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Post by Gab on Oct 26, 2020 0:43:31 GMT
HOMESTUCK^2: BEYOND CANON YEAR ONE 10/25/19 - 10/25/20 - 17 updates. 14 Chapters. 361 pages. 383 panels. 51,913 words (+337). 2 reader-submitted commands. 2 [S] pages.
Bonus Content: - 7 updates. 5 stories. 79 pages. 83 panels. 10,191 words (+45).*
 *I haven't been able to access the newest bonus story update, so these numbers are not completely accurate as of now. Will be updated when I can. - 24 major characters (+12). 6 perspectives (+4). 0 major deaths. Envoy of the Prince
- DIRK STRIDER 🥩
- ROSE LALONDE 🥩
- TEREZI PYROPE
Search & Rescue Team
- JADE HARLEY 🥩
- DAVE STRIDER 🥩
- KARKAT VANTAS 🥩
- ROXY LALONDE 🥩
- KANAYA MARYAM 🥩
Muse's Entourage
- CALLIOPE 🍭
- DAVE STRIDER 🍭
- ARADIA MEGIDO
---
CrockerCorp Empire
- JANE CROCKER 🍭
- JAKE ENGLISH 🍭
- BRAIN GHOST DIRK 🍭
Earth C Kids:
- HARRY ANDERSON EGBERT 🍭
- VRISKA MARYAM-LALONDE 🍭
- TAVROS CROCKER 🍭
- YIFFANY LONGSTOCKING LALONDE HARLEY 🍭
The Rebellion:
- ROSE LALONDE 🍭
- KANAYA MARYAM 🍭
- JADE HARLEY 🍭
- JOHN EGBERT 🍭
- VRISKA SERKET
- KARKAT VANTAS 🍭
- MEENAH PEIXES
---
The Influencers
- SILAS P. BEAUREGARD III 🍭
- IMODE KURITA 🍭
- AVRIL THORPE 🍭
Catnapped:
- JANE CROCKER 🥩
- JASPROSESPRITE^2 🥩
- JAKE ENGLISH 🥩
- BRAIN GHOST DIRK 🥩
- PROBLEM SLEUTH
- SWIFER EGGMOP 🥩
- CLIPER BORDEN 🥩
Diamonds, Dames, and Dads
- JANE'S DAD 🥩
- DIAMONDS DROOG
A Threat, Sensed
- ANDREW HUSSIE - 0 sacred urns toppled. 0 ancient ruins defiled. 0 hallowed tombs plundered. - Shortest Chapter: 5 (1 page). - Longest Chapter: 8 (44 pages). - Longest Update: 2 (39 pages). - Fewest Words: 13 (1,190 words). - Most Words: 8 (11,343 words). - Least Characters: 6 & 12 (2 characters). - Most Characters: 14 (11 characters). 10/25/19 - prologue - 32 pages. 37 panels. 7,318 words (+22). 1 reader-submitted command. Locations:
🥩 Theseus
Appearances: The Prince
Text Only: Rosebot, Terezi
Flashback: Jade, Calliope, Karkat, Dave
Depiction: Jake
Minor Appearances: Mechahoof 11/23/19 - CHAPTER 1. Ghostflusters - 24 pages. 24 panels. 2,751 words (+2). Locations:
🍭 Earth C:
John's house
Jake's dream
Jane's warship
Appearances: Jake, Brain Ghost Dirk
Minor Appearances: Jane
Mentioned Only: John, Tavvy
12/24/19 - CHAPTER 2. Clown Logistics - 39 pages. 42 panels. 2,955 words (+2). 1 reader-submitted command. Locations:
🍭 Earth C:
field
school
Appearances: Vriska, Vrissy, Tavvy
Minor Appearances: Harry Anderson, Jane
Corpse: Gamzee
Minor Characters: Imode, Silas, Avril, various random school kids (12/26/19 - Patreon 2,000 subscriber goal reached) 01/17/20 - CHAPTER 3. How Are Your Feelings - 23 pages. 27 panels. 2,581 words (+1). Locations:
🥩 yet-unnamed hero ship
Appearances: Jadelliope, Karkat, Dave, Roxy, Kanaya
Alluded to heavily: Dirk, Rose 02/14/20 - CHAPTER 4. The Contest - 25 pages. 33 panels. 3,848 words (+38). Locations:
🥩 Deltritus
cave(s)
Appearances: Rosebot, The Prince, Terezi
02/24/20 - CHAPTER 5. YOUR 3Y3S H4V3 B33N CLOS3D - 1 page. 2 panels. 2,819 words. Locations:
🥩 Deltritus
cave(s), Theseus wreckage
Appearances: Rosebot
Text Only: Terezi
Minor: The Prince
03/12/20 - CHAPTER 6. A Conversation Regarding Relevance - 25 pages. 26 panels. 2,866 words (+4). 1 [S] page. Locations:
🥩 Unnamed ship:
Kitchen area
(The void)
Appearances: The Muse, Jade
Mentioned: The Prince, Dave, Karkat, Kanaya, Roxy
Alluded to: Caliborn, John, Davesprite 04/02/20 - CHAPTER 7. Distress Call From the Closet - 22 pages. 23 panels. 3,336 words (+129). Locations:
🍭 Earth C:
school, battlefield, Roxy's house
Appearances: Vriska, Vrissy, Tavvy, Harry Anderson
Minor Appearances: Karkat, Meenah, John, Roxy
Offscreen: Swifer
Mentioned: Jane
Dead: Gamzee 04/13/20 - CHAPTER 8. A Daughter Astray (Part 1) - 13 pages. 13 panels. 3,687 words (+14). Locations:
🍭 Earth C:
Jane's warship, Roxy's house, rebel command ship
Appearances: Vriska, Vrissy, Tavvy, Harry Anderson, Rose, Kanaya, Jade
Minor Appearances: Jane, Jake, Brain Ghost Dirk, Alfonz
Offscreen: John 04/27/20 - CHAPTER 8. A Daughter Astray (Part 2) - 31 pages. 28 panels. 7,656 words (+90). Locations:
🍭 Earth C:
Roxy's house, Belltower, Jane's warship (mentioned)
Appearances: Vriska, Vrissy, Tavvy, Harry, Rose, Kanaya, Jade, John
Mentioned: Yiffy
Offscreen: Jane
Minor: Reporters, Assassins 05/19/20 - CHAPTER 9. How Goes The Eulogizing, Dear? - 27 pages. 21 panels. 1,591 words (+5). Locations:
🍭 Earth C:
Jane's warship, rebel command ship? (Offscreen)
Appearances: Jane, Jake, Brain Ghost Dirk, Yiffy
Text Only: thespiansGlamor, adamantGriftress, glutinousGymnast
Mentioned: Gamzee 05/31/20 - CHAPTER 10. 1 WOND3R WH4T TH3Y T4ST3 L1K3 - 14 pages. 15 panels. 2,364 words. Locations:
🥩 Deltritus:
(Various locales)
Appearances: Terezi
Text Only: Rosebot, The Prince 08/06/20 - CHAPTER 11. History's Most Notorious Haters - 14 pages. 14 panels. 1,779 words (+8). 1 [S] page. Locations:
🥩 Hypothetical Ship
(🍭 Earth C, briefly)
Appearances: Davebot, Aradia, The Muse
Minor: Sollux
Mentioned: Jade 08/23/20 - CHAPTER 12. Really Convoluted Metaphorical Horseshit - 12 pages. 12 panels. 2,199 words (+1). Locations:
🥩 Unnamed ship:
Laundry room
Appearances: Dave, Karkat
Mentioned: Kanaya, Roxy, Rose, John, Dirk, Jade, Calliope
Alluded to: Gamzee 09/16/20 - CHAPTER 13. The Funeral - 24 pages. 27 panels. 1,190 words (+16). Locations:
🍭 Earth C:
church (carapacian kingdom?)
