History FanFic / Cultstuck

--> “So,” you go on, hesitantly, “I'm not really as scared of her as I used to be, and, I'm not that angry anymore either... mostly I'm annoyed that, every time she sends me a message, she's apologizing for the wrong thing, in the wrong way, and then gets angry when I don't answer her back... and then she tries to mind-control me into messaging her back, which is just sad, because it just means she's holding a conversation with herself, which she must have eventually figured out, because she stopped trying after a while now that I think about it. And I actually... I miss her, kind of, and the fun we used to have, and I think she also misses me, from the volume of messages she keeps sending, but when all of this went down I made the decision, which I intend to stand by, that I wouldn't be her friend again until she knew what she really did wrong, and what she really should apologize for, because if not then she'll really never learn why we were sad, you know? And... I really hope she'll learn soon, because we're all supposed to stand together... we have a lot of stuff to do..."

--> '''Karkat's narration:''' "That's a ''bullshit'' plan!" you spit out, jumping to your feet in a surge of angry energy, your previous terror forgotten. "What the hell are those bastards '''thinking!?'' Isn't it enough that all my neighbors are in the culling row, you have to add your own color to the shitty murder picture? All to make the highbloods think we’re stronger than we actually are!? ''This is the most bulge-kickingly awful plan I've ever had the dubious privilege of having my auricular sponge clots assaulted by."''

--> (You like the Grand Elder. He strikes you as someone who doesn't so much believe in the Sufferer as he happens to think the Sufferer was a Guy who said Sensible Things. He's also a huge, looming hulk of a giant, so people tend to shut up and behave when he's around, even though he's never raised a finger or attempted to assert his authority in any way.)

--> ...which they were, except not in whatever fanciful ways they came up with in their impressionable minds -- but how do you even express that? "I'm not angry because you're doing things wrong, I'm angry because you're such dumbasses about things!" That sure would go over well, if they even parsed your words in a way that wasn't completely opaque.

* ThrowTheBookAtThem: Tavros takes his FLARP manuals along in his flight from his hive for this very purpose (they are [[{{Doorstopper}} heavy books).

* BunnyEarsLawyer: The cultists have some traits of this. They’re spacey and fanatical, but they are also extremely competent, and probably have the most advanced medicine in the empire. Blade Dancer, Karkat’s combat instructor, is the best example so far- he waxes poetic about the founder of his style and can apparently be driven to tears by a bad stance, but is really good at his job.
* ButThouMust: The cult, to Karkat. For someone who's honoured so highly, he sure doesn't have much of a choice in what they make him do.

** Another example in Chapter 2, when Karkat disagrees with the Greenblood Cultist's plan to commit suicide (for the sole purpose intimidating the Empire). The Cultist sees this as an awe-inspiring expression of the Sufferer's nobility and compassion for all beings, to the extent of writing poems about it. Karkat sees it as doing what any sane troll would do- preventing a pointless waste of life.

* BenevolentBoss: The Grand Elder, who understands that Karkat ([[spoiler:and Tavros]]) is just a kid with flaws who doesn't want to act like the Cult's messiah. He's one of the few among them who treats Karkat like a person, and it's his influence that allowed Karkat to grow up outside the Cult.

* CulturedBadass: Normal trolls such as Tavros consider the Cult this. They have ''singing!'' And ''textiles!''

* FourthWallMailSlot: The "Ask Blade Dancer" tumblr account, which takes questions (when it’s active).
* GoingNative: [[spoiler: Aradia]] theorizes that any spies who tried infiltrating the cult ended up joining for real, based on the fact that it has obviously survived.

* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Eridan’s trolling of the Threshcutioner who was impersonating Karkat (and convincing no one). Apparently, he proposed red once, black twice, referred to himself as Lord High Snappertail, implied Tavros was his kismesis and Vriska his moirail.

* WhatTheHellHero: Aradia, Sollux, Terezi, Kanaya, Eridan, and Feferi to Equius. Twice. First, for his reluctance to help Karkat after finding out he’s a mutant. Second, for [[spoiler: not taking Tavros’s peril seriously and giving him a suggestion for obscuring his location that ended up informing the impostor of his location]] (although the latter was unintentional, and they get him to apologize for it).

