What do you bet they're gonna either crash steam or have secrets hidden in/referencing the steam store?
I don't think it would, steam is much larger and more equipped to handle a large load than newgrounds or mspa were.
The fandom has also shrunk considerably since the time Cascade was released. I expect there will be former fans who crawl out of the woodworks for this, but probably not as many as were clamoring for that.
Video of the gameplay from the demo at PAX. Look at that animation, look at how smooth it is. I'm so proud of everyone on the art team, they went all out.
crossposting from vent i was the only ampora at the meetup so when they called me up i hightailed it up there and everyone was cheering and this sounds so fake but i SWEAR TO gOD it happened
I headcanon that Kanaya is a huge fan of Depeche Mode, because I'm a Kanaya cosplayer and I'm a huge fan of Depeche Mode. Also because their songs just sound kinda dark and ominous and cool.
I have mini bios done for the beta kids and alternia trolls for my bloodswap! Details in the spoiler. I still need to work on the general timeline and actually start writing, but this is progress. Spoiler Name- Jade Egbert Jade lives in suburban Washington with her Dad, and has a very normal but highly enjoyable life. She maintains a garden in her backyard, loves animals (particularly those of the anthropomorphic variety), studies advanced science, and plays bass and flute. She also has a fondness for advanced weaponry, but Dad won't even let her have a nerf gun. He's so strict! But she loves him and he loves her too, and makes sure to show it frequently with handwritten notes and baked goods. She is always doing something fun and interesting, either by herself or with her friends online. Jade is full of energy and is very expressive with her emotions, which are usually positive, but she can be ferocious when angry. Name- John Lalonde John and his Nanna live in a secluded house in the woods of New York. Growing up in a somewhat spooky environment encouraged John's interest in ghosts and the supernatural, and he considers himself a beginning paranormal researcher. He's also an incorrigible prankster, much like his Nanna. Their prank fights can stretch on for weeks, and the house is littered with booby traps and the residue of past shenanigans. In addition to pranks and the paranormal, John studies computer science and loves movies, especially ones that are considered “so bad, it's good.” But really they're just bad. John is more subdued emotionally than his ectosister Jade, so while he never has bad intentions, it can be hard to tell whether he's being sincerely nice or is setting up a practical joke to pull later. Name- Rose Strider Rose and her Sis live in a cramped apartment in the biggest city in Texas, which is full of cats, wizard statues, computer parts and half finished knitting projects. Despite appreciating the felines and fantasy men, Rose resents her Sis buying the statues to “mock” her fondness for them, and still misses her favorite cat, Jaspers. She spends most of her time online, either studying psychology and eldritch horrors or writing essays/fan fiction. Rose maintains several blogs devoted to her hobbies, some of which are quite popular, though her wizard fiction is severely underappreciated. When she's not reading or writing, she's usually knitting, and her projects range from colorful scarves and cat sweaters to tentacular monstrosities. Living in such a confined space with her sister makes the more ascerbic parts of her personality come to the fore, so she can be very bitter and sarcastic. She isn't a bad person, just grumpy and trying to distance herself from her Sis as she grows older. Name- Dave Harley Dave lives with his dog Bec on a volcanic island in the pacific ocean. His old man used to live there too, until a tragic incident involving one of his many swords. Dave is free to do whatever he wants, so he spends his time making music, rapping, and studying swordsmanship in an effort to connect with the father he barely knew. He also has a growing collection of preserved insects and other specimens. With few friends and minimal contact with other people, Dave doesn't have very strong social skills. He's blunt, rude, honest to a fault, and tends to ramble on in conversation unless given a clear stopping point. He also has dreams of the future, so some of what he says doesn't make any sense until later. He's probably the most prepared for the mechanical aspects of Sburb, but the least prepared to work as a team with the others, but he will surely rise to the challenge. Name- Karkat Megido Karkat is a rustblood who lives in a small hut with his overly cheery lusus. He is gifted with the power to hear voices of the dead, and while they are a source of annoyance to him, he heeds what they say often enough. He spends his free time exploring the ruins near his hive and cataloguing his discoveries on his husktop. He also dabbles in computer programming, and attempted to help Sollux with the code for Sgrub. The voices have told him about the fate of the world and his role in it, so he has become very cynical and bitter. Still, he wants to help his friends and lead them to victory in the world to come, whether they want him to or not. Name- Gamzee Nitram Gamzee is a rather unique troll. He has a strong connection to nature and animal life, especially thanks to his power of Communion. He also has strong faith in a secret religion- the cult of the Apostate. He follows her teachings to make the world a better place by fighting against inequality wherever he finds it. He tends to use bizarre figures of speech when he talks, which combined with his secret beliefs makes him hard to understand sometimes, but he's a good guy. Name- Terezi Captor Terezi is a cunning troll with strong psychic ablities. Along with telekinesis and mind blasts, she can hear the voices of the imminently deceased, and uses her powers to aid in her Flarp games. She makes up half of Team Scourge with Vriska, and they have a great win/loss ratio, though the two fight about who that's thanks to. Terezi is sarcastic and a little snobby, but she has the skill and power to back it up. Loves tormenting her friends, and strangers for that matter. Name- Aradia Vantas Aradia is a mutant with candy red blood. No one else has had her blood color in Alternia's history except the Apostate, and she was killed for treason and heresy, so Aradia hides her color behind a muted gray outfit and text. She also hides her emotions as much as she can, and is very passive even with her friends. She has a mix of emotions inside and wishes she could be