Should I feel bad for liking Homestuck? I went on Twitter a few days ago (I don't have an account, I just kind of browse through it to see what's happening there) and I saw a post asking about - for a lack of a better word - controversial topics in the Homestuck fandom. Many of the replies in the post spoke about how the fandom and comic (pre and post HS^2) was a mess, how other people didn't enjoy seeing it on their feed, about how contrived the relationships in HS are, etc. The thing is (1/2)
(2/2) I'm a fairly new reader, having read Homestuck two years after it ended. I enjoy many of the characters and the story, and I'd like to upload some artwork in appreciation for it. However, with the fandom tearing itself up after the epilogues and HS^2, I'm worried that people might see me in a certain way because I like something that people seem so negative about.
Absolutely not! You should never feel bad for liking something that genuinely appeals to you. It’s why I say, for all I dislike HS^2, that if someone likes it I’m genuinely glad for them.
The thing with Homestuck is that it’s as wonderful as it is bullshit. I’ve been going on five years in this fandom now, and I’ve seen my fair share of both sides of the argument. It’s impossible to say that Homestuck isn’t a piece of fiction that defined a generation and brought so much more to the fandom world than existed prior, but it’s likewise impossible to say that Homestuck isn’t filled with outdated humour, genuinely harmful representation, and fandom drama that’s been going on since it started.
Homestuck is a controversy in and of itself. That’s a fact. But you can still enjoy it - as much as all the followers I have on this blog do, otherwise they wouldn’t be consuming my content - and you can still create for it. People still are! The Homestuck tag updates daily, and even slightly less-popular ships (like JohnDirk) are updated at least every other day on AO3.
Twitter is probably the worst place you could go to for HS content, admittedly. It’s an incredibly toxic environment, and not one I would advise anyone take part in - let alone someone so new to the fandom. People will always have their disagreements with Homestuck, but you can still enjoy it disregarding things like the relationships and whether or not people enjoy it on their feed.
The fandom is in a huge state of disarray at the moment, yes. But we’re still desperate for content - especially old Homestuck content. People are even hungry for more HS^2 content! So whatever it is you have to share, please, share it. We’d all love to see it, and you absolutely deserve to share your art in appreciation for something you enjoy. You should be able to have that enjoyment, too!
If anyone sees you in a certain way for liking Homestuck in general? Then that, frankly, is their issue. Liking Homestuck isn’t a death sentence. It just means you’re a fan.
