Hey guys, how's it going?

[Solid Snake]

Just thought I'd check in, say hi, see how things are hangin' at one of the old hangout spots.

What's been new in your lives? How's the past several months been for you?
...On a scale from 1 to 10, how much to you suspect I'll regret showing my face here again?

New discoveries I've made since I've been include the fact that Homestuck is pretty surprisingly fucking amazing (or it was, and then Andrew killed off my favorite character,) Scott Pilgrim was pretty fucking awesome too, PS3 games play so much better on 1080p HD TVs, Ghost Trick is incredible and you should buy it with all your monies, Solid Snake is not quite as horrific a failure with "teh ladies" as he assumed he was, and being a part of the NPF community in past did not in fact have a significant positive or negative impact on his academic performance.

...Am I the only one who was actually mildly disappointed with Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, too? I just felt it was a bit of a letdown after Assassins Creed 2...the single-player mode felt about half as long, the Assassins training mechanism had so much potential that was utterly unfulfilled, and the multiplayer's kind of stale too.

[Krylo]

Oh hey, Solid, welcome back! Things have been mostly okay bu...

Solid Snake is not quite as horrific a failure with "teh ladies" as he assumed he was

Wait, what?

Snakey's got a lady friend?

Spill.

[krogothwolf]

Krylo wants to steal you from her!

[Solid Snake]

Wait, what?

Snakey's got a lady friend?

Spill.

As Gamzee Makara would say, it's all due to the power of miracles.

...Although he'd use his weird alternating Caps quirk that I'm too lazy to replicate at the moment.

But, yeah. Nothing's official yet but recent developments seem to strongly imply things will be official in the near future. There's actually plentiful evidence that she really likes me to an altogether shocking and fairly miraculous degree.
I've spent some time this weekend planning my Valentine's Day move.

Krylo wants to steal you from her!

He's probably going to have to get in line behind Nikose.

[krogothwolf]

Man, who woulda known Snake has a line up of men for him.

You're going to wait till Valentine's Day?

[bluestarultor]

Well, things have changed a lot. I'm no longer practically married to this place, which will probably come as a shock to you. Most of my free time has been spent on Final Fantasy Wiki, trying new free MMOs, and job hunting. I also have school again now, but this first week is pretty much a total loss because certain life circumstances led me to be too fried to remember to order them in a timely manner. :sweatdrop

On the plus side I've finally told myself to stop making pixel icons and actually start making some code on one of my projects and my brother asked if I'd like him to help me with music, which he is surprisingly effing amazing at, whipping out a record two songs in final version over the course of about six hours.

I've also managed to put up an IRC bot in the #FFWiki channel, solved the overheating issues on the computer that's now its dedicated server, and run a weekly arena on FF Wiki for a while.

[Geminex]

Also, homestuck avatars are totally in right now. You should celebrate your conversion by getting one.

And welcome back!

May I suggest that Solid Snake and Liquid Snake have an epic showdown, now that you no longer need your alt?

[Zilla]

Welcome back, I came back today too and found you had left a message on my profile saying you may know me from somewhere else.

That might want to be handled in PM, but I'm curious about that.

[Solid Snake]

Also, homestuck avatars are totally in right now. You should celebrate your conversion by getting one.

...Honestly?

...I know I'll get in a lot of trouble with the Homestuck loving crowd for saying this, but the last two weeks or so of updates have dampened by love for it considerably.

Half of it is that Kanaya is/was my favorite character and the other half is that I always actually...and this is blasphemous, albeit accurate...I actually preferred Homestuck when it was felt like a serious and wholehearted portrayal of multifaceted, shades-of-grey characters who handled a bizarre science fiction scenario somewhat realistically in the context of their characterizations. I liked Homestuck for its drama, not its comedy, as crazy as it sounds. But the kind of drama I liked Homestuck for was the kind I enjoyed in earlier months, when the trolls and kids were slightly off-the-wall and antagonistic towards each other but fairly realistic in their approach, and when it felt like an intriguing psychological study of fascinating characters who collectively had depth and importance.

...And then Andrew killed off Kanaya, Tavros, and Feferi in a series of one-off jokes, turned Eridan from a lonely, pathetic but intriguing character (with the potential for growth) into a one-note villain, and turned Gamzee of all characters into a villain for the Rule of Funny. And even before that I was beginning to feel mildly aggravated when he seemed intent on turning Vriska into the infallible Prom Queen of the Homestuck Ball.

I'm at a point where I've become content reading Homestuck for the sheer humor value and the undeniable quality of the work, but I'm no longer nearly as invested in the characters as I used to be. It's hard to root for them when a third suddenly become one-note villains, another third suddenly die, and then Andrew trolls everyone who was hoping Homestuck would take itself somewhat seriously.

Another side-effect of this phenomenon: I've found myself gravitating far more lately to Homestuck fanfiction and fanart as opposed to Andrew's official products, because I feel the fan community has treated the trolls with greater respect and authenticity.

...I guess this makes Andrew Hussie a modern reincarnation of George Lucas: he's incredible at creating new worlds, and then seems to squander the opportunity to flesh things out as wonderfully as I'd hope. Or, at the very least, his vision of what Homestuck "should be" as a product vastly differed from my own hopes.

...All of this is weird, because around the time I left NPF I couldn't comprehend everyone's interest in Homestuck. Then I read through the archives in October and became a huge fan, and like in November and December it was practically all I talked about online. And now I'm already over it. It's like it was a crush that briefly utterly captivated me, and now I still love it, but the feelings aren't nearly as strong.

Anyway, there's my two cents.

[Loyal]

Yeah, we've got a thread for Homestuck, actually. (http://nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?t=34621&page=480) And funny you should say what you said actually, it was a hell of a lot more eloquent than my version. (http://nuklearforums.com/showpost.php?p=1104144&postcount=4788)

But hey, welcome back! Good to see you haven't completely forgotten about us. And don't screw things up with your lady friend. Just go for it. The last thing any of us want is a repeat of this, (http://nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?t=38296) yeah?

[Solid Snake]

The last thing any of us want is a repeat of this, (http://nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?t=38296) yeah?