Appearances: Jane, Yiffy, Jake & Brain Ghost Dirk
Mentioned: Tavvy, Rose, Jade
Dead: Gamzee
Background: funeral attendees (human, troll, carapacian) 09/29/20 - CHAPTER 14. The Best Laid Plans (Part 1) - 17 pages. 20 panels. 2,431 words (+5). Locations:
🍭 Earth C:
Roxy's house (living room)
church (carapacian kingdom?)
Appearances: Harry, John, Vrissy, Vriska, Yiffy, Jade, Rose, Jane, Tavvy, Kanaya, Jake
Mentioned: Karkat, Roxy, Dave
Background: Secret Police, rubberneckers 10/16/20 - CHAPTER 14. The Best Laid Plans (Part 2) - 18 pages. 19 panels. 542 words. Locations:
🍭 Carapacian Kingdom
Forest Path
Roxy's Neighborhood
Bell Tower
Cathedral
John's House
Appearances: Vriska, Vrissy, John
Minor: Secret Police
Mentioned: Tavvy
Alluded To: Kanaya |
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Post by Gab on Oct 31, 2020 20:35:24 GMT
CHAPTER 14. The Best Laid Plans (Part 3)A part 3? I wasn't expecting this. I saw from the twitter that we're continuing with John, so let's see where this goes.
364. ....... Karkat?
365. Karkat!!!
Wow, what a badass. Covered in scars. like 85% big boss energy. The battle hero he always wanted to be.
Does that mean Meenah is nearby too?
366. They look so silly in sprite mode. Also, John's bathroom phernalia and junk in the rubble there.
Gee, melodramatic much? I mean, he has always wanted to say that.
Hahaha. You know, he's not wrong. John was so eager to be out of the Epilogues into another story that he jumped headfirst into things, and he isn't exactly very good at it either. He really isn't the hero of this story.
Oh my GOD, Karkat. You've been living on Earth for decades now, a lot of them with Dave. I know you aren't that ignorant.
So on the nose. John has a knack for being on the cusp of meta self awareness.
Haha, ain't that the truth. Actually, it's kind of funny he wasn't really there at all, but he's the one breaking it all down like he watched it happen. Leader instincts I guess.
But he said this was "part of" something huge. Aside from doing a lot of destruction in an area that previously didn't seem to be involved in the war, I'm not sure what he means. But since he's talking about how it was a trap, they might have captured other rebellion leaders, the way Jane attempted to take in Rose and Jade.
Ah, right. There it is. But considering it's them, this is probably her plan to just get close to Jane, and then try to beat her down in person or something.
Also, I saw how many i's there were there, John.
Yep!
But again, to be fair, this is Vriska we're talking about.
Karkat seemed to take umbrage with her powers being called magic, there. It kind of steeps of jealousy, somehow.
I thought I remembered hearing a line about how Vriska's powers were actually rather unusual for her caste, way early back, but I suppose that's long since been retconned.
Well, if that was her plan, it appears to have hit a snag. On the other hand, getting a Jailbreak Vriska chapter would be pretty sweet.
Hahahahahaha. Sometimes this seems like real, adult, serious shit, and sometimes it still comes off like dumb kids participating in barely-competent antics. High stakes antics, though.
He's kind of right. Karkat's "you fucked up" speeches are pretty golden, but not this one. This one is grounded, humorless, and more empathetic. Kind of like the story really. The threats in Homestuck were a lot more abstract. But now it's very personal.
Also, guess he's not totally over that 'this reality' thing. But that makes sense, since Homestuck^2 isn't remotely the same reality as Homestuck 1. It's not even on the same website.
Oh, hey! What's this, introspection?? Maybe he's starting to get it after all.
John, you honestly still have a lot of growing up to do. You're probably best staying out of this, but then I suppose that option has been taken away from you now. Luckily Karkat is here to help guide him.
Also, this kind of feels like wrapping up on the broad arc that's been happening? Kind of, to me at least anyway.
Haha, Karkat has busted out some top dollar words today.
367: Aww, John's lonely. That's valid, he really hasn't had the opportunity to spend much time with his friends lately.
368. Hahahahahahahaha oh my god. XD
370. Honestly, I'd say you had this coming, John.
Enemies weep in terror when they see the crimson hateglare on the battlefield, sneer drawn wide.
... Ohh, okay, so he doesn't know. I guess that did happen just today. Which is funny, because we've technically seen him spend... weeks? Already on that other ship with Calliope. Ahh, temporal shenanigans.
371: This isn't the time, but John got some nice lashes, here. Just sayin'.
So, Karkat isn't really over Dave, is what I'm getting from all this. But also, I like to think his Dave Impression is like, astonishingly dead on.
372. Aw, man. ): These poor kids. These poor, poor 40-year old dumb idiot children.
Oooooff.. I was a little confused why they asid that, but I forgot, his soul left his body, so they definitely found his corpse. Yeesh.
Thanks, Obama.
375. Oh, man. That's... an interesting response. I'm guessing... he suspects he went the way of Dirk. Which, I mean... really isn't wrong, at all.
And, I mean... Yeah. He didn't even say goodbye. This was a really good update imo. Short, but deep. Like a stab wound. This is the heady shit that defines the post-Homestuck content. I think this is a pretty good update to end the anniversary month on. Not exactly 'horror' aesthetic, but dark, uncomfortable in a way I find engaging. Well, I say short. There was actually a pretty lengthy convo for the few pages we got. And, for what I just said, I think this also feels like premium Homestuck Classic content too. Just two kids-- err, grown men, awkwardly hashing out their complex feelings while bantering, and insane shit happening all around them. I thought we were done last time, but I REALLY can't imagine there being a part 4 to this. And it feels like we're due to check back in with Deltritus. Unless we're adjusting to seeing them more and more rarely, but that'd feel a bit strange, so that's my prediction.
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Post by ashercrane on Nov 3, 2020 20:55:41 GMT
I really agree. This feels a lot like the old Karkat to me which is something I haven't wholly felt much like a lot of characters have been so far. Reminscent, sure, but a lot of them haven't seemed wholly themselves to me.
That said, Candy Karkat, with this update, has certainly become one of my favorite characters post-epilogue.
