Pesterquest: Volume 12, entitled *Double pistols and a wink*, is the twelfth installment of Pesterquest, a Homestuck spinoff visual novel. The befriendable character in the twelfth installment is Jake English. Volume 12 was written by Magdalena Clark and released on February 19, 2020.
Plot[]
Volume 12: Thats Right ADVENTURE!!!![]
Running for your life from a bicyclops, you lament that you were merely hoping to make a new friend, not get hunted down. You'd asked Jane about her other friends so you can meet more people, but as of now you'd been trying your hardest to evade all sorts of ferocious white monsters on a tropical island.
Whilst fleeing, you trip over a tree root and are rendered temporarily immobile as the bicyclops is about to stomp on you. Fearing the worst, you cover you eyes and wait for death. When nothing happens, you take a peek and realize that someone had sliced the creature in half. Thinking that Jake must've come to your rescue, you look around so you can thank him for saving your sorry hide.
Instead, you see a robot by the bicyclop's remains, mildly amused with its rather anime-esque design. Either way, the fact that the robot is brandishing a katana right at you does not put you at ease, and you doubt that you have the strength to take it down.
- If you choose to challenge the robot, you charge into battle as intimidatingly as you can. Unfazed with you display, the robot strikes and sends you to the ground in a painful heap. You're worried that the robot would finish you off, but it just disappears into the jungle and leaves you alone. As you're catching your breath, you notice that the robot had broken a few of your ribs with that kick it delivered earlier. Not wanting to let that slow you down in your quest for friendship, you insist you'll bounce back...after lying prone for a minute or two. Unable to run, with all the hungry beasts surrounding you. MONSTER BAIT GAME OVER
- If you choose to not challenge the robot, you cower in on yourself to make yourself seem smaller and less of a threat. A gunshot rings out from behind you, and you have quite some trouble trying to get why would anyone take aim at a robot. A young lad bursts through the undergrowth and tackles the robot in the stomach, and you can only watch in dismay as the robot proceeds to beat the kid up mercilessly. You consider using your powers to help the young man out, but there's a high chance that you'll wind up taking the battle-bot with you too. However, you reason that you've gotten much better at managing your powers, and focus on Jake and Jake alone when attempting to get him to safety. You attempt is an overwhelming success, and you look around his messy room while Jake catches his breath. Strangely enough, Jake asks whether you're alright, though he was the one that had taken quite the beating earlier. After reassuring him that you're alright, the two of you begin chatting about things. You try to ask Jake about the many creatures roaming the island, wondering if they're his custodians or something. When Jake informs you that he lives alone with no company, you finally make the connection that you're apparently still in the future where both John and Jade (Jake's grandmother) are dead. Not noticing your inner turmoil, Jake is quick to point out that living alone on an island does have its perks: the endless adventure available is certainly a win for him. Partway through the coversation, a loud clatter from below startles Jake immensely. Cursing the robot, Jake suggests fleeing since you're particularly good at that. Jake happily tells you that the robot was actually made by one of his chums (since you were curious why Jake would even consider creating a bot that he couldn't defeat), but you're not too keen on escaping since it didn't work out too well in the past. Visibly panicking now, Jake explains that taking the robot on is a daunting challenge, since it learns from one's actions and leaves Jake with very little opportunities to deal actual damage. Assessing the other possible options, Jake suggests switching the bot to novice mode (though he'd forgotten how) or dropping by at a friend's place. Knowing how Jane would react around her crush, you ask whether if Jake has someplace else to go instead. When you hear that his friend Roxy is an underage drinker though, you begin to get quite concerned. Jake's dismissal of his pal's drinking issues doesn't sit well with you, but he decides that getting help from Strider is the only viable choice here. Unable to tolerate his behavior any longer (ignoring issues in his friendships just for the sake of keeping the peace), you bluntly tell him that his current way of life is not acceptable. Jake sadly agrees with your sentiment and promises to do better. While you're a little stunned with how quickly he turned things around, he asks for your help with more issues.