* MeaningfulRename: The cultists choose new names that reflect their interests or jobs within the cult; it is entirely possible for them to change their name several times, or indeed as often as they like. The Grand Elder chose his name to reflect his size; on learning that people interpreted it as "the elder who is in charge", he attempted to rename himself Big Elder, but he seems to be the only person who actually uses the latter form of his name. Even Karkat calls him Grand Elder.
* MundaneLuxury: Tavros is given a new wheelchair by the Cult upon his arrival. He realizes that this means they actually care for their weak (unlike [[ProudWarriorRace the Empire]] he grew up in), and cries TearsOfJoy at their compassion. The Cult is touched, but they don't exactly get why the gift is so significant to him; most of the cultists grew up underground, and know of the Empire's cultrure only distantly.

* LoveRedeems: Karkat is trying to gradually wean Gamzee off sopor, and travels to Gamzee's hive to help him with this. Karkat also considers bringing Tavros with him, invoking this trope in two quadrants.

** Also, in Chapter 4, the threshcutioners do this, trying to lure [[{{Troll}} Team Adorabloodthirsty into revealing their locations so they can be culled. [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome They never know what hit them.]]

* OmniscientCouncilOfBickering: The cult's Elders. Fortunately, the Grand Elder is there to sort them out.

* FirstNameBasis: The Grand Elder calls Karkat by his first name, appalling some of the cultists who insist on using formal ( not to mention bizarre) titles such as "The Grubloaf of Life", which Karkat finds embarrassing.

** Also, in Chapter 4, the threshcutioners do this, trying to lure Team Adorabloodthirsty into revealing their locations so they can be culled.

* SelectiveObliviousness: The cult worship Karkat as the goldlike, infallible reincarnation of their messiah. Karkat is a grumpy, snarky, ''normal'' teenager who doesn't want to be worshipped and would prefer it if the cultists just thought for themselves. The cult prefers not to believe this.

* ThrowItIn: This is basically where the frog ceremony in one side story comes from. The author commissioned an artist to draw Cultstuck!Karkat; picture had Karkat with a frog in a bowl; this went into the sidestory.
* TrueCompanions: Team Adorabloodthirsty upgrade to this, rapidly becoming a loyal, cohesive team once it becomes clear just how much danger all of them are in. Much of the early chatlogs are just everyone asking if everyone else is okay, and praising each other for their efforts in fending off the threshcutioners.

* ThrowTheBookAtThem: Tavros takes his FLARP manuals along in his flight from his hive for this very purpose (they are heavy books).

* CharacterDevelopment: Eridan has gone through some since the game ([[ForWantOfANail didn't) begin. It’s lampshaded by the others, although they also remind him how insufferable he used to be.

* CharacterDevelopment: Eridan has gone through some since the game would have begun (and didn’t). It’s lampshaded by the others, although they also remind him how insufferable he used to be.

* CoolOldGuy: The Grand Elder. If Karkat’s opinion is anything to go by, he’s the most reasonable adult on Alternia (not that this is saying much, since adults are banned from the planet and the ones there illegally... well). He’s certainly a lot more together than the rest of the cult.

* CrapsackWorld: It says a lot about a culture when they have interplanetary travel, but such medical advances as stitching wounds closed and the use of antibiotics are apparently known only to a persecuted, highly illegal cult.

* SociopathicHero: Gamzee, very much so. He’s a terrifying homicidal maniac, insanely protective of the one or two people he cares about. Since he’s showing this in defense of Karkat, though...

* ThrowItIn: This is basically where the frog ceremony in one side story comes from. The author commissioned an artist to draw Cultstuck Karkat; picture had Karkat with a frog in a bowl; this went into the sidestory.

* EverybodyKnewAlready: It turns out that many lowbloods have some knowledge of the "the gray cultists", at least enough to know that they worship "the forbidden iron messiah". Although most of Karkat’s friends didn't know about them, Sollux and Aradia have both had dealings with them, and Aradia has explored several of their former bases.

* NoNameGiven: The greenblooded Threshcutioner cadet who's also a follower of the Signless.

* TheNotSecret: It turns out that many lowbloods have some knowledge of the "the gray cultists", at least enough to know that they worship "the forbidden iron messiah". Although most of Karkat’s friends didn't know about them, Sollux and Aradia have both had dealings with them, and Aradia has explored several of their former bases.

