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Homestuck Webcomic #17
Homestuck, Act 6 Act 5: Of Gods and Tricksters
415 pages, ebook
First published February 16, 2013
2 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Hussie
94 books433 followersAndrew Hussie is the creator of MS Paint Adventures, a collection of webcomics that includes Homestuck, as well as of several other webcomics, books, and videos.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 5, 2015
So. I was going to say a lot of bad things about this act. I was hating it. Everything was...aghh terrible. First, Jake was acting like a diva, Jane was crying all day, Roxy met Rose but then she woke up and Dirk...well...he was just being Dirk. And then there was that HORRIBLE TRICKSTER THING. HOLLY SHIT THAT WAS SO FREAKING HORRIBLE. I hated it. Everyone was acting like if they had smoke some weed and ate a lot of sugar at the same time! I was having nightmares about the trickster mode. I don't wanna read something like that ever again!
BUT, after all that TERRIBLE stuff, I finally got what I love about Homestuck. Plot-twists. I really didn't expect that!! Was kinda...creepy, but AMAZING.
The God Tiers, the confussion, the feels. Was...EPIC(?)
I must say that my fave character this act was Roxy. I am so proud of her. Well, I have always love her, she is amazing. But after all the stuff that Dirk said, my heart...just...was not reacting. Was really moving :))
I am also glad that Jake is finally feeling bad for all the bad things that he did. I was so mad with him. SO FUCKING MAD. But well...
That finale was pretty great. I am so GLAD THAT I FINALLY GOT THERE :'33
WELL, I must keep reading. The next act it is gonna be the third year from the beta kids, which means that...asdfghjkl
OKAY OKAY I SHOULD GO. BYE
PS: The part between Equius and Nepeta (well, the sprite versions of them) I swear that I almost cried. Was one of the saddest things that I have ever read :'(
BUT, after all that TERRIBLE stuff, I finally got what I love about Homestuck. Plot-twists. I really didn't expect that!! Was kinda...creepy, but AMAZING.
The God Tiers, the confussion, the feels. Was...EPIC(?)
I must say that my fave character this act was Roxy. I am so proud of her. Well, I have always love her, she is amazing. But after all the stuff that Dirk said, my heart...just...was not reacting. Was really moving :))
I am also glad that Jake is finally feeling bad for all the bad things that he did. I was so mad with him. SO FUCKING MAD. But well...
That finale was pretty great. I am so GLAD THAT I FINALLY GOT THERE :'33
WELL, I must keep reading. The next act it is gonna be the third year from the beta kids, which means that...asdfghjkl
OKAY OKAY I SHOULD GO. BYE
PS: The part between Equius and Nepeta (well, the sprite versions of them) I swear that I almost cried. Was one of the saddest things that I have ever read :'(
July 13, 2020
3.5 rounded down because wtf with the trickster stuff.
February 28, 2024
ACT 6 ACT 5
cfl's (evil) alternate title: Jane's Worst Birthday Ever.
(btw there will be spoilers in this one. i think it's impossible to talk about otherwise. soz.)
i guess i have to talk about jake.
jake's social ineptitude becomes a real problem for jane in this act of an act. it's really sad because when they're arguing you can tell he's trying so hard to understand but it's just not happening because they experience the world in two different ways. (side not: when i say this i'm not talking about him forgetting her birthday, that was just shitty lol) i can't view jake in this act as anything other than aromantic. believe i've tried. dirkjake people i wanna be you so bad but i can't.
[paragraph long alloaro jake english propaganda omitted. like fr. i already wrote it 😞.]
idk what it is but it just felt cheap to have hal merge with dead equius after literally begging dirk for his life. like, homestuck does this thing often, where it'll be earnest for a second and make a situation feel like it has stakes before totally rescinding the tension with a bit about horse sex or something. like dirk literally almost killed himself (again!). you'd think nearly murdering a splinter would result in some fallout other than horsekin roboguy soliciting him to touch his muscles. but no.
caliborn talking to jane makes me furious dude. i really hope it doesn't happen again. i feel so bad for her.
