#sleuthlike

[milliebobbyflay]

46 Presidents. 7 Biomes. 1 Prize.

45 Dead Presidents

[the-mspfa-200-favourites-project]

Hi. I've run the numbers, and it turns out, all I need to read is 247 fanadventures. Also, that I'm going to read 48, 494 pages. It would be larger if I would read all the MSPFAs all the way through, but instead, I'm going to read just the year's worth of pages they uploaded in the year they were created (I hope that makes sense). It's going to probably take...a while, but I have a spreadsheet now to help me, and I'm starting off strong by reading ROOMLAND, the sleuthlike that has the honor of being the fanadventure with the id of 1. Pretty Cool. I'm probably not going to upload a lot until I, like, finish one, and then give my thoughts on it. So, uh, stayed tuned I guess?

[unrealcritter]

A young semibot stands in the truck.

[doomsdaydicecascader]

lost in the sauce of imagining a darkest dungeon/pathologic/bloodborne-type sleuthlike. you know their humors are just all fucked up.

[byrdierose]

Learning that there's a free forum platform (proboards.com) has me thinking to myself "maybe I should make a Sleuthlike webcomic"

Y'know, on top of full-time work, freelance, a bunch of other personal projects, and living.

... Would be fun tho

[aquaticfoxfire]

I’m pretty sure this is what you call an “art dump”

I’ve been drawing more since I started working on a little sleuthlike fanventure. Like. I’ve been drawing a lot more.

[homestuckconfession]

i mean homestuck is great... BUT!! I really wish Hussie just... never introduced the trolls. like i wish the comic past act 4 was just about the beta and alpha kids playing sburb.. That or Hussie just made another sleuthlike.

.

[mspaesthetic]

MS Paint Aesthetic

MS Paint Adventures has inspired many young artists to take up creating adventures of their own. Sleuthlikes, quests, AUs, you name it. Homestuck in particular has generated a swag of Sburbventures, even up to today, which I think is something to commend.

What I think makes Sburbventures so attractive to creators is the fertile grounds for unlimited creative potential, much like the Skaia in Homestuck. The endless possibilities presented by alchemy, kernelsprite prototypings, mythological roles, and a wellspring of preexisting supporting characters that are constants across sessions. Whatever their reasons may be for starting one, they’re excited to get cracking. But when they begin to delve into the art front of making one, many then boggle vacantly, mouth agape trying to wrap their brains around how this or that effect was achieved.

Given that there is still an active interest in emulating the MSPA style, I’ve decided to compile all of what I have spent the past few years decoding the art of MSPA into a blog so that this information can be easily shared with others.

Posts made here will range from the exhaustive to small, short tidbits that don’t quite deserve as much explanation. I'll go over several ways of achieving similar effects with features common across most art and editing software, since there are some people who use certain programs that can only approximate what other programs can do.

I am reluctant towards making drawing tutorials or any other sort that involves a subjective artform rather than an objective procedure like applying a checklist of filters. It is futile to conduct an untrained hand, impossible to teach creativity, and irresponsible to guide an imagination to form around one's bastardized interpretations of an art style. However, I may be open to the idea and write my own thoughts on a topic, as long as people take them for what they are, opinions.

Obligatory disclaimer: this blog should not be taken as the definitive bible of MSPA art. Everything here still remains subjected to conjecture and my own personal interpretations, as all secondhand guides on any matter written by anyone other than the progenitor are.

This blog is open to any requests, so feel free to drop a question in the ask box!

[ruffboijuliaburnsides]

Sleuthlike.

Here is that link! -> https://patreon.com/shencomix

[the-mspfa-200-favourites-project]

OCEANFALLS

Oceanfalls. Is a comic that I am intimidated by. I tried getting back into it a while back, and I…couldn’t? Somehow? But now I am going to. And try to write down about it in these notes, I guess. Whatever. I’m a little tired right now, but whatever let’s get to it.

First impressions: Oh right, not only did Homestuck like, end this year, but last year, 2015, is the year that Undertale released, and probably 2016 is the first year we can actually feel aftershocks of that monumental occasion happening in MSPFA. Because this. This is 100% based off of not just Homestuck, but UNDERTALE as well.

