Homesuck: Vriska Rising

[Aldurin]

You can still criticize Hussie, just keep it to stuff that is already established.

Bitchin' about hypotheticals is pointless.

[Locke cole]

Guys, is there any chance we can stop being angry at each other?

Originally Posted by Aldurin

You can still criticize Hussie, just keep it to stuff that is already established.

Bitchin' about hypotheticals is pointless.

And he was saying that the update was a poor one because it caused people to need to brew up hypotheticals in order to explain Kanaya's actions. He was not talking about the hypotheticals themselves.

Try not to misrepresent the people you're arguing with.

[Geminex]

Seconded. None of us are saying that any aspect of homestuck is above criticism, and implying that we are is actually insulting. But your argument isn't particularly good (if you think it is, I'd be happy to continue discussing it), and, to top that off, yes, Homestuck is serialized. We aren't going to be getting all of our information at once. And, of course, it's possible to handle that badly. But this wasn't handled horribly badly, I think. I'm sure we'll get a look into what Kanaya's been up to later. But for now, the purpose of the last few panels was to build up and break the tension of the showdown, and Kanaya's appearance contributes to that in a way that a gradual depiction of her becoming a Rainbow Drinker, and her journey through the lab, would probably not.

So no, I don't think it's horrible storytelling to not explicitely state something that readers can reasonably assume, in favor of breaking dramatic flow. And that isn't blind fanboyishness, that is argumentation. If you'd like to respond to it, please.

[Loyal]

...This is exactly what I hated about the MSPA forums and it's weird that it happens here at NPF too, of all places. Don't you guys realize that criticism of a webcomic does not equivocate to hatred of said work, and it is really absolutely annoying for anyone who criticizes to immediately be bitch-slapped for daring to say anything negative about their beloved author?

You realize, Snake, that you're doing largely the same thing?

You raised criticisms, people answered them, you're throwing a blanket-statement of "SYCOPHANTS" on the whole of the NPF.

[Archbio]

how is kanaya walking if she got shot through her spine?

Because Death Becomes Her.

[POS Industries]

Originally Posted by Solid Snake

It's not like there are two choices, you either love everything Andrew Hussie writes or despise it. Homestuck has been and will likely continue to be the best webcomic on the interwebs. It just doesn't mean it's perfect.

We know it's not perfect. I've had issues with it, myself. What gets my goat is when it's the same people raising complaints with every update. For some, this is a new thing and a result of what has admittedly been the least interesting act going on far longer than it needed to with the actual main cast taking a back seat to a gaggle of psychotic aliens. I get that. That's cool. Still annoying, but I see where they're coming from.

You haven't had a post in this thread that wasn't complaining about whatever happened in the latest update since June 2009. Granted, there was a long break in there where you weren't around, but it's flanked on either sides by complaining so the consistency remains. Not to mention that, from what it sounds like, the time you spent not being here was spent doing pretty much the same thing over at the MSPA forums, and you'll forgive us if it appears like there's a pattern from our perspective.

[Loyal]

In the next updates, Kanaya will kill Eridan, drink Vriska's blood but otherwise leave her alone, causing all sorts of conflicted feelings in Vriska, and then go find Karkat so she can give him a hug and tell him everything will be alright.

[Solid Snake]

Originally Posted by POS Industries

You haven't had a post in this thread that wasn't complaining about whatever happened in the latest update since June 2009. Granted, there was a long break in there where you weren't around, but it's flanked on either sides by complaining so the consistency remains. Not to mention that, from what it sounds like, the time you spent not being here was spent doing pretty much the same thing over at the MSPA forums, and you'll forgive us if it appears like there's a pattern from our perspective.

...Wow.
Ad hominem, much?
I had no intention of making this personal whatsoever but you seem pretty damn set on something that looks like less a criticism of my opinions or my interpretation of Homestuck and moreso a criticism of me, and that's kind of a lousy move.

If you really think I've been douchebaggin' it up, that's something you should talk to me about on PM, and I'd explain to you in lengthy paragraphs exactly how I feel about Homestuck and why I feel that way in an effort to make myself sound less douchetastic, but just accusing me of being a douche here is just low.

[Archbio]

See, POS, there are legitimate reasons why only Snake's critical opinions about Homestuck would make it to the NPF thread.

Edit: I mean, I've wrote several times about being disappointed with how nuGamzee turned out, but I don't think I've actually said anything about the page that gave me high expectations to begin with. Possibly because at the time, in the context of this thread, there was overwhelming positive appreciation posts of it, which makes it feel redundant to just chime in; and also positive appreciation in that case (and often) isn't as readily articulated. I mean, mostly it was this striking picture. I think these two things tend to overrule the impulse to visit a discussion thrad about a work when the appreciation is positive. Among other things.

"Go back to Cuba;" still kind of no legitimate reason to get down to this personal level.

[The Argent Lord]

I'm curious how you would have liked this development to be justified, Snake. I can understand wanting explanation, but it's a valid narrative technique to have the reason for an event shown after the event, in cases where showing the reasoning beforehand would be detrimental to the impact of the event when it happens. It seems to me there are three main simple explanations:

1. Kanaya saw the bodies of Eridan and Nepeta.
2. Kanaya read Karkat's memo.
3. Kanaya wants to attack everyone and just decided to go for the closest guy first.

If I understand you correctly, your problem isn't with any of these being the reason, but rather with the fact that the reason wasn't given beforehand. Assuming the reason is one of the three listed, I think that it falls into the category I mentioned earlier, where the reasoning coming first would lessen the impact.

1. This would pretty much require a scene of her seeing the bodies. Such a scene wouldn't need to be long, but a scene of any length would have given an early reveal of Kanaya's new form, something that as obviously being kept under wraps.
2. This is the easiest one to do subtly, maybe a teal-bloodstained terminal displaying Karkat's memo. Whether this would damage the impact is debatable, but there's certainly an argument to be made that it would telegraph "OSHIT, Kanaya's gonna kick some clown ass!"
3. I... I'm not sure this can even be foreshadowed. Short of her running in screaming "You're all going down, bitches" I think this is necessarily a wait and see possibility.

Maybe I'm wrong, and if so I'd like to hear your thoughts on why. I do think Hussie uses the serial vs archives argument too much, but I think it has merit in this case.