idk. i have the incorrect opinion that the trickster stuff wasn't that bad. i know i'm wrong but i really just don't care that much. the music's abrasive and i love it. i think it's funny that dirk's not affected because he has brain problems different from the rest of them. idk. it was annoying but it made me feel genuinely sad and i think it set up a lot of emotional beats in the later parts of the act act, mostly with roxy's addiction stuff and dirk's big long sweet monologue about her to jane.
i need you to read this again.
the most nuance any addiction has received in this comic thus far. my heart is a saturated sponge in my chest and i don't know what to do about it. ughhhhh i wish they all just talk to each other. man, we were spoiled with how well the beta kids got along this just- they care so much about each other but the trauma and self-isolation gets in the way.
uhh anyway,
god tier undies.
cfl's (evil) alternate title: Jane's Worst Birthday Ever.
(btw there will be spoilers in this one. i think it's impossible to talk about otherwise. soz.)
i guess i have to talk about jake.
jake's social ineptitude becomes a real problem for jane in this act of an act. it's really sad because when they're arguing you can tell he's trying so hard to understand but it's just not happening because they experience the world in two different ways. (side not: when i say this i'm not talking about him forgetting her birthday, that was just shitty lol) i can't view jake in this act as anything other than aromantic. believe i've tried. dirkjake people i wanna be you so bad but i can't.
[paragraph long alloaro jake english propaganda omitted. like fr. i already wrote it 😞.]
idk what it is but it just felt cheap to have hal merge with dead equius after literally begging dirk for his life. like, homestuck does this thing often, where it'll be earnest for a second and make a situation feel like it has stakes before totally rescinding the tension with a bit about horse sex or something. like dirk literally almost killed himself (again!). you'd think nearly murdering a splinter would result in some fallout other than horsekin roboguy soliciting him to touch his muscles. but no.
caliborn talking to jane makes me furious dude. i really hope it doesn't happen again. i feel so bad for her.
idk. i have the incorrect opinion that the trickster stuff wasn't that bad. i know i'm wrong but i really just don't care that much. the music's abrasive and i love it. i think it's funny that dirk's not affected because he has brain problems different from the rest of them. idk. it was annoying but it made me feel genuinely sad and i think it set up a lot of emotional beats in the later parts of the act act, mostly with roxy's addiction stuff and dirk's big long sweet monologue about her to jane.
i need you to read this again.
TT: I'm not mad at her and I'm not disappointed in her. That's ridiculous.
TT: Want to know what I really think of Roxy?
TT: I'm proud of her.
TT: She's the only one of us who could face her problems and then get down to business and actually solve them.
TT: No endless hand wringing or suffering in silence or any of that bullshit.
TT: She saw she had an addiction. And then decided to fucking fix it. Just like that.
TT: She's probably stronger than the other three of us put together.
the most nuance any addiction has received in this comic thus far. my heart is a saturated sponge in my chest and i don't know what to do about it. ughhhhh i wish they all just talk to each other. man, we were spoiled with how well the beta kids got along this just- they care so much about each other but the trauma and self-isolation gets in the way.
uhh anyway,
god tier undies.
March 22, 2024
wow!!! complete mixed bag.
lil' hal and dirk's conversation always manages to hurt my heart. lil hal is a crazy character... part of dirk's whole machiavellian + borderline narcissistic (in the most tragic way possible) complex in a way that makes him more of a narrative foil than a fully fledged character on his own.
jake... i really want to love him, but i really just feel some terrible combination of pity and annoyance towards him. i think thats a case of projecting a bit too hard, in the sense that his reactions to a plethora of overbearing people obsessed with him is to fawn and flee so hard that it makes the problem worse. ;(
ROXY again unsung hero. dirk's monologue about her prior to godtier-ification is cray of course. in a good way. i love the way dirk interacts with the world -- considering the kind of character that bro is, youd think he'd be less in touch with his emotions? but interestingly enough (likely as a result of being a heart player? or vice versa?????) he seems to be, next to karkat, the character MOST in touch with his emotions. to an extent that ends up being harmful to him. (are dirk and karkat narrative foils???????) anyways roxy. hello she is so cool. her relapse during trickster is incredibly tragic.
