Homestuck & HS^2: Thematic Bond, Target Divergence (Patreon)

Hoo boy what day is it again? What? Already the end of the Month? Hahahaha, no I am not procrastinating during a Quarantine, I am. Bidding my time, yes, that is. Remember when I started these seriously and trying to seem professional??? Yeah me neither. I sure hope no one cares about the more relaxed tone in these, it's just, you know, easier to tackle them if I don't have to sound like I'm writing an academic essay. Where was I again? Oh. Right. Homestuck^2.

Bold and Controversial, alongside the Epilogues, the Sequel many didn't want, yet continue to consume. I've talked at large about the Fandom Reaction to HS^2 and the Epilogues, its toxicity- Hell, I talked about it in the essay I wrote earlier this month! But while I have talked at large about the reaction, I've not really touched much upon the reason for the reaction. I have mentioned that the Epilogues are more Mature, yes, but in Today's Essay I talk about the similitudes and differences between both works, how they compliment each other, and the continuation of themes from one to the next in a new generation of Homestucks. Yes! It's once again positivity about good things HS^2 does! Yes, I am positive and predictable! Deal with it!

So let's get into this, shall we?

As one does with such things, the perfect way to start off is right at the ending. The Ending of Homestuck, that is, which, while more appreciated nowadays I feel, was extremely divisive back when it first came out. Homestuck was a long epic running for nearly a decade, with several hiccups in its schedule due to the various long pauses it suffered towards the end, and an incredibly intense Fanbase hungry for more content. And when the Ending finally dropped, many considered it to be lackluster and, some accused, even rushed. Which is something I will never understand, considering the Ending consisted of enough philosophical talk and symbolism to make Dirk's head spin, and culminated with a 7-minute traditional-style animation that took an entire year. 

I've said this before and I will say it again, if you want to rush an ending, you aim for something generic. By not even showing Lord English' supposed defeat and collapsing reality into a Black Hole, leaving some free-floating, unresolved Plot Threads in the process, it just doesn't make sense to think it was a random ending to get it over with, considering Hussie's history with Homestuck, with the Fandom, and specially, considering the themes it tackles. An open ending makes you think about what comes next, and particularly, makes you pay attention to the things you maybe didn't think about to begin with, and that is, for me, the beauty of Act 7.

And the thing is that, understanding Homestuck and its ending, means understanding Act 6, and a lot of people, too, dislike Act 6! I'm starting to notice a pattern here.

It's no wonder why, however, since the focus of the story does change after [S] Cascade. Prior to Act 6, the story is that of a group if Internet friends, facing the world. Initially, in the vibes we get from their home life, and then, quickly enough, having to deal with SBURB's reality and the fate that is an unwinnable game. Similarly, Trolls grow up in a violent and destructive society, and are thrust into this same game of life or death, dealing with interpersonal issues, and trying to find a way to survive and win in the end, only to have to deal with a complete loss and what seems like a fated death in the end. And by [S] Cascade, the plot-threads converge into an escape, from both Sessions, towards a spark of Hope that they may still be able to reach.

Indeed, Homestuck, up to Act 6, is a story about Teens growing up, and their struggle with their reality, one controlled by manipulative guardians and unseen hands, one shaped by forces they haven't been able to perceive yet, trying to undo their fate, and culminating with an escape of the world they'd been trapped in.

So what does Act 6 do that seems to make so many people dislike it? Well... Really, expand upon this idea.

These young teens are now in their mid-teens. With coming of age, comes a shift in dynamics, from a certain sense of childlike wonder, to more serious interpersonal issues and relationships. Bonds forming and breaking, dealing with the emotional downfall of such things, in a more prominent way than ever before. The Alphas are a prime example of this. And we already know of SBURB and how it's supposed to work, we know of this reality they have to face- But there's a new, added layer on it. The Dream Bubbles only partially introduced in Act 5, suddenly become the main battlefield for a fight between the deceased and the main antagonist of the story. The game that should be a danger, is inert, and in its place its threat comes from the Condesce, at the service of Lord English- Which we meet in his young, teenage form, as well, alongside his sister, the two of which start to paint a new picture of Homestuck's reality.

