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Post by Blaperile on May 31, 2020 12:47:24 GMT
Alright, the brand-new bonus story "The Influencers" is here! That definitely sounds like it could be about Earth C folk. Maybe those people from Harry's school who took the picture of Vrissy, Tavros and Vriska with Gamzee's corpse? Let's find out. Page 1:Ahahaha, oh man, it's that scene with Harry, when he was just about to see the picture of what happened in his school. Looks like we're indeed going to get to know some of the other people who attend this school!  I really love all these sweet designs. They all look so unique! Page 2:Ooooh, so these three really ARE those people who were the first ones to see our heroes in the hallway! We hadn't seen them in detail yet before, so I didn't realize they'd actually be these people. Silas, Avril, and Imode. Red, green and blue, hehehe. Ha, looks like the principal knows exactly which people saw what happened. I like how the principal is drawn in a Guardian mode. Page 3:Hehe, he really is surprisingly calm despite the situation that just took place. Page 4:Ahahaha, well that solves THAT plot hole on why Gamzee's corpse was in the closet despite the fact that they dropped him earlier in the hallway. I wonder whose idea it was to go back and retrieve Gamzee's body. Vriska's or Tavros's? Oooh, so Imode isn't just a random person from Harry's school, she's actually a good friend of his and knows who Vrissy is! Page 5:Ahahaha, PESTERGRAM. So they've got their own version of Instagram, hahaha. I love how it even has the MSPA symbol on it. And well, now we know how late it was! 12:31, so somewhere around lunch break. 2,413,612 likes, I see what they did there.  Ahahaha, and of course Crocker Corp disliked it. It's interesting how there are MUCH more dislikes than likes on this picture. Pfff, I love how these people are talking as if they're actually talking on social media to each other. That's amazing. Page 6:Oh man, I'm too old for this shit. I needed to reread some of those sentences a couple of times to understand this youngster talk, ahahaha. xD Aaaaaand of course this becomes meta as well, addressing that they're speaking these emojis out loud. Tsss, yeah, Silas does look she comes from a wealthy family, and probably attended galas that Jane and Tavros attended as well. I can definitely see that happening, families trying to use those events to get connections with Jane. There's quite a few connections apparently between these people and our main heroes, hehe. Page 7:Oooh, I hadn't realized yet that Avril was a boy. It's interesting, because like plainWonder is saying, we aren't used to long-haired boys in Homestuck. Diversity for the win! Page 8:Oh wow, so it isn't the principal but a computers teacher! Huh, I wonder what he's doing here? Is he going to warn them about the principal, in case the principal will insist they spin the story to negatively affect the rebellion? Or will it be the other way around, that this teacher will try to make them target the rebellion while the principal would rather have them speak the truth? Eeesh, let's ignore all those Crocker Corp helicopters in the sky. Page 9:THIS GUY. OH MY GOD. I love this teacher. Oh man, this really could have some serious effects, dpending on what these three will do. The question is, when Karkat saw those social media messages about the public opinion turning against Jane, was that just in response to the original picture, or have these people already spoken out by then? They could truly become important influencers in the public conversation here. I love the references to the fact that is taking place in just a side story. Page 10:Yeah, this definitely can't be an easy choice for teenagers like them. This is a lot to ask of them. I wonder what's going to happen now... are all three of them going to make the same decision here, or will one of them decide to do something different? Page 11:OH SHIT, THAT'S THE END. You know, it's really too bad that the bonus updates only come once per month. We've got a lot of ongoing side-stories right now, and I'd love to see how they continue. But unfortunately, it can take a long time to see some of those through to the end. Anyway, this was another really cool sidestory and definitely setting up for some possible influence (hehe) on the main plot. It's interesting how this is the first sidestory taking place on Candy, while all other ones were Meat-focused! Good to see that they really can take place in both timelines. |
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Post by plainWonder on May 31, 2020 23:28:12 GMT
So, time for a new HS^2 chapter! First time for Blaperile and I to read it when it's just new and fresh!  Seems like odds are good we're switching back to the Meat path for a bit, as the previous scene invites for a timeskip to happen, or at least, the characters mulling events from the previous day over a bit. --- Yup! Terezi's perspective. "1 WOND3R WH4T TH3Y T4ST3 L1K3" - I think it's more likely "they" are Dirk and Rose's experiments than some random fruit Terezi found on Deltritus. --- Page 263
Ah, so it's night on Deltritus too. Terezi's eyes appear to be just opening. I think she might become active after sunset, she never changed her biurnal schedule like Karkat.
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Page 264
Slooowly awakening. The sky is getting a bit brighter.
Wait a minute. This shouldn't even really be from Terezi's POV. Her smellovision was always so blurry.
This seems like it is SEEN, not TASTED.
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Page 265
Okaaaaay. What, is Terezi's nose getting that used to Deltritus she's starting to get a clear picture of her surroundings?
Maybe she only now realizes the leaves are blue. Hence the chapter title.
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Page 266
Wuuuut. She's shielding her eyes from the sun??? (Guess those sunglasses are really just for show.)
But it was Game Over Terezi that had her eyesight healed by Aranea. Not this version of Terezi.
Unless it's a force of habit.
She seems to be remorseful about what she did with Rose the previous day.
"TEREZI: TH4T W4S PR3TTY FUCK1NG STUP1D"
In a meta sense, Terezi just bashed on the events in the Candy path. Which involved Vriska. Nice.
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Page 267
Ah, she was just castigating herself for falling asleep on Deltritus.
Without a native fauna, dangers aren't that numerous, I'd think.
Unless there are a lot of venus flytrap abominations.
--- Page 268 Wow. So the plants move. They're just not sentient. In fact, they might have been more suited to be morphed into the local Sburb playing civilization! It's the wind that moves them. Welp. Reminds me of the Breeze on LOWAS blowing through the pipes. And thus of John. Guess Terezi will draw the parallel too before long. She seems to be arguing with someone. But we don't see a chat client indication. So is she imagining arguing with John? ... Does Terezi have a Brain Ghost John?!? And I think this scene should be paired with the Jurassic Park music. ---
Page 269
... Yeah, these must be rejects from Rose and Dirk's experiments.
Crazy bunny-spider-grub-bot mixes.
Another thing that reminds me of John.
So that's what Terezi was referring to.
Wow, the planet's surface is constantly shifting?
With what we've already seen of Deltritus, it's like it could have been a Land in a Sburb session in its own right.
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Page 270
Eeeeew.
Bifurcated Duttle-Fiduspawn-Scalemate abomination.
But the mushrooms seem out of place, they're like the ones on LOWAS!
I don't think Dirk and Rose are bothering creating new 'shrooms.
Terezi rocks the long hair. Should've known, after meeting Latula.
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Page 271
Unicorn-goat-insect. Ugh.
Nice hay field, though.
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Page 272
Scalemate-Crocodile-Salamander...-Turtle-...Pig? Hippo?
Never thought Terezi would end up Darwining a new planet.
--- Page 273 Worm-dragon-Manchap. ... It's a Manchapticore, dear god. All the creatures, luckily, seem rather docile. Maybe it's because none of them are that intelligent. ---
Page 274
Iguana-squid-crab... Something. Can't place what the face reminds me of.
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Page 275
Well that's Goatdad's spiritual successor if I ever saw one.
Horsaroni-grub-dragon.
It starts following Terezi, moving like a giant centipede? Dear god, how did they even ectobio-alchemized this in the cave?
Pfff, Rose had given Terezi her grimoire to read.
Actually, it's true, Rose was always interested in cryptozoology, it was just hidden too well under the macabre!
So she sprains her ankle. Seems like classic damsel in distress bullshit. As if Terezi needs a white knight riding in.
Dirk seems to be meddling again.
---
Page 276
Wow.
So Rose took command of the exile terminal, and was able to give commands to the beast. Well then!!
It was nice to see the subject of patrontrolls discussed again, in-story.
Blaperile points out that Rose must have been referring to the time AR was giving Dave's commands, and Terezi was witness to him shaking off the influence of his exile.
The beast's one of Rose's creations, and Dirk is actually surprised Rose has given in to the contest with such glee.
He put her on this path, but he didn't foresee how far she'd go.
He knows himself perhaps, as an ascended self, but once again it's shown that his narrative powers aren't all-powerful or inherent, or Rose would have exhibited behaviour according to his expectations all the way through.
... Now I'm wondering if Dirk requires Terezi as a moirail.
It's definitely a step up in required effort from handling Vriska, with his powers.
But what did Rose mean when she said she thought they were being guided BEFORE they entered the game?
That can only refer to the narration.
