Read Homestuck for the first time, as faithfully and spoiler free as possible.
The Motivation:
A gift for a friend that spiraled into a full blown hyperfixation
The Means (Threefold):
Reading the comic together in person(my computer does not support the UHC)
The Voxus Dub on Youtube
VC with screensharing
The VOFT streams
The Reader:
Hello tumblr. My name is Flora and I am the one reading Homestuck and writing these silly posts. Originally, I was only supposed to read the first two acts as a gift for a friend, and I now sit in Act 5 Act 2 and wonder where the time went.
The aforementioned friend suggested I make a blog to catalogue my thoughts and theories as I read. My friend has done his best to ensure I that I have the best experience possible while reading, so I can't exactly participate in the wider fandom without getting spoilered big time. This'll let me participate in my own, limited way, at least until I finish the whole comic.
Any fan content I see and reblog has been peer reviewed by @l4byr1nthz1, the friend (except for a few slip ups but we don't talk about those).
I've been told making a tumblr post is like yelling at the void, so I hope this time the void will yell back! I think i'll post my more current stuff to start but maybe if the fancy strikes me, or people somehow find this and are interested, I'll post some notable theories from the past. So with introductions out of the way, lets get going!
It's been really nice! I finished the comic back in January, so now I get to interact with the fandom and look at all the art and theories and animatics I want. I'm thinking of starting problem sleuth or even the epilogues over winter break.
I make 1 frickin post and now I have motivation! Crazy!
All the John fanart i've seen these past few days for 4/13 reminded me of something I always wanted to post abt but never got around to.
John and Roxy and Davesprite are low key strangers at the of the comic. Like there is a John and a Roxy are not from the universe the kids win the game in. If anything, they're sort of like Davesprite, except they don't give up their position as the 'real' person. Like. as far as Jade knows her brother is dead. Like he's been dead for years probably by the time they get to the new session. And then he just. Shows up again. And he doesn't remember anything from the little bit of the trip they did spend together. Because this is an entirely different John. And John probably mentions stuff from the trip he was on. And she doesn't remember either. Because his Jade, his sister, is dead too. I think Homestuck is uniquely cruel to it's characters in that way. Because you can look at your best friend, your sibling, your partner, and know that you are both alive in your body at this moment, and dead in every other place at every other moment.
Rose watched her mother die right in front of her, die a heroic death for her. and then a new person shows up, hugging her. and she knows, especially after Rosesprite shows up, that Roxy's mom is dead too. Died a heroic death right in front of her. Neither of them are who they're supposed to be, but they're all each other have.
I think that's part of why John grows so detached from stuff post game. Because as much as these people are his friends. Look AND sound and act and feel just like his friends. They're not. They might as well be strangers. He knows exactly where his friends are. They are still on LOFAF. Stabbed or blown up or crushed. Except Terezi of course, who's body is rotting on LOWAS in her perfectly drawn chalk outline. How cruel Sburb is, to think John can just pick up where the other him left off.
all of this was just me thinking how crazy it is that John and Roxy being from a totally different reality gets written off so quickly/doesnt get discussed much. You could make some John and Davesprite connections with how they sacrifice themselves to go back and change things and lose their world because of it but i'm not qualified to make that post
Hi. It's been a while. But before it stops being 4/13 for me I wanted to at least get something in for today. So enjoy word vomit.
I got into Homestuck because of my friend. And while at the time I wouldn't have called him my best friend, I owe it to Homestuck for bringing us closer. Lab is one of the greatest people I have ever known, and I am so happy that I agreed to read those first two acts that year ago.
My experience with Homestuck was like that saying wit frogs and boiling water, I was adamant about my indifference to it for a good while, dragging my heels and rolling my eyes, but when I started liking it I REALLY liked it. And I still do. Out of any series I have ever binged, any book series I've read, I can count on one hand the number I have found as enjoyable as my experience reading Homestuck for the first time.
And the people/pos. You know who you are most of you follow this blog or will see it through reblogs or something. Sitting in my little fandom of two, then three, for months, with minimal contact with the greater fandom, finally being able to talk to others, to get to meet the people i've heard little tidbits about for ages has been so incredible. And everyone i've gotten to talk to is just the coolest. Everyone is so talented, in art, in writing, just in general. I couldn't ask for a better community, for better friends.
