Sburb Glich FAQ|Reminiscing

[harmoniousCalamity]

Okay you're going to have to like, hold me, because occasionally I recall the Sburb Glitch FAQ fanfic, and I crave sburb world building a little more. Here's the link if you haven't ever read it or need a refresher: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34077 ... ers/551606

Starting in 2012 and stopped updating in 2013 means it really is truly outdated, and it remains unfinished, but it's still a fan work I truly enjoyed reading about in the IC comments threads, to the outdated lore, and made up game mechanics and tons of fanon content & it keeps on making me wish for something more up to date with the information we now have. Have you ever read the FAQ before, or any of it in similar vein?

_{I could've sworn there was one based entirely around the cooking/alchemizing aspects of the game but I'm not sure if that one is still up?}

[RoyalFiddle]

I adore this fic, it still remains one of my absolute favs, and I wish it got to finish in it's prime. And yeah, honestly a modern era fic without an anti-Homestuck bias (Regardless of how one feels about modern Homestuck I think it can be agreed that letting that dislike reflect on the fic would remain damage it's quality) would probably just shoot to the top of my favs

[lavendersiren]

I fuckin' love sburb glitch faq.
I read that back when SBARG was running and it really inspired a lot that went into SBARGv2 when I was on the staff for that. It really hit that sweet spot of exploring game mechanics that I really wanted to know more about, along with those cool sections where it like, described the subjective experience of being in a broken variant of sburb.

[harmoniousCalamity]

I adore this fic, it still remains one of my absolute favs, and I wish it got to finish in it's prime. And yeah, honestly a modern era fic without an anti-Homestuck bias (Regardless of how one feels about modern Homestuck I think it can be agreed that letting that dislike reflect on the fic would remain damage it's quality) would probably just shoot to the top of my favs

Honestly I know I started the attempt a few years ago trying to draft a more modern version, but I never got anywhere fast, and even then, with homestuck just ending...I think a lot of fanon stuff was lost or I could just never find a concrete place to see it and write about it .-.

but yeah with how things are going now in HS, I think it would be difficult to draft and write something like this with out complete bias, even though it would have little to nothing to do with the kids or any of the current on goings.

[harmoniousCalamity]

I fuckin' love sburb glitch faq.
I read that back when SBARG was running and it really inspired a lot that went into SBARGv2 when I was on the staff for that. It really hit that sweet spot of exploring game mechanics that I really wanted to know more about, along with those cool sections where it like, described the subjective experience of being in a broken variant of sburb.

Honest to god I didn't know that SBARG was a thing and now that I'm seeing what it is, I am SO totally bummed that I missed out on something like that! But gosh---same? Like There are just so many questions, and I'm sure the author/fandom at the time would've spawned amazing ideas for the broken sessions!

_{Not like they couldn't now but, like sburb the game itself honestly has dropped off of the radar from what I've seen. It's really only the real basic stuff now.}

[misery]

my only problem with the glitch faq is the made up aspects. i feel like they missed the point and had too many that were overly literal or elemental. like, if you look at homestucks aspects sure they all have a surface meaning (breath = wind, rage = ...rage, etc) but they ALL tie into storytelling in some way, the powers arent just to manipulate physical reality (like "sand" is in the glitch faq) but also to manipul8 or oper8 within the story itself.

examples being rage and hope being story contrivance and coherence respectively
breath being plot while blood is character
light being the overall big picture story itself
mind being motivations
etc etc

i like how homestucks power system is set up to explore how stories work instead of just how elements or magic work, which makes sense considering homestuck is a story about stories. idk thats just my opinion dont h8

[RoyalFiddle]

I don't disagree, but as far as I'm aware, Aspects as a storytelling set of abilities wasn't really something in the public consciousness at the time, and while I don't like most extended aspects, at the very least I don't blame them for that.

[harmoniousCalamity]

my only problem with the glitch faq is the made up aspects. i feel like they missed the point and had too many that were overly literal or elemental. like, if you look at homestucks aspects sure they all have a surface meaning (breath = wind, rage = ...rage, etc) but they ALL tie into storytelling in some way, the powers arent just to manipulate physical reality (like "sand" is in the glitch faq) but also to manipul8 or oper8 within the story itself.

examples being rage and hope being story contrivance and coherence respectively
breath being plot while blood is character
light being the overall big picture story itself
mind being motivations
etc etc

i like how homestucks power system is set up to explore how stories work instead of just how elements or magic work, which makes sense considering homestuck is a story about stories. idk thats just my opinion dont h8

I'm not entirely fond of them myself because I thought they, along with fanon classes clashed or were to similar to other aspects/classes themselves. However, even with me not truly enjoying them I do kind of miss that sort of creativity you know? Even if it never really made any sense lol

[RoyalFiddle]

If we absolutely had to rely upon an extended classpect system I'd really prefer if it was something done along the lines of what Wakraya has put to paper with the Homestuck Aspect Division Theory, as seen here: https://wakraya.tumblr.com/post/1154161 ... hile-ago-a

[harmoniousCalamity]

If we absolutely had to rely upon an extended classpect system I'd really prefer if it was something done along the lines of what Wakraya has put to paper with the Homestuck Aspect Division Theory, as seen here: https://wakraya.tumblr.com/post/1154161 ... hile-ago-a

Honestly with the concept of sburb having different versions of itself and as such lending credence to the odd out of place aspect/class due to that I willingly accept. Though thats more due to my basis of it being a game, and sometimes games, especially earlier/defunct versions can simply just, have things wrong with them and out of place. Scrapped ideas. You know?

