So... Homestuck.

[White Shadow]

http://www.mspaintadventures.com/

Was wondering, if I am the only one around here reading this.

It's pretty cool. Needs some time to take off and sometimes it's #####ing weird. But I like it. Thoughts?

[Chron]

I've read all of the MSPA stuff, and I'm keeping up with Homestuck these days.  So no, you're not the only one.

I dunno what anyone else thinks about the trolls, but I find that stuff fascinating.  A whole lore made out of stupid minutia.  Wonderful.  It's like two crazy stories for the price of one.

[White Shadow]

Should have mentioned, I'm only at the beginning of Act V, so please tag spoilers accordingly.

Not saying this was one, Chron.

And yes, there's some pretty amazing ideas in there. I enjoy the multi-media aspect. That guy really makes the most of his tools.

[Chron]

It's kind of ironic that Photoshop is so much better at MS Paint than MS Paint is.
I also urge you to stay well away from the wiki until you're caught up... they don't tag any sort of spoilers.

Act V is where things go a little crazy, and I'm pretty sure it introduces the trolls.  People either love them or love to hate them.  The fact that they're engineered that way just makes it all the more interesting.

So I guess to get this out of the way, and this is not a spoiler, but they're all based on astrological signs.  Kinda neat to pick yours out and note the similarities and differences (although in my case Karkat is pretty spot-on).

[ASR]

Yeah, I've been reading MSPA since the Problem Sleuth days. I'm pretty sure Snare reads, too. Honestly, I think this is one of the MOST impressive feats of storytelling that has ever existed.

The beauty of it is that it's something that can ONLY fully exist on the internet. Most webcomics can, you know, be printed and or published and still be experienced in much the same way. What Andrew Hussie is doing, however, is something that you can't take off the internet. Huge chat logs of varying length, animated GIFs with flat images, a side comic that adds another dimension (Sweet Bro & Hella Jeff), playable Flash games, and of course, the amazingly detailed Flash animations set to music.

I'm completely in awe of this guy. Not only is it hilarious, it's also one of the most unbelievable intelligent works or art I've seen in years. The complicated time travel stuff is one thing, but I'm talking more about the literary aspects. The way he thematically links things together over the course of years in a way that almost seems to be laughing at the reader, daring you to keep up.

Not only that, but Hussie ACTIVELY #####S WITH his readers. The entire troll storyline is based on things the internet has been known to hate: furries, Twilight vampires, Juggalos, LARPing, etc. etc. And you know what? These are some of the most well-rounded characters in the whole story. And you root for them. What was meant to annoy you has done a full circle and now they're more fleshed out than the main characters.

Oh, and then you've got the mastery of "hipster irony," the "so bad it's good" sort of humor. Nobody does ridiculous typos and intentional terrible art better than Hussie.

Honestly, this sort of thing excites me to no end and I've never been more inspired by any internet project than I've been by this.

[White Shadow]

The trolls are already around by act V. At least via chatlogs and stuff. They haven't really been a focus of the story yet.

[Mikero]

My girlfriend's brother has been working for MSPaintAdventures like, forever. He does programming and flash stuff.

I've wanted to check it out if only 'cause of that, but it seems like there's so much content already that it's daunting. This is the same thing what happens when people try to start reading superhero comics.

[Chron]

Oh, it's not that bad.

Only takes a few days to a few weeks to get through it, depending on how much free time you have.

[MOX]

This is the same thing what happens when people try to start reading superhero comics.

I agree. Theres so many different interpretations and the alternative universe stuff that I don't even know where to start. Though awhile ago I decided to start Batman by reading Batman Year One which I enjoyed a lot.

[ASR]

Mike, you actually read through it a LOT quicker than you think you will - thought it'll still take some time. Every page is essentially a single panel or small batch of panels, with the exception of long conversation chatlogs.

Also, that's cool that you know the programmer. If he's the guy who programs the playable mock-video-game interludes, that's awesome and he deserves some serious props. Those sequences are amazing.

