History FanFic / Cultstuck

--> [[spoiler: TC: fucker's probably dead by now, just knowing you can have a mix of sea and landdweller is hells of censored.]]
--> [[spoiler: TC: THE THRESHERS WERE PROBABLY TOLD TO CULL ANYONE WHAT EVER COULD OF LAID EYES ON HIM TOO]]
--> [[spoiler: TC: probably not knowing they'd be up and culled too when they were done.]]

* LongTitle: Karkat has one thought up by the Cult. We haven't heard it in full, but it includes "Higher than the Highest, Lower than the Lowest", "Comforter of the Weeping" and "Night of the World".

** Another example in Chapter 2, when Karkat disagrees with the Greenblood Cultist's plan to commit suicide (for the sole purpose- or so Karkat thinks- of 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.

The plot alternates between Karkat’s escape from his hive (headed towards the cult’s stronghold) and his friends’ conversations and attempts to take matters into their own hands. It is completed, but ends on a SequelHook; the author states that she will write a sequel.

* LongTitle: Karkat has one thought up by the Cult. We haven't heard it in full, but it includes "Higher than the Highest, Lower than the Lowest" and "Comforter of the Weeping."

''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/293686/chapters/469808 Cultstuck!]]'' by elanor_pam 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.

The plot so far alternates between Karkat’s escape from his hive (headed towards the cult’s stronghold) and his friends’ conversations and attempts to take matters into their own hands.

There are two shorter side stories: ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/728530 Bringing down the moons]]'', about Karkat as a young child, and the in-progress ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/696375 > Karkat: half-heartedly attend your own wriggling day celebrations]]'', which tells the story of what Karkat did on his sixth wriggling day in this universe.

* TookALevelInKindness: Equius becomes a lot more sympathetic to the reader after his FaceHeelTurn.

* ShutUpKirk: Gamzee's response to Equius telling him that Karkat is a "subtrollish deviation of nature."

--> '''Equius:''' It is a pity that the culling drones will not make exceptions, but steps must be taken for the preservation of our race as a whole.

* TheFaceless: The illustrations of the Grand Elder avoid showing his face or the tips of his horns, although there’s a brief description of his face in chapter 13.
* FamedInStory: Karkat [[spoiler:(and later, Tavros)]] is this, though the cultists aren't really honouring ''him'', just the guy they believe he's the reincarnation of.

* 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.

* NoJustNo: A serious example; this is what Gamzee thinks when he realizes the threshcutioners have found Karkat.

** In [[WebComic/Homestuck canon]], Karkat is actually left handed.

* WithGreatPowerComesGreatPerks: Karkat doesn't have superpowers, but the trope's spirit still applies. He comments at one point that being a member of the Cult would be ''awesome,'' if he were a normal cultist rather than their messiah.

** InSpiteOfANail: Despite that, some things remain the same. For example, nearly all characterization remains intact, and Gamzee and Karkat still become moirails.

* WithGreatPowerComesGreatPerks: Karkat doesn't have superpowers, but the trope's spirit still applies. There's no denying the cult knows how to treat their messiah.

* BathtubScene: Tavros in Chapter 14, though it isn't played for fanservice. During the scene, we get insight into the Cult's opinion of the hemospectrum and Tavros' opinion of Vriska.

** In a more negative example; Vriska's response to being reminded that she crippled Tavros is to repeatedly shout, "Fuck you!"

** In canon, Karkat is actually left handed.

* AccidentalInnuendo: [[ItMakesSenseInContext During a conversation about secret passages,]] Terezi mentions that she's been to Karkat's house. Cue Vriska, Aradia and Feferi going, ''"Oooooh."''

--> Tavros POV: It's just... it's too much like the setting introduction for a rulebook-standard FLARP campaign. ''Your Ancestor was Overwhelmingly Awesome! Go find his Stuff and be Awesome too.''

* DanceBattler: Karkat, his teacher Blade Dancer, and the founder of their style, Troll Nijinsky (Karkat suspects that the latter two are in fact the same person) use a style that is basically ballet plus scythes.

* InnocentInnuendo: [[ItMakesSenseInContext During a conversation about secret passages,]] Terezi mentions that she's been to Karkat's house. Cue Vriska, Aradia and Feferi going, ''"Oooooh."''
--> '''Sollux:''' Let me nip this bullshit in the bud. [[DiggingYourselfDeeper I was there too.]]
--> '''Eridan:''' Oooh, kinky, Sol.

--> '''Equius:''' Certainly if they were more like him they wou1d not be systematically culled as they currently are.

* BerserkButton: Do not threaten Karkat. Gamzee will go off sopor and kill you.

* GlorySeeker: Vriska, who [[SelfImposedChallenge brainwashes the threshcutioners and lures them to her hive]] mostly [[ForTheLulz because she can.]] She actually bitches out Gamzee when he tries to do the ame thing.

--> '''Sollux:'''...[[Facepalm Facepalming]] really hard here.

* TheRival: Blade Dancer defines a healthy kismesitude as a rivalry- trying to outdo the other person rather than hurt them.

* WithGreatPowerComesGreatPerks: Karkat doesn't have superpowers, but the trope's spirit still applies. There's no denying the cult knows how to treat their messiah.

* ItsNotPornItsArt: Equius again.

* BenevolentBoss: The Grand Elder, who understands that Karkat ([[spoiler:and Tavros]]) is just a kid with flaws who [[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne 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.

* NeutralNoLonger: After he learns that the Empire is hunting Karkat, [[NobleBigot Equius]] settles into a sort of neutrality, refusing to actively fight for either. Then he learns that [[spoiler:because of her connection to the Disciple,]] the Empire is also hunting Nepeta. Cue Equius [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomping]] a couple of nearby threshcutioners and going on the run with her.
* NeverMyFault: Vriska, as in canon, towards the incident that crippled Tavros. Tavros comments to a cultist that he ''could'' forgive her, but made a vow not to until Vriska actually acknowledges that what she did was wrong.

--> '''Greenblood's narration:''' He then vehemently disagrees with the plan.

* BathScene: Tavros in Chapter 14, though it isn't played for fanservice. During the scene, we get insight into the Cult's opinion of the hemospectrum and Tavros' opinion of Vriska.

* 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, Nepeta knows ''something'', and Aradia has explored several of their former bases.

** InSpiteOfANail: Despite that, some things remain the same. For example, nearly all characterization remains intact, Gamzee and Karkat still become moirails, and Tavros [[spoiler:is still prophecied to kill Vriska.]]

--> ''Yet could not halt fate''

--> ''Love's lance through her breast''

* PurpleProse: The chapter narrated by the greenblood cultist consists entirely of this, [[SophisticatedAsHell except for one sentence at the end.]]

** 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.]]