v i s u a l i z i n g this shit

2014-10-31T04:54:33Z

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2014-10-14T14:41:49Z

* Points tallied in accordance to the Game Scoring.
* Threads denoted by orange are complete.

ARRIVAL - 10/13
↬ ARENA 11 CROWNING
↬ ↬ INTRO [10/13] +25 +25 +25 +25 +25 +5
↬ ↬ NILL [10/13] +25 +5 +10 +5
↬ ↬ BARBIE [10/13] +25 +10
↬ ↬ LEONARDO [10/14] +25 +10 +5
↬ ↬ KENNY [10/15] +25 +10 +5

↬ CAPITOL NETWORK
↬ ↬ HOMURA AKEMI [10/21] +25 +5 +5
↬ ↬ MILLA VODELLO [10/21] +25 +5

↬ LOGS
↬ ↬ CURFEW SHENANIGANS #1 [10/21] +25 +25 +5
↬ ↬ CURFEW SHENANIGANS #2 [10/25] +5 +5 +5
↬ ↬ ELEVATOR BULLSHIT TEREZI PYROPE [10/30] +15 +25 +5

↬ FUNZONE MINI ARENA
↬ ↬ REAPING #1 MILLA VODELLO [10/31] +10
↬ ↬ REAPING #2 MILLA VODELLO [11/02] +10
↬ ↬ REAPING #3 ÉPONINE THÉNARDIER [11/02] +25 +10
↬ ↬ REAPING #4 SANDY MARKO [11/02] +25
↬ ↬ ARENA - BLOCKPIT [11/05] +5
↬ ↬ ARENA - ROPE BRIDGE #1 MEGAN "PIXIE" GWYNN [11/05] +25 +10
↬ ↬ ARENA - ROPE BRIDGE #2 DAVE STRIDER + CLEMENTINE [11/05] +25 +10

↬ POST MINI ARENA
↬ ↬ SO LONG LOST LITTLE VIKING KID [11/11] +15 +25 +25 +25 +5 +5
↬ ↬ LITERALLY PLAYING A WINGMAN DAVE STRIDER [11/13] +5
↬ ↬ LET'S CUT SOME CAKE [12/04] +5 BRO STRIDER | GARY EPPS

↬ SPACEPORT ARENA
↬ ↬ SPRITIFYING [12/06] +5
↬ ↬ NOT LASTING VERY LONG [12/13] +5
↬ ↬ KEEPIN' IT TACTICAL ANNABETH CHASE [12/13] +25 +5
↬ ↬ STARGAZING ÉPONINE THÉNARDIER [12/13] +5
↬ ↬ XENOMUTTS THE SIGNLESS [12/22] +25

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

805 Credits at the end of the cycle.

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anachronologistics @ 2014-10-06T02:55:00

2014-10-06T07:56:46Z

OUT of CHARACTER
Name: Cas
Other characters: N/A

IN CHARACTER
Name: Davesprite
Fandom: Homestuck
Canon point/AU: A6I5, in which Davesprite bails on John, Jade, the ship upon a depressing monologue of self-evaluation and leaves watermarks for the road.
Journal: anachronologistics
PB: Homestuck art.
History: Alternate Future Dave. In short, Davesprite is Dave Strider from an absolutely disastrous alternate timeline who traveled backward in time to prevent the smorgasbord of crappy things that made the alternate timeline so disastrous from actually happening. He then prototyped himself with a kernalsprite, thus becoming his own sprite guardian.
Presentation: It is explained in Homestuck that there is one proper timeline (IE: the alpha timeline, which must be maintained by Time players or all things will go to hell), and an indeterminate number of alternate timelines. Timelines that are not the alpha timeline will at some point become "doomed timelines" in which everyone in them (including the Time players themselves) are guaranteed to die, as they are not the "proper" timeline, for the lack of a better word. Confused, yet? Davesprite is a Dave Strider who obliterated his original timeline in order to stop it from transpiring, and seemingly loopholed himself out of succumbing to the fate of a doomed timeline by prototyping himself with a kernalsprite in order to become the real Dave's sprite guardian.

Basically, he is who Dave would have become had he not decided to rescue the alpha timeline.

Therefore, it's important to note that to understand Davesprite, one only really has to understand Dave Strider.

So at his surface, Dave is a kid who strives to be the embodiment of everything cool, and everything from his choice in dress to his "expertise" in internet blogging, music, and pop culture is carefully molded and crafted to fit the façade. Like all resident coolkids, his emotions are (almost) always kept on tight lockdown, which in turn gives him an air of calm and level-headedness even in situations that would likely cause anyone else to lose their marbles. It can sometimes be a little emotionally taxing to be around him because it isn't easy figuring out what he's feeling and thinking.

He was raised by a sword-wielding, rooftop-fighting, irony-ninja brother (simply called Bro), and thus knows his way around a blade and general swordplay. He is also articulate and pretty well learned in a variety of miscellaneous (and oftentimes downright obscure) topics; he was "a big deal" before getting tossed into the Medium, as he had maintained a number of ironic blogs, webcomics, and social media profiles with "legions of devoted fans".

