blue raspberry bubblegum

A Homestuck fanblog for all things John/Roxy! <3

[blueraspberrybubblegum]

the answer to a long-forgotten question

There are 288 signs, not 48. Now we know.

The Extended Zodiac

Looks like I’m a Heart aspect Prospit dreamer, which is not a big surprise to me, but the fact that the online quiz results mesh pretty well with my own intuition is a surprise, and a very pleasant one. So maybe you should take the quiz too!

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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Here you go! The long-awaited second half of Chapter 18. This one is stranger because it’s from Dave’s perspective and he’s still getting used to being blind; it’s having some mental and emotional side effects. It was supposed to be your standard Dave’s-first-buttsex Porn Without Plot, but it turned into Porn With Plot And Also: a light sprinkling of random kinks, some dom/sub dynamics, a bit of roleplaying, a brief glimpse of pale porn, and a haunting or two. Be ye warned, sexual content abounds within.

[banishedquasiroyal-deactivated2]

man @blueraspberrybubblegum has written a chapter that just. fucks me up. every single time. (hence quick doodle of eldritch oozy about to die rose). like godDAMN. I. cannot DEAL go read the fic

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Love this. It’s perfect. Gorgeous fanart by @big-bad-grimbark from the chapter where Lift It Like It’s Heavy lives up to its name...

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update

raspberry’s take: surprisingly pretty; Jade/Dave/Karkat most def canon

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Chapter 18: Karkat: Light a fire.

Chapter 18 is my baby, and I dearly hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I wrote the first draft in the fall of 2013; however, it’s been in a constant state of revision for most of the last 2 years. It was always intended to be the longest chapter in LILIH, simply because it’s nearly an entire arc unto itself, even though it still only represents a small portion of the overall story. It’s 47 pages long (encompassing roughly 20% of LILIH thus far), and it has a side story sequel that’s another 27 pages. After that, LILIH will again go on hiatus indefinitely, or at least probably for another 2 years while I finish my training program. Again – not abandoned, just simmering on a back burner.

This chapter revolves around another two or three plotlines that you might recall have been brewing for a while; warning for sexual content and loaded language. Moderately spoilery comments continue past the cut.

Karkat’s being pretty vague about what he’s going through in this chapter, so if you’re interested, here goes. Trolls basically have to go through puberty twice. The first go-round is similar to what a human boy might expect to experience at puberty; the nook is still completely refractory to stimulus at this stage. This is when trolls first become sexually active and can start filling buckets with their concupiscent partners, although sex at this point is largely non-penetrative (oral sex being the exception, if it occurs.)

Second stage – which refers to second stage adulthood, the last instar of the troll life cycle – is not strictly necessary for reproduction, and, in fact, is largely the product of millennia of genetic manipulation by the imperial government. It represents a kind of focused sexual awakening in which a young troll experiences a strong urge to copulate with a specific person, typically an acquaintance whom that troll is already attracted to (consciously or not, although circumstances may vary.) This urge can only be dispelled by inducing the nook to orgasm, which involves penetrative sex in which the nook receives and then releases the concupiscent partner’s genetic material. Manual stimulation is not sufficient to fulfill this requirement, though many a troll has tried.

Although the purpose of second stage is to force awkward young trolls to seek out fulfilling concupiscent relationships, thus producing better quality slurry and more dominant genes, there are many ways that it can go wrong. The target of attraction may already have concupiscent partners or otherwise be socially or emotionally incompatible; one of the more awkward examples of this is when the pair of trolls in question are already involved in a moirallegiance. Secondly, although the pheromone-laden fluids secreted during this period are composed specifically to entice the intended target, other trolls are not insensitive to them, and sometimes signals get crossed. Finally, thwarting the demands of second stage can be as simple as having a one-night stand with any willing party; once the need to fornicate has been satisfied, both trolls can go their separate ways without experiencing any physiologic consequences. Emotional consequences, obviously, are another thing entirely.

