(no subject)

[crabbycustomer]

One of the less immediately-exciting things Karkat found in the Labyrinth is a big book of cloud paintings. Long ago, some especially bored Prospitian had filled this tome with paintings of the clouds visible during the eclipse.

What makes this worth taking at all is, during the eclipse, the Skaian clouds show prophecy. But the thing about a huge book of random, contextless prophetic images is, it's not actually that different from a huge book of random contextless regular images.

But it's still worth leafing through, to see if he can find anything relevant to himself and his friends and their own disastrous campaign through Paradox Space. Every once in a while he sees something he recognizes, maybe even something new.

...or shit like this.

He is doing so on a couch by the fire, occasionally brushing illusory fish out of the way of the pages.

Comments

[cook_the_rude]

"That book," a gentleman nearby remarks, "look interesting, if random."

[crabbycustomer]

Karkat flips a page; this cloud shows the backyard of Milliways at night, but there's a banged-up grey clapboard farmhouse standing in it, between the greenhouse and the lake. No mountains, either.

He frowns at it.

"YEAH, IT IS BOTH OF THOSE THINGS. ALSO FUCKING FRUSTRATING."

[cook_the_rude]

"I heard the mountains were added later," Dr. Lecter says, peering at the picture with great interest. "Are there more pictures of the history of this place? Perhaps the famous apocalypse?"

[crabbycustomer]

"I DON'T KNOW, PROBABLY. IT'S A BIG BOOK."

Karkat has a small metallic crab strapped to his wrist; like a watch. It begins to chirp and waves its claws around, and he frowns at it.

[cook_the_rude]

"So it is," Dr. Lecter says. "Is that your technology's version of a watch?"

[crabbycustomer]

He taps it, and it chirps and tries to pinch him. "NO, IT'S A COMMUNICATION DEVICE, BUT IT'S BEEN ACTING LIKE AN IDIOT LATELY."

"I THINK I SHOULDN'T HAVE SLEPT WITH IT ON. IMPORTANT DATA POINT: I SLEEP IN A GIANT TANK OF SLIME."

[cook_the_rude]

"And the communication device doesn't like it?" Dr. Lecter guesses. "Is it connected with the T-Minus devices?"

[no_vampires_plz]

It is a book; therefore, the passing unicorn is automatically interested.

"What'cha reading?"

[crabbycustomer]

"I'M NOT," he says. "IT'S ALL PICTURES."

[no_vampires_plz]

"...okay, then, what kind of pictures?"

[crabbycustomer]

"CLOUDS," he says, stubbornly clinging to the idea that he won't have to explain this. "THERE IS THIS PLACE, PROSPIT. IT'S ALSO CALLED THE LIGHT KINGDOM. AND WHEN ITS MOON GOES THROUGH AN ECLIPSE PERIODICALLY, YOU CAN SUPPOSEDLY SEE PROPHETIC IMAGES IN THE CLOUDS."

"THEY ARE JUST MADDENINGLY VAGUE HINTS OR GLIMPSES OF THE PAST OR FUTURE, USUALLY JUST ENOUGH INFORMATION FOR YOU TO END UP MAKING IT HAPPEN OR SO YOU CAN RECOGNIZE IT FIVE SECONDS AFTER IT'S TOO LATE TO ACTUALLY DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT."

"THIS IS A BOOK FROM THERE, SOME ASSHOLE SAT DOWN AND JUST PAINTED A BILLION PICTURES OF DIFFERENT CLOUDS, IMAGES FROM DIFFERENT MOMENTS IN DIFFERENT PLACES ACROSS PARADOX SPACE." He flips back to a page he'd marked. "SEE, THIS IS ME, IN THE LAND OF PULSE AND HAZE. YOU CAN SEE ME, RIGHT? I AM THE LITTLE SPECK DOWN THERE THAT ISN'T GARISH AND HIDEOUS."

[no_vampires_plz]

Twilight squints at the speck Karkat is pointing at.