SPEAKING OF THE TRICKSTERS: just because hussie himself through the perspective of the narrator that caliborn was arguing with says that trickster mode was an emotional development deus ex machina which the characters should not have undergone doesnt mean that it wasnt ... a choice he still made AS the ultimate narrator?? but like at the same time painting the image that caliborn to an extent took control of the story..... kind of interesting. i still don't like trickster mode but like wow i cant tell if i hate or like that whole argument. dirk being unable to go actually trickster mode was also incredibly tragic in an unexpected way. :( strilondes make me feel insane, what can i say.
anyyyways........ finally to the part of the story where everything starts to ACTUALLY go down.
lil' hal and dirk's conversation always manages to hurt my heart. lil hal is a crazy character... part of dirk's whole machiavellian + borderline narcissistic (in the most tragic way possible) complex in a way that makes him more of a narrative foil than a fully fledged character on his own.
jake... i really want to love him, but i really just feel some terrible combination of pity and annoyance towards him. i think thats a case of projecting a bit too hard, in the sense that his reactions to a plethora of overbearing people obsessed with him is to fawn and flee so hard that it makes the problem worse. ;(
ROXY again unsung hero. dirk's monologue about her prior to godtier-ification is cray of course. in a good way. i love the way dirk interacts with the world -- considering the kind of character that bro is, youd think he'd be less in touch with his emotions? but interestingly enough (likely as a result of being a heart player? or vice versa?????) he seems to be, next to karkat, the character MOST in touch with his emotions. to an extent that ends up being harmful to him. (are dirk and karkat narrative foils???????) anyways roxy. hello she is so cool. her relapse during trickster is incredibly tragic.
SPEAKING OF THE TRICKSTERS: just because hussie himself through the perspective of the narrator that caliborn was arguing with says that trickster mode was an emotional development deus ex machina which the characters should not have undergone doesnt mean that it wasnt ... a choice he still made AS the ultimate narrator?? but like at the same time painting the image that caliborn to an extent took control of the story..... kind of interesting. i still don't like trickster mode but like wow i cant tell if i hate or like that whole argument. dirk being unable to go actually trickster mode was also incredibly tragic in an unexpected way. :( strilondes make me feel insane, what can i say.
anyyyways........ finally to the part of the story where everything starts to ACTUALLY go down.
April 20, 2025
Man, this act....................
The Hussie insert stuff with Caliborn is exhausting from page 1 and it just KEEPS HAPPENING. The fucking nightmare mess of the Alpha kids relationship dramas.
The TRICKSTERS.
The only solace here was that the trickster shit didn't last as long as I remembered it lasting. Would have marked this act down a further star, but the character development in those last few conversations was SO GOD DAMN GOOD that it saved it.
Really heading into the comic's most grimdark era tho. This is around the time people I knew started giving up on HS entirely, so I'm.... curious to see how it'll read with some distance.
The Hussie insert stuff with Caliborn is exhausting from page 1 and it just KEEPS HAPPENING. The fucking nightmare mess of the Alpha kids relationship dramas.
The TRICKSTERS.
The only solace here was that the trickster shit didn't last as long as I remembered it lasting. Would have marked this act down a further star, but the character development in those last few conversations was SO GOD DAMN GOOD that it saved it.
Really heading into the comic's most grimdark era tho. This is around the time people I knew started giving up on HS entirely, so I'm.... curious to see how it'll read with some distance.
October 19, 2019
This comic could have been excellent if the author knew what editing was. And a good editor probably would have wrapped things up on Earth 1 or Alternia 1 and not introduced yet another army of batshit characters and plotlines that are somehow supposed to resolve it all but so far have just arbitrarily introduced meaningless STUFF. Taken alone this act's main story probably doesn't deserve a 2-star review, but the lengthy fourth wall break and the "trickster" section are so reminiscent of a panicked NaNoWriMo first draft that I can't rate it any higher.
November 4, 2020
(Placeholder review for Act 6-4 and Act 6-5 including parts 1 & 2, combined wordcount = 52k)
what the fuck is the point of the entire Trickster segment???
what the fuck is the point of the entire Trickster segment???
January 15, 2026
We gotta kill Caliborn with Hammers
Pretty decent act with a fuckin bonkers ending, I really like the character development Dirk and his AI gets and the stuff with Roxy and Caliope is nice.
