Fieldstuck (Acceleration)

[Rafter]

>Gwen: play haunting tune

[KingTwelveSixteen]

>Thank her profusely.

[psychapprentice]

==>



This is the nicest Christmas gift you've gotten so far this year. Granted, it is the first one.

Gwen: Thank her profusely.



You sign, "Thank you."

[KingTwelveSixteen]

>Continue communicating only in hand-signs. Never explain the reason for this.

[guillotineGuardian]

Daww, Gwen looks so cute.

> Gwen: Record yourself playing guitar. Post on youtube ASAP. Become a rock star, and be propelled to everlasting fame.

[psychapprentice]

==>



Time for a walk.

Gwen: Continue communicating only in hand-signs. Never explain the reason for this.



It's because Josephine is mostly deaf. She can still speak easily, because she wasn't born deaf. There was an accident when she was younger. She doesn't like to talk about it.

[guillotineGuardian]

> Yodel and whistle for the wolf.

E: Like so.

[psychapprentice]

Before I start rambling like usual, I'll just come out and say it: I'm thinking of rebooting Fieldstuck. I know this seems like it's coming out of nowhere, but it really isn't. If you care, you can read the next paragraph to see where I'm coming from.

For a long time, I've had this nebulous conception of the overall plot of the story, with really awesome ideas kind of floating around in my head with no sense of order. Recently, I decided to sit down and bang out a bullet point list of major plot points. I am far from finished with this list; I doubt I'm even halfway done with the first Volume of the story. I was disturbed to realize that out of the more than 20 points I have written down, I have basically only passed one (Gwen wakes up on Prospit). This adventure has been running for literally six months. At this rate, by the time the first major section of the story is finished, I will certainly have gotten bored. You know, assuming a constant rate of 2 points every six months. That isn't really likely, but still, I'd rather not have to continue to deal with the frustration I've already felt several times at not getting anywhere with my (even if I say so myself) amazingly twisty plot. This is by far the most effort I've put into following through on a story concept, and I'd hate to see it bore me before I can finish.

Even so, I still want to take into consideration what you guys think. The point of telling a story is for other people; I already know exactly what the entire story looks like in my head, and translating it into pictures and words doesn't really do my brain justice. Sure, there is a certain satisfaction in making my thoughts permanent, but for the most part, I only physically express my ideas for you guys, so you should definitely have some say in that expression.

I've made a list of the pros and cons of rebooting. Deliberate, then tell me what you think.

Pros

• Faster moving plot. If I start over, this time with proper scheduling, I could definitely finish Chapter 1 in under two months, possibly one.
• The chance to redo my crappy art. I've definitely gotten better at drawing, and I think I'm probably at the level Hussie was when he began Homestuck.
• It wouldn't take as long to update, at least in the first chapter, since I could reuse art when appropriate.
• Better characterization. I honestly feel like I didn't develop the characters exactly as I intended.
• Fewer plot holes. Whenever I look back, I see tons of things I wish I hadn't done, things I have to live with, because they are 100% CANON. Unless I de-canonize this experiment.
• Less unnecessary hints at the future. Sometimes I feel like my desire to show that there really is an upcoming plot manifested in heavy-handed "foreshadowing," which was not pulled off properly.
• It would give me the chance to make some minor stylistic changes (like maybe chumhandles).
• I admit that I don't see this adventure as doing as well as I had hoped. I'm not ashamed to admit that I wish more people read it. I think the problem is mainly that it's not worth it to read, because it's almost 500 panels in, and the plot has hardly even started. This story is even harder to get into than Homestuck is for some people. I'd like to fix that.

Cons

• This would mean I almost completely wasted these past six months.*
• You, the readers, would have to sit through Chapter 1 yet again.**
• As much as I can reuse some art, a lot of it is either crappy-looking, or no longer applicable, which means plenty of wasted art.*

*If I restart, it would just mean that everything I've done until now has been practice. And it certainly has been good practice.
**I'm honestly surprised you sat through it (it is almost done) the first time around. But this hypothetical next time would be a much higher quality version (I promise!)

So, tell me what you think. If I get a resounding "NO!" I'll probably reconsider. If you really don't want me to reboot, please explain why. If you can think of some more pros or cons, don't be shy.

Obviously, updates will halt until I make a decision.

[Naristar]

If you feel like you can do a better job if you start over then you should probly do it....
But please remember there is value in what you've accomplished soo far, I've liked it!
Please don't drop this, its soo sad when we never get to see the end of the story because the author doesn't feel like finishing

[guillotineGuardian]

First, let me tell you, I will continue reading in either event.

Secondly, you're the author, and you know what's best for Fieldstuck, more than any of Fieldstuck's readers. As such, the readers, including me, should be content with whatever it is that you decide to do.


