tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post7988439554693586763..comments2024-02-23T03:58:58.990-05:00Comments on The Saquarry Analyses: Homestuck, What Went Wrong? A Rant, Criticism, Review, Retrospect, and Dressing Down of a Webcomic Unlike Any OtherSaquarry (Justin Miller)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16471321677204879148noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-50770387909513541872017-02-21T13:19:31.883-05:002017-02-21T13:19:31.883-05:00Hi, I like your criticism on this webcomic and I r...Hi, I like your criticism on this webcomic and I respect your opinion. I just want to know what was your opinion on the Jack Noir story arc. You left that out in your review. And what did you think about the Wanderers (Wayward Vagabond and the others) and how PM got the ring and wanted revenge on Jack. What did you think of that story arc?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-81739112331442007382017-01-17T22:01:02.265-05:002017-01-17T22:01:02.265-05:00Thank you, random person on the internet, for writ...Thank you, random person on the internet, for writing this. Thank you so much. None of that was sarcasm. I'm so glad that someone is acknowledging that Homestuck really had amazing potential to be a story which encompassed a lot of weighty and universal/philosophical/metaphysical things, rather than the singularity of awfulness it ended up collapsing into. I enjoy reading analyses of Homestuck more than I enjoyed reading most of the comic itself, because I get to think about the meaning and implications of some of the bigger concepts Homestuck addressed before they got buried under lazy writing and cardboard characters made specifically to put together on a shipping wall. I think you're absolutely correct- Hussie began writing for the fans and lost sight of what the story was originally meant to be. (Can I just mention the ridiculousness that a 'retcon' arc even existed in the first place??) He stopped caring. I wish he would have left it unfinished rather than continue to create the contrived ridiculousness that it became. Sapphyrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11277604922742711002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-62446737412110294362016-11-19T17:19:42.304-05:002016-11-19T17:19:42.304-05:00Almost four years after this was posted on your bl...Almost four years after this was posted on your blog and... what, a semester after Homestuck ended, all I can say is that I'm glad I wasn't the only one who got heavily disappointed with Homestuck from Act 6 (or a bit earlier than that as well) onward. Eridan had great potential as a character and yet was simply thrown aside, Kanaya has nothing special about her as a character despite being "lesbian" (in a culture where lesbians don't even exist, that was spot-on), I hated the cut-out cardboard new characters (specially the insurmountable Beforus trolls), Hussie made the story revolve around romance without even giving any meaningful depth to his characters' relationships (Karkat and Terezi actually had a nice dynamic going on when they first appeared), Gamzee was actually an interesting character back when he was just a quirky juggalo before he went "sober" and became dull, needless character drama toward the end that was supposed to develop them but only made them more annoying, etc. etc. etc. Not to say of the absurd and anticlimactic ending.<br /><br />Homestuck is one of the few works of fiction of which I can say I was truly a fan at one time. I never cosplayed or drew fanfiction but I knew I was obsessed with it back when I found it in the end of 2010 aaall the way to 2012. Heck, I talked to everybody about Homestuck like it was the best thing ever. Nowadays, I'd be hesitant to recommend it to someone. It began to suck when Hussie inevitably began pandering to the worst of his fandom - appropriately symbolized by Calliope, the obnoxious Mary Sue character - and ruining his characters and the story development. Inevitably I felt that I wasn't part of the target demographic of the comic and that its content wasn't meant for me anymore, and it was a sad moment to notice that because it would mean that any criticism I had for the webcomic was essentially meaningless and I had become just one of "the haters". The only thing that kept me going to the end of the webcomic was Caliborn, who still reminded me of the irreverence that Homestuck used to have and whose spite towards the rest of the Homestuck cast I totally shared.<br /><br />Oh, and your girlfriend is right. You do resemble Karkat (at least before he went from crabby internet troll to angsty teenager) in your writing, haha. Karkat used to be one of my favorite characters of the webcomic, and I could totally see Act 4/5 Karkat writing this article if he saw what would happen to him and his friends further down in the story.<br /><br />Either way, it was a nice read, even if "long-winded" as they say. Thanks Saquarry.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-59237725467385347082016-03-24T21:47:17.916-04:002016-03-24T21:47:17.916-04:00As a person that was just passing by, all I have t...As a person that was just passing by, all I have to say about this review can be simmered down to these two words:<br /><br />Thank you.<br /><br />I came across your blog a while ago, read a chunk of your argument here and there, and thought that you had valid points. After all, it's your opinion. I shouldn't fuss over it. I came across this again after browsing a certain wiki, and I decided to read the whole thing. I must say, I completely agree with you. I don't think I need to add any flames to the ever-growing fire, but your points matched what I disliked about the comic. I know this review was made two to three years ago, and you might not respond to this, but thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-37217387130962143702016-02-27T21:48:16.917-05:002016-02-27T21:48:16.917-05:00part 3;
