Jade Harley - Post Canon (18+) (Patreon)

If you've been following me for a while now, whether it be here on Patreon, or on any of my blogs, you may have noticed a trend: I fucking love Jade Harley.

She's not only my favorite character in the entirety of the Homestuck series, and has some of my favorite tracks as well- She's probably my favorite character in any sort of media, period. I've actually talked about her before in an essay, one talking about her arc, in Homestuck, of having Power thrust upon her and being punished for it, of how the Narrative holds her back, and my hopes about her breaking free of these shackles and wrecking some shit in Homestuck^2. Because, seriously, she needs to stop being forced to sleep.

And yet, somehow, despite having talked about her at large, I am not done talking about her! Honestly I may never be done talking about her, but specifically for this essay, I wanted to address her, particularly, during the Epilogues. The work of the Epilogues at large was VERY Mixed among the fans, and given a major 7-year Timeskip, as well as overall Narrative and Timeline fuckery, many feel some of the characters don't feel like they used to anymore. Flanderized, or changed. I argue that, yeah, they have definitely changed, but not in such a major way that makes them unrecognizable, they've just... Grown up a bit. For better or worse.

With grown up characters in a more grown up story, come more grown up themes. That was the intent of the Epilogues overall, push a darker and more mature story in the post-Canon of Homestuck. And I'm not here to say whether this was right or wrong, or whether it was executed well or not. I'm here to discuss the ways Jade changed, and how she appears in the Epilogues. The things we learned about her, the reaction of many within the Fandom, and why not only do I still love Jade, but I actually love her even more now!

... If you know what I am talking about, then this goes without saying: I am going to touch upon NSFW Topics in this Essay. There's just. No way around it with Jade's case in particular.

Yeah, that's what all of this is about, so buckle up.

There are many interesting introductions to characters during the Epilogues. The nonchalant way Dave and Karkat drop the fact Jane's kind of a huge asshole now. Rose going through some serious shit. John still being depressed after the end of the Credits. A lot of the characters we've known to love and appreciate have been going through tough things, and it hurts to see them, changing for the worst, or dealing with trauma. It's not all bleak and darkness though, the Mother Grub is due to start laying eggs naturally soon enough, Karkat and Dave live happily, domestically together, Roxy and Callie seem quite happy living their own lives...

And then there's Jade. When Jade is first introduced in either Meat or Candy, one thing becomes almost immediately obvious to the reader: She's... Kind of a huge slut?

Woah there, Wak! You say. Isn't that going a little bit far? Jade is rather promiscuous, but calling her a slut- Nah. She's shameless about it and she's thriving. I don't mean it as an insult, or a negative trait in the slightest, she just is. Jade sleeps around, Jade goes to sexy rave parties, Jade flirts with the people close to her, hell she's open enough to tell John, her ecto-sibling, explicitly, how much she wants to fuck Dave and Karkat, and send him a knot joke that John is too oblivious to get. (Terezi does get it, but of course she would, girl is a huge Scalie)

As expected, like many developments in the Epilogues, this was received... Mixed, specially something that is revealed later on in the Candy Timeline, but we're getting a bit far ahead here. I've found people's distaste for Jade in the Epilogues mostly come from three factors- Jade wanting to get together with Karkat and Dave, which some people have even gone ahead and described as "CompHet", Jade's pushiness to actually try and get together with Karkat and Dave, and Jade's promiscuity in general as a negative factor. So let's go one by one through these.

So first of all, JadeDaveKat. I've heard people say about it just. Being inherently bad for Jade to try and be with Dave and Karkat because she's a girl and they're both boys and she's obviously not straight. And you know what? Yeah! Jade's not straight! She's Bi! Or Pan. It's made abundantly clear in the Epilogues, that Jade has been fooling around with like, half the population of Earth-C, this girl is anything but straight. But she's also not gay. The mere fact that she's been pushing for a ship with two boys doesn't mean anything bad by itself. In fact she has a reason for trying to get with them! They two are the two people she interacted with the most in the game, and people she thinks very fondly about, of course she's going to be specially fond of them.

And sure, I do get that the Epilogues- Namely, Candy, was a bit... Heterosexual. DaveJade. MeenahKat. RoxyJohn. JaneGamzee/JaneJake. But the Heterosexuality is incidental of the way Candy is structured- A Monkey's Paw of old ships from the Fandom that never came to fruition. It's not like any of these actually end up healthy and happy after all, for one reason or another.

What I am trying to say, is that Jade wants to get with Dave and Karkat because she has an actual connection with them and she feels like she has a good chemistry with them. But also, she's a Poly Disaster that's very bad at reading people and relationships. Rose and Kanaya are two people she also has really good chemistry with! And they love Jade, in fact, inviting her in late at night for music jams, embracing her to comfort her during a distressing funeral. I do believe that Jade could be quite happy with the two, and Rose and Kanaya could even be more open to a Poly Relationship than Dave and Karkat! But... They're already married. And as I mentioned, Jade is bad at reading people. So her focusing on the two boys with a dubious relationship that can't admit it, and that also feel positively towards her? Call me problematic, but I don't see anything wrong with JadeDaveKat in itself.