The Author becomes a character, that dies to the Antagonist- Antagonist which takes over the narrative, directly, and draws a shitty parody of the comic, who directly communicates with this Dead Author. His sister, a fan of the story that loves its characters, is isolated due to his spite, and breaks free of her shackles through the power of her bonds. Characters no longer relevant to the story face the antagonist, that's taken the weapon the Author used to wield, and who's erasing them completely from the face of the Furthest Ring. The Protagonist literally gets the power to Retcon sections of the story that have already been written. Whether you like that stuff or not, Homestuck gets really Meta towards the end, undeniably so. An increase in the drama and the stakes, alongside a bump in the amount of Meta-Narrative plot points, but in the end, it's still the same story. Teens, growing up, this time dealing with trauma and relationship issues and interpersonal drama, facing the oppressive Reality they are in, in this case, expanded beyond the scope of SBURB, and quite literally talking about the Webcomic, the Story they are within, and culminating with an escape of the cycle of causality at the very end.

And it's fine to dislike Act 6, or prefer the parts prior to it, specially if you prefer a more character-driven narrative and cool adventures that don't deal with too much Meta-fuckery. But over half of Homestuck, and its main plot-points, are intrinsically connected to its Meta. You are expected to acknowledge this aspect of the comic to get the full experience out of it, and it even makes for a more satisfying Ending! 

But after the calm and the storm has passed, what comes next exactly?

The Epilogues, apparently. Something that was received even worse than Act 6 and the Homestuck Ending in terms of Fandom Reaction, and once more, why is that the case? Well let's go through the same process we went for pre-Cascade Homestuck and Act 6.

This time we start with these characters we've been following for the entirety of Homestuck, except instead of Teens growing up, they're already Adults. 24 years old and living their lives on Earth-C. And already in the Prologue, we're hit hard with the Meta-Narrative. Rose, aware the comic ended a long time ago, but the Lord English fight continues to be an unresolved plot point, tells John, the Protagonist, that he must go back and close this loop. This leads to a split reality, one in which John doesn't, refusing to comply with canonicity, and leading down a path full of interpersonal drama and issues, while the other, in which he complies, that complies with canon, shows the unseen hands of two manipulators Narrating and Directing the story, tricking or controlling characters within it, for a purpose.

And considering the talk about Act 6, doesn't this sound awfully familiar?

Early Homestuck had Teens growing up out of their childhood innocence, fighting back a reality that made them suffer.

Late Homestuck had Teens growing up through trauma and interpersonal issues, fighting back a narrative directed by a malicious being that intentionally wants to make them suffer out of spite.

And now, the Epilogues, had Adults, having grown up, having been unable to properly deal with trauma and circumstances, falling into vices and toxic behaviors, in an unstable political climate, while two higher entities toy with their lives for what they believe makes a Good Story.

Once more, you needn't like the Meta, you needn't like the Epilogues. But the Epilogues continue the themes and narrative direction of Homestuck. From Teens to Adults, so does its audience change, and with it, its topics. Politics and friends who have started having less than savory ideals that put you and people you care about in danger. Marriage and divorce, having kids and major life decisions. They Epilogues showcase a pretty dark reality, one which, in many ways, reflects the fucked-up world we have to deal with today, and that hurts characters we love. They are tough, they are divisive, but they also are very Homestuck.

The Epilogues and Homestuck^2 are a Sequel, to Homestuck, a story that acknowledges its status as a story, in-Universe, and which makes most sense and it's most satisfying when said Meta-ness is acknowledged. So it  is only natural that, carrying the torch from the old Homestuck content, this Meta-ness would carry over from the beginning. And as it's been said in commentary and in the Website itself, their very premise is drenched in Meta. The Epilogues ask us what is a sequel? It presents us with a bleak scenario, where the open-end and happy finale we got in canon are shattered, and we're pushed down the stairs of something tough, intense, adult, that makes the characters unhappy. It has the in-Universe Author explain his points of view on what makes a good story, point which is debated by other characters. There's a second Author trying to take the reins of the story away from him, thinking that their ideals are ruining what is going on. There's acknowledgement, to Fanfiction tropes. To Fanon ideas.

