another day.
[[you suppose.]]<p>you're not sure why you're even up right now.</p>
<p>you bedroom is dark, the only light coming in from a crack underneath the door. it's too hot. even under your thin blanket, you feel waves of heat roll over you.</p>
<p>what's even the point of getting out of bed?</p>
[[you really want pop-tarts.]]
[[there's a quiz in english today that you can't miss.]]
[[you love learning.]](set: $down to 1)
<p>damn, you're hungry. chocolate chip pop-tarts sound amazing right now.</p>
<p>you should [[get ready]].</p>(set: $down to 1)
<p>that's right. today you get to experience collin's infamous quiz. supposedly they test you on ridiculous insignificant details of the story.</p>
<p>but you took notes on beowulf. you're prepared.</p>
[[you know where grendel's mother came from.->get ready]]what is love?
[[baby, don't hurt me.]][[don't hurt me]][[no more.->you suppose.]]<p>time to get ready.</p>
<p>it's simple. throw on foundation and concealer to cover up your pepperoni pizza face, eyeliner so you dont look like you're flying internationally from the amount of baggage under your eyes, and run your hair through a straightener so you're not mistaken from a lion.</p>
<p>[[too bad you still look like shit.]]</p>
(set: $down to $down +1)<p>at least now you can get food.</p>
<p>you stumble to the kitchen, more numb to the blare of the [[television->where she is watching, talking about...something.]] in the background.</p>
<p>you slip past the [[living room->your dad is snoring on the couch.]] and into the [[kitchen.->sweet sustenance.]]</p><p>where she is watching, talking about...something.</p>
<p>you try not to make a point to listen to her anymore.</p>
<p>a good morning is one where you say two words to her.</p>
<p>[["bye, mom."->too bad you still look like shit.]]</p>
(set: $down to $down+1)<p>your dad snores away from on the couch.</p>
<p>[[too bad you still look like shit.<-gotta make sure to wake him up in an hour so he can take you to school.]]
(set: $down to $down +1)<p>sweet, sweet sustanance.</p>
<p>you grab a few pop tarts and stick them in the microwave as you trudge your way through making a cup of [[coffee]] for yourself.
<p>once it's all ready, you retreat back to [[your room]].</p><p>dunkin' donuts.</p>
<p>you're almost out, but that's ok. you'll get more soon. as long as you don't have to deal with any of <i>her</i> stuff, you're good.</p>
<p>god, you hate folgers. the stuff of the devil.</p>
<p>oh, hey. your food is [[ready.->your room]]<p/>
(set: $down to $down+1)<p>you retreat back to your room. the area is sparsely furnished; all you have to your name is a bed, a dresser, and a desk. the bed groans under your weight as you settle onto it. you place your pop tarts off to the side, allowing your laptop to take center stage in front of you. you hold your coffee in one hand and sip it as your computer loads.</p>
<p>for once, your mother is quiet in the background. you slip in your earbuds regardless.</p>
<p>when your computer finally loads, you decide to check [[twitter]] and [[tumblr]].</p>
(set: $down to $down+1)<p>none of your friends are currently online. they haven't sent a tweet in the past several hours.</p>
<p>at least the twitter bots are there to keep you company. @everyword is currently in the m words, while @horse_[ebooks] and @vietnamcrystal dispense their cryptic-yet-calming advice.</p>
<p>you love twitter bots. you will never understand their ways.</p>
[[retweet the famous tweet, 'your best friend unfortunately.']]
