Hiveswap Act 2 (Patreon)

So. Hey there! Hiveswap Act 2 actually came out! Who would've thunk, huh? I'll refrain on doing any jokes about the delay, because honestly they never were really funny to begin with, and became even less funny when people started using them to harass the WP Team on Twitter. Hoo boy I just can't go on a single Essay without bringing discourse in can I? Sorry about that.

But yes! Hiveswap Act 2 is out, and you know what? It was... Really good! There were some issues here and there, people've talked about them ad nauseum, and I am not here to throw my two cents on the criticism. Nah, I was super excited to play it, and I loved every second of it! And through the story, new tid-bits of where Hiveswap may be heading towards were revealed, questions were raised, and I, for one, am ecstastic to have a whole new game to sink my teeth into regarding theories and new Alternian Lore.

So I guess this is what this Essay is gonna amount to, right? A few thoughts, a few theories, just a bunch of interesting things I've got in my mind, and ideas where things may be headed next!

Of course, a warning, there will be spoilers for the entirety of Act 2 below! But that was probably obvious. And hey, if you'd like to see me play the entirety of the game, I streamed it and the VODs are up on Youtube for you to consume, while dealing with my mumbling and accent! Neat!

But that's enough rambling. Let's actually talk about Hiveswap.

Continuing right where Act 1 left off, Act 2 spans from Joey and Xefros leaving of Outglut, to their boarding on a Train towards Jeevik Island, where they will be meeting Cridea and Fiamet, two Trolls that seem to know what's going on, and their shenanigans in said Train as they attempt to get to the front.

And let me tell you, Act 1 was good, but Act 2? It may be the more mature rating, that allows them to get away with more jokes and more references to how fucked up Alternia is in general, but this game is really fucking hilarious! There's a smaller variety of item interactions- And items to get, for that matter, but the witty writing and the multiple choices you get I feel more than make up for this. Seriously, forget dialog trees, this thing is a dialog forest depending of who you talk when and what items you choose for various parts, and how much dialog you're seeking out on any given run.

And let me start addressing the elephant in the room, yeah the initial part doesn't have much. Until you actually arrive to the station, there's not that much, mostly because, Charun and Zebede's hives are empty. I know that this is a speculation and theorizing post, buuuut I also know that there was a lot of Charun and Zebede cut content, and at least two cutscenes, and I feel this is something that's less "lore" and more "behind the scenes", so I will refrain from speculating whether it was a time problem, or something different.

Once we get to the station, and particularly, the train... Well, Xefros actually says it better than I could during the game. Joey gets a crash course in all of the unfairness and bullshit Alternia has to offer, divided neatly by castes, in the course of a couple of hours. Starting in the absolutely packed Rust Car, in which we find Skylla worrying about her sick lusus, to the relationship and interpersonal issues the Quadrant system has to offer in the Gold-Olive car, leading into a whole trial case with Teals and Jades, the high-class aritstocratic bullshit of the bluebloods, and finally, reaching the Clown Car.

That is what Act 2 aims to do. Where Act 1 felt very Homestuck, in the sense of fucking around an eccentric house with eccentric family, only for something unexpected to happen, leading to a major shift in the protagonist's life, and also Trolls Are There, Act 2 shows us just how much bullshit Trolls have to deal with. The ever-perpetuated violence of castes against those lower than them, the fear people live in, the unfairness... Nothing necessarily new or revolutionary, but a good look at it nontheless.

And among this showcase, a few things really stood out to me! Like Boldir, saying cryptic things about the incoming convergence, and seemingly, maybe implying, that we're on our way to have this Timeline split off from the Alpha, and not actually follow Canon Homestuck? But I digress. If we're going to start talking about theories and interesting bits of lore, I have to begin at my favorite part of the game.

The Trial

Yeah. God I fucking love this entire section. A lot of people have complained that it drags too long, and it IS a really long part, but every single line in here? *Chef's kiss* It's got intrigue, lesbians, innuendos, waifus, and Twilight is a Holy Book of the Jades?

... Yeah apparently! So we knew that Jadebloods had a whole nun vibe from Friendsim, but we've had a few more things confirmed here. There's Cloistered Jades, which are the ones made to take care of the Mother Grub, and then sent off-world to Cloisters, and there's... Non-Cloistered Jades. So not all Jadebloods are down in the Caverns! Which is an interesting fact. Even more interesting, Rainbowdrinkerism is treated as a myth even by Cloistered Jades, no one seems to know it's a biological quirk some Jadebloods have.

This leads to some really interesting questions... Why the Jade Cloisters, came to mind. There's no practical reason why they should be kept Cloistered, right? They care of the Mother Grub on Alternia, but there's no secret of the Empire that they know and shouldn't be spreading around. Even the Forbidden Rainbow Hemotions Saga is only banned for them and Teals seem to have no trouble reading it, so it's not that. There's nothing special about Jadebloods other than the fact they're caretakers, to warrant sending them off-world, and furthermore, even if they did have something special that makes them a threat to keep around elsewhere, why not just... Kill them? Alternia is extremely trigger-happy when it comes to culling people. Of course there's the potential of the Cloisters being fake, and they actually DO get culled, but... Theory time. Hear me out. What if this is about Rainbowdrinkers?