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Post by Blaperile on Nov 7, 2020 20:51:18 GMT
Alright, finally caught up again with the past few updates. Not going to paste all my reactions here, but for who's interested: Chapter 14 - The Best Laid Plans ( part 1, 2 & 3) Bonus Story - The Influencers (part 2)Bonus Story - Diamonds, Dames & Dads (part 3)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. Yeah, it's pretty unclear for me as well, especially seeing as it apparently involves getting caught by Jane? Does she want to access some resources of Jane's company, or maybe even Skaianet (which we know Jake ran at least at some point in time a while back)? I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Earth C's Skaianet is already working on some kind of SBURB technology similar to what B1's Skaianet did. Actually, with those Tiaras, I sort of wonder if every one of them is being brainwashed... Yikes, good point there. I, uh, hope it's a less sinister version which they're only usingas some kind of communication device with the other agents, but uh... considering the history of the tiaratops it's probably not that simple. :/ That said, Candy Karkat, with this update, has certainly become one of my favorite characters post-epilogue. Yeah, for me personally, Karkat and Jake are absolutely stand-out (old Homestuck) characters in the Candy reality. I absolutely love them in the Epilogue and here in Homestuck^2. |
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Post by plainWonder on Nov 7, 2020 21:17:41 GMT
Since it's a good idea (don't want to keep c/p stuff), I'll follow Blaperile's lead: Chapter 14 part 1 reactionChapter 14 part 2&3 reactionThe Influencers part 2 reactionDiamonds, Dames and Dads part 3 reactionReactions to Gab: 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. Yeah, going into Candy after reaMeat, I worked on the assumption Candy was narrated by Alt Calliope, to juxtapose against Meat Dirk, and I thought she'd reveal herself at some point. She never did though, so it's left ambiguous. 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. Yeah, I keep having to remind myself the adults are in their forties now. But since their immortality presumably preserves them in their prime, his biological age could be anything between 16 and 35, I think! 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. I'm actually reminded of Act 6 Act 6 Act 1x2, with the split conversations between the teens on their quest slabs, where it was more meant to be read left to right! 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. Ooooh, I forgot she said that! Heh, if you pin Karkat & the limebloods on the hemospectrum as equals to humans... Then cerulean bloods are four slots above them, so she might actually have been telling the truth!  Though don't ask me what that means for the castes below lime on the hemospectrum. ... Actually, besides ceruleanbloods, only the 3 lowest castes have mind powers. Maybe it's really to compensate for a frail disposition! Also, I'm a little uncomfortable with her secret police kind of looking like a fleet of Daves. Jade doesn't take economic advice from Dave, but apparently fashion is not off the table. 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. I actually don't agree with you, I thought she told the others to stand down so she could unleash her final weapon. Guess we still have to see. 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. Well spotted! --- 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. Good point. With Jane's Dad dead on Candy Earth C, not a lot of artifacts from the old Earth society remain in that timeline. --- Good points re: the Secret Police being mindcontrolled! Seems just like something Candy Jane would do. She really is hypocritical like that. --- I agree wholeheartedly with Blaperile. Of the original protagonists, I think Karkat and Jake have had the most interesting arc throughout the epilogues and into Homestuck^2, besides maybe Meat Roxy! |
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Post by ashercrane on Nov 9, 2020 3:28:17 GMT
Yeah, for me personally, Karkat and Jake are absolutely stand-out (old Homestuck) characters in the Candy reality. I absolutely love them in the Epilogue and here in Homestuck^2. I hadn't thought about Jake, but he is pretty old-stuck feeling, yeah. I like him a lot as well. |
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Post by Gab on Nov 29, 2020 23:09:35 GMT
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Post by plainWonder on Dec 20, 2020 18:22:37 GMT
Well, it's been a while since we read some, let's see what we've got! "So There's This Flower" capitalization not withstanding, the lack of punctuation made me think of Roxy. Though I like Blaperile's theory it's Dave spreading the story Kanaya told him, though probably in a very butchered way.4 > 376 Welp, Futurama title screen reference, hahah. Quick, find the parallels between all the occupants of the pirate ship & the Planet Express crew! Dave - Fry Roxy - Bender? Jade - Leela then any sort of parallelskind of breaks down. I guess regular Calliope is Zoidberg. That, or Karkat (crustacean). > 377 Hah, okay so Roxy is the professor. What's the "good news"? I'd like if Jade (and Calliope) were now part of the group again, I hope the situation has already improved enough by this point in their timeline. Is Roxy gathering them because she believes they're nearing their destination and should strategize? > 378 Pffff, Dave's the only one there. ... Okay, the only one there and paying attention. Jade's off screen reading up on mushrooms? Did she immediately delve into developing her own quirky passtime for the trip? Or is there some hidden thing about mushrooms and cherubs we don't know about? In any case, Dave would like some more in-depth info from Jade about what happened but she's too engrossed in whatever that is. > 380 Hah! If ogling the camera's the only way in which 20-something Dave is shown to have grown some awareness about his state as a fictional character, it's enough! > 381 20 nautical feet my FOOT. The buthering of the imperical system continues. Everyone, go metric already! > 382 Dave's really only into Tony Hawk games, of course. Ship etiquette? Is Roxy talking about pronouns, or of just, cleaning up after yourself? ... God, is he(? that Roxy's pronoun in this timeline?) pulling an intervention on Dave's slobbiness? > 383 Hahahah, I was right! Roxy's pulling the parent card on Dave! And it's "he", right, Dave said it right there. Pff, Dave tried to make it about fandom shipping. > 384 Pffffffffffffffffffffff Hah, they went at it for so long, Roxy came looking and saw the mess Dave had left. That's some Lion King 1 1/2 type perspective switch going on there. > 385 Well that conversation took a turn for the worse. And Dave should realize Dirk wouldn't disapprove, I mean, he tried to set them up together before he left. Pfff, okay, it wasn't that Roxy necessarily walked into their first kiss. It's just that, the laundry room has become their default make-out spot. Awkwaaaard. > 387 Hah. So Dave is trying to be openhearted here, but deflecting just a part of his and Roxy's personality. So we're on a tangent about Dave's real-life Fruit Ninja habits. Him de-ripe-ing a banana. And the discussion of generational differences in slang. Though, being raised by carapacians, we can excuse Roxy from pronouncing things in a way that is unique to herself. "lole" and "luhmayo" though. > 388 Nice, Harry Potter reference FTW. It's surprising it took that long, with Roxy's fancy for wizards. But yeah, realtalk. What are they going to do about Dirk, anyway? They can't keep pushing this subject ahead. > 389 Dave's still struggling with the meta importance here. Whether Dirk's right and if they're in a story, it needs a villain or not. While Roxy thinks that it doesn't matter if they're fictional or not, if they're just going with the flow. I think she'll ask Dave to consider what Dirk did was at all excusable. It wasn't. If playing the villain perpetuates the story but brings other people misery, which it has, then Dirk is on the wrong side of the moral fence. And he should know, if he's defeated, the story would still end! Even if it continues with other perspectives, the narrative frame of Homestuck as it was, focusing on the kids, will cease at some point. Nothing to do about that. > 390 Welp, sorry Roxy, you'll not get that answer just yet. Somewhere on the ship, Karkat's raging. Would be funny if Roxy accidentally turned his laundry pink. > 391 Pffff. So Calliope isn't really 100% yet, it seems. They're leaving Karkat meat. As in, Meat Timeline, maybe? Though maybe Calliope in this feral state is just imprinting on Karkat? And of course Karkat feared Calliope was in the vents. He's had a bad experience, even if it was just for a few hours. It's a trauma. Time for another view on the MSPA reader! Guess they recovered from the mindblowing revelation of Lil' Cal being a vessel to Caliborn's soul? > 392 Oh, no, it just went straight to Karkat. The boy is reliving the trauma, poor him. The vent being partially open and a light breeze being felt in the room can't be good for him right now. Even if the opening's hilariously small and Calliope would never fit through it. Unless she can transform into a snake now. > 393 I STAND CORRECTED. Oh god. Calliope, no, stop. Guess being creepy isn't something only Lil Cal (and thus Caliborn) was good at. ---> Now a thing in Homestuck^2: Oh, uh, hey there Calliope. |
