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Act 6 Act 3, Part 8 of 10 finally I have an actual number oh my god (it might be 11)
Pages 5029-5084 (MSPA: 6929-6984) (partially not in order)
NOTE: This will probably be my last post for a while because I’m getting ready for vacation soon. It’s been a fun ride the past few days, even if parts of this post I feel are a bit weak.
The title represents an analogy I am proud of devising.
alternate post title: Harleyberts in Derserland
(OK this title sucks ass, I’m just including it because a few of my posts (1, 2, 3) had Alice in Wonderland themed titles and this part of the comic has a few references to Wonderland too…)
(oh whatever)
So many details of what the cherubs look like are omitted.
After the emotional montage of the bunny, we get to see Calliope and Caliborn playing a game of chess, seemingly over the past few days. Calliope checkmates her brother …
Still not sure what these prankster meters actually mean.
Though I know this isn’t the last time we’ll be seeing them…
… or rather, she would have if it weren’t for Caliborn’s shittiest twist yet.
Turns out Caliborn disguised the king as the queen, and vice versa. He explains the following:
uu: HEY! I DIDN’T BREAK ANY RuLES.
uu: I MERELY ASKED IF YOu WOuLD AGREE. TO ME SWAPPING THE START POSITIONS OF THE KING AND QuEEN.
uu: AND YOu DID AGREE.
uu: BuT THEN I DIDN’T ACTuALLY DO IT.
uu: WHEN DID I SAY I WOuLD? NEVER.
uu: I WAS ONLY GAuGING YOuR WILLINGNESS TO MAKE THE EXCEPTION.
uu: I THEN WENT ABOuT DECORATING MY KING AND QuEEN WITH NICE LITTLE HATS.
uu: WHICH IS *ALSO* NOT AGAINST THE RuLES.
Caliborn bugged his sister to let him play with the king and queen’s starting positions swapped, until she agreed. And she actually fell for the ruse! Lies of omission are back in action, better than ever before. This is such insane foreshadowing for who Caliborn really is, if you think back to how lying through omission is Doc Scratch’s trademark.
This sequence also demonstrates that Calliope and Caliborn represent duality in not only good and evil, but also order and chaos; lawful good vs. chaotic evil, if you will. Calliope is an expert at genuine intelligence, while Caliborn is just as good at bending the rules to his whim. One might think that the alternate timeline in which Calliope predominated demonstrates that Calliope really is inherently stronger than her brother, but with this conversation I realized that they are strong in different ways, and which way prevails depends on the context.
I know this is weird as hell to say, but this duality is presented way too well in the ending of the comic, i.e. Act 7. The ultimate battle in the Furthest Ring demonstrates that it is not clear which side, if any, won, other than some major explosion in reality. And perhaps it’s best that way.
Am I coming off as too positive in my discussion of these controversial parts of the comic than one might’ve liked from the guy that’s always complained about these parts? Maybe, but that’s exactly what happens if you stop writing about a work of media for such a long time. In the future I might be reminded again why the late comic is filled with bullshit; it almost feels like some painful ranting I’m currently holding in, dare I utter the name of a certain character that starts with a V.
… of course, by that I mean Violent J, who is part of the clown rapper duo that made Earth miserable. Fuck that guy.
I got way too ahead of myself here. The next interesting thing is:
uu: NO RuLES BROKEN. NOT ONCE.
uu: IN FACT. IF ANYONE HERE BROKE THE RuLES.
uu: IT WAS YOu.
undyingUmbrage [uu] ceased jeering uranianUmbra [UU]
uranianUmbra [UU] began cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]
UU: WHAT??
UU: absolUte bollocks.
UU: what rUles did i break?!
UU: this oUght to be good!
uranianUmbra [UU] ceased cheering undyingUmbrage [uu]
undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering uranianUmbra [UU]
uu: YOu AGREED TO LET ME START WITH THE KING AND QuEEN IN SWAPPED POSITIONS.
uu: IT’S AGAINST THE RuLES TO MAKE AN EXCEPTION LIKE THAT. EVEN IF YOuR OPPONENT IS BEING OBNOXIOuS ABOuT IT.
uu: YOuR WILLINGNESS TO BREAK THE RuLES IS DISGuSTING TO ME. YOu SHOuLD FEEL ASHAMED OF YOuRSELF.