Pretty decent act with a fuckin bonkers ending, I really like the character development Dirk and his AI gets and the stuff with Roxy and Caliope is nice.
June 2, 2017
I agree with the narrator on this one - some things are best never mentioned again.
Unfortunately, a fair amount of stuff happened besides the whole Trickster affair. So, I've got to talk about this Act.
Gamzee continues fusing dead trolls with kernelsprites. Some combinations are more stable than others.
Jake is completely oblivious, and Caliborn starts talking to the humans in an attempt to bond with them over his bad illustrations.
(Spoilers - it’s just a circle.)
Caliborn convinces Jane that her father is dead, but really he's become the go-to fashionista of Derse.
Roxy gets kidnapped by God Cat, and taken to the Batterwitch. She meets with Calliope in a dream, who advises Roxy on how everyone can still go god tier, even though all of them are on their last lives. When she wakes up, Jane's dad's PDA and the Batterwitch's ring are left in her cell. Roxy uses the ring to turn invisible to escape.
Roxy attempts to tell the others about the god tier thing, but nobody answers her. They're all too busy brooding.
Dirk ends up fusing AI Dirk with Equiusprite, creating yet another abomination that I'm doing my best to block out the memory of.
Caliborn decides he wants to build Jake up as a potential future rival, and there is more bonding over bad artwork. Although in Caliborn's defense, he is improving.
Caliborn gives Jake a code to recreate Caliborn's juju, since it's powerful only when combined with Calliope's, and since Caliborn kind of killed her, he can't combine the jujus. Besides, he's got Cal now.
To attempt to apologize to Jane, Jake sends her Caliborn's code, since he remembered that Calliope was going to give her code to Jane. Jane ignores him, and figures out the code herself, based on what Jake thinks Caliborn's code was, and the fact that it's obviously the same thing as Calliope's code, except with lower case u's.
The codes create two lollipops that when fused together usher in a wave of absolute insanity that I'm not about to recap.
You said it, narrator.
The main takeaway from that insanity was that the narrator tells Caliborn that he can't just give the kids magic to work through all of their issues - they need to figure things out on their own, have actual characterization. So, as the kids all wait to die to reach god tier, that's what happens.
Caliborn takes over Jack's mind on Prospit, and attacks the Batterwitch, who attacks back. The attacks kill the kids, getting them god tier. The Batterwitch then takes over Jade's mind to round everybody up. And, a terrifying Act is concluded.
I still have nightmares about the Trickster dance segments. They will haunt me forever. =___=
Unfortunately, a fair amount of stuff happened besides the whole Trickster affair. So, I've got to talk about this Act.
Gamzee continues fusing dead trolls with kernelsprites. Some combinations are more stable than others.
Jake is completely oblivious, and Caliborn starts talking to the humans in an attempt to bond with them over his bad illustrations.
uu: I MADE YOU A PRESENT. FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY. WHATEVER THAT ACTUALLY IS.
uu: SEE HOW I'M MAKING AN EFFORT TO UNDERSTAND YOUR CUSTOMS?
uu: MEET ME HALF OF THE GODDAMN WAY.
GG: Oh cripes.
GG: What is it?
uu: A SUBLIME ARTISTIC PORTRAIT.
uu: REMEMBER HOW I SAID MY POWER WAS GROWING WITH EACH DAY.
uu: THIS APPLIES AS WELL TO MY PROWESS AS A DRAFTSMAN.
GG: Oh goodness, no. You poor delusional thing.
GG: I don't care what progress you think you've made. You will never be a good artist, dear.
uu: HORSESHIT.
uu: MY ILLUSTRATION IS STUNNING. IT IS NEARLY A PHOTOGRAPHIC REPRESENTATION OF YOUR ODIOUS MILKSHAKE.
uu: NOW PARK THE INDUSTRIAL LOAD OF FREIGHT YOU DECLARE A BOTTOM. AND FEAST YOUR EYES ON MY FUCKING EXCELLENCE!
(Spoilers - it’s just a circle.)
Caliborn convinces Jane that her father is dead, but really he's become the go-to fashionista of Derse.
