"Homestack": characters, heroes, names, plot, comic book history and fan reviews

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The characters of "Homestuck" have gained more popularity over the entire existence of the comic than the format itself as a whole. The characters turned out to be memorable, and since the creators saw teenagers as the target audience, they were also somewhat trendy. The article tells about the reason for the popularity of the pairing, whether it can be considered a full-fledged comic book, or whether this creation became the founder of a new genre. The names of the characters of "Homestuck" and the most interesting antagonists and protagonists are also painted.

A few facts from the history of the comics

The author of the opus is Andrew Khakasi. He came up with the idea of creating the character "Homestuck" as a form of entertainment. Since the author did not claim to be an artist or animator, the creationturned out to be quite simple. So, for example, the key requirement of MS Paint Adventureres, where the opus was published, is drawing in the Windows graphic editor of the same name.

The project turned out to be very intense and continues to be published to this day. Since the first pages of the Homestuck characters were published on the site in 2009, more than 8,000 pages have been published in 60 volumes. It is rare for a beginner to master it completely. The comic "Homestuck" has a very sophisticated plot, and therefore requires thoughtful reading.

It is known that the creator of the opus intended to create a game based on the project. So, in 2012, it was announced the generation of a new entry on kickstarter. The total amount ended up being more than $2.5 million. The exact figures for investments in the project by the fans are not known at all. There was no news from the author for more than a year. In the fall of 2013, Khakashi stated that development would ultimately fall on the shoulders of his own team, and there would be a slight pause in the publication of the comic. It eventually dragged on for a whole year, and there was a huge outflow of fans of creation. The Homestuck characters never regained their lost audience.

Continuation of the scandal around the studio and the game as a whole

It is quite possible that the lion's share of the last acts of the comic would not exist at all, since the fans simply left the fandom. However, an employee of the new organization Khakasi explained the information about the downtime. The Odd Gentlemen spent 800 thousand on an incomprehensible project, worked in parallel on King's Quest and, as a result, could not provide Khakasi himself with a singleworking algorithm according to his order for 8 months. If he had not suspended the release of the comic and did not decide to develop it on his own, he could have ended up in jail.

On September 14, 2017, the first act of the game appeared on Steam for the price of 200 Russian rubles. By the end of the year, most of the developers were kicked out of What Pumpkin, and the project was frozen. The real state of affairs regarding the game with the characters "Homestuck" is still unknown.

Setting and subtleties of drawing

Despite the fact that the project was originally conceived as a regular entertainment for its creator, the comic has gained immense popularity. The first pages of the Homestuck characters look like attempts to do something decent with a ruler and a pencil - the drawing was so primitive. Subsequently, things changed for the better, since Khakasi himself even began to paint the characters. So, for example, the Homestuck trolls already have a slightly more interesting picture than the protagonists in the first acts.

All this, including the features of the setting, the atmosphere of the project, as well as the idea itself, was created for the target audience, the so-called "geeks" and "nerds", that is, characters whose life takes place at the computer and games. Khakasi himself has repeatedly claimed that he was inspired by games such as The Sims and Spore. The names of the characters in "Homestack" provide for various references or are a pattern. So, for example, the name and surname of a troll always includes 6 Latin lettersalphabet.

Comic Universe

At the center of the story are several player friends who lead the game for themselves. They are an allusion to the creator god, since they are able to both destroy and create worlds and universes. The entire setting of Homestuck is saturated with mysticism and psychedelic ideas, coupled with the idea of a utopian world around your own fortress home. In the center of the plot, the ideas of online games, pop culture, cyberpunk, trends that have been growing in popularity over the period the ship was published are gradually coming to the fore.

The author originally planned to make the characters in "Homestack" and the environment in the comic interactive and give readers the right to vote on what would happen next in the story, but this was later abandoned. The heroes remained "playable", they communicate via chat, have different equipment, and are aware of themselves as characters. All this attracts a considerable share of admirers to creation. Judging by the reviews, readers really like it.

Story features

At the center of the story are four heroes, enclosed in the game SBURB BETA. Protagonist John Egbert receives it for his 13th birthday and sits down to study with his friend Rose Lalonde. During the gameplay, a real apocalypse begins, meteorites threaten to completely destroy the Earth, so four friends (two more joined the heroes later) go to the Stratosphere - the "world of warring kingdoms". It turns out that eachheroes must go through their own quest. As a result, all four stop the black king and queen on the chessboard in the center of this space, and they, in turn, threaten Skaia.

