended with him beaten and emotionally torn apart. Cal had close ties to both of his quadrants, which only served to make him even more nervous about the whole affair. The arm around him didn’t help at all. “I don’t really see why you’d want to spend your time with me,” he mumbled out, “I fail to see the point.” He bit at his lower lip, glancing down at the puppet. This was horrifying - why did Cal have to pick him?

[puppetholdsthestrings]

IN LIGHT OF THE UPD8, AND OF BEING REMINDED THAT DOC SCRATCH EXISTED, ID LIKE TO SHARE ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITE HOMESTUCK VIDEOS OF ALL TIME

[puppetholdsthestrings]

Cal hummed with a smile. He was lying, and even if he were good at it, Cal would be able to tell. He was semi omnipotent after all, not as much so as his son. Who was also him. Paradox Space is a strange and complicated thing. 

“I assume in that case, that you have no plans. Not being rented by a master and all. Which means that me taking you, will not be a problem. No masters have rented you,” he repeated once more, flash stepping to Karkat’s side, placing his arm around his shoulders. “This is simply your proper owner wishing to spend some dear time with his slave.”

A Friendly Surprise.

Something about Cal was making him more unsettling than usual to the troll. It made him uneasy as his grip tightened a little on the plate, eyes locked on the puppet cautiously. “I’m not their toy,” he mumbled out softly, frowning in disapproval. Shaking his head, he turned his head to him. “Nothing is wrong with them, everything is fine.” Wrong. Gamzee won’t open up to him and occasional he has a problem or two with Bro. At the mention of a master, he shook his head again, but paused. Something wasn’t right. Why was Cal asking for confirmation? He should know this. “No, no masters are renting me. You should know that though, so why are you asking me?”

[puppetholdsthestrings]

Cal’s smile remained as he approached Karkat in a flash step, coming uncomfortably close to the other. While he was shorter, he was certainly more threatening. “Oh ho ho ho, I just thought I would pay Bro and Gamzee’s favorite little toy a visit. No masters renting you this week, hm?” he spoke with a wide grin, gold tooth glinting. His upper body moved so he was looking around the troll before stopping and turning to look at the sandwich the troll had made.

“Still with them both, I see. No problems. In the relationships?” he chuckled, voice the slightest bit choppy as he straightened his gloves. He was wearing fancy attire, as usual. “No masters renting you?” he repeated. No masters. No masters indeed.

A Friendly Surprise.

The news that he wasn’t being rented by any masters was like sweet music to Karkat’s ears. While he’d felt distant from his moirail the past two weeks, he more than appreciated having two weeks to himself - or at least that’s what he assumed. Having not had any recent contact with Cal in what must be months, Karkat had no idea what the other was plotting in the slightest. He’d almost completely forgotten about the puppet. He’d of course busied himself in the kitchen, working to make himself some lunch. Not being rented meant getting food for himself, which he was plenty okay with. No restrictions here, though he supposed he’s eaten better at Bro’s. Regardless, he’s not very petty about tastes, and a basic sandwich is more than enough to suffice his hunger for now.  As he turns around however, he nearly loses his creation to the floor as the presence of the puppet startles him enough to nearly drop his plate. It takes a moment for him to regain his bearings, but after taking a step back, a frown and a skeptical gaze replaces the look of surprise on his face. “So what have I done this time to receive the pleasure of your presence.” Sarcasm is pretty evident in his tone already, but that’s not all that surprising. 

[puppetholdsthestrings]

A Friendly Surprise.

It had been far too long. It had been far too long since you noticed the mutant getting close to Bro and Gamzee, and for far too long you have let it slide. You are not sure why you thought nothing of it considering his medelling in past timelines, calming the Makara (of which you felt a bit yourself, but that was not primary) and the reactions the other souls trapped within you thought. For far too long you brushed him off, and now it was time to play a game.

Lil Cal flash stepped through the hold, a wide smile on his face. Those he crossed practically jumped out of his way. Despite not being well known in the rebellion, he did pull the strings, and now in the hold people knew who he was. Even if they didn’t know exactly what he did, they knew he was a power house and one wasn’t weak by any means to earn that title. He had allowed Karkat to believe he had not been rented and in all senses, he wasn’t lying when he sent a robot to inform him “You have not been selected by any masters for rental this cycle.”

He hadn’t, after all. He had been selected by an owner.

The puppet soon found the Vantas in the kitchen shuffling about, obviously unprepared for his appearance despite him not being spotted yet. His wide eyed grin somehow managed to turn even wider as he stood in the doorway, like some creepy possessed doll from a horror movie, waiting for the troll to notice him.

[puppetholdsthestrings]

I thought of this immediately when I read the update.

[puppetholdsthestrings]

謹賀新年2015！ [83]