Roxy gets kidnapped by God Cat, and taken to the Batterwitch. She meets with Calliope in a dream, who advises Roxy on how everyone can still go god tier, even though all of them are on their last lives. When she wakes up, Jane's dad's PDA and the Batterwitch's ring are left in her cell. Roxy uses the ring to turn invisible to escape.
Roxy attempts to tell the others about the god tier thing, but nobody answers her. They're all too busy brooding.
TT: In any case, my use of the responder responder is ironic.
TT: It's not ironic.
TT: YOU were ironic when I made you.
TT: Then you became self-aware, and ruined irony forever.
TT: Irony can never be ruined. We both proved that theorem unequivocally with our extensive papers on the subject.
TT: We peer reviewed them for each other. Remember?
TT: Those papers were ironic, and you know it.
TT: Were they, Dirk?
TT: Were they?
TT: This is fuckin' dumb.
Dirk ends up fusing AI Dirk with Equiusprite, creating yet another abomination that I'm doing my best to block out the memory of.
Caliborn decides he wants to build Jake up as a potential future rival, and there is more bonding over bad artwork. Although in Caliborn's defense, he is improving.
uu: LET US MARK THIS PLEDGE. WITH A SPECIAL NEW DESKTOP WALLPAPER I HAVE DRAWN FOR YOU.
GT: Huh??
uu: IT IS HOW I ENVISION THE IDEALIZED DEPICTION. OF OUR COLLABORATIVE BROSMANSHIP.
uu: I HAVE BEEN GETTING SO MUCH BETTER LATELY. WITH A LOT OF HARD WORK AS USUAL.
uu: I AM ABLE TO BRING THE MANY SMALL ANGLES MOSTLY UNDER CONTROL. TO SIMULATE THE ILLUSION. OF PHOTO REALISTIC FORMS OF COLOR AND LIGHT.
uu: JAKE. I GIVE YOU.
uu: THE FINE ARTS:
GT: Whoa.
GT: Thats uh.
GT: Mighty special.
uu: GO ON. APPLY IT TO YOUR DEVICE.
uu: I WILL WAIT.
GT: Yeah um.
GT: Maybe later?
uu: NO. DO IT NOW.
GT: I dont think i want it to be honest.
GT: No offense its actually just really shitty.
uu: APPLY THE WALLPAPER THIS FUCKING INSTANT YOU CRETINOUS PHILISTINE. OR THE DEAL'S OFF.
GT: Ok fine!
Caliborn gives Jake a code to recreate Caliborn's juju, since it's powerful only when combined with Calliope's, and since Caliborn kind of killed her, he can't combine the jujus. Besides, he's got Cal now.
To attempt to apologize to Jane, Jake sends her Caliborn's code, since he remembered that Calliope was going to give her code to Jane. Jane ignores him, and figures out the code herself, based on what Jake thinks Caliborn's code was, and the fact that it's obviously the same thing as Calliope's code, except with lower case u's.
The codes create two lollipops that when fused together usher in a wave of absolute insanity that I'm not about to recap.
You said it, narrator.
The main takeaway from that insanity was that the narrator tells Caliborn that he can't just give the kids magic to work through all of their issues - they need to figure things out on their own, have actual characterization. So, as the kids all wait to die to reach god tier, that's what happens.
Caliborn takes over Jack's mind on Prospit, and attacks the Batterwitch, who attacks back. The attacks kill the kids, getting them god tier. The Batterwitch then takes over Jade's mind to round everybody up. And, a terrifying Act is concluded.
I still have nightmares about the Trickster dance segments. They will haunt me forever. =___=
December 6, 2015
this act is... uh.. i dont know wht to say.. i cant comprehend with such homestuckiness yet...
first things first i guess...
jake
i dont get the hate hype over tht character because i'm a gay shipper. i support gay depending on the characters. so yes, i like *coughalotcough* the jakedirk shipment and was a lil depressed i didnt get to see all those going on. but... nyeh..... it is so confusing... there is no one sided point of views and in all point of views, they see each other differently and felt differently and .... i dont know, i felt so empty and heartbroke afterwards .....
