Be the wise guy, John. Be wise. Be the guy. Be the GUY that is WISE.
Hussie seems to have this weird fascination with extremely dated slang. I mean, I get using the word "octaroon" as a way of going "casually racist pre-'50s white people ahoy," but, I mean, how many people even know what that word means in this day and age? Without looking it up, I mean.
But then, I think half the joke with the Caveney book is that it's written in that style and is clearly much more recent, which combined with the author's bizarre relationship to its subject just ramps up the absurdity.
Actually, knowing what I know now about WV, his peculiar passion for democracy is actually really sad and poignant. I mean, the mayor thing is still cute and funny, but there's a sorrow to it as well.
The slot machine fruit array in the Memory Modus is a weird bit of foreshadowing in some respects. Also, Humanimals puppets. One of the few early Hussie references that I caught on the first read.
You know, I see a strong resemblance between Jade and one of my favourite characters in The Good Wife, of all things—this of course being Elsbeth Tascioni. Who is... basically Jade as a lawyer. I only made this connection today, but my god.
I've decided to listen to the full FreshJamz playlist this time around, because why not. Still pretty lukewarm about the version of "Showtime" there, but the remixed "Aggrieve" is pretty psychedelic and sinister.
So Rose has come to the meteor monitor and John has just slain the ogres.
I'm still wondering just how many other successful sessions there were outside of the main one. The others are likely nowhere near as important in the greater scheme of things due to the situation that arises in Act Five, but that's a lot of meteors...
And yes, I recognise the process of clearing the Earth requires a lot of meteors, but many of them are directly tied to sessions.
Jade's grandfather has the heads of monsters from the Medium on his wall, and his mantelpiece is divided into Prospitian and Dersite/Heroic and Just colours. Given what happens later—and the nature of Rose's mother's lab—this makes a great deal of sense, although it is still slightly enigmatic.
How is this the first time that I have seen [S] Ride. in context? Maybe because I am bad at noticing Easter eggs. Either way, it's a nice relief after seeing what happened to Jaspers. :<
Wait, so that bed with the stuffed animals and tea set and mutant kitten in the lab was Rose's mom's room. How did I not register that the last time I read this? That's... even sadder than I thought previously.
First blatant reference to the charm system from Problem Sleuth. Man, does this comic get mileage out of silly little nods to itself and other Hussie narratives.
Also, Fiesta Ace Dick is dancing in the Midnight Crew animation. It's grand.
I like how the dream version of Jade is ever so slightly different from her waking version. Of course, it becomes quite vexing for Jade later, but at this point in the story it is endearing that her dream version does not feel the need to tie reminder ribbons on her fingers, for example.
And now we finally get some partial explanation as to where Jade's premonitions come from, although why her dream-self can see the prehistoric Earth during the Eclipse is still the littlest bit confusing to me.
And we are nearing Rose's entry. I should have more to say about Dave's exploits, but I think they're kind of self-explanatory. I love Bro's just leaving the beta on Dave's chest like "sure, whatever, you need it." It's very... Dirk, incidentally.
Speaking of which, apparently breaking the weapon breaks the specibus is now an established rule. And this is not the last time, either.
AT: iT'S THE MOST AWFUL THING, tHE WORST YOU CAN EVER DO,
TG: sorry i wouldnt cyber with you dude
TG: in the future or whatever
AT: wHAT, wAIT,
AT: oH,
AT: oK, yOU'RE THE ONE WHO LIKES TO SUBMIT INNUENDO,
TG: human innuendo
AT: yES, hUMAN iNNUENDO,
AT: sORRY FOR THE LACK OF CLARITY,
TG: so at what point in the future am i supposed to look forward to you whipping up this titanic hankerin for my knob
AT: uH,
TG: be honest with me
TG: cause im busy
TG: and i want to know exactly when i got to clear some space in my calendar for when some fuckwit blunders out of a magical phone booth and makes a ballad-inspiring play for my throbbing beef truncheon
AT: sHOULD i BE PERTURBED BY THESE ALLUSIONS,
TG: no man
TG: look
TG: i just need to know when to be there
TG: when the stars come into alignment and your flux capacitor lets you finally sate your meteoric greed for crotch-dachshund
TG: i wouldnt want to miss it and cause a paradox or something
TG: itd suck if the universe blew up on account of you missing your window of opportunity to help yourself to a pubescent boy's naked spam porpoise
Seriously, the alchemisation sections provide for some of the best gags in the comic.
