The Cerulean Snake

Info and updates for the Homestuck fan comic The Cerulean Motley Crew!

[the-mspfa-200-favourites-project]

The Cerulean Motley Crew

Remember Alabaster? Remember that? Well, this is in an extended universe with that. Alabaster was the first fanadventure I ever said “pass” to, but not for a lack of trying. I thought Alabaster was doing something interesting and purposeful and intentional, it’s just that what it was doing wasn’t for me and was repulsing me from continuing to see what it did, but I took it on faith that it was going to do something interesting.

And that’s why I’m so excited about this one. It seems to be doing the Alabaster thing (which is also the I’m Good I’m Gone thing, which is also the Old Fiji Water.png thing, etc. etc.), but with characters that probably I’m not supposed to be repulsed by and actively wish the downfall of! That sounds FANTASTIC! Besides, High Seas Swashbuckling Adventure? That’s a unique setting that I haven’t come across in the Fanadventure Sphere, so let’s go check it out!

I love how the backgrounds change in this one to showcase the location of where you are. It’s a little detail, but it goes a long way into immersing me into the story. Also, speaking of that story, it’s good so far, so literally no notes have been taken.

Okay yeah I’m hooked, line, and sinker on this one folks…this one’s the real deal, not just a fishing tale spun up by an old sailor. There’s real treasure in this one for sure! I don’t know why I’m doing all these nautical, pirate-adjacent puns, just I guess, in the mood for it I guess. It’s good, is what I’m saying. Kind of feels like a TV show almost, and a DARN GOOD ONE at that! Like I said, completely hooked. So, uh…go check it out if you have already checked out Alabaster and thought that, if the tone was just a *little bit* less abrasive, you could stand it…yeah. I highly recommend THE CERULEAN MOTLEY CREW.

[theceruleansnake]

Funny that both I'm good I'm gone and Old Fiji Water.png are mentioned because I knew both creators quite well from the old homestuck spaces and rp groups, plus Phoebe (IGIG) was the one to directly encourage me to start TCMC (hence why Minami gets a guest appearance). I guess it's sort of a shared flavour lol

[theceruleansnake]

Guess who's partnering up with Jailbreak^2 for SAHCon 2023

[theceruleansnake]

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

[theceruleansnake]

Ok this is probably the best ship I've done so far

[oasis-nadrama]

Did you know that in the early days of the MSPFA website, everyone could edit ANY of the adventures on the website? :D

[theceruleansnake]

A small section of something I'm working on with Fruzmig For the SAHCON. This took me way too damn long

[oasis-nadrama]

‘The Cerulean Motley Crew’, by Cerulean Snake - All aboard, mateys!

Review by Oasis Nadrama, 04/12/2023 (up to page 255)

[Drawing by CeruleanSnake] When they were a young troll, Chever always wanted to become a pirate… but ended up at the opposite end of life, as a prison guard, when the hard rules of the Alternian Empire took their toll on their dreams of liberty. One day, in the orbital penitentiary, they are tasked with welcoming a particularly dangerous prisoner, and this encounter will uncover the secrets to their past, future and present life. Can the call of the sea be heard amongst the stars?

[Drawing by CeruleanSnake] The large fictional universe engendered by Homestuck opens on many worlds, eras and sapient species, and opens even more doors for inventive storytellers. But rare are the fanworks to make full use of this potential, and in this area as in many others, the stunning fan aventure The Cerulean Motley Crew excels. It proposes a rarely explored political context, the period of the Summoner who challenged imperial tyranny, and an even rarer genre in this general setting: PIRATES! Chever, our nonbinary protagonist, improvized buccaneer and self-proclaimed pirate captain, organically assemble a colorful crew along their quest, and the cast is, again, one of this adventure’s strengths. Flintlock, an uncontrollable anarchist, fights against slavery and general political power with reckless abandon (not to mention a certain thirst for gratuitous bloodbath). Rat escaped a futureless life in a nightmarish complex and is now along for the ride, despite her general consternation towards the chaotic, childish and sex-obsessed nature of her two comrades The efficient yet comical trio will cross the path of many more memorable figures, some of them friends, some of them neutral, some of them enemies, all of them enjoyable, up to and including the apparent main antagonist, as despicable as they go, all united in a dynamic, fluid, rhythmic dance, events intertwined for maximum impact, drama and suspense but never forgetting to remain entertaining. The structure and pacing are flawless, the tone perfectly mastered, the lore absorbing, the dialogues lively… What’s not to love here?

[Drawing by CeruleanSnake] The drawings are on par with the writing: intense, refreshing color palettes are a feast for sore eyes. Character designs are extremely distinct with various morphologies and clothing styles; the different body types really shine in both action scenes and dynamic dialogues. There may be some errors in proportions or simplistic environments, but these little flaws pale in comparison to the overall visual quality. Perspectives are good and dynamic, action poses effective… But the really exceptional thing is the faces: they are all different, flexible, and incredibly expressive! The author makes good use of the media with gorgeous animated backgrounds which adapt to the various scenes: at dusk, the waves of the decor will meet darkened sand bathed in the red light of the alien sunset; by midnight, the foliage on the shore will be lightened only by the shining firmament. This work on the interface does wonder for the general immersion. Other uses of the form include short panel animations and ondulating, shaking, distorted lines in the conversation. CeruleanSnake’s maestria culminates in the insult-off minigame. This stunning moment of interactivity, frontal homage to Monkey Island, is funny, balanced, brimming with details! It represents full days of work by the artist and it shows.

[Drawing by CeruleanSnake] The Cerulean Motley Crew is a work of love and a beautiful story, full of life and surprises. Looking forward to the next episodes of this big adventure!

[theceruleansnake]

Absolutely awesome review!!

[theceruleansnake]

Welcome to the hot fresh blog of The Cerulean Motley Crew (and possible future projects! Will update as time goes).

Here you can find fun tidbits and updates as I go along!

If you wanna check out the first project, read it here!!

The Cerulean Motley Crew

A daring adventure of pirates, booze and a whole lotta booty!