How does one get into Homestuck?

[metaphysics]

Friend: HEY HEY you have to read homestuck, read it YOU MUST READ IT
Me: okay, chill out, geez

I read Act 1, decide it's boring, abandon it. Remember it a month or two later, start reading it again, decide it's really good, and now I'm hooked.

But part of the reason I gave it another try was that I kept seeing trolls everywhere. The first time I saw troll fanart was on the main page of dA, a big picture of all of them together. Their horns confused me. I remember thinking that they were the artist's OC's, and I didn't realize that they were actual comic characters until much later.

Also, I recall my friend trying to tell me about the trolls. She says, "well, there are twelve of them-" and I go "wait, twelve?! How am I supposed to remember the names of TWELVE trolls? I'll never get them all down!"
Yet here I am

[anarchicCorrosivity]

It actually took a second attempt for me to get into Homestuck.
A friend on Skype had suggested and linked me the comic, at the time I had assumed that it was like most webcomics, thought maybe it had about 100 pages or so, updated weekly, and so. When he suggested I also had to head out for work about an hour after he linked it to me, so I skimmed through maybe 30 pages, barely reading anything, opened maybe two pesterlogs, got bored, did something else, left for work.

A few months later one of his friends joined our Skype group, and both of them being Homestuck fans kept using inside jokes and terms (moirails, bucket jokes, and so on) and one of them linked this video to me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUnCrzCnnX4
It's not the best video, rather choppy and such, but it was enough to tell me "This is about more than some kid playing with disguises and running around the house" and was enough to interest me. I had a week off from work and decided to give Homestuck a go, never did I expect a single webcomic to steal hours upon hours from me for days, as soon as I trudged through Act I it was nonstop reading.
And now I've caught up, and it's like a drug where if I don't get my daily update I begin checking constantly in hopes for a [S] page.

Fucking worth the time, the complexity and dedication that Huss has put into this story, along with his other comics, amazes me.

Soon after I was getting further into the comic (Act 5 part 2) my girlfriend started becoming interested in what we were talking about (she was one of the only ones in the group that hadn't read Homestuck) so I linked her to Vriska on the wiki, as they had a lot in common in some areas, and her OC character was incredibly similar as well, this got her reading about all the characters in the wiki, she started picking up on stuff that a lot of had missed (at this point she hadn't even began reading the actual comic yet) and it got to the point that she did a Vriska cosplay, and now she's starting the comic, with knowledge of how painful Act I will be.

[HenBarrison]

Well, I really don't remember exactly how It started, but I do remeber when It dId.

I started wIth Jailbreak. Read It through, Thought It was funny, moved on.

Bard Quest. Eh, lame-Ish.

Problem Sleuth. Oh boy. ThIs Is when thIngs got InterestIng for me. I tore through It as quIckly as I could durIng school. When I fInnaly fInnIshed, I was excIted to move on.

And now Homestuck. Wow. I dIdn't need to worry about gettIng bored through the fIrst act, I understand and accept lengthy exposItIons. I was already hooked on Andrew's work, and the hook only sunk deeper when act two came. BassIcly, It was a read fest through summer. Eventually though, I caught up around the end of Act fIve. So I wItnessed the murder of the trolls AS IT HAPPENED. It was truamatIzIng. Now that my fanboyIzIm has had tIme to sImmer, I have fully become a Homestuck. (Though I'm not fond of the word. A bIt to blunt If you asked me.)

[Lykunjitwyre]

I read Problem Sleuth through most of its run, then tried Homestuck. I found it far too boring. When I started seeing people spamming threads about trolls on 4chan, I think the worst part of the fandom had put a bad taste in my mouth about it. I tried to read it again regardless, but again found myself fairly bored and indifferent.

The general consensus seemed to be that if I kept reading the whole thing, at some unspecified moment it would get good. I think I fell asleep about two chapters in, and the next day just groaned when I saw the tab open, and closed it for good.

I do like some fan art I see of it, though.

[Panda-s1]

I read Problem Sleuth through most of its run, then tried Homestuck. I found it far too boring. When I started seeing people spamming threads about trolls on 4chan, I think the worst part of the fandom had put a bad taste in my mouth about it. I tried to read it again regardless, but again found myself fairly bored and indifferent.

The general consensus seemed to be that if I kept reading the whole thing, at some unspecified moment it would get good. I think I fell asleep about two chapters in, and the next day just groaned when I saw the tab open, and closed it for good.

I do like some fan art I see of it, though.

psh, that's lame

[Optomnist]

It get's interesting at act 4-5 the first three... I just don't know what made me persevere... but I'm glad I did.

[KesnisHekaos]

I went to an anime con. Two of my friends where cosplaying characters (later found out it was Tavros and Gamzee) and they just told me that you had to read it to understand. They urged me to carry on through the boring bits and just kept telling me that it got better until I reached a point where it got exciting and I just carried on from there.

