# first.items[].content
1. #homestuck is worth reading from the beginning through to the introduction of the third notable group of characters.
2. I would not blame anybody who falls off at this point, as the middle stretch of the comic is pretty lifeless. However...
3. The final major arc shoves so much character development and payoff into it that I am glad I saw it through to the end, even if it felt rushed and forced.

The comic initially comes across as lots of "lol random" nonsense, but given the opportunity to stretch its legs a bit, it shows that the author cares a lot about systems, and all (okay, most) of the "lol random" circles back around to be meaningful and important in one way or another. The comic's greatest strength (and greatest impediment to adoption, IMO) is its ability to turn everything into a Chekov's Gun. It rewards paying attention to details, which is an accomplishment few webcomics manage.

# first.items[].contentMap.en
1. #homestuck is worth reading from the beginning through to the introduction of the third notable group of characters.
2. I would not blame anybody who falls off at this point, as the middle stretch of the comic is pretty lifeless. However...
3. The final major arc shoves so much character development and payoff into it that I am glad I saw it through to the end, even if it felt rushed and forced.

The comic initially comes across as lots of "lol random" nonsense, but given the opportunity to stretch its legs a bit, it shows that the author cares a lot about systems, and all (okay, most) of the "lol random" circles back around to be meaningful and important in one way or another. The comic's greatest strength (and greatest impediment to adoption, IMO) is its ability to turn everything into a Chekov's Gun. It rewards paying attention to details, which is an accomplishment few webcomics manage.

# first.items[].summary
Homestuck Spoilers: Overarching plot (1/2)

# first.items[].content
At the end and looking back, I think it's fairly easy to break the overall narrative of #homestuck into three basic eras:

1. The Systems Era: the focus of the comic isn't on the characters, but on the interesting systems that the characters have to use to interact with their environments. This is where the whole Sburb gamification of the world is in focus, where everyone having different Moduses is relevant, and where whole swaths of pages are dedicated to mashing items together. This basically fades into the background as the Trolls are introduced, to be replaced with... (1/2)

# first.items[].contentMap.en
At the end and looking back, I think it's fairly easy to break the overall narrative of #homestuck into three basic eras:

1. The Systems Era: the focus of the comic isn't on the characters, but on the interesting systems that the characters have to use to interact with their environments. This is where the whole Sburb gamification of the world is in focus, where everyone having different Moduses is relevant, and where whole swaths of pages are dedicated to mashing items together. This basically fades into the background as the Trolls are introduced, to be replaced with... (1/2)

# first.items[].summary
Homestuck Spoilers: Overarching plot (2/2)

# first.items[].content
2. The Characters Era: We now have a bunch of characters! And they have relationships, rivalries, and alliances! The story no longer cares about the mechanics of the world, instead focusing on the people existing within it and how they get along with each other and themselves. This section is very hit-or-miss on a character-by-character basis (more on that in later posts). But, a bit after the Cherub is introduced, we hit era three...

3. The "I Just Want It To End" Era: Andrew Hussie has written himself into his corners, he has two-dozen Chekov's Guns he set up that haven't fired yet, and he's just done. Let's fire all the guns; let's have characters have long conversations that resolve their arcs and growth; let's pull everyone together via contrivance for the big hurrah at the end. This is big and epic, but also feels very rushed and not super satisfying beyond the spectacle and a few character moments. (2/2)

# first.items[].contentMap.en
2. The Characters Era: We now have a bunch of characters! And they have relationships, rivalries, and alliances! The story no longer cares about the mechanics of the world, instead focusing on the people existing within it and how they get along with each other and themselves. This section is very hit-or-miss on a character-by-character basis (more on that in later posts). But, a bit after the Cherub is introduced, we hit era three...

3. The "I Just Want It To End" Era: Andrew Hussie has written himself into his corners, he has two-dozen Chekov's Guns he set up that haven't fired yet, and he's just done. Let's fire all the guns; let's have characters have long conversations that resolve their arcs and growth; let's pull everyone together via contrivance for the big hurrah at the end. This is big and epic, but also feels very rushed and not super satisfying beyond the spectacle and a few character moments. (2/2)

# first.items[].summary
Homestuck Spoilers: The main trolls, pt. 1

# first.items[].content
Most of them aren't really important except as Mcguffins, so any that I forget I forget for a reason.

Karkat: Best boy, favorite character, 11/10. I love that he is intentionally introduced as the most infuriating piece of shit in existence, but as we delve more into his character, it circles back around to reveal that he's just extremely passionate and insecure.