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Post by Blaperile on Dec 20, 2020 18:25:00 GMT
Heh, okay, that title sounds like it's something Meat Dave would say, telling the story Kanaya told him about (which he already told Karkat about) which Rose used to tell the little ones. Who could Dave be explaining it to this time? Roxy? Alternatively, it would be funny if it's Karkat telling it to someone. That means the story would have gone now from Rose to Kanaya to Dave to Karkat to whoever he'd be telling it to now. I also wonder when we're going to see Meat Jade re-integrating with the group, after she broke free from Calliope. Let's see. Reactions under the spoiler. Page 376:PFFFFFF, WAIT WHAT. That's a meta reference to how the Patreon count (unfortunately) dropped beneath 2000. I didn't expect them to address THAT in the actual story, haha. Kind of reminds me of the "End of Year" panels in the original Homestuck. But yes, looks like we're indeed headed back to the Meat crew. Page 377:Oh boy, "gathered u all". As in, everyone's gathered? As in, does Calliope come out again now that her other self has disappeared again, and is Jade there too? Or is it just the rest of the crew (...which is just Karkat, Dave and Kanaya I think?). Would be hilarious if it's just them, and now Karkat will be rant how it's actually not all off them. I wonder what Roxy wants to talk about? Probably something silly. Page 378:PFFFFFF, OH MY GOD EVEN BETTER. IT'S JUST DAVE. And woohoo, Jade's actually returned and they know it. Good to have that confirmed! I'm happy for Dave that he's at least regained one of his friends now. Page 379 - 380:Oh my fricking god, Dave you adorable douchebag. See, this is what Candy is missing out on. xD Page 381:Pfff, Jade's just over there. Looks like Dave was exaggerating just how far away she was. So, is she just so caught up in whatever she's doing that she's not hearing them? Or just ignoring them? Page 382:Pfff, Dave, Roxy, seems like you've got a new challenger for coolkid status on this ship, hahaha. Page 383:Hah, looks like Roxy needs to act like Dave's parent and tell him to clean up his room (or uh, ship). Page 384:PFFFFFFFF Right, when Dave and Karkat were busy making out, Dave had just emptied the washing machine, right? Looks like he totally forgot about the clothes afterwards, ahahaha. Page 385:Haha, okay, so it wasn't necessarily that exact moment, but just some other time Roxy also wanted to do his laundy. Yeah, I can see Roxy wouldn't like that very much to see them acting like that in public quarters, all the time. Page 387:Ahahaha, I love these two together. The thing of "god of rhymes" vs "god of times" reminds me of the argument Dave and Kanaya had in an old chat about his class: TG: i command her alright i am like the pimpmaster hustledaddy of all snippy bookshrews GA: Thats An Exotic Title GA: I Thought You Were The Knight TG: wrong what do you want So if it was up to Dave, he'd be the Pimpaster Hustledaddy of All Snippy Bookshrews and Rhymes. And ha, I like how apparently both Meat Dave and Davebot like slicing fruit with their swords. Page 388:VOLDEMORT. HELL YES. xD But yeah... what DO they want to do with Dirk? I think they're probably going to try to convince him verbally first (which obviously won't work), but if necessary they'd probably do whatever it takes to get Rose back. Though uh, obviously they don't know yet Rose is now a robot.  Page 389:Haha, Roxy already knew about the story of the flower. I love how this references Rose and Dave's argument about arcs. Page 390:WELP, Roxy's not getting an answer yet. Goddammit Karkat, what are you doing? xD Page 391:Pffff, Dave are you sure you're not thinking of Gamzee occupying the vents on the meteor? And wait, didn't he also theorize at some point Terezi was in the vents on this ship or something? So uh, according to Roxy Calliope's opening up a bit again now that Jade's normal again, pretty much what I expected, but looks like she might not be entirely normal again? What's going on with her? Judging from the next command, looks like we might find out immediately (I love how for the first time in forever it's addressing the MSPA Reader directly again, even now that we're technically not on the original MSPA website anymore and it's already long since been renamed to Homestuck.com). Page 392:WELP. Poor Karkat. The meat is even covered in Sopor Slime. Even if Calliope did intend the meat to be a "gift" to Karkat, uh, the fact that the meat is covered in Sopor Slime is NOT good. We all know what it does to a Troll when they eat Sopor Slime, and I'd expect Calliope to know that as well. Page 393:OH GOD CALLIOPE NO. I hope in a next update we get to see what's going through her head. Or maybe she's really just that innocent thinking it's a good gift? I mean, this IS the same girl who thought the Trickster Lolliop was a good gift for her friends. xD |
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Post by plainWonder on Dec 22, 2020 13:04:31 GMT
So, another bonus update! I'm interested to see continuations on The Influencers or D^3, but I'm prepared to be surprised! --- The Influencers it is! So, what, are they going to have a yet-unclear but essential part in one of the plot events following the day at the tower? I wouldn't know what, though! > Page 25 Ooh, a shared human/troll coffee shop! With Jane's rule as segregational it is, this must be becoming a rare establishment! Hah, more focus on Avril now, cool. Let's see what's hidden beneath that facade of disinterest. Hmm, is that a misspelling on the plate, or does it not say "coffee" in Alternian script there? ... "Coffe", well then. > Page 26 This caption is so meta, hahah. And it acknowledges that the most important thing the Influencers influence is the plot, not a collection of internet followers! The patronage of the shop is trolls-only apart from our crew, with a single carapacian thrown into the mix. So I guess Jane's PR campaign has reduced the human patronage to the establishment some. But they still have her channel on the television - maybe it's because other signals are blocked. > Page 27 Oooh, it's Imode's regular hangout spot. So maybe that means that Harry Anderson came here a lot too! And that's probably also why she's comfortable ordering a huge stack of pancakes while the others only took a light meal. She's not in any hurry and not afraid to be noticed. Ooh, Blaperile noticed Avril really ate a burger, she didn't just comment on the menu section. And, if you think about it, Avril's comment can be explained by her fearing all troll cuisine is based on bugs. I haven't eaten a bug burger myself yet, so I don't know how "normal" it tastes, so a valid concern. > Page 28 Ah, okay, so they could maybe pick up things from the conversation on the top of the tower? > Page 29 Hah, so they know about Yiffy too, now. God, for a passionate twitterer like Avril it's torture to not be able to spill this. What the narration says is true, it's circumstance that brought them together and currently keeping them together. Although, each of them probably has a following on social media, I guess? Otherwise the Influencers double meaning would only apply to Avril. > Page 30 Ah, so Harry doesn't perform, just make people's costumes, heheh. "Guys 'n Trolls" ... any relation to "Guns 'n Roses"? Heheh, Roxy tried to have a "gender talk" with Imode, cool. So even if she sorted it out for herself in the Candy timeline, it's still a subject she holds dear. > Page 31 Is Imode building a tower stack of used coffee milk boxes (don't know the right term)? Heheh. And I forgot if it was mentioned before, but Silas knows Tavros! ... Right, she's from upper class, she may have mentioned she'd seen him around before on some formal occasion. > Page 32 Interesting to get an outsider view on Tavros' mannerisms. We know he might comport himself a bit more loosely around people he knows and trusts, but this is how he acts around people he's unsure of, which we know would include his mom. Pfff, Crocker emoji is copyrighted. Or should we say... Crockerrighted? And Avril is touching the heart of the matter. They heard some very inflammable stuff back there, about Fanny. What to do about it? > Page 33 Eesh, the war has found their quiet corner of nowhere. These are the air raids that'll start happening more frequently in the days leading up to Gamzee's funeral, I guess. I suppose they're in the troll part of their suburb, too, and that is why the place is being bombarded by Jane. At least, I don't think the troll rebellion would do these things except in retaliation. > Page 34 Wow. This waitress is a character. Arrowed eyebrows. "Ruthie" for a name. The dry remark, like she's seen it all before. All the other patrons have already split. --- Wow. Okay, so just like in Part 1, currently events are happening around them. I wonder if in Part 4, they'll find something to influence themselves, like in Part 2. Blaperile noticed you can see the ship approaching in a previous panel, and I think the flock of birds passing overhead is another sneaky background detail regarding its approach. |