Naturally, a large number of romance novels, films, and pornographic materials involve the transition to second stage adulthood, as the process is almost invariably fraught with passion, tension, and drama. Blackrom of any flavor tends to amplify the latter two components. Only a small minority of cases are straightforward, typically requiring a pre-existing, mutual flushed attraction, along with a host of other favorable variables; this situation is widely upheld as the ultimate romantic ideal. Entering second stage may be eagerly anticipated or dreaded, depending on the individual and the circumstances, and the outcome is both notoriously unpredictable and impossible to control.

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Strider boys getting their butts kicked... not my favorite day.

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I shamelessly binged LILIH in two days via AO3, and I've got to say, I'm very, very impressed. Hussie's characters and story concepts are oftentimes difficult to capture, but I think your writing is done expertly and beautifully. Everything really fits well, and you address and elaborate on much that wasn't necessarily made canon. Praise to you! I've really fallen in love with the story. I look forward to upcoming chapters.

Thank you so much, that’s so kind of you to say! <3 I love storytelling, and Homestuck is the kind of story that is so rich, yet begs to be elaborated on. LILIH is my first serious foray into creative writing, and I’m learning every step of the way. One day, I’d like to publish a story of my own :)

[blueraspberrybubblegum]

oh and by the way UPDATE

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Chapter 17: Jane: Defend.

Remember how I disappeared a while back? Chapter 17 is the one that I got stuck on; it was started around the end of the summer in 2013, and didn’t get finished until over two years later. Since it’s another major chapter in Jane’s arc, it was important to make sure that it meshed with her last one – thus the delay on publishing Chapter 14. (Also, there was no way I was going to leave you hanging at the end of Chapter 16 for two years.)

I don’t recommend trying to write a courtblock drama, it’s a nightmare. I totally understand why Shelby and urbanAnchorite dropped a deus ex machina into the middle of theirs.

[blueraspberrybubblegum]

Chapter 16

In case you’re keeping count, this is The Chapter I’m Going To Hell For. Warning for graphic violence, body horror, and death. This has been in the works for a while, and parts of it were foreshadowed as far back as in Roxy’s prequel story. This chapter was written in the summer of 2013, so, again, it might seem a little dated to you diehard fans. Just pretend like you’re reading it three years ago.

[blueraspberrybubblegum]

LILIH Chapter 15

Roxy’s homecoming is up this week; warning for allusions to self-harm. I wrote chapter 15 in the summer of 2013, which is why Dirk and Roxy have completely different powers than they do in canon. Lots of new tags in the upcoming chapters – as usual, I won’t tag new relationships right away, to avoid spoilers for those of you who’ve been keeping up with each chapter as it comes out. (I know that there are only about 5 of you, but you’re so damn sweet to me it that it feels like a never-ending parade.)

Roxy’s struggle with depression is informed by my own. Depression is not a personal problem. It is a black hole that affects everyone around you, and you can’t climb out of it on your own. If you or someone you know is depressed, help is just a click away.

Hopeline: hopeline.com | 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: suicidepreventionlifeline.org | 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)

If you would like to talk about depression - my experiences or your own - my askbox is always open. To ensure your privacy, I will not respond publicly unless you explicitly ask me to.

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LILIH Chapter 14: Jane: Abide.

Chapter 14 follows Jane and John in the months following Roxy’s disappearance. It does most of the heavy lifting to set up the next 4 chapters (and beyond!) This chapter was written in the late spring of 2013. It’s the longest one yet - but not as long as Chapter 18...

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Finally

I don’t remember if I told you already, but I finally finished chapter 17 and reassembled chapter 18. It’s not perfect - it’ll never be perfect - but you’ve waited long enough. Chapter 14 drops on V-Day.

[blueraspberrybubblegum]

Hey, blueraspberrybubblegum! I just wanna say that I'm a huge fan of yours. If the johnroxy ship was a battle-hardened army, you would be our dashing, rugged, and competent general. Anyways, i'm just reading through LILIH for like the billionth time and it feels like it's been a while since we've gotten an update on your progress. You're probably super busy with life and all that, but that story is simply too good for me not to follow up on. keep up the good work! hope you're doing well :)

Hi, friend! It’s good to hear from you!

