And the actual main round fics.
FIC: THE ULTIMATE GAMBLE (ERIDAN<3KARKAT) Summary: Karkat takes a moment to himself to contemplate the risks of relationships and trust.
The narration is a good summary of Karkat’s issues but is badly at odds with how Karkat’s voice sounds. It’s also one of those fics that’s just about one character in the situation – Eridan is just there to play the set piece of the other person in the relationship, which is a particularly unfortunate choice given it’s Eridan and so it needs some explanation why he doesn’t care about blood color suddenly. The story would work fine with a number of the other trolls – it’s very nearly canon with Terezi – but Eridan is possibly the worst choice.
A good fit to the prompt, though.
FIC: COBALT NIGHT (KARKAT <3 VRISKA) Summary: Karkat and Vriska go camping, there is a distinct lack of firewood, Vriska cheats at dumb card games and they argue a lot. (MPOV)
Humanstuck Vriska keeps being blonde, always weird to see.
“You want to be near the crazy spider girl from down the road. You want to get lost in her blue eyes behind the glasses and tangle her long blonde hair through your fingers and lash out at her when she showers you in arachnids, knowing just how much you fear them.”
As with last year, it looks like people aren’t going to give much attention to distinguishing between quadrants. Also common from last year, this relies on the crutch of just saying they like each other without giving reason for it.
Dialogue done incorrectly.
MPOV
FIC/ART: THE NEW VEGAS IS IN TENNESSEE (DIRK<3ROXY) Summary: Dirk and Roxy are the last humans on earth, and it can be incredibly lonely. Sometimes, they just need contact and a touch of the mundane. They carve out a little hole for themselves where they can see each other face to face. And, sometimes, they play poker.
A cute idea and pretty good use of supplementary pictures – Roxy guzzling from the bottle was particularly good. Seemed overly long, though, and not quite in line with the prompt.
[ART]: [UNTITLED] ([ERIDAN<3SOLLUX])Summary: Eridan and Sollux place a bet. Shenanigans ensue.
Another could be any character one. Sollux is just there in the role of other half of the pairing. I’m not even sure who he’s supposed to be.
COMIC: FACETS (ERIDAN<3ROXY)Summary: After alchemizing a very special die, Eridan takes glimpses into the many possible sweet, sad, and strange futures he could have with Roxy Lalonde.
This one is executed quite well. The individual situations all seem true to the characters (down to Roxy leaving sadly when Eridan cheats on her while he murders her when she cheats on him) and the framing device is a good one. But dice really isn’t Eridan’s thing so much as desperation (and he didn’t really take a gamble telling Feferi at that point…) and there’s nothing here about why Roxy would be interested to begin with. Also, we’re told it’s four good and four bad endings, but one of the “bad” endings is Eridan making Feferi jealous so they end up together and break Roxy’s heart, which I can’t see Eridan really counting as anything but a gain. Another one is just bad for Roxy.
(And pedantically, all of the bad end ones are easily avoided with foreknowledge.)
MPOV
FIC: THE CHASE (KARKAT<>SOLLUX)Summary: No one ever said you weren’t predictable. It’s one of your many flaws (that you don’t have time to spend cataloguing right now because he’s coming he’s coming right now do you hear him)
Very much a Karkat fic. Like much of what gets diamonds slapped on, this is really a non-moirallegiance relationship, but it does sell Karkat as quite concerned for Sollux. Passing lip service is given to the prompt but nothing more.
ART: UNTITLED (DAVESPRITE<3KARKAT)Summary: Davesprite and Karkat play a game
This one could be any two characters at all.
ART: UNTITLED (ERIDAN<3FEFERI) Summary: Eridan places a bet.
Very pretty, nice detail. I feel like there’s something I’m missing with this one, though – the final panel showing either hearts or spades in coins seems like it should have to do with the gambling, but my only guess is that he wasn’t sure if he should go black or red with her and had to pick right then, which isn’t how it went.
[FIC/ART]: [THE CHANCE TO ABSCOND] ([GRAND HIGHBLOOD<3<SUMMONER])Summary: Between fate and chance, the rebel Summoner took a stand, and was imprisoned for it. Things only became entertaining when he broke out of jail and met his monarch.
