#hs act 1

[amaryka]

John: Look out the window

At long last I have completed page 27 of the @homestuckredraw!

I’ve never made a gif with the software I used for this one before, so it was a fun adventure!

[zybynarx]

> John: Admire “Failure to Launch” poster.

Page 109 was the second redraw I did for the @homestuckredraw project! Figuring out how to do a gif was a process… but I like how it turned out! :D

[kosmokomic]

Homestuck Redraw 99

It took a while for VARIOUS REASONS THAT  I won’t explain here

@homestuckredraw

This gif up there is for the Homestuck Redraw project. You Should check it out if you wanna participate.

It was really Fun trying to make this panel (even tho I accidentally created another version of this wiich is visible down there just because. I didn’t look properly at the actual gif In page 99 of Homestuck but oh well at least I had fun redoing it)

[sesquipunzel]

This is John.

That’s what I know about Homestuck.  

Okay, that’s not entirely true.  

I had a false start reading the comic several years ago (in...2011, I think?) at the urging of a casual chat buddy who tried to explain just how unique and involved both Homestuck and its fandom were. I was intrigued enough to check it out, but I’m not certain how far into it I got back then — the intro of the basic characters, but not very deep into the larger story. 

Mostly, I think I lost motivation because I was experiencing it alone; the chat buddy was in a distant time zone and drifted away soon after, and I was focused on actively sharing with friends in other corners of the fandom universe. So once I got distracted from it, it was easy to delay returning to the Homestuck page to re-enmesh myself in the complexifying plots; after a certain point I knew I would just have to start over. I wish now that I had sought out others who were reading and enthusing about the thing as it was evolving!

I remember a few vagueries from that first read-through: the early things you learn about John and his dad, the destruction of John’s house, and the, uh.... inventory thing. Something-dex. I remember John meeting his friends in the game; I know their names now in a meta way, but remember very little about them as people then, or what happened between them and John. Weirdly, the one thing that sticks in my head was the wanderer character, who built a town out of cans? I don’t remember the context for that at all. 

[edited to add a link to an ask from the end of Act 1, where I go into a little more depth about what I knew about the story and characters going in.]

A couple of years ago, a Housemate Who Shall Not Be Named....(except that it’s really unwieldy not to Name someone who’s likely to get mentioned again.... hm. Let’s call him Myster.) got caught up in the Homestuck phenomenon. He then enticed another Housemate Who Shall Be Named Myss to read it, but I resisted the pull because I remembered burning out on it the first time, and was busy with silly meatspace stuff like a job and whatnot. Still, Myster and Myss talked about Homestuck all the time — they speculated about who was doing what to whom, and why; about how it would all end; about how different members of our household would fit into the universe’s various classifications. They watched YouTube videos on the TV, exposing me to cool fan music, fan art, voice actors performing the character chats, and more. Inevitably, I heard some spoilers for later bits, but it just proved to me that the story had grown far beyond what I sketchily remembered -- deep relationships, complex world-building, alternate timelines, and universe-shattering events are my cuppa raspberry mocha, yknow?

My curiosity grew, but I felt a little late to the party, fandom-wise, so starting over wasn’t something I was rushing to do — I figured I’d get to it someday on my own, and pretty much enjoy it on my own, apart from some future face-to-face conversations when I met up again with Myster and Myss, who were getting ready to move out.

But now I’m eager to jump in again, and it’s all your fault, Myster. You were telling me how much you’ve been enjoying reaction blogs from people experiencing Homestuck for the first time, and the idea of writing about it and sharing what I think and feel with you (and whoever else might come along for the ride) is providing that spark that was missing the first time. So here I am — I have only a vague idea where the story is going to take me, an even vaguer idea of what form my reactions are going to take or how often I’ll be posting them, but I’m standing on the edge of the diving board and ready to take the plunge!

[backyardweed]

Bought a cursed object from the comic shop today

[sesquipunzel]

Act 1 (141-150)

On the roof, it's peaceful as can be And there the world below can't bother me

Page 141 - TT: Drop chest.

141.  And…. TT is definitely messing with John. If the SYLLADEX is any indication of how quick he can master SBURB game controls, getting his chest back is gonna suck. Or, no, the Pesterlog indicates TT is still learning the controls too.  "I will try to be more careful next time."  Hm. This could apply to lots of things.

