How the fuck were people apparently not into the alpha kids at the time? I genuinely think it's so interesting to see the way they struggle to adjust to the requirements of this game while also trying to come into their own as young adults. The beta kids were very, very special kids. They got their shit together and had more competence than anyone their age would ever be expected to. And it's awesome and they're fuckin godly for it. But I think it's equally engaging to see a group of teens who more realistically struggle with what all of this shit actually means for their lives. They can't just put their emotions aside and do what's best for The Mission at all times and I think that conflict is so interesting as a contrast. It seems like a lot of people just dismiss all the emotionality of these characters as "teen drama" as if that isn't not only extremely important for their development, but also a fucking fascinating plot point; to explore these teenagers who should be able to be going to school, talking to other kids, having little scuffles and figuring themselves out, but are forced to face those feelings in the frameworks of these bizarre, hostile lives that have been given to them with minimal social support. It's tragic and nowhere near frivolous or meaningless.
I somehow gathered the gist that what I just read through was supposed to be one of the worst parts of this comic. Maybe Homestuck fans are just really harsh or dramatic or something, because I got the impression I was in for some truly heinous shit.
And instead, I get an act full of interesting meta commentary, constant utilization of the medium to do cool shit with the format, genuinely super well done, emotionally driven character writing, and a pretty consistent forward momentum of an ever-escalating narrative. What the fuck??? Did I drastically miscalculate the consensus on this act, or am I in the minority here? Either way, everything I said completely stands.
The alpha kids are fucking awesome imo. I don't care what anyone says about the melodrama being boring teen bullshit or whatever, they have unique and insane stories that I think deserve to be explored in this level of emotional vulnerability and it was satisfying to finally see some catharsis happen. People seem to dislike the trickster mode stuff, and ironically, I think the kinda person I'm talking about is one of the things that segment is poking fun at. The trickster arc, while also being really fucking funny and absurd and bizarre and fun tbh, somehow also does something kind of profound in that it shines a light directly at the characters flaws and internal struggles: Jane's inability to come to terms with her romantic feelings, Roxy's delicate sobriety on the verge of a relapse, Jake's oblivious, self-centered behavior, and Dirk's propensity towards self-critical introspection to the point of self-sabotage and even self-loathing. A mirror is held up to all the kids, who up to this point were using the framework of the game to hide and delay these issues in any way they could, and afterwards are essentially forced to face them head on and finally own up to some of the things they'd been desperately pushing down. So yeah I unironically love trickster arc fuck yall lol. I have some other detailed thoughts on the alpha kids if you wanna see, in this post.
The meta storytelling also remains just as important as it was in the previous act, but now extends past Caliborn and into the rest of the cast as well. With the way things are going - Caliborn's slow rise to power as he gathers the Felt members and learns how to use different powers, and the gang's discovery of the strange Sburb artifact that seems to have far-reaching implications concerning the fabric of the story itself - it's beginning to become clear that what the characters may be fighting for is the real-world, metatextual right to continue existing and decide how that happens. Almost as if the party who wins will decide the fate of the webcomic itself.
Even within the purely textual story below and meta elements, things are becoming really grand in an awesome way. We've finally reached the point where characters from different sessions are intermingling and aiding in each others' journeys to the fullest degree, and with the meteor and ship finally reaching the new session, I only expect this to ramp up as we enter the final stretch. I talked a lot about the emotional storytelling of the alpha kids, but the same remains true for all the others as well. I find Rose especially compelling at this point, seeing the way Roxy is finally beginning to cope with her alcoholism, and the way her Rose, obviously predisposed to the same issues, is only just beginning her journey with substance abuse. It's heartbreaking to see it get worse and worse as she clearly puts more of a strain on her and Kanaya's relationship, when just a few acts ago it was one of the cutest and most pure displays of romantic interest, but it tracks with Rose's character and feels like a step that has to happen for her. And in the department of the villainous forces at large, the Mekara's remain a giant fucking question mark that is equally amusing as it is terrifying, and the various agents at work are coalescing to ensure a devastating challenge for our heroes. Can't wait to see how any of this will be dealt with as it certainly seems the high point in intensity is upon us, or at least approaching very quickly.
If I did have to complain about anything, I guess I would say that most of the alpha trolls and even most of the beta trolls barely make an appearance or mean anything. Some get very fun, if small, roles, and the fusion sprites were definitely a fun thing to see, but... man it really feels like we did not need as many characters as we have right now when most of them could have basically had their role merged into a single, other character. I'm not surprised seeing as I found the majority of the alpha trolls to be fairly uninteresting, one-trick joke characters and the story has trouble getting 12 trolls into meaningful positions, let alone 24, but I'm still not sure what the purpose was in even introducing us to so many characters when most will essentially be background characters anyway. Maybe I'll be proven super wrong and they'll be like, the most developed and awesome and complex and important characters ever!!!! (but I really doubt it.)
Anyway though, I'm still just having such a blast with homestuck and I'm really happy to be able to say that. We're genuinely in the home stretch now - Act 6 Act 6 with about 2,000 pages remaining. I may just wait until the very end to do another wrapup post and review my time with the work as a whole, that way I can read through with less interruption between the sub-acts, but obviously I'll still be making posts often as I read live, so still look for those :)
