Very late Homestuck End of Act 5 post
Nov. 23rd, 2011 12:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rallamajoopIn the rush to get everything finished in time for the Madman finals I missed my chance to say something timely about the rollercoaster ride that was the EoA5 animation, which is a real shame, because, I mean, damn. Worth every last minute of the wait (which, I would note, I got into Homestuck fandom just in time to experience in all it's month-plus glory). I don't think I can even remember the last time I was in a fandom where something with that many expectations riding on it managed to deliver on that many levels. Like, seriously, I am enjoying the fuck out of this thing, heart-rending tragedy, authorial trolling and all.
Some reactions, starting with Stuff Everyone Else Has Already Said But I Feel Deserves To Be Repeated Nonetheless
Moving on, Miscellaneous Stuff I loved (And That I Have Not Seen Discussed Everywhere Else, Or At Least Not Where I've Looked So Far)
Speaking of EOA5, unwise as it may be to ever try to predict Homestuck, I would like to share this one theory I've come up with.
Theory: Sollux still has a chance to make it to God Tier
Evidence in favour: As we know from Aradia and now Rose and Dave too, it's entirely possible to make it to God Tier even when you're down your last life, provided that your remaining life is that of your dreamself, you die on your dream-Quest Bed, and possibly (as implied by Hussie on his tumblr after the EOA5 animation) you do so in an explosion of green flame. Sollux has been in his Derse dreamself's body ever since he first woke up in the Incipisphere. Everyone's at the Green Sun, so there's certainly no lack of green flame handy. From Jade's example, we also know that you don't necessarily have to die right on your Quest Bed, just as long as your body makes it there fairly quickly afterwards, so the fact that only Sollux's body is going to make it to the Green Sun may not be a problem. His death saving his friends was certainly heroic, but Vriska's death was inarguably just and it didn't stop her making it to God Tier, so it's safe to assume that the death that gets you there doesn't count.
Some of Aradia's comments might also be taken to hint at the possibility we haven't seen the last of Sollux. She's told us his adoption of her typing quirk is an indication that he, like her, has accepted his doom, however one might also note that Aradia's 'doom' has worked out pretty well for her in the long run. She also sounds awfully blasé when she informs him that only his body will make it to the meeting point. That could be a sign that they've both accepted that he's doomed, or it could be a sign she knows he's not checking out for good.
There's some other more circumstantial evidence, mostly in the form of vague theories about the breakdown of the surviving cast by gender and even numbers and whatnot, or the interesting patterns posed in that that Aradia, Rose and Dave were all Derse dreamers and that Sollux is the last character left from either session resurrected via dreamself who hasn't yet made it to God Tier, but that's all fairly tenuous. The more important issue is that one big remaining bit of evidence against.
Evidence against: His quest bed was almost certainly destroyed in the destruction of Derse. This seems like a much bigger sticking point before you remember that Aradia can travel in time. So can Dave, and if between them they couldn't figure out where his quest bed would've been, then there is no hope for the universe from any of these people.
You never know with a story like Homestuck, but I'm having to twist my understanding of canon further to find reasons why they wouldn't be able to save than to rationalise why they would.
Some reactions, starting with Stuff Everyone Else Has Already Said But I Feel Deserves To Be Repeated Nonetheless
- OMG, Jade ascending to motherfucking God Tier and then some! ♥♥♥♥♥♥ THIS RIGHT HERE is just about everything I love about Homestuck in one neat package. Two parts meticulously well set-up story development within the established mythology, so carefully foreshadowed that you never see it coming, to two parts unspeakable awesome, and maybe one part complete shameless wish-fulfilment. X3 This comes packaged with what is easily my favourite God Tier outfit yet. I do love how it manages to be distinctly witchy even without a pointed hat. It's probably the socks.
- Yay, PM! ♥♥♥ Also ow, the other Exiles, collectively winning themselves 2nd place in the hotly contested Shit I Did Not See Coming Awards (and that's despite having spent this long with that niggling feeling that WQ's version of events to come was a little too simple to go to plan, and much personal speculation on the ultimate story purpose of the third room of WV's base). That said, I am very glad there's even the outside chance poor WV might make it yet. And I love that PM is the one to wear the Queen's ring, and we get the nigh-simultaneous ascension of both Jade and her Exile all in the one flash. I can't imagine PM's going to be all that happy to see Jade should they ever meet again in person, but for now the connection feels very appropriate. (I also felt the need to share this particular tribute.)