Caliborn, again, demonstrates his expertise in bending rules without technically breaking them. In text not shown here, he said he moved his “queen” like a king and his “king” also like a king. It’s only fitting that Calliope is not good at bending rules, rather, technically breaking the rule. Granted, broken under force, but still broken. I’m so glad that “bending the rules” and “breaking the rules” are common idioms; they fit too well with this situation.
From here on out, Caliborn massacres Calliope’s set of chess pieces, until she forfeits the game.
This exchange ends with Calliope blocking her brother. How’s that for a throwback? As expected, blocking him doesn’t do anything. When someone blocks someone else through chat clients, you know this means a serious panic, because only once is blocking seen doing anything and that was back with Karkat and Terezi in Murderstuck.
The exchange ends on this note:
uu: I’LL LEAVE YOu ALONE FOR A WHILE LIKE YOu WANT. BECAuSE REALLY. WHO CARES ABOuT YOu?
uu: BuT YOu SHOuLD BELIEVE ME.
uu: WHEN I TELL YOu.
uu: SOME DAY.
uu: I’M GOING TO KILL YOu IN YOuR SLEEP.
uu: MAYBE EVEN.
uu: MORE THAN ONCE.
Dramatic foreshadowing to end on. Well, it would be if we didn’t already know this would happen, so instead this scene serves as more of a flashback.
Oh hey, another character selection screen. I think I’ll start with Roxy; she’s the only one of the four we haven’t followed so far since I got out of hiatus.
You think it’s time to find your way home and get out of Dodge. Dodge in this case being the universe.
Ah, Roxy starts off just as wacky and nonsensical as ever before. I kind of forgot what her character was like at this point; I’m looking forward to hearing from her again. I always forget that Roxy is actually a hilarious character even putting aside her interactions with John, and especially putting aside the horror that becomes of her in BULLSHIT: The Act (hey, it’s more fun to say than A6A6I5).
Roxy gets a message from Jane that clearly suggests she is Roxy’s server player, which to readers that have been paying attention (or alternately, didn’t get back to the reread after almost two years without), might be a bit disconcerting. What happened to the original plan of who served who? It seems like Dirk’s responder might be taking full control of everything, except for Dirk fighting off the drones with his physical power.
Her conversation with the responder is also of a somewhat different tone than usual:
TT: What has taken you so long, anyway? Why has your path been so circuitous?
TT: Surely you can’t be even more inebriated than before.
TG: no no
TG: less
TG: trust my
TG: me
TT: Ok. Then what?
TG: ive been trying to i guess
TG: round up some neighbors
TG: whenever i see them
TG: and try to get then to follow me home
TG: whichis harder than is sounds!
TT: You are accumulating carapacian refugees?
TG: yes
TT: That seems like a very inefficient and risky use of your time.
TG: i know but
TG: they always seem confused and dont know what todo
TG: and everythings bunring down
TG: i think i should try to take some with me i cant just leave all of the poor chess guys here to die
A bit surprisingly, this bit gives us a bit of a reminder of some of the more deeply buried aspects of Roxy’s character: how much she just plain cares about everyone. In this case, she tries to save her friendly chess people instead of leaving them to die. It all ties in with her being Rose’s mom, but it’s interesting that’s one of the first things about her we’re reminded of after not hearing from her in a while, or in my case over two years.
Roxy in general feels a little burnt out right now.
… Yeah, Dirk’s responder has taken over full reins, even more than before.
TT: Don’t worry about it for now. Just do your part, and catch up with them later.
TT: Who knows, maybe you will prove yourself to be the only 100% cooperative, fully competent non-Strider player?
TT: How ironic would it be if the best player turned out to be the drunk girl? Wouldn’t that be sweet?
