A Homestuck visual novel complete with voice acting, conceptualized by Fivetail
and NeverNoahh.
Featherbent is an Alternate Universe starring John Egbert and various other Homestuck characters as bird-people, or more accurately, human/troll-bird hybrids. John is a humble Perch, a passive, independent, and nomadic class, who is best friends with Vriska, a stronger, fiercer Hunter. They live in the Strata, a homestead consisting of the dark and damp Understory, the brighter Canopy, and the windy upper-class heights of the Emergent.
When John Egbert carelessly treads the forbidden reaches of the Forest Floor, however, he finds that it shelters more than a few treacherous secrets about the place he was once proud to call home.
The first chapter was released on 4/13 and the second was slotted to be released on 6/12 but postponed to some time in July. The third game was released on October 10, 2014. The first three chapters were downloadable here, but as of writing the page is down. More information was available on the main website, however, most functions are currently missing.
Featherbent provides examples of the following tropes:
- All There in the Manual: The site provides extra information on the Featherbent universe, such as which birds each character is modeled after.
- Arc Words: "Don't look down."
- Arc Number: Just like the original series, the numbers 413 and 612 are numbers that seem to pop up over and over again.
- Badass Boast: To no one's surprise, Vriska likes these a lot.Vriska: Wouldn't have made a name for myself out here will all these other hunters. Wouldn't have won this nest in the fight against the poor sucker who had it before. Heck, I wouldn't have been able to defend it this long! Not that it's a surprise people keep challenging me for it. I mean, look how sweet this setup is!!!!!!!!
- Black Comedy: John decides to give Karkat a good impression by saying, "If I was dying, I'd do it somewhere way more hilarious. Like up in a Canopy fountain or something. Then I'd become a ghost and haunt it until they renamed it after me. Look, all I'm saying is that this is a really crummy place to die and you probably should have thought this through a little more."
- CallBack: Many of the visual novel's key elements are an automatic callback to the original work.
- Color-Coded Characters: Thanks to the Fantastic Caste System, the universe's inhabitants (Hunters in particular) follow a Law of Chromatic Superiority.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Karkat.John: You can keep your tragic, mysterious past to yourself, dude, fact of the matter is you could probably use a muffin.
- Dare to Be Badass: Vriska says this to John, telling him to show some "goddamn independence" and "show [Dad] you can do just fine on your own!"
- Easing into the Adventure: John starts his adventure preparing for an annual celebration. No big deal, right?
- Hair Flip: About three seconds into her introduction, Vriska gives "an unwitting toss of silky raven hair".
- Half-Human Hybrid: All of the characters are a form of bird hybrid. This leads to some Artistic License – Biology, thanks to the mechanics of wings.
- Human Outside, Alien Inside: Hunters are different from Perches, as they are biologically predisposed to only 12 specific feather colorings, despite being outwardly identical to Perches in every other aspect.
- Idiot Hero: John Egbert. As such, the majority of John's actions are not the brightest.
- Leitmotif: All main characters have individual themes specific to them.
- Breeze, John's theme.
- Flightless, Karkat's theme.
- Abrasive, Vriska's theme.
- "Lesson of the Day" Speech: In Arc 1 Chapter 1, Vriska states: "Live for the people who are here for you, not for the people who could be."
- Meet Cute: John and Karkat's first meeting doesn't go all that well.
- This is mainly in Karkat's opinion, however, considering he gave him a rather Chilly Reception.
- Messy Hair: Vriska implies this is one of the reasons why no one will go out with John. Among other things.
- Recurring Riff: The menu theme contains sections from various other in-game themes.
- Ship Tease:
Word of God says that Vriska with Dave and Dirk with Jade are apparently on the horizon. - Shout-Out:
- Did someone say Cuil Theory?
- When Karkat questions Tavros about his life before being banished, you have three ways of responding to his answers: Truth, Doubt, or Lie.
- Did someone say Cuil Theory
- Stealth Expert: May also double as a Badass Boast. John apparently snuck past the Imperial Guards with his sharp maneuvering skills through a dangerous path without being harmed, as he is "the best flyer [he] knows."
- The Exile: Karkat. It's also hinted that there are others in the Floor.
- Wall of Text: For the first game, there's quite a bit of exposition involved.
