#Hiveswap Act 2 Spoilers

[landoffreaksandfrogs]

the verdict

[sweetshades]

Playing hiveswap act 2 and man the stuff with the clowns really had me thinking hard for a second. They spun a wheel and told Joey to kill a troll with the corresponding blood colour and I was just going through the train cars wondering to myself about how you’re supposed to have joined this rebellion to upset the troll’s caste system but are now being made to kill a random member of the lower castes for the amusement of the highbloods. It made me ask myself if one could do something like that even if it’s in the name of a seemingly greater goal, that being preventing the destruction of two planets, and still call themself a revolutionary. Could Joey still say she’s one of the good guys? But then I’m supposed to fabricate evidence so i might still be in the clear. Although there are two details that are eating at me, 1 that we already kinda sent one of the Jadebloods to her death over a rather petty crime even though it was in the form of a rather fair and balanced court case and 2 that I’ve been warned not to try and fool the clowns and I have a sneaking suspicion that my deception will come back to bite me.

[omegapausestuck]

Narrative Parallels

HSBC pg. 650 (2024) <- Hiveswap: Act 1 (2017)

[hangmanxo]

OKAY SO ARE WE IN AGREEMENT THAT THE PLOT POINT LOOKS LIKE THE CHERUB PORTAL RIGHT? LIKE THERE'S NO WAY THAT'S NOT INTENTIONAL

ARE WE GONNA BE GETTING A HOMESTUCK 2/HIVESWAP CONNECTION OR AM I GOING INSANE

[inatyzzy]

I FORGOT TODAYS REHEARSAL WAS BEING RECORDED NO IM WEARING MY HIVESWAP HOODIE HELP NO

[vexwerewolf]

Should I read homestuck

tl;dr: no

actual answer: yes, but with some extremely important caveats.

Firstly, because Adobe shitcanned Flash, you can now no longer experience Homestuck in the form it was intended upon release... unless you download the Unofficial Homestuck Collection. This act of unbelievable, nay, saintly generosity by Homestuck's most dedicated fans allows you to experience Homestuck as it was intended - as close as is humanly possible.

"As close as is humanly possible" is the key phrase here. One indelible part of the original Homestuck experience was UPDATE! Homestuck would sometimes go weeks or even months (and later, years) between updates. I wasn't on Tumblr back in the day, but at the peak of Homestuck, even if you knew nothing else about it, you'd know when an update dropped because Tumblr's net traffic would increase something like three to fourfold. People would go apeshit bananas about whatever new revelations the Huss would drop on us.

You also need to realise that Homestuck is a product of its time and while its takes on sexuality and gender identity was pretty progressive (for its time), Huss did use the r-slur a bunch.

While we're on the subject of the author, Andrew Hussie (of whom my current understanding is that they have not changed name but go by they/them nowadays) is, in the most diplomatic possible terms, a very unique person. They are, at times, a visionary storyteller with genuinely fascinating ideas. At other times, they come off as kinda spiteful towards their readers.

Without meaning to dip into spoilers, some story beats seem (in my opinion) almost intentionally calculated to upset, irritate or mock certain fans. It never rises to the sheer vicious contempt that Steven Moffat had towards Sherlock's fanbase, but it does leave a bad taste in my mouth whenever I go back.

Additionally, and this is where a sort of birds-eye-view spoiler is unavoidable, the story suffers from the Game of Thrones pitfall of repeatedly increasing its own complexity by adding new plot threads without resolving existing ones, eventually leading to fatigue on the part of both the reader and the author. The arcs of a lot of characters just straight up get abandoned, while a couple of characters take an unnecessarily large amount of screen time.

There's one character in particular that the author openly states within the narrative (the author exists within the world of the story. It's... a whole thing) that they favour, and whose behaviour the story is warped to accommodate. You'll know exactly who I'm talking about almost the moment they show up.

Another reason I say that it's not really possible to read Homestuck as it was originally intended is because a lot of the shit that happens in it fits into the zeitgeist of the internet at the time any individual update was written. There's a whole section in the late middle third that is inextricably and very specifically tied to how it was like to use Tumblr in 2012.