One last thing I want to say is that, as f...part 3;<br />One last thing I want to say is that, as far as fanservice goes, well, hussie has been doing that from the start hasn’t he? From jailbreak to act 5, he has been relying on the input of fans to determine what the next little link at the bottom of the panel says. Even though he technically stopped doing that in act 5, he is still trying to kiss up to the fans. You mentioned that calliope is meant to represent the fandom. Let me correct you there. Both cherubs represent the fandom. In that, they represent both sides of the fandom. Caliborn, throughout his interludes, frequently directs criticisms at the comic as well as Andrew hussie’s character. I have found many of these same criticisms spoken by former members of the fandom. So yeah, he is basically making fun of them while trying to bring them back.<br />I have found, in typing this response, that I am reevaluating and rethinking my love for a comic which, at the time of this posting, is in the middle of the omegapause. At this point, my ocd just wants to see how it ends, and then I will be done with it forever. I will move on to better things.<br />Sunapihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11578635487399019115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-86616427391065405022016-02-27T21:47:43.974-05:002016-02-27T21:47:43.974-05:00part 2:
I will admit that, during my time reading ...part 2:<br />I will admit that, during my time reading the comic, I frequently shipped the characters in my head. The thing is, I never would let it get out of hand. I’ve never liked nor understood fanfiction, and why someone would want to write plot that takes place outside of the canon of a story. To me, the original plot always holds more value than anything. As a result, the shipping that I did in my mind was always either something that the plot hinted at or something that the plot actively encouraged. and yet, it seemed like very few of these would ever be reached. For the love of god, these characters cannot hold on to a relationship for more than an arc. When it comes to relationships in a story, I hate drama. I believe that everyone really does have an OTP, and drives me crazy when characters can’t seemed to find out who that is. In this comic, there are very few otps, and they don’t last. Like, at all. The plot likes to make you believe that certain relationships are meant to happen – again, picking at my ocd – and yet they just aren’t, and when it comes up, the characters simply comment that either A) too much work, which is bullshit considering they literally spent three years doing nothing or b) they are two young, despite the fact that these little fuckers regularly deal with things that would make an adult cringe, like murder, mental illness, bullying, ghosts, extinction, loss of loved ones, etc. some examples include feferi and eridan. As if it wasn’t made blatantly obvious the fact the the only two sea dwellers in the whole set of trolls happened to be male and female, the author outright states that they were made with each other. Yet what happens? She rejects him and he murders her and storms off with no remorse. Or roxy and dirk. They are literally already parents to dave and rose, yet the relationship is essentially rendered null in the new universe because dirk is gay. Not saying there’s problem with being gay, just….maybe he could have been gay and yet still biologically their parents? That gets even more complicated and horrifying.<br />Something that you touched on was the fact that there are repeated deaths of thirteen and sixteen year olds and it is played off as funny, which ties into the bigger discussion about the fact that, for a bunch of kids, they act like adults. It made me wonder, is this really how kids are supposed to act? Do they really become so murderous and genocidal and cold and unfeeling? At first, my reaction was similar to my reaction to sonic 06. I figured, im probably just bad at video games. It never occurred to me that the video games themselves could be bad. Likewise, I originally thought that I must not know enough teenage peers to recognize how a teenager is supposed to act. It never occurred to me that the characters themselves were bad representatives of children. The thing about have thirteen year olds as main characters is that if you try to tell people you are reading a comic about thirteen year olds playing video games, of course they are going to assume that it is a comic intended for thirteen year olds. Yet if thirteen year olds or even sixteen year olds were to read this comic and assume that this is how they are supposed to act at that age, they would be expelled pretty quickly. I mean, true, the world is a scary place. It is not a nice utopia where all kids are raised in normal environments with wonderful conditions. If there is anything that lord of the flies has taught me, it is that if you put a bunch of normal children together and tell them to get along, they probably will start killing each other.