[Mikero]

He might be, I don't know. He's in game dev for university now so it's probably. I don't think his family really knows/cares about it. I'm not sure if he STILL does it though.

This is the same thing what happens when people try to start reading superhero comics.

I agree. Theres so many different interpretations and the alternative universe stuff that I don't even know where to start. Though awhile ago I decided to start Batman by reading Batman Year One which I enjoyed a lot.

Haven't checked Batman Year One but Nightwing Year One, Batgirl Year One, and Teen Titans Year One were excellent in different ways.

[ASR]

Does he go by the internet handle "Gankro?" That's who is credited for all that stuff.

Actually, I just did a quick Google search and literally the first result is his Newgrounds account, which states he is 18 and lives in Ottawa. So that's probably the guy.

[Mikero]

Yeah, that's him.

It's his XBox Live handle and all that.

Edit: I find it funny that you follow him on Twitter, haha. I don't know if that's new or anything but it makes me smirk (not in a smug way).

[ASR]

Haha, I'm pretty sure Andrew Hussie (the MSPA guy) recommended everybody follow him at some point, but when I was Googling his name I saw I wasn't actually following him and corrected it. Why not? Felt necessary to tie off the knot of circularity.

[Mikero]

I battle with not getting a Twitter account all the time but if I do, Alec, if I do I will follow you and your comedie-stylings my friend.

And my broski in law.

[ASR]

I went from someone who hated the very idea of Twitter deep in the core of my being to someone who now considers it the greatest thing to happen to the world of comedy. I actually think you'd really like it after taking some time to get used to it. I had to adjust and find what I, specifically, liked about it.

That being said, I mostly only use it to follow comedians and other comedy fans. Aside from a handful of celebrities and nerdy pop-culture-related people, I use it almost solely for the comedy scene and as a jokewriting practice tool.

Oh, and sometimes I have private conversations with Simon Pegg, who may or may not have agreed to do my podcast in July.

[Johncarllos]

Congrats Alec. I'm proud of you.

[ASR]

We'll see if it actually happens.

[Mikero]

That's great to hear man! I've been meaning to check your pod out, since I listen to podcasts all day at work already anyway.

[ASR]

I'm pretty proud of how they've been turning out, and putting out one a month is a pretty good pace for me. Of course, I don't have next month's finished yet, so obviously it's not working out great, but I've still got a week.

[Mikero]

I imagine it's quite like Nerdist but it probably isn't.

[Majikn]

I just got to the second recap in Homestuck myself. So, pretty much where White Shadow had left off when he made this thread.
I'm kind of kicking myself realizing that it's on hiatus. I'd rather read the entire thing in one long stretch. But after the significant amount of time I've put into reading it, I only seem to be a bit more than a year in.
Just kinda screws the pacing when I get to the end of it and can't read further because it hasn't been updated, so I think I'll take a similar hiatus from reading it.

I wouldn't compare it so much to superhero comics as I'd compare it to a large but rewarding novel. I don't even bother with the side-comic, and I haven't read anything more besides Homestuck than a bit from Problem Sleuth, and I seem to be doing fine. I think anyone over the age of 12 has the mental capacity to keep up if they used a grain of effort, but I guess most people would be alienated simply by the eccentric manner in which it conveys itself.

So yes, it is very worth it. If anyone has the time to read a book, try this instead and it's free.

[Fatso]

I used to read it regularly, but I stopped around six months ago and probably won't start again for a while (when I can be reasonably sure that IT will be done when I am).

[Vinchenz Rock]

let me tell you about homestuck

I actually lost interest by the time the Trolls showed up.

[ASR]

i have read MSPA religiously every single day since Problem Sleuth and i feel like it's the absolute nerdiest community i belong to despite the fact that i don't think i enjoy it for the same reasons everyone else seems to

i admire andrew hussie so much. i think he's a genuine comedic genius and the pre-eminent storyteller of the internet generation.