A few months ago I had wanted to do something grand for 4/13 this year. To commemorate the day, to mark roughly a year since my reading began, but outside stuff got the best of me and i've not been as active as I wanted to be. I promise when AP tests are not breathing down my neck anymore, I will start posting stuff. So with that, I can't offer art, or stories, or much of anything to contribute to this anniversary. All I've got to give is my gratitude for a piece of media that has impacted my life in ways I would have never thought media could do. That's the magic of Homestuck, I guess. Happy belated 4/13 everyone.
Same as the last one, the title is pretty self explanatory. All of the alpha kids are streamers(except Jake, he's special but we'll get to that) and the story follows them as they get to know each other and interact and stuff. The beta kids also have their own thing but the focus is mainly on the alphas. Click for more details
Jane: Roxy's roommate, both of them went to the same college and have stayed friends and roommates even after graduation. Her content is mix of B. Dylan Hollis and That Midwestern Mom(both great content creators go check out their stuff). While her last name is still Crocker, she has 0 affiliation in any way with the Betty Crocker brand, aside from using their products/giving them a lot of free press. The heiress thing is a joke started by Roxy about Jane believing the batterwitch's lies and stuff. It's Roxy and Dirk's silly conspiracy theory.
(Lil) Sebastian: Sebastian is Jane's pet bunny, named of course from the horse in Parks and Rec. Lil Seb, however. is a plush replica of said bunny Dirk made for her as a gift. He's got a wire/metal skeleton though so he's posable. When Jane bakes he holds open her cookbooks.
Roxy: Jane's roommate, variety streamer. She programs and plays a wide variety of games. Probably has the most followers out of the four. Got into streaming as a way to make some extra money on the side, and advertise herself as a freelance coder. She and dirk have a friendly rivalry and know each other from viewer overlap. Has 2 cats
Dirk: Programmer, variety streamer, and known for his detailed cosplays(think Visguard). Got into streaming to meet people and chronicle his own work. Him and Jake were childhood friends before Jake moved away.
Lil Hal: The name given by Dirk's chat to the automated voice that reads his donos(Like Brian if you've ever seen a Philza steam). Eventually Dirk coded an AI to attach to Hal that would mimic his own response so he could both interact more and focus on whatever he was doing. But over time Hal began to take on a personality of his own, eventually commandeering one of Dirk's robot prototypes as his body. One of his first acts of 'sentience' is to show up in the chats of Roxy and Jane's streams even when Dirk is not online.
Jake: As I said he's a special case, because he is a youtuber! Specifically, he is an urban explorer, and posts pre-recorded videos of the places he explores. However, he has always worn a mask that covers most of his face, and his identity remains unknown to the public. His persona is one of badassery and confidence. Eventually, he reconnects with Dirk over the internet and Jake becomes roommates with Dirk. Unfortunately, Dirk is subscribed to Jake's channel and thinks GolgothasTerror is really cool, so Jake has to do some S tier subterfuge lest his identity be revealed. The nice thing is, Jake is usually nothing like his persona, known to Dirk's viewers as clumsy and silly.
Calliope: An artist Roxy commissioned to make some stuff for her streams, like a starting soon/brb screen, and occasionally does thumbnails for her vods. Eventually she befriends/does work for all the alphas except Jake, though she has drawn him
Caliborn: Calliope's twin brother got bored one day and decided to start hating on the alpha kids for fun. They keep banning his account. He keeps making new ones.
The Beta Kids
John: Jane's cousin(their dads are twins). Exactly 3 years younger than her. He does youtube stuff and streams on occasion, mostly gaming stuff. Met Jade first, then Dave.
Rose: streams her knitting with those Halloween ambiance tracks(like fire burning sounds overlayed with screams) in the background. Mostly known on youtube for her videos chronicling her breaking different games by exposing glitches.
Jade: Mostly youtube videos about science experiments she runs, and she probably has a series of crash course style videos about nuclear physics.
Dave: Mostly music/dj streams, posts his raps to youtube, also streams the making of sbahj. A big fan of Dirk's stuff. Unbeknownst to him, the feeling is mutual. Knows Rose, and then meets John. He kinda connects them all into one group.
The Story
For a follower milestone, Roxy does a stream with Jane teaching her how to bake a cake. Jane really enjoys it, and Roxy helps her start her own channel. Eventually Jane gets introduced to Dirk and the 3 of them become a friend group. Then Jake moves in and the 4 of them all become friends. Dirk still makes Jane Detective Pony for her birthday, after hearing about Jane still owning all the Pony Pals books she had as a child. That same birthday, at her and John's party with their family, Jane learns about John's online friends. Jane looks into the people and mentions it to her friends. John mentions Jane's friends as well and Dave flips his shit because John's hot cousin knows TimaeusTestified???? At some a big meet up happens, probably for Jane's 21st birthday and John's 18th, over that summer. This is a pretty chill au, mostly just exploring scenarios that could take place.