[[you know that @horse_''ebooks'' is a hoax, right?->hoax]]<p>you scroll through tumblr, liking and reblogging and adding to your queue as needed. your tumblr feed is a microcosm of fandom, aesthetics, and memes. just the way you like it.</p>
<p>[[the clock ticks on.]](set: $down to $down-1)
<p>retweeted.</p>
<p>time to check [[tumblr]].</p><p>WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S JUST SOME ART PROJECT BY A RANDOM GUY<p>
<p>[[YOU CAN'T BELIEVE THIS]]</p>(set: $down to $down+1)
<p>fuck this. you unfollow @horse_''ebooks'' and go to [[tumblr]].</p>
<p>you have never felt so betrayed.</p>WHAT
[[NO]](set: $lunch to "")
<p>when 6:35 rolls around, you trod over to the living room to wake up your dad. your mom is thankfully asleep, allowing you to escape her scrunity for one morning.</p>
<p>your dad bumbles around, getting dressed as you make your lunch.</p>
<p>what are you feeling today?</p>
(link: "pb&j sandwich") [nah. you're sick of them.]
(link: "chicken and provolone sandwich") [sure. (set: $lunch to "chicken and provolone sandwich. ")]
(link: "cheetos")[what are you, five?]
(link: "apple slices")[sounds good. (set: $lunch to $lunch + "apple slices. ")]
(link: "yogurt")[the kind with the mini m&ms on top? yesssssss.(set: $lunch to it + "yogurt. ")]
(link: "orange")[you already hurt your finger yesterday trying to peel one. how about no.]
<p>ok, you're good to go. [[time to leave.]]<p>with enough pestering, you get your dad up and out of the house. he's kind enough to spare you from saying goodbye to your mother.</p>
(set: $down to $down + 1)
<p>your dad looks at you out of the corner of his eye.</p>
<p>"how are you feeling, honey?"</p>
[["i'm good."]]
[["eh."]]
[["like there's a void inside my soul that will never be healed."]]<p>you chat easily about nothing, though your dad slips in the occasional comment that irks you. the self-deprecating humor stops being cute once it starts being toxic.</p>
<p>it's been toxic for a while.</p>
(set: $down to it + 1)
<p>he tells you he loves you when you pull into the back lot of your [[school]].</p>
<p>"love you too, dad.</p>the response you give most mornings. you drive on in silence, only saying goodbye when he pulls up in the back lot of your [[school]].(if: $down is > 6)[i'm miserable, dad.<p>[["i know. honey."->school]]]
(else:)[haha, what? what are you talking about? [[try again->time to leave.]]]
<p>first period, AP Stats, is the same as it always is.</p>
<p>you get there ten minutes early and listen to the teacher's strange comments as your friends and classmates file in one by one.</p>
<p>your friends arrive, settling into their seats around you. sometimes they chat with you, but mostly they play on their iPhones and Androids, leaving you to fiddle around with your pay-per-day knockoff phone.</p>
<p>you press your fingers into the tiny keys, but you have no one to text.</p>
(set: $down to it + 1)
<p>[[the bell rings.]]</p><p>second period is jazz band. you're terrible in jazz band. easily the worst player in the entire band -- because you don't practice, of course.</p>
<p>the class goes like any other day. your hands [[shake]] when the teacher calls on people to do an improv solo during warmup, you [[fumble]] notes, and generally are a [[complete failure]].</p>
[[the bell rings.->third period]](set: $down to it + 1)
<p>a nervous sweat makes you feel clammy and uncomfortable.</p>
[[you wish you were better, but you're not.->the bell rings.]](set: $down to it + 1)
<p>you can barely follow along with the rhythm of the songs. you're just lucky that the teacher pities you enough not to call you out every single time you mess up.</p>
[[which is to say, every time you play.->the bell rings.]](set: $down to it +1)
<p>remember how you spent half of last year in the practice rooms, trying to teach yourself how to play the trombone but mostly listening to songs on your mp3 player and singing along?</p>
<p>no wonder you're not good enough. you're just lucky the teacher likes you.</p>
<p>[[back to reality->the bell rings.]]<p>today you're studying beowulf. "it's the first work in the english literature," your lit teacher said, along with another series of words you missed because you were whispering to your friend.</p>
<p>you spent two solid hours reading it, and you still don't understand it any better than before. thank goodness for spark notes.</p>
<p>your teacher talks about a translation of beowulf and the canterbury tales into modern english. even then, it's still difficult to understand. maybe you're just not a good reader.</p>
<p>[[or maybe sometimes the blue curtains are just blue.]]<p>your friend volunteers to read a portion aloud. giggling, she begins, a southern twang weighing down her voice.</p>
Then were in bawoughs, beowulf thay ...err scylding (beaw),
beloved king av thay ...err people ayy awful long age
famed amawng thay ...err folk --his fathuurr a-havin' gone elsewhere,
elduurr on earth-- until unto him in turn were bawn
high half-dane, he ruled so awful long as he lived
awful old ayn' battle-fierce, thay ...err glay scyldings;
ta him four sons in succession
woke in thay ...err wawld, thay ...err leaduurr av thay ...err legions:
heawogar ayn' hrothgar ayn' darn good halga;
ay done heard that there yrse were onela's queen,
thay ...err war-scylfing's belovèd embraced in bed.