Since the exiles only started talking to them after they entered! |
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Post by Blaperile on May 31, 2020 23:37:05 GMT
CHAPTER 10. 1 WOND3R WH4T TH3Y T4ST3 L1K3 Back to the Meat timeline we go! Was to be expected, seeing as we spent A LOT of time in the Candy timeline with the past few chapters. Terezi wonders what they taste like, while I wonder what "they" is in this context. xD The new creatures Rose and Dirk are creating? I wonder how far they've progressed with that by now... Page 263:Woah, that's trippy. Is that Terezi's smell-o-vision of what the planet looks like? I didn't expect we'd still be having the black background. Does that mean this chapter, or at least this part of the chapter, will be taking place at night as well? Page 264:...For a second I thought that was the exact same panel as the last one until abundantChewtoys pointed out it was a bit brighter, haha. But... the images are so sharp. It can't be Terezi's eyesight is somehow coming back... right? Or is it Rose or Dirk instead? Page 265:Even brighter still! And confirmation that we're indeed dealing with Terezi... huh. What's going on? Page 266:Terezi's... holding her hand in front of her eyes?  There's absolutely no need for that, unless she's got her eyesight back.... So what is going on here??? Can... can she see again? How is that even possible? The other Terezi's eyes were healed by Aranea, but Terezi has got no such healing method at her disposal... right? Unless those healing powers were not specific for a Sylph of Light, but rather for Heroes of Light in general? Again, if that's true, why would Terezi do that though. Her other self regretted it, and she'd remember it. Maybe I'm just entirely overthinking this though and that's not at all what's going on here. And what exactly was "pretty fucking stupid"? Her thing with Rose? Page 267:Ah, alright, she's talking about the fact that she fell asleep somewhere in the middle of fucking nowhere on the planet. You'd THINK it wouldn't be an issue considering the lack of life on this planet, right? Assuming they were right about that, at least. Page 268:Oh man! That's an interesting fact. For a second when she was describing them, I thought it meant these trees were actually alive, haha. It's funny, because I can even kind of see "legs" and "arms" in them. But no, it's just the wind going through them that makes them move. Oh man, it's gonna make her think of John, won't it? And is Terezi really just talking to herself? It kind of seems like she's talking to another person. Is Dirk subconsciously talking/narrating to her? ... Holy shit, I like abundantChewtoys's theory that Terezi might have a Brain Ghost John now. How amazing would that be??? Page 269:Oh jegus GOD. Those seem like creations by Rose or Dirk. Those heads... that seems to be based on Liv Tyler, the bunny. D: With grub bodies and spider-like eyes, holy shit. Aha, here's where the "I wonder what they taste like" comes from, hahaha. ...Wouldn't that be sort of cannabalistic though, seeing as they're partly grub? xD Page 270:OH HELL NO THE FUCKING DUTTLE. That was the EXACT thing I'd been thinking of when Dirk and Rose started this experiment that should not ever be brought to life, and yet here we are. D: Like abundantChewtoys suggested, it seems to be mixed with a Scalemate and Fiduspawn, eeeeeeeesh I'm also getting vague Gengar (the Pokémon) vibes. 0_0 Heh, those mushrooms remind me of those on LOWAS. Page 271:Oh jegus. Some sort of unicorn, with insect-like legs, and frog or goat eyes? They've truly created some monstrosities here. Page 272:Is that... the unholy baby of a Scalemate and a Salamander? 0_0 Page 273:This is getting more and more preposterous every page, and harder to distinguish actually. At first I thought of a worm, dragon and some puppet of Dirk's, but no it's probably the fucking Manthro Chaps. Holy shit. Page 274:Some kind of octopus with a crab mixed in... and also Manthro Chap again? Page 275:Oh jeez, that looks like fucking Horsaroni mixed with a couple of other creatures. Ha, I love how Terezi's apparently read the Grimoire. How's she going to get out of her mess? Is she going to do it herself? Or is this going to be a reprise of when Jake was chased by Goatdad and Brobot came to cut its head off, except now with Dirk cutting of this monster's head to save Terezi? Page 276:Oy, what a cliffhanger to end this update on, with Terezi trapped in the mud. Eh, let's assume it won't be too difficult for Rose to get her out then? At first I thought with how tired Terezi was getting that it was an effect of either the mud or the creature. Also, I totally hadn't realized yet how everyone's now basically 13 sweeps old, after having started out as 13 years old. That's pretty funny. And well, that (sort of) confirms that Terezi's roughly the age of the rest of them, so we have an idea how much time she spent in the Furthest Ring. Eeeesh, that's pretty rough. I'm surprised Rose actually found the command terminal, I thought that was going to remain a secret between Dirk and Terezi. I'm not sure exactly which commands Rose means from Terezi's tenure as Dave's patron troll? The only somewhat related things I can think of are AR's exile commands for him while Terezi was talking to him, or Sollux trying to give him a name while Terezi was standing next to him? Did she mean that stuff? Anyway, I love how they're discussing the concept of patron trolls here. I'm pretty surprised that Terezi still remembers so well how Sollux, Tavros and Equius did in their efforts to troll the Kids, haha. The "debatably benevolent force" Rose is talking about, I assume she means the narrative? Pff, Dirk's "administrative privileges" to Terezi's palmhusk are probably just his narrative powers forcing him a way in there or something. So these creatures were all Rose's doing. I'm impressed, I was convinced the horse-like creatures would have been Dirk's doing, haha. It's remarkable how much Dirk avoids answering Terezi's questions. He's probably not really lying, but avoiding saying certain things. Kind of like Doc Scratch... |
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Post by Gab on Jun 1, 2020 21:23:15 GMT
Gosh, welcome back you guys, missed yall.
A little bit out of it at the moment, I might edit this post later and join in on the liveblogging. For now, I just wanted to note that the content warnings have been removed from all chapters, it seems. Not sure the reason. I don't remember what the FAQ looked like but I notice a general warning of the kind of content the story can contain, that it's for mature audiences, and that sensitive types should discuss the story with someone they trust before reading and such. Maybe that's just how they're handling it now?
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phantos
Moppet of Destiny
『HARD TIMES』
Posts: 115
Pronouns: they/them/theirs
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Post by phantos on Jun 25, 2020 1:01:45 GMT
The hiatus is at least another month longer. Andrew is no longer a director. Kate is no longer a director. homestuck2.com/credits |
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Post by Gab on Jun 25, 2020 14:45:29 GMT
Interesting. I don't know if it's changed, but they along with some others are listed as "Directors Emeritus." A little research shows this indeed essentially means retired, more or less. Interesting. In at least Andrew's case I could imagine he feels like Homestuck^2 is up and running and in good hands with the Aysha and the team. So he can leave it to them while he moves on to something else.
To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if some of them left in some part because of an endless stream of hate directed at them. Twitter is a mean place, and Homestuck fandom isn't what it used to be. That shit is sincerely mentally debilitating. So I get it. Nothing but best wishes for them.
The hiatus is understandable, given... -gestures at the whole year.- And I mean, that's basically a beloved Homestuck tradition at this point. I'm not worried about it at all. I've been pretty busy with other things anyway. I'll be happy to return when it's good and ready.
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Post by Gab on Aug 7, 2020 2:33:29 GMT
CHAPTER 11. History's Most Notorious HatersAfter a brief hiatus, we're back! Probably not gonna be updating my statistics right away. I'll try to get around to it soonish. Thoughts on the chapter: Interesting to get a look at this perspective. The thing that's sticking with me most is Calliope's behavior here. I'm not against it, maybe because I'm aggressively turned off by the "THEY'RE OOC!!!!" crowd. I'm curious to see where this goes. If there is something interesting to explore in her character through this, then I'm looking forward to it. And I think there easily could be!
I kind of have my eye on her anyway, for a whole host of reasons. Maybe not least because I want to see if her... meal comes back up, so to speak.
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Post by Blaperile on Aug 10, 2020 17:05:05 GMT
Hurray, finally an update again! "CHAPTER 11. History's Most Notorious Haters" ...That kind of sounds like something Dirk would say. Except the previous chapter has only just focused on Terezi, Dirk and Rose so... probably not? Let's find out. Page 277:...UMMM. That kind of looks like it could be a scribble mode drawing by... Caliborn?? What the shit? It doesn't look like any of the ships of Dirk nor Meat Dave and his friends. Page 278:HOPY SHIT IT'S DAVEBOT AND ARADIA! Oh man, I thought we'd actually see them arriving somewhere, but no. Looks like they might have arrived on Meat Earth, taken a rocket there, and started chasing Dirk as well? Woah, that's a pretty cool design for him though. I love the cape. Holy shit I'm getting so much Jade vibes here. Both with the "time and shades come on" reference and her adorable fruits being used here as practice targets for Dave (welp!) abundantChewtoys got a good point that it's probably Alt Calliope who's narrating this bit. Actually, when I think about it, Dave and Aradia aren't being referred to by name but by their title, which is exactly what Calliope likes to do. Looks like they're on a 3-year trip as well, just like the two other ships. Heh, now Aradia gets to experience as well what that's like. And all 3 ships have someone controlling the narrative. Dirk, Alt Calliope and... err, Alt Calliope? It's kind of weird how she's presumably on all 3 ships, within a Jade . xD Well, okay, I guess that on the other ship Jade just kicked out Calliope out of her body, so presumably she won't be controlling the narrative over there anymore? It's interesting how the Calliope on that ship and this one control the narrative in a different way though, conform how they were at the end of the Meat and Candy Epilogues. One in her own quirk and text colour, the other in a spearkless type of manner. Page 279:Oh my fucking god, Aradia's spent way too much time around Davebot. The way she's interacting and humoring him, it's kind of like how I'd expect Rose to behave around him, hahahaha. I love all those references to how Aradia used to be a frog. And welp, I was so caught up in Dave's radical rap that I completely missed when he was suddenly referring to leaving Jade behind. Welp.  And yeah, reference to how Aradia left Sollux behind! Oh god I see a "months in the past" coming up. Does that mean we're going back to the moment they left Candy Earth behind? Did Aradia talk to Sollux before ditching him? I'd love to see Sollux again. I doubt Dave talked to Jade before leaving though. It's interesting how it's "months in the past" and not "years in the past" though. And abundantChewtoys has a good point that the parentheses pretty much confirm we're now going back to Candy Earth! Page 280:SOLLUUUUUUUUUUUUUX! Oh man, look at his sad face... Yeah, this is probably the moment when Aradia, Calliope and Davebot just went through the vortex? ....Pfff, yeah, abundantChewtoys is right. He's still blind. What's he gonna do now? Has he learned to smell his way around a bit from Terezi, like he said all those years ago he wanted to learn from her? Or is he going to be picked up by someone here? Karkat and Meenah? Page 281:Yup, there Aradia went... The brownish colors seem to suggest it's the infamous bell tower? OH GOD AN [S] PAGE The question is... is this going to be another small one like the one with Jade's God Tier clock, or is it going to be (a bit) bigger? And gaze... at WHAT exactly? HE'S BLIND REMEMBER? xD But seriously, at what? The vortex closing? At the battlefield of humans fighting Trolls? Very curious here... Page 282:Pfffff, yeah, it was the first option. The vortex closing up. xD I love how at first the soudn was so serious, and then there was an incredibly silly POP, hahahahaha. Page 283:PFFFFFFFFF, MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY, SOLLUX. MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY. Poor, poor Sollux. Page 284:Oh jesus fucking christ, Jade's dead body floating in the background there while covered in Lord English's blood. That's just so creepy. At least Calliope dressed up in Meat Jade in finer clothes. xD Oh god Dave's totally trolling Calliope and I love every second of it. It's interesting how all 3 people here are talking in a variation of red. And alright, seems like they really have only been on this journey for a couple of months, and still got a couple of years ahead of them. Welp! Page 285:OH JEEZ. The ship's spinning out of control. Just what sort of insane shenanigans have taken place over there? And the better question is, has Calliope really taken on some new clothes now? Page 286:Hahaha, okay, it was just a silly drawing and not actually the ship spinning out of control. Oh man, Calliope looks surprisingly NORMAL here. And uh... ARADIA! 0_0 It's like a mixture of her own God Tier Outfit and Calliope's. Now she truly looks like a handmaid to her, woah. What is that about Aradia having spent so much time in doomed timelines? When did that even happen? HOW did that even happen? 0_0 Oh boy, and Calliope's even acting kind of silly! It's interesting how on the other ship, she referred to the occupants as her "friends" and Jade complained that they weren't Calliope's friends but her own. But here, she actually seems to be building somewhat of a friendship with Dave and Aradia, as herself! Page 287:Aradia is so, so proud. Page 288:Oh Dave. Hopefully you're regretting now that you left your dear wife behind, hahaha. Also, I forgot to mention this earlier, but what with how the palms of his hands are somewhat darker than the rest of his body or fingers, it reminds me of Dirk's fingerless gloves. Page 289:N'aww, it's actually kind of cute to see Calliope's finally having a bit of fun.  Pfff, that "best narrator" mug though. Page 290:OH SHIT What's happening to Calliope? Is this simultaneously with when Meat Jade kicked her out of her body? What kind of effect is it going to have on her though? Is she actually going to lose control of this Jade as well (for a while), or just going to have a bit of a headache? |
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Post by plainWonder on Aug 10, 2020 17:12:05 GMT
Reaction to Chapter 11 under the cut! "History's Most Notorious Haters"? Sounds like something Dirk, Vriska or Meenah'd say. So, last we "saw" Dirk, Terezi had had a fateful encounter with Rose's spawn. ... Ah yes, Dirk was intending to start fresh re: seeding the planet. And actually go about it more seriously. Wonder how that'd turn out. --- > 2877 Uhhhhhh... That actually looks like it could be Caliborn's handiwork, only it's drawn neater than he would. That command though. What? "Knight: Keep it real". What knight? Not Dave right? So: Davebot? ... Did Alt Callie, Jade and Davebot board a selfdrawn rocket? If so, Alt Calliope kind of sucks at drawing, which is hilarious. --- > 2878 Oooooh, yes! So the wormhole that Calliope opened must've opened above Earth C, from which they boarded a vessel, the third that's under way to Deltritus, pfffff. Oh, and I f*cked up, I mentioned Jade where I should've written Aradia. Alt Callie is in Jade's body, after all. I'm looking forward to seeing how Ultimate Dave behaves. Aradia might be the best person to guess whether his soul is influenced by inhabiting a bot. Pfff, target practice with Jade's dumb fruits. ... OH HELL YES THESE TWO TOGETHER. Didn't think that would match so greatly! (I also wonder how much of their banter is flirting, after three years cooped up together.) So, Aradia implies she's reached ascension as well, over the years somewhere. Well then. Guess that must be part of the reason she was okay with just chilling on Candy Earth for all time. Girl's seen it all by now. And Dave has taken to his robot body like a fish takes to oxygenated water, I see. He's having a field day (year(s)) with it. Alt Calliope is definitely behind the narration here, speakerless as though it may seem. And wow. So... Where Dirk has gotten a vast understanding of his own self, Dirk and Aradia mostly just experience every passing moment in every timeline at the same time. Hah, so Calliope was actually in two places in spacetime of Universe C at the same time, circumstantially. Where Lord English was always "already here", Calliope is always "already there". But now that Jade escaped her influence, will she become more active on this ship? And will we not see the others for a while, until Calliope revisits their narrative? --- > 2879 Wow, alive Aradia is such a joker. Sad that John never got to see this side of her, he only encountered the creepy. And wow yeah, Dave went off on a tangent there, I didn't even notice. Both of them actually left their loved ones behind on Earth C. Dave's loved ones must even think he's dead, unless he went back to Jade? Guess we might see something in the coming flashback! I mean sure, it seems like it's going to be just about Aradia saying goodbye to Sollux, but hey! Dave's an Ultimate Knight of Time, he could have found the time to say goodbye. Blaperile's got a good point, the "months in the past" seems to imply this takes place not after three years but sometime during their trip to Deltritus. The () do show it's a flashback to Earth C, at least. --- > 2880 Oh, Sollux actually watched them leave? Boy, he was "in one of his moods", but seeing her actually leave on him must've stung a LOT. What... What has he done since then, though? Did he find his way to Karkat... Wait, how would he? He's still blind! ... So he did not actually watched them leave. Still, he looks like he knew what was up. --- > 2881 Wow, they left in broad daylight! I wouldn't have guessed! ... D'aaaaaah, page! I wonder how small the animation's gonna be.