Basically OCs. Not OOC, precisely, but these are characters we know virtually nothing about who we never see interact. It’s probably possible to make it work, but it’s a challenge I don’t think this succeeded at.
VIDEO: SOPOR FACE (GAMZEE <3 ROXY)Summary:
Good art and fits the prompt but seems rather random.
ART: UNTITLED (MEENAH<3ROXY)Summary: Roxy comes up with a slightly more palatable take on Russian roulette.
I found the style underwhelming but the level of detail is impressive, and Meenah’s design is a cool one. Fits the prompt perfectly, tells a clear story and is very believable for both of them.
FIC/ART: THE GRAND RUSE: THE ASS WAS A DISTACTION (DAVE<3KANAYA<3ROSE)Summary: It’s a race to the finish line and the stakes are high.
It’s always nice when these stories include the other characters rather than taking place in an otherwise empty world.
Unfortunately the second half is Dave making a move on Kanaya while she thinks he’s Rose, without there being any implication this is okay in their relationship. The tagging priorities continue to perplex – this has no label for anything about that and instead warns for incest when the siblings don’t so much as kiss.
ART: UNTITLED (CONDESCE<3HANDMAID)Summary: Taking your chances has never worked out well.
A vague one where there’s nothing clear about why they’re acting like this.
[WRITING/ART]: CA2TIING LOT2 (PSIIONIIC<3SIGNLESS/SUFFERER)
Summary: Some crazy asshole is screaming at bluebloods harassing him on the side of the street, and the Psiioniic is apparently a sucker for lost causes.
Somewhat irritating. The opening frame is the Disciple telling the story to Darkleer when it seems he never saw her again, and then she, the one canonically with the Signless, narrates his happy slash relationship instead. Oh, and his mother’s nowhere around either. And characterizationwise, this is really just Karkat and Sollux meeting up in an AU, down to exactly how the Signless talks. Doesn’t have much to do with the prompt either.
FIC/ART: 69 TO 1 ODDS (JOHN<3JADE<3KARKAT)
Summary: Karkat is a small, angry horse racing jockey, and John and Jade are his biggest fans.
Cutely dysfunctional, and horse racing! The plot is rather pasted on, but the characterization’s good.
MPOV
ILLUSTRATED FIC: TAKING A FALL (DIRK<3EQUIUS)
Summary: Equius agrees to bet on a robot fight. Dirk is gambling on what happens afterward.
Clever twist and great use of the prompt.
ART: LADY LUCK (BRO<3DAD)Summary:
Another anybody one.
SONG/FIC/ART: PALE MOONLIGHT (ERIDAN<>ROSE)
Summary: Her voice is the sound of falling in love, and his is the sound of a soft storm at sea. He was so down on his luck before the first time he saw her. Oh, and something about flappers.
This is fanon Eridan. A bit more canon grounded than some, but only in the sense there’s a defense of nice guyism and remembrance of the fact Vriska exists so she can play the antagonist to his woobie. Rose’s side of things is quite weak.
MPOV
Summary: There is nothing sweeter than a high-stakes game. There is nothing as cruel, either.
I quite like the center picture, but it’s not especially selling the relationship.
FIC/ART: UFFERN DÂN (BRO<3JOHN)Summary: When abysmal sales performance breaks up demon partners Bro and Dave, Bro bets his brother he can be rid of his new partner in a week with some good old fashioned hazing. Bro didn’t bet on his new partner being the pranking master!
A good job of getting them together, though I’m not clear why they had a point about how miserable John was with Karkat before. The gambling aspect is incidental.
Dialogue incorrect. Will the plague never stop until all fanfic is infected?
ART: UNTITLED (TEREZI<3VRISKA)Summary: card meaning
A really good use of the card theme. Also, they deserve credit for not going for the low-hanging fruit with the prompt.
FIC/ART: OBSERVATION (DAVE<3KARKAT)Summary: When Karkat Vantas gets fired from his petty restaurant job, he goes to a bar to drown in his own misery. There he finds something that surprises him, and someone who has been watching him for a long time.
This is pretty close to original fic. The gambling element is there reasonably, but doesn’t really connect to either character.
Incorrect dialogue.