<p>the classroom erupts into [[laughter.]]<p>"ms. lrr, that was an...interesting reading."</p>
<p>"i was just translating it into another form of english," your friend replies.</p>
<p>your teacher raises an eyebrow but remains silent. impassive. he moves on to talk about the themes of the story.</p>
<p>(link:"loyalty.")[trucks.]</p>
<p>(link:"reputation.")[how many trucks you own.]</p>
<p>(link:"hospitality.")[hospitality. of the southern variety.]</p>
<p>(link:"revenge.")[I DUG MY KEYS INTO THE SIDE OF HIS PRETTY LITTLE SUPED UP FOUR WHEEL DRIVE]</p>
<p>[[the bell rings.->fourth period]]</p><p>fourth period.</p>
<p>you walk into the classroom and take your seat in the back. [[technically]], you and the boy you are currently saying hello to are the TAs for the class.</p>
<p>in [[reality]], he works on his own coding projects while you click through the slides of an online class.</p>
<p>he turns to you. looks like he wants to say [[something]].</p>(set: $down to it + 1)
<p>technically, you should be happier, shouldn't you?</p>
<p>[[return.->fourth period]]</p>(set: $down to it +1)
<p>reality is subjective, but what do you do when your subject is awful?</p>
<p>what would you have to do to live a different life?</p>
<p>[[return->fourth period]]<p>"do you play cookie clicker?"</p>
<p>[[yes.]]</p>
<p>[[HELL YES.]]</p>
<p>[[wait, you play too?]]</p><p>"how many cookies do you have?" he asks you.</p>
<p>"a few hundred million?" at least, you think so.</p>
<p>he pulls up his own screen. over a billion cookies. the two of you talk about cookie clicker for the rest of the class.</p>
<p>[[the bell rings.->fifth period]]</p><p>the teacher shoots the two of you an incredulous look. you apologize quickly.</p>
(set: $down to it +1)
<p>"how many cookies do you have?" he asks you.</p>
<p>"a few hundred million?" at least, you think so.</p>
<p>he pulls up his own screen. over a billion cookies. the two of you talk about cookie clicker for the rest of the class.</p>
<p>[[the bell rings.->fifth period]]</p><p>he smiles, and gestures to his screen. he currently has over a billion cookies.</p>
<p>the two of you chat for the rest of the class, your individual work happily neglected.</p>
<p>he hacks into the source code of your file and gives you 999,999,999,999,999 cookies. it's the start of a beautiful friendship.</p>
(set: $down to it - 1)
[[the bell rings.->fifth period]]<p>ap computer science. you are absolute garbage at this class.</p>
<p>thankfully, so is everyone else.</p>
<p>you and your new acquaintance-turned-friend tell the rest of your friends about the magic of cookie clicker. he continues to show off his cookies.</p>
<p>simply beautiful.</p>
[[the bell rings.->lunch]]<p>time to eat your lunch. it's what you picked out this morning. $lunch</p>
<p>delicious.</p>
<p>you and your friends all chat easily. the topic of the day is still cookie clicker. you get into a debate over what it is a metaphor for. [[capitalism]], [[environmentalism]], abuse of the [[eldery]].</p><p>you make the argument that the game's whole objective is to take over the world using cookies. you don't make a profit so much as you DEFINE the new profit as your cookies take over as the new form of currency.</p>
<p>your friends give you blank stares.</p>
<p>[[thank god lunch is about to end.]]</p><p>the stronger you grow, your friend argues, the more you destroy the environment. your cookies literally rid the world of its value as your mines empty out the insides of the earth and spread pollution worldwide.</p>
<p>everyone stares at your friend blankly.</p>
<p>"it's a game. it doesn't have meaning." your other friend says.</p>
<p>(you still think it does.)</p>
<p>[[the bell rings.->sixth period]]</p><p>you all break down into snickers before anyone can even form an argument.</p>
<p>the rest of lunch goes smoothly.</p>
<p>you're sad to hear the bell [[ring.->sixth period]]</p>
(set: $down to it - 2)(set: $down to it +2)
<p>whyyyyy are you such a freak?</p>
<p>man, imagine how they would all view you if they actually knew what you did. they'd see you for the loser you really are.</p>