But yeah if we were to have a more official and set in stone set of sub-aspects, something like the list you linked would be preferable.

_{Though I will admit that some of the things on said list, with explanation, some of them I'm still not fond of. But this is coming from the person who's dead set on the ideal that life represents chaos on a more general scale, and doom represents order on the same length.}

[misery]

If we absolutely had to rely upon an extended classpect system I'd really prefer if it was something done along the lines of what Wakraya has put to paper with the Homestuck Aspect Division Theory, as seen here: https://wakraya.tumblr.com/post/1154161 ... hile-ago-a

Honestly with the concept of sburb having different versions of itself and as such lending credence to the odd out of place aspect/class due to that I willingly accept. Though thats more due to my basis of it being a game, and sometimes games, especially earlier/defunct versions can simply just, have things wrong with them and out of place. Scrapped ideas. You know?

But yeah if we were to have a more official and set in stone set of sub-aspects, something like the list you linked would be preferable.

_{Though I will admit that some of the things on said list, with explanation, some of them I'm still not fond of. But this is coming from the person who's dead set on the ideal that life represents chaos on a more general scale, and doom represents order on the same length.}

elaborate on your doom/life order/chaos theory im curious

[harmoniousCalamity]

If we absolutely had to rely upon an extended classpect system I'd really prefer if it was something done along the lines of what Wakraya has put to paper with the Homestuck Aspect Division Theory, as seen here: https://wakraya.tumblr.com/post/1154161 ... hile-ago-a

Honestly with the concept of sburb having different versions of itself and as such lending credence to the odd out of place aspect/class due to that I willingly accept. Though thats more due to my basis of it being a game, and sometimes games, especially earlier/defunct versions can simply just, have things wrong with them and out of place. Scrapped ideas. You know?

But yeah if we were to have a more official and set in stone set of sub-aspects, something like the list you linked would be preferable.

_{Though I will admit that some of the things on said list, with explanation, some of them I'm still not fond of. But this is coming from the person who's dead set on the ideal that life represents chaos on a more general scale, and doom represents order on the same length.}

elaborate on your doom/life order/chaos theory im curious

Honestly I might reevaluate my old theory, or maybe expand on it further, but I made a semi-ranty post about it in 2018. _{ignore the edge art}

[Sugar]

oh god I just saw this thread, I LOVED Sburb Glitch FAQ back in the day. I briefly joined the associated RP community for a while, I remember it was either formally or informally called "Replay Value". Another memory of mine that may offer some insight into the fic's design is that RPers were often allowed to develop material for the author, or outright enter material as a guest author. Some aspects were designed entirely by the people who wrote them, others were crowdsourced. That may explain the sources and construction of the fan aspects, especially that some RPer-centric material wasn't used because it was still being workshopped, and may have been edited in later.

I still love the fic, and I revisit it occasionally. At one point, I literally had it downloaded to my phone, and I would refer to it for inspiration. I still kind of do, and I'm currently writing an "edition" of Sburb for a project that takes a lot of inspiration from it.

[aspiringWatcher]

oh god I just saw this thread, I LOVED Sburb Glitch FAQ back in the day. I briefly joined the associated RP community for a while, I remember it was either formally or informally called "Replay Value". Another memory of mine that may offer some insight into the fic's design is that RPers were often allowed to develop material for the author, or outright enter material as a guest author. Some aspects were designed entirely by the people who wrote them, others were crowdsourced. That may explain the sources and construction of the fan aspects, especially that some RPer-centric material wasn't used because it was still being workshopped, and may have been edited in later.

I still love the fic, and I revisit it occasionally. At one point, I literally had it downloaded to my phone, and I would refer to it for inspiration. I still kind of do, and I'm currently writing an "edition" of Sburb for a project that takes a lot of inspiration from it.

It was indeed called Replay Value, and I think it's still ongoing somewhere on a Discord server. I haven't taken part, though - not really a RP type.

By the way, Elaine "OJ" Wang, whom some of you may know as a Homestuck fanmusician (although IIRC she made Dord Waltz?) also wrote a Chuubo campaign book for its first iteration.

My HS theoretics are heavily influenced by Sburb Glitch FAQ, & I'm responsible for its classpectry rework for SburbSim. (I've been working on developing a stable and at least somewhat constructive praxis for the expanded system to make sense, in a way.)

(But really, funny how people in the wide fandom have only recently been awakening to how Sburb is utterly amoral?)

