hs_olympics | BONUS ROUND 1

Bonus Round 1

Genre-Mixing

Hey, shippers! Welcome to your very first bonus round proper--we hope you have lots of fun with it! This time around we're going to be asking you to mix it up a little--each fanwork posted for this round will be a mish-mash of two different genres, blended together in a delightful incestuous slurry to create an UNSTOPPABLE CREATIVE CONCOCTION--er. Or. Something.

Yeah, we're genre-mixing. That's what we're doing this round.

Rules

Submit prompts! Prompts should consist of two different genres and one ship. This cannot be your team's ship! These are worth 5 points each, for a maximum of 100 points per team.

Look through the prompts and fill whichever you like!

You may not fill prompts for your ship, nor may you fill your own team's prompts.

Fills should be posted as replies to the prompts which they are for, following the format below. They may be any medium.

Title Format
If you are starting a new thread, please use this format in your title.

Replace [YOUR SHIP] with the name of the team YOU belong to; please use the characters and quadrant, not whatever portmanteau or nickname you've come up with.
If your team name is not in this format and in the title we cannot guarantee that it will be counted.

If you are filling a prompt, use this format in your title.

Replace [YOUR SHIP] with the name of the team YOU belong to; please use the characters and quadrant, not whatever portmanteau or nickname you've come up with.
If your team name is not in this format and in the title we cannot guarantee that it will be counted.

Posts not using this format in the title will be understood to be unofficial discussion posts, no matter what they contain. They, like all comments on the comm, are subject to the Wank Policy.

Scoring
For prompt posts: 5 points each (maximum of 100 per team)

For fills (as stated here):
First 5 entries in each post: 30 (per entry)
Entries 6-10 in each post: 20 (per entry)
Entries 11-15 in each post: 10 (per entry)
Entries 16+ in each post: 5 (per entry)

All scored content must be created/assembled new for this round.

If you have any questions, please ask them at the FAQ post here, or email them to us (homestuck.shipping at gmail). Otherwise, we cannot guarantee that we will see them in a timely fashion!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ah, you are one of the lucky ones who gets two. :) I hope you enjoy.

Equius Zahhak had a ten-year plan. First, he would be hired to work at a fortune 500 company. He would then be promoted to a high paid executive of this company and parlay that promotion into a job working directly for Her Imperial Condescension. This would take roughly five years.

For the next five years, he would focus on finding a matesprit of appropriate standing, a kismesis that would challenge him, and some conciliatory partners if he felt the need. Then, he would continue to move up the ladder until we traveled as high as someone with his noble blood color could and he would live out the rest of his days in happiness.

Equius Zahhak was three years behind schedule.

Well, eight years really, because Alternian Insurance was not the best company he could be working for. But, he learned to make compromises. An executive was an executive. Her Imperial Condescension would simply be impressed by his rise in the face of mediocrity. It was his mantra, the word that kept him going through the days.

But now, eight years since they hired him, the unthinkable had happened. An executive position had finally opened up! And, to his chagrin, they promoted an olive blood.

What they saw in Nepeta Leijon, he was not sure. He did know that she sat in the cubicle behind him and had eccentric tastes. The walls of her cubicle were plastered with images of their coworkers, complete with a strange web connecting them all. She explained to him that it was her shipping chart. He would have described it as lewd, drawing out the vowel for emphasis.

It was Nepeta who informed him of her “purrmotion.” He listened quietly; sweat pooling at his underarms and anger pooling in his chest. How could they expect a blueblood like him to take orders from someone beneath him?

Yet, professionalism beat classism when Nepeta told Equius that he would be accompanying her off-planet for a conference. Equius would never disobey a direct order from his boss, highblood or not.

Now they were here, somewhere in the void of space, alone, and coming up on the third hour of Nepeta’s FLARP stories.

“…and he never walked again! He’s confined to a two wheel device for the rest of his life, isn’t that pawful?”

“Again,” Equius tightened his grip on the steering mechanism, “I would like to reiterate my previous command that you refrain from making cat puns. Particularly if they are terrible.”

Nepeta scrunched up her face. “That was not pawful… awful. I saw you crack a smile. Even if it was just a teeny one.”

“I assure you,” Equius said, “there was no smile on my face. Not even the slightest hint.”

“You’re such a grumpy-pants all the time. And you should really get a different brand of deodorant. You stink. Blech.”

Nepeta stuck her tongue out in what would have been an endearing manner if Equius was not seething.

"And you,” he jerked the ship around an errant piece of debris too strongly and his boss jerked forward in her seat, “did not deserve your purr... Promotion.”

“I did so,” said Nepeta, indignant.

“Not,” Equius replied. He was ready to defend his point the entire trip if need be.

“Did so!” Nepeta repeated. “And even if I didn’t, who else would they have picked? Karkat? Kanaya?”

“I was the obvious choice.”

Nepeta rolled her eyes and pawed at the floor with her toes. “Obviously not, or they would have picked you.”

“It was affirmative action.” His grip on the steering wheel tightened and the object bent under his strength.

"It was because you’re a major pooper!” Nepeta snapped back.

The ship jerked as Equius yanked hard on the steering wheel. Nepeta all but fell out of her seat.

“Do not use foul language like that in my presence, low-blood,” Equius said through gritted teeth. “You are a vulgar creature who has no place being promoted over trolls of actual caliber. You are only proving yourself completely crass by-“

There was a gentle purring sound and a soft pat on his cheek. Nepeta Leijon was shoosh papping him.
This lowblood had the audacity to engage in pale ministrations with someone of his standing! And yet, her hand felt warm against his cheek. It was working. He was placated.

“Are you done now?” she asked, her brows furrowed.

Equius, now a picture of serenity replied that yes, he was done expressing himself in such a vile manner.

“You know, I meant that you were a pooper,” said Nepeta, snuggling back into her seat. “That doesn’t mean I don’t like you, it just means that you can be creepy and gross most of the time. You need to work on that.”

“You need to work on not commanding your betters,” said Equius.

Nepeta rolled her eyes. “See, that. You also need to work on that. First, I’m your boss. Second, the hemospectrum is silly. Third, I’m not going to have a moirail who thinks he’s better than me.”

“I don’t think I’m better than you,” said Equius.

“You’re going to say that you know you’re better than me,” interrupted Nepeta. “Stop. Just stop now. I’ll shoosh you again if I have to.”

They continued in silence for a moment, slowly shrinking the void between their ship and the insurance conference.

“Are we moirails then?” asked Equius.

“Yes,” Nepeta said. “I don’t see any way around it.”

Equius Zahhak has a ten-year plan. It involves keeping an eye on his moirail at Alternian Insurance. As an olive blood, she has reached the highest position she can hope to have, and he is proud of her.

Even if Her Imperial Condescension comes knocking at his door, Equius will politely decline. A good moirail stays and watches over the other. Besides, if he left, who would help Nepeta open jars of grub-sauce?

BONUS ROUND 1

Bonus Round 1

FILL: TEAM JADE<3KARKAT