During one of his travels, the hero John finds a protobiological laboratory and uses it to create exact copies of both his friends and their guardians sent back in time. Thus, the cycle of narration is closed, and the characters of "Homestuck" are forced to go through the quest in the Stratosphere forever. At the same time, among the meteorites that were taken away by Skaia and did not reach the Earth, there are even those as a result of which the planet was repopulated, but already in 2142, long after the events of the original comic. The narrative includes a lot of references, all sorts of allusions and direct comments about the real world, as well as about readers who are watching the characters from behind the "frames". The Homestuck trolls tried to pull the heroes out of the game and warn them, but were misunderstood.

John Egbert

One of the main characters of the Homestuck comic ectoBiologist (this is his nickname in the Stratosphere) was previously ghostyTrickster, but the guy changed his name in order to confuse the trolls. At one time, fans believed that John did not have his own name until his 13th birthday, but this was denied by the creator of the pairing. Aspects of Homestuck have a direct relationship with the characters, and in John's case it's a "breeze".

Actually, he is a "test tube baby"created by itself in the distant future. Arrived on Earth with a meteorite, was adopted by his brother, who replaced his father. On my 13th birthday I received the game mentioned above. How exactly he met his own friends on the Internet is unknown. Uses special software in the form of a messenger for communication. Outwardly, John is a young guy with a mop of naughty dark hair, wears glasses. At one time, fans thought that John's T-shirt showed Slimy from Ghostbusters, but this is just a symbol.

Rose Lalonde

She is blonde with a very neat appearance, pretty. Its elements are chalk and water. The preferred color is pink or lilac, the nickname used is tentacleTherapist. Typing in chat with the highest degree of literacy. When drunk, he starts spamming. Immediately before the beginning of the story, on her 13th birthday, she received a sewing kit from John as a gift, and from Dave - a strange, slightly frightening device with which she was supposed to resurrect a deceased pet. Is the only player who has no problems in managing the game. Wrote a walkthrough FAQ. He is a player on John's server and influences spaces by moving, creating or destroying objects. In fact, she has some dark secrets and even turns into a dark version of herself at one point. He loves gothic literature and even writes thematic poems on this topic.

Dave Strider

This is the third characterpresented to readers. Looks like a stylish blonde, does not part with sunglasses. He is obsessed with always being cool and collected, which often leads him to embarrassment. When he was asked in the chat room to change his nickname Insufferable Prick to something similar, he simply smashed the console with a katana, because "tough guys don't waste time on such nonsense".

This "Homestuck" character's aspect is fire, and the associative element is amber. Raised by Bro, who is his ectobiological father. Later it turns out that the guy was constantly under the influence of the teacher and was suppressed by him. Reached the level of a god and became a true knight of time. At first, he was very friendly with Rose, but constantly accused her of being demanding. As a result, the heroes began to exchange only cool messages. By nature, he is a leader, although he is somewhat arrogant.

Jade Harley

She was the fourth protagonist to be introduced to the reader. She looks like a brunette with long dark hair, wears round glasses and a floor-length button-down skirt. Has a bad bite. It is not known exactly how she met the rest of the guys. Her nickname is gardenGnostic, her favorite color is green, her associative elements are earth and uranium. Raised by a grandfather who is genetically her father. Its origin is also connected with ectobiology. After her caregiver died in a gunshot, the girl was raised by a dog. She had problems with insomnia, which led her to online games. Had some problems with passing due tolack of experience and problems with staying awake, but still ended up with the trio.

Despite the fact that Jade tries to be brave, it is difficult for her to test. She is close only with Dave, which is bad for her communication. Her dog eventually became the protector of the Earth.

Betas and Alphas

In fact, there are not four, but eight protagonists in the comic. The first four - alpha versions - have gone far ahead, cloning themselves and sending the project into the past. Beta versions can make completely different decisions and behave differently, which creates a certain flavor in the story. The plot is rich in various travels in space and time, which often leads to confusion. The Creator is in no hurry to explain everything to neophytes, because, apparently, it gives him pleasure.

Trolls

Trolls in the comic are aliens from the planet Alteria, which is in another universe. In total, 36 characters take part in the plot, also divided into ancestors, alpha versions and beta versions. Each hero, with a few exceptions, has his own zodiac sign.

Homestack names matter a lot. All trolls appear as humanoids with red horns, black hair, gray skin, and yellow whites of their eyes. Each of them has blood of a certain color, in which the sign is painted. The main one is cancer. When the trolls first tried to contact the children via the Internet and accuse them of future mistakes, they did not believe them, which is why the protagonists are nowtreat them with suspicion. This seriously hinders the progress of the story. Each troll has its own mentor. Terezi "Homestack", for example, speaks very kindly of her ludos, considering him a friend.

The comic turned out to be not only interesting, but also very multi-leveled. All the characters and their names in "Homestack" are connected by various parallels, new and old plot moves and many other very subtle nuances. All this creates a magnificent picture, which, judging by the reviews, is able to please the inexperienced reader.