...I don't know whether I should feel disheartened that you appear to have kept the link to that thread on a personal referencing speed-dial, or if I should feel Karkat-style pity and hatred for my past self, or if I should feel relieved that I'm no longer quite that hopelessly pathetic.

...Probably some combination of all three.
Though it is rather sad that I knew exactly what you were linking to before I bothered clicking anything.

[Krylo]

For the record, I'd kind of like to see a repeat of that.

It was a pretty fun thread.

[Loyal]

...I don't know whether I should feel disheartened that you appear to have kept the link to that thread on a personal referencing speed-dial,

Nah, I just got repped for one of the posts in there. Though the list-of-things-you-get-repped-for does make a pretty good quick-reference speed-dial now that the cut-off list was lengthened past ... whatever it was at before.

[Zilla]

Um, yeah, what happened with everyone's rep going through the roof?

[Krylo]

Lots of posting in two years.

[Fenris]

Um, yeah, what happened with everyone's rep going through the roof?

It's been a while since you were here last and rep grows exponentially over time since people's repping power grows as they receive more rep? I mean there are a couple guys who can give out 40+ points per repping so it's not that hard to get yourself 1k points.

We're awesome.

[MuMu]

Snaaaaaaaake!

Tell us about the girl! And how's that lawyering thing going? Slammed your hands on a desk yet? But really, the girl!

(Also, come back to the chat, we miss you. Also we've got some new buddies)

[Aldurin]

STAY HERE AND KEEP POSTING!! EVERY PERSON THAT WE LOSE IS ANOTHER TICK TOWARD THE DEATH OF THE FORUM!!

Also if you managed to get back a few months earlier you would have totally gained a chance to be in our Homestuck RP. But you can still join our intelligent discussions about Homestuck itself.

Also get Minecraft and join the NPF server, and get back on those L4D2 events we have.

EDIT:
(Also, come back to the chat, we miss you. Also we've got some new buddies)

Wait . . . there's an NPF chat? Why have I never found out about this?

[Fenris]

STAY HERE AND KEEP POSTING!! EVERY PERSON THAT WE LOSE IS ANOTHER TICK TOWARD THE DEATH OF THE FORUM!!

And you'll go to the xckd forum, right?

[Kim]

Wait . . . there's an NPF chat? Why have I never found out about this?

I believe Muums is talking about the chat I have at my site, which is frequented by a few NPFers. Pretty sure Snake is, understandably, avoiding it because of me. If that's the case, Snake, feel free to go there, I'm so busy all it ever is is an open tab I rarely check, and I'd hate to see you missing out on some fun there because of me.

Also, seconded on Ghost Trick. Game is mad rad yo.

[mauve]

Snake!!!! Welcome back! So good to hear from you! We missed you!

I'm glad to hear things are going well for you. (SNAKE HAS A GIIIIRLFRIENND SNAKE HAS A GIIIRLFRIEND!! :P)

Also, seconded on Ghost Trick. Game is mad rad yo. Thirded (?). LOOOOOOOOOVE THIS GAME.

[katiuska]

Well, welcome back. I don't think we've ever really interacted, but I felt your absence anyway, during my complete failure to find anyone who wanted to talk about Persona 3 with me. (Not that you necessarily would, since I'm so insanely late to the party, but I vaguely remember you talking about it back in the day.) I'm not fully over it, but I've pretty much run out of excuses to keep picking it up, so that's made it easier to move on. (If my experience with P3 is any indication, I may not ever catch up to you guys, because P4 and possibly any of the Shin Megami Tensei games are to be feared and avoided lest I want to lose another two months of my life. It's... unlike me to deny myself something because I might like it too much, but there you have it.) Tellingly, I think this is the first time in maybe a year that I've had an avatar not Homestuck-related.

I feel like I should join the Homestuck conversation because I'm always so glad when a new person is converted, but I've sort of run out of steam myself. I think my enthusiasm peaked with the End of Act 3, and I'm not sure if it's me hanging onto that moment or something about the story that hasn't resonated quite as well. It's still quality, but it's sort of simmered from an obsession to something I enjoy in a more balanced way.

Another side-effect of this phenomenon: I've found myself gravitating far more lately to Homestuck fanfiction and fanart as opposed to Andrew's official products, because I feel the fan community has treated the trolls with greater respect and authenticity.

The fanart is fantastic, but I finally stopped following it when I realized that there was no earthly way I could keep up with it if I ever wanted to do anything else. Occasionally, I still drop in when something happens and I'm curious about the fanart it inspired ("So Bro died, I know someone's already reimagined the famous TTGL scene with Dave as Simon, and I've got to find that shit").

[Bobbey]

Hey! Glad to see you're back on the forums, just like me! Also glad to hear about the huge possibilities of having a lady friend quite soon ;) Hope everything turns out well! And welcome back!

[Kyanbu The Legend]

Well my art improved greatly since the last time you were here.

PSP 2 (aka NGP) and 3DS are only around the corner now.

Other then that, this place hasn't changed all too much.

Welcome back Solid. :)

[Azisien]

I miss your post sizes Snakey mah boy!

[Shyria Dracnoir]

Glad to see you back! Nice to hear things have been going well for you.

[Solid Snake]

Snake!!!! Welcome back! So good to hear from you! We missed you!

Mauve Mage!!! You're alive!!!
How ya been?

I'm glad to hear things are going well for you. (SNAKE HAS A GIIIIRLFRIENND SNAKE HAS A GIIIRLFRIEND!! :P)

...I do? This is news to me.
It's not official or anything just yet so let's not jinx it. But the signs are looking pretty freakin' sweet.

Thirded (?). LOOOOOOOOOVE THIS GAME.

...I had a snow day on this Wednesday wherein classes were canceled.
...I played Ghost Trick from start to finish.
That was my entire day. It was a day of Ghost Trick.

It was awesome.

I don't think I've ever played a game of that length (not that it's long, per se, but still) in a single sitting before. I tend to not have the endurance, and I tend to require breaks. My longest previous experience was probably a straight run-through of the original Metal Gear Solid way back when I was a young'un.

I just couldn't stop. I just couldn't stop.

(That's one advantage of the DS compared to consoles; I can actually keep playing much more efficiently while munching on snacks and whatnot.)