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Post by Blaperile on Dec 22, 2020 13:07:58 GMT
Reaction to The Influencers - Part 3: Alright, back to the Influencers we go! That was pretty quick. Last time we saw how they turned out to be behind the unlocked belltower. Is there some other event from the Candy plot that will now be explained? I'm not exactly sure if there's something else that needs explaining right now that could logically have been done/caused by them? Let's find out. Page 25:Aha, looks like they're taking a break in a coffee shop. plainWonder is right that this seems to be somewhat neutral terrain! Seeing as it's got both the English and the Alternian alphabet on it. I like how the logo kind of seems like the image of a sun and a cloud. Judging from the narration, it looks like this chapter might focus more on Avril? The previous ones seemed to focus more on Imode (in the first chapter) and Silas (in the second chapter) after all, so it makes sense if we now focus on Avril. Page 26:Looks like it's mostly Troll customers there, but they do accept human customers, that's cool to see. Oh and hey, a Dersite with a Troll! So yeah, seeing as this is still the same day as the previous events, I doubt much is going to happen now? I mean, the rebels came together on the belltower and then went to spend their night as they discussed what happened to Dave, right? And then it should have been some days until Gamzee's funeral, right? I'm pretty curious where this is going. Are they going to see some kind of message on the news? A statement from Jane perhaps? It would be interesting to see the reactions of the Trolls in this coffee shop. Page 27:Ha, what a difference in what they're all having. Imode having a bunch of pancakes, Silas just having a coffee, and Avril seems to be having a hamburger, fries and a salad. Man, for being a coffee shop they do have plenty of food there as well. I wish coffee shops were like that here too. Page 28 - 29:Pfff, so looks like these people heard what was discussed about Yiffy. I wonder what they're going to do with that information? Are they perhaps going to post something on social media to try and turn the public opinion against Jane? I love how Silas pretended not to be interested in any food right now, and now the moment Avril is looking away... yoink! xD Page 30:Heh, the combination of the suit Imode is wearing in that musical, the moon, and the buildings around it, remind me a lot of Midnight City and the Midnight Crew. Page 31:Pff, these silly people. Imode building a tower of what I think are those little milk containers for coffee? Meanwhile Avril is looking for the salad and Silas acting all innocent, haha. Right, I believe this was mentioned before. Not only does Imode know Harry, but Silas knows Tavros. Is there also someone famous that Avril knows? Page 32:Nope, Avril doesn't know anyone famous apparently. Looks like they really did hear a lot of what the rebels talked about then, they even seem to have heard that Rose and Jade are the secret parents of Yiffy. Page 33:Wait what?? So the air raids already started here, not just after the scene in the church? Page 34:Pffff, yes time to get out of there. I mean, especially if they realize/believe the humans are bombarding stuff, as a Troll diner they'd probably not consider themselves a safe place to be right now. I really like how they take the time to create the design for such a new character, name her and even give her dialogue even if it's just for one appearance. Oh man, in retrospect it's interesting to look back at the backgrounds of pages 27, 29 and 31 now and how they kind of foreshadow what's about to come. In page 27 everything is calm. In page 29 you see a bunch of birds flying away as if they're startled by something. And then in page 31 you can see a SHIP has appeared in the sky, probably the one that's about to bomb the place. |
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Post by plainWonder on Dec 24, 2020 15:39:30 GMT
Well, another day, another bonus update! It's a real Christmas night miracle! Oh hell yes, D^3 updated! I wouldn't be surprised if this was the most popular story across he fandom subcultures  And I think Blaperile is correct in thinking that Catnapped won't update anymore until D^3 catches up, timeline wise. Goes to show that Dad & DD had a much more eventful evening than the "guests" of Jasprosesprite^2! I'm very interested to learn what has made Slick turn into an enforcer for someone else, who engenders that amount of respect from him? Reaction under the cut! > Page 37 Ahahah, yes, this could've been a perfect moment for an introduction, DD standing in the middle of a room like that, in sprite mode. But nope, shit's already on fire and we're way past introductions. It's strange to see Dad without his hat, got to say. What does he feel merits taking time out of escaping? Checking out what Slick might have on his person? > Page 38 Pfffff, Dad's mostly concerned he messed up Slick's couture. That's... surprisingly in character for him, actually, hahah. Wow, Slick really is good at picking up crippling injuries left and right. This timeline around, it's his leg. > Page 39 Pffff, right through a drywall. And he didn't even mean for it to happen. Mangrit's through the roof. Lol, what was Dad even trying to do on his PDA, call in the emergency drycleanining team? Or did he actually try to call an ambulance for Slick there? Hahahah. Earth C COULD rather do with inter-universal roaming possibilities, for the general populace. Didn't really stop John from talking with Terezi any, anyway. > Page 40 OMG, it's the return of Serious Business twitter, hahahahahahah. Hilarious. Glad to see Dad made new social acquaintances on Earth C. (These can't be Midnight City inhabitants because of aforementioned lack of reliable inter-universal coverage.) > Page 41 Snowman is "helping". Did she try getting a getaway car to Slick? Nah, it's the old kismessitude flaring up, I'm sure. So now Snowman is still to be dealt with. And I'm unsure Dad would be eager to fight even such a capable warrior of the female persuasion. > Page 42 ... Wut. Snowman is saying the two of them are messing up the timeline. What timeline? Is this then supposed to be on Alternia after all, before the Midnight Crew were formed? Did... Did Snowman just drive the two of them to her personal apartment? I swear, what's going on? Before this, the only one of the Felt remotely concerned with keeping the timeline clean was Crowbar. And okay, Stitch, because of what the tears were doing to Lord English' overcoat. For a moment there I thought Snowman was going to drop the both of them off in the street leading to where Jane was. But then she would have alos had to cuff them on the way there, hahah. Does Snowman have a chart detailing the timelines in Midnight City? > Page 43 Pfff, Snowman IS the Maid of Time of Midnight City, hahah. Well, a snowman, and the figure 8, can also be likened to the Infinity symbol, and thus, time loops, I guess. Even if it was made up on the spot, I can still make it fit in my head. But so, how will they get "back on track"? (No I don't think Slick is really dead, dude's survived a lot more abuse than that. Still, I get Snowman feeling real concern and covering it up with Intermission hyperbole. ) > Page 44 The less is said about this page the better. > Page 45 Everything to avoid time paradoxes, even if it means temporarily toning down Dad's impressive mangrit and let him be cuffed. > Page 46 Pffffff. I'm still unsure where I stand regarding the DD/Dad ship, but I can say it does wonders for Dad's characterization. |
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Post by Blaperile on Dec 24, 2020 15:44:54 GMT