FIC: A 1-IN-8 CHANCE (TEREZI<3<VRISKA)Summary: They have a conflicted and difficult friendship of sorts again now, but Terezi wouldn’t be preparing to be in the same room as Vriska, for the first time in nearly two sweeps, if they hadn’t been paired up for a trainee examination. (A non-Sgrub AU.)
Painfullly well characterized for most of it, but the final swerve at the end into kismesis seems more forced than usual for this, since it’s been showing Vriska as desperate to make amends and Terezi as conflicted.
FIC: UNFATHOMABLY STUPID (DOOMED!JOHN<3DAVESPRITE)Summary:
EB: have you ever done something, knowing that it might’ve been really stupid or dangerous…
EB: but you did it anyway?
This is the setup for a really, really interesting what-if fanfic plot. But we don’t see that happen because it ends before then,, and since this involves a canon decision going differently in something that’s not plot but characterization based, I really don’t know what the idea here is.
[FIC/ART]: THE GHOST OF ROCKSCHOOL (TEAM JADE<3ARADIA)Summary: AU. Aradia is a psychopomp, a guide for the dead – a demographic Jade has recently joined. However, Jade isn’t ready to move on for her own reasons. Bargaining ensues.
My, this is a weird one. Not really sold on the characterization, this seems like another OC one.
FIC/ART: GAME OF GODS (JADE<3ROSE)Summary: In which everything is at stake as two young gods clash in a battle of power and wit. Also, squiddles.
Quite elaborate, quite cute, but grounded with an edge of realism.
ART: RAINY DAY (DAVE<3ROXY)Summary:
Not sure what the idea is here.
[FIC]: A FEW FRIENDLY WAGERS (JADE<3NEPETA)
Summary: But in the end, it doesn’t matter who ends up winning the bets, because the winner always wants to do what’ll make the loser happy.
Quite cute.
On Monday, Dave and John decided to break out their old copies of Pokémon Red and Blue (strictly for purposes of ironic nostalgia, Dave insisted), and they spent the afternoon playing and teasing each other about how much they sucked after not touching the game for five years.
I think people forget just how old the games are. If the Homestuck kids played it, they played the remakes or as a ROM.
ART: UNTITLED (DIRK<3JAKE)Summary: Dirk and Jake play a game of strip poker…
Gets across the story clearly in very little space.
COMIC: SAYS THE DRAGON TO THE MAMA CAT (NEPETA<3TEREZI)Summary: In which a coin flip determines the fate of an imaginary child. Sort of.
Remember their roleplay thing together? More people should.
The dialogue bugs me though, in that it’d have been so easy for Terezi to have not specified the cubs. It means that instead of the ending being an unexpected twist on what Nepeta thought she meant, it’s her changing the agreement.
FIC: [UNTITLED] (DAD<3ROXY)Summary: For a moment you wonder, really wonder, if the girl who had shook your hand so gently, and the woman who whispers in your ear so lowly, are truly the same person.
A surprisingly convincing AU that does a good job of showing why they’d be interested in each other. And plenty of gambling in the background. But kind of like the Signless earlier, this seems more like it’s using pre-scratch Mom’s characterization in place of post-scratch Roxy.
Dialogue done incorrectly.
Also this is tagged pedophila despite her being seventeen.
FIC: UNTITLED (JADE<3KANAYA<3ROSE)Summary: Rose Lalonde doesn’t take unnecessary risks when it comes to finding a prom date.
Rather OClike yet again. This particularly stood out to me with the side characters – her mother not caring if she went to prom? Kanaya taking Eridan??? And the feel isn’t helped by whatever reasoning led to renaming all the trolls.
It’s also not particularly clear why Rose decided to ask them both.
ILLUSTRATED FIC: GO STRIP (DAVESPRITE<3JOHN)Summary:
Art doesn’t match the description given in the story, which is oddly irksome. Otherwise, cute, some insight into Dave’s character, little insight into how the relationship happened.
ART: TIME TO GET LUCKY ([DAVE<3DAVE])Summary: A screencap game (prtscr+paste). Think you can get the full picture? Step right up and try your luck! With a Dave-guarantee, it’s a game you can’t lose!
