#battlestuck

[overtrolled]

2021/1/8 Fic Rec Repost

In the fic rec post that is going around, I make reference to a previous recommendation post. This was a post which I made back on January 8th, 2021. I posted it on my liveblog, since it was inspired by a request for more Homestuck fics I liked by an anon on that blog. I recently realized that I had not reblogged it here, and so rather than do so, I decided to list the recommendations on a new post, without the formatting errors which bug me about the original post. In my last fic rec post, I chose fic which I thought would be broadly appealing, but in this rec post, since I was responding to an inquiry about my personal favorites, i included some fairly dark stories, and some of them deal with some potentially triggering content. Please read the content tags! You should read the content warnings anyway, but I’m just saying. Take care of yourselves, yeah?

Independent Fics (not part of a series)

Battlestuck [Various Authors] - The beta kids and beta trolls in the Battle Royale universe. Like BR, this fic is full of extremely explicit violence. It is definitely not for everyone. However, it is very good.

Detective Pony [Sonnetstuck] - A children’s book about horses and horse girls edited by Dirk into a labyrinthine treatise on the meaning of fiction and the self. A great fic for all HS fans, and a must-read for any Dirk enjoyers.

General Vantas Gets Hitched, or, The Limits Of Bilateral Diplomacy: A Black Powder Romance [JumpingJackFlash] - Black powder fantasy AU. King John of Skaia and Karkat are put in an arranged marriage in order to end the war between Skaia and the Empire. Full of a lot of fun character interaction and a bit of hurt/comfort adjacent stuff near the end. A fic that feels very 'comfy' to me.

Guilty by Association [mtjester] - This is one of the ones with a darker premise. High school human AU. In the aftermath of Damara and Rufioh's breakup, Damara starts sexually assaulting Tavros, while Meenah and Cronus try to protect him without letting word get out. Well written, fascinating characterization, but it depicts the sexual violence fairly explicitly, so it’s obviously not for everyone.

Modern Cannibals [Bavitz] - This one is set in the 'real world'. Max gets becomes obsessed with Homestuck, and seems to abandon his friendship with Z. Determined to rescue her relationship, Z. gets Max, her other friend Kiki, and Kiki’s boyfriend Cal to take a road trip to Las Vegas where Andrew Hussie will make an appearance. As they approach this heart of darkness, reality starts to warp and fracture.

The Serendipity Gospels [urbanAnchorite] - No SBURB AU Alternia, focusing on Terezi and Gamzee, and their developing black romance. Gospels stopped updating before its originally planned ending, but it does have something of a 'season 1 finale' type ending. The author of this fic is now a published author, and her works have a fandom of their own here on tumblr. If you liked the skull facepaint, the pseudochristian death cult stuff, and the antagonistic yet romantically charged relationship elements in Gideon the Ninth, maybe you'll like this bit of the author's early work.

Straw Soldiers [Lucid_Dream] - A personal favorite of mine. No SBURB shared universe AU. The Alternian Empire sets its eyes on Earth, and Karkat’s blood color makes him an ideal candidate for a spy, whether he wants to be or not. Action, tension, angst, comfort, a deeply enjoyable read. The first act has some body horror, as Karkat's body is modified to make him appear human, but this is absent in the second act, which mainly takes place on Earth.

Unwanted Free Ugly Troll [Orphan Account] - One of the most popular fics in the fandom. No SBURB Earth AU. Trolls are sentient beings which are treated as domesticated animals by humans. The Striders adopt one, then two, then become activists for troll rights.

Series

Cyberbunny Apocalypseverse [Curlicuecal] - When the game ends, Lil Hal and Lil Seb get separated from the kids, and wake in a new universe with cyborg bodies. In a world of tension between cyborgs, humans, trolls, and carapacians, these castaway Striders struggle to find Sawtooth and Squarewave, meet this universe's version of minor HS characters, and deal with the struggles of being human.

The Golden Age [elanor_pam] - A utopian intergalactic society has discovered the Alternian Empire, and tries to reduce harm without prompting the Condesce to use the nuclear option of the Vast Glub. 'The Great Escape' is the standout fic in this series, though it has some content warnings you really ought to heed. Some troll kids, including Karkat, get kidnapped by slavers, resist their captors, and get rescued, and escape Alternian pursuit.

Happy reading!

