How do you guys think the meta elements of Homestuck will work in the animated series?

Honestly I think stuff like that will be totally re-imagined. Also off topic but who the hell is your PFP? They look familiar.

Depends on how streamlined versus strict to the source material they go. Several people have pointed out the pesterlog walls may have to be adapted, skipped or generally adjusted. The teaser suggest the video game fights will probably pan out more like anime fights and in general I expect they'll explore the format rather than just "adapt".

Messing with meta is hardly new for animation given it's medium is actually quite permissive. LE full on breaking out from a drawing tablet, or beating the tracking code/master copy from the screen edges works off the top of ones head.

Scott Pilgrim has tread this ground before in several formats as well and seems to be a good star to guide one's expectations by. In that it has some comic elements sequential art presents that animation needs to adjust but ends up coming out fairly well. Again. Depending on what the intent is and what the goal of the series settles into. A much more forthright and concise tale of the story of homestuck versus something that strives to feel like the "Authentic as the characters were experiencing it" read through of what the webcomic's abstract implies.

I also imagine a few things that were unclear or retooled as the story went on will probably have their ultimate thesis more indicated from earlier parts. Let alone the trolls probably showing up sooner or being more obviously telegraphed. Gamzee's character, Rose's early nature. Dave's homelife, Jade's isolation issues, and so on.

re: Squiddo

It's Yamatsuka Eye! Japanase avant-garde artist and musician, mostly known for being the front man of Hanatarash and Boredoms.

You probably know him because he's famous for once destroying a music venue with a bulldozer.

But coming back to Homestuck: I Could also see those elements being completely remade, i'm curious about how they will deal with Hussie's self-insert, maybe she will still act like they're writing comic, or maybe he will be an animator instead of an comic artist.

re: umbralPenultimate

"I also imagine a few things that were unclear or retooled as the story went on will probably have their ultimate thesis more indicated from earlier parts. Let alone the trolls probably showing up sooner or being more obviously telegraphed. Gamzee's character, Rose's early nature. Dave's homelife, Jade's isolation issues, and so on."

I also think that! It is kind of a miracle that Homestuck came out as good as it is with how improvised it is, but you can still kind of notice it with it's very wacky pacing, it isn't that noticeble when reading it since it's in a very unique format but it would be very apparent in a cartoon.

Starting to show (maybe even foreshadow) the trolls earlier would make it work a lot more in a serialized format.

if they even make it that far i wanna see how they could pull off a homosuck episode

one thing i've already noticed is that pictures popping out of their frames - or literally images 'becoming animated' - is a recurring motif in the trailer. Dave pops out of his little voice call window to harass John, Dad uses a totally new move where he launches cakes out of sylladex cards, John popping out of a sprite-shaped hole in the wall could even count.

given Hussie is a writer here, I have every belief that they intend to push the cartoon medium in the same way the original Homestuck pushed the webcomic medium. i've even seen some people suggest that the cartoon could take the scott pilgrim anime route and pull off a twist divergence from the original comic's story, which would be a fascinating avenue for metanarrative and/or genre deconstructing elements as well if true.

@jakemorph THANK YOU for saying it. i was feeling about the same way but i couldn't quite put the words together and didn't know where i'd put them

I think the Homosuck reveal could be a horror episode when adapted ngl if they do it with crazy lighting and music. Characters all turn around and look horrifically disfigured. Caliborn likes it though and laughs in Richard Horvitz' voice.

richard horvitz caliborn would be so fucking awesome

Doc Scratch will obviously still acknowledge the viewer too, that'll translate over fine. No clue who will voice him, but 4th wall breaks will happen.

I know its a vision that is very shared but Homestuck is a story that works in such a specific way for the medium its told that unless they go for a total re-imagination of the whole narrative and a different storyline there is no way in hell it can give us a proper adaptation of the comic itself
Honestly i see the most possible way they could replicate the feeling is doing some mixed media stuff a la Amazing world of gumball, it would be interesting to see stuff like full on anime sequences or stop motion

Maybe Doc Scratch's white text will be translated by Doc Scratch speaking in the captions? I dont know if that actually makes sense + admittedly that may end up being super confusing. So even though I am suggesting this possibility, I doubt they are going to do that rip

@LuciaBlackbird, can you elaborate on some specific parts of the story itself that you don't think can be adapted to another medium?

I think people tend to forget the "adapt" part of "adaptation". Any good adaptation will necessarily require certain aspects to be reimagined so as to better survive, so to speak, in the new format.

viziepop cartoons usually aren’t that outside the box, based on the trailer I think there will just be the Hussie self insert guy describing what happens in the story as it goes

vivizie is only the execproducer is the main thing.

isnt hussie the head writer?

Hussie is co writing alongside director Skye Henwood.

I do wonder, based on Hussie's appearance in the intro, how their introductory dialogue would change in the adaptation. Perhaps a nod to the nature of it being outside the source?

@JakeMorph

I think it was a mistake to not say in my og comment that well, you *can* adapt the story itself for sure, but it would need to be trimmed out a lot because of the sheer density of dialogue that flesh out jokes or characters or world, a lot would get lost. Its like trying to adapt House of Leaves or Stanley Parable

Thats why act 5 or 6 imo you just cant adapt them well enough unless they decide to do some crazy shit and spend like 4 seasons of 20-30 minutes episodes on those acts alone

from the footage shown I don’t think there will be any second person narration, it just wouldn’t make sense when the entire thing is an animated video rather than a webpage you click through