All of this continues to apply for Davesprite, as well as a few differences -- a result of a combination of his separate experiences in the Medium as well as his own existential crises (SEE: motivations) that stem from becoming a sprite.

Davesprite is much more blunt than his real-boy, non-sprite counterpart. By no means does he wear his emotions on his sleeve, but it's much easier to get a straight answer out of him without him fucking around. This is partly due to sprite mechanics -- sprites are guides, designed to provide answers ("wrapped up in riddles") to aid players during their time in the game -- and mostly due to his own experience in the Medium: his own sprite guardian (Calsprite) had been a brainless, cackling puppet-sprite, and thus he knows the aggravation of having a useless guardian. It would be pretty stupid to put real Dave through all that bullshit.

He is also more socially reserved than real Dave, at least with the people who he had been friends with before the game. This is more of a result of hangups brought forth, again, by his own existential crises (again, SEE: motivations). Whereas Dave had a tendency to nosy in on his friends at regular intervals, Davesprite has a tendency to keep to himself, even going so far as to hide away from his friends completely.

It is important to note that Davesprite is not a clone of Dave Strider, nor is Dave a clone of Davesprite. While they were the same person at one point in time, Davesprite's prototyping as well as their separate experiences in the Medium have shaped them into two different people. Outwardly, they're still very similar. Inwardly, they're quite different.

Motivations: First and foremost, Davesprite is willing to go to incredible lengths to ensure his friends' lives, and he will do whatever it takes to take care of business -- even at the expense of himself. It's what got him turned into a sprite in the first place.

In his original timeline, Davesprite's friend, John Egbert, had been tricked into getting himself killed and his other friend, Jade Harley, had died before she could even get into the Medium. So he, along with his ectobiological sister, Rose Lalonde, devised a plan in which they would spend months playing the game (fighting monsters, leveling up, gathering resources, and gaining information) so he could travel back in time to prevent everything from going so wrong. However, doing so meant that he would be obliterating his timeline and everyone in it -- including Rose. He would have become doomed himself as well, except he prototyped himself with the kernel instead, effectively becoming a game construct in order to aid his alternate-self.

That said, he is the sole survivor of his original timeline, and it's something he's never really brought himself to get over.

Not that he's really let himself get over it, nor has he ever really been allowed to get over it. Whether it's his own distinctions between himself and "real Dave", or it's John preferring to talk to "the real Dave" over him, he is constantly reminded of his existential predicament. He's acutely aware that his own fate is horribly undetermined. What exactly happens when you're a time-traveler-turned-game-construct? What happens to you when the game is over?

It is not unlike facing a terminal disease.

Still, if asked, Davesprite would say that he was simply doing what had to be done in order to beat the game -- in order to survive. One would probably consider this act brave, maybe even heroic -- not Davesprite. As much as he still tries to portray himself as the resident coolkid-hero, he knows he's not. At the end of the day, he's still just a weird, nerdy kid with a penchant for taking selfies in the mirror and collecting dead shit in jars... except this particular weird, nerdy kid went and turned himself into a bird/ghost/game-construct and has an undetermined fate waiting for him at the end of the game. In his mind, he's a Dave with an expiration date, and no one should be burdened with having to deal with that.

Regardless, no matter how bitter or weary he gets, there's not a single doubt that when the going got tough, Davesprite would get going for those that are close to him. He's done it once, and he won't hesitate to do it again. All part of being a celestial fuckin' spirit guide.

Setting: Getting thrown into an alternate world and being subjected to repeated acts of violence are pretty par for the course. Davesprite's already had to deal with fighting tooth and nail to survive in a chaotic setting for an extended length of time, and Panem won't be much different from that. He'll do what it takes to survive for as long as he can, especially for people who are important to him, even sacrificing himself for them if it comes to that.

... because it's not like he's the real Dave, after all.

SAMPLES
First Person Thread:

[In retrospect, Davesprite figures he should have expected to find that dying was a lot like being put under anesthetic for a tonsillectomy. One moment, you're counting backward from 100 while a hot nurse pumps you full of happy drugs, and the next moment you're waking up with a sore throat and a mad boner for froyo while that same nurse is asking if you'd like assistance in walking to the bathroom to take a piss.

He tries not to think about it as he leans toward the aforementioned device, and gives his head a little shake.]

Nah.

[And with that, he crosses his arms to wait for the aforementioned someone to come and collect him.

When no one does, and he rolls his shoulders and flexes his wings. There's an expectation that they'll feel stiff and sore after having been broken in several places in the brawl that had resulted in his death -- he's even prepared to hear the bones cracking beneath the skin -- but they stretch with a surprising amount of (silent) ease.

And with that, he continues to wait for the aforementioned someone to come and collect him.

...