- Mostly LOL at everyone else suddenly making God Tier like it's going out of fashion (and it pretty much has, what with where Jade's at now). Speaking of fashion, I'm liking Rose's God Tier outfit, for all that orange is really not her colour. Not fond of Dave's, and hoping it may get a subtle redesign at some point. The knight-hood is arguably appropriate, but even something as simple as changing the shape of the bottom of his shirt would make it look like less of a bad Halloween costume. The lovely violin section in the new remix of Black Rose Green Sun playing over that scene, now – that I will happily play on repeat for a good while yet.
- And while I wouldn't call it flawless – some of the transitions are pretty confusing, and I'm sure more could have been done to communicate a few key details like Rose and Dave finding empty space where the Green Sun should have been – so much love for the whole animation. Every time I watch it I still find some new detail I missed, and I've watched it a lot of times by now.
Moving on, Miscellaneous Stuff I loved (And That I Have Not Seen Discussed Everywhere Else, Or At Least Not Where I've Looked So Far)
- That little moment between the White Queen and the White King. For what little it's worth in the big scale, it was sweet that they got to spend their final moments together. Between that and those scenes with Mom and Dad, the art in Homestuck really does have a way of communicating a huge depth of romance by just showing two characters holding hands. Especially in comparison to all those many lolarious kiss scenes and corpse-smooch combos. I am now officially hoping we see Rose and Kanaya holding hands sometime in the future.
- From the files of Things I Had To Freeze A Video Version To Check, did anyone else notice that post-PapShush Gamzee continues to type with the same quirk he switched to when he went nuts?
^ His conversation with Doc Scratch prior to the highlighted 'Suckers' line.
I kinda like that. A little sinister, but if you can take it on faith that he's fixed for good (or at least within usually moraillegiance maintenance levels), it's nice to see the whole ordeal isn't being wiped away without leaving some kind of mark on him. - The music. More to the point, hearing Saviour of the Dreaming Dead finally used in story. That song was an instant addition to my 'Fuckyeah' playlist from my first listen through volume 7 - and I don't think I'd have imagined it was even possible to improve on the parent track until that moment, which you may remember from the time John made it to God Tier. Clearly, it was just being saved for the perfect moment. :3 Gotta say though, the track image of Dave that shows up on WMPlayer whenever I listen to it looks awfully out of place now.
Speaking of EOA5, unwise as it may be to ever try to predict Homestuck, I would like to share this one theory I've come up with.
Theory: Sollux still has a chance to make it to God Tier
Evidence in favour: As we know from Aradia and now Rose and Dave too, it's entirely possible to make it to God Tier even when you're down your last life, provided that your remaining life is that of your dreamself, you die on your dream-Quest Bed, and possibly (as implied by Hussie on his tumblr after the EOA5 animation) you do so in an explosion of green flame. Sollux has been in his Derse dreamself's body ever since he first woke up in the Incipisphere. Everyone's at the Green Sun, so there's certainly no lack of green flame handy. From Jade's example, we also know that you don't necessarily have to die right on your Quest Bed, just as long as your body makes it there fairly quickly afterwards, so the fact that only Sollux's body is going to make it to the Green Sun may not be a problem. His death saving his friends was certainly heroic, but Vriska's death was inarguably just and it didn't stop her making it to God Tier, so it's safe to assume that the death that gets you there doesn't count.
Some of Aradia's comments might also be taken to hint at the possibility we haven't seen the last of Sollux. She's told us his adoption of her typing quirk is an indication that he, like her, has accepted his doom, however one might also note that Aradia's 'doom' has worked out pretty well for her in the long run. She also sounds awfully blasé when she informs him that only his body will make it to the meeting point. That could be a sign that they've both accepted that he's doomed, or it could be a sign she knows he's not checking out for good.
There's some other more circumstantial evidence, mostly in the form of vague theories about the breakdown of the surviving cast by gender and even numbers and whatnot, or the interesting patterns posed in that that Aradia, Rose and Dave were all Derse dreamers and that Sollux is the last character left from either session resurrected via dreamself who hasn't yet made it to God Tier, but that's all fairly tenuous. The more important issue is that one big remaining bit of evidence against.
Evidence against: His quest bed was almost certainly destroyed in the destruction of Derse. This seems like a much bigger sticking point before you remember that Aradia can travel in time. So can Dave, and if between them they couldn't figure out where his quest bed would've been, then there is no hope for the universe from any of these people.
You never know with a story like Homestuck, but I'm having to twist my understanding of canon further to find reasons why they wouldn't be able to save than to rationalise why they would.