i spades u homestuck
caliborn
he is still the godawful skullhead he was
but
he really do improve at some points not shown
and hillarious too at some points shown
jane
i felt bad for her, because all the load of talking from jake was crap and insufferable, i dealt with tht before although under different circumstances so i understand her anger and more angers. but part of me was a jakedirk shipper and couldnt felt tht "daawwww goddammit" feel D:
roxy
she was okay at the start, but she developed into something far better and greater in the end. such selflessness. by end i mean this act. roxy is amazing, especially after wht dirk said about him.
relation shenanigans
omg there is just too darn many feels. jake's apologetic drama self. jane's delusion dignity humiliation. roxy's self undermining her cool and strongness. and dirk's broken puppet string master. it's all so sad and ... and ships destroying and... i cant put the words wht i'm feeling...
a maid of life who is so lifeless
a page of hope who is so hopeless
a prince of heart who is so heartless
a rogue of void who is trying to fill the void of her friends making things fall apart.
i dont feel like blaming anybody
i dont feel like everything is really jake's fault like the internet led me to think
and i dont put the blame on either jane nor dirk
dirk!
he really fell apart as the destroyer of heart.
jake again
i felt a need to defend him
he's just, slow minded and self centered and whatnot
and nobody cared too it seems
jake is like this kid i met at school
who is also slow at learning things and think about relations relative to himself
i got "jane-d" mad at some times
but i still stay by his aid and help him understand and achieve better
in the end, he turned out a good person
and i think jake is like tht
we all just need to find the right person who can keep track of us and help us improve
(such may also be applied to eridan)
the sprites
not gonna lie
Arquiusprite is the most hillarious sprite ever
a lil part of me felt happy for tht lil hal
but until fefetasprite came along
oh snap
another feel trip
all those memories of sober gamz rampage returning
plus all those sadstruck fanarts/fiction
dangnabbit
and then
jade appears
grandma, what big ears you have!
grandma, what big teeth you have!
oh dear!
lil red ridding hood,
can you save me?
can you save me?
first things first i guess...
jake
i dont get the hate hype over tht character because i'm a gay shipper. i support gay depending on the characters. so yes, i like *coughalotcough* the jakedirk shipment and was a lil depressed i didnt get to see all those going on. but... nyeh..... it is so confusing... there is no one sided point of views and in all point of views, they see each other differently and felt differently and .... i dont know, i felt so empty and heartbroke afterwards .....
i spades u homestuck
caliborn
he is still the godawful skullhead he was
but
he really do improve at some points not shown
and hillarious too at some points shown
jane
i felt bad for her, because all the load of talking from jake was crap and insufferable, i dealt with tht before although under different circumstances so i understand her anger and more angers. but part of me was a jakedirk shipper and couldnt felt tht "daawwww goddammit" feel D:
roxy
she was okay at the start, but she developed into something far better and greater in the end. such selflessness. by end i mean this act. roxy is amazing, especially after wht dirk said about him.
relation shenanigans
omg there is just too darn many feels. jake's apologetic drama self. jane's delusion dignity humiliation. roxy's self undermining her cool and strongness. and dirk's broken puppet string master. it's all so sad and ... and ships destroying and... i cant put the words wht i'm feeling...
a maid of life who is so lifeless
a page of hope who is so hopeless
a prince of heart who is so heartless
a rogue of void who is trying to fill the void of her friends making things fall apart.
i dont feel like blaming anybody
i dont feel like everything is really jake's fault like the internet led me to think
and i dont put the blame on either jane nor dirk
dirk!
he really fell apart as the destroyer of heart.
jake again
i felt a need to defend him
he's just, slow minded and self centered and whatnot
and nobody cared too it seems
jake is like this kid i met at school
who is also slow at learning things and think about relations relative to himself
i got "jane-d" mad at some times
but i still stay by his aid and help him understand and achieve better
in the end, he turned out a good person
and i think jake is like tht
we all just need to find the right person who can keep track of us and help us improve
(such may also be applied to eridan)
the sprites
not gonna lie
Arquiusprite is the most hillarious sprite ever
a lil part of me felt happy for tht lil hal
but until fefetasprite came along
oh snap
another feel trip
all those memories of sober gamz rampage returning
plus all those sadstruck fanarts/fiction
dangnabbit
and then
jade appears
grandma, what big ears you have!
grandma, what big teeth you have!
oh dear!
lil red ridding hood,
can you save me?
can you save me?
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