Sburb



Sburb is the name of a hot new computer game that John Egbert is interested in, as evidenced by the Sburb poster, Sburb calendar and issue of GameBro (featuring Sburb on its cover, and containing a less-than-positive review of the game) in his room. According to John's official Sburb calendar, it was supposed to have gone into beta on April 10th (for reference, Homestuck begins on the same date on which the story was started, April 13th). The apparent delay is starting to become a sore spot with John.

Once John was finally able to install the Sburb client after connecting to TentacleTherapist's server, the game is in the style of The Sims, except that it affects real life rather than a virtual world created through the computer. The Client of the game, which in this case is John - Has no need to interact with the computer and can freely roam around while the one who runs the server can interact with anything around in his area. Sburb's abilities include being able to build rooms, as well as add onto existing rooms, being able to place furniture, such as the Totem Lathe, and the ability to move objects. However, the client has a somewhat limited range, only usable within a given radius to the "player" (whoever is running the client). Furthermore, Sburb's abilities are limited according to the stocks of various items in the Grist Cache. Further applications will likely be revealed over time.

The Sburb Logo
Sburb's distinctive logo is a neon-green silhouette of a simple house, broken into seven pieces that do not touch (except for the two halves of its roof). Animated representations of the logo (see below) have the house disassemble and reassemble, with the smallest part spinning back and forth in between.

Sightings Within the Interface
The Sburb logo made a couple of appearances in the beta version of Homestuck's interface. An animated version of the logo (see above) appeared while pages are loading. Another version of the logo, also animated but lacking its roof, signified clickable hotspots.

The Objective of Sburb
Sburb appears to have no description or instructions as to actually what one is supposed to do in Sburb. However, as John and Rose continue to meddle themselves within the game, John inadvertantly summons a meteor toward his house by creating the Kernelsprite. The sobering reality hits Rose as she discovers the truth behind the meaning of Sburb:

It is a game that destroys the world.

GardenGnostic was the first character to witness this phenomenon, as she heard a loud crash outside her house (Most likely another player nearby getting crushed by their own meteor), but did not or was unable to notify John of what happened.

In Rose's walk-through created in GameFAQS shortly after the events that transpired through Homestuck: Act 1, she tosses away the prudence of the importance of the walk-through being her work and focuses on the critical matter at hand. The game Sburb is being played by many people, each one of them unknowingly summoning their own meteor, each one of them being oblivious to previous players' experience, each one of them being annihilated individually yet collectively, every one of them is causing destruction on a massive yet undetermined scale, leveling entire cities and towns.

If the player is successful in retrieving and biting into the Cruxite Apple before the meteor hits, the effect of the meteor removes the impacted area from the physical plane - Only to leave a deserted wasteland with a small item bearing a Sburb logo. The area that is impacted, however, is sent to The Medium, where the shadows are more dark and sinister, and the current world is disconnected from the rest through the entire area being raised on an elevated cliff. The area still seems to have some sort of connection to the area that was around it, as signified by the electrical wires that were hanging off of John's house still providing his house power. This does raise the question of how a power station could supply the house power if everything around the house, including the power station itself, was presumably destroyed. It is possible the area around John's house had been saved and transported to an alternate dimension too.

Through a exposition of the Kernelsprite do the players learn the purpose of the game. It is to allow you access to The Medium, which is connected to another world called Skaia, and the player must build using Build Grist to pass through the gates to get there. Ultimately, a battle of Good and Evil is being waged, and the players have opened up what was a supposed eternal stalemate now into an all out war that evil always wins.

None of this seems to matter, however, as the only goal of the player is to solve The Ultimate Puzzle. That, is the objective of Sburb, and therefore, the final goal of Homestuck.

The loading marquee
A scene-by-scene analysis of the Sburb loading screen displays these phrases. Most of these are non-sense, but a few sound ominous.

