Welcome to /co/

Ruby Gloom and Marceline stood at the edge of Page 10 and looked into the unending white oblivion. A cold breeze blew in from /diy/, which you couldn't see but was supposedly right next door. Marceline took out a smoke and patted herself for a lighter. Ruby handed one to her after lighting herself up with a cig. They didn't have to say much between each other these days; a melancholy sense of weariness spoke for them most of the time.

 

“Did you hear about the new one?” asked Ruby, flicking off ash into the nothingness below.

 

“Not too much. Some lamb. It won't last long,” Marcie tucked her knee under her chin.

 

“Yeah, well, you never know,” Ruby took the cig from her mouth and laid back, resting her head on her arm. “She's got a lot of D-fags under her...a lot more than Imperialist Vixen.”

 

To their right a small thread with only two replies teetered near the edge. It's time would come soon.

 

“Say, Ruby...you and the other girls don't...you know...” began Marceline. She took a drag on her cigarette, not knowing quite what to say.

 

“Don't what?” Ruby took a quick drag as the tiny thread fell off into oblivion.

 

Marceline frowned, “...resent...me? Do you?”

 

Ruby actually smiled, which was a thing she hadn't done in a while. “Everybody gets their time in the spotlight, honey. And everybody fades away. Why should I get upset at something like clockwork?”

 

She reflected as Ruby sat back up and tossed what was left of her cigarette over the edge. Marceline blew the smoke out slowly. Draw threads, all day every day. Threads about her relationship with Peebs and Finn. Threads about her childhood. Her time in the spotlight wasn't going away, not like it did with Ruby. Oh, Ruby'd get a thread every now and then, usually something unseemly like a Fetish Thread, but for the most part she lived here in the space between threads, in the cosmic manifestation of a specific collective consciousness they called home.

 

But it was only a matter of time. How much longer could Marcie's show last? When it did end, it would dwindle from daily threads, to weekly threads, to maybe one thread a month. After that, it would just be special appearances like Frankie made. 'Special Appearances'...more like vaudevillian burlesque shows.

 

To their left a massive thread stretched to the sky and grinded its way towards the cliff. It was another Homestuck General, at least a thousand posts high. The bloated carcass of the thread stopped just inches away from the space beyond Page 10. One could see tendrils of shitposts flailing like maggots throughout its massive frame.

 

“How's LSP?” asked Marcie. She threw the butt of her cig into the wind.

 

Ruby smirked, “she's...still adjusting.” They both laughed. “She lives for the few posts that mention her. Then she gets loud and obnoxious...and then...” Ruby frowned, “she gets quiet. She goes away for a little while. Astrid tries to cheer her up but then she gets difficult and we all leave her alone.”

 

A voice called from behind them. “Hullo, Marsulleen! Hullo, Rooby!”

 

“Hello, Punky,” they answered in unison.

 

Punky grinned wide. “What are the both of you doing all the way out here?”

 

“We might ask you the same thing, little miss,” Ruby stood up and tickled her. She was always nice to Punky.

 

After Punky was done giggling she answered, “somebody mentioned me in a post today so I thought I'd walk around an' see what everyone was up to!”

 

Ruby put her hands on her hips, “It's good to see you, Punky, but you know what we talked about. It's dangerous to walk around /co/ all by yourself.”

 

“Bu-”

 

“Nooo, no butts,” chimed in Marceline. “You made it all the way here, so you've said hello to everyone and you should go back to your show now, I'm sure your mom is worried sick.”

 

Punky pouted, but then cheered up again. “Well, maybe they'll start talking about me again, and we can go play for a while!”

 

“Maybe,” said Ruby. HSG finally began to tip into oblivion. It creaked and groaned and the voices of a dozen eri's shrieked and screamed against the horizon. Another little cry went out, it was Punky clutching Ruby's dress. “Shhh, shh, shhh, it's okay. I'm here.” After a little bit of coaxing she calmed down and sniffed up her tears.

