After the break, the remainder of this post will be Andrew Hussie’s newspost from 11/08/14. In it, he goes pretty in-depth about the symbolism and intent of Homestuck’s GAME OVER flash. I wanted to share this because it’s one of the most concise examples I can think of that stresses why I still think he’s goddamn lovely. It also contains his own rather clear declaration that he prefers Death Of The Author over Word Of God (”Now, since they can no longer depend on answers which I supply between horse jokes and snappy retorts, they are lost in the woods to fend for themselves against the wolves of dubious fanalysis.“), a sentiment which echoes darkly through the fandom these days. You could argue he pretty much spends most of the newspost trying to explain how to read the ending to come. And plus I can say this is a #ThrowbackFrihorse thing, even though it’s nowhere near Friday.
Spoilers ahead, those of you who have not yet finished reading Homestuck.
Andrew:
There comes a time in every young Homestuck's life when they must face the fact that a notable comic author has swindled them into getting on a bus labeled "cool updates", only to swerve said bus off the highway and into a precipitous gulch of unmitigated sadstuck. But the old wives tale says that sadstuck was just a thing that happened in our fanfics, the bus children wailed. That's what they said about the tricksters too, a veteran child in the back replied. They said the tricksters would never see the light of canon, but where are the doubters now? Where are they now. Propping up six feet of dirt is where. The veteran child is weirding everybody out, so they stop looking at him, and turn to the driver. But the driver is now a spooky skeleton and the kids lose their shit. The skeleton head does a creepy 180, and speaks his scary curse. Heed me bus youths, for I am the ghost of future sadstuck. I have traveled back in time and am on a bus for some reason I guess, to punish you for your maudlin fics. For every time you murmured sadstuck while having a feeling, for every fic you pastebinned by candlelight, my curse has grown stronger, and my legend, dumber. Then the skeleton ran out of stuff to say, and looking a little embarrassed, turned around again to keep driving. Then he screamed once he remembered the bus was falling.
Thanks for listening to my short story. We like to have a good time here at MS Paint Adventures, The Website. The gigaplay is off to a rocky start of unhewn feels. If your kerchief has become too soggy with tears from emotion, skeleton terror, or just plain admiration for my skill as a short story writer (can't blame you there), and you wish to lighten the mood, I recommend moseying over to Paradox Space, which is currently running a 24 page comic I have written about Crowbar. I am alert to the desires of readers every single day, and the one thing I hear them clamor for above all else, is more stories about CROWBAR. We want more content about Crowbar, RIGHT NOW, they say, and make that content consist of 24 beautifully illustrated comic pages, MINIMUM. I just give the people what they want.
Fortunately, Homestuck's Premier Felt Fan #1 Jones was available to do a spectacular job of illustrating this comic. My rambling noir-style monologues have never before overlapped such lovely artwork.
GOD TIER TALK!
I don't answer Q's about Homestuck much anymore. It was a practice which I think used to be some people's lifeline for decoding the enigmatic runes of this story. Now, since they can no longer depend on answers which I supply between horse jokes and snappy retorts, they are lost in the woods to fend for themselves against the wolves of dubious fanalysis.
Pulling the ripcord on the Homestuck machine again, combined with recent story events, makes me think something FAQQY may be in order. The thing is, when you make a big story, and allude to rules for a complicated system dictating mortality, people tend to REALLY, REALLY want to understand how it works. Speculation naturally fills the vacuum in lieu of concrete data. Theories are crafted. Headcanons, congealed. Then, when additional data is presented (DEAD KIDS), which happen to chafe with fanon constructs, feelings run ragged, and Bullshit is called. Then Bullshit shows up, and says, you rang? And the fanonistas say, yes Bullshit. Look at this mess. LOOK at it. This in NO WAY jives with my views on what constitutes heroism and justice. Bullshit nods sagely while lighting its pipe.
Earlier in HS when god tier folk were more scarce, the story was more cagey about these verdicts. The Vriska ruling was presented as a close call, which maybe could have gone either way. Then Slick smacked the clock to Just before it could settle, leaving the true verdict ambiguous, and the 'moral debate' intact, so to speak. But now that there are a lot of god tiers running around, with the stakes raised and the body count piling up, the game (or, story) is starting to be more liberal with its rulings. As in, more likely to come down hard on Just, Heroic, or Neither verdicts without intervention or obfuscation, helping us better understand the boundaries of heroic and just action through example. Not necessarily by moral definitions, but as dictated by the rules of a game.
So that turns the story guy (sometimes known as an "author") into something like a ref at a basketball game. He blows the whistle when he sees the basketball guy (the "baller") take a half step without bouncing the ball. The home team crowd does not detect the subtle violation and goes boooooo! Those homers can boo all they want, but you know, the guy is really just some bozo with a whistle. The rules are the rules!