What if exposure to the Mother Grub is the factor that awakens being a Rainbowdrinker? Or even, that the Jades chosen for the Cloister, are the ones genetically predisposed to becoming Rainbowdrinkers? Keeping them isolated in a cave- Literally in the dark, on a short leash, barely allowed to get out, forbidden from reading about literature that exalts Rainbowdrinkers as something desirable, and then sent off-world where they can all be observed. Keeping Rainbowdrinkers as a myth to the population at large, perhaps because the idea of undead, immortal, powerful Jadebloods could be a risk to the empire at large? For the ones taking care of the progenitor of their species to realize the sheer power they hold. I find the possibility fascinating. Even if it's not what's going on, there is something weird, about a seemingly harmless book of fanfiction being a forbidden, sacred text, about everyone having read it despite it being forbidden, but it seeming to just, be fine...

And going on that same train of thought, the entire trial ends up unresolved! You can find the main mastermind behind it in Lanque if you do a series of rather convoluted accusations. He wants to leave the Cloister, and it was never about the book, but about causing a distraction, a schism in the group. However he says that it's not the full truth, and Bronya's attitude makes me actually suspect her of being in cahoots with Lanque to let him live a life outside of the Cloister. Of course she can not say this, and would never admit it, because she has to keep her politically neutral facade.

Lynera also mentions about adult Jades on Alternia. They're, also, treated as myth, but she believes there to be a 'hidden' sect of adult Jades taking care of the Mother Grub... Perhaps a tie into the Cult of the Signless, and the idea of these Immortal Rainbowdrinkers. Finally, a fact that stood out to me, the Jades are only allowed to leave to go to Jeevik Week, the event being celebrated in Jeevik Island, and this decree is very new, and ordered by Trizza herself. ... Trizza? TRIZZA? Why would she allow such a thing? In particular, seeming as Cridea is a Tetrarch, you'd think they would have a contentious and nasty relationship. Is Cridea a double agent? Is she Trizza's Moirail or Matesprit, and working from within to try and change the world? This was a very small detail, that made me think a lot, and I don't know exactly what it means, but it feels... Very important.

The entire Jade Section is full of juicy and interesting bits, but ultimately, there's so much unresolved. Left up for us to think, come up with ideas, theorize... And so theorize I have. And since I'm done with Jades, and talking about Trizza and Cridea, how about we address another elephant in the room here? Fiamet.

In-game, not much is known about Fiamet, other than the fact that she... Knows about the Portal, and its Countdown. She's a Violetblood, one of the Tetrarchs, and that's about it. But if you've followed Hiveswap's development, you know there is so, so much more.

To start off, we have hints about Fiamet being a Limeblood of all things in old previews of the Chittr UI- Then Prongle, and that she's tied to Axolotls as an animal- Interestingly tying her to this bizarre concept art of an Axolotl First Guardian that was one of the first things we saw about Hiveswap back in the day. More on this later. So sure, she could have been changed during development, but then also... In the preview images posted in the Hiveswap Website, the screenshot used for this conversation has Fiamet use not Violet, but Pink. Not Fuchsia, either. An off-caste Pink, and... In particular, an almost perfect inversion of Calliope's Lime Green.

On top of that look at her handle. At her lack of any followers, or posts, or comments. This feels like a fake account if I've ever seen one, and if it's a fake account, the idea of her covering up her true blood color, specially if she's a Lime, or some sort of Mutant, is a very fair possibility.

However while Hiveswap has reinforced the idea that this mysterious Troll is a Lime, or perhaps a mutant, sadly our interactions with her are so brief that there's not much... Else to draw from her.

And speaking of the Axolotl Concept Art?

Here's our boy! Here's our fucking boy. He IS here. He EXISTS. He wasn't a forgotten piece of art from an earlier build of he game!

At the very end, after all we've gone through, this motherfucker comes out of nowhere and nukes the train. Lime green flames no less, confirming if not a First Guardian, it's at least something tied to Limebloods, and also, with a lot of fucking power to be able to blow up and derail a train effortlessly.

Let me start by saying that probably no one important died? The Friendsim Trolls are likely alright, with the ones most at risk being the ones in the rust car. Skylla, Chixie (If she's on the Train), Marsti, Diemen and Vikare. However the further ahead, the less caught in the blast they are, and the more physically resilient they are, so I doubt anyone olive and up even died. Which is good because, it makes me worry a lot less about what the future of the series may hold, clinging to the hope that Everything Is Fine.

What isn't fine is why this happened. Even if this creature doesn't look much like an Axolotl anymore, the ties between Fiamet and it are still strong from what we know of the concept art. But if it obeys Fiamet, there's no reason why it would want to cause us harm, so why attack the train? Is it actually not under her control? Are Fiamet and Cridea working against us for some reason? No I don't think it's the last one, but it's a distinct possibility.