<br />Sunapihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11578635487399019115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-24005669210163705492016-02-27T21:47:12.161-05:002016-02-27T21:47:12.161-05:00Wow that was a lengthy review. I’m not saying that...Wow that was a lengthy review. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but whoa I was not prepared to read something that long. I feel it is only fitting to give you a long response that i will split into parts<br />part 1:<br />I really liked how much you poured your feelings into this, even if there were a few places that were a bit ranty and repetitive. I like how you covered all of the aspects of the comic that you didn’t like, whereas most reviewers would only point out one bad thing and be like, “see! See! This is why it is bad”<br />To be honest I have actually considered many of the same things that you considered. I was lucky in that I started the comic relatively recently, meaning I did not have to sit through the apoplectic wait that was the gigapause. When I began, the comic had already gotten far into act 6. After about two months, I managed to catch up, and I began having to wait daily for the updates. It was a little annoying, as you said to have to wait an entire day to see a few panels that barely added anything to the plot. <br />Then the omegapause started. <br />That meant no more homestuck updates for a little less than a year, as Hussie worked on the damn video game. This also gave me time to read back previous homestuck panels as well as touch base with what the fandom had been up to. <br />For much of the time I had been reading the comic, I was totally enamored with what I thought was a very amazing comic with a complex plot. I had always been a sucker for complex plots, such as sonic 06, as they challenged my mind to wrap my head around the individual arcs for each character (the trolls trolling the kids throughout their childhood, the whole thing with jaspers and his time in both universes) and even objects (Lil Cal). It boggled my mind how someone could set up a plot to do that, and how much forethought that must have required. Looking back however, I realized that basically all he was doing was inserting some kind of mysterious and random plot element into the story and thinking, meh, I’ll find a way to explain it later. <br />Another thing I have been a sucker for is patterns and individualities and repeating things. I’m not sure how to properly explain it, but things such as the fact that everyone in the game has an individual aspect and class and specibus and modus, as well as an individual planet and denizen and character-specific quests, or the fact that there are twelve trolls, each with their own blood color and symbol based on the twelve zodiac signs and lusus, or the fact that cherubs have two personalities, each independent and opposite, etc. etc. things like these have always tickled my ocd. They make me feel happy inside, to think that you’ve got a cast of characters perfectly set up like this, and It invokes the image of all of them fighting alongside each other, utilizing each other’s abilities and personalities to defeat the bad guy. You can imagine my shock, then, whenever Hussie promptly kills off, destroys, or straight up voids the existence of anything, be it a character or an inanimate object or even a planet, that is no longer relevant to the plot. Things such as the sudden murders of at least half of the trolls, as well their subsequent, sporadic, and erratic revivals and horrifying fusions and later explosions a la the alpha kid’s sprites made me curl up and die inside. I always kept hope however. Even now, I hope inside that this is all some kind of sick joke on Hussie’s part, and that all of these characters would eventually come back to life NORMALLY and that they would all get to share in the final rewards of….whatever it is the end of the game brings to its players.<br />Sunapihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11578635487399019115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-51999909217357786082015-09-21T21:17:55.037-04:002015-09-21T21:17:55.037-04:00*SPOILERS UNTIL THE 7/28/15 UPDATE*
A large part ...*SPOILERS UNTIL THE 7/28/15 UPDATE*<br /><br />A large part of me has to think that Homestuck would have been more successful if he had kept it shorter. And it's such a mess now that the only people active in the fandom are who can't seem to shake the obsession with it and who just want to see the damn ending. Based on your deeply rooted disappointment for Homestuck I'm guessing you haven't seen the recent update. <br />Hussie, once again, turned the ENTIRE STORY around in a way that was just..... unnecessary? Since any game player other than a guardian will be put into the dream bubbles after death, there isn't much to be passionate about beyond the instinctual reaction. And then he did something where he fused, um.... Jaspersprite (Rose's catsprite) + Nepetasprite + two Rosesprites to make Jasprosesprite^2. He somehow made all the obnoxious sprites of characters who I respected at one point into a weird shipping thing that may or may not be relevant to the story...? <br />Somehow the well-known artists in the fandom are still contributing to it, collaborating on long flashes with beautiful music that have hardly any of Hussie's art in them. I know this review you made was posted in '13, I just wanted to put in my two cents. I'm also interested to know: do you plan on reading the rest from where you left off, or maybe the last update once it's ended? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-39006628892384179532015-08-30T04:38:45.806-04:002015-08-30T04:38:45.806-04:00WARNING MAJOR SPOILERS IN HERE!!!!!1!!!one!!
