There’s this one theory about the ending going around. That theory being that the reason Hussie thumbs-downed LE, the reason the animation cut off before the final battle, and the reason the door on the platform turned white is that the true purpose of the House Juju was just to end the comic, “freeing” the characters from the narrative.
There’s enough evidence to suggest that maybe that’s what happened. I’m not interested in disproving the theory, just because Act 7 was vague enough on the details that, really, anyone’s theory is equally valid. What I do want to talk about is why that ending fucking sucks.
It’s strange because the main cast escaping from the time loops and causal obligations of Paradox Space was the ending I wanted. Always have. I remember a dark shadow settling onto me in Act 5, realizing the crushing inevitability in everything these characters did. No one’s choices mattered. There was no free will. Everything they did had already happened. That feeling of hopelessness is supported by the narrative – Rose’s attempt to thwart the narrative and destroy the Green Sun turned her into the very author of its hold over reality. That bullshit feeling of being “suckered” by the narrative was cut with the victory of Jade literally breaking through the fourth wall. But even that was fore-ordained. More causal bullshit. The kids never truly had control over their destinies, and they knew it.
Wait. So why is Act 7 as an escape from the narrative unsatisfying?
It has to do with agency.
Hey, let’s change gears and talk about the ending of a movie from the 90s. What’s more Homestuck than that?
I actually love this type of ending a lot, and here’s a movie that fucking nailed it. The Truman Show, for all of you way younger than me, is a movie about a guy whose entire life is a narrative. As a baby, he was chosen to be the star of a pioneering new television show. Truman’s lived his entire life in a dome, surrounded by actors who are paid to be his family, friends, and coworkers. The director manipulates his life by introducing elements as plot twists and drama. Ultimately, Truman realizes that his world is fake and ties to escape from it.
In the final scene, Truman reaches the edge of the dome. The director reaches out to him like the booming voice of god, telling him that, yes, his entire world might be artificial, but it’s also safe and familiar. The world outside is frightening and nothing is certain. Truman decides that, despite understanding this, it’s better to be in control of his own destiny. He makes his choice, takes a bow, recites his catch phrase, and leaves the dome. The movie ends immediately here, because there are no cameras to document what happens from there. Awesome, ambiguous ending that nails its themes.
The key word in what makes it so good? CHOICE.
Okay. Back to Homestuck.
I started getting nervous last year when Arquius began to release the grist hoards. I was struck by the fact that I didn’t know why the kids were actually trying to make this frog. I couldn’t remember them talking about wanting to beat the game. I never got the sense that they particularly wanted to be gods of a new universe. They always just seemed to be fighting for their lives, thrown from one crisis to another and swimming against the current. Pages upon pages upon pages of dialogue, and I can’t recall one single time when any of the eight kids talked about what happened after the game, not even with the trolls, who had actually done it before and did have some feelings about it. The thing was, Sburb was never the enemy. Paradox Space was. And making a new frog seemed to play right into what Paradox Space wanted. One more universe to seed and eventually destroy, continuing the cycle forever.
Thematically, everything was leading up to an ending where the characters overcame the grip of Paradox Space and made their own destiny. But instead, they killed some bosses and made their frog.
There’s no reason why this frog is different. We aren’t given any indication that this is a special frog. It was made the same way as any other frog. The kids just did exactly what the narrative wanted them to, smiling vacantly up at old Bilious Slick and then going through the door, ostensibly walking into yet another Paradox Space controlled universe and seeming, somehow, entirely satisfied with it.
Why do they look so fucking happy? What did they actually accomplish, here?
Maybe the House Juju did release the kids from the confines of Paradox Space. Maybe its entire purpose was ending Homestuck, which took away Lord English’s power. But that’s a bullshit, unsatisfying ending, because it happened entirely by accident. Vriska thought it was a powerful relic that would destroy Lord English. And the kids? They didn’t think jack shit. They didn’t know what the Juju would do. They didn’t know Calliope intends to collapse the sun. They didn’t know ANYTHING.
In the final moments of Homestuck, the characters we’ve spent seven years and ten thousand pages with end the narrative the exact way they started it: with absolutely zero control over their destinies. Only now, they seem perfectly happy about it.
It doesn’t matter whether they escaped the comic or not. A victory without a choice is just a fucking coincidence. And the only choice they made was to walk through that damn door and start the cycle all over again.
reblogging here because i can see this being relevant to anyone who’s ever tried to get out of an abusive relationship
Reblogging because that last comment made me reread the whole thing in a new light and realize this could be vital information. So, putting it out there for everyone, and hoping no one ever really needs it.
“why aren’t u talking abt this one Problematic thing involving that actor/show u like??”
listen. i am tired. im putting down my pitchfork. i’ll acknowledge that thing was bad if it was but im tired of vilifying ppl for their mistakes just bc they’re famous. i want to enjoy things. i want Peace
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When emailing, tell me what type of commission you would like (eg. two character busts coloured and shaded, one full body character lined) and include as much detail as you can about what you would like the end result to look like, including character references.