TG: yeah!!!!
TG: :3
Oh hey it’s that one bit of foreshadowing I forgot about. It almost feels like the responder knows this is going to happen: Roxy becoming the kids’ true leader. This moment probably feels out of place for first-time readers, but if you’re rereading you’ll go “aHA!”
TT: Go home. Connect with Jake. Deploy the equipment in the ruins of his old house.
TT: I’ll focus on actually getting him there. The kid is seriously a work in progress, I gotta say.
TT: Are you sober enough to do all that?
TG: i think
TG: the answer
TG: unfortunately
TG: is yes
TG: :[
This new “burnt out” Roxy is almost Hussie telling us, “hey, in the next act with Roxy in it I’ll be doing new things with her character other than her being drunk.” Or at least, it reads that way to me.
I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THIS LMAO
Roxy having one of Dirk’s drawings for Caliborn as her phone wallpaper is one of the new cutest things ever oh my god. Sometimes these silly moments of friendship shine through, and for some reason little things like this really stand out among the alpha kids.
Moving on to her conversation with Calliope:
TG: i feel kind of like shit but other than that im toters perf
TG: im starting to wonderd if drinkin early today wasnt that coolest idea??
TG: now i have all these responsibitities while my brain is tellin me to go fuck myelf
TG: *self
TG: aint wanna fuck no elf
TG: not in this condition at least
TG: i would probs need some hella strong coffee b4 boning a elf
I never knew how much I missed these silly Roxy moments oh my god.
UU: i am sorry to hear yoU’re feeling Under the weather.
UU: bUt now i am wondering. hm.
UU: coUld it have been that regUlar intake of yoUr soporific liqUids was inhibiting yoUr commUnion with the void, rather than exaggerating them as i had presUmed?
UU: if the effects are wearing off, it coUld explain the increase in viewport blackoUts.
UU: and once they wear off completely, perhaps that is why yoUr entire session goes dark on yoUr entry.
TG: that is an interesting theory that has like
TG: mostly no usefull bearing on anything probably?
Calliope, being a stereotypical fan theorist as usual.
I’m starting to think Roxy blacking out the kids’ session is pretty much early Act 6’s throwaway thing for Calliope to speculate on without it having any bearing on the plot. Actually why didn’t I realize that sooner? It’s kind of funny that blackout of all things, instead of having an explanation on, is left for Calliope to theorize.
UU: i do know a thing or two aboUt the red miles.
UU: it is the qUeen’s favoUred attack. very long distance and omnidirectional.
UU: bUt once Upon a time, her weapon was stolen by a UsUrper. jacked, yoU coUld say, right off her ring finger. and then given a considerable boost in power.
UU: that gave the miles enoUgh of a kick to rip a Universe to shreds.
UU: and they have been doing so to yoUrs and its many instances for eons.
UU: only now have they caUght Up to yoUr instance. it is qUite fortUnate it has taken so long, really.
Here’s where what Calliope is saying doesn’t seem quite true? Seems like she’s genuinely getting some facts wrong here. The reason the miles are on a much larger scale are because Jack used them to destroy the universe, which was but a (relatively) measly frog from his perspective.
Well to be fair, I can’t remember if Jack’s red miles were boosted. I think not and I’m going to keep going with my gut on things I’m not sure of. Either way, this seems like enough evidence that Calliope is not totally sure what she’s talking about. I still stand that when Calliope is explaining things that haven’t been explained before, it is usually best take her word.
UU: imagine that the Universe is contained inside a very large creatUre.
UU: say, a great big frog.
[…]
UU: now imagine that not only does the Universe exist inside it, depending on the creatUre’s health and well being to sUrvive…
UU: bUt every potential instance of that Universe exists inside as well.
UU: those that are doomed and those with promise.
UU: even those that were reset from scratch, with slightly different starting conditions.
UU: all of those interrelated Universes mingling together inside yoUr frog, inextricable from its physiology.
UU: if the frog dies, they all go with it. eventUally.
