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edenfallingback to part 42
At long last, I have defeated the evil illustrations! I mean, they're pretty cruddy illustrations, but we all knew they were going to be cruddy, so what the heck. I would like to get this episode wrapped up by the end of October, after which I will throw the floor open to suggestions for the next episode.
(Yes, I know I said this section was going to be Aradia's POV. I lied. *angelic smile*)
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Trollstuck: Make Her Pay, part 43
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====>Be Jothan
"I know you just fine!" you protest. "You're a better person than this. We just need to get everyone together and talk until we can make sense of this and we're all friends again. Come on, Vriska, forget about Aradia for tonight and we'll go watch movies until you're feeling more like yourself."
You take another step forward.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Vriska says, fingers still pressed to her head the way she does when--
worthless, loser, trash, scum
--when she--
nobody will ever care, you'll die screaming on a drone's fist, why not save them the trouble and do it now
--when she messes around with--
killer, traitor, hate you, hate you, hate you, platonic and forever
--other people's minds.
You pause. The strange, rising chorus of voices that you suddenly notice at the edge of your hearing, itching and burning and burrowing into your ears, seems to pause with you, take one insubstantial breath.
Vriska tried to kill Aradia. Vriska is really, really upset right now. When Vriska's upset, she has a habit of doing stupid things she regrets. Vriska is in your head.
The voices gather insubstantial breath, like the drawing tension before the sky cracks open and the storm pours down.
This, you think, is probably going to hurt.
why don't you! just!! DIE!!!
====>Be Equius
You cannot believe the lowbloods were right. Vriska was attempting to cull Aradia.
No. Vriska did cull Aradia. Aradia died tonight. That she also lived -- thanks to the ludicrous and dangerous fact that Davven Kronos can apparently travel through time as well as through space -- is irrelevant. And while Vriska is, naturally, within her rights to cull a rustblood, you find that in this one case, despite the inherent superiority of-- despite the self-evident necessity of the-- despite what you have founded your understanding-- despite certain things, you find that you cannot...
Your stomach churns.
Fortunately you find Vriska's nutrition block and reach the sink before you suffer an unsightly accident.
After you wash, and dry yourself thoroughly with a handful of towels you find in a dusty and misaligned cabinet, you attempt to retrace your steps. Vriska's hive is as chaotic as her actions, but you have an excellent spatial memory and quickly find your way back to her respiteblock. The broken door swings drunkenly from its one remaining hinge, shielding the room within and casting jagged shadows into the already dim corridor.
There is a worrying lack of voices from within.
====>Open the door
You freeze. Surely you are misunderstanding things. Jothan is Vriska's oldest friend. Her only friend, now that her association with Terezi has come to an ignominious end. Whatever Vriska's actions toward-- regardless of her other actions this night, she cannot possibly mean to harm--
The door crumples between your fingers.
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---------------
---------------
There we go! A nice stopping point for you all while I return to fighting with Aradia. :-D
---------------------------------------------
continue to part 44
*dusts hands, puts away art supplies*
At long last, I have defeated the evil illustrations! I mean, they're pretty cruddy illustrations, but we all knew they were going to be cruddy, so what the heck. I would like to get this episode wrapped up by the end of October, after which I will throw the floor open to suggestions for the next episode.
(Yes, I know I said this section was going to be Aradia's POV. I lied. *angelic smile*)
---------------------------------------------
Trollstuck: Make Her Pay, part 43
---------------------------------------------
====>Be Jothan
"I know you just fine!" you protest. "You're a better person than this. We just need to get everyone together and talk until we can make sense of this and we're all friends again. Come on, Vriska, forget about Aradia for tonight and we'll go watch movies until you're feeling more like yourself."
You take another step forward.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Vriska says, fingers still pressed to her head the way she does when--
worthless, loser, trash, scum
--when she--
nobody will ever care, you'll die screaming on a drone's fist, why not save them the trouble and do it now
--when she messes around with--
killer, traitor, hate you, hate you, hate you, platonic and forever
--other people's minds.
You pause. The strange, rising chorus of voices that you suddenly notice at the edge of your hearing, itching and burning and burrowing into your ears, seems to pause with you, take one insubstantial breath.
Vriska tried to kill Aradia. Vriska is really, really upset right now. When Vriska's upset, she has a habit of doing stupid things she regrets. Vriska is in your head.
The voices gather insubstantial breath, like the drawing tension before the sky cracks open and the storm pours down.
This, you think, is probably going to hurt.
why don't you! just!! DIE!!!
====>Be Equius
You cannot believe the lowbloods were right. Vriska was attempting to cull Aradia.
No. Vriska did cull Aradia. Aradia died tonight. That she also lived -- thanks to the ludicrous and dangerous fact that Davven Kronos can apparently travel through time as well as through space -- is irrelevant. And while Vriska is, naturally, within her rights to cull a rustblood, you find that in this one case, despite the inherent superiority of-- despite the self-evident necessity of the-- despite what you have founded your understanding-- despite certain things, you find that you cannot...
Your stomach churns.
Fortunately you find Vriska's nutrition block and reach the sink before you suffer an unsightly accident.
After you wash, and dry yourself thoroughly with a handful of towels you find in a dusty and misaligned cabinet, you attempt to retrace your steps. Vriska's hive is as chaotic as her actions, but you have an excellent spatial memory and quickly find your way back to her respiteblock. The broken door swings drunkenly from its one remaining hinge, shielding the room within and casting jagged shadows into the already dim corridor.
There is a worrying lack of voices from within.
====>Open the door
You freeze. Surely you are misunderstanding things. Jothan is Vriska's oldest friend. Her only friend, now that her association with Terezi has come to an ignominious end. Whatever Vriska's actions toward-- regardless of her other actions this night, she cannot possibly mean to harm--
The door crumples between your fingers.
---------------
---------------
---------------
There we go! A nice stopping point for you all while I return to fighting with Aradia. :-D
---------------------------------------------
continue to part 44
*dusts hands, puts away art supplies*
Part 43
Date: 2014-11-08 03:19 pm (UTC)Towards the beginning, I wasn't quite sure if John could just hear the voices because the ghosts were coming back and they both could, or if Vriska had to be at his mind for them to bleed over. Especially judging by the end, there, I'm inclined to say the latter.
That's the only guess/question I have, really, so in other news: Great work! I'm glad you conquered your pictures. And good luck with Aradia!
Re: Part 43
Date: 2014-11-08 05:51 pm (UTC)Yeah, Jothan's only hearing the ghosts because Vriska is letting/making him overhear, and also imposing some of her own self-hatred onto the message. Thanks for pointing out the ambiguity -- I will try to make that a little clearer before I post the collected chapter on AO3.