As a matter of opinion, however, I personally feel that a reboot is for the better. Let me explain my thoughts on the matter, many of which are simply rehash of yours.

Like you said, if you were to reboot, that would be six months of work de-canonized, rendered much less useful, even as it served as practice for you. But then, you have the opportunity to make better art, better characterization, and simply better story-telling (although let me note that all three, particularly the last, have been quite good). Also, doing so will allow more readers to be able to get into Fieldstuck much more easily. Fieldstuck would become much more accessible.

The pros of keeping up with what is currently here are simply that all that work is not in any way wasted. Everything is preserved. Nothing is lost. But later on, you might regret further that you didn't do something a certain way.

Stuff should be done as right as possible in any given instance of such stuff. If you've done something wrong, and such actions are permanent and irreversible in the present instance, and such actions make that big a difference, then you should simply start over to get it right the next time. So, if you feel that the current instance of Fieldstuck is too flawed to be worthwhile to continue, then you should definitely reboot.


However, only you know the story well enough to be able to make that judgement, whether or not it is too flawed. If you feel that it isn't that flawed, then you might not want to reboot. Maybe you decide you want to make it better, and reboot anyway. Or you feel like a reboot would inject some more energy and buzz into Fieldstuck, so you reboot. Ultimately, you're the only person who can decide whether Fieldstuck, in its current instance, is so flawed that it needs to be rebooted.



So, that's what I think on the matter. Regardless of the course of action that you choose, however, I will continue to read this.

[Atarlost]

The problem with doing things shorter form is you won't have as much space for character development. It's also often hard to tell the same story twice, so if you decanonize the current adventure you'll probably rush too much repeating it.

[psychapprentice]

If you feel like you can do a better job if you start over then you should probly do it....
But please remember there is value in what you've accomplished soo far, I've liked it!

I do feel like I can do a better job, not only because I have better planning skills and a more solid idea of the plot, but also because my art skills have definitely improved since the beginning. Seriously, the first few panels are really bad. I do realize that there is value in what I've done, but I really feel like this story hasn't been going the way I imagined. As much as you think you like this version, I promise the reboot will be even better. I hope.

Like you said, if you were to reboot, that would be six months of work de-canonized, rendered much less useful, even as it served as practice for you. But then, you have the opportunity to make better art, better characterization, and simply better story-telling (although let me note that all three, particularly the last, have been quite good). Also, doing so will allow more readers to be able to get into Fieldstuck much more easily. Fieldstuck would become much more accessible.

Stuff should be done as right as possible in any given instance of such stuff. If you've done something wrong, and such actions are permanent and irreversible in the present instance, and such actions make that big a difference, then you should simply start over to get it right the next time. So, if you feel that the current instance of Fieldstuck is too flawed to be worthwhile to continue, then you should definitely reboot.

However, only you know the story well enough to be able to make that judgement, whether or not it is too flawed. If you feel that it isn't that flawed, then you might not want to reboot. Maybe you decide you want to make it better, and reboot anyway. Or you feel like a reboot would inject some more energy and buzz into Fieldstuck, so you reboot. Ultimately, you're the only person who can decide whether Fieldstuck, in its current instance, is so flawed that it needs to be rebooted.

I'm not too upset over losing much of the work I've already put into Fieldstuck. The main regret I have with regards to that is that I wish I had the skills and full-bodied plot that I have now, way back when I first started. That is, I wish that, rather than a reboot, I could go back to January and start everything again.

I don't really feel like Fieldstuck can't possibly continue the way it is going now. It's not too flawed to continue, in that if the option of rebooting didn't exist, I would simply continue with the story, rather than abandon it. However, the story is unsatisfactory enough that, since I can just start over, I would rather do that.

Also, the way you put it is perfect. I want to inject Fieldstuck with energy. I started off unsure of my capabilities, and not really with anything more than a premise (which has yet to present itself in the story, due to it's UNFATHOMABLE SLOWNESS) and basic characters. Starting over means I can attack it with renewed vigor. And yes, I certainly hope to attract more readers. Not that I don't appreciate how awesome it is that I even have you guys reading already. you!!

The problem with doing things shorter form is you won't have as much space for character development. It's also often hard to tell the same story twice, so if you decanonize the current adventure you'll probably rush too much repeating it.

Actually, I really think character development could go along a lot smoother in this reboot. The main reason it would be shorter is not because I would compress the current Chapter 1 into a sixth of its size, but because I would cut out a TON of stuff. In fact, the new Chapter 1 would be an even better place for characterization, because, like Hussie, I'll try to focus more on Gwen, instead of hurriedly getting to Luke and Kara (and then I was going to play a little game I like to call "How Many Ways can Will's Introduction be Dodged?" Actually, I might still play that).