TG: then you are saying some rude a-hole is killin our frog
UU: sadly, yes.
… and this is an instance where her word can be taken. Answers the question of whether the post-scratch universe is safe from Jack’s Red Miles. Even though we already saw it wasn’t safe, here we get a real explanation why.
Calliope says that she may have to break rules (which she feels uncomfortable about) in the future, and then ends this conversation. It’s interesting that while Calliope isn’t comfortable with having to break rules, Caliborn, the expert at bending rules, just isn’t very good at following rules like a normal person; both are exemplified by their chess game.
That’s it for Roxy, on to Jake.
It’s a bit deeper than you thought. Now you’re starting to wonder if you’ll even be able to get out of there once you hop down.
Hey, there are two transportalizers down there too. Like the kind that were in your old house. You wonder where they go? Funny, in all the time you spent exploring this place, it never occurred to you to look down here.
Here the narration does something interesting. “You”, for the first time in quite a while, indirectly references the imaginary “player” in the story, separate from whichever character we’re following. What I’m referring to here is that we never saw this part of the frog temple in Jade’s storyline either. But now we know what’s in that area, and with that, we FINALLY have an answer to how Jade’s grandpa entered the medium.
Maybe that’s why it was offhandedly referenced that Jake’s grandma entered the medium too not long ago; it probably reminded readers of that whole mystery Grandpa arc.
Oh yeah the fourth wall. How could I forget that was the point of the globe.
You just sort of reach inside and take it.
You have no idea what this thing is supposed to do. It’s some particularly arcane loot your grandma pinched on one of her daring expeditions.
I guess this passage is an even further reminder that we just learned how Jade’s grandpa entered the medium.
You’ve been told it’s important. Probably for puzzles later or something. Like something from one of the National Treasure movies, that Nic Cage finds in the old lair of a secret president, and he doesn’t know why it’s important, he just shoves it in his hero satchel and keeps doing adventures until it randomly becomes important.
You hope it’s not a problem that you made it so small. Wait, that’s exactly the kind of thing a hero doesn’t worry about. Cage would just pocket his tiny window thingamabob and keep being awesome. Shit like that is for the plot to figure out, not the brave gun toting hero.
I forgot that John and Jake both took a shining for Nic Cage. It’s so funny to me that the Harleybert boys both have that interest in common.
TT: Hold up.
TT: Before you go any further, there’s been a change of plan.
GT: Oh why am i not surprised!
GT: Still no human dirk?
Poor Jake. Of course he’s still upset that he can’t talk to the real Dirk. His dynamic with Dirk seems kind of like a ghost world, which is strange because they aren’t dating yet and that’s normally what happens when characters in Homestuck date.
Is the orange soda spilled or is that another smuppet?
GT: Heh heh. Id recognize that room anywhere.
GT: Horses puppets holy smokes there is a man who knows what he likes.
TT: Damn straight.
GT: But where is he?
GT: I dont see him elsewhere in the place.
GT: Lots of priceless sbahj merch though im so jealous.
For some reason, this discussion of Jake’s love of SBaHJ pretty quickly reminds me of what later becomes of his relationship with Dirk. Also for some reason, I don’t remember much of that relationship.
Sprite mode is such a funny phenomenon.
TT: He’s concentrating on some things happening on Derse at the moment.
TT: Not to mention some uncannily similar things going down on Earth, which it seems you have noticed.
TT: He’s also talking to someone, trying to appraise the exact nature of the threat.
TT: Unfortunately as a carbon based life form, his comprehension of the situation is taking shape at a somewhat slower pace than the jaw-dropping speed of post-singularity cognition.
TT: So I am taking the reins and accelerating the plan on his behalf, while he’s busy with the corporeal stuff as usual.
I take it from this that we’ll finally see the result of the Dirk on Derse arc soon enough. If I was reading for the first time, picking through the selection screen options in this order, I probably would’ve been intrigued to know that this is the first time the Red Miles’ circumstantial simultaneity is addressed.
GT: Ok then how do i help?