LILIH is still on my mind on a daily, and often hourly, basis. I play out scenes in my head constantly, fine-tuning things I’ve already written and outlining what I have yet to tackle. As you probably know, I have thousands and thousands of words for you. Examples include: chapters 14-16 &18 (finished); chapters 17, 19, 22 & 23 (incomplete); and spin-offs including dave’s story (completed, but not the final title), is it bright where you are (completed; it’s the epilogue), and something called pony story (wow I don’t even remember starting that one :\ ). LILIH is outlined into 24 chapters, though chapter 24 is really just a snapshot. There are also 2 more spin-offs which I don’t intend to try to tackle until LILIH is actually finished (one is from Terezi’s perspective, and one is from Kanaya’s. Neither are essential to the story and they’re both going to require a pretty focused mindset, so it’s better to save them for last. If I’m burned out at that point, you won’t miss them too much.) I also have a few fun things to share, like some of my notes and references, which will come through tumblr after the fact.

BUT RASPBERRY WHY DON’T YOU JUST UPLOAD WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE NOOOWWW

Because I’m selfish. LILIH is me in my truest form* and I can’t bear to bare myself until I’m presentable. And that means there will be no updates until I finish chapter 17. Which, if it helps, is 1500 words longer than it was 6 months ago, and only a few scenes away from being finished. (That probably doesn’t help. Sorry.)

I would love to finish LILIH before Hussie finishes Homestuck. Will I? Probably not. But I’d like to at least be able to give you chapters 14-18, anyway, and I might actually be able to pull that off for you. Some things I’ve been sitting on for literally YEARS. For instance, in chapter 15 we learn about Roxy’s (other) powers. They’re not ones she actually has in Homestuck. Why? Because I wrote chapter 15 over 2 years ago, before we knew about Roxy’s other powers. In chapter 16, among other things, Karkat is knocked unconscious for his own protection. Also written 2 years ago. What am I supposed to do about that? Publish it anyway, probably.

One of my favorite things about Hussie’s work is that Homestuck is so rich with detail, foreshadowing, and characterization that the astute reader can pick up new insight with every reading and even try to extrapolate the direction the story will take, for instance, re:John/Roxy. And yet, he can still take us entirely unawares, mostly by continuously upping the stakes. And it’s fantastic. I’m in the middle of a 3 year certification program for a fancy, grown-up job that I really enjoy. But you know what I really want to be when I grow up? A published writer. Hopefully, one with at least a small fraction of Hussie’s talent. LILIH is my “training program” for that job. And if you enjoy it too, well, that tickles the heck out of me.

The timing of your message is interesting, by the way. Are you aware that today is the 2 year anniversary of the end of A6A6I2? [S] Game Over happened a little less than a year ago. Are you, like me, immersed in rereading Homestuck while it’s once again paused, hoping for some insight into its final form?

Anyway, it was nice hearing from you! I hope you’re doing well. You guys have all been so kind to (and supportive of) me, even though I’ve been horrid about updating LILIH. I can’t convey how much your messages mean to me, especially at this particularly insane juncture in my life.

My dearest wish is that you have or find something in your life that is as happy and fulfilling for you as writing LILIH is for me. And my second wish is that I can deliver the finished product(s) to you sooner rather than later, and that they are worthy of your eyes when that happens.

Love,

raspberry

(*please note, I am still a polar bear)

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I love the expression on Dave’s face, like “okay but how do you feel about dicks”

DaveKat = confirmed

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I recently discovered and read LILIH and I'm hooked. Probably the best fic I've ever read for too many reasons to count. Are you still continuing it? ;u;

I work on it often. However, I have not made substantial progress in a while - my work schedule simply doesn’t allow me time to marathon write anymore (which is how first drafts gets done). I have many tens of thousands of words on my computer, waiting to be knitted into a final draft. I promise that before I am done with LILIH for good, everything I have written will be uploaded. Which is to say: No, I’m not done yet.

[blueraspberrybubblegum]

john you idiot stop using your retcon powers to mess with dave's love life