The fluidity of the animations in particular really impressed the crap out of me. Even the "Panic Dance" was just so well animated that I couldn't dislike its otherwise zany and out-of-place inclusion in the game. The characters were by and large great, particularly Missile, Cabanela and Lynne. I think the only major character I felt remotely ambivalent towards was Jowd, actually, and only because he felt somewhat generic.

The major twists in the end were, for the most part, amazing. I wouldn't dare spoil them but unlike most other point-and-click games of its type, including even my beloved Ace Attorney series, Ghost Trick really keeps you guessing. At one point more than halfway through the game I had like five or six different equally viable theories as to exactly what was going on, and I love it when a game engages me like that.

I think the most shocking thing about Ghost Trick is that Shu Takumi has actually created a game I'll actually remember more fondly than the Ace Attorney series, an absolutely baffling accomplishment given how insanely highly I regard that series.


The fanart is fantastic, but I finally stopped following it when I realized that there was no earthly way I could keep up with it if I ever wanted to do anything else. Occasionally, I still drop in when something happens and I'm curious about the fanart it inspired ("So Bro died, I know someone's already reimagined the famous TTGL scene with Dave as Simon, and I've got to find that shit").

I think quite possibly the weirdest thing about Homestuck is just how amazingly talented its fanart community is.
I mean objectively speaking, just looking at things like page views and whatnot, Homestuck is not the most valuable webcomic enterprise out there. There are other webcomics on the internet that are objectively "more successful." And there have been many others I've followed.

And Homestuck isn't a major videogame or a major anime or anything.
So why the hell does it have the most brilliant fanart ever?
...I honestly have no idea, it frankly baffles me, but everytime I visit those forums there are always at least a dozen new images that are absolutely gorgeous.

...I wonder if Andrew's immense ego has actually recognized just how grateful he should be to have fostered such a talented and vibrant community of imaginative individuals who have been inspired by his work.

Tell us about the girl! And how's that lawyering thing going? Slammed your hands on a desk yet? But really, the girl!

I fucked up (and was fortunate not to fail, to be frank) one class in law school that I knew was going to be disastrous beforehand, but took anyway out of some perverse desire to be "challenged." Well, I was challenged all right. Challenged headfirst into one of the worst months of my life. December was fairly miserable for me, although it brightened up considerably in its last few days, when I met the Ms.

Let's not get too excited about the girl. She does exist (Nik can confirm that), she does really like me and I do really like her, but there are also practical barriers that may prevent a relationship from really being realistic.

First and foremost is that it's a long-distance thing. Honestly, in some respects, that suits my strengths (I'm a better far writer than I am a speaker -- and although I do have to speak for the video chats, those are slightly less intimidating -- and I'm terrible at initiating physical intimacy, but considerably better at handling deep emotional and intellectual conversations.) But while she has spoken of potentially relocating in my neck of the woods someday, (!!!) it's something that wouldn't happen for a very long time. I'm sure we could visit each other (albeit infrequently) at one point down the road, but that may be getting ahead of myself.

She's very attractive, very intelligent, and very charming, though. And I'm doing everything in my power to ensure things work out.

[greed]

Snake? Snake!! SNAKE!!!!!!!

And yes Ghost Trick is awesome (even if you accidentally spoil one of the big twists for yourself. Ugh. But on the plus side I've enjoyed picking up all the foreshadowing.)

Also I second Mumu, you are missed at the chat.

[mauve]

How ya been?
Not too bad, thanks. Still spending all my free time here and in video games! Also tai chi, but mostly here and video games. *cough Ghost Trick cough*

The fluidity of the animations in particular really impressed the crap out of me. Even the "Panic Dance" was just so well animated that I couldn't dislike its otherwise zany and out-of-place inclusion in the game. The characters were by and large great, particularly Missile, Cabanela and Lynne. I think the only major character I felt remotely ambivalent towards was Jowd, actually, and only because he felt somewhat generic. Oh, seconded. Every movement was beautifully done. Cabanela and Bailey's dancing in particular were fantastically animated.

I'm loving this game. Haven't beaten it yet-- I've been trying to pace myself so I don't get through it too quickly, but I absolutely adore it so far.



I'm sorry to hear December's workload in school was a nightmare. I hope this term is going better for you!

[Solid Snake]

Also I second Mumu, you are missed at the chat.

...I won't make any particular promises or anything, but it's possible I might waltz in and check things out again someday. But you can always contact me on AIM or MSN, y'know.

And I'm so happy that I somehow managed to avoid any Ghost Trick spoilers. Given that even the basic Wikipedia entry for the game has endgame spoilers that aren't clearly marked, I'm shocked I somehow avoided all such references. It really does add so much value to play through that game as clueless as Sissel was.

Not too bad, thanks. Still spending all my free time here and in video games! Also tai chi, but mostly here and video games. *cough Ghost Trick cough*

...What exactly is Tai Chi, again?
I feel like I should know the answer to this question offhand, but I don't.


I'm sorry to hear December's workload in school was a nightmare. I hope this term is going better for you!

So far, it's been a much better semester, but it's easy to say that now when I'm only a couple weeks into things. At the very least, I'm taking only classes I want to take this semester, which is far better than being saddled with course requirements (like last semester's brutal Corporations, where somehow I of all people got in trouble for not being capitalistic enough. Stop being a bad influence on me, Smarty!)

[katiuska]

...And then Andrew killed off Kanaya, Tavros, and Feferi in a series of one-off jokes, turned Eridan from a lonely, pathetic but intriguing character (with the potential for growth) into a one-note villain, and turned Gamzee of all characters into a villain for the Rule of Funny. And even before that I was beginning to feel mildly aggravated when he seemed intent on turning Vriska into the infallible Prom Queen of the Homestuck Ball.

In fairness, it was pretty clear Gamzee was dangerous and in the process of snapping when he discovered ICP, and Eridan had exactly the kind of personality for spree murder; I'm more confused at why everyone suddenly went killcrazy at the same time. I can kind of see where you're coming from, though--I genuinely wanted Eridan to give me a reason to like him, but apparently that was not to be (and I also disliked the way Kanaya was offed). Karkat is the one troll I consistently feel empathy for, because he's the best characterized and is really the heart of (at least the troll part of) the story.