"Is that a toilet next to you there?"

[crabbycustomer]

"AH YES, YOU HAVE A KEEN EYE FOR DUMBFUCKERY. THAT IS IN FACT MY LOAD GAPER, LAUNCHED THERE BY THE SAME PERSON WHO DECIDED TO REDECORATE MY HOUSE LIKE THAT."

"IF I CAN GIVE YOU ONE PIECE OF ADVICE, IT WOULD BE, NEVER, EVER PLAY A GAME THAT GIVES A BLIND GIRL ABSOLUTE POWER OVER YOUR LIVING SPACE."

[fluffiest_archadian]

... Well, that's one of the strangest images Sherral has seen in a while.

"... Forgive me if I'm being rude, but what are you reading?"

[crabbycustomer]

"OH, THIS? THIS IS THE HOLIEST TEXT OF OUR PEOPLE. BECAUSE AS IT TURNS OUT OUR ENTIRE ALPHABET IS MADE UP VARIOUS BADLY-DRAWN IDIOTS PAIRED WITH A SELECTION OF INCOMPLETE GARBAGE HORSES. I AM SURELY READING THE FUCK OUT OF THESE EGREGIOUS OFFENSE TO THE EYES, RIGHT NOW."

[fluffiest_archadian]

Long pause.

Eventually, mildly: "Makes sense."

[crabbycustomer]

"YEAH? SERIOUSLY? YOU ARE JUST GOING TO SWALLOW ALL THAT WITH NO GRUB SAUCE OR ANYTHING?"

[fluffiest_archadian]

Innocently: "Why not? Stranger alphabets exist. The various combinations of badly drawn idiots and incomplete rubbish horses could easily make an entire alphabet."

Beat.

Sherral is strongly aware of how ridiculous that sounds.

[crabbycustomer]

"I FIND THAT HARD TO BELIEVE, I FIND IT INSANELY HARD TO BELIEVE THAT STRANGER ALPHABETS EXIST. NAME ONE."

[nepetaleijon]

"... what is that?"

A very purrplexed perplexed Nepeta is perched on the back of the couch and looking down over his shoulder.

[crabbycustomer]

Karkat does not look up. "IT IS A STERLING EXAMPLE OF PRIME CASE OF WHO THE PLUPERFECT BULGEBASHING HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DEALING WITH, TRAIPSING UP TO ME AND ACTING LIKE YOU DIDN'T PISS IN THE COCOON WANDERING OFF TO AN ALIEN PLANET WITHOUT DISCUSSING IT WITH YOUR LEADER OR YOUR BOYFRIEND WHEN THEY HAPPEN TO BE THE SAME FUCKING GUY."

"AND IF YOU LOOK ON THE FACING PAGE YOU WILL SEE A RARE WHERE THE GODDAMN SHIT IS MY SOUVENIR, AT LEAST."

[nepetaleijon]

"... oh." Sheepish. "Hi, Karkat, we came back from visiting the jungle with Shepurrd and I brought you this!"

A quick dig around in her sylladex, and she presents him with a clear plastic box containing one very peeved ant.

[crabbycustomer]

"IS THE ONE WITH THE AGONIZINGLY HORRIBLE BITE? THAT IS YOUR PRESENT FOR ME AFTER YOU DITCH AND RUN OFF TO AN INTENSELY XENOPHOBIC HUMAN WORLD WITHOUT A DISGUISE OR A FUCKING GOODBYE, A CUBIC LIGHTYEAR OF UNENDURABLE PAIN CRAMMED INTO A THREE MILLIMETER PACKAGE?"

[nepetaleijon]

"Sooo are you saying you don't want to try and alchemeowze that with one of your sickles and s33 what happurrns?"

She gives him a bright smile.

[crabbycustomer]

"NO, THAT WAS A COMPLETELY SINCERE REACTION. I MEANT IT, GOOD JOB, YOUR FUCK-UP IS EXPUNGED."