HS:BC 1 Year Anniversary & Monthly Check-In — October 2024Posted on 9 October 2024 by HS:BC Team==>
Hi there, James here. We hit it. The one year anniversary of the relaunch of HS:BC. It sort of sneaks up on you! Thanks for coming on this ride with us. I’d like to take some time to let the team share their thoughts on year one.
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HS:BC’s one year anniversary!!! Can you believe it?? This must be what parents feel when they look back and think “Wow, time is passing so quickly” (we’re doing a great job as a ~10-person parenting team)!
It’s been a BIG learning experience. I don’t have a lot of formal experience doing project management, but getting to flex my chops for a year has taught me a lot, and I’m definitely putting this on my resume. Art-wise, I feel so much more confident than I was a year ago. Some switches needed to be flipped in my brain, but I think… I think I got it now. Hopefully. But I feel more ready to tackle future updates than ever!
I think one of my proudest moments is seeing Karkat plush come to life. Big props to My Friend Kimbo for designing the boy himself. I remember us talking about merch in the Reddit AMA and how it would only start to roll out once we got settled. And then our first merch item is the Ultimate Lifeform!!! We’re still actively talking about all sorts of things we wanna bring to life, so look forward to it!
Also we have the first big HS:BC flash coming up! YIPPEE!! It’s gonna be great! We’re all super excited to show it off to you guys, but everything will come in due time.
Thank you very much for sticking by us for one whole year (imagine me shaking your hand vigorously rn). The team appreciates all your support, we cannot have done this without you! We love the fanart, reaction posts, analysis, reblogs, retweets, likes, everything!!! We love doing Homestuck: Beyond Canon!! Biggest shoutout to the team by the way, I love you guys.
I am not biased when I say that this next year is going to be more exciting!!! Seriously, I’m not! Not only do we have the big flash coming up buuuut hehe… You’ll just have to read it for yourself! 🫵
— Annie “Chumi” Lee, Project Manager / Artist / Minecraft Player---
One whole year!!! It’s funny because it still feels like we’re still beginning to get our footing, but at the same time we really are in the thick of it. Probably because we on the team know how much crazy stuff we have upcoming, we’re all too well aware we have only made the smallest dent on the surface of it. 🫣 Our team is literally cookin’ something exciting everyday! Whether it be for something farther down the story that y’all probably won’t even get to see until the WAY off future or for an upcoming update– every time I get a ping in our work server, I’m blown away by the huge brains and quality this team can create.
I just wanted to say again, that I’m so honored to have been invited onto this project and help bring this project to life, both in the managerial and visual aspects of it. Literally, each and everyone of us on the team are holding this project together out of our sheer love for it. I truly do believe this story to be special and holds a lot of value that you just can’t get anywhere else. All of us here have come from such humble beginnings as any other fan who loves this property that’s near and dear to our hearts and, like you all, see the potential of Homestuck being something fun for both the creators and fans alike.
Not to forget, it’s the support from all of y’all as well that has made this such an unforgettable experience made possible. Here’s to more years to come being able to share this experience with you guys! Love you!!!
— Kim Quach, Art Director / Fantroll Enjoyer / Chumi’s Friend---
Wow. Homestuck. It keeps going, huh. We are still making it happen. And I wouldn’t want it any other way, to be honest. I am truly grateful that we managed to make it this far. We’ve got such a powerful team, and a lot of passion here. I am so excited for what is to come and the ideas we have to share. I’d like to thank everyone who has been willing to hear us out and give us a shot with HS:BC. The support has meant everything and it keeps us going. I want this to keep going for as long as we can and hopefully we’ll see you there to the end. Thanks for the blogging, the tweets, the kind words, the criticism, the conversations, the theories, the fan art… all of it. We love that there are still people who want to engage. A year from now, I know we’ll have lots of exciting new developments to deliver and I cannot wait to see what you guys will have to say about it all. Anyway, please have a good rest of your year. I cannot wait to make more memories with Homestuck, the team, and you!
— Andi, Artist / Sleepy / Hungry---
I can’t believe it’s been a year already. A little more, if you count the time we spent making stuff before our debut, but it’s been a year for YOU, and it’s for you, and thanks to you, that we get the opportunity to do this at all, so that framing is more than fine for me. I want to start off by doubling down on that thanks; whether you’ve supported us via the Patreon or through the simple but powerful act of reading and enjoying what we put out, I want you to know that it truly, truly means the world to us that you’re along for the ride. I know we all say it a lot, but all of us are here because of a deep, profound love of Homestuck that makes this whole endeavor super duper personal... all of us were fans first, and remain fans to this day, and so it’s the thought of you guys that keeps us going! We hope you guys are having fun, because there’s more to come, and I think it’s going to be amazing.
On that note, I also wanna thank the rest of this team; it’s a huge honor to get to work with such passionate, creative, driven people. It makes ME more passionate, more creative, more driven. I see the stuff we’ve already put out, the stuff we’re experimenting with, and the scrawl of notes and plans and schematics and blurbs and ideas for what’s coming in the future, and it hammers home how lucky I am to be included in this endeavor. This has been a growing experience for me in the best possible sense; I HAVE to grow, or else I’m gonna get outpaced by all the damn geniuses I share a project with!