Alrighty, time for Diamonds, Dames & Dads Part 4. I find it interesting how now the past months we've just been alternating between this story and The Influencers. Seems like they truly are the "main" bonus stories for Meat and Candy respectively, hehe. I guess there's also Catnapped which can still continue, but it wouldn't surprise me if they're first waiting for Diamonds, Dames & Dads to catch up in chronology before continuing there. So now this has become the first story to get 4 parts! I wonder what's going to happen now. Dad took Slick out so they could escape. The question is, are Dad and DD still handcuffed to each other? Like they were when we saw them in Catnapped? If so, it wouldn't surprise me if at the end of this part the chronology catches up and they find the bar with Jasprosesprite^2. Let's find out. (My reactions are within the spoiler tag) Page 37:Ahahaha, oh man, this entire page. It's interesting to see these guys rendered in Sprite Mode without a hat for once. Especially Dad. I love how meta-savvy Dad is on the changing art styles. And hey look, they're not handcuffed to each other! Oh man, what the hell is still going to happen that will cause them to be handcuffed to each other?? Those chains on the floor remind me of the Cherub chains. Page 38:Oh my freaking god, Dad what are you doing. xD I wonder who's correct about Slick's knee here. It would be interesting if Slick's knee really is totally kaput, and he's going to need a cane or a peg-leg (like Lord English or B2 Jack. Page 39:OH HELL YES, YOU GO DAD. I can never get enough of Dad owning the shit out of a Jack. I wonder if Dad's using his PDA or some other device. The best thing is you can't tell if Dad is serious or is putting on his best snark. Page 40:YES. HELL YES. HELL FUCKING YES. xD Return of Serious Busines, ahh... It's cool to see how Dad's found kindred spirits on what I assume is Universe C Reminds me of what he did on Derse on the social network with all those Carapacians... and DD, hehe. Oh wow, Slick's still getting up after all that. Page 41:PFFFFFF, THERE GOES SLICK. Even Snowman, despite seemingly working together with Slick here, can't resist further abuse of him. Some things never change. Oh boy, what's going to happen now though? Snowman going to have a talk with them? Page 42:WUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT Hang on, hang on... Snowman says DD and Dad are fucking up the timeline. To be honest, this timeline seemed already fucked up before Dad even arrived? I mean, this isn't the Alpha timeline of Alternia anymore, right? Assuming this really is the "Next Week" timeline DD got catapulted into at the end of the Intermission, and these are alternate versions of Slick and Snowman. Or is there really something else going on here? Is plainWonder right, that this is taking place BEFORE the Intermission then? But then what happened between SS and DD in between forming Midnight City and this moment? And what does Snowman now want with them? I suddenly understand jack shit. Page 43:WHAT?  ?? So is the narration really describing the Intermission there? As in, the one we saw in Homestuck with The Felt? So because Dad punched SS through the jail, that didn't happen. And... is that the panel from Catnapped with Dad and DD handcuffed to each other? Does that mean that ALSO doesn't occur anymore in this timeline? Holy shit. To be honest, I'm not that surprised with the bit about Snowman making sure the narrative stays on track. I mean, that's also kind of what she did back when she prevented Quarters from killing SS, right? And definitely seems to me like an assignment Doc Scratch would give her. Oh my freaking god, where is this even GOING. xD Page 45:Aha, the handcuffs... so this is the main timeline after all? And if this is taking place prior to the Intermission, SS is fine then, or...? Page 46:Aha, and there's Jasprosesprite^2! We're caught up now... Wow... my head hurts though. How does this all fit in with everything? Does this timeline end up to become the Intermission timeline later? Meaning SS is actually fine, Dad and the others will eventually leave, etc. Or was it SUPPOSED to become that, but now isn't because Dad punched Slick through the wall? I'm very curious where this is going next though. Will Catnapped and Diamonds, Dames & Dads continue separately, will one of both quit, or will both come together in a new story? |
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Post by plainWonder on Dec 26, 2020 13:47:32 GMT
Chapter 16: "Welcome to my Secret Lair"I highly doubt Calliope is going to invite Karkat into a lair she built into the air vents. So perspective switch it is! > Page 394 I thought it was going to turn out to be Candy Karkat that said the quote, but apparently not. John is frozen in place, unable to move forward, in a more literal sense than before. So, then, who would contact him? Vriska's still captured, right? So, Jane then? I kind of wish for it to be Sollux, just for the hilarious combination, but I sincerely doubt it. That guy probably never ventured off the meteor. And what will his eventual role in this timeline be? He's reduced to a minor participant in the rebellion, his childhood in literal ruins... > Page 395 Oooh, it's gonna be Roxy? Uhm, what, did she have a secret lab underneath her house this whole time? XD > Page 396 Pfffff, it's amazing how much adult Roxy is unchanged, purely referring to how she speaks. Hah, Harry is hard at work on John's new outfit, and not a moment too soon. I feel John's pain re: fishing phones outside of too tiny pockets (if only because I tend to stuff mine with personal items). > Page 397 Does she have a transportalizer in her room? That would be a sweet callback to Mom's bedroom not being where she actually slept. Heheh, and the remnants from Vriska's tantrum (tantrants? remntrums?) are still not cleaned up! > Page 398 I feel for John and can imagine that, as the absentee parent, coming back into the familiar yet different like this, especially in the context of a once-shared bed room... It's gotta feel real bewildering. Love the fact that Roxy cares zero shit and made/bought a wine glass/coffee mug combination. > Page 399 Of course John is now acknowledging what is for him the elephant in the room. But I have a gut feeling Roxy's going to do a spit take and explain herself, that this isn't what it might look like for John. > Page 400 Hah, who knows, lying down on the bed, maybe John will just crash and fall asleep right away. I do like to see John's inner struggle. In fact, in this moment, he's got an awful lot of Jake's mannerisms in play. Abstract, impersonal gloryless warfaring? No problem. Intimate physical or emotional connections? Heroic BSOD. > Page 401 I think Roxy was saying right around the middle: if you want we can revisit the gender topic But that's still something John can't broach. I liked hearing about what he had to say re: his feelings about his house. And I get it, I really do. It's easy to retreat into what used to feel good, even if it doesn't anymore. I guess this could turn into arguments about the comfort zone and leaving it, but really... It's more about: people change, so their habits may too, and what was good for you in one part of your life might not remain that way. Also, love the discussion of John using his Sburb powers / mangrit and just cutting loose. That's not something he, OR Dad, are really want to do, if the situation doesn't require it. > Page 402 Hah, Roxy lied, it's not even that the bed changed, she just wanted to show this to John + he was "sent for"? By who? "as they told me in the hospital [...] just push" "lil h a" > Page 403 *disappears* like a wizard. Love how the symbolic rendition of the portal is that much smaller. > Page 404 Oooh, Calliope's kind of dressed like a monk. Or a muze, I guess? Pffff, big conspicuous object beneath a curtain? What is this, Hiveswap? And Terezi saw a similar object on Dirk's ship! So, really, does that mean their timelines are going to connect through a similar portal as in Hiveswap? Or is that a red herring? > Page 405 Oooh, if they're in the old meteor, than... Actually Sollux COULD be around, hahah. Glad to see this version of Calliope is still the same. Even if the relationship between her and Roxy sometimes gives me the idea Calliope could be clingy (not maliciously though, just because she lacked affection until she had her human friends). Still, better for Calliope to imprint on Roxy than Jane, right? > Page 406 ... Wow. Jegus. Hah, okay, now this is the stuff I didn't even really hope for anymore from this timeline. The "point" to the Candy timeline. Is to escape it. And for cosmical bullshit reasons, it'll all happen on the meteor again, hahah. Love that Calliope and Roxy are here as John gets an explanation behind the true extent of his choice, which he made during the picnic all those years ago! "Plotpoint" I love that name. Hah, Calliope realized she was being a third wheel, but her apology basically amounted to: it was an experience, so thank you for it! She's an ascended fan, and she's loving every minute of it! Nice outfit, too. Of course Vriska is the one that can get them out! And the event of unignorable cosmic significance... Yeah, this is still a Hussieverse. It can go anywhere. Vriska riding a pony. Vriska making out with Jane. Fanny, Jane and Vriska in x3 standoff. What I find hilarious is that Calliope was present when her alternate consumed her brother, and she's like low-key wow'd, that's all. Wonder what the sound is all about. Something from behind the curtain? Is it a fourth wall? Something from inside the meteor? Sollux? Or is it sounds being patched from inside Roxy's house? Is there a raid taking place? > Page 407 Awww. I can really settle for Roxy and John as amicable exes. It's like they went through all stages of a relationship already and can now pick and choose what works.