Terezi: Her character feels initially inconsistent (murdering John for the lulz), but once you push that and forgive it, she's actually extremely nuanced and an interesting exploration of grappling with identity and disability.

Gamzee: I actually really liked his character up until his turn; he was a fun, nuanced take on the checked-out stoner who still cares about his friends. After that, though, he basically just becomes an arbitrary agent of Plot, doing and fighting whatever the story needs him to do/fight without any real justification beyond, "He's a bad guy."

# first.items[].contentMap.en
Most of them aren't really important except as Mcguffins, so any that I forget I forget for a reason.

Karkat: Best boy, favorite character, 11/10. I love that he is intentionally introduced as the most infuriating piece of shit in existence, but as we delve more into his character, it circles back around to reveal that he's just extremely passionate and insecure.

Terezi: Her character feels initially inconsistent (murdering John for the lulz), but once you push that and forgive it, she's actually extremely nuanced and an interesting exploration of grappling with identity and disability.

Gamzee: I actually really liked his character up until his turn; he was a fun, nuanced take on the checked-out stoner who still cares about his friends. After that, though, he basically just becomes an arbitrary agent of Plot, doing and fighting whatever the story needs him to do/fight without any real justification beyond, "He's a bad guy."

# first.items[].summary
Homestuck Spoilers: The main trolls, pt. 2

# first.items[].content
Tavros: Sweet boy gets robbed, and his big moment in the finale is probably my single most favorite moment in the entire comic.

Nepeta: Just another Chekov's Gun, but at least a cute one.

Kanaya: I... remember liking her, but apart from her drama around feeling responsible for the death of her race and being Rose's squeeze, I feel like she doesn't actually do much. She's kinda just... there, having her own small arc apart from everyone else.

Eridan and Feferi: Feferi's character doesn't work without Eridan to bounce off of, and Eridan is a piece of shit and I hate him so much, which is the intent, so good on Hussy for writing an immediately hatable villain.

Equius: Sometimes, you just need one strong joke to land, and the joke of Equius throughout the comic lands very well.

Aradia: I mean... robots are cool. That's all I've got.

# first.items[].contentMap.en
Tavros: Sweet boy gets robbed, and his big moment in the finale is probably my single most favorite moment in the entire comic.

Nepeta: Just another Chekov's Gun, but at least a cute one.

Kanaya: I... remember liking her, but apart from her drama around feeling responsible for the death of her race and being Rose's squeeze, I feel like she doesn't actually do much. She's kinda just... there, having her own small arc apart from everyone else.

Eridan and Feferi: Feferi's character doesn't work without Eridan to bounce off of, and Eridan is a piece of shit and I hate him so much, which is the intent, so good on Hussy for writing an immediately hatable villain.

Equius: Sometimes, you just need one strong joke to land, and the joke of Equius throughout the comic lands very well.

Aradia: I mean... robots are cool. That's all I've got.

# first.items[].summary
CW: Homestuck Spoilers: Vriska and Aranea (1/2)

# first.items[].content
Vriska is enough of a minefield that she needs her own post. And Aranea exists as a mirror to Vriska, so she goes here, too.

I feel like we can split Vriska into pre-retcon and post-retcon. Pre-retcon Vriska is an incredibly well-written villain precisely because she doesn't see herself as a villain. She sees the goal in front of her (which aligns with everyone else's goals), but she's so arrogant and full of herself that she doesn't let anything or anyone get in her way. She is doing the right thing, but going about it in wrong-but-effective ways that ultimately puts her at odds with the rest of the cast. But she's so damn charismatic and persuasive that her hangers-on fall in line with her "the ends justify the means" approach. (It's telling that milquetoast John's final moment of growth is him realizing that Vriska is a bad person.) (🧵 1/2)

# first.items[].contentMap.en
Vriska is enough of a minefield that she needs her own post. And Aranea exists as a mirror to Vriska, so she goes here, too.

I feel like we can split Vriska into pre-retcon and post-retcon. Pre-retcon Vriska is an incredibly well-written villain precisely because she doesn't see herself as a villain. She sees the goal in front of her (which aligns with everyone else's goals), but she's so arrogant and full of herself that she doesn't let anything or anyone get in her way. She is doing the right thing, but going about it in wrong-but-effective ways that ultimately puts her at odds with the rest of the cast. But she's so damn charismatic and persuasive that her hangers-on fall in line with her "the ends justify the means" approach. (It's telling that milquetoast John's final moment of growth is him realizing that Vriska is a bad person.) (🧵 1/2)