[Malisteen]

Sort of how I got into MLP:FiM. I kept hearing mention of it online. The mentions and references and buzzes didn't go away, so after a while I just said "sure, why not, I'll give it a try". I was sold early on - I loved Hussie's writing style and just the silly conversations between the kids, the slow initial pace didn't bother me. Of course, when I got to the EOA2 flash I was like, "gog danm, thist is my lief naow", and so for three days I went to work, came home, and read homestock. Nothing else, no eating, no sleeping, no laundry, nothing. Finally cot up a short ways after "Seer: Descend", and have been twitchedly anticipating updates ever since. MLP, Adventure Time, Korra, and Jean Edward Smith's biography of John Marshall can do little more than dull the pangs of withdrawal between new pages.

I've successfully introduced one of my younger brothers to the comic, and we'll read it out loud to each other over Skype (he's nearly caught up now, just starting Jack's jailbreak adventure).

Most of my other friends either don't have the patience for a webcomic with so much reading, or didn't enjoy all the dicking around of the early chapters waiting for the plot to start, or couldn't handle the way Hussie keeps building things to a head and then cutting over after a big cliff hanger to start building something else from the ground up. The one friend who got anywhere complained at the intermission, then quit at the start of hivebent.

Ah, well.

[fiveforchaos]

I FUCKING LOVE FANDOMS! Big ones, small ones. I particularly love ones that have developed their own unique culture.

Have you guys seen what the Homestuck fandom looks like from an outsider's perspective? It was like someone took a big juicy steak and started waving it in my face. I couldn't resist.

[genteelGunslinger]

I got into Homestuck through Shenanigans.

Actually, no, I got into it by seeing a picture of Nepeta playing in snow, making snow angels. And Equius attempting, and he dug himself through the Earth. I had no idea what was happening, and wondered what it was. I saw in the comments of the picture's hosting that it was Homestuck. So, I Googled it.

Now I'm here.

I have Nepeta And Equius to thank for giving me Homestuck.

[peze]

Bad fanart (of Nepeta and Equius), and criticism of said fanart by people that sometimes amuse me. I couldn't stand not knowing the context, so I started reading.

[Panda-s1]

I FUCKING LOVE FANDOMS! Big ones, small ones. I particularly love ones that have developed their own unique culture.

Have you guys seen what the Homestuck fandom looks like from an outsider's perspective? It was like someone took a big juicy steak and started waving it in my face. I couldn't resist.

Man, tbh fandoms scare me. I've been part of anime fandom for YEARS, yet it's kind of a miracle I even go to SakuraCon. Actually, I only do it 'cause all my friends are there. Same with PAX, even. Homestuck fandom is no exception, but I wasn't as turned off as everyone else I know (for the record, I find anime fandom can be just as annoying, if not much worse).

But I don't let fans get the way of me enjoying things, I think it's kinda really retarded if you do.

[Crono30067]

I saw a bunch of cosplays of trolls at momocon and checked it out. Abandoned it after act one until a friend forced me to continue. Now I've read it three times. Started the first go in April.

[rainbowAstronomer]

A friend of mine kept mentioning she was working on her Dave cosplay and sugguested I read it. I knew nothing of the fandom or comic, and she didn't even force it or spoil it or anything, she just said it was good. I was in a slump at the time and needing something new to get into, so I was like, sure, why not?

I'll admit like most others I thought that the first 3 acts were slow, but... that made it interesting to me. I like a slow pace and little in-jokes, and I had a feeling it would pick up. Granted I didn't get REALLY into it until characters started dying, and I was all, "WOW I have feels for these guys after all.."

Oddly the friend who got me into HS is no longer into it because of real-life things. But despite that she still cosplayed her Dave with my Terezi and I loved it.

[Fish]

I was really into webcomics last summer so I read a lot of webcomics last summer. Irregular Webcomic had a few Dinosaur Comics parodies, so I began reading that. Ryan North is a very cool dude, but three thousand pages or whatever of dinosaurs talking about random shit can get a bit old. So when Ryan recommended MSPA several times in the archives, I checked it out. By then I would read pretty much any comic I was linked to, so I read Homestuck and enjoyed the first three acts. And then I enjoyed the later acts, and then I read the other three adventures (Bard Quest is the best). And all the little comics Andrew keeps in the Secrets section.

Andrew Hussie's humour is one of the most varied I have seen. It's pretty great.

[pouale]

I discovered HS a few months ago, and now I am a huge fan!
I became friends with a girl thanks to the internet (we had common friends met on forums or blogs) But she was always posting Homestuck related stuff on facebook and tumblr.
The characters looked awesome, so I decided to give it a look.
I found act 1 funny, and I found the mechanisms of the game pretty interesting, so I kept on reading. But after the beggining of act 5, I began to read it without really paying attention, so I stopped understanding what was happening; I took a pause.
about one month ago, I decided to reread from end of act 4, because I remembered that what I read from homestuck was awesome. Then, in less than a month, things went fast; I read acts 5 and 6, then problem sleuth, then I reread the 4 first acts. Now, when I wake up, the first thing I do is going to MSPA.com to see the last updates.

But it is really difficult to get other people into MSPA, because its universe is really special and unusual, I know only a few people who are able to understand and appreciate it; I told them about HS, and one of them promised to read it during the holidays!