I think quite possibly the weirdest thing about Homestuck is just how amazingly talented its fanart community is.
I mean objectively speaking, just looking at things like page views and whatnot, Homestuck is not the most valuable webcomic enterprise out there. There are other webcomics on the internet that are objectively "more successful." And there have been many others I've followed.

And Homestuck isn't a major videogame or a major anime or anything.
So why the hell does it have the most brilliant fanart ever?
...I honestly have no idea, it frankly baffles me, but everytime I visit those forums there are always at least a dozen new images that are absolutely gorgeous.

I don't know, but it does. The only thing that amazes me more than the fanart is the fact that at any given moment, a dozen people are busily churning out this awesome stuff.

[Solid Snake]

In fairness, it was pretty clear Gamzee was dangerous and in the process of snapping when he discovered ICP, and Eridan had exactly the kind of personality for spree murder;

Long, Misplaced Homestuck Rant Incoming

You see, this is where I think Andrew's habit for constantly shifting the tone of Homestuck works against him. Honestly, I thought Gamzee's rage-filled reaction to Dave's ICP link was one of those not-very-serious moments of Andrew going all meta on us, or just trying to get us to laugh. It felt so out-of-character for Gamzee at the time, and there was really no past precedent for it. Because Andrew has done jokes like that before that have no broader story significance, it was really surprising to learn that sequence wasn't just a potshot at ICP's expense or an excuse to show Hero Mode Gamzee.

In retrospect I will say that all those past updates with blurry Gamzee in the background have taken on new meaning now that he's apparently snapped.

But I think a better author would have shown us a brief example of the repercussions of "Gamzee without slime" prior to this moment, so that it'd feel less totally out of left field. Right now it doesn't feel like Gamzee's insanity has any real purpose beyond the author just looking for more zany ways for the trolls to fall apart -- like, after writing the Eridan sequences Hussie just thought to himself "What more can go wrong that would shock the readers?" Any time an author succumbs to that kind of logic, the narrative suffers as a result.

TLDR: Ideally, the characters' natural and ambiguously foreshadowed progression should drive the plot, as opposed to the author's artificially imposed tonal shifts driving the characters. Here Andrew isn't really allowing the characters to act logically and independently; he's just come up with the idea of the trolls' session turning into a House of Horrors, and he's shoehorning tons of new developments in to shock the readers as much as possible.

As for Eridan, the Kanaya flash is just so weird with him acting quite normally around Karkat and Kanaya before "snapping." But I think what's hardest for me to believe is that Kanaya would actually fashion him such a harmful weapon. If Eridan tinkered with the wand through Sgrub mechanics, that's something we really should have seen beforehand. Otherwise Kanaya comes off like a bit of an uncharacteristic idiot, for equipping someone she's knowingly referred to as genocidal with such a weapon and then referring to it as "just a wand."

It's also kind of weird that she's responsible for developing the weapon and yet, despite being among the smarter and generally more level-headed of the trolls, she has absolutely no ability to rationalize an appropriate strategy against Eridan once she decides to fight him.

It was also kind of weird to imply that Karkat -- the leader of the trolls and someone who cared very much for Kanaya and Sollux (if not Feferi) would just stand there and watch Eridan go through all those successful attacks. Like, I can understand Karkat's passivity in regards to Feferi and Sollux because it probably came out of left field and Karkat had virtually no time to react. But then Eridan has enough time to kill Feferi, destroy the Matriorb, stare down Kanaya, and kill her, and the thought never crosses Karkat's mind to attempt a sneak attack from the back or even just try to knock Eridan unconscious? And he's the respected leader of a naturally bloodthirsty, aggressive set of an alien race known for such impulsive and destructive behavior?

...I dunno, that entire sequence just felt like classic Railroad to me. Hussie wanted Eridan to win and wasn't going to let all kinds of facts get in his way, even when as the author he could have simply written circumstances under which "Eridan's victory" would have been far more probable and believable.

For example: Have Kanaya abscond with the Matriorb (realistically valuing the Matriorb over the chance to avenge someone she wasn't particularly close with in Feferi), then have Eridan follow her (as he promised), provoke her by destroying the Matriorb, and kill her. Karkat would not be present. Or, he'd be running after them, but as he'd tend to Feferi and Sollux first, he'd be too late. There! Problem solved. Now Karkat doesn't look so uncharacteristically wimpy.

(I mean it's just kind of uncharacteristically strange to conjure a situation where Sollux, Feferi, and Kanaya would all instinctively play the part of heroes and heroines in standing up to Eridan while Karkat twiddles his thumbs. Again, I consider this to be classic railroading: Andrew wants Karkat to stay alive, whereas the others are expendable, so their characterizations will be altered so the desired result is achieved. Any explanation other than railroading is filled with plotholes. If Eridan is truly a sociopathic spree killer, why not just kill Karkat and Sollux too? Why not at least give us insight as to why he'd spare them? If Eridan likes Karkat "too much" to take advantage of a chance to easily eliminate him, why not give readers evidence that he feels more strongly about Karkat than Kanaya? In fact, the past evidence actually suggests Eridan valued Kanaya's friendship more than Karkat's. If Karkat is too passive to react to these circumstances, why not foreshadow this more effectively so it's not so shocking to readers to watch him do nothing? Have someone like Terezi call him out in a Hivebent Memo for twiddling his thumbs out of fear when the Black King attacked her or something.)

EDIT: I didn't even mention the worst damage done to Karkat's characterization, which is as he's writing the Memo afterwards, when he declares that the next time he'll see Eridan he's going to kick that guy's ass. At least be consistent, Andrew! If you want to sell us on the twist that Karkat was simply too shocked, too afraid, or too passive to respond appropriately when he had plenty of time to mount a challenge against Eridan when Sollux and Kanaya's lives were directly threatened, don't then contradict yourself by having Karkat declare after-the-fact that he thinks he actually could take Eridan on in a one-on-one fight. The odds were one on two then!! Either stick to your guns portray Karkat as "too cowardly" or "too afraid," or have a character as intelligent as Karkat respond as a halfway decent leader should when he's present and people he cares about are in danger.

...I think I'm realizing that the greatest ramification of the last few weeks is that I've really lost a lot of respect for Karkat, or at least the way Andrew's portrayed him.