<p>your thoughts are interrupted when [[the bell rings->sixth period]]</p><p>ap econ.</p>
<p>it goes as it always does. you draw the supply curve, you draw the demand curve, label the axes, and analyze where they land.</p>
<p>a giggle escapes you as you think back to beowulf.</p>
<p>So the lawd's men done lived in joys,
happily, until one done began
ta execute atrocities, ayy fiend in hell;
this here ghastly demon were named grendel,</p>
<p>way better than the original.</p>
<p>the bell rings. the school day is finally [[over.]]</p><p>you say goodbye to your friends, and head out to the parking lot. your dad's green kia sportage sits right at the very front of the lot.</p>
<p>"how was school, honey?"</p>
[["good."]]
[["it was fine."]]
[[you shrug.]]<p>"so what happened?"</p>
<p>he makes you go through the day, period by period. you finish talking right as he pulls into your driveway.</p>
<p>you take your stuff and immediately head back to your room, only stopping to pet one of your cats.</p>
<p>your mom is already talking about...whatever. no one is listening to her right now, and there's no way you're subjecting yourself to that.</p>
(set: $down to it +1)
<p>you shut the door. you have [[business]] to attend to.</p>
<p>"so what happened?"</p>
<p>he makes you go through the day, period by period. you finish talking right as he pulls into your driveway.</p>
<p>you take your stuff and immediately head back to your room, only stopping to pet one of your cats.</p>
<p>your mom is already talking about...whatever. no one is listening to her right now, and there's no way you're subjecting yourself to that.</p>
(set: $down to it +1)
<p>you shut the door. you have [[business]] to attend to.</p><p>"something must have happened today. so what happened in statistics?"</p>
<p>he makes you go through the day, period by period. you finish talking right as he pulls into your driveway.</p>
<p>you take your stuff and immediately head back to your room, only stopping to pet one of your cats.</p>
<p>your mom is already talking about...whatever. no one is listening to her right now, and there's no way you're subjecting yourself to that.</p>
(set: $down to it +1)
<p>you shut the door. you have [[business]] to attend to.</p><p>you hop back on your computer and open up your essential websites.</p>
<p>tumblr. twitter. [[youtube]]. [[archive of our own]]. [[ms paint adventures]].</p><p>you jam out to one of your current favorite songs, which you happened to find through a fanmix on tumblr. shuffle by bombay bicycle club.</p>
<p>[[SO GOOD]]</p><p>archiveofourown.org, home to semi-decent fanfiction and the largest hub of homestuck fanfiction on the web.</p>
<p>it was a stroke of luck that your stories have become as popular as they are. it still surprises you -- you're only 17 and a fandom nobody. you're a decent writer, but you're no james joyce.</p>
<p>no beowulf...writer...dude.</p>
<p>[[yer darn tootin ya ain't!]]<p>you love homestuck.</p>
<p>like, wow. you REALLY LOVE homestuck.</p>
<p>nothing else has inspired you the way it has. the world is so complex, so open, so much fun to toy around in...no wonder the fandom is so huge. there's so many characters to examine, so many possibilities to explore. it's a work that encourages creativity.</p>
<p>and hoo boy, does the fandom show it. these people are TALENTED.</p>
<p>you check to see if there's an update. aaaaand. nope. still on hiatus.</p>
<p>you're like a wife waiting for her husband to return from the war. you look out the bedroom window and mutter the words to yourself. the meme is effective, but you still feel stupid.</p>
<p>at least you have [[tumblr.->check tumblr]]</p>(set: $down to it + 1)
<p>you love music.</p>
(if: $down > 15)[<p>you hear your mother's voice take on an angry tone. you turn your music up another volume notch. she'd be furious if she started calling for you and you didn't hear her, but it's just enough to reduce her to background noise.</p>
<p>if she calls for you, then you'll respond. otherwise? nope.</p>]
(else:)[your taste in music is basically anything and everything, but it's okay. more for you.]