And if it'll focus on just Sollux? I mean, ... He wouldn't really HAVE much to gaze WITH, right? Because he's still blind.
So... Just a black page? Or actually showing more of Earth C, from this fateful day?
Maybe how John finished his day after hearing about Dave?
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> 2882
... PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFf
So dramatic, I have to admit.
Well, I guess Sollux HEARD them leave. *pops raspberry*
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> 2883
Welp, poor Sollux. Didn't think this through.
Stairs, his eternal enemy.
Guess he might still be stumbling through the ectobiology meteor at the end of the day in Earth C's timeline.
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> 2884
Oh wow. Hah, so Dave might actually be lugging around some unresolved feelings from what he did just after ascending.
Which goes to further prove, Ultimate Selves still have baggage. They're not tricksters.
Meanwhile Aradia seems to know where she and Sollux stood perfectly.
Also, Dave is needling Alt Calliope. Just cause they're aligned on taking on Dirk doesn't mean he's okay with how Calliope took over one of Jade's alt bodies.
It would even seem that Calliope is needled in SUCH a way that she's trying to move the trip along.
Even though she MUST narrate everything objectively and not leave anything relevant out.
Which means Dave can keep needling her. This is too good!
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> 2885
Uuuuuhhhmmmm... I think that's symbolical.
Unless Calliope was so petty as to launch them into a weeks-long head-over-heels spin.
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> 2886
Wow. So they DID get Calliope to switch clothes. Hey, maybe that's why Jade on the other timeline was in another outfit too.
Pfff, Calliope tried to sugarcoat the timeskip, but she ruined it by trying to continue the previous conversation, which Dave immediately picked up on.
And! Calliope is actually engaging with Dave and Aradia! That's remarkable!
It seems her fascination with the Time aspect overrules her desire to remain an observer first! And, well, on the other ship her attempts at bonding (over juice and such) didn't really float.
That "BEST KARKAT" mug though.
So, uh, Aradia is now free game to use in your fan adventures, it would seem. She just up 'n left for a couple hundred years.
Doesn't even matter when, she can probably timetravel back into the other timelines by now, now that's she an Ultimate Self.
Dave's AC thrown into the sun, tssk, tssk.
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> 2887
Aradia picking up Calliope's mannerisms! Alpha Calliope's mannerisms, hilariously.
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> 2888
Yes Dave, now there's two of them.
You are surrounded by eternal children.
(I started to wonder from Dave's comment on 2886 - did he in fact still age before becoming his Ultime Self, how ever slightly?)
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> 2889
... Oh, it's a BEST NARRATOR mug.
Dave's getting two-timed (*cough*) here, now he knows what Jade felt like with the Karkat's.
---
> 2890
This must be when Jade took back control of her body!
That must've been a mental whiplash to Calliope. Though she did do a good job dividing her attention over those two "narrative frames".
To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if some of them left in some part because of an endless stream of hate directed at them. Twitter is a mean place, and Homestuck fandom isn't what it used to be. That shit is sincerely mentally debilitating. So I get it. Nothing but best wishes for them. Pfff, come to think of it, if this were true, the new Chapter title could be taken like a hidden sting at the hatedom. The hiatus is understandable, given... -gestures at the whole year.- And I mean, that's basically a beloved Homestuck tradition at this point. I'm not worried about it at all. I've been pretty busy with other things anyway. I'll be happy to return when it's good and ready. That was a very good way to look at it, in fact. 2020 + Homestuck's propensity for hiatuses = relax. |
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Post by Gab on Aug 11, 2020 19:03:51 GMT
You two raise some interesting points. Calliope is kind of acting differently between the two ships, and the role she fills in each of them is different, which could be part of that. As Blap and Jade point out, she is very much the outsider, inhabiting the body of their missing friend on board the ship with Roxy. Her role as stated in the epilogues was mainly as a pilot light to point them in the right direction. It looks like along the way she took fuller control, but still feels restrained.
On the other hand, on the other ship (which looks strangely hand drawn, which is why I'm tentatively calling it a Hypothetical ship; possibly something the Muse created herself for them to use?) she expresses herself more fully, in fact more fully than we've ever seen her behave. Maybe because until now we've always seen her on a mission, steeped in purpose, or utterly alone. On the other ship she is the outsider, but on this one with Aradia, her shipmates are there for her, not for Jade. They are the closest this version of Calliope has had to having friends. Maybe that's why she's begun to alter her personality a bit, even learn to enjoy herself, like the living Calliope could. (Speaking of, if I recall she ought to be on the other ship somewhere, if she followed Roxy)
I thought the end of the chapter was her reacting to giving up control on the other body. But now I'm second guessing. When she did that, it was pretty anticlimactic actually, Jade simply regaining consciousness and the Muse sitting alone in her empty space. It didn't seem very dramatic, so for it to cause some sort of sharp pain on her other, "main" body. Which makes me think it might be either something the Prince is pulling or, as I'm not-so-quietly hoping, something to do with her adjusting to the power she absorbed from eating Lord English. I suspect we won't find out about it for some time, but it IS Chapter 11, so if they decide to do a second part like they did with Chapter 8, this would be the time to do something with that, number wise.