TT: Deploy all the devices in the Phernalia Registry. Ideally in places that aren’t stupid.
TT: Do it quickly, so he can activate the entry sequence and escape.
While the beta kids’ Sburb adventures were a delightful drag and the trolls’ were glossed over, with the alpha kids the auto-responder goes full “no fun allowed” (or rather “no time for fun”) with getting the kids in the medium. Maybe it makes sense to do it this way, in order to heighten the stakes, and maybe even hype people up for this act’s ending flash.
Keeping things nice and simple.
GT: Whoa what is THIS place?
GT: Things sure are a rumblin here in this enchanted purple palace.
GT: I cant believe i never found those hidden transport pads under the thing.
TT: Dude, I could have told you they were there.
GT: How did you know about them?
TT: I didn’t.
TT: But it’s like platformer gaming 101. You look everywhere for secret passages and power-ups and shit.
TT: Elevators are especially fucking suspicious.
TT: You go down an elevator, you wait for the elevator to go back up, you take a peek at what’s underneath.
TT: Maybe it’s just death spikes. Or maybe you hit warp zone paydirt.
AR is right back at it with this video game commentary, and trying to tell the Prospit kids how obvious everything they’re doing should be. He really is the only one working in the spirit of Sburb. I think readers at this point would be used to the responder’s quick and simple dedication to getting all the kids in the medium; I’d argue this serves as buildup for Dirk’s major crisis with his responder.
Also, at this point I just remembered how much Jake’s relationship with Dirk (and his splinters) is similar to Dave’s relationship with Bro. I need to revisit this train of thought someday.
GT: I think this may be where my grandma used to go during some of her expeditions.
GT: You dont just pass up the chance for an adventure like this!
Seems like Hussie really did want to make it clear in a roundabout way that we finally know how Grandpa entered the Medium.
The real Dirk sees Jake and is nothing short of frightened. We really haven’t gotten to see his reaction to this whole state of affairs until now. Most of what we’ve learned of Dirk in this act is handled through flashback scenes and Brain Ghost Dirk.
Oh shit. And these two just had that trainwreck conversation, so oh shit again.
I completely forgot how Jane got on Derse. Guess we’ll see soon enough, since I’m choosing her next.
Another incoming message from your client shades. Your client human sure is a busy guy. You’ve barely heard a peep out of him since you got here.
Again addressing that the human Dirk is busy with physical dealings, something we may have been distracted from considering the long flashback scenes involving him.
Time for a small compare and contrast:
TT: Install the server. I downloaded it to your computer along with a few other crucial system upgrades when we established our connection.
GG: Upgrades? What upgrades?
GG: Wait, is that how this stupid “Delirious Biznasty” application got on here?
TT: No comment.
TT: Install the server. I downloaded it to your computer along with a few other crucial system upgrades.
GT: Crucial upgrades huh?
GT: I dunno about crucial buddy i see you have trolled me with like 50 copies of this dumbfuck social media software for cool bros in hats but ok.
TT: Damn. Nothing gets by English.
TT: The guy is untrollable.
These conversations do have a bit of parallelism, which makes sense because Dirk’s responder is partially a robot. Jane is pranked as usual, but Jake just casually remarks that the responder had fun with him by installing Delirious Biznasty. It seems like Jake has gotten to know quite a bit about this pair of shades’ antics over the years.
In general, through looking at Roxy’s room and the outside area, Jane seems to have reactions more like a normal person than Jake did, worried for her dear friend.
I can’t help but notice Jane gets the most throwbacks to the early acts of the alpha kids.
Jane accidentally throws Roxy’s bed into the fire, and the responder quickly interrupts the fun, telling her not to waste time. That’s pretty strongly drilling in this new way of handing the kids’ entries into the medium.
Jane, again, deploys the devices all in obvious places, nothing too fancy.
Jane transportalizes to Derse with Lil’ Seb, accompanied by an auto-responder rather disgruntled with Alice in Wonderland jokes. He did the same with Jake, which I didn’t bother covering except in this post’s alternate title which is easily my worst alternate title yet.