Additionally, a lot of things have soured with time. There was the whole Hiveswap debacle (it was first announced in 2012. We got the first act in 2017. We got the second act in 2020. We do not even know if the third act will ever come out.). There were the legal threats. There were the Epilogues and Homestuck 2, which were... how do I put this? Not universally liked. There's been nearly a decade of discourse since Homestuck ended, and a lot of things haven't grown better with age.

All of that being said.

You should read it.

I cannot express to you just how big an impact Homestuck has had on internet culture. Even people who claim to hate Homestuck unconsciously use slang that it invented. Its unique ideas on storytelling, character design and narrative chronology have, in both subtle and unsubtle ways, changed the way millennials and Gen Z tell stories.

A lot of people were inspired to tell stories because of Homestuck - one example I always give to Lancer players is that Kill Six Billion Demons started as a comic on the MSPA forums (before it was homestuck.com, it was MS Paint Adventures), so Homestuck is in an indirect but demonstrable way responsible for the existence of Lancer. The sunglasses that Gideon Nav from the Locked Tomb wears have been explicitly stated by Tamsyn Muir to be Dave Strider's. Toby Fox made music for Homestuck, and worked on large parts of Undertale while living in Andrew Hussie's basement.

We also know someone in the Bluey creative team is a Homestuck, because...

There are subtle but direct references in Bojack Horseman, Hazbin Hotel, Steven Universe, Adventure Time - and those are just the ones that it's easy to prove! In a more general sense, I think there's a lot of cartoon series, movies, games, etc. that would either be very different or wouldn't exist if Homestuck hadn't happened.

It's certainly influenced my work.

I think, being very cautious to manage your expectations, that you should read Homestuck. At the very least, a lot of things people say on Tumblr will start to make, if not sense, a different kind of nonsense.

[crappy-homestuck-confessions]

Summary of Hiveswap Act 3 SAHCON panel

Courtesy of Makin from the Homestuck Discord server. I'm just sharing exactly what the announcement was! https://discord.gg/homestuck

Possible Act 3 spoilers, read more at your own risk

some of "the hiveswap act 3 team" (namely producer jonaya, musician james roach and artist kim quatz) had an AMA/panel during sahcon, take my summaries with a grain of salt but I'm known for being really accurate and right: tl;dr

no release date revealed (no mention of the highly elusive programming team either)

act 3 will have more adventure game puzzling like act 1, and it's "the big plot act"

showed new art of locations and characters like last time, as well as a music track

the full picture

james instantly mentions hiveswap has been worked on for over ten years already which was very funny

they played some wii shop channel-sounding music with the nuclear leitmotif

joey survives the train crash (MASSIVE SPOILERS)

fiamet is in an early part of the game (and we do see the train tracks in the background), they shared an animated sprite of her + a drone

cridea and jeevik week are part of this act, art of her was shared

three new characters (tiagon, onhors and luxora) were revealed

new location (shopping mall) for which the wii shop music is for, troll language translators please get to it

new location (jade caves)

new location (hallway in space (?) + machinery that may or may not be part of the same area)

Q&A starts 10 minutes before the panel ends:

once again, no release date, but heavy in production

they'd love to make hauntswitch but one thing at a time

some characters from act 2 will return in act 3 and act 4

the most interesting character is "dreadeye" who has a complicated quirk (I don't think she's been revealed)

act 3 will have more adventure game puzzling, which act 2 barely had. it's the big plot act

rest of questions will be answered on twitter

[homestuck-fanauthor-coalition]

Pesterquest Rewritten [Fan Game]

by @classpectpokerap and with contributions from several of our coalition members (including Luke aka terminalLoquacity and @horsesbones ], this visual novel explores a unique journey for the MSPA Reader. M^3 has only played the first few chapters, but is absolutely entranced by this story. If you can't play it yourself, Tetra also provides a walkthrough without commentary. we really encourage you to check this out!!!

also, it's on AO3!