[overtrolled-liveblog]

Since that nice anon wanted to hear my recommendations for Homestuck fanfiction, I thought that I’d list some that I thought were really good. However, I want to stress that this is not a blanket recommendation. Some of these fics, while well written, beautifully written even, feature content which might be triggering to some folk. Not all of it! Some of it is pretty upbeat and fluffy! Just think before you read this stuff, yeah? All right, on to the recs.

First, the independent fics (i.e. not part of a series) in alphabetical order

Battlestuck (Various Authors) - This one is the beta kids and beta trolls in the Battle Royale universe. Like BR, this fic is full of extremely explicit violence and is definitely not for everyone. However, it is very good if you can tolerate what it is about.

Detective Pony by Sonnetstuck - I’ve already mentioned this one a few times, but it is extremely good, a children’s book about horses edited by Dirk into a labyrinthine treatise on the meaning of fiction and the self.

General Vantas Gets Hitched, or, The Limits Of Bilateral Diplomacy: A Black Powder Romance by JumpingJackFlash - A gay royal arranged marriage AU. Full of a lot of fun character interaction. I usually go back to this fic when I need to read something comfy

Guilty by Association by mtjester - human high school AU featuring the full cast, focusing on the aftermath of the Damara/Rufioh fiasco, which quickly escalates as Damara takes out her rage by sexually abusing Tavros. This is another one of those fics that is well written but not something everyone can handle. It spoke to me when I was in a position vaguely similar to Tav’s, which is why I come back to it.

Modern Cannibals by Bavitz - I’ve mentioned this one recently. Max gets sucked into Homestuck and seems to abandon his friendship with Z, so she gets some friends together to travel to a convention in Vegas where Andrew Hussie will make an appearance. Then the world starts to warp and fracture.

The Serendipity Gospels by urbanAnchorite - No SBURB AU Alternia featuring the black romance between Terezi and Gamzee. This one made waves in fandom when it was released. It’s a good fic with good writing, and the first chapter was published in February of 2012, a little before where I am at in the story at this point (the 4700s), and before anyone believed Gamrezi could ever be canon. The author of this fanfic has gone on to publish the novel Gideon the Ninth under the name Tamsyn Muir.

Straw Soldiers by Lucid_Dream - No SBURB shared universe AU. The Alternian Empire sets its eyes on Earth, and Karkat’s blood color makes him an ideal candidate for a spy, whether he wants to be or not. Action, tension, angst, comfort, a deeply enjoyable read. Maybe not a great one if you’re sensitive to body horror, but otherwise great for everyone.

Unwanted Free Ugly Troll (Orphan Account) - something of an out there AU, trolls are sentient beings which are treated as domesticated animals by humans. The Striders adopt one, then two, then become activists for troll rights. This represents to me the wildness and breadth of the fandom content made in 2012

Next are a couple of series which I think are neat

Cyberbunny Apocalypseverse by Curlicuecal - AR and Lil’ Seb get separated from the kids, and exit the game into a universe where they are cyborgs among humans, carapacians, and trolls. A lot of exploration of characters who don’t get fully fleshed out in canon. The Golden Age by elanor_pam - AU where a Star Trek Federation-esque peaceful society that has taken notice of the Alternian Empire, and attempts to mitigate the harm it does without causing the Condesce to set off the Vast Glub. The Great Escape is a standout fic which can stand by itself, in which a group of troll kids, including Karkat, gets kidnapped by slavers, resists their captors, and gets rescued by not-Federation forces, and escape Alternian pursuit.

[lgbrianas-art]

I'm gay and idk I always imagined during Handmaids scene in @battlestuck she'd want to.... start getting that dress off. I'm sorry about this and I'm sorry about reminding anyone of that fic but I'm not sorry I'm gay af but also I am actually sorry

[homestuckhomestuckhomestuck]

fanfiction [1/5]

[back to directory]

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Fics

Theatre of Coolty Video (orig) by Duckface / Nakedbee

Description: Four Dirks stand in an antechamber. Dirkencrantz And Gildensdirk And Two Other Dirks Are Dead.

Hemostuck by roachpatrol and urbanAnchorite

Description: About Eridan Ampora and Karkat Vantas on a hemospectrum-flipped no-sgrub Alternia. Focuses on relationships, characterization, and elaborate and thought out world building.

The Vienna Game by paraTactician

Description: About Sollux Captor and Terezi Pyrope in a cyberpunk-Alternia where the kids are AI gods. Heist, spy-movie atmosphere. Homage to Neuromancer. Complete.