It’s been a while since we’ve had another proper “sleuthlike/gamelike” adventure, and this one’s REALLY high quality. Like, woah. Crazy how that seems to happen with a lot of these Non-Based-Off-Of-Homestuck Fanadventures. Probably because they can just be themselves and have me not compare them to Homestuck? Probably.

Also, another stray thought I have is: are these pseudo-games…actually failed game ideas from the author that they want to get out of their heads one way or another? It might be very hard to make a comic (especially an MSPFA) but it’s certainly harder to make a video game than an MSPFA-style pseudo game, so maybe…that’s a motivation? Something to think about, idk.

Also, a lot of them seem to take the atheistic of glitches, which even Homestuck does occasionally. Which makes sense; these pseudo-games and MSPFAs are obviously tied into the culture and atheistic choices of games, hence the cool meters and oddball inventory systems, as well as stuff like DLC Expansion Packs and the like, but then using those elements as like, actual story fodder. It’s cool!

In addition, we have, well, an ACTUAL game, though it’s only a walkaround. The last time we saw one of those was all the way back in “How Little We Know,” which makes sense: see previous comment about the relative scale of how hard comics are compared to video games.

TIMES IN WHICH THE AUDIENCE THINKS THAT IT IS AN APPROPRIATE COMMAND TO COMMENT ON THE CHARACTER’S HOTNESS: I’m not counting but honestly it is 10000 at this point. Audience. Do better.

Also. I don’t know if I’ve said this. But. This is a really cool awesome story. This is probably the best MSPFA I’ve read since Superego. Go read it now. Go read Oceanfalls. I know I will be coming back to this one.

[the-mspfa-200-favourites-project]

CorpSet

We’ve got another Non-MSPFA! That usually means good things. Apparently this one’s supposed to be about science in some measure.

Oh that’s funny: usually the arms are like, stylized away in a different dimension or pocket universe or whatever, but here it’s like. No she actually has lost her arms, and is looking to find them. That’s pretty neat.

Okay the poster gag is pretty good. Okay maybe this comic is pretty good.

Okay so update from page 175: I think that the most I’m invested in a comic, and the more I like a comic, the less notes I have to take, because the less notes I want to take because making notes means not reading this comic. Gosh DANG this comic’s great. This author knows how to do improv! So many good bits and gags in here…it’s got the right Silliness/Taking the Seriousness ratio that any Sleuthlike should aspire to be. In other words: It’s compelling and fun and fresh and I really like it a lot. (it's also complete, which is neat, like, actually complete, so I guess if you get into it it's going to be a satisfying payoff? Whatever, check it out.)

[the-mspfa-200-favourites-project]

HIVESWAP (The MSPFA)

Oh right, Hiveswap happened this year. Now I know what you’re thinking. Hiveswap? The Hit Indie Game? Yeah, that Hiveswap. What if it was…an MSPFA? A sleuthlike, if you will? What if it was that? What if you could PLAY Hiveswap without, you know, playing Hiveswap?

It’s. Kind of an obvious concept, in hindsight? I’m surprised there’s no “Hiveswap Act 2” on here at all, actually. Maybe because the Hiveswap Fandom and the MSPFA fanadom basically don’t interact at all most of the time?

Okay no this was just a weird advertisement/monologue about how long it’s taken for Hiveswap to come out, and then…saying it got delayed? This was. Very mixed. I don’t know how to feel about this one. Let’s just. Move along. Yeah. Move along. I like the sound of that.

[the-mspfa-200-favourites-project]

DEADMEAT

Okay, now we’re back to familiar, intriguing territory. A weird purple guy in the logo that doesn’t look like any Homestuck species…a really cool splash page that proclaims that this is “ISSUE #1,” thus telling me that probably the author likes comic books…a warning that this comic is not for those under 18+ range, and saying there’s going to be gore and nudity…well, okay, that last element doesn’t necessarily entices me the same way the other elements do, but it’s worth keeping in mind going into this, is my thought. Also worth keeping in mind, and a much more repulsive element, is knowing there’s going to be excrement/body fluids in this. Which is. Listen I’ve not had the best track record for authors being able to do that in a classy way, in a personally-pleasing way, let’s just say. Anyways. Here we go. DEAD MEAT.