Weird idea. Might have worked a bit better to make it some sort of click thing so the images are easier to examine but the ever-moving images are enthralling and very novel prompt use.
[FIC]: [SCATTERED ACROSS THE SANDS] (GAMZEE<3KARKAT)Summary: Two sweeps after losing contact with Gamzee, Karkat tracks him down in a seedy bazaar to try and find out what’s happened to him.
Just doesn’t show much off about the characters. You already know what’s going on and how things will resolve.
FIC: THE WHIMS OF FASHION (ALCHEMITER: FRUITY RUMPUS)Summary: Rose loses a bet and Kanaya collects with a smirk.
Not the OC problem, but more sort of flanderized? Didn’t do much to explain the pairing, either.
FIC/ART: IF THERE WERE TWO RED STRINGS OF FATE (DAVE<3JAKE)Summary: As the Knight of Time, Dave sees red strings of fate connecting to other timelines. He finally takes a chance to follow them–but he can only choose one.
This one is a plot that hinges on a major element that’s not in canon, and it’s also one where the second character could be anyone. Mostly, a Davefic explaining how things work and his feelings about them in a version of canon where there are fate strings.
FIC/ART: 4 GR4ND 4DV3NTUR3 (SOLLUX<3TEREZI)Summary: Terezi wants to go on an adventure.
Buddyfic with them at a casino. Cute, very good voices.
Mixed POV.
ART/FIC: NIGHT AT THE SPIDER8ITCH’S DEN (ARADIA<>DAVE)Summary: During an intense game of doubles troll poker, Dave is concerned that he isn’t a good moirail.
No connection to <> here, it’s a sort of couples poker. Dave monologues well. Aradia’s there and not as interchangable as a lot of the secondary couple half is, but it’s not really about her.
MPOV.
ART/WATERCOLOR: KNOW WHEN TO FOLD, BOYS. (ERIDAN<3FEFERI<3SOLLUX<3<ERIDAN)Summary: Feferi, Eridan, and Sollux engage in a game of strip poker. (Content is SFW)
This is the standard joke where the boys try to get the girl to play strip poker but then oh no the boys are the ones to lose what a shocking turn of events. Despite Eridan and Sollux being in a relationship in this, neither of them appear to care the other’s mostly naked. Could be anyone.
ART: POKERFISH! (DAVE<3FEFERI)Summary: Feferi and Dave decide to play a game of strip poker–surprisingly, the idea is not Dave’s.
Same, although this one gets style points for putting on the winnings.
[FIC]: [DEVIL TAKE THE HINDMOST] ([DUALSCAR<3<SUMMONER])Summary: Sweeps of isolation within your dream bubble make any intrusions worth investigating. And if there’s something to gain, all the better.
A reversal of the usual Eridan fic that forgets Vriska while making Feferi the only important one to him. Summoner’s characterization is weird, he doesn’t seem to have reason for how he acts in this, and it’s not very convincing that the hate would be the romantic type.
[ILLUSTRATED FIC]: ACE IN THE HOLE (TEAM KANAYA<3ROSE)
Summary:Cheating the system has never been so dangerous
Weird as it is to say it, this is yet another Rose/Kanaya fic where one of them has a speakeasy.
ART+FIC: KISS KISS BANG BANG (DAVE<3VRISKA)Summary: One gun, one bullet, and two snappily dressed mobsters in a dark basement
This is not what you’d expect after all those other fics. Surprised it didn’t place.
MPOV.
FIC: LADY LUCK IS NOT AS GENEROUS AS YOU’D HOPED (TEAM DAVE<3ARADIA)Summary: Dave is caught in a bad spot during a game of poker with his month’s pay on the line, but his lifeline isn’t exactly happy to see him.
Another OC one.
Incorrect dialogue.
MPOV
FIC: RUMPLESTILTSKIN NEVER RAPPED (GAMZEE<3JANE)Summary: Gamzee helps Jane look for her father.
Very good Jane narration.
FPOV!
ILLUSTRATED FIC: BLIGHT OF MY LIFE (JOHN<3KARKAT)Summary: Shadow Cadet Karkat Vantas abandons his squadron on their way to liberate Earth 4 in order to save his internet friend from certain, if not imminent, death.