Dirk is just as confused with Jane as she is with Jake.
Here I am, glad the teen hormones are mostly background noise in this act.
More on this contrast against Act 6 Act 2 when I do my obligatory Act 6 Act 3 recap.
OK on to Dirk.
uu: BETTER HuRRY uP.
uu: YOu CAN’T ESCAPE THE MILES.
uu: NO ONE CAN ESCAPE THE MILES!
TT: Why do you keep saying that?
TT: Are you trying to turn it into some sort of Thing?
uu: IT ALREADY IS A THING. INASMuCH.
uu: AS FACTS ARE THINGS.
uu: HERE ARE MORE FACTS THAT ARE THINGS.
uu: YOu ARE GOING TO DIE SOON.
uu: YOuR WHOLE uNIVERSE IS GOING TO DIE.
uu: BECAuSE.
uu: YOu CAN’T.
uu: ESCAPE.
uu: THE MIIIIIIIIIIILES.
TT: Sorry, it’s not going to start being a Thing no matter how much you say it. Give it a rest.
Caliborn is the best hypocrite ever. He hates running gags, but then tries to force one of his own (“you can’t escape the miles”). And it doesn’t become a thing. Dirk just somehow knows that about him too.
TT: What I don’t understand is how the attack is making its way here from Derse.
TT: Is that even possible?
uu: WHAT.
uu: JuST BECAuSE THE SAME THING IS HAPPENING THERE.
uu: YOu THINK THERE IS CORRELATION. BEYOND SOME SORT OF CIRCuMSTANTIALLY SIMuLTANEOuS. FuCKRuBBISH?
uu: YOu’RE SO DuMB.
TT: So, you know why this is happening?
uu: YES.
uu: THESE MILES ARE FROM JACK. WAY OuTSIDE YOuR uNIVERSE.
uu: THE MILES ON DERSE ARE FROM ANOTHER GuY. WHO’S JuST. SITTING IN A CASTLE SOMEWHERE PROBABLY.
TT: That doesn’t actually explain a whole lot, but ok.
uu: SOMEONE COMMISSIONED JACK. SORT OF.
uu: PuT OuT A HIT ON YOuR ENTIRE uNIVERSE. AND ALL ITS INTERNAL ITERATIONS.
Just occurred to me that some readers might have started with getting exposed to Caliborn’s explanation of the Red Miles, instead of Calliope’s. Either way works, I suppose. Hussie definitely had fun telling the same story in different ways.
uu: I MAINLY JuST SKIM PAST IT ALL WITH DISGuST. EXCEPT FOR THE PARTS.
uu: WHERE PEOPLE DIE.
uu: I COuLD READ THOSE.
uu: OVER AND OVER.
uu: AND ALSO MAYBE THE PARTS.
uu: WHERE PEOPLE “KISS”?
uu: IN THE WAY THAT WHEN YOu CHANCE uPON SOMETHING.
uu: uNSPEAKABLY AND VISCERALLY ABHORRENT.
uu: IT GETS HARD.
Ah, Caliborn is back to representing readers that hate the comic. The parts where people die and kiss probably stick out to those who skim the comic.
uu: BuT SERIOuSLY. WAIT!
TT: What.
uu: I WANTED TO GIVE YOu SOMETHING. A “PRESENT”.
uu: IT’S A TOKEN OF. uH. “THANKS”. uGH.
TT: For what?
TT: Can we seriously move this along.
uu: FOR HELPING ME. WITH THE THING YOu JuST HELPED ME BuILD.
TT: God, what are you talking about.
uu: FOR YOu IT WAS YEARS AGO. BuT FOR ME. SOLICITING YOu FOR ASSISTANCE WAS QuITE RECENT.
TT: Oh, alright. I remember now.