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can we stop acting like it’s okay to make fun of people’s physical appearances after they’ve said something ignorant?? especially with women. as soon as someone slips, ya’ll are there tellin’ her how ugly she is like you’ve been waiting for a reason to do it all along. what’s your problem??? stop
Homestuck is ending! And for new readers who might be interested in starting the comic as it comes to a close, it might be nice to have a guide to reference once all or most of the old fans have moved on! [Press J to skip]
This is the first page (pictured above). I know it’s underwhelming. Just click “Enter Name” and start reading.
Homestuck was originally conceived as a parody of “text adventure” games, in which the player would enter a command into the computer and certain actions would result based on the player’s choices. Homestuck acted as a text adventure game where readers would submit commands and Andrew Hussie, the author, would respond to them through the comic. This is largely why the first several hundred pages are largely incomprehensible shenanigans that seem to have nothing to do with the overall plot.
The best advice is to just enjoy each page on its own and appreciate the humor and individual conversations within their own context and worry about their overall significance later as the plot is explained. I would advise new readers to pay attention to everything going on but not to worry if they don’t understand something or are lost - and if you are still confused, there are at least three times in the comic where Andrew Hussie recaps the previous Acts.
Don’t skip anything! But for encouragement, the ‘real’ story arguably starts once John installs the game and enters the Medium.
Links with an [S] in front indicate a page that has sound (usually a Flash animation or game but not always)
READ THE PESTERLOGS. The comic usually doesn’t have speech bubbles so pretty much every conversation takes place in the Pesterlogs. Also, play the Flash games all the way through (there are plenty of tutorials and walkthroughs online) and wait a couple of seconds after the Flash animations have ended to make sure that they’re really over.
The Homestuck Wiki is your best friend for recapping Flash animations, keeping track of characters, and explaining PesterLogs (read with caution as there are spoilers)
I would say that the overall plot starts to become a little more clear around the first 500 - 1000 pages of the comic (and since the comic actually ‘starts’ on page 1902, this would correspond to ‘pages’ 2400 - 3000 in the URL).
This is where the plot starts to become a little more clear. The story becomes easier to follow once Nannasprite and the trolls show up to clarify what’s going on (although there’s still always an element of randomness to the comic, and it will always be a little difficult to keep track of what’s going)
For big Flash files like [S] Cascade, you can always use Google to try and find recaps of what’s happening, since it can be especially difficult to follow the story when the panels are flashing around so quickly
Make sure you click on the links in the body text when you get to panels like this:
^They have some more panels that are part of the story.
DON’T STOP READING WHEN YOU REACH THIS PAGE (2566)
^It looks like a completely different comic but I swear it’s part of Homestuck. The story gets back to the kids in about a hundred pages. DON’T SKIP THIS PART! Homestuck is often told in a nonlinear fashion and you may jump around to different places and times in the story without explanation. This character is part of the comic and his influence and role in the story will be explained later.
Also, don’t skip this part either:
^This is an Intermission between Act 3 and Act 4 and it lasts for about 200 pages (3053 - 3258). This also becomes relevant to the story later on (and frankly, is extremely entertaining! Spades Slick is hilarious).
If you’re looking for a ‘cutoff point’ where you’re planning to draw the line on whether you care to finish the comic or not, I’d say it’s roughly around the time the trolls show up and start talking to the kids (AKA the people who speak in weird text dialogue and harass John and the others). I would argue that the really interesting conflict gets built up and introduced during Acts 4 and 5 but that might just be my personal opinion.
Here is the first recap in case you are absolutely desperate and have to follow along as you read the story. I PROMISE things get explained later but if you’re someone who’s really put off by not knowing things as you read them this might be a good place to get caught up.
There are at least three recaps in total throughout the comic. They usually show up roughly near the end of each act. If you’re really lost you can always look up explanations for the Flash animations and whatnot online, or alternatively you can ask Homestuck ask blogs like forgottenhsfacts for clarification!
When you encounter panels like this:
^DON’T look up the password for the [????????] option! You can find them online but it’ll take you to a place in the story where you’ll REALLY have no clue what’s going on, I promise you’ll find out where those links take you in good time.
It takes most people roughly anywhere from 2-3 weeks to almost 2 months to finish Homestuck, depending on how quickly you read and how easily you follow the plot
A LOT OF THE APPEAL OF HOMESTUCK IS ITS COMPLEXITY, CONFUSION, AND LENGTH OF THE STORY. Part of the experience is being confused and lost. It sounds counterintuitive but the author himself (Andrew Hussie) has stated that he feels that readers and players of games feel more rewarded when they are faced with a difficult challenge and have to figure out the solution themselves. I think this is why Homestuck fans are particularly dedicated to the community and the story.
Have fun, don’t get discouraged, and if you have to quit a couple of times before you really get into the story, don’t feel bad! Homestuck is notoriously challenging to follow and that’s part of its appeal.
Best of luck!
If you have any other suggestions or tips, feel free to add them.
imo it’s not enough to say “stop whitewashing asian roles” it’s also important to say stop fucking plucking stories out of their eastern origins and repackaging and recontextualizing them for a western audience for money, period. this ghost in the shell movie isn’t just going to be shit because white people are playing the leads, it’s also going to be shit because the script and adaptation and production were all overseen by what i’m sure are overwhelmingly white american filmmakers. the REASON these films are so white is because they want them to feel white, western, etc. and sadly, i think you could pluck out all the leads from this movie and replace them with asian actors and you’d only be fixing the most visible part of the problem.