Pesterquest Rewritten (92051 words) by EtchJetty, terminalLoquacity Chapters: 12/? Fandom: Homestuck, Hiveswap, Problem Sleuth (Webcomic) Rating: Mature Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: The Handmaid & MS Paint Adventures Reader, Doc Scratch & MS Paint Adventures Reader, John Egbert & Rose Lalonde, Rose Lalonde & Rose's Mom | Beta Roxy Lalonde, Rose Lalonde & Vodka Mutini, Mallek Adalov & MS Paint Adventures Reader, Damara Megido & MS Paint Adventures Reader, Polypa Goezee/MS Paint Adventures Reader, John Egbert & Dave Strider, Rose Lalonde & Dave Strider, John Egbert & Jade Harley & Rose Lalonde & Dave Strider, Jade Harley & Peregrine Mendicant, Jake English & Jade Harley, Becquerel & Jade Harley, John Egbert & Jade Harley, Aradia Megido & MS Paint Adventures Reader, Mallek Adalov/MS Paint Adventures Reader, MS Paint Adventures Reader & MS Paint Adventures Reader, Sollux Captor & Kanaya Maryam, Sollux Captor & Karkat Vantas Characters: MS Paint Adventures Reader, Spades Slick, The Handmaid (Homestuck), Damara Megido, Polypa Goezee, Mallek Adalov, John Egbert, Aradia Megido, Rose Lalonde, Rose's Mom | Beta Roxy Lalonde, Vodka Mutini, Dave Strider, Doomed Timeline Dave Strider(s), Doc Scratch (Homestuck), Jade Harley, Becquerel (Homestuck), Peregrine Mendicant, Jake English, Chixie Roixmr, Stelsa Sezyat, Tyzias Entykk, Marvus Xoloto, Galekh Xigisi, Chahut Maenad, Joey Claire, Xefros Tritoh, Dammek (Hiveswap), Karkat Vantas, The Trolls (Homestuck), Beta Trolls (Homestuck), Beta Kids (Homestuck), Homestuck Ensemble, Problem Sleuth, Sollux Captor, Kanaya Maryam, Aradiabot (Homestuck) Additional Tags: Transcribed, Alternate Universe - No Sburb Session, Pesterquest (Homestuck), Hiveswap: Friendsim, Hiveswap: Act 2 Spoilers, Multiplicity/Plurality, Minor Character Death, Temporary Character Death Series: Part 1 of Pesterquest Rewritten Summary: Transcripts of the fangame Pesterquest Rewritten. What if MSPAR remembered themself at the beginning of Pesterquest's prologue? If they didn't immediately leave Doc Scratch's mansion, but instead kept their character arc from Friendsim, and used their new knowledge of Homestuck to try and save someone? Contains full spoilers for the fangame Pesterquest Rewritten, and is best enjoyed with at least some knowledge of Friendsim and Pesterquest.

[barzum-shits-on-radqueers]

its w a heavy heart i announce tumblr blog bailzi-pisses-on-radqueers has left this planet (deleted their blog because "THE COMMUNITY IS GOING TO BE GONE IN AT LEAST A YEAR OR TWO AND I HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO") i think hes going back 2 just fandom blogs,,, so hes like out there u guys!! not dropping the @ because she doesn't want the discourse to seep, ooze & emanate 2 the whimsical wonder of a fandom blog... even without the whereabouts of his existence, they shall live on !!! who knows?? maybe you'll unknowingly be fandom blog moots n interact w them, the blog may be deactivated, but the pissing on radqueers is eternal <3

[OOC, HIVESWAP ACT 2 SPOILERS]

my bro barzum lost TWO out of one twins😭😭 thats CRAY Z ,,,, anyways this does not mean they like rqs, we are both avid rq antis uhhhb this blog will be active still !! I mainly lurk on it, but im still here gang !!

[mothreadshomestuck]

i am going to read homestuck

hi. my name is moth. i have made it my entire 20 years of living without reading homestuck.

some background on my homestuck experience:

i am well aware of its reputation

i have attempted to read homestuck 2 separate times in my past, once when i was 14 and once at 17. the first time was unsuccessful because i didn’t understand the set up. the second time i was simply annoyed with how long it was taking to start and i gave up

i have, however, watched the jacksepticeye play through of hiveswap act 1 at 14 years old and i thoroughly enjoyed that. i listen to the soundtrack when i’m sad and i remember really liking the characters

i have met 2 people in real life who have read homestuck and have vehemently warned me against it. both of these people are no longer in my life, so they cannot control me.