Sort of nebulous, characterizationwise, though it’s amusing to think of Karkat blending.
FIC/ART: HOW KARKAT VANTAS LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND BE THE BOMB (GAMZEE<>KARKAT)Summary: MY RHYMES ARE NOT DOPE.
I MEAN, I’M NOT EVEN ENTIRELY SURE WHAT THAT ACTUALLY MEANS, BUT I’M PRETTY SURE THAT THEY’RE NOT?
Lots of characters! And very good with all the voices.
FICTION: THE BET (EQUIUS<>NEPETA)Summary: Two players cross the swamplands in pursuit of a final goal. It’s a gamble to say which of them will make it through to the end. Only one may win.
Cute but not particularly <>.
Incorrect dialogue.
MPOV
FIC/ART: THEY GAMBLED PAST STARFALL (JOHN<3VRISKA)Summary: If she loses, a star will fall..
A very good job of making them keep the same sort of personality in an AU.
MPOV.
FIC: RISK (DIRK<>ROXY)
Summary: Pulling off heists can be a dangerous thing…
OC type, and doesn’t seem much connected to the prompt.
Incorrect dialogue.
MPOV.
ART: GOOD CARDS. BEST DECK. (JADE<3KARKAT)Summary: Five-card stud
Cute, but not particularly showing the pairing.
FIC: WAR (DUALSCAR <3< MINDFANG)Summary: Mindfang and Dualscar play a drunken game of war. Dualscar thinks too hard about the cards he draws.
Not particularly trolly.
MPOV.
FIC/ART: MY ONLY THOUGHT WAS “THAT WOULD BE A DISASTER” SO OF COURSE I SAID YES (DAVE<3TEREZI)Summary: Dave decides a weekend in Vegas with Terezi should keep her busy.
It’s the usual Dave and Terezi fic, well-executed.
MPOV.
TEXT/ART:A WAGER (ERIDAN<3<VRISKA)Summary: A game within a game; Vriska dares and threatens.
More kismesisy than a lot of these.
MPOV.
FIC: BETS WORTH TAKING (ARADIA<3ROSE)Summary: Rose is used to gambling for most necessities and unused to not needing to.
OCish.
FIC & ART: MEASURING RISK AND REWARD (TEAM ARADIA<3EQUIUS)Summary: Will Equius take the risk of believing the person contacting him is truly the dead Aradia seeking his aid? Or will he turn his back to such an obvious prank?
This is an interesting addition to the canon events, though the gambling aspect is nearly invisible.
MPOV
ART: JACKPOT (GAMZEE<3TAVROS)Summery: Gamzee plays with a slot machine.
Rather flanderized characters.
[FIC/ART]: [A RUM DEAL] ([DAVE<3JADE])Summary: Prohibition is on, and rum-runner Dave stumbles into Jade’s speakeasy with some bad news. Then the bad news stumbles right in after him.
OClike, more Dave than Jade though. Nice little story, though.;
MIXED POV.
ART: UNTITLED (SOLLUX<>TEREZI)Summary: Sollux and Terezi go for a bit of gambling… Well-dressed, and of course, kicking ass.
Pretty but could have been anyone.
FIC/ART: DOUBLE DOWN (ARADIA<>TAVROS)Summary:
Multiple characters. ICness. Vriska being an antagonist without the raging evil. Tavros not being a doormat or a sue. Surprised it didn’t place.
FIC/ART: ROLL FOR INITIATIVE (JOHN<3DAVE)Summary: Sex dice.
Huh. It’s not aggressive!Dave virginuke!John.
[ART]: SINK OR SWIM (FEFERI<3JADE)Summary: Sometimes we take dangerous chances to be with those we love.
Good art, exceedingly weird situation.
FIC/ART: SEIZE THE FUCKING DAY (DAVE<3ROSE)Summary: Sometimes Dave just gets lost in time. He forgets there are things to do, until the decision to go back and save the kids who fucked up months ago is one that’s sat for too long. If he can convince Rose, he can convince anyone.
The odd thing is that he could swear that they used to be good together.
Nicely atmospheric.
Mixed POV.