Transforming Soffits Reorganizing Keys Formalizing Immersion Joints Justifying Kick Extractors Advising Aggregates Managing Elbows Recasting Connectors Achieving Aluminum Trowels Officiating Disks Exhibiting Absolute Spigots Progressing Coil Hydrants Jerry-building Reflectors Informing Casters Inventing Rubber Hoists Performing Wrenches Judging Chalk Adapters Upgrading Ignition Paths Regrowing Flashing Recommending Ratchets Approving Barriers Sweeping Impact Fillers Sewing Mirrors Detailing Collectors Enforcing Measures Distributing Systems Presenting Plugs Interwinding Registers Piloting Ash Diffusers Gathering Cranks Supplying Eave Pockets Undertaking Scroll Stops Accelerating Straps Designing Fittings Protecting Diamond Boilers Logging Downspouts Correlating Shingles Uniting Mallets Qualifying Electrostatic Lifts Sharing Clamps Obtaining Circular Fluids Ranking Foundation Gauges Sensing Miter Brackets Originating Space Networks Translating Drills Regulating Guards Selecting Gable Padding Utilizing Pellet Dowels Reconciling Artifacts Altering Pulleys Shedding Space Filters Determining Vents Representing Mortar Remaking Flash Rakers SUpporting Funnels Typecasting Rotary Chocks Expressing Junctures Resetting Auxiliary Vises Professing Strip Treads Inlaying Matter Trowels Questioning Drivers Forming Edge Fittings Sketching Blanks Overshooting Spark Breakers Rewriting Controls Playing Tunnels Inventorying Buttons Enduring Joist Handles Effecting Ratchet Bibbs Unwinding Couplings Forsaking Vapor Conduits Defining Sockets Calculating Heaters Raising Grids Administering Tiles Measuring Resources Installing Ignition Remotes Extracting Corners Manufacturing Ventilators Delegating Consoles Treating Mounting Stones Enacting Jig Deflectors Intensifying Alleys Improvising Cargo Pinpointing Bobs Prescribing Arc Masonry Structuring Metal Chucks Symbolizing Lathes Activating Plumb Kits Adapting Coatings Fixing Channels Expediting Cordage Planning Compressors Enlisting Hangers Restructuring Keyhole Augers Shearing Ridge Hardware Collecting Reciprocating Bolts Maintaining Corrugated Dimmers Whetting Hole collars Conducting Mandrels Comparing Assets Compiling Sealants Completing Paths Composing Equivocation Wheels Computing Dampers Conceiving Electrostatic Treatment Ordering Cotter Grates Organizing Ties Orienting Ladders Exceeding Materials Targeting Thermocouples Demonstrating Emery Stock Expanding Latch Bases Training Wardrobe Adhesives Overcomming Fasteners Streamlining Storm Anchors Navigating Springs Perfecting Turnbuckles Verifying Gate Pegs Arbitrating Arithmetic Lifts Negotiating Outlets Normalizing Strips Building Surface Foggers Checking Key Torches Knitting Grinders Mowing Planers Offsetting Stencils Acquiring Bulbs Adopting Rivets Observing Avenues Ascertaining Coaxial Grommets Slinging Wing Winches Instituting Circuit Generators Instructing Wicks Integrating Pry Shutters Interpreting Immersion Lumber Clarifying Coils Classifying Wood Bits Closing Cogs Cataloging Matter Strips Charting Holders Conceptualizing Push Terminals Stimulating Supports Overthrowing Shaft Spacers Quick-freezing Connectors Unbinding Ground Hooks Analyzing Eyes Anticipating Gateways Controlling Proposition Rollers Converting Power Angles Coordinating Staples Correcting Benders Counseling Joist Gaskets Recording Gutter Pipes Recruiting Drains Rehabilitating Rafter Tubes Reinforcing Washers Reporting Guard Valves Naming Freize Sprues Nominating Rings Noting Straps Doubling Nailers Drafting Circuit Hoses Dramatizing Flanges Splitting Framing Compounds Refitting Stems Interweaving Patch Unions Sorting Slot Threads Securing Mode Cutters Diverting Catharsis Plates Procuring Load Thresholds Transferring Syllogism Twine Directing Switch Nuts Referring Time Spools Diagnosing Knobs Discovering Locks Dispensing Hinges Displaying Hasps Resending Arc Binders Retreading Grooves Retrofitting Aesthetics Portals Seeking Stocks Shrinking Wormholes Assembling Blocks Assessing Divets Attaining Lug Boxes Auditing Nescience Passages Conserving Strikes Constructing Braces Contracting Saw Catches Serving Instantiation Irons Recognizing Fluxes Consolidating Fuse Calipers Mapping Shims Reviewing Chop Groovers Scheduling Lag Drives Simplifying Hoists Engineering Levels Enhancing Tack Hollows Establishing Finishing Blocks Estimating Adhesives Evaluating Mortar Examining Auto Turnbuckles Processing Foggers Servicing Avenues Transcribing Existence Rivets Revising Consoles Separating Absolute Stencils Budgeting Sheet Grommets Preparing Kits Realigning Cartesian Mandrels Painting Fasteners Filing Grout Hangers Finalizing Atma Augers Formulating Couplings Identifying Sillcocks Imagining Materials Inducing Shutters Influencing Wheels Licensing Chocks Lifting Extrinsic Mallets Overdrawing Ratchets Overlaying Ventilators Overriding Cardinal Soffits Specifying Element Aggregates Systemizing Divets Shaping Pockets Publicizing Aether Remotes Governing Archetype Dimmers Monitoring Assets Launching Manifestation Systems