In topic: "Homestuck Feels like it has a Discomfort With Achillean Romance and Characters."

Sunday, August 31st, 2025, 0:43 AM1 day ago

Again, I don't think you're really selling me here on your explanation.


Making Dirk, a gay man, be the stand in for a dynamic of "fathers owning their daughters" is nonsensical. That's an insanely heteronormative concept to apply to Dirk; you're not going to convince me that it's good writing because it alludes to an IRL phenomena regarding straight men.


Additionally, despite Doc Scratch never having the capacity for actual sexual attraction, multiple people discuss the idea of him being a stand in for pedophiles, due to his prediliction for targeting vulnerable young girls.


And to end on the point of Dirk re-emphasizing his position as ecto-father, even that is incoherent to his prior characterization of someone who not only didn't want kids, but thought the idea of him specifically having any was irresponsible. Dirk's desire to NOT be a guardian is meant to reflect how he is antithetical to that dynamic; it's even apparent in the fact that Bro doesn't make Dave consider him a father, but an older brother.


Nothing about Dirk's character or story should have ever gone in the direction of grooming, after Hussie chose to make Dirk's sexuality a key part of his original characterization and arc; I think that is blatantly homophobic to do, but I also recognize that Hussie doesn't think in terms of what might be bigoted perspective and just writes content and deals with consequences later.


And I really don't want to just turn this into hyperfocusing on Dirk and Rose, it's not JUST that, it's also Dirk and the hypersexual narration regarding Dave and Karkat and the sexual abuse he puts Jake through. I think it's homophobic writing.


Despite how Homestuck ended, there was a glimmer of good in the fact Dave gets to ask Dirk advice on how to come out, another perspective not often explored in media, where two siblings who are queer get to aid one another in finding confidence in that identity. That's all thrown to the wayside and all good faith gets lost because of how the Epilogues turn out.


And I think I have to emphasize, I don't think Hussie even realizes they're doing it. I think Hussie just doesn't care.

Dandy