Of course, her approach is another thing entirely, because Jade is, in fact... Pretty pushy. Specially in the Candy Timeline, where everyone's faults are exacerbated over time and Jade tries pursuing a Kismesissitude with Karkat, leading to rising tensions between the two. There's no other way around it, Jade is pushy and makes Dave and Karkat uncomfortable with her advances. But there's also more to it than just "Jade is Bad and a Harasser", and I feel a lot of people miss that and just assume the worst immediately.

Jade wants to get with Dave and Karkat, but she also wants them to get together. Given they've been living together for a decade, and haven't even started dating yet, despite the fact they obviously love each other, Jade has reasons to believe their reluctance rises more from the fact they're too shy to admit their feelings, rather than the fact they don't want to be with her. Particularly, given the fact she has given them an out before. Of course, Dave and Karkat could fear hurting her feelings, and not want to tell her they're not interested- But Jade does want the best, for them, even if it means she can't get involved with them romantically or sexually. She's a Witch, with a practical mind, and is not good with people, so she tries to justify her involvement- How they don't mind her innuendos and flirtiness most of the time, how they let her hang around and practically live at their place, and left speechless, she practically begs them to just say no if they don't want her like that.

She can be pushy, she can make them uncomfortable, but Jade truly does love and care for her friends. She's at fault for forcing a relationship without realizing they're not comfortable with such an arrangement in Candy, but she's not abusing them and forcing them into it because she's an evil girl that wants to get everything for herself, they go along with it, unable to get their feelings straight, and ultimately their relationship falls apart not because of its rocky start, but because of the increasingly difficult political climate making Karkat need to take action.

There's issues between them that need to be solved, but hearing people call Jade an abuser, and even a rapist, because of this, feels like a disservice to the complex dynamic actually at play, and Jade's inherently loving nature. And I hold her responsible for pushing things too far! But also know there's more to it than a black-and-white issue.

And speaking of there being more to it, I've been talking a lot about her promiscuity very matter-of-factly. It's how it's presented in the Epilogues, too, Jade fucks. A lot. Jade loves physical love and affection, and you know what? For a girl that spent 13 years isolated on an island with just her Dog, and another extra 3 years alone on a ship having lost her ecto-brother and bird alternate of a childhood crush, yeah, of course she craves physical contact. The thing about Jade sleeping around and being a slut, is that it's never, ever, questioned. Karkat makes a joke about it briefly, and even then it's met with Jade stopping him in his tracks and telling him to no Slutshame. She's obviously comfortable and proud of this reputation of hers. And that never makes her any less.

Jake, is mocked (unfairly a lot of the time, that boy needs a rest and some love), but when it comes to everyone being attracted to him and him sleeping around, the shame and mockery stem from him not taking responsibility afterwards, illegitimate children, affairs, etc. Jane, when her relationship with Gamzee gets steamy, it's portrayed as just. Wrong, disgusting. But it's not because they're having sex in itself, it's because, come on, GAMZEE? Not to say anything of the domestic abuse to Jake and Tavros, and just her political takes in general. And that's a thing a lot of people don't seem to get. Sex is actually not portrayed negatively by itself in the Epilogues, and Jade is probably the best example of this. If there's mockery or iffiness with Sex, it's because of something on top, circumstances or actions, rather than simply Promiscuity itself.

And while her sexual awakening is a huge part of Jade in the Epilogues? It's not all she is either. Jade is still a smart brainiac that helps Dave and Karkat's campaign making an immediate prediction of the evolution of the Economy based on Jane's austerity plans without breaking a sweat. Jade is a hiker that loves exploration and the world around her. Jade is a musician that plays alongside Rose and Kanaya. And despite her closeness to Dave and Karkat, she has a good relationship with the rest of her friends! We don't get to see this much, specially with Candy's Timeskips focusing mostly on certain moments and interactions with her, but what we do get showcases her being well liked and having MORE hobbies than trying to get in Dave and Karkat's pants.

It's not perfect, obviously. The Epilogues are far from perfect, and Jade could've gotten more moments in them. However, the major bad thing about Jade in them is, once again, her being forced unconscious once again, and taken over by Alt Calliope. That is certainly the biggest detriment to her character, and when people talk about her being a huge slut as the worst thing that's ever happened to Jade, while ignoring her will being taken away again, all I can see is puritan and conservative ideas thinly veiled under an attempt to show 'concern' for the character. Jade FUCKS and there's nothing wrong about that.

