Read it Here:
https://www.fruityrumpus.com/forums/t/the-uhc-situation?page=1
The thing about Miles' post is that it reads like someone trying to get ahead of the backlash without actually touching the substance of what they're being accused of. It's full of tone management, soft disclaimers, and long digressions about who's ''really'' in control of what, but when you strip all that away, what hes actually doing is reframing the UHC mess into a story where Gio was just stubborn, paranoid, and trying to keep ''clout,'' while Andrew was benevolent and simply wanted to ''work with'' the project.
He keeps stressing ''I was just a liaison'' like that somehow absolves him of responsibility, but if you're the one carrying the terms of negotiation, interpreting those terms, and delivering them to the other party for over a year, you're not a bystander, you're an active participant. The way he positions himself as both central enough to know what happened and peripheral enough to be blameless is... convenient!
The repeated reassurance that “Homestuck isn't disappearing” is almost a strawman. Gio's blog was never built around the idea that Andrew was going to delete the comic. It was about sustained, bad faith pressure to bring the UHC under Andrew’s control, and the legal leverage used when that failed. Whether another fork exists is irrelevant to whether that pressure campaign happened, and Miles doesnt actually deny it happened, he just reframes it as normal licensing talks that Gio ''refused'' out of spite or ego.
Theres also this repeated insistence that HICU and FRAF ''aren’t Andrew's goons,'' which sidesteps the actual critique... That the licensing structure itself gives Andrew ultimate authority to overrule, revoke, or dictate terms, even if hes not directly managing day to day. You don't have to be on his payroll to be operating under his leverage. Saying ''Were not controlled'' without addressing the power imbalance is like saying ''My landlord doesnt control me'' while your housing still depends on their goodwill.
Miles' framing of Gio's refusal to sign the licence as ''stalling'' or ''not trying to make it work'' also glosses over the fact that the license terms, as described in Gio's post, would have handed over creative independence and allowed Andrew to seize control at any time. Refusing that isn't sabotage, it’s protecting autonomy. But in Miles' version, that becomes a selfish, destructive move instead of a valid boundary.
And there's a big emphasis on how much the teams have ''poured their hearts'' into making Homestuck fun, and how this whole thing is just a distraction from the good work they’re doing. Thats emotional framing, it turns criticism of a specific abuse of power into an attack on the fandoms joy itself, which makes it harder for people to actually engage with the underlying behaviour being described.
Ultimately the post feels less like a ''different side of the story'' and more like an attempt to reframe the same events in softer language, remove the context that makes the tactics look coercive, and centre the harm to Miles and his teams feelings over the harm done to the independence of the UHC... its damage control.
PFP by Workdailylog on Tumblr
Miles' ''they’re not Andrew's goons'' point feel like misdirection.
FRAF moderators and Gio have said repeatedly that the FRAF forum is a standalone project, funded by merch sales, with no direct financial pipeline from Andrew or What Pumpkin. That's already publicly acknowledged. The concern in Gio’s post wasn’t ++FRAF is secretly bankrolled by Hussie,'' it was about licensing leverage, the fact that by holding the licence, Andrew retains the ability to interfere, revoke, or dictate terms if he wants.
Miles repeating ''FRAF isnt controlled by Andrew'' as if that's a revelation sidesteps the actual power dynamic in play. The point isnt about micromanagement, it’s about structural authority. You can be completely self funded and still be operating under terms that leave you vulnerable to someone pulling the rug out from under you.
So yeah, his emphasis on this feels like a way to look transparent while avoiding the part that's harder to defend... that the licensing framework itself was used as a pressure tool in the UHC situation, and could be used again if Andrew felt like it.
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You literally joined 12 hours ago and has done nothing but stir up discourse. You have followed everyone who has posted anything about Gio's questionable behavior around with whatboutisms and straight up made up bs
It is honestly very sad. I pity you.
-- The Butch
Miles' thread already exists for you to add your "thoughts". The insistence on repeatedly making new thread after new thread on this topic when existing posts already exist comes across as little more than trying to dominate the airwaves on the subject
>eats somewhere other than olive garden once
>fucking dies
Re: Chthonikix
This is such a deflection. Instead of actually engaging with anything I've said or bringing up the substance of the situation, you're going straight for ''you just joined'' and ''youre stirring discourse'' like that magically invalidates the points.