The ending of Homestuck challenged the reader to consider the story they'd just gone through as something that was more than its surface level. The weird absurdity mixed with actually interesting philosophical talking points and theories about narrative and authorship. And the beginning of the Epilogues did the exact same thing- It asked us what we want in a Sequel. What we want in a story, what IS a story fundamentally. What happens when things are open and left without resolution for too long? What happens when you close this open ending in an unsatisfying way? On top of that, it marks itself as 'Non-canon' or 'Dubiously-canon', encouraging the Fandom to create their own continuations, to seek their own 'better ending', attempting to reduce itself from Canon to merely Official, of One of Many choices that don't necessarily HAVE to happen. And all of it lathered with a mixture of these heavy adult topics the characters have to deal through, and the humor and absurdity characteristic of Homestuck.

In that way, aren't the Epilogues and Homestuck^2 a fantastic sequel, thematically? They're tough. They mess with characters and relationships. They're challenging. They're full of stuff that makes you double take. Obama? Seriously???? They're a "bad" continuation, in the sense that the characters haven't managed to overcome flaws, and in some cases, have gone off the deep end. They're a "bad" continuation, in that the Happy Ending we thought we were due for, was never there, and we're only going deeper into hurt and suffering. But this "bad" is a feeling. Not a quantifier of the work's quality. Bad Choices, Bad Actions, it hurts!  But they're perfectly thematic, and wonderfully Homestuck, aren't they? They are interesting and well-written. When you strip subjective feelings towards the Epilogues, they're just an interesting piece of fiction that happens to tackle dark and morbid topics.

Disliking post-canon content is more than justified. The content warnings and things it tackles, the more adult tone, the political landscape reminiscent of what many fear for our own world, characters we liked doing awful things, it's to be expected that people are going to not jell with this. But that is what the Epilogues and HS^2 try to accomplish. It wants to depict these characters, not coping well with things. It wants to depict these characters doing bad things. It wants to raise questions about what Stories Are and Mean, about Ways of Writing a Story. It wants to make you think about Sequels, about what a Sequel to Homestuck means, drawing from its own themes and expanding upon them. And the bad things depicted for these characters aren't meant to devalue them as Humans, to make them Irredeemable, or to show their lack of worth, either. Chasing after someone who's been brainwashed by a family member. Striving to do the right thing even after you've fucked up time and time again. Coming to terms with gender identity, with orientation. Ways people change in different circumstances.

Disliking post-canon content is more than justified, considering the circumstances in which it happens. But it presents very interesting points of view, and provides a spark of things getting better despite the hurt, of families being happy despite mistakes they've made and changes in the world they live in.

Many people talked about how the Ending of Homestuck was rushed, in the same way they voice that the Epilogues and HS^2 are intentionally trying to spite the Fandom and hurt the characters they love. And I look at the effort put behind these works, the authors putting their own experiences and projecting onto characters, and I simply cannot understand it. You can dislike a work because you dislike it. Not every choice you disagree with needs to be a show of spite, of being tired, or something objectively wrong to depict.

And while I do stand by the fact the new content is inherently Homestuck, carrying its torch and doing so effectively, even if it lost what you thought was what made Homestuck good... Well, I have just given my opinion on why I think it most certainly didn't. These are simply divergent points of view. No longer being the target audience, no longer enjoying the new content, is a sad reality of some works, no matter how much you may have loved them. It's sad. But not an objective qualifier of how good it is, and most CERTAINLY not an objective qualifier of how 'morally valid' it and the authors are.

The Epilogues asked "What is a sequel? What makes an enjoyable story? What happens after the Ending?" And many people expect that replying "Not THIS" will make the Epilogues change what comes next. But they won't. 

And while I'm sorry for those unable to enjoy the new content? It works for me. And it works for many others. It is as Homestuck as I could have come up with myself.

And I'll keep writing and striving for the idea that post-Canon deserves to exist, and wanting it gone is a very vitriolic and entitled opinion.

So once again and until next time.

See you all! <3