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Post by Rieev on Sept 8, 2012 18:40:15 GMT -8
So...What are your opinions on Homestuck? Honestly, I think it's interesting and definitely has a lot going for it. There are things good about it that make me a fan (the characters, the music, and the art), but also a LOT of bad things about it that make me want to turn away from it. Those things of course include: it's a long, long, LONG read; too many terms and made up words; it gets confusing; the troll-speak pisses me off (kudos to Terezi for being interesting but a freaking pain to read); the FANDOM; and Hussie- I cannot bring myself to like him and every time he inserts himself to the story, I feel disgusted. But I do think it is good- but I also think it's overhyped and the Fandom thinks WAY too highly of themselves. Also, I love Eridan: images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110430014360/mspaintadventures/images/5/57/ERIDANSLUSUS.gif [/img] Which is funny, because he's pretty much one of the unluckiest characters in Homestuck.
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Post by Helix on Sept 8, 2012 19:01:11 GMT -8
(This is pretty much what I was going to skype you about, haha.) I started reading HS in like January and it took me FOREVER to get through the Fifth Act. Seriously it's the most painful thing in the world. But I was able to catch up over the summer and actually had time to reread acts 1-4. It really is just the fifth that takes forever, and it also just happens to be the entire Troll universe so it makes sense since it follows 12 main characters plus extra. Don't get me wrong, I really do like it, it just felt like I'd never see the end of it. I've only been caught up with the rest of the fans since right before the Caliborn flash came out (amazing, btw) so I've strayed away from them to avoid spoilers. If anything on Tumblr today is anything to go by though, they are freaking INSANE. Like seriously guys. Get it together. My favorite characters are definitely the Midnight Crew: (link goes to flash video) Actually, the Exiles in general are high on my list. My favorite trolls are probably tied for Terezi and Vriska, and my favorite kids are Jade and Roxy. Also bonus points for making Pisces the highest blood tier, makes me and my horoscope very happy indeed.
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Post by Rieev on Sept 8, 2012 19:25:27 GMT -8
It's actually Act 5 Act 2 that I pretty much gave up on reading. I'm planning on going back, but I need the free time. Plus, I need someone to explain to me the whole Beta-Kids, Alpha-Kids thing. I know that the Beta-Kids are the younger versions of the guardians of the Alpha-Kids, and that they are living in the post-Scratch universe. But still, I am going crazy because I don't understand how they fit in with the rest of the universes and all this time traveling stuff is driving me insane. (Though I admit, Time Traveling is a topic that confuses me and screws with my head, which is why Dr. Who is really hard for me to get into at times.) By the way, I forgot to mention how much I adore the Striders: I simply ADORE the art and the flash animations in Homestuck, I just don't know what's going on for half the time <<
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Post by Helix on Sept 8, 2012 19:47:46 GMT -8
Oh, the Striders are just a given. The single most badass family that ever lived.
I'm also trying to find the page somewhere in Act 6 that explains the Alpha/Beta kids, but I'm not having luck finding it. I'll get back to you on that one...
"Cascade" is totally worth the ride though. It's the flash at the end of Act 5 Act 2, and it's so long it had to get hosted on Newgrounds because the memory was through the roof. It's hard to figure out what's happening the first time around, but my goodness it's gorgeous.
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Post by Helix on Sept 8, 2012 20:28:24 GMT -8
FOUND IT. This page www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=006606 and the next one will explain the Alpha/Beta kids, along with the concept of Pre and Post Scratch, so it's super helpful. Then again, in Dave's eternal words: "i dunno if im ready to process the ramifications of this bullshit"
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Post by Rieev on Sept 9, 2012 8:45:34 GMT -8
Okay, let me get this straight.
So when John activated the Scratch, Skaia created another reality where instead of the four ecto-babies being John, Jade, Dave, and Rose, it's Jake, Jane, Dirk, and Roxy? And if I remember correctly, the ecto-babies are usually sent by meteors and found when said meteors land on Earth. So Skaia has the ability to control the meteors and decide which will land and where will they land whenever a Scratch is activated. And this time it chose to switch the babies around with their guardians.