I didn't pick up on the implication that Aradia underwent her Ultimate Self metamorphosis like the others, but I could see it and it would make sense. |
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Post by Blaperile on Aug 20, 2020 5:58:02 GMT
Maybe that's why she's begun to alter her personality a bit, even learn to enjoy herself, like the living Calliope could. (Speaking of, if I recall she ought to be on the other ship somewhere, if she followed Roxy) Yeah, Calliope should be on the other ship, but apparently she never leaves her cabin: I assume she didn't leave her cabin because of how uncomfortable she felt around her other self, as shown both in the Meat and Candy Epilogues when she fled away when she realized she was with her other self. Hopefully, now that Jade has taken back control, Calliope will feel comfortable enough to leave her cabin. I thought the end of the chapter was her reacting to giving up control on the other body. But now I'm second guessing. When she did that, it was pretty anticlimactic actually, Jade simply regaining consciousness and the Muse sitting alone in her empty space. It didn't seem very dramatic, so for it to cause some sort of sharp pain on her other, "main" body. Which makes me think it might be either something the Prince is pulling or, as I'm not-so-quietly hoping, something to do with her adjusting to the power she absorbed from eating Lord English. I suspect we won't find out about it for some time, but it IS Chapter 11, so if they decide to do a second part like they did with Chapter 8, this would be the time to do something with that, number wise. Huh, yeah, that's also an interesting theory. I think at least it was clearly meant to make us THINK it happened because of how Meat Jade took back control over the other body, but it might as well just be "circumstantially simultaneous" and actually have a different cause. I didn't pick up on the implication that Aradia underwent her Ultimate Self metamorphosis like the others, but I could see it and it would make sense. For me it was this dialog that seemed to imply somewhat that she'd become a combination of all her different selves: But on second thought, I'm starting to doubt she's really become her Ultimate Self. I mean, if we're supposed to believe what we've been told, "ordinary" God Tier bodies can't handle that sort of metamorphosis, only advanced bodies like sprites squared and robots can. So why would Aradia be capable of handling it? And later on, when they ask her how old she is and she mentions spending a lot of time in doomed realities, I'd kinda expect her to bring it up if she literally IS her doomed selves as well because that would also significantly add to her lifespan. But to be honest, if she HASN'T become her Ultimate Self, I'm not entirely sure what Aradia meant with "we are both living countless lifetimes at once". Unless she's metaphorically speaking about her Ultimate Self and the hypothetical infinite amount of doomed timelines "she" is experiencing right now even though this particular Aradia doesn't realize it? |
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Post by Gab on Aug 20, 2020 16:14:03 GMT
But on second thought, I'm starting to doubt she's really become her Ultimate Self. I mean, if we're supposed to believe what we've been told, "ordinary" God Tier bodies can't handle that sort of metamorphosis, only advanced bodies like sprites squared and robots can. So why would Aradia be capable of handling it? And later on, when they ask her how old she is and she mentions spending a lot of time in doomed realities, I'd kinda expect her to bring it up if she literally IS her doomed selves as well because that would also significantly add to her lifespan. But to be honest, if she HASN'T become her Ultimate Self, I'm not entirely sure what Aradia meant with "we are both living countless lifetimes at once". Unless she's metaphorically speaking about her Ultimate Self and the hypothetical infinite amount of doomed timelines "she" is experiencing right now even though this particular Aradia doesn't realize it? Actually, I think that line clinches it, I must have forgotten or kind of overlooked it. And there is at least one other case where a "regular" God Tier body is able to handle the ultimate self: Dirk. How every character so far has reached ultimate self awareness so far have each been a little bit different, so it's hard to pin down consistent rules, but the way I see it there are two explanations: 1) Certain personality types, such as extreme self absorption or detachment from a mortal sense of morality are conducive to being able to withstand the ultimate self in their own living bodies. - and/or - 2) The cases of suffering or death we saw (in Rose and Dave) were artificially imposed upon them from the circumstances of their awakening, and is not (so much) a natural part of the process. |
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Post by Blaperile on Aug 21, 2020 5:47:15 GMT
Actually, I think that line clinches it, I must have forgotten or kind of overlooked it. And there is at least one other case where a "regular" God Tier body is able to handle the ultimate self: Dirk. How every character so far has reached ultimate self awareness so far have each been a little bit different, so it's hard to pin down consistent rules, but the way I see it there are two explanations: 1) Certain personality types, such as extreme self absorption or detachment from a mortal sense of morality are conducive to being able to withstand the ultimate self in their own living bodies. - and/or - 2) The cases of suffering or death we saw (in Rose and Dave) were artificially imposed upon them from the circumstances of their awakening, and is not (so much) a natural part of the process. Oh god yeah, how could I forget to think about Dirk. xD Good point actually... both explanations sound pretty reasonable to me. Both Dirk and Aradia's aspects deal with multiple versions of themselves, so it makes sense that a Hero of Heart and Hero of Time would be the ones capable of going through this metamorphosis without needing a new artificial body (which raises questions about Dave, also a Hero of Time, requiring a robot body whereas Aradia didn't). And at the same time, if it's NOT actually required for other people to need a new artificial body, both Rose and Dave's new robot bodies were created by Dirk so he might as well have unnecessarily manipulated them into going into these new bodies. This would be an interesting topic to see brought up between Dave, Calliope and Aradia. And if they really don't actually require this robot body... I wonder if they're ever going back to their original body. Rose's body is still around somewhere on Deltritus so it might be technically feasible. Dave is a different matter seeing as he's in a different timeline than his original body, but I wouldn't really write it off either. Maybe they'll open a new portal to Candy again at some point, or technically Dave might even be able to reach it by timetravelling into the past to before the timelines split. Or heck, who even knows, maybe Dave took his body along with him before leaving. At least the state of the bodies shouldn't be an issue, seeing as God Tier bodies just lay dormant and don't decay, like Aradia described it. |
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Post by Gab on Aug 23, 2020 19:00:30 GMT
CHAPTER 12. Really Convoluted Metaphorical HorseshitReaction: Maybe in the future I'll do in-the-moment, by page reactions like Blap and PW do, that seems fun. I didn't this time though, so just the retrospective. First of all: D'aaaaaawwwwwwwww.  Secondly, this feels like some cruel foreshadowing. I didn't think it was going to take that long, but now it seems like they're really setting up to skip ahead decades and indeed watch Karkat alone age, maybe to death, which is unbelievably sadstuck. How long is this going to take? How much time has already passed?? Also, another mention of Callie, to remind people like me that she is indeed on the ship. This one was pretty short, so not too much to comment on. But I guess this confirms we're back to 2 updates a month, plus a bonus update for patrons.
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Post by plainWonder on Sept 1, 2020 16:55:33 GMT
Let's attempt the fairly common and quite tame x2 Reaction Combo. Re: Chapter 12: "Really Convoluted Metaphorical Horseshit" Probably gonna have no relation to Arquiusprite, this horseshit. But yeah, is it continue focus on Davebot? Seems like a Striderism, this title. But staying with the same crew hasn't really been what happened until now. So... Back to the pursuing Earth C adults? > 291 Hah, yup! Nice, I like seeing the characters use mundane utilities. Ooooh, Dave's still mulling on the fairy tale Kanaya told him about? Shit, good thing Blaperile pointed that out because that memory's been buried. Hah, that's so Dave, using the arythmic pounding of a washing machine for a beat. Actually, I'm with Karkat on this one. Even when I can sort of zone out the sound these days, I'd rather go without it entirely if I can help it. > 292 Wow. Well, at least Dave got to the point in one page. So where Kanaya is seeing Rose in every little thing, Dave is seeing things to fear / back off from everywhere, I think? Maybe it's the absence of his friends that's driving him nuts, missing interacting with Rose, Jade and John. They've been a part of his life for so long, after all. Previously, on the three year trip he still had Rose and a bunch of dead Johns (and Jades??) to interact with. Now it's just him, his mom, Jade's possessed self, Karkat, Kanaya and Calliope. Even if he loves Karkat, friendship wise he's really must be feeling like he's in a rut. > 293 Shiiiiiiiit. This goes farther than I thought. So yeah, he's scared for his friends' ultimate fate. And conflicted on how to feel about Dirk, spending all this time on such good terms with him, Dave can't just shift back into feeling hatred towards him on par with Bro. I definitely understand that. He's just so close to Dave, in a lot of ways that matter to him. But it seems that beneath all that, Dave is afraid that this adventure, or perhaps just the trip to Deltritus, with how long it could take (since they might not know the distance or the top speed of the vessel), could mean Karkat won't even see the end of it. And yes, Karkat is a mutant, but we don't know how long he can live. There's no precedent. We know from the Candy timeline he can at least live until his forties. After that, it's uncharted territory. That's actually a very valid point for Dave to feel fear about. As an immortal, it must be hard to "live in the moment", if you know there's so much more time ahead without Karkat than with him. And especially if a large chunk of the time they had together was spent cooped up in such a small area. :/ > 294 Awww. ... Where can I find a washing machine that's done so fast? XD > 296 Please hold all philosophical discussion until after dispending of soggy clothes. > 299 Aww. (Can I just point out how much it looks like Dave is wearing a kilt, though? Plaid pajama pants for the win!) > 300 Karkat, laying down some cold hard faxx, here. I love that Karkat's been able to give his valid happiness a place next to the equal valid fear of what's to come. It's the most balanced we've ever known him to be! So in this way, Karkat has finally gotten his ultimate reward, after seven years of "will they won't they"! "KARKAT: I WAS FOLLOWING YOUR LITTLE TRAIL OF COOKIE CRUMB FEARS UNTIL IT LEAD TO THE BIG SNACK FINALE OF WORRY ABOUT MY FRAGILE MORTAL MEATSACK." While this and similar sentences are proof that even happy Karkat is still very much capable of shoving out the most incredible phrases. > 301 Wow. Karkat has reached a new peak of inspiration. "There is another feeling coursing through him too, though. It’s something he's felt before, though never quite so intensely. He looks up at Karkat and understands, viscerally, the simple power his words have. They pump through Dave’s own body, alive and warm and true." I think Karkat just manifested some of those Knight of Blood powers! In fact, Karkat being able to wield The Feels like a tool and help his friends out through feelings jams, is actually a very great interpretation of his Classpect. > 302 It's not an outdoor kiss under a streetlight, but they've made their own magic.  