<p>[[return.->business]]</p>
<p>but...your writing has touched people. countless people have commented on your fic, saying that they cried. that it reminded them of a friend or a loved one who went through a similar situation. sure, they're already attached to those characters, but the feelings are genuine.</p>
<p>it amazes you, and it'll never cease to amaze you. the impact that you can have on others through writing.</p>
<p>it's your proudest accomplishment, but no one can know about it. you'd die of embarrassment if any of your school friends ever found out about your fanfiction empire. they'd judge you so hard. you have to keep your school life and internet life separate. there can be no overlap.</p>
<p>[[return.->business]]</p>
(set: $down to it - 2)<p>speaking of homestuck.</p>
<p>your tumblr dashboard is covered in homestuck content. fanart, fan theories, jokes, memes, meta posts that discuss small portions of the plot in great detail.</p>
<p>hey look, there's one of your meta posts! you click on it to check how many [[notes]] it's gotten...</p><p>20,000 NOTES</p>
<p>[[IT WASN'T EVEN THAT GOOD]]</p><p>damn.</p>
<p>well at least someone thinks you have something worthwhile to say. even if they are strangers on the internet.</p>
<p>speaking of strangers on the internet, you open up your ask box and reply to your friends. you easily start up a conversation.</p>
<p>you hear a raspy voice call your name. better go see what [[she]] wants.</p>
(set: $down to it + 1)<p>"yes, mom?"</p>
<p>"do you know where your no-good father is? the bastard was supposed to buy me cigarette."</p>
[["i don't know, mom."]]
[["the only no-good bastard i know about is the one i'm looking at."]]<p>she begins to badmouth your dad, calling him every insult in the book she can think of.</p>
<p>"that bastard is going to jail for what he's done to me. i'm gonna divorce his ass so fast."</p>
<p>empty, empty words.</p>
<p>[[you don't need to listen to this.]]</p>
(set: $down to it +1)(set: $down to $down +2)
<p>you definitely //think// that, but you're not that stupid. you would //never// say that out loud. you value your life and your sanity way more than that.</p>
<p>besides, even if she didn't get incredibly pissed off at you, she'd take it out on your dad.</p>
<p>there's already a good chance that she's going to talk shit about you when you go to sleep tonight anyways. you don't need to give her another reason to do so.</p>
<p>[[return->she]]</p><p>"do you need anything, mom? otherwise i'm gonna go back to my room."</p>
<p>(if: $down > 18)[she ignores your request to leave like she always does. she keeps talking. you've been reduced to covering your ears and screaming several times before, but she just kept talking. it didn't matter how you feel. it doesn't matter how you feel. ever.]
