Let Me Tell You About Webcomics: A New Postmodern Genre
by Paige Gelsimino
There are several times in Homestuck where the reader has options in the story-telling process. The reader can sometimes choose which character they would like to hear about first, or whose story they want to keep following. When the game cartridge of Homestuck is too clogged to keep playing, the narrative moves onto the next panel where it gives the reader the option of choosing a planet to find out what is going on.
After the reader clicks (or doesn’t) through each planet, they come into another screen where they can choose to see what Jane is up to or what Jade is up to. The narrator even comments and says, “Yet again, you find yourself overwhelmed by feelings of narrative empowerment as you agonize over which of these two lawless ladies you will hitch your wagon to as you blaze a new trail through the treacherous frontiers of interactive fiction" (Hussie).
Many times Hussie, or the narrator, gives the control over to the reader, letting the reader be the one to move the story along, instead of the writer.
Another time in Homestuck where it gives the reader interactivity is when Jane, Jake, Roxy, and Dirk all end up getting contaminated by a Juju, which turns them into “Trickster mode.” Trickster mode is where the kids act as if they are on an intense sugar high, while also being overly happy about everything, even their emotional issues that they still haven’t sorted out yet. During this part the reader gets to click on Jane’s magnifying glass to search for clues, place Jane in the perfect spot to give Jake a good kick to the groin, use the arrow keys to make Jake pull Roxy onto the screen, and the reader can also use the arrow keys so that Dirk can get away from the insanity of the other three on trickster mode. This lets the reader be part of the action of the story, making the characters move and do things that they can’t without the reader there to move the story along.
Click on the images below to play some of the interactive games mentioned above!