i am vaguely aware of some of the inside jokes (karkalicious, vriska did nothing wrong, sharpie bath)

however i have managed to avoid most spoilers, or if i have been spoiled, it meant absolutely nothing to me out of context

all this being said, curiosity has finally gotten the better of me.

i am creating this blog to hold myself to actually read this godforsaken webcomic— further than the first couple pages, that is. i don’t have a concrete plan yet, but if possible, i would love to create a schedule of some kind to keep myself accountable (i hope to create one once i have finished my finals next week).

the purpose of this blog is also to record reactions and possibly procure some sort of guidance along the way, as i hope that this blog will be discovered by some homestuck veterans. perhaps some explanations if necessary, encouragement if i find the beginning too boring once again, or if nothing else, i hope it provides entertainment to those who are already familiar with the comic.

some ground rules for myself and you, the viewer:

i will be going into this with a genuine, honest-to-god open mind. i am going to give homestuck as much of a chance as the people who first read it did. because i genuinely want to like this comic. under all the vitriol, i have heard from some that it is a creative, character driven, interesting story, and i think that it might be worth my time. i will be honest with my critiques, but i am also not going into it to hate. i want to respect the story. if i come out of this genuinely enjoying homestuck, then that would be a win

i do not want to hear warnings from homestuck veterans for me to turn back. i do not want to hear that i “don’t know what i’m getting myself into.” that’s the point. that’s the fun of it. and i’m reading homestuck. come with me on this journey or look away.

i will post reactions after each reading i complete, updating the page numbers(?) and the date i read them. i will give my thoughts on what i have read and any other updates i feel are necessary

all of this now being said, i have a quick question for anyone who would like to help me: in the past i have tried both the regular webcomic website and also following along with an audiobook i found on youtube? i believe one of my local bookstores sells the first act(?) as a hardcover book as well. is there a format in which anyone would recommend i read? which will help me pay attention the best? please link any audiobooks or anything else that you prefer, thank you!!

closing statements:

i am reading homestuck. we are gonna see where it takes us. i appreciate your support, and i will update you soon.

moth

[landoffreaksandfrogs]

thoughts on Barzum and Baizli?

fascinating to me. the concept of a single troll egg splitting into two beings was an unprecedented, but in hindsight, obvious aspect of troll reproduction i never considered.

their telepathic and empathic communication with each other is...interesting? although i dont understand it myself, since human identical twins dont literally feel each others pain and thoughts. it might have to do with trolls as a species being pretty sensitive to psychic mutations.

but i spent a long time talking about their biology and not on themselves...

i think part of them being trapped in that house for so long before MSPAR freed them has to do with their role in hiveswap. they had to essentially be kept out of the picture until they could eventually meet up with their fellow purplebloods.

their aspects perfectly hinted as to their eventual fates in hiveswap act 2. baizli is caprimini, bound by the aspect of doom, hinting at his eventual death at xefros's hands. his signs epithet, the perilous, even foreshadows the dangerous catwalk into the purpleblood train car.

which makes barzums fate all the more interesting, assuming she didnt die in the train crash. her sign is capriun, bound by the aspect of breath. it signifies freedom, leadership, and flexibility, something barzum will undoubtedly struggle with without baizli at her side. maybe part of her arc involves her having to accept her new life as a single troll, rather than as a half of a whole. this could either rally the other trolls to turn against xefros and joey, or perhaps, inspire her a doubt in the system. after all, if baizli wasnt protected by the hemospectrum, why should she follow it? her signs epithet is the cartographer.

i would like to see barzum be forced to grow into an individual, whether as an antagonist or as a potential ally. it could definitely lead her into standing alongside chahut and doubt marvus's pseudo-leadership.

[polytrich]

happy 27th anniversary of joey’s journey

[cherripups]

im just starting the trial but i had to make this first

[virnius]

Here’s some other screenshot icons from hiveswap act 2!

Once again, not the best quality, but feel free to use them on tumblr, discord, twitter, etc

Xefros - Cirava - Lanque - Azdaja - Kuprum - Marvus

[the-condesce-did-nothing-wrong]

Everyone look at this handsome lad