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crack_van2012-12-10 08:21 pm
hamimifk.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2012-12-10 08:21 pm
Treading Unknown Ground by shayera (G)
Okay, no pairings today! Or sad feelz! (mostly...) Let's do it nice and gen for a change of pace, yes? >]
Fandom: HOMESTUCK
Characters: The Dolorosa, The Signless/Sufferer
Length: 4,114
Author on LJ:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
shayera
Author Website: AO3
Why this must be read: I am forever fascinated not by The Signless and The Dolorosa's future stories, but by The Dolorosa's past decision to break from the troll norm and care for a grub on her own, damn be the consequences. This is the perfect, heartwarming story about that decision and how she adjusts to life as a 'lusus' (aka, troll mom, hee!). It perfectly plays out a typical child/parent relationship but also throws in how foreign of a concept that is to an alien species that is not in charge of caring for its' young.
Summary:
The Dolorosa does something that no troll has ever done before. She raises a child. It's hard and nobody understands.
In fact, it's more confusing and more amazing than she could ever have imagined.
Excerpt:
Watching the pupa hatch was strangely exciting. She might be the first adult troll to witness such a thing in hundreds of thousands of sweeps, perhaps the first ever. Tiny arms emerged first, ripping frantically at the cocoon until the head was free. Small yellow eyes blinked at the indoor light, seeing it for the first time after metamorphosis. His horns were short and blunt, just like the grub's had been. His face was chubby, and his body proportions were extremely squat – almost as if his head was too big for his body – but the Dolorosa was as good as certain that that was normal for a newly wriggled child. She was relieved to see that at least he didn't seem hideously mutated. It was probably just the blood.
The child didn't seem to notice her presence at first, being preoccupied with getting the sticky remains of the cocoon off him. She watched him in silence until he was finally rid of enough to start paying attention to his surroundings. It didn't take all that long. As soon as the child raised his head his eyes met hers – and his little face scrunched up in fear. He poised himself as if trying to decide whether to advance or abscond, and the Dolorosa wasn't surprised. Normally, a newly wriggled child would face the cavern of trials, and strength and survival instinct was all they had to keep them alive until they emerged and was greeted by their lusus.
In this case, though, no strength or survival instinct in the world would have been enough to save him if his blood color had been exposed. He might look normal on the outside, but had he been in the caverns any slight scratch of his skin would have sent the culling droids running. She couldn't risk it if she wanted him to live.
So there would be no trials for him today. She hoped their lack at this critical stage wouldn't mess him up his development for good, but she didn't have any choice. She wouldn't know where to start creating a suitable challenge for him here in the hive. Instead, she would skip directly to the being greeted by a lusus part.
She stretched out a hand toward the child. "Hello," she said. She wasn't sure if one should speak to children, but then again, one wasn't supposed to interact with them at all. She supposed it couldn't hurt.
The child eyed her suspiciously.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to be your lusus. See?" She pulled out a protein sphere from the box she had prepared and offered it to the child as a gift of good faith. She wasn't sure how the bond between child and lusus was supposed to be formed, but an offer of food was said to work on half-domesticated animals, so why not half-formed trolls?
The child's face perked as he caught the scent of the food, but he was still wary. He tilted his head a bit and stepped clumsily away from the remains of his cocoon, toddling in a circle around her and not leaving her with his eyes.
"I'm not dangerous," the Dolorosa assured him again. He probably didn't understand her yet, but her soft voice did seem to make him relax a bit. "Here." She wriggled the protein sphere and raised her other hand towards him, too. "Please trust me."
Without warning, the child seemed to have come to the decision to do so. He closed the distance between them with a few quick steps on his stubby legs, but didn't stop at the Dolorosa's hand to take the food. Instead he proceeded to the adult troll's lap, throwing his short arms around her and giving her the biggest hug such a small creature could manage.
The Dolorosa wasn't quite sure what to think of that.
Treading Unknown Ground
Fandom: HOMESTUCK
Characters: The Dolorosa, The Signless/Sufferer
Length: 4,114
Author on LJ:
shayeraAuthor Website: AO3
Why this must be read: I am forever fascinated not by The Signless and The Dolorosa's future stories, but by The Dolorosa's past decision to break from the troll norm and care for a grub on her own, damn be the consequences. This is the perfect, heartwarming story about that decision and how she adjusts to life as a 'lusus' (aka, troll mom, hee!). It perfectly plays out a typical child/parent relationship but also throws in how foreign of a concept that is to an alien species that is not in charge of caring for its' young.
Summary:
The Dolorosa does something that no troll has ever done before. She raises a child. It's hard and nobody understands.
In fact, it's more confusing and more amazing than she could ever have imagined.
Excerpt:
Watching the pupa hatch was strangely exciting. She might be the first adult troll to witness such a thing in hundreds of thousands of sweeps, perhaps the first ever. Tiny arms emerged first, ripping frantically at the cocoon until the head was free. Small yellow eyes blinked at the indoor light, seeing it for the first time after metamorphosis. His horns were short and blunt, just like the grub's had been. His face was chubby, and his body proportions were extremely squat – almost as if his head was too big for his body – but the Dolorosa was as good as certain that that was normal for a newly wriggled child. She was relieved to see that at least he didn't seem hideously mutated. It was probably just the blood.
The child didn't seem to notice her presence at first, being preoccupied with getting the sticky remains of the cocoon off him. She watched him in silence until he was finally rid of enough to start paying attention to his surroundings. It didn't take all that long. As soon as the child raised his head his eyes met hers – and his little face scrunched up in fear. He poised himself as if trying to decide whether to advance or abscond, and the Dolorosa wasn't surprised. Normally, a newly wriggled child would face the cavern of trials, and strength and survival instinct was all they had to keep them alive until they emerged and was greeted by their lusus.
In this case, though, no strength or survival instinct in the world would have been enough to save him if his blood color had been exposed. He might look normal on the outside, but had he been in the caverns any slight scratch of his skin would have sent the culling droids running. She couldn't risk it if she wanted him to live.
So there would be no trials for him today. She hoped their lack at this critical stage wouldn't mess him up his development for good, but she didn't have any choice. She wouldn't know where to start creating a suitable challenge for him here in the hive. Instead, she would skip directly to the being greeted by a lusus part.
She stretched out a hand toward the child. "Hello," she said. She wasn't sure if one should speak to children, but then again, one wasn't supposed to interact with them at all. She supposed it couldn't hurt.
The child eyed her suspiciously.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to be your lusus. See?" She pulled out a protein sphere from the box she had prepared and offered it to the child as a gift of good faith. She wasn't sure how the bond between child and lusus was supposed to be formed, but an offer of food was said to work on half-domesticated animals, so why not half-formed trolls?
The child's face perked as he caught the scent of the food, but he was still wary. He tilted his head a bit and stepped clumsily away from the remains of his cocoon, toddling in a circle around her and not leaving her with his eyes.
"I'm not dangerous," the Dolorosa assured him again. He probably didn't understand her yet, but her soft voice did seem to make him relax a bit. "Here." She wriggled the protein sphere and raised her other hand towards him, too. "Please trust me."
Without warning, the child seemed to have come to the decision to do so. He closed the distance between them with a few quick steps on his stubby legs, but didn't stop at the Dolorosa's hand to take the food. Instead he proceeded to the adult troll's lap, throwing his short arms around her and giving her the biggest hug such a small creature could manage.
The Dolorosa wasn't quite sure what to think of that.
Treading Unknown Ground