 

“Thanks Rooby...oh dear, your lovely skirt is all wet,” she still looked sad.

 

“Don't worry about it. Now you go back to your show, you hear?” Ruby smiled.

 

“Okay then, I'll see you later Marsellean! I'll see you later, Rooby!” she scampered off.

 

The breeze came to a standstill and soon they were both sharing the intimacy of an awkward silence. Finally, Marcie spoke up. “You would've made a pretty cool mom, Ruby.”

 

Redness spread across Ruby's cheeks, and all the moroseness in the world couldn't hide her blushing. “I'm sure I am. Somewhere on Tumblr or DeviantArt I'm sure there's a version of me that's got a few little ones running around...probably with Skull Boy or Iris.”

 

They could both hear someone else walking up from behind them now. It was Leggy Lamb, the new starlet. It was easy to see why /co/ was fascinated with her, her curves were in all the right places, and a certain oblivious coquettish atmosphere surrounded her like a thick fog.

 

“Am...am I in the right place?” asked Leggy in a timid tone. She sounded like she did something wrong. “M-my thread got deleted again, and I just got left here. I-I don't know where to go...” she started to tear up.

 

Ruby rolled her eyes and sighed. This was definitely /co/'s favorite flavor of woman. “Mods'll do that to ya.” She motioned for Leggy to come over.

 

Leggy sat on her knees and spread her feet out behind her. She seemed afraid. “Do I...do I go down there?”

 

Marceline put her hand on Leggy's shoulder reassuringly. “Only if you want to.” A certain attitude hit Leggy just then. Something between a dark realization and a bright shimmer of inspiration. A brief moment of growing up.

 

“Does it hurt?” she looked worried and peeked over the edge.

 

Ruby dangled her legs over the edge. “Not really, no. It's like...going to sleep while you're awake.”

 

“Wh-what happens to me after I go down there?”

 

Ruby and Marcie looked each other in the eyes. Marcie spoke up, “To be honest, we don't really know.”

 

After fishing around in her bra, Ruby found her cigarettes again and offered them to Leggy who turned them down. She put them back in and said “One day you're all the rage and you're in the spotlight, and you're doing all sorts of crazy things. It's like...it's like a whirlwind of fun and excitement and romance, and it's like nothing you've ever experienced before and you never think that it'll end...but it does. And then you're here...looking overboard.” Ruby smiled and put her hand on Leggy's other shoulder. “I've been over the edge more times than I can count. And as soon as they start talking about us again, we're right back here like we never left.” She removed her hand and rested it on her knee.

 

“But...there's nothing for me here, I don't even,” Leggy sobbed a little, “I don't even know anything about myself! Who am I? How old am I? Who are my parents? What am I doing?! I don't belong...here!” She motioned around her. “There was a dog and a wolf and...and then there was nothing...and now...THIS! And it doesn't make any sense...but...but looking down there...” she looked over the edge again, “...that place makes sense. It's simple...and...and I think it's where I came from...”

 

Marcie spoke up sternly, “You are not, that. Leggy, are you listening?” Leggy looked up at her. “You are Leggy Lamb, and this is reality. There are bigger more real places than this, but for you, this is what you call home. And as for all that other stuff...” her voice softened, “you're going to figure all that out, okay? It's all going to come to you eventually. Just have a little faith.” Leggy looked out over the edge. Marcie continued. “Listen, there's nothing stopping you from going over Page 10. Everybody does it, I've done it. And that's a decision you have to make for yourself. But this place...it isn't so bad. Yeah, it's weird and gross and a little stupid, but it's better than not being anywhere at all.”

 

The breeze picked up again, but this time it was warm. Another thread teetered near the brink. All three stared out into the horizon.

 

“I-if it's okay with you, I th-think I'd like to stay with you here...if only for a little while...” said Leggy smiling.

 

The white blank space that was Page 10 shone brightly as the three looked hopefully out into the radiant nothingness.