The Serendipity Gospels by schellibie and urbanAnchorite

Description: Focuses on Terezi Pyrope and Gamzee Makara on an Alternia without Sgrub, where Terezi went on to train as a legislacerator and Gamzee joined the subjugglators, until revolution. Well-characterized. [in progress]

Cities in Dust by cephied_variable

Description: Dave Strider and Terezi Pyrope are hardboiled detectives. Explores concept of alternate universes, dreaming, and waking up.

Strider’s Edge by paraTactician

Description: Focuses on John Egbert and Dave Strider who met at Oxford on a Tuesday in late September. Homage to Brideshead Revisited, tragedy. No sburb elements, great characterization.

Battlefield Terra by Asuka Kureru

Description: “John is one of eight mech pilots heroically protecting Earth from an alien invasion. Pretty easy on the moral choices. See evil monster from space, kill evil monster from space. Only then he actually meets one of them face to face.” John Egbert/Karkat Vantas [in progress]

The Golden Age by Elanor Pam

Description: This series is a intergalactic war AU where humans are the overwhelming force— and Karkat Vantas is kidnapped by space pirates. PTSD/recovery. [in progress]

The Troll War by Outside_Context_Problem

Description: An impressively detailed space opera series of the exploits of Captain John Egbert, Dave Strider, and the invading Alternian Empire. All cast, complete.

cyber!Bunny apocalypse ‘verse by CurlicueCal

Description: “In which Auto Responder gets left behind, dumped into a dystopian universe of cast offs, and has to deal with a dangerous new world and a troublesome new body all alone. Well. Not completely alone.” Auto-Responder/Kankri Vantas [in progress]

Promstuck by cephied_Variable, schellibie, urbanAnchorite

Description: the eternal high school au classic. finished on the promstuck blog. (marchingstuck logs)

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PetstuckAU

Unwanted Free Ugly Troll by coldhope

Description: Dave Strider and Karkat Vantas

Loophole by saccharineSylph

Description: John Egbert and Vriska Serket

Before I Sleep by SplickedyLit

Description: Rosa Maryam and Alt!Kankri

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Don Juan Manlet King by Tomatograter

Description: Jake English character study (post-epilogue multimedia)

stitching up the circuitboards by dellaluce

Description: Jade Harley character study

Scarlet and Bible Black by paraTactician

Description: Rose Lalonde and Sollux Captor and grimdarkness

The Last Hearing of Gamzee Makara by schellibie and urbanAnchorite

Description: After Gamzee, Karkat, Terezi, and Kanaya are left along on the meteor after murderstuck, what would have happened if everyone came to blows.

The Finer Details of Gay Cluckbeast by clumsyoctopus

Description: Dave and John get married

Freight by pyknicGinger

Description: Zombie apocalypse AU [in progress]

Closing time by Cephied_variable

Description: post-sburb beta kids

a thousand years by venusian_eye

Description: Jake English/Dirk Strider, in dreams.

Real Men Wear Tights by Bananaramses, SargeantMeow

Description: Superhero AU John/Karkat [in progress]

The Last Gambit of Zazzerpan the Learned by Cephied_variable

Description: Alpha!Dave and Alpha!Rose

Sinking Fear in Quiet Steps by roachpatrol

Description: Dirk Strider, Dave Strider, post-sburb

Covalent verse by Asuka Kureru

Description: Post-sburb, pre-cascade, trollstuck (in the vein of >Connect verse  and Sunlightverse)

How Karkat Vantas Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Con Air by urban_anchorite

Description: John Egbert/Karkat Vantas, movies

Battlestuck Galactica by sunbreaksdown and skepticarcher

Description: AU

Perpetuum Mobile by anxiousAnarchist, bug, dragon_bagon, isozyme, KidScrappy, magnificentbastards, minna, sunspeared

Description: Rose/Dave/Terezi HSO 2012

The Big Bunper Book of Meteor Party Games by moonstruckNeophyte, Vintar

Description: Dave and Kanaya meteor nonsense HSWC 2014

Salting the Ruins by sunsmasher

Description: Aradia Megido/Feferi Peixes dystopian ladyfest 2013

Are you there, Rose? It’s me, Lord English by coolkidroland, odradek

Description: Parastuck- Beta kids existential meta horror paranormal investigators. (dead but not forgotten)

Caffeine High by mtjester

Description: Tavros Nitram and Sollux Captor help the human prisoner Dirk Strider escape the Alternian fleet. Coffee shop AU.