And if I am also correct: Jade and John are siblings, and Dave and Rose are siblings, because in a way the they were made from the same ectoplasm as the other (which is good because I'm a Jade/Dave and Rose/John shipper.)
Okay...What the hell are the purpose of these ecto-babies!!? God, just more questions. I also know that it was John who created them because he went back in time (or something like that) and proceeded to make them out of the ectoplasm. So in a creepy way, he's his own father. And apparently later on it was revealed that Karkat also made ecto-babies!
Damn, my head hurts. TO THE HOMESTUCK WIKI.
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Post by Helix on Sept 9, 2012 9:20:14 GMT -8
It's mostly because every time a game is started, some of the players are given special jobs, like for example there's always someone in charge of the Ectobiology (John and Karkat) and someone else is in charge of frog breeding (Jade and Kanaya) because the frog then becomes the universe they create at the end of the game. Kanaya and Karkat kinda messed up along the way and when they created the universe for the Beta kids (the trolls are their "gods" in a way) it was always destined to fail because it was created with a built-in cancer.
The Scratch's purpose was to try to save what was left of the cancerous universe by resetting it, which is where your explanation comes in with Skaia. The trolls also had a scratch session, where Meenah caused the scratch that caused her group to become what Karkat's group refers to as the ancestors, which makes Meenah the same person as the Condesce theoretically. I think the term is dancestor now >.<
All eight of the kids always existed in both universes, it's just that only four of them ever get to play the game. Which means that Karkat had to take care of 24(!) babies and only twelve would become the next players. I guess the reason that they have to be made through ectobiology instead of regular biology is to let them create paradoxes in time without messing shit up (as if they haven't done that a million times).
That wiki is also my greatest friend. I had it open in a separate tab the entire time I read act 5.
glub
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Post by Helix on Sept 9, 2012 18:10:03 GMT -8
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Post by Rieev on Sept 10, 2012 0:48:35 GMT -8
Oh my God, Eridan! XDD I don't know why, but I just really like him. He's my favorite male troll (followed by Karkat and Sollux.), and I'm guessing it's because he's just such a hard-headed brat who just can't get any love. That and he, along with Gamzee, are the only antagonistic trolls so I find that interesting. ^^U My favorite female is of course Nepeta. It's times like this where I actually appreciate my Zodiac sign. Feferi is a close second- it's a shame that Eridan was too much of a hardhead to get things right with her. Oh well, she has Sollux.I'm starting to get the feeling that if it weren't for how confusing the storyline is and how overbearing the fanbase is, I would actually be a big fan of Homestuck, simply for its characters. *sigh*
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Post by Rieev on Sept 10, 2012 0:55:45 GMT -8
It's mostly because every time a game is started, some of the players are given special jobs, like for example there's always someone in charge of the Ectobiology (John and Karkat) and someone else is in charge of frog breeding (Jade and Kanaya) because the frog then becomes the universe they create at the end of the game. Kanaya and Karkat kinda messed up along the way and when they created the universe for the Beta kids (the trolls are their "gods" in a way) it was always destined to fail because it was created with a built-in cancer. The Scratch's purpose was to try to save what was left of the cancerous universe by resetting it, which is where your explanation comes in with Skaia. The trolls also had a scratch session, where Meenah caused the scratch that caused her group to become what Karkat's group refers to as the ancestors, which makes Meenah the same person as the Condesce theoretically. I think the term is dancestor now >.< All eight of the kids always existed in both universes, it's just that only four of them ever get to play the game. Which means that Karkat had to take care of 24(!) babies and only twelve would become the next players. I guess the reason that they have to be made through ectobiology instead of regular biology is to let them create paradoxes in time without messing shit up (as if they haven't done that a million times). That wiki is also my greatest friend. I had it open in a separate tab the entire time I read act 5. glub So pretty much the trolls ended up screwing over the Universe they made with Sburb and all these resets and alternate timelines have been their way of trying to fix everything? I am actually understanding things a little better now. It helps when you think of everything in Homestuck as a video game instead of just a regular story. Which is why the whole God Tier thing makes sense to me, since that's basically the final level your character can reach and from that point they can only become more powerful. Jade officially seems like the game breaker though, with her Dog-tier powers and all.