I am ...WARNING MAJOR SPOILERS IN HERE!!!!!1!!!one!!<br />I am a teenager and I am still reading Homestuck. I find myself face palming at this more than not now that I am nearing the end, but I find that despite me being an "average" fan by not investing myself in ships and the like, I am still a hooked, obsessed Homestuck teenager. Maybe it is because at the time of writing this I am two more years invested in Homstuck than most of the people who commented here at the time, but I literally CAN'T stop. Stopping for me will be like reading the entire series of Harry Potter but stopping right before he battles Voldemort, or maybe giving up a marathon out of exhaustion when I am 100 yards from the finish line. I am hooked and I will read to the end. <br />One major thing I hated about the comic was trickster mode. It was a lot of bullshit because Hussie wanted to troll all of us with the major mood swing. Plus he made it so they managed to get to all of their respective god tier beds side by side despite being on separate moons and them not having a clue what they are supposed to be doing because of... reasons.<br />Another thing that irked me was the ring that brought people back to life. While I realize it is meant for Calliope to come back to life to fight lord English, I felt it was an excuse for Aranea to become a villain, which I felt completely went against her character. She is a bookish character that, while she likes to be the center of attention and always thinks she is right, isn't the kind of person (oh I'm sorry, troll) to interfere with a plan that could potentially save all of paradox space. Also, it isn't like we already have enough villains to keep track of with three jacks, two Bec Noirs, and one Lord English, right?<br />Game Over was meant to kill everyone off so John would have no choice but to use his newfound time powers. It was almost as if Hussie regretted everything he had us readers go through for the past 3-4 years, so he just decided to control-alt-delete all that as if it never happened and expect us all to be fine with it. Yes, I was relieved that things could go a bit more smoothly, but it seems more than a little lazy in my opinion.<br />Obviously I could go into much more detail about what I have said, and I could write a doctorate thesis on everything I hated about Homestuck, but I don't want to make this too long of a comment. I still love many aspects of the comic, but if felt good to vent here. Sorry for commenting on this really old analysis if this will do nothing but annoy you by getting some random email saying you have a new comment on this chat (unless that is just a terrible youtube thing). Now If You Will Excuse Me I Have To Go Back To Typing Like This And Cosplaying As Kanaya At Conventions So Good Day To You SirAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12806173641698257716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-88004896386373386482014-08-25T09:06:59.367-04:002014-08-25T09:06:59.367-04:00You said you didn't like Cascade--I'm curi...You said you didn't like Cascade--I'm curious as to why? (Although I don't agree with all of them, I find your opinions really interesting).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-41970361355591024492014-07-02T20:27:54.581-04:002014-07-02T20:27:54.581-04:00I keep adding to this post which is likely long go...I keep adding to this post which is likely long gone but I suppose my opinion still needs to be formed.<br />(The bad parts do seem kind of iffy though-the deaths I mean)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-16345988261129687582014-07-02T18:45:47.580-04:002014-07-02T18:45:47.580-04:00^ That being said, I think I may still try with it...^ That being said, I think I may still try with it. My mind may change later in the story but who knows. We all have our opinions. But thank ya regardlessAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-5804729112193161252014-07-02T18:39:06.169-04:002014-07-02T18:39:06.169-04:00Seeing this gives me a slight insight to Homestuck...Seeing this gives me a slight insight to Homestuck, as I have been introduced to it. I'm only in the beginning, barely touching Act 2, and-being curious about it- decided to look up reviews. <br />I suppose I can't give a full out opinion as I haven't even finished it, nor am I close to. The beginning has given me some interest and while I know there are things spoiled in this (which is totally fine with me because I was curious), I see that it's going to turn into something else.<br />I was aware from seeing other posts about how many characters there are...there seem to be a lot to try to juggle around and some stuff does seem to get clumped together.<br />As a teen, of course there are things that probably appeal to me now that won't in years time. However, you saying that it starts to focus heavily on shippings is kind of 'eh' with me. Yeah, there will be people I may like together but the story (of what I know so far) wasn't based around it. But as you said, he went to going with it.<br />This was probably just a bunch of mumbling, but it was a interesting review.