[FIC/ART]: [RIGGING EXPECTATIONS] (AUTO-RESPONDER<3ROXY)Summary: Roxy’s turning 21, and she and Auto decide to celebrate by trying their luck at a casino.
Cute and involves not acing poker.
MPOV
ANIMATION: UNTITLED (JANE<3ROXY)Summary:
This is more of a fanwork on the subject of shipping than on this particular ship.
FIC/ART: VENTING VENTURES (DAVE<3ERIDAN)Summary: One does not simply crawl into the Midnight Casino using the air vents. Unless one is a superhero.
The characters work surprisingly well together, and there’s other characters running around as well. Surprised this didn’t place.
ART:UNTITLED (ERIDAN<3FEFERI<3SOLLUX)Summary: Eridan, Feferi, and Sollux play cards.
Could be anyone one, minus the psychic flare around Sollux, and not showing any relationship.
FIC: NEVER KISSED GOODBYE (THE LOVE OF OUR LIVES) (DAVE<3ROSE<3TEREZI)Summary: While they wait to get Terezi back from another universe, Dave and Rose have a few issues of their own to work out.
I found this a very clever what-if, and it also does a good job of showing why OT3 format can be useful in telling stories rather than just avoiding shipwars. Nice voices.
MPOV.
FIC + ART: BEND AROUND THE BLADES (DIRK<3JAKE<3JANE<3ROXY)Summary: After the death of her friends, it’s up to Jane to play through the loopholes and try to win back control of the game.
Very, very good plot, nice voices as well, and it’s all about Jane trying to save the day. My only complaint is that even more than usual, this is not exactly <3 we’re dealing with here.
FPOV.
FIC: THE GAMBLE (DAVE<3SOLLUX)
Summary: He didn’t quite know what to expect when he opened the door for this soaking wet, bifuricated troll.
OClike, not so much with Sollux but Dave.
Incorrect dialogue.
ILLUSTRATED FIC: DENUDATION (KARKAT<3SOLLUX)Summary: Driven by boredom, restlessness, and the desire to impress one another, Karkat and Sollux take increasingly dangerous risks. When their game goes a step too far and one is injured, the two must take a risk of a different sort. Rated PG-13, starring Charlize Theron.
Troll OClike, plot hinges on Karkat taking stupid risks for the hell. Both of them desperately need a moirail.
ILLUSTRATED FIC: TWO SPADES, ONE BUCKET (GAMZEE<3<TEREZI)Summary: On the asterioid, The humans have attempted to teach all the willing trolls how to play poker. When the clothes start coming off and one missing clown shows up, what can go wrong for one young legislator?
Not particularly IC, but interesting in that it’s Manic Pixie Terezi from her own POV.
Incorrect dialogue.
FPOV.
FIC: WHERE WE NEED TO BE (KANAYA<>KARKAT)Summary: Karkat wonders why Kanaya asked him to go frog hunting with her.
Mostly just meh, and not especially IC.
FPOV.
ART: UNTITLED (BRO<3DAVE)Summary:
Irony, I guess?
FIC: EVERY FIRE IS A LESSON LEARNED (KANAYA<3VRISKA)Summary:
Another one where it’s Vriska’s fault for being such a shitty moirail.
FIC/ART: HOW TO CHEAT AT CARDS FOR FUN AND PROFIT (ARADIA<>SOLLUX)Summary:
Buddyfic that really misses the concept of moirails.
ART & VIDEO POWERPOINT: GAMBLING: A POWERPOINT (AR<3PM<3WV)Summary: Gambling is illegal, amoral, and just plain wrong, and AR has every intent to make sure the citizens of Can Town know it through the magic of educational powerpoints.
So, so very cute. And a nice use of the prompt.
Like so many of these, it’s really highlighting the weakness of having ships tied to a particular quadrant. This isn’t particularly <3, though certainly nothing in this precludes that option. At least no one decided to mislabel this kind of thing <> because <>=friendship right.
[ART/FIC]: [IWVAJASAAIACOAMTIOSTBASOBTIMMACWTTOTBM] [JOHN <> VRISKA]Summary: The full title is: “In which Vriska and John are secret agents and infiltrate a casino on a mission that is originally supposed to be a scouting one, but turns into much more and concludes with the two of them becoming moirails.” but it didn’t really fit up there.