142.  "You toggle between your FETCH MODI with gleeful abandon." Cos it's just a game...enjoy it while you can, John.

143.  Dad goes out for more baking supplies — cos we all need more cakes, right?  

144.  EB asks TT to clean up the stuff he flang out the window, but it's too far from him — no one else can solve the problems he created, whether he's ready to work the tools or not.  (Also, interesting that what she can affect is limited by where he is, not by where she is.)

[I know, I'm not supposed to know it's a she yet.  Also, I've heard that none of the other kids had names yet — that Hussie only gave them Chumhandles until the forums named them. Kinda neat to think the person John's talking to is still in that much of an unformed state.]

145.  TT tries to select John, but the game won't allow it, and John "abjures the cursor" as if he won't allow it either.  (I guess John doesn't know that the game won't allow it. But again, implications to ponder about how much control SBURB players have over other players, if they're all interconnected. Freshly relevant as we edge into the age of interactive VR.)

146-147.  See, I knew somebody had to put the bunny back in the box!  John is pleased (because TT knows him and the movie well enough to know this action will make him smile?)

148-149.  TT: Revise room.

Uh…. whoa! Reality? What's that?

But no reaction from John, no log of a reaction from TT… putting this much power in the hands of a bunch of kids — no, of any bunch of gamers, kids or not — is a BAD IDEA.  (My D&D players are currently thinking of all sorts of clever terrible awesome game-breaking things they can do with the friendly Gelatinous Cube they have adopted, and if they could apply that to the Real World…? Shudder. Just, no.)

150.  But we've got to find out what other world-breaking shit is in this game, let's look in the (para)Phernalia Registry. A Cruxtruder (crux, crisis, extruder, right.) A Totem Lathe (a machine of revolution, creating objects of power, how could that go wrong.) And an Alchemiter, (alchemy, obviously; but not a -meter for measuring; used by an Alchemite? Reminiscent of dynamite? Opposite of Luddite? I dunno.)

Cutesy little suburban world just got a whole lot more exciting, can’t wait to see how they break it. Goneward we go!

[sesquipunzel]

Act 1 Finale (241-247)

We're leaving together, but still it's farewell And maybe we'll come back to earth, who can tell? I guess there is no one to blame We're leaving ground (leaving ground) Will things ever be the same again? It's the final countdown.

Page 241 - Rose: Remove door from hinges.

241-242.  Rose uses the last of their GRIST to let John out of his bedroom, and moves the tub back to the bathroom, I guess not taking a chance on John trying to scramble into and over the tub to get to the balcony? Which, yeah, none of these stairs and balconies have railings and even when he’s not freaking out John is not the most coordinated creature...

243-244.  The Kernelsprite is still bazonkers, impatient for its second prototyping? 

Rose snatches John's generiBricks out of the way and into her PHERNALIA REGISTRY. [I spose if her cursor can't grab John, then she wouldn't be able to save him by storing HIM inside her REGISTRY — but it'd sure be a creatizarre solution to their lil Cruxocalypse!]

     Dudes!! The tick-tock of the clock is painful....

245.  The laser arm thing reads the totem and creates a...a...a Tree of Knowledge, I guess. Which drops an apple into poor Adam-I-mean-John's hands. Does that make Rose our Eve? Holy schymbolism, Batman!

246.  This is it!  Moment of truth!!  

Suspenseful music, meteor streaking in, zoom out on John's little suburb, zoom in on bits of his home and family, and….and….AND….?  

And AAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!!!!!  

IMPACT!  

CLIFFHANG-O-RAMA!!

thank deities I don't have to wait for the comic to update as the original spectators must have ….but I'm guessing this is where we take that sharp left turn into Can Town, so I'm STILL going to have to do my anxious waiting to find out how John gets out of this. 

Obviously he does, obviously I never had to doubt that, but...but...but…  :: /me gestures giddily at Wild Storytelling ::  but HOW?

247.  Curtain.  Fuck you, Hussie, I sez, with sincere but bitter admiration. 

         Fuck. You.

.

[sesquipunzel]

Act 1 (151-160)

She was proud about it, no doubt about it She isn't sure about what she's done No time to think about what to tell him No time to think about what she's done

Page 151 - TT: Deploy Totem Lathe

151.  Here John, have some heavy-duty technomagical equipment for your bedroom. I'm sure your dad won't notice. (That or the strange architectural alteration to the front of the house.)

