Homestuck/Shout-Out

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


> EXAMINE DOCUMENTED REFERENCES TO MISCELLANEOUS MEDIA

So many sweet references. You'd almost think it was simultaneously your birthday, AND Christmas or something.


Film (includes Actors)

Poster: OCEANS RISE. CITIES FALL. HOPE SURVIVES.
TT: Oceans will rise. Cities will fall. Volcanoes will erupt.

You make...
Johnny 5.
God damnit.
Motherfucker thinks he's alive.
HE IS A TIN CAN, ROBOTS DON'T HAVE FEELINGS.


Eastern Media

TT: I even heard, and don't quote me on this, that she may have been over 9000.
[[color:green:GT: Heavens to betsy.
GT: That figure is just absurd.]]

Exactly how many panels do you want this to go on for? Over 9000? Nobody wants that. Nobody even wants to hear the phrase "over 9000."


Comic Books

"You are utterly astounded by how shitty their imagination is. If their imagination was a face you would shoot it. In the face."

  • Abraxas, Denizen of Hope, is usually thought to be, like Yaldabaoth, a reference to Gnosticism, but alternatively, it's the name of a Marvel villain with several parallels to Lord English.


Literature

  • There are two references to Vladimir Nabokov in the first living room scene: John's dad has pictures and figurines of clowns (or HARLEQUINS, as he is quick to correct anyone who would venture such brazen assumptions) and one of John's commands is to "Admire harlequins," Nabokov has a novel called Look at the Harlequins!. Then when he looks at the fireplace, he recalls the quote, "The moon is an errant mistress, and her pale fire she snatches from the sun." The quote is from Shakespeare, not Mark Twain as he thinks it is, but Nabokov did, of course, take the title of Pale Fire from it.
  • This page is an apparent Shout-Out to The Postman.
  • Moby Dick!
  • Some of the trolls embark on a quest to destroy a ring of great power in a volcano.
    • Not to mention someone named Strider who wields a broken sword.
    • And the best broken sword in the game being the Royal De-ringer.
    • The way Jack uses said sword to slay the Black Queen is also in direct reference (exploding her by cutting off her ring finger).
  • Cthulhu Mythos references can be found in the form of Jade's island (matches one of Lovecraft's descriptions) and in the beasties from Rose's grimoire.
    • The word "dreamself" is a reference to Lovecraft's Dream Cycle.
  • John being killed by Bec Noir somewhat resembles Aslan's sacrifice by the White Witch.
    • The entire plot is a coming-of-age story about four young people who travel to a magical land and are drafted into a battle between the forces of good and evil. Sound familiar?
  • Vriska writing I 8n't dead is an intentional reference to Granny Weatherwax, as confirmed on Andrew's Formspring.
    • With that in mind, WV?'s actions are probably a shout out to Vimes's idea of the pawns establishing their own democracy in Night Watch.
    • And a troll who can't use a bow because he keeps breaking them. Someone should have told Equius that bows aren't troll weapons.
  • A character named John's best friend being named Dave is possibly a reference to John Dies at the End
  • When Andrew Hussie is about to be shot by Lord English, he rattles off a list of all the things he believes in, including magic.
    • Aw fuck who am I kidding magic is fake as shit.


Live-Action TV


Video Games

EarthBound

The entire series is more or less an extended shout out to the Mother trilogy, most especially EarthBound. Although there are some Shout Outs to Mother 3, they seem to be accidental more than anything else, as Andrew has never played it. As such, compared to other franchises there is a significantly higher density of shout outs to it than anything else

  • The title "Homestuck" can be construed as a synonym of EarthBound.
  • Fraymotifs in particular look to be at least thematically similar to the music combos of MOTHER 3.
  • Both Homestuck and MOTHER 3 ascribe significance to frogs
  • The dream selves might be inspired by Magiciant. John's ascension to God Tier is reminiscent of Ness's power-up after conquering his Nightmare.
  • John, Rose, and Dave each have the same hair color and physically resemble three of the EarthBound protagonists: John resembles Ness, Rose resembles Paula, and Dave resembles Jeff. Jade doesn't exactly resemble Poo, but they also share the same hair color.
    • Speaking of similarities, Rose can be thought of as a Darker and Edgier Paula Expy, while John is practically a straight Expy of Ness. Dave and Jade split the traits of Jeff and Poo: Jade lives isolated from the other characters like Poo does, but wields guns like Jeff. Meanwhile, Dave uses a sword, which was one of the only weapons Poo could equip.
      • The Alpha Kids end up being closer, though whether that was intentional or simply a result of reflecting the aspects of the Kids is unclear. Roxy and Dirk fit Paula and Poo almost to a T, while having elements of Jeff in that they're inventors.
  • John's chumhandle initials are EB - as in EarthBound.
  • If Acts 1-5 were inspired by EarthBound, Act 6 has a heavy Mother 3 vibe to it with a Crap Saccharine World, corruptive technology, and a Time Skip with dramatic changes. Crockercorp can be thought of as a rough analogue for the Pigmask Army, with subliminal messages instead of Happy Boxes. The Imperial Drones are like the Pigmasks, while The Condesce bears a few similarities to King Porky Minch in that she is an immortal time-traveler and sidekick to an Eldritch Abomination.
  • "Rambunctious Crow" is reminiscent of "Spiteful Crow", an early-game Goomba with a penchant for stealing players' items (or Sburb beta).
  • In Act 6 Act 2 we learn that underneath his hat, Dad is bald. Just like Flint.
  • This panel has an Instant Revitalizing Device [dead link] in the corner; oddly, while it's clearly the EarthBound variant in that it's not stamped with a Pigmask logo, it otherwise has the colour scheme of their MOTHER 3 incarnation.
    • And it's used as a Mundane Utility by Dave to make coffee.
      • Dave is getting a cup of coffee before Rose launches into exposition, which is likely a reference to this scene.
  • Word of God instance: Hussie has stated that of her extensive gaming repertoire, Roxy's favourites are EarthBound and Pikmin, two titles he himself particularly enjoyed.


Other

TT: Ok, well it's not like it's that important. Just a super obvious thing that'll probably occur to you later when you're looking in the fridge you don't have, at which point you'll feel like an idiot.


Western Animation

EB: it is bill cosby.
EB: he's back.
EB: in laptop form.

  • A few Rainbow Dash pictures can be seen in Dirk Strider's room. While he purports to have a "strictly academic" interest in cartoon ponies, he soon admits that his affection for Rainbow Dash, at least, is totally unironic.

Music Shout Outs (Limited to songs not featured in comic)

> Go back

  1. ↑ For those who don't know, there are multiple Links and Zeldas, one for each century, and each one inherits the role from his/her ancestors, thus making them heirs.
  2. ↑ or 1/8 black
  3. ↑ "Believe you me: this is no mere shout-out to good, sensible web design elements. I believe this to be an acknowledgement of what Andrew and I have long known in our individual and respective heart of hearts: that Dinosaur Comics and MS Paint Adventures take place in the same universe, that one will segue into the other after only a few million years have passed, and that just as Steve Urkel and Carl Winslow could in theory go for a walk and bump into Balki and cousin Larry, so too will this pterosaur from my site one day happen to fly over the events which set up the adventures now being chronicled on his site, these adventures that take us through time and space, these adventures that have let us take control of the bodies of at least three children so far, these - these MS Paint Adventures."
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