So yeah, I wonder if the pursuing crew are going to take as long as the other ship to reach Deltritus, given the discussion that went on in the pages here. Re: The Bonus update Ooooh! Diamonds, Dames and Dads Part 2, huh? So Dad was looking for a Dame, hammered Diamonds into partnering up with him, and they went to find PS. This is gonna be so great. I can't imagine what to imagine about PS living in Midnight City. --- Page 15 So broody. Such melancholy. Really, Diamonds Droog is really made for the private eye business it seems. All he needs is an office. ... Actually, heh, that means DD from the B2 session got one up on him. He took over Jack's position as arch bureaucratic, after all. Don't think I didn't spot DD smoking almost right underneath the "no smoking" sign. Pretty sure Dad's going to have some stern words to say about that just about now. --- Page 16 Hah! Things appearing out of nowhere is indeed so Problem Sleuth like. But in this case, we could blame Doc Scratch for all of it. He's just messing with DD here. The sass that comes out of Dad, my lord. It's no wonder John (and Jane to a lesser extent) turned out so sassy at times. All this 2nd-person talk while we're on Alternia reminds me of the Paradox Space story focusing on Crowbar. Wish we could've seen the ending to that. --- Page 17 He was really in a rut there, wasn't he? Though what would he have gone to PS' office for, in that hypothetical situation? In reality, he had someone to find. But why would he have flashed some cash for the PI otherwise? --- Page 18 Wow, fish eye lens perspective. This banter is so pedantic. Oooooh, so they went to this hotel for someone DD was looking for!! Can't think of anyone but CD or HB that it could be, though. And in exchange Diamonds would help find Jane. But why does it seem like Diamonds was reluctant about finding this place? And did Dad stop the elevator early to sneak up on the place via the staircase? --- Page 19 Oh, never mind. Shenanigans were involved. The two of them will probably get caught up in this ruckus. --- Page 21 Okay no. Noodle incident was noodly. --- Page 22 So they went to the roof? What for? Is the apartment they need right below here and they're gonna scale down onto the balcony? And yes, Dad focuses on the fakeyness of the landscape just like John would have in his place. Reminds me of John observing Homosuck, and the observations he made about Earth C's sky, in the epilogues. --- Page 23 Hah, DD acknowledges that his time on Alternia seems like it could've been an endless repetition of the same time shit. And yet it's a role he seems born for. Wut?? Spades Slick is there??? How?? I- ... Or is it a figment of Diamonds' imagination? Does maybe the shape of Dad's figure remind him of SS, and he's slipped into an imagination spot? Because Dad didn't look at Slick. And now he's gone silent. Maybe it's because DD didn't really look at Slick at all, but straight at Dad, who wasn't standing behind him but in front of him? --- Page 24 .... Wuuuuuut. Those pointy nails... Is it Lord English?? I. Did DD mistook Dad for Slick, and didn't notice LE was already up here with them? That white revolver could be Scratch'. Don't think it's Snowman. She's kind of technically already dead at this point. Unless there can be more than one of her, and it's this timeline's version of Snowman? --- Page 25 Woooooooooow!!! So... Hold on. So DD went looking for this timeline's version of SS, but it seems... It seems that maybe he hooked up with Snowman? Or maybe DD and Dad walked right into one of the no doubt many occassions SS and Snowman have faced off on a rooftop. And Snowman knocked Dad out. Yooooooooooo. ... Wait. If that's really Scratch' gun, it only has one bullet. They should make damn sure it doesn't end up in Snowman, since that'd end (this timeline's version of) the universe! |
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Post by Blaperile on Sept 1, 2020 17:00:02 GMT
"CHAPTER 12. Really Convoluted Metaphorical Horeshit" I don't know if it's because of the use of the word "horse", but for some reason this immediately makes me think of Arquiusprite. Probably not though? Let's see. Page 291:Ooooh, it's Meat Dave and Meat Karkat we go to! I wonder when this is taking place, compared to the moment of Jade reclaiming her body. Like, do they know she's back yet? Or are they going to find out about it during this chapter? I like how some stuff in this laundry room is clearly Alternian-like technology. Wait, Dave's thinking about flowers. Is this about that fairytale Kanaya told him about, that Rose used to tell to Grubs? I love how the title of this chapter was already name-dropped on the first page. Page 292:Yup, so it's about that Rose/Kanaya story! Oh boy, what exactly is Dave terrified of? He didn't want to talk too much about his feelings with Kanaya after all. Is this about how his brother has become the anime villain? Or about how all his former best friends (John, Rose, Jade) are all, in a certain way, gone from his perspective? Maybe both? God I'd love to see his reaction to Jade returning to her senses. He's going to love that, and maybe that's exactly what he needs right now? Page 293:N'aww... I like how this panel is a callback to Dave's talk with Dirk on the rooftop on LOTAK. Poor Dave... he's gone through so much, and can't help but worry about literally everyone. The text is still keeping it rather unclear whether or not Jade's already returned to her senses from his perspective, hehe. It's interesting how Dave considers Calliope and Kanaya to be in the "immortality" group. IS Kanaya "immortal" as an undead rainbow drinker really, or does she still age normally? As for Calliope, maybe Cherubs are just capable of having insanely long timespans? Also, what with how Dave's wondering how long they'll spend on this trip, it just makes me wonder how much slower they're moving than Dirk's ship? I mean, they took about 3 years to arrive at Deltritus, right? I'd have assumed it would take the other crews about just as long, but maybe they have a slower ship? Page 294:D'aww... these two. Pfff, looks like the laundry's ready. Also, I just realized how the narration in this chapter is more ordinary than the narration in the previous chapters we spent on this ship, where Calliope clearly narrated in her quirk and style. I guess this is another indication how she's not in control of the narrative on this ship anymore then? Page 295 - 296:Haha, this really makes them seem like a married couple, talking over serious issues while doing such ordinary boring household things, ahahaha. Page 299:N'aww. I love these two together, in so many ways. Page 300:Oh HELL yes, go Karkat! That was an incredible rant. Kind of what I expected him to say, based on how he explained to Roxy that he's perfectly happy with Dave here. But so cool to see him say it this way to Dave. And at the the end, it was kind of like his leader qualities were surfacing again, with trying to get Dave to focus on the friends they're trying to save. Man, I just hope these two can stay happy together. Page 301:This internal monologue of Dave reminds me of all those issues Candy Dave was struggling with when he talked to Obama. And yeah, this just makes it even more clear how the true power of the Vantases doesn't lie in any physical capabilities they possess, but in their words and what they can do with those words for the people around them. Look at Meat Karkat. Look at Candy Karkat. Look at The Sufferer. Page 302:Oh hell yes, Dave and Karkat's first on-screen kiss! Man, how far these two have come... I only just noticed how the door to this room was slightly open, I actually had to go back a few pages just to make sure it was already open and wasn't just opened by someone else, hahaha. "Diamonds, Dames, and Dads, Part 2" Oh hell yes, I'm HIGHLY looking forward to see what this will be like. I mean, I'm just so absolutely excited how through these bonus stories we're getting to see Dad, DD and Problem Sleuth again for the first time in forever. And the last part ended on a really interesting note, where Dad and DD just came into Problem Sleuth's office. I wonder how long they're going to stay with him. We know that at SOME point they're going to split up at least, when Dad and DD arrive handcuffed to each other at the bar where Jasprospesprite^2 and the others are. I'm very curious to see what's going to happen here. Page 15:Hmm, no Problem Sleuth we can see right now! I guess he just sent them off somewhere then? Or this is already some time later. Or he's just off-screen right now. I absolutely love how DD is smoking in a "NO SMOKING" room. He doesn't give a shit. "Midnight City. A black hole." Pfff, you ain't seen a black hole yet DD, just take a look at the Furthest Ring. Page 16:Ahahaha, Dad pointed out the sign to him. It's great to see that Dad, even though he does smoke pipes himself, knows to respect these kind of rules and wouldn't smoke here himself. Also, they're in a hotel lobby? What are they doing over here? Are they getting a room to spend the night in? It didn't seem like THAT much time had passed before they found Jasprospesprite^2 at the bar, right? So, I guess they're probably meeting someone here? But who? And yeah, DD's clearly referring here to how he made this city and Dad obviously doesn't know that. God I love these two together. Page 17:Man, he really didn't know what to do with himself and his life after he lost the Midnight Crew. Looks like DD, and maybe the city as a whole, needed a breath of fresh air like this! Page 18:Oh wow, that's a trippy panel. Kind of like seen through the eyes of a fish! I totally dig how they're experimenting with the art style in this story and in Catnapped. So if I'm reading this correctly, DD might actually kind of like Dad (but doesn't want to admit it of course), but he doesn't want to get too attached to him after what happened to the rest of the Midnight Crew? Poor guy. :/ Wait, that last paragraph... So Problem Sleuth gave them a room number here, but it's nothing to do with Jane but something for DD himself? I wonder what he is up to. And why did Dad stop the elevator on another floor then? Page 19:Ha, alright, so Dad didn't actually stop the elevator here. Just shenanigans going on here. I like how these two wear completely different hats. Though it kind of looks like someone took a bite out of the right guy's hat, hahahaha. Page 20:Wait, the ice machine? What is that about? Page 21:Pffff. I wonder if maybe the real reason those guys stopped fighting and looked like that at him was because they recognized him to be one of the founders of the city. Page 22:Huh, so they took the elevator right to the roof. Are they visiting someone at the penthouse or something? Page 23:WHAT THE FUCK??? SPADES SLICK??? HOW.... ? I mean... this can't be, right? Spades Slick ended up in an entirely different timeline, and we know everything that happened to him afterwards. Then I guess DD's hallucinating?? That seems like the most plausible explanation, considering what I said above, and how Dad is only looking at DD and not at anyone else. Page 24:What the FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK? Someone just appeared behind DD? Carrying a white gun (which reminds me WAY TOO MUCH of Doc Scratch's gun), what seems to be a long black sleeve, and... incredibly long nails??? WHO THE FUCK IS THIS?? And... what does that mean for the Spades Slick DD was seeing right in front of him? Page 25:OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK IT'S SNOWMAN IT'S FUCKING SNOWMAN HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW? I mean... she's dead! Okay no, that's another timeline. But... I was kind of getting the feeling here that DD had ended up in a timeline where all the rest of The Midnight Crew and The Felt were gone. ... Okay to be honest, I guess it makes sense Snowman is still alive in this timeline. I mean, she IS the universe after all. If she dies, the universe dies. But... what does that mean for this Spades Slick? Is there really another living version of him in this timeline then? And what about the rest of the Midnight Crew? And The Felt? Are they still around as well? And then the gun Snowman is carrying here... is that Doc Scratch's gun (the one Slick shot her with in the main timeline)? Or is it supposed to be her own gun we saw in the original Intermission, where it was depicted as being gray? And just what the HELL is going to happen between this point and when DD and Dad end up at the bar? Are they going to be locked up somewhere by Snowman, handcuffed to each other, and then escape from there? Do they coincidentally end up at the bar, or did someone tell them to go there? And why did DD even come here? Did Problem Sleuth find out where Spades Slick was and thus send DD here to this rooftop, or something? And just what is going to happen with all these people? Are some of them going to be crossing over into Meat Earth, or will DD, Snowman and the rest remain on this version of Alternia? Holy shit. This raises SO MANY QUESTIONS. God it's probably going to take so much time before we even get to see the next part of this story. xD |
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Post by Gab on Sept 2, 2020 18:13:19 GMT
main update replies: N'aww... I like how this panel is a callback to Dave's talk with Dirk on the rooftop on LOTAK. Wow, that's a pretty sweet catch there. It seemed familiar, but I didn't notice the callback at all. I'm assuming Kanaya is functionally immortal as a rainbow drinker. She has a long lifespan as a jade surely, but compared to any true immortal such as a god tier, it would still be fairly insignificant. It seems only a fuchsia stands a chance of naturally living so long to compare to that. For Calliope, I was actually thinking the Ring of Life might be why Dave says they are immortal, but come to think of it you're right that cherubs naturally live very long lives anyway. Though who knows if their strange unnatural non-predominated form would affect that. This is another good point, actually. Yeah, they barely took any time. But the two ships look pretty different, design wise. It easily could be the case that the one Dirk took is significantly faster than the one the heroes have. Hmm, possibly. But at this point, due to the structure of the story, at this point we know there must be someone narrating. Maybe Calliope is just taking a backseat approach? Or Dirk has taken over, but isn't announcing himself? Or could it be someone else? Hussie? The Director from Pesterquest? Or someone else? It could potentially be a very interesting mystery. Bonus update: Wow, wait, really? Dang, I totally missed that. I was able to see the bonus update, but due to Personal Financial Troubles I've had to lower my patreon subscription tier, and I can't go back and reread the chapter for now. Sounds interesting, though... The sass that comes out of Dad, my lord. It's no wonder John (and Jane to a lesser extent) turned out so sassy at times. Hahahaha, that's a pretty good point. It's actually a rare chance to see some personality from him, since he's either not around in the story or is restraining himself around his kid(s). Seeing how he interacts with someone who is much more of a peer makes for some interesting character to shine through, and you're right, it definitely goes to show how he rubs off on John and Jane. Another amazing point. I kind of assumed they were basically together at this point, but tbh them being in the middle of a standoff is way more 'them'. Now I kind of hope that's the case. I noticed you both seemed pretty surprise that Slick was here. I guess ever since we got to Midnight City I kind of just turned my brain off and wasn't thinking about who should be alive and where. Theoretically, these guys could be the remnants of a failed Midnight Crew, like following off the snapchats where Jack was starting to form a new crew along with the Felt. I don't really know where a Black Queen would have come from, though... So I suppose there are some pretty good questions, here. Also, yeah, I suppose PS figured out where Slick was, or would be, considering this is a strange place to hang out regularly, presumably pretty quickly. Guess he's actually a pretty good sleuth, all things considered. But it also makes me wonder exactly what their relationship is with each other. So many intriguing mysteries!!! |