OH. There’s an explanation at the bottom of this frankly impressive long intro page (there’s even some sweet dialogue formatting with it looking like a bunch of text messages, that’s cool) about how the command system to MSPFA works, and that’s interesting. Because it tells me that this is probably meant to be enjoyed by people not just within the niche community of MSPFA, but also the wider Webcomics sphere as a whole. In other words…this comic has some ambition behind it, it wants to have some weight outside of just the MSPFA world in general, or at least it wants to be a relatively beginner friendly comic. Again, see the warnings above. Or maybe I’m just reading too much into this.

This comic’s certainly different than most. Mainly because it’s prose style isn’t…traditional adventure-game prose? Like, when somebody in a typical Sleuthlike would pull up their inventory, they might comment on certain objects. They would not just type in “I got stuff” and refuse to elaborate. Not that I’m not, like, hating that. I’m also…hmm. I don’t know if I’m into that? That’s kind of how I’m currently feeling about this whole thing. But I do have to commemorate this Fanadventure for atleast going against the grain and making bold choices.

Okay so I’ve read enough to know that I’m not…really vibing with the style of this specific Fanadventure, BUT I will say that probably the people who WOULD vibe with this style would REALLY REALLY ENJOY IT. It’s doing some interesting stuff with panel composition and framing the action, all that jazz, but I’m not really, you know, vibing with it’s own style. Personal taste and all that. Still, I would recommend everybody go read a little portion of it to see whether or not it’s for you, and you might be pleasantly surprised!

[the-mspfa-200-favourites-project]

HOXXESBOUND

Very excited to finally learn what this one is all about, because it seems to be like if a sleuthlike was also deep rock galactic, a game I have never played but watched Jerma play once and it was the funniest thing I had ever seen so I think I’m in good hands. In all actuality, that’s not the reason I’m excited and interested to get to read this one—the reason I want to read this one is that whoever makes this comic always has BANGER SAHCon trailers every year and THAT’S why I think I am in good hands. Anyways.

Speaking as somebody who doesn’t know ANYTHING about Deep Rock Galactic, I love how there’s like, indicators that there’s so many fantasy races in this universe’s setting? Like, obviously I knew about the dwarfs from that aforementioned Jerma video, but apparently there’s elves and gnomes and stuff like that. And all these worldbuilding details are just causally slipped in. Like, apparently people think gnomes eat dirt, or something???????? Also, the prose is really good, which is what you kind of want out of a sleuthlike. So far, I am enjoying this.

Ooo that’s a cool way to do an introduction…wrapped in a portfolio already made for them…I love it when introduction sequences are like. Different. Unique. Not bog standard. Idk what else to say about this it’s kind of early in the morning whilst I am writing this and I’m a little bit sleepy.

And now I’m at the end of my assigned reading but I kind of don’t want it to. Stop. You know? Which is, as always, the eternally good sign that I have found another winner. Good stuff happening in this. As previously mentioned constantly throughout this notes-taking session/review, I have no idea what Deep Rock Galactic is and *I* enjoyed it and was engaged, so you know that’s a stamp of approval.

[the-mspfa-200-favourites-project]

XenoLogia

Ahhhh…I’ve been waiting to check out this one for FOREVER. Remember Night Fall? This is by that same author. Yeah. Nightfall, all the way back in 2013, that was like, the first continuation of Homestuck’s story BEFORE IT EVEN ENDED. How Naïve I was back then, how less battle-hardened I was! But those days are long gone…I’ve seen things. I’ve read some comics. And now, I am ready to read the TRUE attempt. And this isn’t just a continuation of Homestuck. This, in fact, is an all new, original webcomic that is in the vein of a more traditional comic, like, say, oh I don’t know, SuperEgo? Yeah, we’re dropping all the old names for this one. That’s why I was excited to check this out, considering that apparently it has nothing to do with Homestuck, or trying to emulate Old Video Games, or whatever. Just a straightforward story about aliens and governments (I assume). Anyways. Enough rambling.

Okay so this song(??????) that it starts off with is an absolute BANGER, first of all. Secondly, the song is like, on a full animation???????? What the heck???????? This is just so much high production right out of the gate it’s insane, and the ambition that it communicates to me is…really good. And yet, I can totally just see how it’s the same art style as Night Fall had. The moment the main protagonist/vocalist person opened their eyes, I went, oh yeah, this is by the creator of Night Fall.