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-45747005078177427002014-01-27T23:52:05.770-05:002014-01-27T23:52:05.770-05:00That's valid. I haven't read anything of H...That's valid. I haven't read anything of Hussie's outside of MSPA and really don't plan on doing so. I do think that the man has talent. He has a knack for a special kind of storytelling and humor, which I can appreciate. I tend to focus on the negative aspects because I've been turned off on the story and characters of Homestuck for quite a while, but that doesn't mean there aren't positives too!<br /><br />I don't think he'll redeem the webcomic or the characters for me. Too much has been done wrong (in my opinion) for too long. Nothing short of retcons will satisfy me. The biggest problems I have are story and character related. The tone has always been an eclectic one, and that's cool, but I think he dropped the ball quite hard and for quite a long time, especially with introductions and characters and the plot- good Lord that "plot." For me there's no coming back from that.<br /><br />But I appreciated the post! I love hearing the differing opinions!Saquarry (Justin Miller)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16471321677204879148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-57342283603905846992014-01-27T23:45:13.014-05:002014-01-27T23:45:13.014-05:00Okay, Blagonet, you are absolutely wrong. I can un...Okay, Blagonet, you are absolutely wrong. I can understand people disagreeing with me because they enjoy Homestuck. Okay, they enjoy it, and I don't. Fair enough. No one needs any reasons to enjoy something.<br /><br />But I have every right to criticize and be annoyed with a webcomic, be it this one or any other. Your entire argument has faulty and incredibly flawed logic. Fiction relates to reality automatically. That's why we can relate to fiction. It's a simple concept and one I would think most people would be able to understand. We relate to characters because they remind us of something, even if that something is ourselves or archetypes we are familiar with.<br /><br />Homestuck is all about references to other media. You know, video games, other comics, Hussie's own writing, etc. Denying that doesn't make it any less true. So, no matter how convoluted it is (and I don't believe it's anywhere near as convoluted as many people seem to think it is) it has a definite grounding in reality and things relating to reality.<br /><br />Anything and everything can and should be analyzed. Following blindly gives back no amount of thought or criticism about anything. And those things are essential for growth. No artist or writer and perfect and all could improve. It doesn't mean you can't enjoy something that's absolutely flawed. Just don't deny that they could be flawed. I don't get annoyed when people criticize the things I love. It's what they want to think. So, let them think it. They're opinions are not going to sway my own if I hold my own opinions dear enough. But sometimes other people's opinions can open eyes.<br /><br />Analyzing something pushes that something. Criticism is valid. It creates questions and thoughts and those things are NEVER bad. Saying that questioning and being a little logical and analyzing take away from the "fictionality and humour" is an incredibly ignorant thing to say, Blagonet. Grow up and stop being annoyed that someone would dare to criticize your precious webcomic that frankly deserves the criticism.<br /><br />I could go on about this for a while. So, I'm going to stop and simply say that next time if you want to talk, don't speak in absolutes or inanities.Saquarry (Justin Miller)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16471321677204879148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-72368930802824768942014-01-20T01:30:59.229-05:002014-01-20T01:30:59.229-05:00It's fiction. If it was meant to relate to rea...It's fiction. If it was meant to relate to reality, no matter how convoluted (13 year olds getting strangled to death, alcoholic Roxy), it wouldn't be what it is. A webcomic. It wasn't meant to be analyzed with logic. Doing so detracts from its fictionality and humour.Blagonetnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-24539860103046538732013-12-19T22:07:50.915-05:002013-12-19T22:07:50.915-05:00This was really interesting and touched on a bunch...This was really interesting and touched on a bunch of valid points! But still as a fan of homestuck, I have to mention some other relevant things. Like the line of good taste for me was passed before he even started homestuck, have you seen his earlier stuff? As in, not on mspa. It's really weird. It's not just something he pulled out of nowhere. Well, that's a matter of personal taste too, but eh. Also, I also think new kids and trolls are kind of terrible! But i have a wary kind of faith that he'll do something amazing with them, because he did have an ending in mind from sometime four years ago. He likes setting up useless minutia for plot twists, probably. I don't think there was actually much of a definitive change. I archive binged from the beginning to the murder arc, and the only thing i really absolutely hated was the introduction of 12 new characters randomly. I got used to them because they were utilized in the plot but I'm having the same exact feel now for Act 6. I'm expecting cascade levels of redemption lol. But the tone of the story always felt same at the core, even with all the ridiculous murder/room wandering/quest chat speak that was going on at the top. Homestuck is not perfect at all, of course, especially in terms of pacing and bloatedness, but Hussie really has a knack for storytelling (withholding information, pushing the limits of the reader's intelligence) and characterization that I enjoy... <br /><br />tldr; like your opinion, here have some of mine. