@Oasis that's fair! i guess my hangup is just how much knowledge of homestuck's real, serialized writing process should affect analysis of it as a completed work. like, going back to the equius thing (which i could've worded better if i thought more whoops), their serial analysis results in the idea that equius is rewarded in that scene since aradia kisses him at the end, with the takeaway then being that it's a bad and irresponsible scene. the thing is, not even that long after where that episode cuts off, it becomes clear that equius ultimately WASN'T rewarded for it, either personally or narratively (especially in the long-term). hussie might not have known how either of those things would turn out while they were writing, but what impact should that have on current-day analysis, when we DO know how things turn out? knowing how homestuck was written and perceived at the time is definitely important to understanding why it is the way it is, i just think it's silly to analyze scenes without factoring in how they're followed up on in the story at all, and it led to some frustrating moments on that podcast.