JOHN: How are you doing that? I thought slots was all luck.
VRISKA: It certainly is, and I’m the luckiest girl there eeeeeeeever was.
JOHN: Are you sure you didn’t fiddle with the machine?
VRISKA: Luck was involved in that too.
I approve of people remembering Vriska is all about cheating. This is a fun one.
Mixed POV.
FIC/ART: ==>DOLOROSA: BE FREE (DOLOROSA<3MINDFANG)Summary:The Dolorosa and Mindfang made a bet. Last a sweep without an open display of flushed affection and you go free.
Not really sure what to make of this one. It’s saying something, but I don’t think I get it.
[FIC/ART]: ALL RELATIVE IN THIS TIME SINK (DAVE<3<KARKAT<3TEREZI<3DAVE)Summary: When you’re stuck on an asteroid with the same people for three years, some bitterness is bound to arise. Neither Dave or Karkat thinks it’s an issue. Terezi thinks her boys just need to talk it out.
A rather dubious take on the quadrants.
Mixed POV.
FIC/ART: ROYAL GAMBLE (JOHN<3JADE)Summary:
Sort of the opposite of a gamble, really – John decides to creepily push into flirting under the cover of regular sibling affection.
MPOV
[FIC/ART]: ALL THE GLUBBING LUCK! (FEFERI<3VRISKA)Summary: Feferi and Vriska’s game of strip poker ends on a sweet note. Told in Feferi’s POV.
Could be anyone, and Feferri seems oddly timid.
[FIC/ART]: [HE’S ALL THAT] (KARKAT<3KARKAT)Summary: In which Karkat Vantas makes a bet that he can get past him to go prom with him.
…this hinges on Karkat creating a doomed timeline splinter of himself to win a bet.
FIC/ART: CARDS IN DRAG (DAVE<3<KARKAT)Summary: Dave gets bored and wants to play a game with Karkat. The game has surprising consequences.
Buddyfic.
ART: TAKE A CHANCE (ARADIA<3FEFERI)Summary: Feferi and Aradia take a chance at the casino – using their own cards for good luck.
Interesting pictures, but not doing anything to sell the pairing.
FIC/ART: HAVE YOU HAD YOUR FUN? (BRO<3GRANDPA)Summary: In a saloon in some dark corner of the Incipisphere, Bro and Grandpa arrive looking to play- and they don’t mean just poker.
The two of them play off each other quite well.
Incorrect dialogue.
[FIC]: [BANGARANG] (TEAM PARCELPYXIS)Summary: The outcome of a Fiduspawn game will determine just what kind of lesson Tavros will be taught.
Wuss Tavros, rather classless Scratch.
ILLUSTRATED FIC + FLASH ANIMATION: I CAN BARELY SLEEP IN THIS CASINO (JOHN<3ROSE)Summary:
Seems standard, then twists.
FPOV.
[ART/FANMIX]: [QUEEN TAKES JACK] (DAVESPRITE<3JADE)Summary:
Cards. Looks exhaustive, but says little about the pairing itself.
ILLUSTRATED FIC: UP THE CREEK WITHOUT A PADDLE (DIRK<3JANE)Summary:
OCish.
Incorrect dialogue.
FLASH: JUST JUMP (ALPHA!DAVE<3ALPHA!ROSE)Summary: Dave and Rose are facing off against a hoard of drones when Rose makes a gamble to save herself.
Interesting execution, damsel-in-distress Rose.
FIC/AUDIO: ==> JOHN: TELL EVERYONE (IN GROSS DETAIL) ABOUT YOUR VACATION TO VEGAS (DAD<3JOHN)Summary: John describes his post-graduation celebration in gratuitous detail.
Exactly what it says on the tin.
ART: 8ETTER HOPE YOU’RE AS LUCKY AS YOU LOOK. (TAVROS<3VRISKA)Summary: An AU in which Vriska is a heavy gambler, and Tavros is a waiter at the local casino. She takes a liking to him and tries to hook herself a cute boy in a vest. (It works.)
Could be anyone.