There's reason to think there is a nuanced scale ranging from Heroic to Just inside the clock. There may be many shades of justice and heroism, some forms just barely qualifying to seal one's fate. But there's nothing nuanced about Alive vs. Dead. The result of a coin flip is absolute, even though there may be many subtle factors contributing to which side it lands on. Such as whether the coin is pure of heart, and whether the table it lands on has ever killed a man. You get a sense for the nuance of the judgment when it comes to these "close calls", like with Vriska, or more recently, with Jade. In her case, she was subject to mind control when she racked up her misdeeds, which ordinarily would probably exempt her. But it wasn't ordinary mind control. More like flipping an "evil switch", removing her ethical filter, thereby letting he personality come through, and giving her license to act on impulses which she'd ordinarily suppress. So this gives the clock something to work with. Still, her behavior is compromised, so it's by no means a slam dunk. (BASKET BALL! that is still the metaphor.) So it's very close, and perhaps the clock even spares her... except for Aranea, whose luck lets close calls break in her favor, and nudges that needle one hair to the Just side. Very unlikely that happens if it's not close already though. Jane's situation is basically the same, and so is her verdict.
How about Jake? He's the only player who's had two rulings. The first time, he was blustering Ronald Reagan quotes at the top of his lungs when Jane forked him, which I think we may agree safely disqualifies him from heroism (though the Republican party may disagree). The second time was ruled Heroic, when he took a realmaginary ninja sword through the chest for a friend. This corresponds pretty closely with most people's definition of heroic, so I doubt anyone would consider this one controversial either.
Dave? Probably not much to debate here either. Fighting while attempting to save a dead friend, to bring her back to Jane for resurrection. There's a moral element here, tied to common ideas of heroism, so there's not much in dispute. When factors stray somewhat from moral notions of heroism, that's when there is more fuel for debate. So what about Rose?
Wasn't John killed by Jack under similar circumstances to how Rose died? So why did he survive, and Rose didn't?
The circumstances were very similar, on the surface. But I would suggest that the similarity of the two situations, both leading to different outcomes, helps clarify the rules in play, not confuse them. The reason for this? SCIENCE.
If you were a scientist in this fictional world, trying to test this fictional construct, these are the exact kinds of situations you would seek out to prove or disprove whatever hypothesis you had. Situations that are very similar, with most factors isolated, and varying only in minor and controlled ways. That's how you would start to understand where the line is between heroic and non-heroic conduct.
So what varies between the situations? What line does Rose cross which John doesn't? It becomes pretty obvious if you break the two scenes down. John was standing there, poised for battle with Jack, for all of two seconds before Jack auto-stabbed him from behind. Not even to speak of the underhanded tactic by the villain, I think what's more important is John didn't even get a chance to move. Or specifically, to prove through action that he was prepared to do battle with a foe. In fact, hindsight may tell us he wasn't. He hadn't been through much then. But years later, when he reenacted that scene with Jack through a dream bubble, he was ready that time. He had years to think about that moment, to reflect on the damage caused by Jack, and what he might have done differently if he'd been more prepared, and if the battle wasn't cut short. But during the first encounter, there was no time for heroic intent to translate into action.
Compare with Rose's situation. Her feelings are unambiguous. Her mind is made up, and committed to action in the form of forward motion. Sorry Rose, you took a few too many steps through the paint on your drive to the hoop. Gotta blow the whistle!
The two similar situations illustrate where one of the lines are for heroism (as a game rule, not moralistically), and in this case, that line is action. It would seem it's not good enough just to have heroic intentions or bold feelings. It doesn't cut it to strike a pose and look cool for two seconds. The intent should be expressed through commitment to an action. The action is what proves the intent. For all we know, John wasn't ready to back up his posture. For all we know, he was terrified! Rose wasn't though. Her action proved it.
Why does Rose lashing out in vengeance count as heroic?
If you wanted my personal opinion on heroism, I would say a vengeful act is not heroic by itself. We all have our ideas on what heroism means. But I think this is the wrong question to ask.
The concern here is less about the moral definition of a heroic act, and more about how heroism is defined in terms of a series of rules which a game system can enforce.
Based on some evidence we have, and some things Doc once said about god tier immortality, it's pretty safe to make at least one generalization about heroism as a game construct. The game/story regards your behavior as Heroic if you make some effort to defeat or kill someone who is villainous (or in other words, someone worthy of a Just death). The state of the hero's mind is just an additional consideration, such as whether they happen to be motivated by anger or vengeance.