Of course there's a fourth point of contention regarding Jade in the Epilogues. If you've gotten this far and read what I've talked about her, you likely have seen there's one missing detail I've omitted until now, and that is, yes. Jade's 100% Canon Dog Dick. Which is something I honestly never thought I'd be typing in public, let alone on a Patreon Essay.

Seriously though, there's a... Lot to unpack there. No pun or innuendo intended. Thanks to a friend of mine, too, I've come to realize the situation regarding Jade's junk has been even more contentious than I thought at first. Because apparently, shortly before the Epilogues dropped, there was discourse that went completely under my radar, regarding the depiction of Jade with a dog dick in the 18+ side of the Fandom. A mixture of genuine concerns regarding fetishization of trans women, and very generally puritan anti-sex views, as well as similarly, defenders of such depictions, both from people just wanting to get their rocks off, and trans individuals not quite agreeing with the accusations of transphobia.

It was a mess, and I don't have the details, and honestly I kind of don't want to know the full details of what went down? But, the fact the Epilogues dropped this bomb at that exact time certainly helped the overall sense of distaste for them, and for Jade's character. And don't get me wrong, I can see where the people who dislike it come from. It's weird to give a character a Dog Dick. It's weird to canonize a Sex Headcanon like that. It's iffy that an afab character just got a dick magically upon Ascension. You could make a case about the fact Jade's super sexual, and also a trans girl, which is seen as a generally unpleasant stereotype.

But you know what, though? I'm a trans woman myself. I am hugely poly and promiscuous. And when I see Jade, I see her as a positive example of a woman with a dick, and full confidence on her body, that loves sleeping around, and that has a boundless amount of love for those around her. I can see the concerns, and if someone's uncomfortable, I am not going to just tell them to 'stop being uncomfortable', because that is not how it works. But, I do think that there's some genuinely great things to explore here, and dismissing it immediately without context or thought, I feel it can be just as much of a disservice to her character.

The Epilogues are horny, let's not kid ourselves. They're horny, and they have weird kinks thrown in. Lactation comes to mind. In isolation, just having Jade confirm she has a dog dick, would be kind of weird! But in the horny and weird Epilogues, that's not even surprising. You could even argue it even plays into the idea of a Monkey's Paw wish. The Fandom is crazy about Troll Junk and wanting any hint they can get about what Trolls really have down there. Confirming a sex canon, but it not being Tentabulges, and rather, Dog Dick Jade, is kind of completely in line. On top of that, it's not even treated as a joke or as some sort of like, thing to be ridiculed? Jade's talking about anatomical incompatibilities with Dave and Karkat when it comes to having a biological kid together. It's a serious discussion, and in fact, it's a bit of a struggle I, as a trans woman, can relate to. In fact, talking about it on my blog, a very serious and interesting conversation came up, regarding gender identity, that forced me to think outside of the box in ways that I would never have otherwise, and made me realize even more what a dumb construct Gender really is.

So I will never tell people they shouldn't feel weird and iffy if they're sex repulsed and don't like Jade being so openly sexual. I will never tell trans individuals that feel uncomfortable about Jade having gotten a magic dog dick to not be uncomfortable. I will never tell people to gloss over stereotypes such as trans women being depicted as sexually aggressive or harassing. But also, I don't want exploration of gender and identity and issues and narratives to be hindered by inherently assuming something is bad and transphobic without the whole context. I don't want people to tell me a character I identify with a lot, that I've seen a lot of sex-positive trans women actually like and accept with open arms, being just marked as inherently bad. Sexually aggressive trans women is a bad stereotype. But, Jade's happy, loving, sweet, and sexually open. Jade's not that, not even considering her pushiness with Dave and Karkat. Jade's a trans woman that is confident about her body, and about having sex, and I, having seen friends struggle with being sexually open themselves because they feel like they'd be a "bad example" of a trans woman, and that they need to hold up some "moral standard" rather than being comfortable with who they are and pushing to be happy? Yeah. It irks me, to say the least.

In the end though? This really is just an excuse for me to gush about Jade, and defend her. Jade really does embody a lot of positive things I strive for personally. Happiness, openness, free love. There's a lot more to her than a lot of the Fandom pegs her as, even in the Epilogues, maybe SPECIALLY in the Epilogues. I truly do believe she's a great character and person, and I truly dislike some people trying to reduce her to a bad stereotype, specially when their insults and takes on her start to show hints of puritan and conservative anti-sex, anti-women, transphobic rhetoric. So I wanted to explain my takes and view on her, as well as my personal relation to her.

So if there's anything to be taken from all of this? To me, Jade is a loving, sweet brainiac that has trouble with people. To me, she's a trans icon that's not afraid to sleep around and be horny on main.

And that's completely alright, you know?

Additionally, hey! Maybe now that Dave and Karkat are actually together and open to a sexual relationship, they will be more receptive and comfortable when Jade is free of Calliope's influence, who knows!

These poor young adults need a break, a therapist, and a good long talk with each other though. :/

Don't we all though?