Here’s another thing I forgot about. It’s later revealed in one way or another that Dirk helped Caliborn build a robot leg years prior. Some foreshadowing if I’ve ever seen any. I can’t even begin to imagine what readers thought the thing Dirk built was. But what I can begin to imagine is the symbolism that Caliborn and Dirk have a legitimate dynamic of sorts, to the point where they even work together in weird twisted ways. I don’t recall Dirk learning how much Caliborn starts messing things up, other than partaking in the fight against his group’s Jack. But it is clear that he, akin to the Derse dreaming beta kids (especially Rose), actually has decent interactions with the alpha kids’ equivalent of the trolls.
Now that I think of it, Caliborn’s interactions with the other three aren’t shown in the first three acts of Act 6. It’s safe to assume those interactions are just repeats of those empty conversations the beta kids had with the annoying trolls, so Hussie probably didn’t bother showing those. I can imagine it:
undyingUmbrage [uu] began jeering gutsyGumshoe [GG]
uu: HI AGAIN, IDIOT.
GG: Oh no!
uu: SO I GuESS TODAY IS FINALLY THE DAY YOu FuCK EVERYTHING uP.
GG: >:O
uu: IS THERE NOTHING I CAN DO TO CHANGE YOuR MIND?
GG: You can leave me alone!
GG: How can you even be talking to me after I blocked you…
GG: AND after I logged out?
uu: YOu DON’T GET THAT I AM BETTER AND SMARTER THAN YOu IN EVERY WAY, FOREVER.
uu: YOu DON’T GET THAT BECAuSE YOu ARE INCREDIBLY STuPID.
GG: I get that you’re a jerk and you should shut up!
GG: Goodbye you jerk!!!
gutsyGumshoe [GG] blocked undyingUmbrage [uu]
Moving on:
TT: Ok, what do you want me to do to collect my awesome prize you’re allegedly thanking me with?
uu: YOuR JuJu.
uu: REMEMBER I TOLD YOu TO BRING IT TO THE ROOF.
TT: Cal? Yeah, I remember.
uu: SHHHHHHHHHHH. DON’T SAY ITS “NAME” YOu IDIOT.
Damn foreshadowing. This guy is definitely a gray-skinned troll.
Caliborn tries to get Dirk to toss Cal into the ocean, but he refuses. This leads to another predictable conversation about fate and inevitability, with its own spin on it. He explains a little more about jujus in the process.
He gives Dirk a birthday present, in celebration of what can be seen as his own birthday (the day he predominates his sister):
I’m speechless again.
No joke I forgot how horrible he was at art at first.
TT: This is utter shit. You know that, don’t you?
TT: Please don’t tell me you are actually incapable of understanding how bad this drawing is.
uu: WHAT. NO. FuCK YOu.
uu: IT’S PRETTY GOOD. AT LEAST FOR A FIRST TRY.
TT: If you actually think this even qualifies as a drawing, I’m going to have to say you are literally the worst artist who has ever existed.
uu: WHAT THE FuCK. THIS IS HOW YOu TREAT. MY “BIRTH DAY THANK YOu GIFT”??
TT: That’s not a thing either.
TT: You must have some wires crossed between your left brain and right brain. Like a weird perceptual disorder. Or something like that.
TT: It’s actually kind of fascinating that you think you achieved something visually coherent or recognizable.
Right back at it with this psychoanalysis, a little reminiscent of Rose. Also the birth of the real best arc in Homestuck: Caliborn learning to draw.
uu: THIS IS OuTRAGEOuS.
TT: Anyway. Got to go.
TT: Your drawing blows.
TT: Later.
timaeusTestified [TT] ceased pestering undyingUmbrage [uu]
Perfect setup for Caliborn’s evolution as an artist, which I am absolutely thrilled to cover. I’m just going to say in advance that Caliborn’s drawing of a circle made out of lines is a very silly way to demonstrate that he is an expert at bending the rules.
Wait isn’t this the same picture we’ve seen three times?
This ends with a brief conversation between Dirk and the responder about the situation on Derse, and the conclusion of the select screen. A perfect note to end on.
See you next time as Calliope, wait I mean the mysterious UU troll, finally reveals her true colors.
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