open with her feelings and who she is, but is too afraid of dying to do it for now. She enjoys Flarping, and is half of Team Charge alongside Tavros. She also studies archeology, explores the wilderness, and is attracted to catastrophes and destruction. Name- Vriska Leijon Vriska loves games. Flarping, roleplaying, board games, video games, anything competitive really, and even things that aren't supposed to be competitive. She and Terezi are the fearsome Team Scourge, with Vriska using the combat skills she gained from hunting for food alongside her partner's psychic powers. She prides herself on her physical abilities, along with her intelligence, good looks, and exceptional luck. She always tends to push her luck, though, and when her luck runs out things get messy. She secretly is quite envious of Terezi, and most of her other friends, she she has no exceptional talents or powers outside of gaming. She'd never admit it, though. She'll just keep trying to be even more awesome. Name- Feferi Maryam Feferi is a bright, sunny girl who lives in a bright, sunny desert filled with the walking dead. She is always excited and rushing about doing one task or another, whether it's studying, caring for her “collection” of zombies and desert critters, or planning for the future. She and Karkat are the only ones who know the truth behind Sgrub, both with bits and pieces of insight from their own sources. Feferi has decided to embrace it and will do her best in the game, and hopes to keep everyone else's spirits up. The world may be ending, but her life will go on, and she will care for her friends as she has before. Name- Sollux Pyrope Sollux is a technological genius who specializes in computer programming. He can hack anything, from a toaster to a space station. After getting the base data from Karkat, he was even able to program Sgrub almost entirely by himself. When he's not working on his husktop, he's usually snarking back and forth with one of his friends. He doesn't get out much and lives alone in a tree, without even a lusus for company because his hasn't hatched yet. Sollux may be smart, but he has much to learn about himself and those around him. Name- Nepeta Serket Nepeta is a master huntress, but unlike Vriska, she doesn't hunt for her own sake. She hunts for her lusus, who feeds on trolls, because if she doesn't her lusus can just eat her instead. Despite this, she keeps a pretty cheerful attitude and looks forward to the day she can escape. She can be rather violent and has a dark sense of humor that her friends don't always appreciate, but she'd never hurt them. Not unless she had no other choice, at least. Still, she's not a troll you want to make angry. Name- Eridan Zahhak Eridan is a blueblood with dreams of greatness. He studies military history and tactics and plans to put them to use later in life- not necessarily in the military though, because he wants to take over the ocean and kill all seadwellers. He's made several doomsday weapons to bring his dreams to fruition, but none of them ever work, so he just sulks and gripes about how terrible seadwellers are. Except Kanaya, she's okay. In addition to his dream of conquest, he also thinks himself destined for romantic success, but he doesn't have a single filled quadrant so far despite his repeated efforts to fix that. Still, he's nothing if not dedicated, so he keeps pushing forward with his goals. Name- Tavros Makara Tavros is a purple blooded troll who lives in peaceful isolation. Even his lusus is rarely at the hive because he lives in the water, so Tavros is free to do whatever he wants. This mostly consists of playing Fiduspawn, Flarping with Aradia as Team Charge, or reading fairy tales. Tavros is cheerful and calm, but shy, so he tends to go along with what everyone else is doing in social situations. It's very hard to make him upset, and hopefully no one will ever succeed. Name- Equius Ampora Equius is a seadweller and a fervent believer in the hemospectrum. These two things combine to make him extremely arrogant and rude toward everyone except his moirail and the heiress herself, much to their annoyance. He considers himself refined and cultured, partaking in fine arts both visual and auditory, working on waterproof machinery, studying archery, and hunting lusii for Gl'bgolyb to feed on. Truly he is the epitome of upper class, if not even remotely a gentleman. Name- Kanaya Peixes Kanaya is the heiress to the throne of Alternia, guided by the ancient Gl'bgolyb, and the only fuchsia blooded troll in her hatching. In preparation for her destiny as leader of her species, she is constantly busy with one task or another, whether it's studying, combat practice, or meddling in the affairs of her friends and future subjects. She wants to help and be a good ruler, but she takes it a bit too seriously and can seem a bit stiff. Sometimes, when reading stories of rainbow drinkers and other mythical creatures, she wishes she had a different, more adventurous life. But more often than not, she works, and waits, and walks the path destiny has set out for her.
I'm going through the very first conversation Rose has with Jaspersprite, in which she is told her quest is to 'learn to play the rain' and I'M STILL SO FRUSTRATED SHE NEVER COMPLETED THAT
yeah i wish hussie had focussed on the quests and other game shit a lot more like i was hella stoked for tavros' quest before vriska bullied him into abandoning it :/
Coming up with denizen lair designs and weird land mechanics for their quests is at least 80% of the fun and I don't know why Hussie denied himself that. Okay, I know why, but denizen+choice+land quest are still cooler to write AUs about than the sad 'retcon everyone's personalities and struggles as Vriska decides our priorities' that we got Like I made LoLaR get clogged up with grey chalk in the oceans after Rose goes grimdark, so she and some of the trolls have to go down into Cetus's broken down lair, discover the inner chamber where all the life-imbued rainbow chalk is stuck when it should be dissolved and circulated up above, and then use Rose's genetic code as part of the musical score for her to play the rain up above. This causes the chalk in the water to come together and restore the turtle consort life, leaving the water itself clear and the sky full of rainbows and /slams hands on the table/ IT'S GOOD, OKAY - Like come on Hussie, these kinds of quests still work after the kids have grown up! Restoring a planet to pretty pastel rainbow life after you accidentally killed it with poor grimdark choices and had your autonomy stripped away by Horrorterrors is still a good, cathartic time!