[Professor Smarmiarty]

Hahaha, I missed Snake's massive posts. He does deliver.

[katiuska]

You see, this is where I think Andrew's habit for constantly shifting the tone of Homestuck works against him. Honestly, I thought Gamzee's rage-filled reaction to Dave's ICP link was one of those not-very-serious moments of Andrew going all meta on us, or just trying to get us to laugh. It felt so out-of-character for Gamzee at the time, and there was really no past precedent for it. Because Andrew has done jokes like that before that have no broader story significance, it was really surprising to learn that sequence wasn't just a potshot at ICP's expense or an excuse to show Hero Mode Gamzee.

Honestly, I would have taken it the same way, I think, if I didn't have a friend who somehow understood at that moment that there was something seriously wrong with Gamzee and we should be concerned. So Gamzee's sudden departure into Murderville didn't feel as out of left field for me as it probably should have. And you've pretty much identified all the problems I had with the way the Eridan sequence was executed, so I guess while I didn't feel like violence was out of character for him, it came about in a really weird and unnatural way.

I hadn't said anything about Vriska because I don't think there's much to say about her that hasn't already been said. I will say, though, that I still believe that she's being set up for a pretty spectacular comeuppance, because dramatically, it feels like the only way it could go. Or, at least, I hope she is, because otherwise I'm going to end up torching something.

[Fifthfiend]

...I know I'll get in a lot of trouble with the Homestuck loving crowd for saying this, but the last two weeks or so of updates have dampened by love for it considerably.

Then it's the perfect time for you to join the rest of us Homestuck Haters in the ongoing NPF Homestuck Hate-In!

ANDREW HUSSIE - AN ASSHOLE, ALSO, THE WORLD'S WORST HUMAN BEING

Long, Misplaced Homestuck Rant Incoming

You see, this is where I think Andrew's habit for constantly shifting the tone of Homestuck works against him. Honestly, I thought Gamzee's rage-filled reaction to Dave's ICP link was one of those not-very-serious moments of Andrew going all meta on us, or just trying to get us to laugh. It felt so out-of-character for Gamzee at the time, and there was really no past precedent for it. Because Andrew has done jokes like that before that have no broader story significance, it was really surprising to learn that sequence wasn't just a potshot at ICP's expense or an excuse to show Hero Mode Gamzee.

In retrospect I will say that all those past updates with blurry Gamzee in the background have taken on new meaning now that he's apparently snapped.

But I think a better author would have shown us a brief example of the repercussions of "Gamzee without slime" prior to this moment, so that it'd feel less totally out of left field. Right now it doesn't feel like Gamzee's insanity has any real purpose beyond the author just looking for more zany ways for the trolls to fall apart -- like, after writing the Eridan sequences Hussie just thought to himself "What more can go wrong that would shock the readers?" Any time an author succumbs to that kind of logic, the narrative suffers as a result.

TLDR: Ideally, the characters' natural and ambiguously foreshadowed progression should drive the plot, as opposed to the author's artificially imposed tonal shifts driving the characters. Here Andrew isn't really allowing the characters to act logically and independently; he's just come up with the idea of the trolls' session turning into a House of Horrors, and he's shoehorning tons of new developments in to shock the readers as much as possible.

As for Eridan, the Kanaya flash is just so weird with him acting quite normally around Karkat and Kanaya before "snapping." But I think what's hardest for me to believe is that Kanaya would actually fashion him such a harmful weapon. If Eridan tinkered with the wand through Sgrub mechanics, that's something we really should have seen beforehand. Otherwise Kanaya comes off like a bit of an uncharacteristic idiot, for equipping someone she's knowingly referred to as genocidal with such a weapon and then referring to it as "just a wand."

It's also kind of weird that she's responsible for developing the weapon and yet, despite being among the smarter and generally more level-headed of the trolls, she has absolutely no ability to rationalize an appropriate strategy against Eridan once she decides to fight him.

It was also kind of weird to imply that Karkat -- the leader of the trolls and someone who cared very much for Kanaya and Sollux (if not Feferi) would just stand there and watch Eridan go through all those successful attacks. Like, I can understand Karkat's passivity in regards to Feferi and Sollux because it probably came out of left field and Karkat had virtually no time to react. But then Eridan has enough time to kill Feferi, destroy the Matriorb, stare down Kanaya, and kill her, and the thought never crosses Karkat's mind to attempt a sneak attack from the back or even just try to knock Eridan unconscious? And he's the respected leader of a naturally bloodthirsty, aggressive set of an alien race known for such impulsive and destructive behavior?

...I dunno, that entire sequence just felt like classic Railroad to me. Hussie wanted Eridan to win and wasn't going to let all kinds of facts get in his way, even when as the author he could have simply written circumstances under which "Eridan's victory" would have been far more probable and believable.

For example: Have Kanaya abscond with the Matriorb (realistically valuing the Matriorb over the chance to avenge someone she wasn't particularly close with in Feferi), then have Eridan follow her (as he promised), provoke her by destroying the Matriorb, and kill her. Karkat would not be present. Or, he'd be running after them, but as he'd tend to Feferi and Sollux first, he'd be too late. There! Problem solved. Now Karkat doesn't look so uncharacteristically wimpy.

(I mean it's just kind of uncharacteristically strange to conjure a situation where Sollux, Feferi, and Kanaya would all instinctively play the part of heroes and heroines in standing up to Eridan while Karkat twiddles his thumbs. Again, I consider this to be classic railroading: Andrew wants Karkat to stay alive, whereas the others are expendable, so their characterizations will be altered so the desired result is achieved. Any explanation other than railroading is filled with plotholes. If Eridan is truly a sociopathic spree killer, why not just kill Karkat and Sollux too? Why not at least give us insight as to why he'd spare them? If Eridan likes Karkat "too much" to take advantage of a chance to easily eliminate him, why not give readers evidence that he feels more strongly about Karkat than Kanaya? In fact, the past evidence actually suggests Eridan valued Kanaya's friendship more than Karkat's. If Karkat is too passive to react to these circumstances, why not foreshadow this more effectively so it's not so shocking to readers to watch him do nothing? Have someone like Terezi call him out in a Hivebent Memo for twiddling his thumbs out of fear when the Black King attacked her or something.)