It really does.
Also, I'm glad you decided to revive this thread. It's fun to see your reactions to a second read through now that you have some perspective for future parts of the story.
AT: iT'S THE MOST AWFUL THING, tHE WORST YOU CAN EVER DO,
TG: sorry i wouldnt cyber with you dude
TG: in the future or whatever
AT: wHAT, wAIT,
AT: oH,
AT: oK, yOU'RE THE ONE WHO LIKES TO SUBMIT INNUENDO,
TG: human innuendo
AT: yES, hUMAN iNNUENDO,
AT: sORRY FOR THE LACK OF CLARITY,
TG: so at what point in the future am i supposed to look forward to you whipping up this titanic hankerin for my knob
AT: uH,
TG: be honest with me
TG: cause im busy
TG: and i want to know exactly when i got to clear some space in my calendar for when some fuckwit blunders out of a magical phone booth and makes a ballad-inspiring play for my throbbing beef truncheon
AT: sHOULD i BE PERTURBED BY THESE ALLUSIONS,
TG: no man
TG: look
TG: i just need to know when to be there
TG: when the stars come into alignment and your flux capacitor lets you finally sate your meteoric greed for crotch-dachshund
TG: i wouldnt want to miss it and cause a paradox or something
TG: itd suck if the universe blew up on account of you missing your window of opportunity to help yourself to a pubescent boy's naked spam porpoise
^^^ I would say more about how future things line up with stuff that happens early in the comic, but the pieces are still falling into place for me, and I do not want to spoil too much while Section is reading.
^ Yeah, she has her moments where she really puts the screws to... everyone, but Dave seriously had his weaponised metaphor mojo working there.
^^^ I would say more about how future things line up with stuff that happens early in the comic, but the pieces are still falling into place for me, and I do not want to spoil too much while Section is reading.
You could put it in spoiler tags if you want to discuss something in Homestuck from before I'm at that point.
I was wrong about "a colossal waste of time" showing up twice later; the second time the meta strikes, at least in the current iteration of the comic—Hussie has changed little bitty things—it is [S] Enter. that appears. In retrospect, I think it might always have been, but I am not 100% sure at all/
I like how practical Slick is in how he gets these guys. Itchy's flying around at a zillion miles per hour, and he just sticks his foot out a little.
Now, for some Act Six cross-referencing: [There's also a lot of interesting foreshadowing related to the nature of dead sessions, the exact kind of Time player that Lord English is, and even how Slick ultimately assumes control of the Felt this early on. Consider how billiards, while a game for as many players as one might please, is a game played on one field with all the same components, just different people with the cue hitting the balls—a kind of solitaire. The way they are both acquired by the dead session player and defeated by their opponents is sequential and turn-based, and the way that they are played off each other is not predictable in the way that chess is or cards are, but by chance and angle. Lord English is the man with the cue, and we all know who the cue ball is...]
I would also note the old-timey gangster associations of both pool and card-based gambling, which are applicable here in obvious ways but get driven home even harder later. [See: Caliborn's love of tacky bling and petty vices, particularly his golden Kalishnikov and disturbing misogynistic attitudes.]
Comments
You can see how wrong I was...
Also, I'm glad you decided to revive this thread. It's fun to see your reactions to a second read through now that you have some perspective for future parts of the story.
nah, it's Rose, then Dave
I just finished Act 3 yesterday, for reference.