Oh wow, I had no idea that Homestuck podfic (as it were) was a thing. That's really cool!
I think, as far as I can determine from that excellent guide you linked, that I got through Act 3 and then could not motivate myself to read the Intermission. Which confirms my sense that even though I felt like I'd read a ton, I'd still only scratched the surface! As far as I can remember, I enjoyed Acts 1 and 2 very well, but I often struggle with stories that make a dramatic move away from the characters and setting I've been enjoying, and I guess in this case the Intermission was too much for me. But there are characters on the other side of it that I'd really like to meet, so maybe I'll give it another shot?
I don't mind the grim dark murdery bits (of which there are many) because for me it's all at a register of adolescent melodrama that means I *care* but I don't take it seriously as a reflection of life, if that makes any sense?
It makes complete sense, and I love thinking about this kind of thing! It reminds me of how I feel about How to Get Away with Murder, which has some kind of triple-layered thing going on in my mind where I care about the characters and their relationships and feelings, but I largely don't take seriously all the murders (and various other crimes) they commit, but then I do take the show entirely seriously when it's commenting on systemic injustice. Emotional engagement with a story is so much more complex than a single linear spectrum!
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I think, as far as I can determine from that excellent guide you linked, that I got through Act 3 and then could not motivate myself to read the Intermission. Which confirms my sense that even though I felt like I'd read a ton, I'd still only scratched the surface! As far as I can remember, I enjoyed Acts 1 and 2 very well, but I often struggle with stories that make a dramatic move away from the characters and setting I've been enjoying, and I guess in this case the Intermission was too much for me. But there are characters on the other side of it that I'd really like to meet, so maybe I'll give it another shot?
It makes complete sense, and I love thinking about this kind of thing! It reminds me of how I feel about How to Get Away with Murder, which has some kind of triple-layered thing going on in my mind where I care about the characters and their relationships and feelings, but I largely don't take seriously all the murders (and various other crimes) they commit, but then I do take the show entirely seriously when it's commenting on systemic injustice. Emotional engagement with a story is so much more complex than a single linear spectrum!