I'm not necessarily saying that they themselves are certain to have any particular importance—they have lost a significant degree of agency, and that is annoying—but that the action itself might be important in some bizarre roundabout way. Consider that nearly every throwaway gag in the comic from the first few acts has had some kind of importance later, even if it is simply a recurring motif of sorts. Having most of the sympathetic side characters say, "Screw this, I quit," moments before something really important happens is not inconsequential.
More people have said that and been killed than there are thorium decay products.
ummm no. ^_^ There was a general MSPA thread once but it got deleted I think. The Homestuck thread or webcomics thread is fine though, unless you want to make a thread about it. :) Problem Sleuth is very convoluted compared to most webcomics but it does not come anywhere close to Homestuck's order of magnitude, in either length or complexity. It is still funny and great though. :D
I have noticed that the telephone symbols correspond to the charms involved in leprechaun romance. Given Pickle Inspector's elf paintings, the connection is amusing to say the least.
More people have said that and been killed than there are thorium decay products.
HS has many references to Problem Sleuth, which has references to Bard Quest and Jailbreak, and HS also takes influence from Hussie's old comics (i.e. the lusii are probably based on Humanimals, the rap battles are from And It Don't Stop, the clowns are from Whistles, and also he was always obsessed with horses for some reason). :)
Yarrun XIX said:I think Ali means more 'why does Hussie spend time writing Cronus scenes when he could be writing adorable stuff about Nep and Equius'.
Which is understandable.
That's easy, though. Hussie doesn't really do adorable, at least not for extended periods of time. This isn't that story.
I actually agree with Kexruct here. While I can full well understand the desire for a different focus from time to time, much of what makes the story as striking as it is is the consequence of Hussie moulding the form to fit the narrative; to say what he should or should not do with the narrative seems to be counterintuitive in some respects, beyond being a little presumptuous.
I will freely admit that I really like Nepeta and would not mind seeing her used more, even if it is in a tangential fashion. She is, I think, a pretty good example of Andrew Hussie's ability to write a character that would ordinarily be cloying or obnoxious with enough nuance that they are genuinely charming and interesting. The same goes for Equius, and to a lesser extent many of the more focused-upon characters like Terezi or Dave. They have schticks, but they are endearing because they have actual characters.
The problem is that characters like that tend to fall to the wayside when the main story gains speed. Which is, again, understandable if frustrating. Then again, that he has not resorted to eliminating such characters entirely is a relief... and provocative, seeing as it leaves open the possibility of him pulling out something completely unexpected if he really wanted to, or doing nothing in particular and just leaving me shrugging.
Reminder that as soon as this the FINAL UPD8 rolls around I am reviving this thread with aplomb.
Reminder to myself, because goddamnitall, Hussie, when are you even going to say something or something? I need closure. The world needs closure. Also, I miss liveblogging, and liveblogging stuff like Vattu just would not have worked half as well.
Cucumber Quest is my jam, but I'm caught up, and waiting makes me sad. I like to read continuous stories continuously. Which means that I might have to literally wait months for enough story to accumulate to occupy me for a few days. Homestuck occupied me for two whole weeks, sometimes for fourteen hours at a go; if I had not slowed down at points and rested my brain, it would have taken me perhaps half that time, given how much of a potato chip experience it is. And a unique one, in many respects: It was more like watching a television show or reading a very strange novel than a comic per se.
Homestuck really is quite wonderful, isn't it? A lot of people got burnt out but that's only because it was just a thing to get fandom-y over and fandoms are basically just fads.
That said, Homestuck strikes me as one of those things that should be a real acquired taste that a strangely large number of people seem to share for whatever reason. I mean, it's really postmodern and self-referential and it has a stupidly involved mythology behind it that is at once deadly serious and completely absurd and making fun of its seriousness and absurdity through its own mechanics. The humour is at once lowbrow and highbrow, and it's about as far from "high-concept entertainment" as you can get without going full Joyce.
Stuff that would normally be pander-y is brought up in canon and lampooned relentlessly while still being taken fairly seriously in some circumstances. It makes it easy to accept those things and enjoy them without guilt or irony while still recognising that they are kind of dumb, and that can be rather reassuring.
Hussie also tends to head off fan speculation or subvert expectations in some really fluky and entertaining ways, which can be pretty engaging. It's very textbook "art as communication," but in the best way possible.
I was overstating a point for comedic effect, but not completely joking. Hussie did say (on his now-defunct Formspring account) that Homestuck had a huge spike in popularity once "Hivebent" was underway.
I legitimately think that the greater focus on romance, and an interesting setting that was practically begging for fanfic writers to cram their bad original characters into, attracted a lot of readers who otherwise would never have bothered. So that's how Homestuck made the leap from being something for Dinosaur Comics fans, to being one of the those fandoms big enough to get blamed for ruining the internet.
I keep hearing comparisons to Joyce, and it always confuzzles me because I associate that name with Big Serious Literary Importance which is a weird thing to associate with Homestuck
I'm not Sred, but the one comparison I've heard is that Ulysses, Finnegan's Wake, and Homestuck are all hard to understand (Homestuck less so because whenever something baffling happens, an explanation comes up within the story itself eventually), play with spelling and grammar to tell us about the characters, and are dense with references. And because they all make you work to get your enjoyment, those who soldier through tend to be unusually defensive about them.
I keep hearing comparisons to Joyce, and it always confuzzles me because I associate that name with Big Serious Literary Importance which is a weird thing to associate with Homestuck
do you think you could explain it?
I meant the comparison in this way: "High-concept" media plots can be summarised in a single sentence. The film version of Jaws is about scientists trying to stop a killer shark. Simple, straightforward, comprehensible. Now try to summarise the plot of Homestuck in a sentence in a way that meaningfully describes the action.
The best comparison to Homestuck in mainstream or experimental fiction probably wouldn't be Joyce, however, but maybe Pynchon or Vonnegut. Does that sound like I'm elevating it beyond its value? Only if you assume a value judgement or a pretence of importance. I'm not. I'm comparing storytelling style, humour and density.
And let's be blunt: Joyce loved dirty jokes and bad puns; Vonnegut did, too, and Pynchon certainly has his moments. The main differences come from format and cultural context.
I do love that quip, but that sums up, what, the first half?
It also misses the entire Lord English thing, which by Act Six has consumed the entire narrative. It also ignores the whole running theme of vicious cycles.
"Quickly retrieve arms from drawer" remains one of my favourite gags in the whole comic. That and the bizarre pop culture references (and how they are framed) really do clue you in as to what kind of story this is going to be... but only in part.
...oh fuck, the~ATH file on John's computer. I either completely missed or forgot that detail. I think I might remember what happened with it, but I'm not sure.
The title animation where John is just standing in his yard on an empty street is pretty eerie and full of expectation. I've always really liked it for that.
Comments
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
I don't think you understand.
Hussie really likes horses.
The phrase "majestic stallion" cracks me up.
Which is understandable.
That's easy, though. Hussie doesn't really do adorable, at least not for extended periods of time. This isn't that story.
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
Buuuuuuuut, people are still going to want different things, and they should be allowed to want.
Oh, wait, I'm sorry I disagreed with you.
You're right. I'm wrong. Sorry.
Seriously, ask the folks at Yack Fest.
I think I lost track of the story around the time of the Scratch/Roxy Jake Dirk and Jane...
Assassin poems, Poems that shoot
guns. Poems that wrestle cops into alleys
and take their weapons leaving them dead
I know a lot of people hate the sylladex stuff, but I actually find it amusing.
I'm on Act 1 of Act 2 right now. I can't wait to see what Jade is like.