So can someone explain Homestuck to me?

Discussion in 'The Spam Zone' started by Rayku, Jul 4, 2011.

  1. Rayku Kingdom Keeper

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    I tried reading it before but I just can't get the appeal of it.

    Though most of the fanart is nice.
     
  2. Britishism Gummi Ship Junkie

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    [​IMG] (Sorry, dear friends for the gif. It seemed to fit.)

    True.

    All aside, Homestuck is popular because of its humor and story. The humor is softspoken and rarely outright, which makes it seem less of a comedy and more of an adventure gone horribly/beautifully wrong/right. The overall story is interesting. It has plot twists. It has Dave Strider (Who is my new bicycle).

    As I find it one of the internet's greatest treasures, I recommend you try it again. Admittedly it's not for everyone, but please try at least once more.
     
  3. Korra my other car is a polar bear dog

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    This.

    Also a lot of the fans made me not want to read it too.
    Especially the ones at AnimeNEXT. Dear god that ****ing guy with the bike horn.
     
  4. Rayku Kingdom Keeper

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    I forgot to mention I have tried, multiple times. I just don't get the humor, and some (AND I MEAN SOME) of the fanbase is a bit...rude and forceful when trying to gain new fans
     
  5. Britishism Gummi Ship Junkie

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    Ah. Well, then, as mentioned earlier, it's not for everyone.

    And... yes. The fanbase can get "rowdy". I find most fans annoying, to be honest. I think that if people like it- they'll read it.

    Well, thank you for trying :D
     
  6. C This silence is mine

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    I was honestly a much bigger fan of Problem Sleuth, that thing made me laugh so much, though I apperantly stopped reading Homestuck right before it was getting really good (only had to read a good 2500 pages of it xD), but Problem Sleuth will always have that place in my heart <3
     
  7. Plums Wakanda Forever

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    lolGamzee

    I'm a bit biased considering I really do like Homestuck, but it is pretty great.
    The only thing is the length though, and it takes about three acts just to get into the big plot. >_>

    Overall, I recommend it, but the reading should be spaced out a few weeks to make sense of what's happening.
     
  8. Ars Nova Just a ghost.

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    I looked at the thread title, and for a second I went, "...I... I'm not sure I can."

    I mean, if you want the surface explanation, it's basically an artist trying to write a mythology. One with big words and lots of nerd humor and more layers of irony than YOUR BODY HAS ROOM FOR. It's a pastiche; it plays with genres, tugs at and tears apart and reconstructs every narrative trope it can get its hands on, mixes a lot of different things in one cauldron and waits to see what will pop out. It ties a lot of scattered concepts together in an increasingly large-scale epic about some kids who played a game and made a universe.

    I personally don't get what people don't get about it, but I guess nothing is 100% accessible. Maybe it's that people don't keep reading 'til after the game starts in earnest and they think it's just a kid running around his house acting like a ******.

    Problem Sleuth is similar, but with bigger words and a different setting. And at this point it asks for less emotional investment.
     
  9. Rayku Kingdom Keeper

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    I see, well I personally took it this way:

    Homestuck does have nerd humor, I did get that, of course. And I did like the "interactive" moments of it. I just don't get all the humor, it's unfunny, and it does seem to me it's forced

    Considering, the fans that I do get along with seem and explain the emotional investment they put into it stems from the storytelling, and I did try a few more times, but I couldn't connect to it.

    It also doesn't help that one side of the Homestuck fandom makes it seem like a "Cool Kids" club and if you don't embrace it, they must harass you and treat you lower then them.

    That's just me, with my interactions though.
     
  10. cronoking Chaser

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    Homestuck is about 12 year old gray aliens rubbing bone bulges against each other until they fill buckets while they troll a ******, a narcoleptic, a goth, and a cool kid.

    Jailbreak is totally superior. Much classier jokes <:
     
  11. Rayku Kingdom Keeper

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    What is Jailbreak about?
     
  12. cronoking Chaser

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    A classy young gentleman captured and placed in a prison. He needs to use all the wits and detective-like cunning in his arsenal to escape. With the help of his friends and a golden shower, they find true love and happiness.

    There may or may not be cake pumpkins.
     