But let's imagine for a moment that a vengeful act is automatically unworthy of heroism, even if directed against a great evil.
Wouldn't this be a MAJOR loophole for god tiers to avoid dying heroic deaths? It would mean to qualify as a hero, you couldn't feel anger toward a villain who has almost certainly done something to provoke anger. If a hero ever experienced loss at the hands of a villain, their natural emotional state would exempt them from the heroic consequence of the actions resulting from that anger. They would be completely invulnerable to a villain, so long as they maintained a grudge! The thing with villains is, they tend to have a way of inflicting loss on others. If being wronged precluded heroic behavior, villains would suddenly discover heroes to be incredibly rare commodities.
There's a lot to think about here. It's a combination of how you want to morally define heroism and justice, and how to pragmatically construct enforceable rules to that effect. The latter is something that can get very technical, and boil down to hairline actions such as whether one exhibits clear enough forward motion or such, roughly the way sports are officiated. There's no way I'll ever come up with a full list of rules, or even get much deeper into the rules than I have here. But I believe this is a rational outline for the way the subject may be examined, if you wish to do so!!!
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and #ThrowbackFrihorse to Pig Bruiser, a 20-minute dance song I made MYSELF
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also #ThrowbackFrihorse to this short little ditty. Summer’s come and gone by now, but this song fucking sticks. This song is what Summer Sucks is all about. From the start to the finish, this is my best editing work and some of our best writing.
I’m gonna post the lyrics here because why the fuck not, I can be proud of my own work.
I: Here Comes The Sun
Country glen with shouting men
Growing star erases our
Liquid lenis leaving only the
Ruptured tenebrious loud
thundercloud memoir:
RANGI
(WHAT THE THUNDER SAYS):
Are you afraid?
When we're together
I can almost feel you shake.
Let me cry for you,
though my tears evaporate.
Even if the light should destroy us,
Wouldn't you... like that?
Uh, hm, ahem.
II: The Wind’s An Invisible Jester
You left home
To satisfy your convic(pass)tion
Shun pain, watch, trap it in ice
Invisible Jester, come home.
I see now,
The hurt surrounds us all.
To this extent,
their flames are meaningless!
Clowns falter 'fore impermanence.
Invisible Jester, commence.
Talk to the wind.
When, how, why?
White Jester, White Jester
Talk to the wind.
Yes, I'm afraid
When we are together.
I'm afraid my pride
forbade me from seeing
Exposure to the light
hardens victims
Here's a Clown
His name's Eugene, eugenicist.
"Hey Sunsetto,"
calling you home
"Hey Sunsetto,
won't you come home?"
Shareholder
With dividends
in high places, you see.
He claims he might be Death.
"Hey Sunsetto,"
calling you home
"Hey Sunsetto,
you're coming home. Or else!"
III: Ready Your Engine, Eugene
Oh, I am too tired for this.
EUGENE:
You're tired
Hardwired
And burning
on flaming wings, money.
You're tired
Unsteady
Overwhelmed
You can't win, Pig Bruiser.
Nerves fired
Not ready
There's no chance
ME:
Yes, I'm tired
Hardwired
Better keep up!
Ready your engine, Eugene.
[Lucius kills Eugene.]
See? I'm tired
Hardwired
And still take down
Any Clown.
IV: Ghost of Capitalisms Past
So yeah, summer goes on.
Archangel calculus,
How infinitesimal!
To go towards but never reach;
How maddening
to think you were once heresy!
Growing star closing in
Melting cars on saucepan roads
I know it's dynamo, not personal
Still a sad show.
Treading so slow
Maybe when Aleph Null is full we'll
see the afterglow?
From bottom-up is impossible.
Adiaphanous number
(VOICE OF) CHORUS:
Trapped in birth aging illness death
In suffering, you're mine.
V: Kurentovanje III-
Duration Of Inferno
Seas flood with blood
As Death slays War
Rise, second sun
Soon even blood will dry up
Somewhere Yggdrasil withers
Until it's hard as stone.
VI: Watch For Rolling Rocks
VELES:
Out of Yggdrasil a giant
I am Veles, king of the rocks
Come and sleep under the tree
You'll see the workings of Society
With Papa, mother under
Eshu cenotaph asunder
Sky bring horrors,
make you wonder
Meet with Rangi
when comes thunder
Clowns won't bother you
under the ground
You'll be with your new family
In restful slumber, peaceful
Lay on your back, wait for landslide
Summer comes round
The sun comes down
Earth is ablaze
Mind your young eyes,
don't hit your head
Or mind your music tastes instead
To the Supermarket Yggdrasil,
Drop to your knees
and pray for skill
Pray for balance
And pray consumers
choose their meal
Sleep under the Earth September
Clowns believe just this, remember:
"Their anabasis
comes at your expenses...
