Homestar Runner Wiki Forum

I just realised something. In the beginning, Homestar and Pom Pom were our flat out protagonists. Strong Bad and Strong Mad were the antaganists. Nuff said. But, as the Strong Bad emails progressed and more characters were introduced, they're were more conflicts. Strong Sad was the little brother who always gets picked on. Homestar became more niave. The KOT became the sad old man who tries to be cool. Coach Z was the coach who couldn't say job. ETC. Everyone had a distict personality. But, as the years went by, they went through a change. Strong Bad became the hero. Homestar became less of an enemy and more of a "annoying next-door neighbor." There were several instances of Strong Bad being nice to Strong Sad. And just recently, I think Homestar and SB have completely leveled. Homestar can act angry just as much as niave, and can have civil conversations with "Strong Strong." SB really never has angry moments, we havent seen him yell at the email since Tandy, he talks to SS, and, obviously, he just sat in Marzipans house with Homestar, drinking Cold Ones, and had a conversation with him WITHOUT EVER INSULTING HIM. It seems like now, any character can do anything. Now, I don't want to go back to Marshmallow's Last Stand, but I would like a little personality clash.

Anybody else got thoughts on this?

It's called character development. It tends to happen the creators decide to try new things and establish their characters a bit more.

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It is decreed that one shall pound the pillars.

They don't really want to do the same thing over and over again 'cause eventually it'll get stale. So seeing Strong Bad ask Strong Sad to play a song for him and then thanking him is a fresh change from Strong Bad smashing a guitar over Strong Sad's head.

I think one issue that contributes to this is that the emails are from Strong Bad's perspective. Strong Bad is still the bad guy within the overall context of Free Country USA, but in the emails, we are allowed to see the world as he sees it. In his perspective, he's the good guy, and the rest are all annoying dorks. And let's face it: the emails are the predominant and most anticipated feature of the site now, so it's easy to see how Strong Bad's perspective has come to dominate.

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People change and develop, and I think it is important that fictional-charecters reflect that, in whatever context they appear in. Thus, things will probably change again sooner or later: maybe the old enemy will become the new friend, and vice versa.

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You and me? Soggy napkin.

It also makes way more sense to show Strong Bad as a default protagonist anyway: Who can you relate to more, the office/neighbor dullard, or the wisecracking kinda-cool guy who is his own hero?

Holy crap, that would've made an awesome Easter Egg for SBemail 150! lol

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"And all along here I was told
By fallen men in their charade
That we could find a hope inside
The safety of this empty place"

Everyone falls for strong bad's lies. Thats why people think he took over. No. Part of SB's personality is that he thinks he is cools, and tells people that. He is funny, and is one of the smart ones on the site. He is annoying sometimes, like he was supposed to be. Homestar is still the main focus. In pretty much all toons that are not emails or tgs or something like the cheat commandos, Homestar is the main character, or plays equal roles as other people. I mean, SM is still the screamer, and won't be a leading character, and SS is too whiny and depressed. Bubs is cool, but doesn't have a big role. So ya. Those are my many cents.

The h*r universe is a wacky world. In recent cartoons, it has been less of a two sided battle, but sometimes the old sb comes out. But yes, it is character development, and not everything has to be by a fixed book.

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I think it's amazing how far the character have come over the last few years. For example, it's fun to watch Strong Sad grow from a depressed and whinny little brother to more of a nerd type character. The others now even seem to have a bit more respect for him, even seeking him out at times for advice.

I also love how Strong Bad has developed. Personally I prefer the new Strong over the older mean, cruel version of him. But maybe that's just me. I think TBC are making wise choices on how they work with thier characters and how they interact with one another.

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Oh STEVEN! I think this may finally be it you guys! After 200 hundred emails I'm finally gonna get to make out with da-da-da DEAR HOMESTAR?!

I just think that the humor works better the way they have developed characters. People are a bit more neutral, so H*R isn't always the hero, and SB isn't always the villan. Then, of course, there are newer characters.

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If you order within the next 30 seconds, we'll also throw in a game where you download toons with characters in them, who buy things at the store via email!

As I said, I don't want to go back to MLS but I wouldn't like if everybody was friends and had normal everyday conflicts as opposed to the wacky stituations the site was built on.

I completly understand what your saying, but As everyone is saying, It helps develop the characters more and more, Strongbad may not be Mr.DELETED anymore, but their are new things that he does, and It will make it for endless possibilities through out the run of Homestarrunner.

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I agree with you, Stinko Sad, but the DELETED! thing is a bad example since I think it needs to be brought back a little bit.

Although I like where the characters are now, I see where Sci-Fi Greg is coming from. Strong Bad's conflicts with Strong Sad aren't nearly as prominent anymore, although I still think he doesn't like Homestar that much. Remember "do-over?"

However, someone also mentioned perspective and how Strong Bad is perspective's main man. I think it would be nice to see the Homestar world from a slightly different perspective now and then. Homestar got his moment way back in that one email he answered, but that's a long time ago. But more importantly, I might want to see things from someone like Coach Z's, Strong Sad's, Marzipan's, or even Bubs' perspective, just to see what it's like. The KOT did after all get his own cartoon show, and I think that is sort of how he views like: Desperately trying to convince himself he's cool but, deep down, knowing he's nowhere close.

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So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell, blue skies from pain. Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail? A smile from a veil? Do you think you can tell?

I agree about other characters' perspectives. We do get to see from Strong Sad's perspective occassionally though.

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"Explain to me how drowning them would not ruin their date."

We've gotten to see Homestar's perspective (painting the clouds on with a toothbrush) and Z's perspective (Damp Towelman) and with those glimpses I think I prefer Strongbad's.

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I could use some salve.

Well, the thing about it is, characters are constantly changing and developing in something like Homestar, where the same characters are used over and over but the dircetion they head next is uncertain, even to the creators. As any storyteller will tell you, in ANY story, but particularly serials, after a while, interesting characters will start to take on a life of their own. That's why characters like Pom Pom and the KOT are getting less screen time - they aren't ad eveloped, and so writing for them is probabaly a strain on TBC, since Pom Pom is a pretty stale, everyman kinda guy, and the KOT is basically a one or two trick pony.

So SB and Homestar got along in Date Nite because TBC thought it felt natural. And I agree, I think that SB and H*R have pretty much leveled out in terms of character, and CAN be civil with eachother at this point. Relying on old character stereotypes from 2001 has worked for a while, but charcaters always change and develop. Coach Z has gone from the coach who means well and just can't speak right to a creepy old man who no one really likes, Bubs has gone from a general fix-it-up man to a swindling two-bit thimble-rigger. The best charcaters will develop, not stay the same.

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"It's not a matter of where he grips it. It's a simple matter of weight ratio!"

Homestar and Strong Bad seemed to be at least somewhat on the same page at least as far back as when they made the Dangeresque movies. In fact, everyone except for Strong Sad seemed willing to do their part back then.

Good point, Garnet. Homestar and Strong Bad are more like acquaintances that tolerate each other if need be but don't really like each other that much. That's more for SB than Homestar, who seems to think that he and ol' SB are the best of buddies.

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So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell, blue skies from pain. Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail? A smile from a veil? Do you think you can tell?

That's true, it's kind of like Homestar for SB is just an annoying lesser friend, who he can tolerate, but will make fun of when he's with his real friends, Strong Mad and the Cheat.

Ah! But what's interesting to see is SB and H* when they share a common bond, like in Date Night, when they're both having a nice(?) conversation together about what they should do with the situation. Well... at least I think it's interesting...

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