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Post by Gab on Sept 16, 2020 15:23:17 GMT
CHAPTER 13. The Funeral303. Hoo boy. This is gonna be an interesting one. The cathedral has chess pieces as its ... I forget the word. Spiky decorative spike things. And the prospit and derse windows remind me a bit of Grandpa's shrine to Jade, but that's definitely carapacian decor too, seen in the credits I'm pretty sure. So we're definitely in the carapacian kingdom. 304. Interesting how Jane can manage to draw an audience of humans and trolls, considering everything going on. I suppose Gamzee's universal popularity overrides her genocidal bent in this case. Eep. 305. Hahahahaha same, Jake. Same. Also, Yiffy literally isn't doing anything but just looking completely Done here, and I love her for that. She definitely takes after her mom. " Exquisite loss and mourning" is a pretty fun phrase. " Grand, gay carnival in the sky" omg Jane " I come before you with rage in my heart" Guess he manages to have an effect on the world even in death, then. " But today is a day of healing" And this would be Jane's classpect influence talking. " And my first memory of our Purple Prince, was his robust codpiece--" Oh god dammit. 306. Hahahaha everyone just can't even take this XD 307. "It does nothing for his composure to hear her heap praise on that smelly, homewrecking clown." aww yeah I didn't really think about this Not that Jake is beyond criticism here, creating quite a number of broken homes himself in other timelines, but we really didn't get much introspection on Jake's perspective of the Gamzee situation for so long, since he kind of just got bowled over for most of the Epilogue. The relationship between Yiffy and Jake here is kind of interesting. She doesn't seem to resent him like she does Jane, so I guess she knows he's just kind of a hapless pawn. I wonder what she thinks of him, but maybe she doesn't respect him all that much either. 308. This is a pretty dang good panel, love this perspective. Looks like Yiffy isn't going to make a break for it, but then again I suppose she couldn't, she'd be zapped as soon as Jane saw her leaving. I wonder if Jake immediately regrets what he did. " As many of you know, I did not grow up with the same privileges that all of you enjoy." Oh My God. You know, it occurs to me this is kind of a callback to Jane's skill of spinning a compelling yarn, from her early riddlespeak as Nannasprite to her contributions to Jade and Calliope's dream book, to a more sinister implementation now. Her skills as an orrator are a pretty unique and interesting characteristic that I think has come to shape how she interacts with the broad movements of the plot. She's becoming pretty good at manipulating public opinion, it seems. 309. It bears appreciating the art here. This ... bouqet? Arrangement of flowers and plants looks pretty good, for being only like four or five colors. Compelling use of shape and shading really brings this to life. Anyway, seems like Yiffy is about to desecrate the corpse? Also, " blinding light of the sword of justice that hangs over us all" is pretty damn evocative imagery. Enough to make me wonder if this is going to come back some time. 310. Omg Yiffy 311. Omgggggg 313. Oof. The contrast between what Jane is doing and what she's saying, apparently without breaking her stride at all, is pretty stark. Another pretty good villainous moment for her, showing how easy this has become for her to do. Her composure is frightening. 314. The crowd looks visibly horrified (also I just noticed there are carapacians here, that makes sense tho), but I wonder if they can see the electricity or if that's meant to be more symbolic. In real life of course you don't see electricity. They might just be reacting to the scene she's making, rather than her getting tazed. 315. Omgggggg geez. Not to criticize or anything, but I think the background of the button panel could stand to be animated in some way, it looks a bit static as is, but move the little lightning things around and it'd really come to life. Anyway, forget what I just said, I guess Yiffy resisting her pisses her off really fast. Oh, is that what's going on? Hey, good looking out, Jake. Also, "Little Red" is a pretty cute nickname. Omg Dirk wow. Watch your fucking mouth. These two really haven't changed much, have they. This bickering is kind of incredible. Moving right along. Are you going to be a hero, Jake? 318. Hahahahahahaha. 320. Jane is extremely shocked. 321. This look of determination while being electrocuted is extremely badass and intimidating. Also, I notice she has a very subtle toothgap. Only really noticable closeup, it seems. Oh, of course this is being recorded live. Hahaha, this is fucking terrible for Jane! Not the first time Jane has mentioned "all she's done for her." She really loves throwing this stuff back in her face over and over. I'm regretably familiar with this kind of manipulative horseshit. Oof, this is some rough stuff. Don't be such a bitch, Jane. Really hoping Rose and Jade bust in next page. 322. Aww. Well, this is still kinda funny. There's that regret I predicted. 323. "A time before we had to deal with this disgusting clown’s bloated corpse every other update." hahaha, even in death he just won't leave the story, will he? "we are confident that we will never have to deal with this asshole ever again." well, his funeral would be a pretty good moment to close the book on that forever, but only time will tell, won't it. 324. I just realized, is Jake wearing a green bowtie on a red shirt? Still ganking Caliborn's steeze I see. Hahaha, aww. He's so proud of her. This is ultimately still kind of a weak moment from him, though. All he can do is watch meekly from the sidelines and admire the courage that he never really showed. 326. I was just starting to think this update was going on longer than usual. What a cliffhanger. I'm made to wonder if there will be an immediate continuation, but there's really no reason they won't cut away to something totally else. This was a pretty interesting update, and kind of tough to get through, predictably. Pretty good stuff.
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Post by Blaperile on Sept 21, 2020 19:59:53 GMT
"CHAPTER 13. The Funeral"Oh boy. Gamzee's funeral, I assume? I mean, let's hope this is not a time-skip to Karkat who died of old age as a reference to the conversation in the previous chapter. 0_0 It's interesting how since the original Homestuck ended, this is already the 3rd funeral in the Candy timeline. First Dirk, then the alternate Jade, and now (presumably) Gamzee. I wonder if it's going to take place in the exact same place where the other funerals took place? I assume Jane and Jake will appear in this chapter, and possibly Brain Ghost Dirk, I wonder who else. Is it going to be broadcast on television and be seen by some other characters? Page 303:Ooooh, nice! I love the references to Prospit and Derse in the window colors. Sadly the church is just white, not half-white and half-black. I love the design of it though. And it wouldn't surprise me if this really is the place where the other funerals took place. Page 304:Huh, I'm actually almost surprised that both humans AND trolls are attending this funeral. And not even in separate aisles but actually mixed! Might be a publicity stunt by Jane though. :/ Also, this reminds me of Catnapped where Jane was holding her speech in front of a crowd. I like how the flower wreaths have purple flowers, like Gamzee's colour. ...Wouldn't it be amazing if it suddenly turns out Gamzee isn't dead after all and jumps out of the coffin at the end of this chapter? To be honest, I wouldn't be that shocked. xD Page 305:Wait a second... Yiffy's in plain sight here, isn't she? Right in front of the entire crowd? Doesn't that... raise so many questions for the attendants? I mean, it would be fucked up if it DOESN'T raise any questions from them. I love how her facial expression absolutely looks like a mixture between Rose and Jade. "Purple Prince" No, that'd be Kurloz. Page 306:Ahahaha, these people's expressions. ACCURATE. SO ACCURATE. I FEEL YOUR PAIN.
Page 307:OH YES!!!! GO JAKE! He's trying to let Yiffy escape. The question is, will it work? Or does Jane have other agents at the ready to immediately catch her again? ...Let's hope we're not getting a reprise of The Handmaid finally tasting freedom before being caught by Lord English. Interesting to see how apparently Jake also knew of Yiffy's existence beforehand. So it wasn't just Jane (and obviously Rose and Jade). I wonder if Jade told him herself, or if Jane told him? Page 308:Oh fuck, is Yiffy going to try to attack Jane? That's... not going to end well, isn't it? I mean, Jane's a GOD TIER. We don't know what exactly Yiffy's capable of as the child of two God Tiers and a former First Guardian, but I doubt she can handle Jane. Page 309 - 310:Wait, what is Yiffy doing? Is she... opening Gamzee's coffin? 0_0 What does she want to accomplish with that? ...Don't tell me it turns out the funeral coffin is empty. Page 311: LOL, Yiffy's just fucking with Jane and Gamzee by jumping on the coffin. Jane's remaining uh, surprisingly calm for now and... just letting Yiffy do what she's doing? Page 312:Oh fuck, the collar! How could I forget about the collar?! Yeah, the leash almost doesn't matter, Jane's got Yiffy under her thumb with that collar. Page 314:Wow, even with the zaps, Yiffy's persisting. But just... what's going through the minds of the people watching this in that church? Page 315 - 316: Aha, so that's how Yiffy's still managing to stay up! Good job, Jake! But yeah, what IS he going to do? Is Jake going to stand up to Jane and save Yiffy in front of the crowd and show his true colours? Page 317:Oh snap, the coffin is open! Okay, so Gamzee was indeed actually in there. Page 318:Pffff, and there he goes. I doubt we're going to see his face again what with the, uh, number Vriska did on it. Page 319:OH MY GOD, YIFFY. XD She's having a field day with this. Page 320:Let's fuck some shit up Yiffy, ahahahaha. Page 321:God, Jane... You've become so messed up. :/ Jane does raise a good point though, where are Rose, Jade and the others? Are they on their way here? It's been a while since we saw them when they got together. Are they about to burst into this church any moment, or what are they up to? Page 322:You and me both, Jake. I also thought she was just going to run away Handmaid-style, haha. ...Now I want to see an image manipulation of Jake wrangling Jane as he tells Yiffy to run away, like how Andrew was wrangling Doc Scratch as he told Handmaid to run away, ahahahaha. Page 323:Woohoo, go Yiffy! I love the metaness in referring to Gamzee's corpse appearing so often. "He vanishes into the seething crowd, and we are confident that we will never have to deal with this asshole ever again." ...Yeah, I'm not buying it at all. You can't keep down the clown, not even when he's dead apparently. xD Page 324:N'awww. Jake is so proud of her. Page 325:Oh boy, what are Jane's agents going to look like? Like police officers? Secret service? Military? Drones??? Something else entirely? Page 326:OH SNAP!!!! Does that mean John and the others are here? Or just Karkat and the Troll rebellion? Or both? I'm EXCITED. Shit's about to get real in here. Well, in the next chapter that focuses on this storyline at least. xD
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Post by plainWonder on Sept 21, 2020 20:16:35 GMT