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Post by Helix on Sept 10, 2012 20:27:16 GMT -8
Pretty much. Though it doesn't seem like it at first, it does a good job of explaining itself through story mechanic, like you said, since it's a video game. It makes sense that no one ever "dies" because there is your pre-game life, during-game life, dream life, and god-tier life. Wait until you get to the explanation of how someone can die while in god-tier; I think it's probably one of my favorite and uniquely presented rules in the game and the visual is stirring. But you gotta get to Doc Scratch's narration at the end of Act 5.2, easily the best part of the story so far.
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Post by Helix on Sept 11, 2012 12:49:42 GMT -8
Oh no.
They've added a Midnight Crew prize pack for the Homestuck Kickstarter.
Hussie knows I haven't thrown money at him and is now luring me in.
DAMN YOU HUSSIE
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Post by Rieev on Sept 12, 2012 7:01:57 GMT -8
Oh, Hussie *sigh* Don't know how to feel about that guy.
On one hand I think he is talented and that he did produce an interesting series.
On the other hand, I think he's arrogant, pretentious, and takes too much pride in whatever twist he does and the fandom can't help but stroke his ego every time he does something 'amazing' in the story, even though most of his so-called 'twists' are clearly ass-pulls. And yes he would not be the first author who does that (manga authors pull ass-pulls disguised as twists all the time) but I thought Homestuck would be different because it's so "PEEERFFFECT!"
And saying such errors are 'intended' because Homestuck is Hussie's experiment does not excuse the fact Homestuck has a lot of mishaps and could be improved to make these ass-pulls actually twists.
Of course, criticizing Homestuck (especially on Tumblr) gives you a one way ticket to Fan-Wank-City.
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Post by Helix on Sept 12, 2012 10:33:39 GMT -8
I feel like you're characterizing Hussie with the things the fandom is doing. I don't really see arrogance, not through the story at least. Otherwise it sounds like he rolls his eyes when he does it. If I met the dude in person maybe that would be different. It kinda reminds me of the Admin of Dragon Cave, he's just so aloof and calculating that a lot of people see it coming across as rude and mean-spirited when he really isn't trying to be (well, except for some particular instances where he really did get pissed off). I feel like they both have a lot in common and I'm just adding that to my point of view. The immense stroking of his ego I do agree with. Even if he says something ironically or not to be taken seriously, the fandom just runs for it and literally doesn't stop until they trip over and their faces fall into a pit of spikes. And he won't stop them of course. It's just way too funny. The way they take his every word and breath and movement to be ordained from the gods above and praise be to this everlasting creator...isn't really Hussie's problem, I think. He'll go on with his life when it's over, but the fans? I guess we'll see about that. Here's a bunch of questions he answered once on his tumblr. I mostly get his sense of personality from this. Hussie as the character we find in Homestuck though, is basically everything you said exaggerated tenfold. There's this super weird scene where he asks Vriska to marry him...and nothing ever really mentions it again? I don't know, it was just like "wtf" and move on.
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Post by Rieev on Sept 12, 2012 11:09:14 GMT -8
I guess the fandom ticks me off more than I originally thought. The way they praise Hussie just irritates me- it's like he can do no wrong with Homestuck in their eyes. The fact he has a self-insert character also did't rub me the right way, though apparently it is 'important to the plot' that Hussie exists as a character in Homestuck, so if he could somehow make that work than I applaud him.
I have heard, though, that when doing panels at cons Hussie is actually very quiet and reserved, unlike how he appears in Homestuck. So is he not as bad as I feel he is? Probably not, but for some reason, I just can't shake off the feeling that he has a little too much fun screwing with the fans and most of the fans think way too highly of him. But he does at least appreciate them. We'll see what happens when Homestuck ends (if it ever does.)
The fandom drives me up the freaking wall though- I can get over my dislike for Hussie because he is definitely talented and he has his moments, but I can't get over how irritating most of the fandom is. A fan I met on a forum actually told me "You're not smart enough for Homestuck!" when I told her I couldn't finish it. @_@
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