So I have no idea, if my floundering tone is any indication, how to actually describe this comic accurately. Like, it uses all the main format of an MSPFA (colored dialogue boxes, one panel per page, animations within the comic itself), but is 100% also more in line with more…traditional webcomics such as Paranatural and I guess that’s the only webcomic I know of. But without the full page of panels. I guess it’s been so long since I got like, a really traditional comic like Oceanfalls or Cult Following or SuperEgo that I’m a little rusty actually reading a non-SBURB/Homestuck AU/Problem Sleuth/Sleuthlike webcomic. Or something. Maybe I’m just tired. Anyways, Wow lots of big names being swung around here in my notes tonight.

Now, that being said. What are my current thoughts. Mainly that that song was sick and I’m still getting over that intro, but…now that it’s to the actual comic, I’m beginning to hit that wall again.

Character dialogue. It is, without question, one of the make-or-break things in a comic. If you can’t have a snappy premise, interesting bits, funny moments, or good characters, than it’s really hard to keep my attention, and of those, good characters is definitely the hardest to get right. This is like, one of *the* reasons why I like Vast Error so much; not because of it’s jigsaw puzzle-plot or it’s insane production values, but rather that it HAS created some characters (namely Serpaz…shoutouts Serpaz) that will stay in my brain forever. And that’s quite the accomplishment, quite honestly. But getting back to Xenologia, so far, I’m not exactly feeling it. It’s kind of…rote? Cliché? Doggerel? Other words I’m probably using wrong? Not that that’s a bad thing necessarily sometimes but…I don’t think that’s how I get attached to something.

When I think about the characters that have attached themselves to my brain, they are usually like. One note. But like, in a way that makes it so that that one note SINGS. OR, they are doing one note, but that one note is so interesting and unique in the grand scheme of things that it becomes a complex, complicated character. Or maybe I just like really silly, wacky antics and this webcomic is giving me none of that and only the vague feeling that this is really just like, a shadow pilot to an animation show that the creator wanted to make.

I don’t know. Like I said previously, I feel like I’m floundering to describe what it is that makes or breaks a webcomic for me, or why I like or dislike a webcomic. I find that that happens more often for things I’m neutral about rather than things that I *really, really* like. I guess that makes sense—the more interested in something you are, the more willing you are to pull back the layers and see what really makes that thing tick, and especially what makes it tick in comparison to other webcomics you’ve read. But I guess all that is to say that I think this is a competently, well executed work of fiction with a lot of clear heart and passion and effort put into it that I, personally, am not getting into. Which kind of sucks, but I guess that’s that…

[the-mspfa-200-favourites-project]

YOU'RE A GHOST

Hey remember Sleuthlikes? I remember sleuthlikes. I remember (and I always remember this whenever I put another “no” in my spreadsheet under the “Non-MSPA?” category) somebody in the MSPFA discord talking about how MSPFA was not just about Homestuck. And like, that’s true, to an extent. But I feel like saying that it really belongs to the non-MSPA-ers is really…detrimental to understanding how the site works? Like. Just scrolling through the reviews I’ve done on the webcomics started in 2020, it’s insane to me how many of them are, directly or indirectly, someway influenced by Homestuck^2’s rise to prominence at this time. I don’t know. MSPFA *can* be more than Homestuck, but Homestuck is such a crowning achievement of the genre and of the medium that it becomes like. That one quote about J.R.R Tolkien and Mount Fuji. That’s basically what Homestuck is to MSPFA. In other words, what Homestuck is doing (or not doing) at the time effects, VISCERALLY, the culture and landscape and tone of the works contained within MSPFA. There’s no way around this fact. Anyways that’s some random preamble I guess to the notes let’s talk about YOU’RE A GHOST.

Well that was You’re a ghost. No seriously. I just brain full, thoughts emptied my way through the whole thing. It was. Alright, I guess? It was only 47 pages. It felt like it could go somewhere, the prose was entertaining enough. Had some interesting jokes in it, I suppose. The main character’s design was pretty cool. But it ended swiftly as it started, leaving me wanting more. Which is a good sign, all things considered. But not much to write about.