Jesus tits, the only thing more frustrating than dying on an empty stomach is waking up with one. Davesprite's stomach feels like it's about to unhinge its metaphorical jaw and metaphorically go anaconda on the surrounding organs. He sighs exaggeratedly, and leans in toward the device again.]

Okay, look. Just so we're clear, I'm expecting a 60-40 cut on the royalties after you release my shit to the public and everyone starts pissing themselves with wild abandon. I suggest calling all those guys at the public sanitation department and tell them to kiss the wife and kids goodbye for a while, because they're gonna be hella busy mopping up all those puddles of pure, unmitigated joy.

[He pauses, waiting for a response he knows he's not going to get. After a moment, he taps the device.]

Man, what the hell. You ask me to tell you all about my feels after practically getting my wings ripped off in some fucked up Battle Royale, and you can't even bother in getting me decent gear to record it with? What are we even running here, a Behringer? Because if you're expecting me to make some magic happen on anything other than an IBM hooked up to some asshole's Rock Band microphone, I am seriously judging you. The sound quality on those things is off the rails.

[Ironically, he means, but like fuck if he's going to explain the nuances of irony at a time like this.]

All right. You wanna know how I feel? I'm goddamn hungry. And I don't mean I'm hungry to win the next fucked up Battle Royale, or that I'm hungry for the blood of the guy who kicked my ass nine ways to Sunday. I mean, I'm hungry because the last meal I ate gave me such a debilitating case of the runs that I'm surprised I wasn't still shitting myself when I woke up here. Not to mention it's been about four years since the last time I've gotten to enjoy the satisfying crunch of a Dorito, much less lick its delectable cheesy goodness off my depraved fingertips.

So do me a favor and bring me a burrito when you come to fetch my happy ass, if you don't mind. Or even if you do mind, really, 'cause I got a mad hunger that I need to get under control.

[And with that, he sits back up again and goes back to crossing his arms.]

Prose:

There are many places that Davesprite would rather be right now. There are also a lot of places he would rather not. This place falls on the latter list, and indeed manages to rank right up there beside the Loveboat in just how much he doesn't want to be here. In any other circumstance, it would be a little impressive; it had taken him three years for him to dislike the Loveboat. This place only took three minutes.

He crosses his arms, and tries to peer at the judges' faces from the other side of the shield.

"Sup, I'm Dave," the corner of his mouth tugs at that, "and for the record I think this is complete bullshit. Like, if you wanted me to put on a goddamn magic show, the least you could have done was let me keep my ghost tail. I could have had everyone in your whole fucking Capitol brought down to their knees in unmitigated joy with my watermarks. Streets be flooded with tears and bodies of the prostrate. You wouldn't have to rely on repeated mass slaughter or a goddamn Battle Royale to keep the ratings up."

The judges don't look amused. He's really not doing himself any favors. His shoulders and wings simultaneously heave with a sigh, and he shrugs.

"Whatever. I don't really feel like doing this, but I feel like flunking the test even less. I'm expecting some premium-grade AJ as compensation, though. I mean it. I take my apple juice as seriously as Tumblr takes its shipping."

He reaches for a sword without thinking about it, and flexes his fingers around the hilt. It's a force of habit: weigh the balance, weigh the imperfections; Bro wouldn't have expected any less from him before he died.

His wings flair with a whispered rustle, sending a few orange feathers drifting to the floor as he rushes toward the nearest target. It's fast, but not fast enough and he knows it; it's very far from the flash-step he was pulling for. He's been out of practice for too long. Spending three years, ten months, and twenty-five days floating on a semi-corpeal ghost tail will do that to a guy. Can't expect him to suddenly sprout legs and expect him to do the moonwalk.

The sword easily pierces the dummy's heart, sending a small stream of sand to pile on the floor beneath it. Davesprite spins, retracting the sword and bringing it back around with a clean swipe through the air that nearly takes the target's head clean off. It probably would have succeeded, too, had it not been for the fact that Davesprite is still adjusting to the moving with the weight of a pair of legs. Instead, the dummy's head just dangles from a few scraps of cloth on the dummy's back like a guillotine execution gone horribly wrong. More sand spills to a pile on the floor.

With that, he turns back to look at the judges again, wings tucked tightly to his back. For a moment it looks like he might go for another dummy, but instead he drops the sword to the ground (it clatters loudly) and walks off without another word.

What is your character scored: Generally 8 or 9. Even without his powers, Davesprite is a force to be reckoned with -- he's light on his feet, and skilled with a blade. In a powered arena, he'd probably be scored around a 9-10, but only because I'm assuming that he'd be capable of flight, and of ghosting through objects. That said, the crowd would probably enjoy
Additional information: Permission to give him legs, in lieu of his ghost tail + flight? This way, he won't have an additional advantage over the other tributes. However, I'd like for him to keep his wings, if only because they wouldn't be able to support him, and would probably serve as more of a hindrance than anything else. Consider it curb appeal?

+10 months, 25 days.

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anachronologistics @ 2014-10-06T02:55:00