The Funeral, huh? So, Blaperile thinks it's gonna be Gamzee's, but actually I think Dave's is also likely. Though I guess they can coincide, since both died on Candy Earth C. I figure Roxy might play a key part in the proceedings again. But I hope she'd at least be less blasé about everything like she was with Dirk. Jeez, Roxy's win-state really revolves around hosting a funeral every few years, huh? It started with Frigglish and Rose, 6 months apart. Then fast forward seven years to Dirk, some more years to Dead Jade (and, coincidentally, that was the day she went into labor, right?), and now here we are. --- > Page 303 Cool. Yeah, that's too fancy a church for it to belong to the rebellion. This page, at least, is about Gamzee's funeral, both image and text. Nice glass-in-lead windows, I must say. > Page 304 Lots of trolls. Figures, since he was a figurehead and all. Blaperile has a good point. There isn't any seggregation between humans and trolls. ... But Jane doesn't really acknowledge the trolls present in her eulogy, it seems. Don't think these trolls are really Human State Citizens, ya know. Jane's doused in photographer flashes. Such a spectacle she makes of everything. Huh, didn't notice the flowers. I guess it's a nice touch, with trolls giving such importance to blood colour. Guess for Jane it's more about Gamzee personally than acknowledging there's any merit, even in a historical sense, to the hemospectrum, of course. > Page 305 Can I just say I hope we're not gonna be subjected to all the crap Jane is going to spout? I hope Dirk and Jake are going to have another heart-to-heart. I won't get my hopes up about Yiffany (I'll- I'll just start referring to her as Fanny, I think) getting a speaking role anytime soon. Although, who knows? She might have a few course words she'd like to share about the whole charade. Blaperile has a good point, how come Fanny's out in plain sight now? Is Jane propping her up as temporary-heiress, while Tavros is supposedly kidnapped? I mean, when she says "me and my family", you'd kind of think she wants the term to include Fanny, you know? > Page 306 TMI, Jane. TMI. Jake is right freaking there, too. Okay, you know. I think Fanny can't hold her tongue for much longer. Magic collar or not. > Page 307 Hopy shit! Go Jake! Way to show some spine, at last! Well, okay, granted, he got back in Jane's circle specifically to spy, but this situation is really uncalled for. Here's to hoping Fanny isn't immediately subdued by Jane's personal security. Wreck some shit, girl! Reeeeeeeeeallly interested in knowing more about her personality. I mean, we've got her squared away as rebel fairly truthfully, I'm sure. But there's a lot of ways for her to behave in that role. And does she have any powers inherited from the Becquerel side of her genes, I wonder? > Page 308 Wow, Jane can make anyone sound like a martyr. Really wondering what Fanny's going to do now. She would have been best to do away with the leash right away. I'm afraid she's working on instinct here, though. > Page 309 Uuuuuh- Is she going to open-? To peak at-? > Page 310 She is, isn't she? She's going to open the coffin! Then afterwards, only Harry hasn't manhandled the corpse, out of all Earth C teens. Blaperile posits: what if the coffin's empty? Well, true, Jane could've revived Gamzee, if she felt so inclined. Big IF there, though. > Page 311 Fanny, dear. What? She's just making a ruckus for kicks. I don't think she has much of a plan here. This is... quite tame for all I could imagine her doing. Pretty sure her leash is gonna get pulled in quickly, at this rate. > Page 312 ... Eeesh, is she really going to shock her? On live TV? Really, Jane? Have you no shame? > Page 314 The opposition here, between Jane's words and her actions. It's staggering. Hey, there are even carapacian mourners in the church? Huh. Didn't think they'd- who am I kidding, they're so easily led astray. > Page 316 Aww. Okay, so Jake at least was smart enough to lower the voltage a bit on the collar. Still, ugh. Can't believe Jane sunk THIS low. It seems Jake's conflicted on how to proceed now. Risk his cover, or let an innocent girl be pained much longer? Heh, "Little Red". Cool nickname for a wolf girl. > Page 317 So! Gamzee was in fact in the coffin! ... Jane, really, you've sunk so low, at this point you don't need a redemption arc, you need a bungee cord. > Page 318 If that's really Gamzee, and not a puppet placeholder, what's his face look like? Decomposition set in yet? I'm morbidly curious. > Page 319 Pfffff. Oh bye. Guess those soccer shoes were due for some good use, right? > Page 320 Pffffff. That's a surprisingly blasé reaction, it's like a real throwback to Act 1 / Act 6 Act 1. > Page 321 :/ :/ :/ Jane really doesn't think much of Fanny, and now she's even admitting it on camera! She's wrong, though. Fanny's parents are worried sick about her, and I'm sure they're trying to mount a rescue operation at the first occasion. I would LOVE for them to show up here though. Rose and Jade have a lot to account for, but Fanny shouldn't pay their bill in this. > Page 322 We don't know her well enough, Jake. Who knows what goes on in her head? Can't blame her for trying to wreck Jane's shit after what she pulled on her, IMO. > Page 323 Well, okay, Fanny's rounding things up. She kicked Gamzee's corpse out of the story (we can only hope), so points for that! And she smacked the remote out of Jane's hands. Now for her parting gift? Give Jane the collar to wear and shock her? Double middle finger adieu? What's it gonna be? > Page 324 See, here? Jake acknowledging his status as a doormat while admiring his genetic decendant's rebuttal of the role? That's awesome. > Page 325 Jane's sending in the hounds to capture the... well, the loose hound, I guess. Are the windows gonna get cracked by a SWAT team now? > Page 326 Oooooh! Nice! It's the cavalry to the rescue! Cool. Lots more action in this than I'd have figured. It helps that all Strilondes that could have taken the stage were unavailable. (I mean, Brain Ghost Dirk was unavailable in that he's incorporeal and virtually invincible for all but Jake.) Responses for Gab: Yeah, they barely took any time. But the two ships look pretty different, design wise. It easily could be the case that the one Dirk took is significantly faster than the one the heroes have. I just hope the ships's timelines aren't syncing to make Candy Earth C residents the same age as Dirkbot before his death. Anyway, even with a slower ship, they could still arrive in Deltritus' star system not long after Dirk and the others, due to relativity magic. I noticed you both seemed pretty surprise that Slick was here. I guess ever since we got to Midnight City I kind of just turned my brain off and wasn't thinking about who should be alive and where. Theoretically, these guys could be the remnants of a failed Midnight Crew, like following off the snapchats where Jack was starting to form a new crew along with the Felt. I don't really know where a Black Queen would have come from, though... So I suppose there are some pretty good questions, here. Oh man, the snapchats. The post-credits snapshats dubious canonicity is something I hope is resolved in HS^2 proper at some point. I mean, by now, with the bonus pages, we know a sprite survived to live on Earth C, so the Halloween update on snapchat might be canon, but I'd like some confirmation about Spades Slick's whereabouts. This one, the SS from the bonus updates, strikes me as another offshoot. The "Spades Slick from next week". Not the Slick that faced off against Union Jack. Sweet, I missed that. That's a chess-motif that hasn't been used that much before. The chessboard, sure. But chess pieces in the carapacian architecture is something new! The relationship between Yiffy and Jake here is kind of interesting. She doesn't seem to resent him like she does Jane, so I guess she knows he's just kind of a hapless pawn. I wonder what she thinks of him, but maybe she doesn't respect him all that much either. I'm interested who's going to earn Fanny's respect at all, to be honest. Maybe the clueless buffoons like Jake and John run a better shot than the useless so-called adults like Jade and Rose that put her through so much unintentional pain? You know, it occurs to me this is kind of a callback to Jane's skill of spinning a compelling yarn, from her early riddlespeak as Nannasprite to her contributions to Jade and Calliope's dream book, to a more sinister implementation now. Her skills as an orrator are a pretty unique and interesting characteristic that I think has come to shape how she interacts with the broad movements of the plot. She's becoming pretty good at manipulating public opinion, it seems. Good point! That's actually a pretty good parallel to draw between Nannasprite, Jane now and Jane in the session, who for all purposes otherwise feel like 3 completely different persons! It all depends on how they used their Gift of Gab, so to speak. Btw, Jake's outfit, I think, is green on purple. I think Jane made him wear a shirt in Gamzee's blood colour for the funeral. |
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Post by Blaperile on Sept 23, 2020 16:23:30 GMT
Hmm, possibly. But at this point, due to the structure of the story, at this point we know there must be someone narrating. Maybe Calliope is just taking a backseat approach? Or Dirk has taken over, but isn't announcing himself? Or could it be someone else? Hussie? The Director from Pesterquest? Or someone else? It could potentially be a very interesting mystery Well, I personally don't think someone HAS to be narrating this. I think it might be speakerless narration: I think that starting from the Epilogues, we've seen 4 different kinds of narrators: - Dirk, who narrated the biggest part of the Meat Epilogue, and in Homestuck^2 the stuff focusing on the Deltritus crew. Originally he disguised himself as speakerless narration until he revealed himself to be the narrator and started narrating in orange text. His commands in Homestuck^2 are like old Homestuck commands, directed to specific characters (Dirk, Rose). - Meat!Alt Calliope, who narrated part of the Meat Epilogue, and in Homestuck^2 the stuff focusing on the chase crew (Dave, Karkat, Roxy, Kanaya) until Jade took back control. She narrated in her trademark red, except for the very end of the Meat Epilogue. Her commands in Homestuck^2 are basically like the Exiles, pretty much just speech instead of being actual commands to characters. - Candy!Alt Calliope, who narrates the stuff taking place on her ship with Davebot and Aradia. She narrates in black, but is clearly showing her own identity (referring to Dave and Aradia by their titles instead of their names, for example, and Dave even comments on her narration). Her commands are pretty much like old Homestuck narration, with the exception that she's referring to Dave with "Knight" instead of his name (though old Homestuck also did that sometimes). - Speakerless narration, which is used for basically everything else: the entire Candy Epilogue and now in Homestuck^2 the events on Candy Earth, the chase crew after Jade woke up, and the Homestuck^2 bonus stories. This is just standard black narration, and is like the original Homestuck, with arrows and normal commands being used. I think if we take Calliope's explanation there, we can see each chapter as an individual "story" where the narrator may switch to someone else. Which can be someone with or without a specific identity. Meanwhile in the original Homestuck, I guess it first seemed somewhat speakerless until Andrew Hussie's self-insert showed up, and then we had narrators such as Doc Scratch and Caliborn coming in. And then eventually in late Act 6, I guess it became sort of speakerless, but mostly in the way that there was basically no narration at all. |
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Post by Gab on Sept 24, 2020 20:01:21 GMT
I just hope the ships's timelines aren't syncing to make Candy Earth C residents the same age as Dirkbot before his death. Anyway, even with a slower ship, they could still arrive in Deltritus' star system not long after Dirk and the others, due to relativity magic. Well, they should hypothetically be traveling through linear space, so no Furthest Ring shenanigans here. On the other hand, time dilation is a Thing when traveling near lightspeed, and Homestuck has explored this kind of relativity before, in kind of a weird way admittedly. To me, it seems very unlikely the plot with Dirk and the heroes pursuing him will ever intersect with Earth C plot, barring some very extreme force connecting them in some way. Which is to say, it probably will happen, in some crazy way I can't predict right now. I'm interested who's going to earn Fanny's respect at all, to be honest. Maybe the clueless buffoons like Jake and John run a better shot than the useless so-called adults like Jade and Rose that put her through so much unintentional pain? This is a good point. And now that I'm thinking about it, I'm irrationally excited for Yiffany to meet the other kids, and see how their personalities mesh and clash. But then, I'm curious how her personality is in general, as sheltered and hidden and abused as she has been. In a sense, it could be viewed as a dark parallel to Jade's circumstances compared to her friends. Then there are those sidestory kids... so many relationship compatibility matrices to consider here. Btw, Jake's outfit, I think, is green on purple. I think Jane made him wear a shirt in Gamzee's blood colour for the funeral. Oh wow really? Sweet catch. Well, I personally don't think someone HAS to be narrating this. I think it might be speakerless narration: Good point, this is true. Or rather, it is hypothetically true pretty much until it's definitively proven false. From later in that same speech: I guess a broader way of phrasing it without jumping the gun would be, seeing as narrator influence is a huge part of the story, it seems likely a narrator will emerge responsible for what we've said so far, sooner or later. And if this DOES come to pass, I wonder who it will be, and what they're up to. It's true a Candy narrator is never identified, but this speech from Calliope also happens at the very end of said epilogue, which I think is intentionally meant to cast doubt on whether it really is speakerless. |
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Post by Blaperile on Sept 26, 2020 14:56:18 GMT
I guess a broader way of phrasing it without jumping the gun would be, seeing as narrator influence is a huge part of the story, it seems likely a narrator will emerge responsible for what we've said so far, sooner or later. And if this DOES come to pass, I wonder who it will be, and what they're up to. It's true a Candy narrator is never identified, but this speech from Calliope also happens at the very end of said epilogue, which I think is intentionally meant to cast doubt on whether it really is speakerless. True! During the Candy Epilogue I thought for a long time that (the living) Calliope was the narrator, but then there was never a reveal and I kind of let that idea go. Or maybe we have simply yet to be introduced to the Homestuck^2 writers self-insert who now replace Hussie.  |
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Post by Gab on Sept 30, 2020 1:09:08 GMT
Chapter 14: The Best Laid PlansCHAPTER 14. The Best Laid Plans I held out on reading the update because I was watching the presidential debate (it was pretty rough), so now let's check it out. 27. I saw the preview on twitter so I know we're going to continue with Yiffy. I'm thinking we're going to be coming at it from the other side, now. Looks like we're at Roxy's place. I don't remember, are the kids still here?
