Isn't the whole point of post-homestuck material that its optional and non-canonical? I remember the marketing of beyond canon in particular being that "homestuck belonged to the fans", even if hs^2 was considered less fan-canonical by virtue of being somewhat officially sanctioned.

I personally dont respect canon as a concept, and have never really cared for the epilogues, hs^2 or even hiveswap. their tonal and world-building inconsistencies make it hard for me to see them as part of a shared story, and I don't really identify their characters with those in homestuck who share their names. But if I did have to seriously engage with the question of what is or isn't canon, as dictated by the IP-holders of homestuck, it honestly seems like only the original webcomic is considered canon? Like is there any indication that jude or joey ever existed on beta earth? Is Hiveswap's alternia not a totally different version of the planet? Do the epilogues and HSBC not literally take place beyond homestuck's canon?

I guess I understand what you're trying to say, that there's some distinction between what HSBC/the epilogues are trying to do with their metacommentary, and what friendsim/pesterquest set out to do, but to use more... ubiquitous terms, both are pretty much "what if" stories as far as I see it.