Hubert's Perfectly Normal Day.

HPND is set in the world of Fire Emblem: Three Houses and takes place just over two years after the end of the Crimson Flower (external site opens in new tab) route. Consider that route utterly spoiled.

For those unfamiliar with the game or with that route, never fear. Hubert keeps notes on anything that is relevant in his journal and you can reference information there.

I have an outline for the story, but its overall direction is determined by voting. On each post, I draw a comic panel and write a post, then create a poll listing potential actions Hubert can take. Tumblr users vote on those actions, and the result with the most votes is the one Hubert will do.

Tumblr users can direct the story by:

• Voting in the poll
• Providing a custom response in the post tags or replies
• Asking for clarification or details via ask or by replying to the post, ex. in the replies on this post

This comic is originally posted on Tumblr and uses the platform's poll feature. Options for Hubert to take are listed in a poll at the end of each post. The poll duration is one day (24 hours). When the time has elapsed, Hubert will take the highest-voted action. I’ll write/draw how it plays out, then post a new poll to choose the next action.

Polls have a minimum of four options representing potential actions for Hubert to take. Three or more are preset options, and the last is an “OTHER” (Write-In) option for a custom response. Tumblr users who vote for this can write in a custom action, and if “OTHER” wins, he'll do that instead.

Honestly, this varies. If users all seem to have the same idea, I go with that one; if they have a lot of different ideas, I make an attempt to blend them together. If that doesn't work cleanly, I'll assign each of the responses a number and roll a die to determine which to follow.

In each post, words that appear in BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS have definitions in Hubert’s JOURNAL. The first time a defined word appears in a post, it will link to the part in the journal where the definition appears. Any subsequent time the word appears in the post, it will only be BOLDED AND CAPITALIZED.

The post may also contain links to minigames I’ve made (ex. the coffee game) or to other pages on my website that are related to the game (ex. Hubert’s inventory, aka his pocket).

Hubert's in-game birthday is April 17th. April 13th is the birthday of John Egbert from the webcomic Homestuck (external site opens in new tab).

I started this because I wanted a project that would let me learn and practice new skills while doing all of the things I like to do at once: drawing, writing, coding, and sharing a story. I get to make little games, write snarky copy, and draw very silly facial expressions. It brings me great joy.

Other inspirations include:

• Homestuck (external site opens in new tab), to which this series owes its life.
• Prequel (external site opens in new tab) and other -stuck-like comics that were all the rage in the early 2010s.
• The video game The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (external site opens in new tab), particularly in terms of the crucial-yet-cumbersome journal.
• Tabletop role-playing games.
• Stories like The Metamorphosis, Scott Pilgrim, and Welcome to Night Vale, where the fantastical and utterly mundane collide.
• “Old web” design, humor and sensibilities: Macromedia Flash animations and games, websites for anything and everything, and limited design work.

I like it.

I like him.

I hand-coded this website from scratch using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP, without using any libraries or frameworks. All code/graphics/etc. have been made by me, except where rule of funny applies.

Comics and animations are drawn in Procreate on my iPad.