The fact of the matter however, remains that our trail derailed at the beginning of a two-hour detour to reach Jeevik Week. This makes me think that we will not get to Jeevik Island until Act 4, and Act 3 will be entirely about catching up after this and getting there. Maybe we'll meet someone who'll let us catch a quicker ride there. But what about the survivors of the train? We're not just going to abandon them, Joey would never. On top of that, they are ALSO people who want to go to Jeevik Week. Maybe one of them has a means of getting there quicker and lets us use it? Maybe Marvus is going to come even more into play?

Whichever the case, I stand by my theory that Act 4 will be a Jeevik Island finale, and Act 3 will be something important leading up to it. There's also entirely a possibility Trizza will be involved, given Joey's mutant red blood was scanned by the machines in the station, and that could be of interest to her...

Hiveswap poses a lot of really interesting moments, but few have defined answers or solutions. Things can still go in so many ways, and I am excited to see how things progress after this point.

It'd be thematically fitting to end this essay on my thoughts on the ending and theories for Act 3 and 4 wouldn't it? Haha, but no, this is scattered enough as is, may as well throw one last curve ball. And besides, there's an even more interesting thing to cover last that I've been saving. We've talked about the game at large. The initial section with missing characters. The overall vibe of the game, the Trial, the Ending... With a lot of little moments and tid bits of interesting information, I could honestly make several essays talking about all the little details. But there's one thing, one character, I have yet to talk about. A pivotal part of the entire game, and one mysterious motherfucker.

Oh yes, I mentioned him not that long ago. You know exactly who I'm talking about.

So, to wrap things up, let's get down.

With the Clown.

Many people wonder after the end of Act 2. What the FUCK, Marvus?

Like seriously what the FUCK?

Many in the Fandom know him as 'haha funny armpit man', but even back in Friendsim, Marvus shows a degree of awareness, regarding both his class and status, as well as the underlying metanarrative of Friendsim. He continues that trend in Act 2. Marvus appears as a... Helpful dude, all things considered. Helping Joey get her tickets, acting as an impartial judge in the Trial section of the game. But in doing so he also sets himself as one of the most important characters in the game. The reason we can board the train in the first place, playing along with Joey despite the obvious fact she's not a Troll, and even if she was, she'd be a Lowblood, talking to him. Entertaining the idea of Tyzias' controversial, near-heretic Trial. Hell, if you get the ticket from Chixie by telling Marvus she's the Mask? He will offer her protection, convincing her to stay behind and not rush things at Jeevik Week, while giving her remote access to show her anti-Empire raps in a safe manner, in what he calls a 'collab' with her.

Marvus appears not only to be a nice dude, but to harbor some sort of anti-empire sentiment himself in this way. So needless to say, when we get to the Purple Car, and he goes fucking Saw on our asses, taking Xefros hostage and forcing us to go 'kill other Trolls' and bring proof of their death in order to save his life, it's a shell shock unlike no other. Despite all the bad things we learn about the empire on the way to the Purple Car, up until that point it's been mostly anecdotes, and jokes. The instant we get to the Purples, the tone shifts, and we're thrown into the reality of having to face the possibility of death, of killing someone. It's no longer a hypothetical, off-screen thing, or a one-off bad-end scene. It's a reality we have to face.

And so the betrayal hurts all that much more! Marvus genuinely seemed chill! And yet, he continues to give us free passes. Trying to convince Chahut that the proof we got is more than enough to keep going, allowing us to 'fake' the deaths of two people, until we need to kill a Purple. And even then, as Baizli leaves to try and kill us first, Marvus lets Xefros go to help Joey. Is he toying with us because he finds it funny? Is he pretending to be just another murderclown to the others, so that they let you pass once you fake the evidence? Or is he exposing Joey to the dangers and reality of Alternia, because she is too trusting and innocent, because she needed to see death, to realize how fucked up her situation really is?

Personally, I think it's the latter, but it's also early to tell, his true intentions, the extent of his grace and good humor. Still, he sets himself as the core of the entire game, a major player just when he's needed, and the one who brings the biggest tonal shift and change of mood. Regardless of his intentions? This makes him deeply fascinating, and I so want to see in Act 3, what role, if any, he'll end up playing. Will he hold up his end of the bargain with Chixie? Will Zebruh end up in Slam or Get Culled, and die? Will we get to see, an angrier, clownier side of Mister Tits Out Xoloto?

All we can do is wait.

Yes, only wait. I swear if I hear anyone saying "Act 3 when", I am going to lose my fucking-

Ahem.

There's so much to say about Hiveswap honestly. There's so much I've already said in other posts. There's other things I've probably forgotten or simply not said here. I mean for fuck's sake, we have a MAP OF ALTERNIA now of all things, how COOL is that???

But as much as I love Act 2? It is still a quarter of the full story of Hiveswap, on its own. And along Act 1, 50% of what's to come.

We're in the mid-point of the story, and there's so many things yet to come. And while I have no idea how it will end up, what kind of confrontation we'll have with the Heiress...

I look forward to how things keep developing!

<3