Homestuck is ending! And for new readers who might be interested in starting the comic as it comes to a close, it might be nice to have a guide to reference once all or most of the old fans have moved on! [Press J to skip]
This is the first page (pictured above). I know it’s underwhelming. Just click “Enter Name” and start reading.
Homestuck was originally conceived as a parody of “text adventure” games, in which the player would enter a command into the computer and certain actions would result based on the player’s choices. Homestuck acted as a text adventure game where readers would submit commands and Andrew Hussie, the author, would respond to them through the comic. This is largely why the first several hundred pages are largely incomprehensible shenanigans that seem to have nothing to do with the overall plot.
The best advice is to just enjoy each page on its own and appreciate the humor and individual conversations within their own context and worry about their overall significance later as the plot is explained. I would advise new readers to pay attention to everything going on but not to worry if they don’t understand something or are lost - and if you are still confused, there are at least three times in the comic where Andrew Hussie recaps the previous Acts.
Don’t skip anything! But for encouragement, the ‘real’ story arguably starts once John installs the game and enters the Medium.
Links with an [S] in front indicate a page that has sound (usually a Flash animation or game but not always)
READ THE PESTERLOGS. The comic usually doesn’t have speech bubbles so pretty much every conversation takes place in the Pesterlogs. Also, play the Flash games all the way through (there are plenty of tutorials and walkthroughs online) and wait a couple of seconds after the Flash animations have ended to make sure that they’re really over.
The Homestuck Wiki is your best friend for recapping Flash animations, keeping track of characters, and explaining PesterLogs (read with caution as there are spoilers)
I would say that the overall plot starts to become a little more clear around the first 500 - 1000 pages of the comic (and since the comic actually ‘starts’ on page 1902, this would correspond to ‘pages’ 2400 - 3000 in the URL).
This is where the plot starts to become a little more clear. The story becomes easier to follow once Nannasprite and the trolls show up to clarify what’s going on (although there’s still always an element of randomness to the comic, and it will always be a little difficult to keep track of what’s going)
For big Flash files like [S] Cascade, you can always use Google to try and find recaps of what’s happening, since it can be especially difficult to follow the story when the panels are flashing around so quickly
Make sure you click on the links in the body text when you get to panels like this:
^They have some more panels that are part of the story.
DON’T STOP READING WHEN YOU REACH THIS PAGE (2566)
^It looks like a completely different comic but I swear it’s part of Homestuck. The story gets back to the kids in about a hundred pages. DON’T SKIP THIS PART! Homestuck is often told in a nonlinear fashion and you may jump around to different places and times in the story without explanation. This character is part of the comic and his influence and role in the story will be explained later.
Also, don’t skip this part either:
^This is an Intermission between Act 3 and Act 4 and it lasts for about 200 pages (3053 - 3258). This also becomes relevant to the story later on (and frankly, is extremely entertaining! Spades Slick is hilarious).
If you’re looking for a ‘cutoff point’ where you’re planning to draw the line on whether you care to finish the comic or not, I’d say it’s roughly around the time the trolls show up and start talking to the kids (AKA the people who speak in weird text dialogue and harass John and the others). I would argue that the really interesting conflict gets built up and introduced during Acts 4 and 5 but that might just be my personal opinion.
Here is the first recap in case you are absolutely desperate and have to follow along as you read the story. I PROMISE things get explained later but if you’re someone who’s really put off by not knowing things as you read them this might be a good place to get caught up.
There are at least three recaps in total throughout the comic. They usually show up roughly near the end of each act. If you’re really lost you can always look up explanations for the Flash animations and whatnot online, or alternatively you can ask Homestuck ask blogs like forgottenhsfacts for clarification!
When you encounter panels like this:
^DON’T look up the password for the [????????] option! You can find them online but it’ll take you to a place in the story where you’ll REALLY have no clue what’s going on, I promise you’ll find out where those links take you in good time.
It takes most people roughly anywhere from 2-3 weeks to almost 2 months to finish Homestuck, depending on how quickly you read and how easily you follow the plot
A LOT OF THE APPEAL OF HOMESTUCK IS ITS COMPLEXITY, CONFUSION, AND LENGTH OF THE STORY. Part of the experience is being confused and lost. It sounds counterintuitive but the author himself (Andrew Hussie) has stated that he feels that readers and players of games feel more rewarded when they are faced with a difficult challenge and have to figure out the solution themselves. I think this is why Homestuck fans are particularly dedicated to the community and the story.
Have fun, don’t get discouraged, and if you have to quit a couple of times before you really get into the story, don’t feel bad! Homestuck is notoriously challenging to follow and that’s part of its appeal.
Best of luck!
If you have any other suggestions or tips, feel free to add them.
kittykatanimelove17 reblogged this from aei-sb
pastelnecrosis reblogged this from solluxismsnowaifu
tinythoughtshere reblogged this from aei-sb
kittyvanblood reblogged this from aei-sb
downinthecap liked this
inthesurf liked this
macrocosmonaut reblogged this from callmearcturus
hallelujahitsapotato liked this
screaming-goblin liked this
clustered-void liked this idlefidle liked this
briska7745 liked this
penguinguild reblogged this from sordofrassilon
twwiinkiies liked this
sordofrassilon reblogged this from sordofrassilon
hamncheeeese liked this
hazel106 liked this
thetemplesofrush liked this
itsdanimotherfreakingglitter liked this
just-a-plate-of-pasta liked this 
bia86165 liked this asriel-dreemurr-amiibo liked this
cotton-candy-fusion reblogged this from apprenticegamemaster
apprenticegamemaster reblogged this from revenblue
adioscali8rator liked this
colderthancoldest liked this
revenblue reblogged this from muffintonic
othomask reblogged this from muffintonic
muffintonic reblogged this from ladysantos30
anonymous-square reblogged this from guerrahilarante
derseandprospit reblogged this from today-in-homestuck
crawly liked this
there-is-no-nameee liked this dae-shou reblogged this from hhhomestuck
hhhomestuck reblogged this from bananahomo
turdican liked this
vuroguro liked this
bananahomo reblogged this from p3hero
mystereoheart posted this