[harmoniousCalamity]

oh god I just saw this thread, I LOVED Sburb Glitch FAQ back in the day. I briefly joined the associated RP community for a while, I remember it was either formally or informally called "Replay Value". Another memory of mine that may offer some insight into the fic's design is that RPers were often allowed to develop material for the author, or outright enter material as a guest author. Some aspects were designed entirely by the people who wrote them, others were crowdsourced. That may explain the sources and construction of the fan aspects, especially that some RPer-centric material wasn't used because it was still being workshopped, and may have been edited in later.

I still love the fic, and I revisit it occasionally. At one point, I literally had it downloaded to my phone, and I would refer to it for inspiration. I still kind of do, and I'm currently writing an "edition" of Sburb for a project that takes a lot of inspiration from it.

It was indeed called Replay Value, and I think it's still ongoing somewhere on a Discord server. I haven't taken part, though - not really a RP type.

By the way, Elaine "OJ" Wang, whom some of you may know as a Homestuck fanmusician (although IIRC she made Dord Waltz?) also wrote a Chuubo campaign book for its first iteration.

My HS theoretics are heavily influenced by Sburb Glitch FAQ, & I'm responsible for its classpectry rework for SburbSim. (I've been working on developing a stable and at least somewhat constructive praxis for the expanded system to make sense, in a way.)

(But really, funny how people in the wide fandom have only recently been awakening to how Sburb is utterly amoral?)

oh man if i wasn't busy with my last 3 weeks of college winding down id be so interested in getting into the replay value discord.

But man I agree it is quite funny. I even tried to further implement the amoral nature of the game into my own writings for my FAQ, but you would assume that with how in the 'alpha timeline' in order to get there people HAVE to die or HAVE to get seriously harmed or HAVE to do X/Y/Z, in order to get out of the game, to win? That it would've been picked up on sooner.

[aspiringWatcher]

oh god I just saw this thread, I LOVED Sburb Glitch FAQ back in the day. I briefly joined the associated RP community for a while, I remember it was either formally or informally called "Replay Value". Another memory of mine that may offer some insight into the fic's design is that RPers were often allowed to develop material for the author, or outright enter material as a guest author. Some aspects were designed entirely by the people who wrote them, others were crowdsourced. That may explain the sources and construction of the fan aspects, especially that some RPer-centric material wasn't used because it was still being workshopped, and may have been edited in later.

I still love the fic, and I revisit it occasionally. At one point, I literally had it downloaded to my phone, and I would refer to it for inspiration. I still kind of do, and I'm currently writing an "edition" of Sburb for a project that takes a lot of inspiration from it.

It was indeed called Replay Value, and I think it's still ongoing somewhere on a Discord server. I haven't taken part, though - not really a RP type.

By the way, Elaine "OJ" Wang, whom some of you may know as a Homestuck fanmusician (although IIRC she made Dord Waltz?) also wrote a Chuubo campaign book for its first iteration.

My HS theoretics are heavily influenced by Sburb Glitch FAQ, & I'm responsible for its classpectry rework for SburbSim. (I've been working on developing a stable and at least somewhat constructive praxis for the expanded system to make sense, in a way.)

(But really, funny how people in the wide fandom have only recently been awakening to how Sburb is utterly amoral?)

oh man if i wasn't busy with my last 3 weeks of college winding down id be so interested in getting into the replay value discord.

But man I agree it is quite funny. I even tried to further implement the amoral nature of the game into my own writings for my FAQ, but you would assume that with how in the 'alpha timeline' in order to get there people HAVE to die or HAVE to get seriously harmed or HAVE to do X/Y/Z, in order to get out of the game, to win? That it would've been picked up on sooner.

Oh you know.

[Rolaldistrict]

i remember taking a lot of inspiration from my old homestuck fansessions from the Sburb Glitch FAQ, and though it is very outdated for today, it had some really good stuff in there that is very viable for enjoyable game mechanics! the overall tone of it makes it all the more fun to read too, and their theories on roleplay factor influenced a lot of my thinking as to how classpects work and why they exist in sburb. the skills that they came up with for classes and aspects were really cute and fun, too. in a fansession i'm running atm, i really want to make aspect-inspired skills that are in the same vein of those in the glitch faq.

[baseybol]

when i first finished the fanfic i was astounded at how big it seemed to have been in the past, i originally found it because out of boredom i was trying out sburb domains and sburb.org redirected to what seemed like an odd sburb roleplay forum with details i didnt know. then i did some digging and found the fanfic, loved every bit of worldbuilding that it sneakily added casually or by omission, as well as all the ASCII art it included as a bonus! might honestly be one of my favorite written homestuck fanmedia of all time

god, sometimes i reread some of the comments on the final chapter, and although theres a lot im sad didnt get to be explored based on the chapter 1 info block i feel like the last chapter made really is kind of... a finale for it, or at least its helped me figure out aspect powers for fankids so many times im glad it got to be last

after i read it, i spent a couple days researching and after many dead links, i also eventually unearthed a working discord invite to a server, well two actually, but one of them is more active out of the other two

i cant recall where i found the original link, i think it was on some abandoned tumblr account? anyway im putting it here just in case