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-51187809568910121372013-10-06T09:51:25.714-04:002013-10-06T09:51:25.714-04:00Yeah, the trolls are certainly overrated. They bas...Yeah, the trolls are certainly overrated. They basically took over the webcomic and the fandom. I don't mind that myself since I found the kids kind of dry, but I do think it certainly takes away from the kids' story. A lot of things Hussie could have done could have made Homestuck better. He could have featured the guardians or the backstories or whatever. He could have done a great deal. But he didn't because, I think, he forgot how to write the comic or care about it or something. I always wondered what happened to Jade's Grandpa, what that whole golden ship was about, what he did on his grand adventures, and what that whole backstory was about. But we never saw it. It never entered into the story. And now it feels like it's never going to be revealed, which bothers me since it was hinted so strongly at in the early days of the comic.Saquarry (Justin Miller)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16471321677204879148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-37615054007265327272013-10-06T09:46:14.861-04:002013-10-06T09:46:14.861-04:00See, I agree with your whole first point. Homestuc...See, I agree with your whole first point. Homestuck was good and then lost a certain something. While there are hints of that "something" it simply has not come back yet. Every once in a while I see the quality almost coming through again, and then it just dips down lower than ever before. Act 6 is mostly a confusing mess that doesn't do anything but make me angry. Again, there are shining pieces of it, but the pieces do not do anything for the whole.<br /><br />The cosplaying and fan-stuff are a bit of a two-edged sword for me, if you get my meaning. I've had my issues with people who pursue only the fan stuff without the knowledge of the comic, but I also understand that people can do whatever makes them happy to a point... and if just dressing up like a troll or pushing out fanfiction makes them happy, who am I to judge? I was pretty angry over the whole thing for a while until I took a step back and thought, "Is this actually hurting me?" No, it's really not. People ship and draw stuff and write stuff and roleplay and cosplay, and it doesn't affect me. And it only affects the comic because Hussie wants to make fun of the fans who do those things. I guess I didn't want to stoop as low as he did. Because no matter what the fandom does, it's ultimately Hussie's fault AND ONLY HUSSIE'S FAULT for the downgrade in quality.<br /><br />Sure, I do try to reply to everything people say to me. Sometimes, with my real life job and everything, it does take some time to reply, which is why this is so late in coming. I want to have the time to really reply in the most meaningful and understanding way possible. Again, your English is seriously fine, and it's kind of cool to be the person you wrote that much English to. I guess Homestuck is really an important thing to you if you feel the need to write about it at that much length.<br /><br />Saquarry (Justin Miller)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16471321677204879148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-35380489786079341872013-09-14T00:44:33.582-04:002013-09-14T00:44:33.582-04:00I am happy that you agreed. I think Homestuck had ... I am happy that you agreed. I think Homestuck had a great appeal for all ages in it's beggining, but the part of the fandom that has more expression are the teenagers, so Hussie decided to make something that would keep only his most fervorous cultists entertained. <br /> Or maybe he is just tired of his work but is still bound to it because it's not finished yet. If you do a deeper analysis, act 6 is much more simpler to understand than the previous acts, there are less time travels, alternate universes and story arcs to keep conected coherently. There is also an obvious higher level of promiscuity and dark humor. and there are no more great memetic ideas in the comic anymore. <br /> The only parts of act 6 that I found appealing were a fraction of "act 6 act 2", "act 6 act 3" and the calliborn's intermissions. They gave me some hope for the comic, but everything went down after the alpha kids entered the medium.<br /> In relation to the fandom, I don't care if people like shipping or cosplaying, especially since it is only entertainment. However Homestuck have made a lot of things that nobody has seen in any other piece of fiction. It's plot is different, it's structure is different, it's characters are (were) great, and all the homestuck universe has a particular density that could result in hours of discution about the crazy theories and stuff. What annoys me is the fact that there are a lot of people that like homestuck ONLY because of shipping and cosplaying, and this pisses me off because it makes the whole comic's magnificence seems superficial, and was one of the responsible factors for Homestuck's downfall. I have already seen people saying: "what is cool about homestuck is the teen drama, and the ease to write fanfictions about the characters" it's ok if only one people thinks that way, but it is clear that most of the fandom does.<br /> Rethinking about the troll's deaths, They really were kind of disturbing. I think Hussie sometimes forgets about the age of his characters. However, for some reason I was already predicting that this kind of bad dark humor would occur. <br /> Anyway, thanks for politely replying everyone that comments on your post, it's rare on internet, and thanks for discursing my point of view. I have started problem sleuth, but I have few time to read it now, however I'm sure that I'm going like it (If I have enjoyed that boring first act, certainly I will enjoy PS). I will keep reading Homestuck because I need to know how it is gonna end, but I don't think it will be so good as someday it was (maybe Hussie can still surprise us...) And I am glad you understood my english, I have never written a so huge text in this language, much less for other people to read. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-4955466405661379872013-09-13T23:45:48.663-04:002013-09-13T23:45:48.663-04:00I have to say that I have never played kingdom hea...I have to say that I have never played kingdom hearths but I see your point. John is certainly a whatever character, not bad, but not good. However his reaction to things are really annoying, like when he destroyed the world or when his dad died. Ok, when he destroyed the world homestuck still was a comedy webcomic, but after act 5 I don't consider Homestuck to be funny anymore, so his reaction to father's death was kind of unrealistic. By the way, what pisses me off about the guardians deaths is the fact that they didn't leave a legacy to the comic. They aren't remembered anymore, and we didn't discovered anything about what they were doing in the medium, or the hystory of Skaianet empress, the reasons for their weird obsessions... I agree that their deaths were necessary, but Hussie should have had created something to make them memorable characters, mainly because they were in the comic since it's beggining. In relation to the trolls, I like them, Karkat, Vriska, Terezi and Sollux are some of my favorite characters, However I think they overshadow other plot arcs (at least in the fandom), I think Homestuck have a lot of cool things, and the trolls are only one of them. However, if it weren't for trolls fan arts I would have never discovered Homestuck, because here in Brazil (I live in Brazil anyway) a few number of people know homestuck because there is no translation to portuguese, so I own something to the troll's overrating.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-20535306449131130572013-09-08T17:17:57.028-04:002013-09-08T17:17:57.028-04:00Hey, thanks for the praise. I like to think that m...Hey, thanks for the praise. I like to think that most of the fans are young and don't quite understand that blindly defending something that they like doesn't make that same thing good or quality. I think they just say, "I like this." And then they just defend it without actually knowing where the quality is or where something has gone horribly wrong.<br /><br />I don't want to be an asshole here since I was called out way too many times for being an asshole when I actually wasn't. I have heard a great deal of, "You don't understand it." and "It's not written for you." and "Stop hating." The problem with those are none of them address the actual issue.<br /><br />I liked Homestuck, even found pieces of it compelling. But the bad writing is there, like a tumor on the surface of the comic. It's gotten worse, and the author trolling the fanbase while he writes it has actively made the entire thing much worse.<br /><br />The chat-speak isn't for everybody, although I do know a great deal of people who really ran with that whole thing. I'm neutral on it. I think it was fine when they were chatting in chat logs or whatever since, yeah, fine kids talk that way to one another sometimes. It was a cute little quirky piece of the webcomic, and it didn't actively do anything terrible. But when they "spoke" that way beyond the chat logs, it somewhat broke the immersion.<br /><br />But that is completely nitpicky and something I don't really have any opinions on.<br /><br />I've never heard of Mind the Gap. I'll check it out and see what it's about. Saquarry (Justin Miller)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16471321677204879148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-79536821438362388532013-09-08T14:59:47.929-04:002013-09-08T14:59:47.929-04:00And I don't begrudge the people we perceive as...And I don't begrudge the people we perceive as the hardcore Homestuck fans. I don't care if they cosplay or do the fan stuff or whatever. Have a good time is what I say. but someday they'll realize that however good they think Homestuck is, it could have been better and it should have been better. And then... well... we'll see, I guess.<br /><br />You should read Problem Sleuth by the way. It is very different from Homestuck (and much shorter), but it stays true to the story and is an actual great read.<br /><br />By the way, your English was great, Anon. Don't worry about it. I appreciate the comment, and if you ever feel like talking more, go right on ahead. There are many others that don't like the direction the comic is going. The amount of views and comments I've received speak to that quite well.Saquarry (Justin Miller)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16471321677204879148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-81564457824654922362013-09-08T14:59:30.702-04:002013-09-08T14:59:30.702-04:00Your first paragraph there, Anon, I'm simply g...Your first paragraph there, Anon, I'm simply going to nod and agree on. I have another write-up planned that will cover a ton more ground, but right now, I simply will agree. Having Jane and Jade completely change characters is nonsense. It's so utterly ridiculous and painful to look at that I simply look at it as a joke of writing. A joke that nobody finds funny and has gone on too long. The characters are no longer themselves, basically changing into caricatures of what they used to be. Oh, Terezi and Rose, once the strongest females in the work, have now become dependent on their respective lovers. And their entire character is now defined by a relationship. Huh. That seems like awful writing to me. It seems like Hussie took the characters and did the worst possible thing he could to them: He took away what made them good characters, and he took away what made them strong.<br /><br />I don't care for realism is a webcomic about completely unrealistic things. I don't care about relationships being shown in excruciating, and often unwelcome, detail. I simply care that these characters made me happy. They gave me hope for good female characters in fiction. And now they're nothing more than setpieces without individuality or sense. I get the feeling that it's Hussie's way of saying that women are defined by relationships and feelings, but that seems really wrong considering how inspiring Homestuck has become to many people who are different and are unshackled by the norm. It seems almost sickening, doesn't it?<br /><br />You're right about the timeline as well. Homestuck started very slow (and to me uninteresting), then it became good, then very good, then great. Then it slowly went downhill, to the point where it is not even a parody of itself any longer, but rather a sick shadow that twists and mocks itself without understanding what made the story or characters compelling. Or understanding why so many people cared for the story so much.<br /><br />Anon, you are preaching to the choir here. I think Hussie wants to appeal to what he believes is his core audience and nothing else. So, younger teenage and pre-teen girls talk about Homestuck? Well, they must be the only ones in the world reading it. And they don't deserve good writing. No. No, Anon. They deserve only what they ask for: shipping and potential cosplays, and paper thin characters, weak females, and a complete wreck of a story. (I'm being sarcastic here, I don't believe they deserve any of those things, nor do I believe they're asking for them. It's what they're getting though.)<br /><br />What bothers me is that Homestuck was inspirational. It spoke to so many people and created a little fandom for the people who might be outcasts, who might be different, and who might have needed that kind of story to get them through whatever hardships that they might have gone through. It wasn't just fiction. It was a way of life for a while. And for some it still is. It gave them something to hold onto, something to believe in, and it failed. It fell apart and destroyed the greatness it once held. And people defend it without realizing that Hussie is mocking them. They defend it without realizing that it is no longer for them, and that truly, it is no longer for anybody at all.<br /><br />People can say as much as they want that they might still enjoy it or that they're invested by it, but none of the people out there deserve bad writing. None of the fans deserve characters being torn apart and remade into a Stepford Wife image of what they used to be. None of the fans deserve Hussie to systematically take away the amazing thing he created and now fails to understand. None of us deserve that. But that's what we have right now, like it... or not.Saquarry (Justin Miller)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16471321677204879148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806500828781561546.post-9366568302044328732013-09-08T14:36:20.737-04:002013-09-08T14:36:20.737-04:00John is a whatever character. Again, if you've...John is a whatever character. Again, if you've ever played Kingdom Hearts, he's basically Sora except dumber and less interesting (which is something I'd never thought I would ever say). As for the deaths, I don't care that the characters died, only how they died truly bothered me. And only Equius's death had any true impact on my psyche. I have issues with 13 year olds dying in a fetishistic manner specifically hearkening on thoughts of sexual gratification. That makes me feel well-nigh uncomfortable. But then again I'm nearly 25 and am not really fond of seeing that in fiction.<br /><br />Mom and Dad deaths were whatever to me. They had a reason for happening. It was John's reaction to his father's death that I hated. I get that the guardians die. I did not get why John just herp-derped his way through the death of the single person closest to him that he had spent most of the plot searching for. I don't know if it was bad writing or simply that Hussie wanted to focus on other things. I only know that it threw me off and made me fairly annoyed.<br /><br />I'm not going to talk about how the trolls are overrated. I liked them quite a bit and found their story the most compelling bit in the story. So, they were the big thing keeping me reading.<br /><br />I do agree with your Act 6 rant though. Almost down to the letter. Except for the good characters (even though I had moments of liking Dirk, Caliborn, and Meenah). Right now though I don't think any of the characters have survived Hussie purging good writing from the face of the webcomic. Saquarry (Justin Miller)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16471321677204879148noreply@blogger.com