I find it amazing how Bec merged with the sprit specifically to allow Jade to be with the other kids in the post-Scratch world, even if it meant making things harder for everybody else.
CG: I'M A DISGUSTING WORTHLESS BILGESACK ON THE GARGANTUAN TEAT OF A LABORING, LEPROUS MUSCLEBEAST. MY SELF ESTEEM IS SO SMALL, ITS EXISTENCE IS A MATTER OF CONJECTURE AMONG THEORETICAL PHYSICISTS. I SMELL SO BAD, THE STENCH CANNOT BE EXPRESSED WITH EVEN THE MOST ELOQUENT, FLORID LANGUAGE. THE ODOR MY BODY MAKES HAS MADE POETS CRY. I HAVE WON SPECIAL AWARDS FOR DISCOVERING NEW PLACES TO TOUCH MYSELF EROTICALLY WHILE FARTING. I UNFAIRLY PULVERIZE THE COMPETITION IN ASSHOLE PAGEANTS, AND I HAVE RECEIVED A LIFETIME BAN FROM UGLY CONTESTS BY PRESIDENT SHITFACE HIMSELF. MY BLOOD IS NOT FIT TO FLOW THROUGH A SEWER, AND MY SIGN IS A PICTOGRAPHIC SYMBOL THAT LOOSELY TRANSLATES AS "PLEASE HIKE THESE PANTS UP TO THIS GUY'S ARMPITS, CHAIN HIM TO A FLOGGING JUT, AND MAKE A FUCKING EXAMPLE OUT OF THIS SORRY SACK OF SHIT." WHEN I LOOK IN A MIRROR, MY REFLECTION SLOWLY SHAKES HIS HEAD WHILE I WET MYSELF IN SHAME.
...and this is actually world-building. Holy carp.
Watching the Red Miles unfurl over the ruined Earth after Bec Noir realises how he's been had by the Exiles while Karkat makes his confession is chilling.
You know, the clearer the timeline of Gamzee's insanity becomes, the clearer the influence of certain forces becomes. He was clearly deeply disturbed and infuriated by Dave's message, and already on edge from withdrawal and awakening hereditary tendencies to violent caprice and paranoia, but it's only after Li'l Cal's ambiguously real pep talk and his conversation with Doc Scratch that he lets loose with his chucklevoodoos and subsequent murderous rampage.
Speaking of those ancestral powers, Hussie explained that it's entirely plausible that the doll trick that Gamzee does is the main means by which the highbloods keep control of the land-dwellers, although they can be used more extensively à la Vriska's relatively rare caste powers. Sea-dwellers are presumably mostly immune to it in the way that they are less susceptible to the psychic shockwaves that Feferi's lusus had the potential to release, yet insofar as I can tell they are themselves mostly devoid of such powers... with one or two notable exceptions that may or may not involves class/aspect things.
I just find that interesting is all. It's also worth noting that [in Kurloz/The Grand Highblood and Cronus/Dualscar, the character with the strongest innate mind manipulation powers and the one with the greatest inborn resistance to them—and the weakest will, ironically—are ectobiological siblings. Ditto the four ladies with the most peculiar caste-based powers: Damara/The Handmaid's incredible telekinesis, Porrim/The Dolorosa's drinker abilities, Aranea/Mindfang's honed mass mind control and Meenah/The Condesce's buffet telepathy.]
It is a tale to remind her of the sacrifice she must make. One serving to remind all of her people of the sacrifice once made by long forgotten heroes in a discarded reality. It is of this sacrifice the Sufferer died to speak the truth, and it is his tale I will tell you now.
...OK, I didn't realise that he foreshadowed this plot development so early, but apparently he did. You go, Hussie.
How did I miss what Scratch was saying here? This basically lays the foundation for all kinds of stuff that happens later and somehow not only did I have no idea at the time, but I forgot it by the time it became super-relevant.
No, there are hope-worthy things. After all, as someone very ingenuous says quite a bit later in the comic (and in different words), if you really believe in something true to you that isn't factually so in the world, you can make it a little more real.
I honestly feel Homestuck suffered from the same issue that Problem Sleuth had, in that Hussie ended up stretching out the ending beyond reasonable limits. It's not as bad since there's more to hold your interest, but on the whole, you can tell that he sorta started to run out of steam after Openbound.
That said, the post-Gigapause updates have been pretty good so far, so I have faith that his batteries are recharged enough to be able to stick the landing.
That UNPLEASANT NOTE PS writes to DMK near the end? It could just as easily be John writing that to Lord English at this point. "we spent half the game fighting you" indeed.
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WHEN I AM ALREADY HERE?