328. Yup. Haha neat, doing one of these double pages again.
Also, I know we've seen this house before, but soaking it in again, wow, this place is definitely very Roxy. Roxy, but domesticated.
EGBERT SIDE
Is John holding some kind of John-based diagram?? That didn't come up in a previous update, did it? It looks incredible, and I want a close up.
We've got a pretty intriguing difference in character between father and son (John still looks so young in this art style, he doesn't look like a dad at all) here. Harry is wiped and wants a break, and John is so giddy he can barely sit still.
Also, guess he's on guard duty at the moment. That diagram is probably him taking this "mission" way too seriously.
Past few days? I didn't think we had lasted that far, unless we just went through a timeskip. No, wait. Actually, that makes sense. No way Jane got ahold of that corpse on the same day he died. Okay, that tracks. Carry on
Hahaha, this awkward tension where John tries poorly to show interest in his son's interests, and Harry just doesn't even want to deal with this. That's pretty damn relatable.
Oh that's right, last we saw them, they had convened at the belltower, discussing Yiffy.
Foreshadowing the Vriska conversation, huh? You know, it occurs to me these kinds of pages can work a little like the Epilogues. You can pick either side and read down, or I guess in this case, pretty easily switch back and forth. Now I sort of wonder what it would be like to read the Vriska side first, and then the Egbert side.
VRISKA SIDE
Vriska looks kind of upset here. I'd say she might feel bad about something, but that's so radically out of character I can't seriously consider that option. Maybe she is annoyed she's not participating more directly in the rebellion or something.
Hey, I was right! Also, Vriska claims trolls (or maybe at least cerulean bloods) are five times stronger than humans. Kinda wonder if that's actually true or not though.
Hahahahahahahaha, oh my god. Vriska is a forgotten footnote in this world's history books, literally. That is so absolutely, hilariously appropriate.
Wow, things really are getting heated. Of course it makes perfect sense Vriska was told she is irrelevant that would make her lose her shit.
329. Yessssss, oh my god. John, you are such a fucking dweeb. I am 100% here for it.
Omgggg so I was thinking of it earlier but John just totally let him curse, but I guess he only gets one freebie.
John just got called an idiot by his own son, and he goes "maybe its genetic." This family is fucking incredible.
Oh, geez, that's right. We missed whatever the conversation was about Dave(bot).
330. welp.
331. Oh, here we are. Okay, who's responsible for the bombing? I don't quite recognize those shadows.
332. Daaaawwwwww.
Of course it would be her moms. This is so sweet.
333. Dang, a full and proper meeting of old friends (kind of), but as heroes and villains.
Also, Jane, do they really count as 'secret police' if you identify them as such?
And also if they're wearing your insignia?
(The answer is yes, actually)
Damn. Never thought I'd imagine hearing such a sinister 'Hoo hoo hoo,' but there we have it.
334. Jane really is so damn curvy. Even without that big coat Jade doesn't look like that. Not to say she looks bad or anything, but damn if Jane ain't real easy on the eyes. Certainly on purpose.
335. Those faces, hahaha.
Also, I'm a little uncomfortable with her secret police kind of looking like a fleet of Daves.
336. Nice ship. Rose and Kanaya colors, I see.
Yo, what the fuck. Is she threatening to drain Tavvy's blood???? I'm assuming this is a bluff, but if not then this is kind of extreme. I know it's war and all, and of course their own children have also been involved, but still.
Wow, Kanaya is such an unbelievable fucking dork. Everybody's such dorks, and it's magnificent.
Actually, it would be kinda incredibly badass if Tavvy was a rainbow drinker, but yeah, not a chance that's how that works at all.
Jane. Honey. Janey. Please. This isn't it. Please. Jane. Jane. No, Jane.
94uvmfy vjw2ebtiwdfhbnerf 1rghm
fucking wow Kanaya
337. She looks pissed.
Friends, huh? Does she still have those?
338. Domineering ultimatum pose!
Also, these background dorks getting a lens-ful.
339. Wow, damn, Jane. For real?
This is a real villain defining moment, even moreso than abusing Yiffy. If she's really willing to let her own son die--
Oh, well. I just remembered she actually can revive the dead. Or, she's calling their bluff. Or both.
But still, playing that card, EVEN IF she's weighed all these factors, to go to these extremes, not because of the rebellion, but because they're bruising her image. Wow. Fuck off, Jane.
Also, for that matter, pretty blithely considering the permanent deaths of two people who were once quite close to her, and would very likely mobilize the other Creators against her. Yikes.
341. Uh oh, it's Jake. What's he gonna do?
343. Ahh, so she stands down after all. It sounded like she just about made her choice.
Did Jake make her change her mind? It's kind of hard to imagine she has any respect for what he thinks at all anymore. So maybe she was worried how it would look if her ex-husband and father of their child freaks out over his potential death while she makes that call, or possibly was concerned that if he sees Tavvy die, he'll enter a Hope State, which could potentially be disastrous.
Or who knows, maybe it jostled something in her. Some long-buried feeling of having a real family. Maybe some part of her is hoping she can still have that someday, after "all this craziness" is over. And she knows if she risks Tavvy's death, even if its a strategic maneuever that she can undo, risks eliminating that future forever. Maybe they actually managed to reach her humanity.
It's prescient in these growingly chaotic times, that Homestuck is dealing with war themes in a pretty direct and heavy way. In a pretty nasty way, of course. But I dunno, seems important somehow, in a way I can't pin down at the moment.
Also, was going through the pages again and I noticed, it looks like Rose was taking the collar and leash off of Yiffy. Good mom.
Narratively speaking, it definitely makes sense something that huge would occur so relatively soon into the story. Vriska brawling with some reporters is one thing, but an all-out battle between Jane's forces and the rebellion, with a lot of main character deaths on the line? An uneasy, but peaceful resolution to conflict was the likelier solution I suppose.
I was a little out of it, so this is a bit dry. It was a good chapter, though.
A bonus update has also come out, but I'm not able to read it right now. Once I get my subscription back up, I'll check it out.
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Post by Gab on Oct 17, 2020 1:17:13 GMT
CHAPTER 14. The Best Laid Plans (Part 2)Livereact: Looks like this one is continuing where the last one left off with the Vriskas running off.
344: I read through this page already before I started recording my thoughts, and I just gotta say I don't like Vriska's plan to do Sgrub again. Like, I really don't like it. But it is very Vriska. It's a lot like her to basically just want to go back to when she felt powerful and relevant as her solution to any given problem.
That being said, I kind of wonder what her actual plan is. Like, to scratch the world again? Or maybe she wants to... look around for a set of frog ruins? Hmm.
346: No commentary here, this is just a really good page. Hahaha.
348: So, I wonder what it takes to get into Crocker's Secret Police. What kind of training do they go through? Looks like it's a Humans Only club, unsurprisingly. They kind of look like they're all dudes, too. And if I'm not mistaken it kinda seems like their hairstyles all resemble Jake's a bit..?
Actually, with those Tiaras, I sort of wonder if every one of them is being brainwashed...
349: I don't think we've seen Vrissy's Strife Specibus before, have we? Looks like she fights with dice too, and has them tied together...?
I'm not gonna lie, it looks super awkward to use. That's a pretty crappy weapon.
350: Fifteen guys, precisely.
351: Oh, damn. I think this is the first time we've actually seen much large scale damage as a result of the war. In fact, things have looked pretty idyllic up until now.
353: Wait, oh shit... This place definitely didn't look like this before. I guess things only just recently got bad around here...
The fact there seem to be bombs dropped or something in what looks like a residential area is pretty fucked up.
356: I remember that Roxy's house was in the carapacian kingdom, as was the bell tower, not that far away from her place. And obviously that cathedral was too, but was John's house also there? I don't know if that was mentioned.
Either way, it seems like this warship is heading to these areas deliberately, though the cathedral is the only major landmark that looked like it took any serious damage, and that was from the rebels, not Jane.
Oh, wait, yeah he totally did. There are those can shaped houses all nearby him. That was in the ending of Homestuck, as well as mentioned at the start of the Epilogues, I'm pretty sure. Okay, that checks out. Points for consistency there.
358: Oh.
Nevermind then.
359: Geez, this is a pretty sad sight. Feels symbolic too. This house has weathered some explosions in the past, but it really rather made it through Homestuck more or less in one piece, but now its been properly shelled. A pretty dramatic way of signalling that ^2 is moving beyond the first story by destroying symbols or familiar architecture of it.
The fact that this is done by former protagonists makes it sting all the more.
361: Oh wow, I spoke too soon. They really emphasized it. That makes me even more confident that this is a symbolic gesture. John's reaction to this seems fitting to that idea as well, I think. I thought the lighting looked like twilight, though I wasn't sure if it was radiating from fires or something until now.
This is an interesting second half to the previous update. While we just squeaked away from Jane risking her own son's death, it looks like she's attacking the area more or less out of spite. I didn't see Roxy's house go up, and she was decidedly neutral. Interesting she seemingly decided to single out John's house to destroy.
It's only 9 days from now until 10/25, which will make it a year since Homestuck^2 began. I feel it's pretty safe to guess the second update of the month will drop around then, and it would be a good time to focus on Dirk again. Though it seems to me this story really isn't as concerned with meeting dates like that, so if it doesn't serve the story, we might just get whatever else instead.
Still, it'll be interesting to see, and I'm planning on posting some aggregate statistics to summarize how the year has progressed. It would also be interesting to binge through everything there is so far and see how it reads in one go.
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There's absolutely no need for that, unless she's got her eyesight back.... So what is going on here???