EDIT: I didn't even mention the worst damage done to Karkat's characterization, which is as he's writing the Memo afterwards, when he declares that the next time he'll see Eridan he's going to kick that guy's ass. At least be consistent, Andrew! If you want to sell us on the twist that Karkat was simply too shocked, too afraid, or too passive to respond appropriately when he had plenty of time to mount a challenge against Eridan when Sollux and Kanaya's lives were directly threatened, don't then contradict yourself by having Karkat declare after-the-fact that he thinks he actually could take Eridan on in a one-on-one fight. The odds were one on two then!! Either stick to your guns portray Karkat as "too cowardly" or "too afraid," or have a character as intelligent as Karkat respond as a halfway decent leader should when he's present and people he cares about are in danger.

...I think I'm realizing that the greatest ramification of the last few weeks is that I've really lost a lot of respect for Karkat, or at least the way Andrew's portrayed him.

God i've missed you.

EDIT:

The one place I disagree with you about the above is regarding Karkat's reaction; his reaction makes perfect sense when you remember that Karkat loves everybody and cares super-hard all the time. He just didn't want to believe that his friends Feferi and Kanaya that he cares super-hard about and loves to pieces and cares about because he loves them, were killed by his friend Eridan who he cares super-hard about and loves and cares super-hard about because he loves him.

He thought his lovable friend Eridan who he cares about super-hard was indulging his wacky habit of being dour and picking fights and just assumed that Sollux would whip the shit out of him and things would go on being as ridiculous as they already were and when that suddenly turned out not to be the case and Eridan turned out to be an actual crazy-ass murderer Karkat wasn't afraid, he was shocked, as shocked as you'll be the day I show up on your doorstep with a red rose in one hand and Krylo's severed limbs in the other.

After he had a minute to process that shit, he was able to get good and properly vengeful-angry about it and swear a proper death vendetta against Murderface McDouche, as is right and in keeping with the Good Way.

[Solid Snake]

Then it's the perfect time for you to join the rest of us Homestuck Haters in the ongoing NPF Homestuck Hate-In!

ANDREW HUSSIE - AN ASSHOLE, ALSO, THE WORLD'S WORST HUMAN BEING

...I could be wrong, but experience reading the MSPA boards highly suggests that this is sarcasm.
Which is cool and all: I actually do really like Homestuck, despite my criticisms.

It's just that the connotation that everyone who criticizes Andrew Hussie must "despise him" is one that's frequently made on the MSPA forums, and it annoys the crud out of me to read scores of folks on those message boards kneejerkingly defending Andrew's work from any criticism and interpreting said criticisms as some egregious attack on the man's worth as a human being.

Andrew's not an asshole and he's certainly not the world's worst human being, but he's not infallible. The fact that he creates an enjoyable product doesn't absolve him from the consequences of his narrative decisions, and we can still take a deeper look and call him out when he makes mistakes. After all, he willingly displays Homestuck in the public domain for us to read, and he profits from our patronage.

...What really grates me personally is how Andrew responds to his critics on his Formspring account. There are far more accomplished authors out there who at least understand the value in appearing to be modest and grateful to their fanbases and their critics. The sad thing is there are moments on Formspring where he actually cuts the arrogant crap and rationalizes his perspective, and then he actually sounds intelligent and agreeable. So he could theoretically be a great person to speak with, but more often than not he deliberately chooses the worst possible questions to answer and stokes his ego.

I think that's a consequence of Andrew achieving his popularity through a new and unexplored medium. He's an independent pioneer with a successful product, but there's no institutional forces out there in place to remind him to "mind his manners," and no competition utilizing the internet in a similar way to force him to compete for his fanbase's time and interest.

The way this mentality could bite Andrew in the ass is if he ever does try to expand into more traditional forms of media, where he'd have to negotiate not with loving fans who knee-jerkingly worship the ground he walks on, but with publicists and editors and professional critics...not to mention a much larger and more diverse group of readers or viewers he'd need to appeal to.

EDIT: Oh, I guess you weren't being as sarcastic as I thought you were being.

Karkat Stuff: I agree with you at least in regards to Karkat's (lack of) response to the initial attacks against Sollux and even Feferi, and even the Matriorb. In those moments Karkat would be absolutely shocked by Eridan's sudden and inexplicable shift in behavior, and that shock would prevent him from responding.

But I do believe there was enough time before Kanaya charges Eridan for Karkat to actually get his shit together. By the time Feferi falls on the horn pile and Eridan blasts the Matriorb, Karkat's sense of caring for Kanaya should pretty much outweigh any past concerns he felt for Eridan and as the leader of the gang I felt it would have been more in character for him to respond in some way.

Heck, at least respond verbally if nothing else. Shout "NO" or something, or "ERIDAN YOU FUCKASS, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING."

In the context of everything that happened with Eridan's sudden shift, though, having Karkat do nothing may not have been as egregiously out-of-character as I've represented it, but combined with everything else it contributed to that sense of railroading (in order for Andrew to achieve the desired result of Karkat remaining alive while Kanaya and Feferi died.) Say Eridan kills Kanaya, but Karkat actually does charge Eridan from behind, injure him slightly, and then Eridan easily disarms him and enunciates a reason to leave him alive. Or, say Kanaya absconds in the scenario I noted earlier. Those kinds of options feel less like railroading because Eridan actually faces some degree of opposition and the result does not feel as preordained due to brazen author intervention.

It's precisely because I believe that Karkat did care tremendously for Sollux and Kanaya (and moreso those two than Eridan,) combined with Karkat's position as a leader, that made it difficult to believe he'd do nothing once it did become clear that Eridan had completely lost his marbles. But I guess it just also feels like railroading when Feferi and Kanaya, of all the trolls out there, are willing to fight Eridan based on instinctive impulse whereas Karkat was not.

If anything, Kanaya should have been the one paralyzed by shock: it better fits her personality type (which I've interpreted as more passive in some ways than Karkat's), it better fits her actual culpability in designing Eridan's murder weapon (thus, she'd either be shocked that the weapon was so powerful or shocked that Eridan had betrayed her trust), it better fits with the fact that she isn't as close with Sollux or Feferi as Karkat was, and it better fits with her responsibilities with the Matriorb, which should have demanded her to abscond even if she really did like Feferi for reasons that were never adequately explained to us readers.