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Post by Blaperile on Dec 26, 2020 16:14:51 GMT
Oh boy, this chapter title sounds like we might be going back to Dirk. I'm not sure who else could have a secret lair. Here's my live reactions to this update: Page 394:Oh snap, nope, we're going back to John! Aww, it's good that John and Karkat had some time alone together to grieve for Dave, even if it was mostly in silence. So uh, what's going to happen with John now? Who could possibly find him? Karkat has just left and I assume his fellow rebels won't be coming right now either. Vrissy and Vriska have been captured. Harry is presumably still at home. It would be hilarious if somehow Sollux ends up here, but I doubt it. So... Jane herself?? Is she also going to capture John, or have him captured by her troops? Page 395:Hopy shit, it's Roxy! Thank god, we've barely seen anything from Candy Roxy since Homestuck^2 began, I was starting to wonder when we'd finally see her again. Last time we saw Harry he was at Roxy's home, so perhaps she's finally come home now, heard from Harry what happened, and decided to reach out to John now? Page 396:Aha, yup, pretty much what I thought. I wonder what kind of help Roxy needs? Page 397:There she is! So uh, Roxy's taking John to her room. Is... Roxy going to have some kind of secret lair there? 0_0 What kind of drink she's having? It kind of looks like wine but uh, also like some kind of hot drink. Hot grape juice? xD Page 398:I love how Roxy's acting like all that just happened is totally normal. Ha, so it's coffee then... in what looks like a wine glass. Oh Roxy. xD Page 399:N'aww, I just noticed John and Roxy's wedding picture is still hanging on the wall. Oh my freaking god John, that's clearly not what Roxy meant. Either a spit-take or slap incoming in 3... 2... 1... Page 400:Haha, okay, just a frowny face. I have absolutely no clue what the favor could be that Roxy wants to ask of John. Does she need his Windy powers for something? Page 401:D'aww, look at these two adorable people. Poor John. Hopefully the destruction of his house can indeed be a good thing, that he can finally learn to move on properly. Aha, so Roxy's INDEED got a secret lair! But wait. She needs John's help to move the bed so she can use the transportalizer... but then how did she go there before if John hasn't always been helping her with the bed? Wait, John did say it was new bed now. Maybe she could move the old one by herself, but not this one because it's heavier or something? Page 402:Ahahahaha, okay so Roxy didn't actually need him to move the bed. That solves that. Hopy shit though, that tranportalizer is HUGE. I wonder if it's going to look anything like the Skaianet lab? Page 403:Ahhh, how I've missed seeing this Sprite Mode transportalization animation.  Pfff, the tranportalizer looks much smaller in Sprite Mode though. Page 404:Oh wow, it's Calliope! Been a long time since we last heard from her in the Candy timeline. And uh, Meat as well until last update, haha. Waaaaaait a second. Incredibly huge object behind a curtain that remains mysteriously hidden for now... and abundantChewtoys just had a good point that Dirk ALSO had a similar object hidden behind a curtain that he didn't want Terezi to see. What's the deal with it??? I mean... this reminds me a SUSPICIOUS amount of the portals hidden behind a curtain in Hiveswap to travel between Earth and Alternia. Are these... similar portals but to travel between Meat and Candy??  That would be hella mindblowing. Looks like that will remain a mystery for now though. Until then it's 404 - OBJECT BEHIND CURTAIN NOT FOUND.  Hmmm, Calliope's clothes here remind me of what Aradia was wearing last time we saw her with Davebot and the other Calliope, hmmm... Page 405:Oh wow, they're in the Troll's meteor! Hopy shit. What is she keeping here? Also, yay, Calliope dialogue. Page 406:Holy shit, this entire page... what a GOLDMINE. I think this has got to be one of my most favorite Homestuck^2 pages so far. Wow, where to start. First of all, I love how Calliope actually enjoyed seeing what John and Roxy got up to and wasn't that bothered by it at all. D'aww. I don't really understand yet why this place, the Trolls' meteor, corresponds to the black hole's singularity though. Is it because of its link to Calliope and Caliborn, how they grew up there or something? Ha, it's cool that John had the chance to catch up on some of B2's movies that came out after 2009. Interstellar was indeed a great, movie, hehe. Why does Calliope think falling in the black hole would have been a bad thing though? I mean, Vriska and Lord English did survive it, and all those ghosts came through as well. In any case, Calliope's dialogue seems to imply that whatever is beneath the curtain, it's not linking to Meat? Or at least, not that she knows. And well, John did communicate with Terezi who was outside of the black hole. It seems like Calliope's description of the world being on the brink of total cataclysm might imply Candy is somewhat like a doomed timeline then? That's kind of like what those timelines resulted in. And what would having Vriska do something here in the meteor change anything about it? Maybe something to do with her Thief of Light powers? And what are the sounds John hears here? Is it comign from beneath the curtain? Feet? Doors? Stone and digital static??? What the hell could that be? Page 407:Ah okay, Rose, Kanaya and Jade are meeting up with them too. That's nice. Just how much will they tell them? Will they just not tell about this stuff in the meteor, or will they also not tell them about the plan to go get Vriska? Because uh, I'd think they want to know if they're busting out Vrissy (presumably, along with Vriska). |
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Post by Blaperile on Dec 30, 2020 21:27:20 GMT
For all non-patrons (who wouldn't be able to see it) or patrons who may have not seen it yet, on the Homestuck^2 patreon an announcement was made that there will be a hiatus.
No end date was mentioned for the hiatus, but the Patreon only announces not charging the patrons in January, in February it should resume (unless they update this later on).
I'm curious what kind of reshuffling they're going to do there... Seeing as they've unfortunately been losing patrons (going from >2000 to 1794 at the moment of writing this), I assume the reshuffling of the tiers will be something to encourage more people to become patrons (again).