152.  Yup, neat looking heavy-duty technomagical equipment. But gonna let TT keep doing the exploring, eh?   

153.  TT is figuring out SBURB's inventory/currency system (what, another bizarre mess to learn?).  But John wants to be able to drop & move stuff too, and didn't receive the server software TT is using. Is that what the mail in DAD's car was?

154.  Oh, another reason for TT to have made the room bigger (besides playing with John's equipment) — to reach the stuff on the lawn. Clever.

And she uses a tree modus...impractical but elegant, I like her already.

155.  She brings in the book and the PDA (but not the cake; then again, she probably knows John has a constant supply of cake), and makes him happy again.

And John continues to stand around.

156.  TT deploys a Cruxtruder… in John's living room? These kids are really not too concerned about other people's property, or other people's family relations, or consequences.  (I know they think it's just a game, and maybe they're used to games that affect their real(-ish) world, but… maybe it's just cos I am not 13, and know there's doom doom doom hanging over their heads.)  Also, that other frostinged (frostung?) harlequin arm (harlequarm? harmequin?) is really hanging in there, isn't it?  [where did the other arm go, anyway? got flang out with one of the cakes?]

157.  Now an Alchemiter on the balcony to complete the set. What are they for? "Punch card-based alchemy," TT says matter-of-factly, as if this makes perfect sense. “EB: to what end? i mean what are we supposed to be doing in this game?” THAT is the question, methinks. I know he means "supposed to" in the normal game goal sense (Is the point of this game killing monsters? Dating daddies? Creating civilizations?) But "supposed to" could also imply that someone else has a purpose or rule for the players of the game to follow. But who? And what?

158.  John investigates by...picking up DAD's PDA. Cos he's aimless like that.  [Meanwhile, John’s animated captchalogue deck reminds us of those shards of glass lying in wait.]

His dad has a SERIOUS BUSINESS app, where people talk about ties and stuff — grown-up version of Pesterchum?  Wait, DAD's "fellow street performers"?  Mr. Distinguished Gentleman performs on the street? As what, a businessman? (Or is "street performer" just what he tells John he does, when he goes off to work?) Or is he really a street performer — wait, wait, is he actually a clown? Or, GASP, worse, a mime?

(and then he comes home and changes into shirt and tie so he can relax and bake for his son… sure that makes as much sense as anything else here.)

159.  Installing Pesterchum on DAD's device (okay, picking up the PDA wasn’t entirely aimless -- John wants to be able to talk to friends while wandering around exploring what they’re doing to his house; this is good, means less upstairs-downstairs meandering just to include Pesterlogs in the story, less chance for John to get distracted.) And sure, DAD'll never notice a new app — ya, other people's property, who cares.

160.  Out to the balcony with the Alchemiter. And lol — "I am not sensing a lot of regard for the personal property of others." You don't have a lot of room to talk, Rosie m'dear. 

But she does know John pretty damn well, doesn't she? Psycho-babblery or not. 

Also:

"TT: Is this how your pent-up frustration with your father manifests itself?" seems like a dangerous question to ask someone as they prepare to examine a machine that looks like it's designed expressly to manifest things.

"EB: oh man, see this isn't cool. all this snooping nonsense!" that was my first reaction too!  [I sez, redundundantly, to readers who can easily scroll back to said reaction.]

"TT: Sounds complicated." Is Rose complicated? I have definitely got the impression that Rose is complicated.

So merrily rolling along, with a greater sense of momentum now — we're leaving the Mundanes behind and starting to mess with Weird Magic, or Deep Science, or something.   

And I'm now up to a baker's dozen of y'all following along, waow! Tanks, Myster, for assuring me there'd still be at least a few people interested in following a noob on their noobish journey into the Art of Darkness. And tanks to all of you, hope you will enjoy. Avoiding spoilers means not following ev'rybody back, but 'twas fun having a look at who's out there!

BTW so's y'knows, my friends Myster and Myss (who have now agreed to be identified as @pretentiousmysterioso  and @shazirathoftheunderdark) will be joining me on this blog — I think they'll just be behind the scenes to screen/answer spoilery asks for me, but we shall see how things evolve.

That’s it for today — shall we have A Better Tomorrow?