I’m sure it’s been said already, even by me, but more IS coming. We’re approaching some pretty interesting developments, twists and turns, new shit, and I can’t pretend it isn’t a little scary to get to it, but I hope you guys like it, because as Dirk once said, via me, via him, we’re doing this for all of us.
— Miles, Writer / Muscle Devotee / Carb Crusher / Waggish Rascal---
Hi! It’s been a bit since we’ve done one of these. I remember when we first introduced ourselves as a team a year ago and now look at us! Full circle.
Whenever I talk about this job to people, it’s hard not to gush ridiculously. Being an artist by trade is hard right now, we all want to work on a project that resonates with us. That we’re proud to be a part of! The incredible gratitude I feel to be here is intense, because chances that I would have a job this satisfying, where my input is so engaged with and respected, were impossibly low. And yet here we all are, giving our 1000%. I’m constantly amazed by what the team brings to the table. By the effort and care and passion, it’s intimidating! I’m so used to writing and drawing by myself, that I thought creating things had to be this isolating Sisyphus feat. But it’s not, we are a community! To drop a piece of writing and not only watch everyones reactions but then see them elevate it with their suggestions and direction! There’s nothing really like it.
And that community includes the readers too, whose engagement with what we are trying to do here literally makes this comic possible. No matter what, when we make art it’s not just an expression of ourselves but a reaching out to the audience too. Everytime we post an update we say, “I hope someone sees what we are going for with this,” and when a stranger does pick up on the hints and the intentions that makes the whole process worth it. That brief connection! The criticism too is always appreciated because someone took their time to figure out what didn’t feel right and why they had that reaction. Positive or negative, it’s all active participation with the art and that is our projects life blood. If it wasn’t, why bother sharing at all!
I love Homestuck! I’ve been a part of this space, on and off, for more than 10 years now. And it’s an honor to add to it and engage with it in this official capacity. Especially alongside this team, who I wouldn’t trade for the world. And ESPECIALLY knowing what’s coming next :).
— Floral, Writer / Bitch / Lover / Child / Mother---
A YEAR? ALREADY? Wow. It barely feels like any time has passed at all. I think I say this every time I have to write one of these but it still feels like a dream.
I'm still eternally grateful to be here with people who inspire me with everything they do. Whenever anyone shares something they've been working on it makes me want to work harder. With all that being said I'm hyped as hell for the crazy shit we got cooking. Just thinking about it has me grinning as I write this, like laying in bed kicking my feet thinking about what's on the way.
Thank you for sticking alongside us on this journey and I hope you enjoy what we have planned in the years to come.
— Haven, Writer / Artist / Mr / Foods---
My role on the project has evolved quite a bit, and quite frankly so has Beyond Canon. Originally this was going to be a series of one-shots that vaguely told a connected story. Kind of like Paradox Space with a plot and expanded cast. Then it sort of became “Finish Homestuck^2.” And now it's kind of a third thing. We’re getting into the rough of settling all the beats set up by the previous team, in a way that is setting up the story we’ve been vaguely telling this whole time. A story, as mentioned in the about section, about moving on. A story about growing up. There is going to be a major shift that, I think I speak for all of us when I say, I cannot wait to finally show you.
I’ve seen the team itself grow into something amazing. I’ve watched people really step up and thrive. I’ve often felt out of my element being surrounded by so many capable people. Honestly, it is more than a bit overwhelming. I’m not much of an artist, and the one thing I can sort of do isn’t always applicable here, even if I did find a way to shoehorn it in. I’ve taken a back seat on writing, focusing more on refining and directing and overall vision. I’ve spent a lot of time behind the scenes doing this and that, reaching out to people, setting things up etc. It is not very glamorous work, but if it helps me get the team paid then it is worth it.
This past year I’ve learned a lot about what works, what doesn’t work, what resonates and what misses. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to repair burnt bridges, burying old grudges and trying to listen to what people are saying. I think this is kind of new for both of us. A lot of people don’t know how to react to this because it seems like PR-speak. That’s fair. It is a little bit, but the truth of it is still the same: I want this to be fun again. Yeah, sometimes the updates are going to be kind of crazy or divisive, but I want the community to be able to engage with the media in a way that feels good. These things are leading somewhere.
I’m gonna miss the mark a bit from time to time, but it's important to me that you know that I’m trying. For you. Specifically. I can’t do this without you.
— James, Director / Funny Role Hater---
Alright! So back to a normal newspost. Updates! We’re finally done with the VN sessions. There will be two updates this month, sorting out these last few things before…
The Flash. EOA1. I’ve mentioned we’ve been working on it for a while, so I want to be very transparent about this with you. It takes a lot of planning and work to do these things, that we still need more of. This is entirely an oversight on my part.
Right now we have it storyboarded out, with a rough animatic timed to the song selection (which is from the HS library, being used with permission) and are working on getting assets produced and organized. This is taking a lot of time, and as much as it pains me to say it.. We are going to take that extra time to work on it. Our goal is to hit one of several planned “funny numbers” for a release date. In the meantime we will continue to make bonus content and maybe a few other things for patrons and fans alike. I’d like to do previews, but we’ll see how the rest of the team feels about that.
So stay tuned for more information, and thank you for reading.