Act IV, Section V [retype]
[[Note: Earlier this evening, I put together the initial version of this post. Unfortunately, through a series of really dumb mistakes, I lost it (and my mind, briefly) to cyberspace. I had no intentions of redoing it tonight, but the whole thing made me so mad that I ended up pounding out this poor replica in a temper-driven impression that doing so would somehow teach my computer a lesson. Despite violently bashing my keys throughout, the laptop remains a delinquent, but you nonetheless benefit from its punishment. Enjoy the lackluster quality.]]
Why does the King have to make that call? Can't the Queen make a decision? Or is this one of those realms where regents aren't on equal footing? Yes, I realize that any decent partnership will involve joint discussion on a matter and she isn't exactly at liberty to skip off to the battlefield; if they were both slain there, everything would be ruined. But I'm grumpy and irritated at myself for being stupid and screwing up the first post of this, so blugh blugh.
Personally, in this messed up world the Exiles and Four find themselves in, I wouldn't want to be Queen either. Best of luck to ya, PM. I hope the desert's much easier to rule over than Skaia, or wherever the hell these people live.
More of this waking up business. Going off of what we've seen and heard from Jade, I'm guessing Jasper the sassy (gay?) cryptic not dead not a pumpkin spritecat means she hasn't woken up to her true purpose in this world yet or whatever. There's also a physical awakening, though physical isn't the best word for it since it deals with her subconscious dream self waking up in... dream world... wherever that is.
What the hell have you been smoking, Jasper the sassy (gay?) cryptic not dead not a pumpkin spritecat?Â
Is "meow" the secret word here / have the magical letters? I knew cats were snobby little sons of guns, but sheesh, that word making "life possible"? Get over yourself.
Okay, this clarifies some things, but... Not really. Pat yourselves on the backs, Internauts, we were right about what Jasper the sassy (gay?) cryptic not dead not a pumpkin spritecat was getting at. However, questions still remain. Are these dream selves physical beings? What world are they operating in? Is it an actual place, or is it just in their heads? If the latter is the case, then how can they come in contact with one another there, like Jade hanging out in John's tower? And how can they communicate with the outside? If there even is an outside... they might be on the same bloody plane.
Point: I don't get a damn thing about this dream self business yet.
Jade plays the Edward Cullen to John's Bella. It's still creepy.
Okay, I like that Dave is asking John for advice. I confess that I've been rather worried he sees their friendship as some part of his ironic trophy case and isn't sincere. As humorous as his wit and sarcasm can be, it does make it difficult to gauge the sentiment behind it sometimes. This seems like promising evidence that Strider is legit in his friendship with John, and I truly hope he is. There's nothing I detest more than someone pretending friendship for a laugh or out of convenience. Don't even go there, Dave.
Maybe this is one of those "because they're thirteen year old boys" moments, but if my best friend told me she was about to blast off at the speed of light into infinity and beyond via homemade jet pack, my response wouldn't be "OKAY, LATER." This is either foreshadowing, or pure stupidity.
Suit, bowtie, turntables... DJ Doctor Who?
Don't show this to Apple; they'll probably try it.
Going back to where? Four months? Time hopping? Did I skip a section of this Act or something? Don't tell me this was in the Intermission, because I know you're lying.
DEAD HEIR AND WITCH? JOHN DIED? JOHN. DIED. FIX IT. FIX IT NOW.
How could Rose cease to exist by them adjusting this timeline? With John's NASA moment as the pivotal screw-up moment, that doesn't make sense to me. She was alive and well as far as we knew back when that happened, so I don't see how altering John's path would erase her existence in that moment. How are his demise and her survival connected? Don't get it.
If my past self can wake up sooner, maybe I'll be the one to visit you the first time. Maybe I'm reading way too much into this, but do future Rose and future Dave have a thing for one another? ... I mean, I guess it makes sense if they've been fighting the forces of evil off single-handedly together for four months.
You better be ripping this sick tune on those tables as you hurtle back through time, Strider.
The suit is pretty damn rad.
Okay. This warmed me a bit to Dave, I must admit. His invoking their friendship could, of course, be a horribly exploitative ploy to get John to listen, but I don't think so. John's been dead to future!Dave for four months. If he truly didn't give a damn about him, or think of him as a best friend, he wouldn't go to all this trouble. Yes, John is essential to "winning" the game as the Heir it seems, but Dave has an incredible amount of pride; we saw it on the rooftop when his brother mopped the gravel floor with him. He wouldn't beg the guy to "just stay on the goddamn ground for fuck's sake" if he honestly didn't give a rip. He's actually kind of sort of starting to grow on me...
You saw how this worked out for Buzz Lightyear, right? Or was that movie too good/mainstream to witness?
Future Dream Rose: Cease to Exist? What? So was Dave talking to Rose's dream self before? Where is her physical body? Wha...
The first question Dave asks is still about himself, so let there be no mistake: he's still pretty into himself. However, I realize that it's also part of his witty defense mechanism, which he's employing here to help disguise his concerns about John's fate. Try as he might though, Strider just can't repress those worries, and tries to nonchalantly address "this John business." It's really the third question, a more sincere reiteration of the second, that's the important focus here. "Is he gonna be okay?"Â reads so vulnerable, genuine, and almost childlike. It's evident that, despite having literally turned the tables in an effort to reverse his friend's fortune, Dave still feels rather helpless about it all.
You can really relate with him in this moment. We all have those select friends we're exceptionally close to, and would gladly switch places with whenever they're having a bad day, or suffering some sort of physical or emotional pain. That's always an impossibility though, so, at the end of the day, there's nothing but one meek and heartfelt question: "Are you gonna be okay?" Dave reads as nothing but sincere here.
The title of Insufferable Prick has been permanently retired.
Here is the first time Homestuck made me properly cry.
Okay. So Skaia is its own planet, as are Derse and Prospit. Which one are these Lands that Dave, Rose, and John are in on? I need a map.
Black will inevitably beat White? No, no, no, I don't like that at all. It's important, I think, to take careful note of what exactly is being said here. Black will inevitably beat White on the battlefield in the center of Skaia. That does not mean they win the war, not yet. There is a small period of time in which this "inevitable" fate can be reversed by killing the Black Queen and King. This leaves a chance, an opportunity, a hope.
I assume that this opportunity has never been successfully acted upon before, otherwise the "game" wouldn't keep producing these unique sessions over and over. It seems like the ultimate objective would be to keep regenerating this general scenario until a winning combo is found and the desired outcome, White beating Black, is achieved. As bleak as the notion of this same thing, just with different factors like specific players or mythological lore, happening over and over throughout the ages is, it doubles as a promise: a combo breaker is coming. One day that correct formula will be found, and the players and White/Good will succeed.
I really hope that day arrives with our Four.
I'm with John 100% on this one.
Wino? What're you doing here? I realize that her and Bro got transported into the Medium with their houses, just like with John's father, but how on earth do they know what's going on? Much less to the extent of venturing out to slay monsters? With their bare hands, stilettos, and hair-sprayed-to-death 'do?
WHAT IS UP WITH THE PARENT/GUARDIAN FIGURES IN THIS SERIES?
Smeagol is gone now. You may calls us Gollum.
Haven't you people ever watched Lord of the Rings? Does this really seem like a good idea to you?
Your Frodo's coming, Jack Noir, and with him, your end.