(else:)[she asks you to look at some clothes she bought recently. you weren't aware that your family had money to spare on more clothing, but you decline anyways. anything that spends longer than two hours in her presence develops such a strong smell of tobacco that no amount of washing can get rid of it. you get enough comments of, "is someone smoking?" when you walk by already.]</p>
<p>eventually you manage to slip back into your room. your cat slips in behind you. she rubs herself along your legs and meows as you settle back into your computer [[chair]].</p>
(set: $down to it + 1)<p>now, where were you?</p>
<p>oh yeah, tumblr.</p>
<p>you met all of your friends because of [[homestuck]]. most of them came from a mutual fondness of a very small pairing (you are the //captain// of that [[ship]], thank you very much!), but the friendship has endured over time. they've started to move to other [[fandoms]], but you're not quite ready yet. this one has done too much for you.</p>
<p>it's [[amazing]], how one story can make you feel so much less [[alone]].</p>
<p>wait, what's this? you have a new [[email]]?</p><p>your absolute favorite thing.</p>
<p>and none of your school friends have read it. only a couple have heard about it, and that was generally because you trust them enough to not judge you for what you put on tumblr.</p>
<p>you don't talk about it at all at school, despite you spending so much time involved in the fandom. it's hard. it's hard and no one understands.</P
<p>[[at least your internet friends understand.->chair]]</p>
(set: $down to it +1)<p>a pairing of two (or more? heheh) characters.</p>
<p>you like many. there are so many possibilities! it helps that most of the cast is around the same age, so it's not super weird. they never talked in canon?</p>
<p>ha, the creator himself has talked about countless timelines within the story. everything is possible.</p>
<p>character dynamics are so interesting, and even little shifts in dynamic can change the plot so much. it's so fascinating to think about.</p>
<p>[[go back->chair]]</p><p>you've seen many a fandom. you started with the kingdom hearts fandom, where you first wrote fanfiction. it was terrible. you don't like to think about it much.</p>
<p>you stopped being active in that fandom several years ago, especially when homestuck domineered your attention. no fandom has had the same community that homestuck gave you. it was amazing. there were so many people.</p>
<p>it felt like you had found a family.</p>
<p>[[return->chair]]<p>the art! the literature! the animations! the cosplay!</p>
<p>homestuck was a work of art that inspired other artists to create something in return, yourself included. you can't believe how talented everyone is.</p>
<p>[[return->chair]]</p><p>you spend a lot of time by yourself. at home. in your room. alone.</p>
<p>you care a lot about your school friends, but they're always so busy...plus, they have their own family drama. you can't always go over there, and you definitely can't invite them over here, so...you just. don't.</p>
<p>your online friends are there for you, though. you're so thankful for them.</p>
<p>[[return->chair]]<p>(color: blue)[**WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY A GAME?**] reads the first line.</p>
<p>curious, you read on.</p>
<p>(color: blue)[**YOU AND FIVE FRIENDS OF YOUR CHOICE HAVE THE AAAAAMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO TEST DRIVE A BRAND NEW GAME, BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE BETTY CROCKER COMPANY!**]</p>
<p>betty crocker? this has got to be a joke.</p>
<p>(color: blue)[(text-style: "shudder")[**Y O U V E W A I T E D F O R T H I S ! ! !**]]</p>
[[wait]]<p>(css: "font-size:30pt")[(color: green)[(text-style: "shudder")[**PLAY SBURB TODAY!**]]]
<p>this is some kind of joke, right?</p>(color:green)[
(set: $fadeIn to (transition:"dissolve") + (transition-time:12s)) $fadeIn[But it's not, my [[friend]].]](color:green)[(set: $fadeIn to (transition:"dissolve") + (transition-time:12s)) $fadeIn [You thought that this was a joke? Goodness, no. Besides, haven't you wanted this for so long?
Yes, that's right. I see it in your eyes. There's fear there, and of course there would be. A strange bunch of green text is talking directly to you. If I wasn't omniscent, I would be terrified, too.