Perhaps more intermediate tiers, or shifting certain bonuses to a lower tier or something.
I wonder what they could possibly "reshuffle" about the update schedule and the bonus content though. Are they going to make smaller chunks spread over the month or something (more like the old Homestuck way of doing it)?
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Post by Blaperile on Feb 14, 2021 17:18:00 GMT
I just read Andrew Hussie’s Patreon post, and there’s some things I have to get off my chest now.
I feel many things right now. I feel angry. Disgusted. Heartbroken. Sad.
The fandom used to be Homestuck’s strength. Initially, they were literally the driving force behind the story in a way, with delivering commands, and names for the characters. But even beyond that, they served as inspiration. Delivering beautiful works of art in the form of fan-art, music, fanfics, and entertaining theories and discussions.
I used to see the Homestuck fandom as the ideal symbiosis between creators and fans.
But now, the "fandom" is what's dragging Homestuck down.
Sure, there are probably still many great fans out there. People holding fond memories to what Homestuck was, maybe also to what it still is today. Maybe a lot less vocal, but come on can you really expect people to continuously keep being a passionate contributor to the fandom after 12 years? Life happens, other interests happen, that's normal and that's okay.
It's okay to absolutely adore Homestuck with all your heart. It's okay to just think it's cool. It's okay to be indifferent to it. It's okay to dislike it. It's okay to go from one state to the other over time. It's okay to voice your opinion, whatever it may be. That's all okay.
You can feel and say whatever you want about a piece of fiction. But PLEASE. Do it with respect to the people who created it. Do it with respect to people who feel differently about this same piece of fiction.
Each and every one of us is a human being, with their own feelings. Everyone should have the right to do whatever it is they want to do, and be whoever they want to be, as long as they don't harm other people through it.
Let everyone live their life, let them do what they do, the way they see it.
Don't like a song? Don't listen to it anymore.
Don't like a book? Don't read it anymore.
Don't like a movie or its director or studio? Don't watch it anymore.
Don't like a restaurant? Don't go there anymore.
Everyone deserves to have the possibility to create what they have in their mind, no matter what anyone else may think of it.
Same with Homestuck. Andrew Hussie is the one who came up with this story, and everyone can voice their opinions on what they think of it, but by the end of the day it's his decision what happens with this story. Or the people he entrusts with that decision.
A work of art is not something that cannot and should not be judged in an "objective" way. It's always subjective.
And if it's subjective, you can provide feedback if you want, but you need to realize that people have different opinions about it and that's okay. Give honest feedback about what you think, and the creators can do with it whatever they want. Maybe they do something with it, maybe they don't.
Violence is never the answer, neither physical nor verbally.
Why bully someone you dislike instead of just getting out of each other's way?
When someone's happy when you're not, why drag them down? What's the point?
Don't force anyone to change, or to be someone they're not. Share your view of the world, but it's up to the other side if they take or leave it. Don't force them to take it.
Face the facts. A piece of art can never be enjoyed by 100% of the people. It will always be somewhere in between 0% and 100% of the people. Let the people be who are among this group, and if you're not part of it or not any longer, find yourself something you do enjoy for your own sake.
You do not decide what a piece of art should be, unless you're the one making it.
The people who engage in this terrible behaviour, they must have their own things they really care about right? Be it a person in your life, an object with emotional meaning to you, or some kind of interest. Would you really feel okay if someone just did to that person or thing what you just did to Homestuck^2's creators??
I'm disheartened that bullies have taken away the joy out of Homestuck^2 for people who still care about it. It's because of YOU that we now won't be having anymore updates until the story is finished, if it ever does.
What did you just accomplish? You're not getting a "better" Homestuck, you're getting nothing. And you just ruined it for everyone else in the process.
It's because of you that I need to find other interests to fill my time with. And it's because of you that I'm feeling doubt whether I'll still find the energy myself to continue with my personal Homestuck related projects about writing my translation, exploring Homestuck from different characters' perspectives, managing this forum, playing Hiveswap. Because while in my mind Homestuck was for so long associated with fun times, it's gradually becoming associated with more and more negative feelings, not even related to the actual content of the fictional work.
And maybe, just maybe, I'll find more satisfaction right now in pursuing other interests completely unrelated to Homestuck. All because the so-called "fans" ruined it for me.
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Post by arsquid on Feb 25, 2021 1:59:58 GMT
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Blaperile. While I have not taken the time to read all of your and plainWonder's reaction posts, or much of Homestuck^2 itself for that matter, I have enjoyed lurking here and sort of living out some semblance of what we used to have on the MSPA forums. Especially for the epilogues.
I don't have access to the Patreon post, but unfortunately I feel like I have a decent idea of what it entailed. I have heard some things about the behavior of the Homestuck community recently including people that have been interacting with Andrew Hussie and his personal life fairly directly. We probably shouldn't get into it, and I respect that you chose not to share the contents of the post. Ultimately the only part that the public needs to know is regarding the Patreon and the project updating and etc.
Without getting into details it does seem to me that the community has gotten increasingly toxic. I think part of it may be a sort of "loud minority" thing, with an ever decreasing majority to cancel them out. I'm not sure, and I suppose it's unlikely I'm gonna drop any hot Social Science and debunk this problem in a largely uninformed forum post. Just some food for thought.
Please don't lose your passion in this interest! There is still a lot to love about Homestuck, and value in keeping it close to your heart- don't let the hecklers ruin this for you. Think of Star Wars for instance, if that helps, and its problematic fandom. There's still good Star Wars around, and a whole bunch of artists who grew up with those original films which inspired all kinds of other great art.
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Post by Gab on Mar 3, 2021 1:53:56 GMT
I feel bad I wasn't aware of this right away. I just haven't been very active with Homestuck anymore. Not that I've stopped liking it, but it wasn't the fervent obsessive passion I used to have. Besides, I've had lots of other stuff to deal with, so it just wasn't that high on the list of priorities.
First I should express my relief. I think this was the right call, to get the team out from under the fire of harassment. I'm also glad they're being given reign to make the story they want to, and will see it through to completion. That's all any fan should really want. It's a shame the approach has to change but what matters most is the content, and I'm looking forward to the day we can see it released. I think it would be cool to explore it together if any of us are still in touch when that day comes.
I am definitely very angry about this too, but mostly a bit surprised, and disappointed. I knew the toxic voices felt louder than usual, but I didn't realize how bad it had really gotten, mostly because I elected to ignore the biggest source of it (reddit, to be clear). Homestuck ended, and a lot of the fans moved on. The ending was controversial for many reasons, the epilogues even more so, and so I get why there would be some contention with a semi-sequel not written or drawn by Andrew. Still, that it got to this level is beyond what I had expected, and I am disappointed indeed. I really wish I could understand how it got that way. I never saw Homestuck as a toxic fandom back in 2010-2013 when it was at its height, and I'll defend that claim. Those were kids having fun, expressing their creativity, and giving a very good and unique story the attention it deserved. So I don't really see how something that was genuinely awe inspiring ended up leaving these apparently empty, bitter husks. It is sad. And frustrating. But at the end of the day I will not attach a media I enjoy to the fandom it has, whether its a good or bad one, honestly. I enjoy it on its own merits, and I will find people to share that with on my own if I have to.
This way we both get what we want. They stopped the story, but we still get it in the end. I am happy with that result, because that's the only important thing. I wonder, though. Are they happy with what they've accomplished?
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