ILLUSTRATED FIC: AND SOMEWHERE IN THE DARKNESS THE GAMBLER, HE BROKE EVEN(ROSE<3ROXY)Summary: Roxy copes with her isolation, mostly. At least until the Furthest Ring rears its myriad tentacled appendages.
Painful and lovely.
FIC/ART: BET ON ME: IN WHICH BOTH SCOURGE SISTERS GET LAID (JAKE<3TEREZI)Summary: Jake and Terezi meet during a ripsnorting game of Texas Hold ‘Em.
Not exactly an OC one, but not really selling the interaction.
Incorrect dialogue.
Mixed POV
FIC: CAGE MATCH (DAVE<3<GAMZEE)Summary: Gamzee realizes nobody gets to choose their kismesis.
OCfic. There’s nothing particularly bad about this, but it’s what I don’t like about AU stuff in this fandom – instead of being the same characters in different circumstances, it’s different circumstances that somehow add up to similar things happening.
ART: RUSSIAN ROULETTE (EQUIUS<3KARKAT)Summary:
Pretty art, no idea what it means.
COMIC: UNTITLED (NEPETA<3TAVROS)Summary: At a school dance in the 1950’s, a bet is made that yeilds unexpected results.
Could be anyone, though Gamzee is a nice touch.
ART: S[T]R[I]D[E]R – TIE GAME (DAVE<3DIRK)Summary: Some chibis (WARNING: LARGE FILE)
Cute, but not really anything to do with a pairing.
[FIC]: [BETTING ON YOU] ([KARKAT <3 TEREZI])Summary:Early on in their game session, Terezi attempts to occupy herself by bothering Karkat.
It really was a shame that he hadn’t woken up on Prospit yet–dragging his unconscious body all over the moon just wasn’t the same without hearing him bitch endlessly about it.
It baffles me how relatively unpopular this pairing is.
FPOV.
FIC [SUFFERER VS. THE WORLD] ([SUFFERER<3DISCIPLE]Summary: The Sufferer mules over why he fights for the Disciple.
For some reason, Scott Pilgrim crossover?
MPOV.
ART: SPEAK EASY (KARKAT <3 NEPETA)Summary:Art of Karkat and Nepeta in a 1920’s setting, in which Nepeta is supporting Karkat in a card game gamble…
Lovely,lovely colors, could be anyone.
[FIC]: UNTITLED (EQUIUS<3ERIDAN)Summary:
I don’t hate Eridan this fic.
[FIC]: FLAMES (SLICK<3<SNOWMAN)Summary: The Felt are getting a bit too uppity, and it’s time for the Midnight Crew to teach them a lesson. Hate – the romantic kind – was never supposed to be a part of it.
I feel a nebulous dissatisfaction with this. It’s perfectly good but it’s mostly about Slick, who apparently had moved on fine from Snowman before she reappeared. He does get back into the seething hate once she’s there again, but by then the fic’s wrapping up and anyway he’s swearing to get rid of her for good.
MPOV.
FIC: KEEP YOUR POKER FACE (ROSE<3SOLLUX)Summary: Sollux begrudgingly agrees to a trip to the casino, only to be engaged in a very interesting hand of poker with one very lucky Rose Lalonde.
I feel I’m missing something with this one.
MPOV.
[FIC/ART]: [STACKING THE ODDS] ([ERIDAN<3<SOLLUX])Summary: Eridan is sick of seeing Feferi associate with a certain low blooded troll. If she can’t be convinced to stay away from him. Maybe Eridan can find a way to keep him away from her.
Fef had been his moirail for as long as he could remember, and even if she’d spurned his advances of a more flush nature, he still wanted what was best for her.
In short, Eridan fic, complete with OOC Sollux who gives a shit about Eridan bugging him.
Incorrect dialogue.
COMIC: AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT GAME (EQUIUS<3GAMZEE)
Not sure what to make of this one.
ILLUSTRATED FIC: BINGO ROYALE (JAKE<3JOHN)
Summary: John Crocker is playing a dangerous game. Well, trying to at least. If only he could ignore Jake Harley.
Very amusingly written, doesn’t sound much like John.
…
So anyway. Some original fics came out of the prompt, but it probably wasn’t the best choice for something with so many stories, because there’s an awful lot of overlap.