Granted, once the Matriorb was destroyed Kanaya's rage was palpable and understandable, but Kanaya initiates a staring contest with Eridan prior to that moment, and I feel that was really out-of-character for her. Even if she (somehow) had no idea how powerful that wand (which she created) really was, she did just see Eridan blast a hole through Feferi with it, and again, Kanaya's the very definition of someone who's characterized as "a purely logical, restrained and deliberate thinker." At least Karkat has shown bouts with impulse and aggression in the past; unless I've completely misinterpreted Kanaya's mannerisms, that just isn't who she is.

So why did Kanaya act so rashly and "heroically" in staring down Eridan, even prior to the Matriorb's destruction, while Karkat did not, when they both had similar conflicted feelings regarding attempted friendships with Eridan? I just personally felt it was railroading: Andrew intervened as an author because he wanted one character to stay alive and he felt the other character could die for sheer shock value.

That's just my subjective interpretation, of course. As a Kanaya fan, it felt weird because, as sad as I was to see Feferi and Tavros die, at least those two deaths were legitimately reasoned (Eridan had reasons to want to kill Feferi and Vriska had reasons to want to kill Tavros, no matter how twisted or idiotic their reasoning was), whereas Eridan had literally just finished thanking Kanaya for being the only troll who believed in him, at that point the only reason he'd kill her is if he really did become a sociopathic spree killer in which case he kills Karkat and Sollux too.

[Fifthfiend]

...What really grates me personally is how Andrew responds to his critics on his Formspring account. There are far more accomplished authors out there who at least understand the value in appearing to be modest and grateful to their fanbases and their critics. The sad thing is there are moments on Formspring where he actually cuts the arrogant crap and rationalizes his perspective, and then he actually sounds intelligent and agreeable. So he could theoretically be a great person to speak with, but more often than not he deliberately chooses the worst possible questions to answer and stokes his ego.

Hold on I need to find a like... brofist.gif

EDIT

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/2553/brofisto.gif

[Amake]

I think that the speed of updates match badly with the speed of developments, as in the entire Eridan killing spree takes place in less than five seconds and really anyone could be excused for not taking the opportunity to attack someone who suddenly killed several of their mutual friends in that time. I mean as far as we can see Eridan may have made holes in Feferi and Kanaya basically because they had their faces turned in his general direction when he KO'd Sollux, and Karkat didn't. We don't see any of them mounting any kind of counter-attack beyond knee-jerk reflexes.

And as for the characters' motivations, we can't rule out them being made clear retroactively. There's a lot going on at the moment and we can't say if any of it makes sense in the story as it's going to be told in the distant future when it's finished. Such is the curse of following a serialized story as it's written. Anyway I'm staying positive.

Even when it comes to the massive mood swings where it to me looks like Hussie is just trying to keep us on our toes and our defenses down to elicit a genuine emotional response. We've seen a lot of that technique in Joss Whedon's shows, although probably nothing so drastic as the 2x corpsesmooch scene. But it's the same idea, mixing jokes and scares and drama until the reader has seriously no idea what to expect.

And if that doesn't work, I just do the Asperger thing and consider each particle (panel) of the story on its own terms, free from influence of things that don't improve my enjoyment of that panel. That's my method to maximize my fun, try it if you like.

By the way Snake nice to see you again.

[Solid Snake]

I think that the speed of updates match badly with the speed of developments, as in the entire Eridan killing spree takes place in less than five seconds and really anyone could be excused for not taking the opportunity to attack someone who suddenly killed several of their mutual friends in that time. I mean as far as we can see Eridan may have made holes in Feferi and Kanaya basically because they had their faces turned in his general direction when he KO'd Sollux, and Karkat didn't. We don't see any of them mounting any kind of counter-attack beyond knee-jerk reflexes.

Nah man, Andrew gives us several panels of Kanaya and Eridan staring at each other before Eridan even destroys the Matriorb, let alone attacks Kanaya. Even then, Kanaya is able to run in Eridan's direction and get fairly close to him before she's offed.

There are better (namely, quicker and involving less panels) ways Andrew could have shown us those "fights" if Eridan really did eliminate them in a matter of seconds. The fact that Andrew gave us Kill Bill style close-ups of Kanaya and Eridan, allowed Kanaya to take out her lipstick / chainsaw and then rethink (gaze back at the Matriorb) before the Matriorb was destroyed certainly gives credence to the notion that Karkat had plenty of time to do something.

And again, if Andrew did want to convey the notion that it happened in a matter of seconds, there should have been far less panels between Wand of Hope blastings.

[Amake]

Maybe it wasn't important to convey how fast it happened, especially as we could figure it out anyway by the fact that Karkat didn't do anything?

In a way it could reflect on the time theme of the story, showing how time moves slowly for those involved in the life and death battle while Karkat doesn't even have time to turn around and open his mouth in shock.

[Solid Snake]

Maybe it wasn't important to convey how fast it happened because we could figure it out anyway by the fact that Karkat didn't do anything?

But then you're arguing that Karkat couldn't do anything in the same time timeframe that Kanaya could go through a complicated cycle of emotions that couldn't realistically happen in a few mere seconds. She expresses anger and indignation and brandishes her lipstick, then has time to turn back to the Matriorb and change her expression to one of doubt, then Eridan charges up the wand and destroys the Matriorb, which then results in Kanaya going apeshit, and even then she manages to at least initiate her attack and move closer to him before she's shot.

And this all happens after a similar (albeit shorter) process happens between Feferi and Eridan.

And that only happens after Sollux loses to Eridan in their duel and is KO'ed.

I don't believe that all happened in just five or ten seconds, and the complexity of Kanaya's reactions suggest that Karkat similarly had time to experience a multitude of conflicting thoughts and reactions. Again, if Andrew wanted to convey things happened in a very short time-frame, he could have done so much more efficiently by cutting a lot of those panels out.

That's just my two cents.

[Amake]

Yes, I'll argue all of that could happen in five seconds or less. Especially when you're high on adrenaline and can go through what feels like hours of emotions in the blink of an eye. It seems to me a more likely explanation than such poor charaacterization for Karkat.