There's also a FourthWallMailSlot [[http://ask-blade-dancer.tumblr.com/ here]], where Karkat's combat teacher Blade Dancer answers questions about the day to day life of the cult, but not the plot of the story. Like the story itself, it is illustrated.

* ArtShift: The illustrations are in different styles for different characters and moods- blocky and simple for the Cultist Greenblood chapter, sketchlike with animations for the early part of Karkat’s escape, psychedelic for sobering-up Gamzee, and so on.

* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Eridan’s trolling of the Threshcutioner who was impersonating Karkat (and convincing no one). Apparently, he proposed red once, black twice, referred to himself as Lord High Flippertail, implied Tavros was his kismesis and Vriska his moirail.

* WhamLine: The end of chapter 14, reveals why Karkat's mutant blood is indeed, higher than the highest and lower than the lowest.

''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/293686/chapters/469808 Cultstuck!]]'' is a Homestuck fanfic in which the Cult of the Signless survives to the present day on Alternia, and is a major influence (and irritant) in Karkat’s early life.

* AlternateUniverseFic: Of the “No Sburb/Sgrub session” variety. Also, the Cult of the Signless lasting to the present, and whatever happened differently so that Aradia survived.

* TheBlank: “The Faceless”, an urban legend of beings with gray blood and no faces, based on the Cult of the Signless. Who definitely do have faces, but wear hoods (shadowing their faces) and dark glasses to hide all signs of their blood color.

* CharacterBlog: The “Ask Blade Dancer” tumblr, a handy source of WordOfGod about the cult.

* FirstNameBasis: The Grand Elder calls Karkat by his first name, appalling some of the cultists who insist on using formal ( not to mention bizarre) titles such as “The Grubloaf of Life”, which Karkat finds embarrassing.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Karkat specifically has to avoid the sea, and a cultist begins to address him as “Higher than the highest, lower than the lowest...” [[spoiler: In this AU, Karkat’s mutation also gives him gills. He’s a seadweller, and his blood color is directly between the highest and lowest on the hemospectrum.]]
* FourthWallMailSlot: The “Ask Blade Dancer” tumblr account, which takes questions (when it’s active).

* LargeAndInCharge: The Grand Elder is ‘’enormous’’, and the other members of the cult tend to defer to him. He does not particularly want them to defer to him, but since he’s about the most level-headed cultist and is implied to have been around more or less since it started, he’s ended up with a lot of effective power.
* MeaningfulRename: The cultists choose new names that reflect their interests or jobs within the cult; it is entirely possible for them to change their name several times, or indeed as often as they like. The Grand Elder chose his name to reflect his size; on learning that people interpreted it as “the elder who is in charge”, he attempted to rename himself Big Elder, but he seems to be the only person who actually uses the latter form of his name. Even Karkat calls him Grand Elder.

* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Karkat has gills. “Higher than the highest, lower than the lowest” indeed.]]
* SociopathicHero: Gamzee, very much so. He’s a terrifying homicidal maniac, insanely protective of the one or two people he cares about. Since he’s showing this in defence of Karkat, though...

* WhatTheHellHero: Aradia, Sollux, Terezi, Kanaya, Eridan, and Feferi to Equius. Twice. First, for his reluctance to help Karkat after finding out he’s a mutant. Second, for [[spoiler: not taking Tavros’s peril seriously and giving him a suggestion for “obscuring” his location that ended up informing the impostor of his location]] (although the latter was unintentional, and they get him to apologize for it).

* ActionSurvivor: Tavros has survived for some time on Alternia in a wheelchair. This trope is implied, even before the story happens.

* ArrowCatch: The Grand Elder catches Tavros’s daggerlance easily. Then again, the daggerlance is presumably bigger and slower than an arrow, and Tavros really was not at his best by the time he tried to throw it. The scene reinforces Tavros’s comparative weakness as much as the Elder’s possible badassery, especially since Tavros is too tired to be able to tell clearly what’s going on.
* ArtShift: The illustrations are in different styles for different characters and moods- blocky and simple for the Cultist Greenblood chapter, sketchlike with animations for the early part of Karkat’s escape, psychedelic for sobering-up Gamzee, and so on.