Life is Out of Season by Odditycollector

Description: Jane Crocker, crockertier, 5-6 endings, twine game

Rete Mirabile by lionpyh

Description: Jade Harley and Davesprite, 2012

chamomile, rose water, and other unlikely intoxicants by callmearcturus

Description: Jake English/Dirk Strider skaia royalty AU, vague godstuck

Vanitas vanitatum by oxfordRoulette

Description: Dirk Strider/John Egbert machiavellian discworldesque fantasy AU

Detective Pony by sonnetstuck and naked-bee’s [podfic] [VIDEO PLAY]

Description: exactly what you think it is

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Crossovers

It’s Over Once You Give Up by a_mere_trifle

Description: Puella Magi Madoka Magica/Homestuck, Dave Strider.

Battlestuck by bananna_h, krasmataz, PunchRockgroin, spacewombat

Description: Battle Royale/Homestuck, systematic.

Here Comes the Rain Again by HerpatoidAcephalist

Description: Gravity Falls/Homestuck, post-sburb, Dirk Strider/Stanford Pines

[moonpaw]

why are you reblogging 2012 battlestuck content

2 mess with floral

[girlbossdennnis]

Guess who finished reading BattleStuck?

me. I did. I’m seriously crying right now. The ending just got me. It was so good though! I really recommend reading this beautiful au that is battlestuck. Just go read it here’s the link for the beginning  Thanks to battlestuck for such an amazing story!

[overtrolled]

I guess this is a Fic Rec

I just finished rereading Battlestuck. It really affects me, and I think it will really affect you if you read it. It is dark and at times gut churning and hard to bear, but anything less would reduce the work, I think. A Battle Royale plot which lacks deep horror and bitter tragedy is a Battle Royale plot that fails, and probably does so offensively. 

This one does not fail.

The original Battle Royale was very similar in tone. In some ways it was a different beast; it has more to say about specifically Japanese social dynamics, and the legacy of Japanese Nationalist fascism, and the relationship between Japan and the rest of the world, all of which is simply not there in Battlestuck. Battle Royale also ends with the hope of escape, the hope of leaving the system that crushes you. But Battlestuck takes things in a bit of a different direction. There is no escape, not really. Cruelty and cowardice and brutality cannot be escaped. They must be dealt with, and you, dear reader, must deal with them. And people get killed and twisted and destroyed trying to deal with them. It is not a subtle theme but it is a good one, a well crafted one, one which does not betray the work’s plot or tone. And after all the death and sorrow, there is something at the end which brought me to tears.

I think this one is out of a lot of people’s comfort zones. It was outside of mine, but I read it anyway, and I was well rewarded. I recommend this work highly, but I do so knowing that for some people, reading this will not be worth it. You know better than I if that is you. Take care of yourselves.

[battlestuck]

Hey guys! Been a long while, hasn’t it? It’s been many moons since Battlestuck wrapped up, but I have an exciting bit of news to share with you all. My first novel DUEL is now available for purchase as an ebook over Amazon!

I wrote Duel before, during, and after Battlestuck, and they have quite a bit in common. Both are stories about young people who are pushed into a bloody, dangerous struggle for their lives. The key difference is that in Battlestuck (and Battle Royale, of course,) the teens are made to fight under the penalty of certain death, while in Duel they’re fighting because of the society that produced them. It takes place in a valley split into two nations, both defined by their bloody conflicts with one another. Characters from either side of the valley are followed with equal attention and sympathy- there’s no mustache-twirling villain, there’s only some fundamentally decent kids making some catastrophic mistakes. 

It’s a lot funnier and a good bit more hopeful than Battlestuck, but don’t worry- I know half of you are disgusting masochists (that comes from a place of love) and these kids really do go through hell. If you’ve enjoyed my writing in the past, I really do think you’d like this book. I’m selling it for the low low price of three bucks, but if you don’t have the money you can get in touch with me and we could hash something out! 

This will be one of if not the last posts I ever make on this blog (sorry for making it a plug, I wouldn’t be writing this if I didn’t legitimately thinking you’d be interested,) and I just wanted to say again that it was a real pleasure writing  for and interacting with you guys. As always, thanks for reading.

-Blinkocracy

[skaiasdoom]

more battlestuck. don’t judge meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee