Homestuck Re-read Part 20: I think it's today.
I am, for some reason, deciding to start at 1am. This is probably a bad idea because if I remember act 5 is when Homestuck starts to get more text heavy. But I've left it until now for no real reason, and I need to keep up the habit.
Plus, I think it's today.
ACT 5
ELSEWHERE IN PARADOX SPACE. We see a pl;anet with two moons, one pool table green and the other violently violet.
The tone and pacing for act 5 gets set pretty much immediately. Things are gonna get weirder and more convoluted and intense and we don't have time for crucifucking around. We get introduced to a little bit of alternian culture.
- We learn that there is an insanely edgy presumably military group called the THRESHECUTIONERS.
- They have RECUPERACOONS with SOPOR SLIME instead of beds. To stop the bloodlust and such.
- There are troll versions of regular human celebrities like Will Smith and Adam Sandler.
- Karkat programs in a language called
~ATH(read: TIL DEATH) that uses some, very odd logic. Must be APL or Haskell based. - Alternian society seems to on some level be setup to prepare children to play sburb
- Also they build their own homes as children.
- Hivebent title screen.
- Oh hey the ==> is way longer. ======>
Oh shit hey it's mOtHeRfUcKiNg GaMzEe/ He's so innocuous. I forgot trolls have issues with eachother's quirks. I'm not sure if it's difficulty reading them or just hatred though. There is so much homestuck culture in this one page; Miracles and Faygo and that clown face emote :o). I can't tell if he was supposed to be as important as he ends up being or if it was like the Cigarette Smoking Man where he just gets a late-term promotion from extra to main antagonist. Terezi invites the clown to play a game together.
Oh hey Sollux is back guys. Sollux is back! He's mention some spooky girl called AA digging ancient tech out of ruins that he's adapted into a game. I wonder what that's gonna be about. They're gonna play sburb in two teams: red and blue. Terezi and Sollux are captains and are going to compete to see who wins.
I forgot how fucking cool Terezi is. Absolutely based home interior design. Also more edgy group names mentioned, Terezi wants to become a LEGISLACERATOR(?). There was also a blind prophet at one point apparently, whatever that ends up meaning.
OK SO. I MAY HAVE GONE TO SLEEP BETWEEN THAT LAST PARAGRAPH AND NOW. IT IS 11:01 AM THE SAME DAY AND I'M HOPING TO FINISH BEFORE THE NEXT UPD8.
Iconic Terezi Panel. Should Cyanotype that. Terezi lives in a treehouse, seemingly isolated and alone compared to Karkat.
NEPETA!
It's the first time Nepeta gets talked too! My friend who first introduced me to Homestuck absolutely loved Nepeta. That love for Nepeta absolutely rubbed off onto me. She's the most adorable kitty cat troll girl. Anyway, Terezi wants Nepeta for her sburb team, but Nepeta has to check with someone first. For *purr*mission. Get it. :33. This will lead to a normal reason for asking fully understood by most humans and not any strange cultural practices regarding romance and friendship.
Terezi also wants to recruit Karkat, but by now Sollux telling Karkat he doesn't give a shit who red team leader is has caught up with Terezi's present and she has to deal with Karkat caring so much about it. Terezi doesn't have a Lusus(?), a thing which it is unclear what it is at this point but Terezi having one would be bad.
Karkat on the LAND OF PULSE AND HAZE. Some sburb staples never change but some definitely do.
CG: EXCUSE MY DISDAIN FOR YOUR BLUE BLOODED VERNACULAR.
GC: Wh4T COLORS YOUR BLOOD?
CG: WHOA NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!
CG: SERIOUSLY WAS THAT A SERIOUS QUESTION?
CG: UNBELIEVABLE.
GC: 1 W1LL F1ND OUT SOM3 D4Y
CG: WHAT IS WITH YOUR OBSESSION WITH COLORS.
I'm surprised that the hemospectrum and Alternia's caste system hasn't been introduced yet. It's such a big thing in fandom spaces and discussion but it's been strangely absent sofar. Infact, I don't think classpects have been properly introduced yet either, or godtiers. Or her.
BUT NOW THE INTRODUCTION OF A DIFFERENT HER
A glowing floating troll girl destroys their version of the frog temple.
An aquarius-ringed guy talks about LAND DWELLERS and picks up faygo.
Karkat confronts his Lusus, that thing we had Terezi mention earlier. This one is a giant crab like motherfucker. Oh this is also the panel that ultimate spawns numerous bucket incidents. Also troll reproduction. The imperial drones carry genetic material to the mothergrub which converts it into an incestuous slurry of reproductive fluids and lays hundreds of thousands of eggs. Very continental.
I think having played the friendsim games, it's very easy to loose sight of the fact Alternian culture and civilization (on Alternia itself) is dominated by children. The society you encounter in the games seems way too functional for it. I'm not sure if this is a retcon or just that Alternian children are more well organized.
Sollux is back guys! And his fancy dual coloured shades like Dr Jacoby from Twin Peaks. We are then immediately redirected to meet Nepeta! Just in time to go back to Sollux for a proper introduction. He's a normal guy with visions of the soon to be dead plaguing him and a whole duality type thing going on with blue and red. Also hes a psychic and doesn't need a strife specibus on account of the telekinetic powers. He also has visions of the troll race dying out, but that sburb can somehow save it.
That floaty girl continues to destroy the frog temple. She's very detached and cold, but she still cares about Sollux. But she has mislead him. Sburb is condemnation not salvation, but one that is self-enforced by destiny. The opportunity to play with this fire only exists because they will play and be burned. Sollux tries to pull the plug, he doesn't want to get burned. Karkat runs some code out of spite and-
There are dire consequences to computer programming. A virus that reaches out across paradox space and curses you physically. Another virus examined. The strange pool ball iconography invoked again, declaring it's invocation at the death of the universe. It is kindly explained to us however, the purpose. Another iconic frame.
KANAYA TIME
She's living in a tower strangely similar to Jade's and the one on the moons of Prospit and Derse. I thought Jade got hers from her grandfather constructing it to look like that. Nearby is another frog temple and, a giant pipe? Oh thats a volcano.
STOP BEING KANAYA, BE TAVROS INSTEAD. He's a slam poet with animal telepathy and a belief in fairies. He plays a strange card game where he alien chest-bursts a random plushy for no real reason. Glad he's having fun though!
His home and troll furniture seems, woefully unequipped for his accessibility needs. This is almost certainly a 'feature' of alternian society, as we will come to see.
END OF UPD8
Today wasn't the day. She wasn't introduced?
I'm waiting on tenterhooks for it. I'm constantly surprised how far we've got without her being introduced.