It could probably have been shown better, yes, but then we'd have missed all the dramatic tension and subtle nuances of emotion displayed particularly by Kanaya. I consider it a win.

[Solid Snake]

Well, we could argue this point endlessly and go around in circles until we both turned blue in the face, but that seems a pointless exercise to indulge in my intro thread. So, let's agree to disagree on that one.

The good news regarding Homestuck is that a brilliant plushie designer is making me an adorable Kanaya plushie. I'm paying a nominal fee for it but it's quite cheap given the quality of the product, and handmade at that. I'll protect her from scumbags like Eridan, even if Andrew refuses to. >.>

But anyway, it's my Intro thread! So let's...talk about something else.
Like Ghost Trick! If you have not bought that game and if you own a DS you need to buy it immediately.

Also, I'm debating my next Mass Effect 2 playthrough. Just bought the PS3 version (I've owned the PC version, but with my TV it will look so much more beautiful on the PS3) and going to start a new ME2 experience. In my two ME1-ME2 playthroughs I've already been a male Infiltrator (seduced Tali), and a female adept (stayed loyal to Liara.)

I'm feeling maybe male Vanguard or a male Sentinel this time around. Possibly a male Engineer? Since I gain the least XP in my first playthrough without the XP bonus I think it'd be best to try one of the "more difficult," less combat-oriented classes just to experience something new and save something like the Soldier class for a future Insanity playthrough.

...Then again I honestly almost feel like playing Infiltrator again, as I had so much fun sniping with that class, it seriously is not even funny how much more fun I had as an Infiltrator compared with an Adept, which was basically exactly the opposite of what I had expected based on those class descriptions.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

Snake? Snake!! SNAKE!!!!!!!

Oh thank god somebody already did that. Had me worried there for a couple of pages. But yes, Snake, welcome back dude. It is good to see you are in fact still alive.

[Si Civa]

"I feel quite an unnerd when you guys always talk about games and hype that much about webcomics", Si Civa wrote as he wandered in forum originally dedicated to videogame sprite comic: "But I guess there's so many other, wonderful ways to be nerd. Or at least social outcast in some way, though not all nerds are outcast."

Oh, and hi, hi, hi Solid Snake! Get lawyer work in videogame company already, sheesh.

[Wigmund]

Oh wow Snake's alive.

Of course, I'm no longer one to give someone a hard time about not posting much here anymore. I've been spending all my free time on the aforementioned MSPA art forums.

[Lumenskir]

So do you have a SA lined up or did you strike out at OCI?

[Solid Snake]

So do you have a SA lined up or did you strike out at OCI?

I struck out at OCI but really didn't care nearly as much as many of my classmates who similarly struck out, as I'm personally interested in government positions. Private firms don't particularly interest me in regards to a career, at least in the next five or ten years. Of course, I still did OCI because working at a Top 100 Vault firm would be freakin' impressive, but, eh. Astute employers probably noted my ambivalence during interviews, as I had to feign interest for at least a few of the firms I interviewed with.

If you are interested in working at an elite private firm, the type you'd get into through OCI, now really isn't the time to go to law school. I'm going to one of the top twenty schools in the country, and something close to (if not exceeding) half of my classmates have struggled. It's just the way the market has been lately. The general consensus is that the market for private firm positions will improve significantly in the next few years, though, so maybe you guys will be luckier.

As for me: Last year I struggled to find a summer internship until April and still managed to snare a decent paid internship with a top environmental non-profit organization. Public agencies and non-profits tend to do most of their interviews and whatnot in the spring, so I'm not in a Code Red situation just yet.

Get lawyer work in videogame company already, sheesh.

I would, but I am absolutely terrible at Intellectual Property and Corporate Law, which are the two areas of law most systemically prevalent when you're an attorney for a videogame company. Sadly, most of those lawyers do not actually do any work unique to the industry. In other words, they do not in fact get to enjoy playing videogames.

I'd rather stick to my strengths.

[Lumenskir]

I struck out at OCI but really didn't care nearly as much as many of my classmates who similarly struck out, as I'm personally interested in government positions.
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_leftdzYz3Q1qf8yek.gif

[Solid Snake]

...Eh, I'm just tryin' to keep things positive. =/

[Lumenskir]

...Eh, I'm just tryin' to keep things positive. =/
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lefsy2U3q81qf8yek.gif

[synkr0nized]

Hi, Snake.
Glad to read things are going well for you.


Kanaya++

[mauve]

...What exactly is Tai Chi, again?
I feel like I should know the answer to this question offhand, but I don't. The ability to kill things with my mind.
...
...
...
Okay so really it's a Chinese martial art based on slow, flowing motions. In this case it's used less for fighting and more for gentle exercise.


At the very least, I'm taking only classes I want to take this semester, which is far better than being saddled with course requirements Good to hear it! It's always better when you can fill a term with stuff you actually want to take. Doesn't always work out that way, sadly, but I'm glad you've got a schedule that allows that this term!

[Donomni]

Oh hey, Snake is back!

...which I knew yesterday, but was too lazy to respond!

Still, welcome back, man. You ever gonna do more of those "History of NPF" posts again? They were very wordy, but they were still fun!

[Fenris]

Oh hey, Snake is back!

...which I knew yesterday, but was too lazy to respond!

Still, welcome back, man. You ever gonna do more of those "History of NPF" posts again? They were very wordy, but they were still fun!

Yes this get on this immediately.

[Nique]

Just popping in to say 'hi Snake!'

Hi Snake!

Also I still don't know what Homestuck is if someone wants to PM on that I'd sure appreciate it. Feel free to berate my chronic un-coolness.

[Solid Snake]

Also I still don't know what Homestuck is if someone wants to PM on that I'd sure appreciate it. Feel free to berate my chronic un-coolness.

...

...I would link you, but then I would feel in some sense personally responsible for you subsequently losing hours upon hours of productivity catching up.

...Seriously man, the Homestuck archives are a massive time drain. The best time drain on the internet, yes, but still, you're going to be there a while.

[Krylo]

Just popping in to say 'hi Snake!'

Hi Snake!

Also I still don't know what Homestuck is if someone wants to PM on that I'd sure appreciate it. Feel free to berate my chronic un-coolness.

www.mspaintadventures.com