- Should you choose to agree to help, you decide that finding a good foil to Jake would work wonders. Knowing just the person, you zap him to Vriska. The interaction between the duo sours in record time, and you curse yourself for your poorly thought out decision (the very idea that the cobaltblood wouldn't use Jake as a new punching bag was laughable). Offended with the way Vriska called him a loser, Jake demands an apology from the alien. When Vriska tries to justify her past actions, Jake calls bullshit on it and snaps that she's a terrible person and certainly not someone he wants to be friends with. You defuse the situation before it can get worse, and you console Jake when Vriska leaves. You gently prod him about the final few sentences he hurled at Vriska, since it sounded like the teen boy was projecting some long-held grievances on someone similar to a problematic friend of his. Uncomfortable, Jake insists that his friends are better by a landslide and that certain leeway should be given to close friends. When you tell him that it's possible (and encouraged) to hold close friends accountable for their actions, Jake gets irritated with the way you assume to know every single detail about his relationships with his friends. You remind him that you're just helping him see things in a clearer light, but Jake had misunderstood the entire situation by accident—he'd thought you wanted to get him a girlfriend and put an end to the mixed signals his friends were giving him, though he freely tells you that Vriska was way too young. Befuddled with his many issues, you decide to focus on what he would do should any one of his friends admit that they have feelings for him. Jake's lackadaisical attitude towards the matter is quite concerning to you, since you don't want to see him or his friends get hurt emotionally. A little overwhelmed with what you're telling him, Jake hesitantly tells you that he really doesn't mind going with the flow and letting things play out, as opposed to being assertive with his feelings and standing up for himself. Jake is rather determined not to hurt anyone by being himself, and you're starting to lose your patience with him as it's clearly not a healthy way to manage his friendships. Trying even harder to convince him doesn't work, and Jake eventually asks whether you could take him home so he can deal with the robot. Saddened with the fact that Jake wasn't as ready for change as he claimed to be, you're also quite stunned upon hearing that this is a bad end despite the right choice you've made. Still, you acknowledge that it would be hard to talk sense into Jake when he's not prepared to take initiative. Extremely frustrated with how gutless he turned out to be, you take the loss. BAD END...YOU GUESS!
- Should you choose to not help, you notice how tired you are of helping other people with personal growth just so you can feel a little better about the impact you're leaving on them. Wanting to take a break, you tell Jake that everything's ok for the moment in the personal growth department. Visibly relieved, Jake then asks that you take him to his pen pal Jade. Pushing your misgivings aside, you comply with his request and teleport to Jade's island. However, there was a slight blip in your powers that brought you both to an unfamiliar location. Feeling like you shouldn't be here at all, you grab ahold of Jake and focus on your destination. Jade is initially surprised with the sudden visit, but it turns out that she's actually less welcoming of your presence these days, especially since you don't live out the consequences you've created for them. Hearing Jade ask you to stop seeing them altogether hurts, but you understand and respect her choice all the same. Jake finally introduces himself to Jade, and you watch as they have a tearful reunion and begin chatting with one another. Jade eventually apologizes for taking her anger out on you, since you didn't ask to have your powers to begin with. She asks whether you'd like to join them in making cosplay outfits, and you agree despite the gnawing sensation in your gut that you're not doing either of them any good at all. GOOD END...YOU GUESS!
Character Sprites[]
Gallery[]
Jake first bad ending
Jake second bad ending
Jake "good" ending
Trivia[]
- In Jake's first bad ending, Brobot can be seen observing the MSPA Reader from the bushes (the bot's Kamina shades can be seen on the right).
- When the MSPA Reader is successful in bringing Jake back to his room, the opening lines read "a young man stands in his bedroom
". - Upon observing the mess that is Jake's bedroom, the MSPA Reader remarks that plenty of the kids they've met have piles of objects that are related to their character-defining interests.
- Jake's inability to take charge of his own life and change for the better is in line with his classpect as a Page, since it appears to be a common trait amongst those (Tavros & Horuss) bearing this particular class.
- In Jake's good ending, Jade is cosplaying Mr. Coxcomb (a Manthro Chap), Jake is cosplaying Lara Croft, while the MSPA Reader is cosplaying Marvus Xoloto.