But there's excitement, too. You've always wanted something like this to happen. Some amazing event to offer you a chance to escape the life you hate so much. Now, I can't promise you escape from yourself, but character growth is often an unintended side effect of the game I'm offering you to play.
So, what is it? Would you like to [[play]], or [[not]]?]]<p>wait a minute. sburb is the game that kickstarts homestuck. the main characters get transported into a game that offers endless possibilities: godhood, power, freedom...at the cost of the world they knew. in homestuck, the earth is destroyed by meteors once the kids enter the game -- hell, they enter the game to escape the meteors! they don't get a choice.</p>
<p>do you get a choice?</p>
(if:$down > 25)[you click play without hesitation. anything to get out of here.]
(else:)[your mouse hovers over the button. is this really the best idea? but...it's inevitable, right? that's one of the major themes of homestuck. they were set up by fate to play the game. they didn't have a choice.
neither do you. you click play.]
[[==> enter.]]<p>wait a minute. sburb is the game that kickstarts homestuck. the main characters get transported into a game that offers endless possibilities: godhood, power, freedom...at the cost of the world they knew. in homestuck, the earth is destroyed by meteors once the kids enter the game -- hell, they enter the game to escape the meteors! they don't get a choice.</p>
<p>do you get a choice?</p>
<p>you're not sure if this is a good idea.</p>
(if:$down > 25)[but it's true...you want out. you want to be anywhere but here. you hate your mother, you hate being such a loser, you hate yourself...but in sburb? you could become someone better. you get a new chance. a new start.
you'll play.
[[==> enter.]]]
(else:)[do you save yourself and doom the rest of the world? do you have a choice? maybe you should just [[pretend]] this never happened.]
(color:green)[(set: $fadeIn to (transition:"dissolve") + (transition-time:12s)) $fadeIn [There you go. That wasn't so hard, was it? I knew you would choose that option.]]
(color:aqua)[(set: $lateFadeIn to (transition:"dissolve") + (transition-time:45s)) $lateFadeIn [How do I know? Be]](color:blue)[(set: $rlyLateFadeIn to (transition:"dissolve") + (transition-time:60s)) $rlyLateFadeIn[cause i would have chosen that.
'i' as in the author. you've been playing as me the entire time! me circa september 2013, so who i was about [[four years ago]].]](color:green)[(set: $fadeIn to (transition:"dissolve") + (transition-time:12s)) $fadeIn [Oh, but you should. Don't deny yourself. You want this.
I know you want to play. I'm omniscent, remember? You know who I am. You know how few pockets of void are in my vision. And you, my friend, are shining clearly to me.
Here, I'll help you out. Just [[==> enter.]]]](color:blue)[i was not in a good place. i wasn't happy. i just wanted to escape.
but that's enough about meaning. i could [[explain]] my intent a little more, if you'd like.
if you're fine with whatever meaning you've gained from this game, then that's fine too! you're at the [[end]].](color: blue)[what would you like to hear about?
[[what are you referencing?]]
[[what's homestuck?]]
[[what's with the green text?]]
[[what argument are you trying to make?]]
[[are you okay?]]
[[how does this relate to e-lit?]]]
[[none of this! i'm done here.->end]]//The Deformed Humanities is all around us. I’m only giving it a name. Mashups, remixes, fan fiction, they are all made by breaking things, with little regard for preserving the original whole.//
-Mark Sample, [[Notes Towards a Deformed Humanities]]
would you like to [[start again?->Start]](color:blue)[oh man, where do i even begin?
created by andrew hussie in 2009, homestuck is a webcomic by the loosest definitions possible. it is on the web, and it is kind of a comic. really, it is a work of media that employs every resource of storytelling available to it. it tells a complex, multi-dimensional story through a variety of platforms: flash animation, static panels, gifs, text, and interactive video games, just to name a few. it started as a choose your own adventure style game, wherein readers could submit commands for the characters to follow. it soon developed its own narrative, but the fandom still heavily influenced its storyline.