[pouale]

I discovered HS a few months ago, and now I am a huge fan!
I became friends with a girl thanks to the internet (we had common friends met on forums or blogs) But she was always posting Homestuck related stuff on facebook and tumblr.
The characters looked awesome, so I decided to give it a look.
I found act 1 funny, and I found the mechanisms of the game pretty interesting, so I kept on reading. But after the beggining of act 5, I began to read it without really paying attention, so I stopped understanding what was happening; I took a pause.
about one month ago, I decided to reread from end of act 4, because I remembered that what I read from homestuck was awesome. Then, in less than a month, things went fast; I read acts 5 and 6, then problem sleuth, then I reread the 4 first acts. Now, when I wake up, the first thing I do is going to MSPA.com to see the last updates.

But it is really difficult to get other people into MSPA, because its universe is really special and unusual, I know only a few people who are able to understand and appreciate it; I told them about HS, and one of them promised to read it during the holidays!

[reptilesShadow]

I first discovered Tvtropes trough some random twist of fate, which the led me to discover the awesome webcomic Hanna is not a boys name. This series's tvtropes page led me to discover the utterly awesome, Rachel Macwhirter. Her fansongs of Homestuck are what inspired me to read it. The first read through I kind of stopped paying attention halfway through act 4, so now I'm rereading it.

[Rachel.]

Well, my friends kept on going on and on about this web comic thing, and then my other friend I was talking to read part of it, and didn't really like it. But then after he started to get addicted, I decided to give it a try. I didn't like it at first, but it went on, and then I started to like it around act 3. But by act 4, I was hooked. I almost gave up like five times, but I'm so glad that I didn't.
(Cheers, first post!)

[DvorakElt]

My Story?
I played the earthbound Halloween hack.
It was made by radiation and had MeGaLoVania as the end boss theme.
I looked it up and got linked to the flash. I remember not understanding any of it and thinking Vriska and Aradia were the same person.
I decided it might make more sense if I went to the beginning.
Spent far longer than I should have trying to figure out how to enter a name.
Started reading the thing at a leisurely pace.
Act 1 was kinda silly, but I liked the programming and video game jokes, and appreciated it for what it was. (I had no Idea what I was getting myself into.)
Got to [S] Dave: Ascend to the highest point of the building and realized that this was something more than I was expecting.
Stopped reading for a while at the beginning of act four. I didn't have time to explore the land of wind and shade thoroughly.
Came back and really sped up the pace.
"This thing just keeps getting better."
Caught up at SNOP...
Just in time for the hiatus.

[proserpine]

The creator of Kagerou kept making fanart for it. I tried reading a time or two but didn't get very far because my heart wasn't in it. Then at Anime Detour this past March there were trolls everywhere, which reminded me of the awesome fanart, which lead me to giving it another try and actually sticking with it long enough to reach the trolls so I'd finally know what the fuck THAT was all about, which was much more than sufficient to hook me in and keep me reading it for what is currently the fourth time in a row.

[baxbound]

My friend was a persistent bastard.

Every time I talked to him at school he would always say "So, you read homestuck yet?". I forgot to read it pretty much every time. Eventually we traded steam IDs, and he started pestering me about it there too. For about a month I didn't read it, or I had only read a couple pages of it (I.e. John is still messing around with his chest), until one day when he asked me to read it and since I had nothing to do, I caved.

I read the entire first and second act in a weekend. I thought it was funny and interesting, as well as a really interesting and engaging way to write a story. I think it was about when rose was doing all her SBURB shit and meteors were raining from the sky did I realize what I might have gotten myself into. This wasn't about Zoosmell Pooplord and his romp about Houseland anymore, things started to get intense.

For the next week and a half I came home, did homework, ate, and read homestuck. I was hooked. Almost nothing would pry me away from my computer screen.

Funny thing is that friend who kept pestering me despite being a huge pain in the ass for a while (And still is to some extent), is now one of my best friends. Go figure.

[technicallyAtomic]

My two friends were catching up on updates in school
I was curious because they were hiding the screen so NO ONE could see
When I asked what they were doing, they said "oh, it's this webcomic called Homestuck"
I shrugged it off, but, a few weeks later, I got bored and texted one asking "What was the name of that webcomic?"
I looked it up and immediately texted back "Is it this weird MS Paint looking thing? This is what's so awesome?"
He told me yes, but I needed to get through Act 1 before I could judge it
And... well... here I am

[Fizzy]

My friend wouldn't stop sending me weird homestuck fanvideos, which I did my best to just forget about. Then they came over, opened up problem sleuth and left. I finished it and then finally read homestuck..

[Cerelia]

2 things. 1, and probably the main factor, there was a kid in one of my classes that said "Honk" all of the time. He also wrote it on textbooks and desks and stuff. Every time I asked him why he said that, he just said, "Homestuck, bro." He also did one of his class projects on it, although I had no clue what he was talking about.

2, One of the artists I follow occasionally makes a Homestuck picture/animation, which made me curious. They were all interesting, even though I didn't get why everyone had horns.

So when summer vacation started, I started reading. I got caught up in a month or so.