Crush them."
ME:
O Goodnight, Yggdrasil
Summer's too long for goodbyes
But a goodnight may be wise
O So goodnight, Yggdrasil
Yeah, goodnight Yggdrasil
Pray consumers choose their meal
Else the Clowns will choose for us.
VELES:
By the third sun,
mountains will bake
Mighty clouds
will eat the atmosphere
and choke whatever remains,
Leave Earth as toxic wanderer.
Fourth cruel sun
won't even grant that,
Molten rock combust to plasma,
Making Earth itself the fifth sun,
Solar system hideous beast.
Still the stars will not be done,
The next two take our gravity,
And by the time
come is the last one,
We will all become as one sun.
VII: Landslide
Lay on your back
We will all become as one
Wait for landslide
What other choice do I have?
Actually... I can think of just one
thing:
Ask the Clowns to dance.
Predator, I'm not afraid.
Atop Mount Meru,
He reclaims the thirty-third power
for the Clowns.
Power to erase all evidence,
Transcend and escape samsara.
CANIO:
There's something higher than God,
Beyond form
Neither perception
nor lack of perception
He longs to define
the shape of Shaping
He doesn't see me
climb the mountain
My first fragment
returns from the Chaos,
A spring in his step.
He has conquered.
I open his ears,
and he joins the dance
that never ends.
I send him on his way.
Canio ain't happy.
CANIO:
Messing with the balance!
ME:
Ah, but I'm not done
Pierrot, Canio,
or whatever your name is.
And then the second
falls out of the sky.
They found their name:
"I'm Sunsetto."
I hate to lie, that's not a surprise.
Anyway, they join the dance.
There was no
Conquest, Famine or Death,
was there?
Just a planet of shades' lament.
CANIO:
If you are quite finished,
I've got business to do.
You know I won't dance?
Tarantella's not for me but you.
So he snaps his fingers
and he's now a mockingbird
Flies away and leaves me here
without another word
VIII: The Wordless Sunset
INSTRUMENTAL
IX: Remember
Sunset
And the world goes dark
But it's odd, feel the water rise.
The wind picks up, a sonata
It's enough to vibrate the water
And if I hold my body still
I can just about
make out the words:
"It's time to go, we begin again.
And this time,
no more supermarket;
The Clowns will have a better task."
X: The Grand Reopening
Gardens all across
the Earth are green
As up comes a new sun
But I'm dancing at the roots
of a new Yggdrasil
And I still can't stop
The shops open again
and no one goes in.
The well of destiny:
Puddle in the spring.
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some strange midis.
Look, man. I love making midis. I want to share some too. Song titles are links to Google Drive, where the files can be listened to online or downloaded at leisure. I reserve the right to use any or none of these songs in more ambitious creative works, but my creative soul is a fickle one and I don’t know when I’d be able to show any of that publicly. So, I want to remove excerpts from context and just post music in the wild. For reasons.
Here’s a demo for something which I’m tentatively naming “The Sinking Song.” It’s a part of We Excavate, where many songs that are about water go.
Here’s “Lower Coestts,” a demo that is lost to time now and I probably won’t remake it. But the spirit of the song is loud and clear, even if there’s like a whole minute of silence at the end.
And #ThrowbackFrihorse to my one Homestuck song, “THE BLUE GHOST AGES. AS HOURS PASS.” I still stand by this one. It’s purportedly for, or related to, “Caliborn’s rap album,” but really it’s a pretty personal expression of something.
I refer to this one as “Tension,” but I wouldn’t actually say it’s a tense song, just about tension. I would classify this as more of a bop, myself.
“grungey” is a file I’ve been playing with pretty recently. I know it’s gonna go somewhere, but up until now this is all that’s felt right for the song.
Okay, now for the weird one. Yes, the weird one. Here’s “Windows Vista.” I have never been able to tell what the heck this song is, at any stage of the creative process. I follow urges and associations that feel right, then I see how I can interpret the result. And I... think I like this song?
Finally, “dark city.” Named after an Sonic level that doesn’t exist and has never existed for my entire childhood, in fact for a lot of people’s childhoods. All we have had has been music and aesthetic for what the level would probably be, and our imaginations have grown. There’s some real influence in this piece from songs my best friend has written, and then there’s a passage I can only describe as ‘fun.’
I don’t want to give you a perfectly sensical song just yet. This is only a link-post.
EDIT: .......OH YEAH FUCK, and “Egg Dance” take 2. Military + Religion + Eggman = something.
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