  13. What? 『 music is freedom 』

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    Ah, Homestuck. It is an addiction, but it is indeed understandable how such may not be applicable to all tastes - especially considering its length. It is a bit like the Brothers Karamazov in that it takes a large amount of pages to reach the meat of the story (quite usually many are hooked by Act 5 or so), but this investment being worth is most certainly dependent upon the reader him or herself.

    Certain fans can indeed be a tad excessive over it - please do not mind them, they simply wish to spread a message of some sort, I suppose. Quite usually fans do not appear to be too excessive as the aforementioned (besides the occasional reference).


    Such experiences are quite understandable.

    The reasoning over the humour is that it is truly divided into two sections - one section being general references that anyone shall understand, and the second being extreme webs of inside jokes and references to other works by Andrew Hussie which readers of Problem Sleuth or any other adventure may understand fully, which is why, in some aspects, Homestuck may appear a bit tangled and messy with its impromptu humour. This, in essence, may be why some humour may feel a tad "forced".

    The storytelling aspects vary enormously throughout the story - and indeed, I am quite certain that at least one or two storytelling methods shall appeal to most everyone. A recent trend has been a series of interactive video game flashes based around those 16-bit RPG games everyone appears to enjoy, and the flashy flashes certainly increase in amazing quality, per my opinion. I suppose this in itself is indeed a matter of choice, however.

    In conclusion, Homestuck is an investment best made depending upon the reader him or herself. Whether it was worth it in the end, however, would indeed be per the reader's own opinion. I personally found the story quite appealing, but respect must be made for those who were not enticed by it - indeed, at least such made an attempt to see the special sides of such a story. Opinions shall be opinions.
     
  14. Xaale Sylph of Hope

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    I personally really enjoy Homestuck, I'm pretty fond of its humor but everyone has different tastes. The fanbase has a bad reputation, and sometimes the fanbase does actually ruin it for me a bit. But if you can find the right people who enjoy it for what it is, a webcomic, and don't act all elitist in that they "understand the humor/plot" more than you or "that you're not intelligent so you just don't get it" which I think is ridiculous, then you can appreciate it together which I find nice.

    Homestuck itself is pretty long and if you really don't think you'll like it, then you don't have to put your time into it. It's not suited to everyone's tastes, which is perfectly understandable.
     
  15. Fearless A good and beautiful child

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    I agree with the entireity of this post. ._.
    And it's not just because I'm too lazy to type anything myself, no.
     
  16. Xaale Sylph of Hope

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    I almost didn't write something up because I'm lazy :'D but I do that for every thread so I decided I'll type a little something up.

    I was going to type a very general summary but then I realized I'd mess the entire thing up probably because I SUCK AT EXPLAINING EVERYTHING.
     
  17. The Fuk? Dead

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    I never really liked it.
     
  18. Mixt The dude that does the thing

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    *raises hand* That is my view on it to a T. I quit slightly after smoke pellets in the kitchen. So how far do you need to get before you can properly judge it?
     
  19. Plums Wakanda Forever

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    Around Act Three-ish, I think.
    And that's a few hundred pages in.
     
  20. Xaale Sylph of Hope

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    Not to answer for Sforzato, I just wanted to reply with my opinion, I think it changes with the person. It depends what you're looking for in the comic.

    If you're looking for humor, then it really might start right from the beginning, you might never find it humorous, or you will enjoy it anywhere in between. It's hard to judge that way I think. Maybe some time into once (if) you start finding the humour more to your liking, then you'll grow fond of it and get into the comic.

    If you're looking for a story, then the real "exciting" parts that people tend to get hooked on it seems are after the first few acts. Many people give up on this then because they don't want to waste their time reading acts of what they believe is pointless or boring. That's fine, I mean I was a bit bored myself until then but I personally was hooked early on. The first few acts are the foundation of the story, mostly how it works, introducing the main kids, introducing the idea of the trolls, getting the game started, showing the exiles, ect. But the real action that people tend to start enjoying does start around Act 4 I believe.

    For those who don't like Homestuck until then, some people skip to Act 4, some people stop because it's not worth the time to them, and some people grin and bear it until it gets to where they like it. It's all up to you and if you really want to get into this comic or not.

    If you're looking for "those gray skinned candy corn aliens" and nothing more, well uh, that's the first part of Act 5 where all of the trolls are introduced. It is the story of their session and (not to spoil anything) how it is tied to the kids' session.