This au won the poll, so its post will be first, followed by the streamer au, and then the other two if I feel like it.
The premise is exactly like it sounds. Homestuck is a live action TV show, and everyone is human. Correct age was important to the directors, so all the actors playing the kids and trolls are between 13 and 16 at the start. This is more of a loose collection of headcannons, since I imagine having 16 teenagers running around on set to be a fun premise. Some of my ideas are after the keep reading thing. If someone reads this and wants stuff about a specific character/wants to contribute something, please send me an ask!
It was Nepeta’s idea to do the cat puns, and it kinda spread to a majority of the trolls having some kind of pun. The writers decided at some point to just write the lines normally, and have the actors edit in as many puns as they can, because they’re better at it than the writers. There is a ‘pun club’ weekly so everyone can work together on it.
Equius sat firmly on the belief that his character would NOT do puns for most of filming, but Nepeta managed to convince him and the writers changed some stuff so he could do some puns before his epic death scene.
In the take they ended up using, Kanaya didn’t actually kick Gamzee between the legs. This is because the very first take she did it(with Gamzee’s permission) and did it so hard they had to stop filming for a bit.
Despite a few of the troll's actors having dark hair, all of them wear wigs and makeup
This means their call time is usually a few hours earlier than the beta kids, since they don't have to sit through as much makeup
During Eridan and Sollux's fight, Eridan's wand actually broke on the first take. Even with a replacement, it took a few takes to get back into the mood of the scene.
Karkat and John took AGES to get through the Greetings Worthless Human Convo because both of them kept laughing
There’s a sort of ARG when Caliborn takes over the narrative where the production team says that the files for the new season's trailer got corrupted but they wanted to have it out on time anyway. Nice big foreshadowing for Caliborn
If the trolls thought their makeup took a long time, just wait until the cherubs come along. I’m not sure if it’s sfx makeup or motion capture with the little dots but either way it’s tedious
Caliborn and Calliope are actually played by one person with a really good vocal range.
Doc Scratch's head isn't CGI. It's literally a big helmet. The actor cannot see a thing. All of his lines are dubbed over later because they're muffled from the helmet.
I imagine Scratch is played by a really famous/recognizable actor and the funny part is besides the voice you can hardly tell. Because you can't see any of him. Helmet gloves and suit leave nothing exposed.
Jake has the most ad-lib lines that have made the final cut.
Dave actually laughs really easily. His cool guy exterior took a lot of practice to master
Bro is actually played by the show’s stunt coordinator, as a nice cameo
Kankri does not so much ad-lib as he does roll with a certain topic while being as pretentious as possible. His script is mostly stuff like Kankri: rant about ethics of [insert topic]. He's just really great at improv
To make Game Over feel more authentic, Jake was given a god mic(which they edited out later) to say his lines when he's all powered up. Problem is once they finished the scenes Jake still knew how to rig the mic to have the reverb and stuff. Cue random stuff being said into the mic by anyone Jake manages to tell, which is most people.
There exists many, many videos compilations of behind the scenes footage taken by the kids, mostly of them messing around.
I need my poll to be finished already. Why can't you decide how many days it is. I am off school today. I have time to talk about my aus today. I do not have time tomorrow. I have calculus tomorrow.
My hiatus has filled my brain with various aus. Honestly most people(cough cough Liz cough cough) who follow this blog already know about them because i've talked about them in other places. But I want to talk about them more. So do the poll. Whichever one wins I'll make a little post about the au and add the tag and stuff. I’ll probably get to them all eventually but I’m chronically indecisive about which one to talk about first.
I think Homestuck has genuinely had an impact on my speech. Like not in a 'I say words that are easily identifiable as Homestuck words' kind of way but in a "I was kind of weird about cursing and I don't really do it and I sorta look down on people who do it often irl but now via Homestuck's dialogue I feel comfortable saying fuck in real life" kind of way. And also vaguely mimicking Jane's typing/speech patterns, but the cursing one is what really stands out. It's not like I've started swearing like a sailor irl, but I certainly censor myself less than I did 10 months ago.
