#homestuck squared

ok i went thru 8r8k frame by frame on my second watch and made quite a lot of notes and i thought id post them bc its fun !

im sorry you had to find out this way, john

it happens to the best of us, it really does

there it is john. the narrative's over for you now. dont let the door kick your ass on the way ou--

oh right.

i make the rules and i say calliope and roxy are queer platonic partners

original below the cut

So, that upd8, huh. 

Or...upd8s? That’s a little more accurate, honestly.

This is like a partial vent, but also a kinda sorta essay of thoughts, so eh.

A lot of people put HS2 on a pedestal of being the only Homestuck story to have the authority of a respected one. Or in other cases, respected enough where disrespect can be thrown toward other ideas from creators who are not apart of the team*. 

Most people say it’s because of Hussie’s involvement, the art, and the writing; those are the three reasons as to why someone would say that it has more of a backing to tell an accurate story (for fun or otherwise) than other people who don’t have the privilege of receiving a paycheck for their ideas.

This is not helped by the fact that ever since Hussie’s letter about Homestuck belonging to the fans came out, that there’s been practical radio silence when it comes to actually acknowledging those fans. It in fact sucks that this stings further when Homestuck^2 and occasional other installments of the franchise continue to make meta-jabs that are less about reader hostility, and more about taunting the reader’s interest and character explorations in relation to the comic, through an authorial mask. The narrative has not earned enough credit to have that joking relationship with it’s audience when so many problems continue to persist (racism, ableism, etc).

However, I’m noticing an interesting change upon tonight’s update, which I somewhat acknowledged may happen:

Hussie is no longer a lead, and we aren’t even sure if he still chips into HS2′s story. The art has had....moments of quality, and the writing continues to leave a bitter taste in people’s mouth. With the fact that it’s no longer perfect in a weird rose-tinting, and people are able to tell that it has flaws, it truly only leaves the excuse of it being an official property as being the reason anyone would say that the story is better told than the hundreds of others that exist.

That doesn’t mean Homestuck^2 is HORRIBLE, but, I do feel like the tier it’s been placed on from fans and itself over other fanventures has made it a target for expectations, especially when some fans choose to take it as a personal injury when others see flaws in it, and want to engage in other things with the same characters or universe.

I mention fanventures specifically for a reason.

Homestuck 2, which should often be referred to as just Homestuck Beyond Canon, is just a fanventure. It is a fanventure that just so happens to be officially blessed. Hussie is not involved, the writing can be off at times, and the art ranges in a way that is resembling of multiple fanventures.

These aren’t flaws, but simply facts. What makes them flaws is the way that it’s been tiered as oh-so grand and the exclusive and single way to make opinions or ideas about the world of Homestuck. The only right way, despite multiple works existing that showcase the wishes that fans have been wanting in a clarified and trustful light --from June Egbert, to a lack of white-bias in araciality-- ignored because of a lacking strand of attachment to the original work from IP claim alone.

With that ego from fans and the occasional, official work itself comes the expectations of it being oh-so greater than the work people pour out on MSPFA for free, and when it doesn’t land, it severely misses the mark. It’s like being a sore winner to the point that losing stands out further than the achievements.

In truth, even if the cracks in Beyond Canon weren’t caverns at this point, it still wouldn’t mean that fan ideas are lesser because of their detachment from copyright laws. If that were the case, JK Rowling would be a fucking genius.