Plus, I didn't really have such a concrete idea of what the characters were like when I started. I was actually just letting them reveal their personalities to me at the same time as they were presented to you. I realize now that they aren't people; they are characters. Their traits need to be readily apparent, because there really isn't time to glean personalities in the first few chapters. You need to have a first impression, like, "Oh, this guy is obsessed with women, loves ping pong, and takes pride in driving a fancy car." Then, as the story progresses, you can pick up subtler aspects of their personality through their actions and dialogues (and monologues). So yeah... I have a clear image in my head of what that would look like in the reboot.

---

I think I've reached my decision. It was pretty easy actually. I was going into this already mostly leaning towards rebooting, and only continuing if everyone would hate me for starting over. You guys simply confirmed that this is a good choice. Thanks for your responses. They weren't patronizing, skeptical, or mean. No one said, "Yeah, this story sucks, you should definitely restart!" or "Wow, you can't commit to anything, can you?" Not that I thought you would. But thanks for not shattering my glittering perception of you guys.

So here's how this is going down: this version of Fieldstuck is now officially done updating. I'm going to spend some time preparing the Rebooted adventure, probably a couple of weeks, but definitely less than a month. The new thread will obviously have to start back in the cradle until ten updates, so you can look for it there. When the new adventure starts, I'll post here one last time with a link to the new thread, so if you haven't already, subscribe to the thread to get notified.

I think that, this time around, I'll be a little more scrutinizing of your suggestions. A lot of stuff that happened so far was entirely from your suggestions. Did you know that Gwen was not meant to wake up on Prospit? Well, not this early anyway. Someone suggested that she pass out, and I introduced her Dreams, and then it kind of snowballed from there. I had come up with a whole reason for why she woke up earlier. Also, I need to get better at making animations. I spent forever on Cloudburst, and it wasn't even that plot central. I decided to give you guys that flashback purely to stall, because I was nowhere near finished with Cloudburst by the time it came up in the story. Basically, a lot of things that happened were just me trying to let suggestions lead the way, and then I had to build a plot around that. And that works fine for some stories. But not one with this large of a scale. I now know why Hussie stopped taking commands. Don't worry, there will still be command opportunities, and suggestions can sometimes help fill in small gaps where the plot outline doesn't cover.

Also, I know I promised way back when that I'll never abandon this adventure. Obviously, this doesn't count as abandonment, but I'd still like to amend that promise: I promise to never abandon this adventure unless one or more of the following criteria are met.

• The apocalypse happens. In that case, I'll still try to update as often as possible, but depending on the apocalypse scenario, I might have spotty internet connection. Also, I might need to focus more on stocking up on assault rifles than doodling.
• I get a debilitating illness or injury. Then I'll stop updating until I get better.
• Hussie Himself asks me to stop. Or perhaps some other deity makes itself known to me and asks me to stop.
• I get paid 14.7 million dollars to never update again. (That number is non negotiable.)
• I get picked to help colonize Mars. The moon colony would not stop me, because, as everyone knows, WiFi is terrific on the moon.
• There is literally not even one person reading. I really hope the Mars colony thing is more likely than this.

If updates stop without warning, assume one of the above happened. Notice that boredom is not on the list. If I ever get bored (which is Inconceivable), the most I would do would be to take a hiatus, and of course I would explain the situation, rather than leave you in the dark.

So that's that! Thanks again for sticking with me this long, and I can't wait to see you all on the other side! We can still talk in this thread if you want to know more about what I have planned. I'm sometimes way too loose-lipped.

[guillotineGuardian]

I look forward to the new Fieldstuck! I shall keep vigil over the Cradle.

[ICan'tGiveCredit]

Ummm... it's not really wasted art. You could upload it to deviantart, thereby also advertising Fieldstuck! hope my suggestion helps! My deviantart name is ICantGiveCredit.

[psychapprentice]

ICan'tGiveCredit: Sorry I forgot to respond. While it's a good idea in theory, I don't have a Deviantart account, and even if I did, anything I'd be proud to show off is almost certainly either plot spoiling or plot misleading, since, like I said, this version of Fieldstuck isn't quite the plot I had in mind.

Also, Fieldstuck is almost ready to launch! I think the 16th is a good estimate. Stay tuned!

[Glamurio]

This is actually cool if you can pull through. I can relate a lot, since the adventure I'm doing also has a few flaws here and there, but most of the stuff I can probably still rework, although I kind of feel like I wasted time, much like you said. I think the hardest part for you would be to have the motivation to just pull through all of that again, at least that'd be something that would really be weighing me down. I think it's great that you decided to redo it, because at this point you'll have more fans wanting to read it, and probably more ideas as to the plot itself. And I truly admire the fact that you can sit yourself down and redo everything you've done, even if you know that you did a lot for nothing.

[psychapprentice]

FIELDSTUCK IS BACK!

Click here to go to the new version.

Thanks for sticking around!