the basic plot is that a boy and his friends play a game. this game is one they've been destined to play. this game gives players the chance to create a new universe...at the cost of destroying their old planet. only the players and whoever is in their house (their guardians) escape this fate and enter the game's medium, where it takes place. fun, right? sure, until the game becomes unwinnable and the kids are forced to find a way to beat a game doomed for failure.
it's great. my absolute favorite thing, and definitely my creative inspiration. it was my escape during high school. honestly, the fan community i was part of kept me sane. it still means a lot to me, both as a story and as a part of my past.
you can read it [[here.->mspa]]
[[return->explain]].](color:blue)[mutliple arguments, really! the first is that deformance is an important and natural part of how we experience literature, and that e-lit provides a space in which this deformance is encouraged and easily spurred on.
the second is that e-lit - in whatever form it may take - encourages connection and community among others.
the third is that online communities in particular provide a support system and a method of escapism that is sometimes a necessary coping mechanism. it was for me.
[[return.->explain]]](color: blue)[yes, i am okay! since that time, i have realized that the thoughts i had back then were not normal, nor were they healthy ones to have. if you have experienced thoughts like those, please know that you are not alone in feeling that way, nor should you have to feel that way.
mental health is just as important to talk about as physical health is.
[[return->explain]]](color:blue)[this work is not a direct deformance so much as it uses other works to discuss deformance. deformance, as defined by Mark Sample, is a deliberate misreading of a text. it is a twisting of an author's original work to wrangle new meaning out of it. it often involves making an entirely new work.
deformance also involves the deliberate breaking of a work. one pathway in this game you may not have seen is where my friend hacks cookie clicker to receive a ridiculous amount of cookies. that too, is an act of deformance.
deformance is all around us - whether that is in the engagement of a fan community, a retelling of a story, or something else entirely. we just don't often call it by that name.
[[return.->explain]]](open-url: "http://www.samplereality.com/2012/05/02/notes-towards-a-deformed-humanities/")
end.(color: blue)[several things!
the style of this game is inspired by the game //With Those We Love Alive//. this game and WTWLA both look at the concept of being trapped in a place you don't like. the narrator in both is in a place they don't like; both are afforded a way out at the end. our protagonist wants to escape from a life she hates and finds a method through something she loves; the WTWLA protagonist reluctantly accepts the dark new world she finds herself in until an old loved one (selina) comes in to represent that chance for escape. [[wanna play?->WTWLA]]
the twitter account @horse_[ebooks] is a now-defunct twitter account. conceptually, it was a twitter bot designed to promote ebooks by tweeting random quotes from random ebooks. it soared in popularity between 2011 and 2013...until it was revealed in september 2013 that the twitter was a performance art piece. called, "The most succesful piece of cyber fiction" by The Atlantic, it sure was a strangely poetic project! want to [[check it out yourself?->horse ebooks]]
beowulf is the first piece of recorded literature in the english language. it has since been translated from old english into modern english. i read it for my high school english lit class. i then put it through a translator for a southern accent because i thought it was funny. find it at a local [[library]].
cookie clicker is a game released by orteil in august 2013. you click cookies and slowly take over the world as you gain more economic power (via cookies). [[click away, friends.->cookies]]
homestuck is its own behemoth. i can explain more about that [[here->what's homestuck?]]]
[[return->explain]](goto-url: "http://aliendovecote.com/uploads/twine/empress/empress.html")(goto-url: "https://twitter.com/horse_ebooks?lang=en")(goto-url: "http://find-your-public-library.dp.la/")(goto-url: "http://orteil.dashnet.org/cookieclicker/")(goto-url: "http://www.mspaintadventures.com/")(color:blue)[oh. hehehehe. i was imitating d(color:white)[o]c scratch, a character in homestuck. he's an omniscent dude who is pretty dang manipulative and serves the main antagonist! that's all.
he also has a white cueball for a head, because his group of associates all have pool references ingrained into them. which is why the o up there is white.
[[return.->explain]]]