If you actually had something worthwhile to respond with, like addressing the fact that the rumours you were spreading are baseless and already contradicted by the primary sources, then maybe this conversation could go somewhere. But you're not talking about the licensing issues, the legal pressure, or Andrew's documented history of using these tactics. You're just trying to discredit me as a person so you dont have to engage with the topic!
If you think what I’ve said is ''made up,'' prove it wrong with receipts. Otherwise, youre just adding more noise while avoiding the actual conversation entirely.
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Some comments:
1) I think the reason why miles had to emphasize that homestuck isn't dead is because gio literally titled his article and all his advertisments of it as "we couldn't save the UHC" which led to MANY MANY reddit posts, twitter posts, forum posts of people panicked that the UHC would be gone and that any way of reading homestuck would be gone. This was incredibly misleading and I would assume intentional on gio's part to get people worked up because let's be honest; most people aren't going to read every word of that post WHICH also failed to mention that he was the one that took down the UHC page.
2) what is "creative independence" over writing a hosting server for homestuck....
Re: jakemorph
Yeah, and? If the only ''appropriate'' place to post is inside Miles' thread, where it’s basically a wall of yesmen defending him and there's no way to actually see or react to replies, then what’s the point of even trying to write a detailed critique there?
Im not going to spend time crafting a well thought out response just to have it buried in a thread where the format actively discourages back and forth discussion. Making separate posts is the only way to have an actual conversation instead of shouting into a void where the tone is already set to worship Miles and dismiss anyone pushing back.
If people actually wanted engagement instead of control over where and how criticism can appear, they wouldnt be so pressed about others starting their own threads.
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so you want a different side of the story but when you're actually given it you dismiss it as "misdirection" alright man
"Without love, it cannot be seen."
this is just sooooo interesting because in what other fandom would there be any expectation of a fan just getting to publish a creator's work and the creator is the bad guy if they do anything.
I don't think gio outright lies about things, but he does conveniently leave out information, writes a lot leading questions to make his readers assume falsities and makes really long bad faith arguments.
One exceptionally glaring one is his comment about vast error and austin which austin DIRECTLY refutes on his twitter and bluesky
https://x.com/avstinado/status/1953948887640932581
Cami and Victoria have also already refuted other claims he's made in his blog post.
https://www.fruityrumpus.com/forums/reply/68964d40eb0e1f3bcab321ae
https://www.fruityrumpus.com/forums/reply/68965ec9eb0e1f3bcabd4331
Also for someone who claims he values evidence, he sure did not let the evidence speak for itself if it was really that damning.
So now it's multiple people speaking out against how gio operates and affirming support for HIBC/FRAF/etc but still gio's word wins out? ok.
RE: chthonikix
To be fair, we're all new here. The forum has existed for a week.
Re: to the 2 replies above
The ''different side of the story'' thing only works if the other side actually addresses the main issues, which Miles didnt. He didnt touch the licensing terms that would have handed control of the UHC to Andrew, the legal threats that pushed Gio to take down his fork, or the history of Andrew using similar tactics in the past. What he did was reframe events in softer language, focus on personal reputation, and talk about how Homestuck isnt disappearing, which was never the central claim in the first place. Thats why I'm calling it a misdirection.
And the ''what other fandom'' argument is just willfully ignoring context. This isnt a case of a random fan demanding free rein to profit off someone else's IP. The UHC wasnt a bootleg cash grab, it was a fan preservation project that became widely used because WP had neglected its own archive. The ''bad guy'' framing isn't about Andrew enforcing copyright in the abstract, its about how he and his team handled it. They handled it with pressure, NDAs, divide and conquer tactics, and legal threats instead of transparent, collaborative negotiation.
Its not unreasonable to expect a creator to work in good faith with a project thats literally preserving their work, especially when theyve already benefited from its existence. The pushback isnt ''how dare Andrew want control of his work,'' it’s ''why did he choose to pursue that control through intimidation instead of cooperation?''
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RE: deltrius
This was Miles' personal response, not the official response of Homestuck or the response of Andrew. Miles did not write any contract terms, Miles was not making decisions on Andrew's behalf, and Miles should not be assigned responsibility for Andrew's actions. All of your complaints here are with Andrew, not Miles, and I don't know why you expect Miles to answer for Andrew.
so if its just the how... clearly by gio's own screenshots of his own behavior its apparent from the beginning that he isn't operating in good faith? like even the screenshot with gio being like "i think thats a bad idea" (crossed out) and acting scared to talk to hussie and everything like... its been TWO WHOLE YEARS of this! im sure there was PLENTLY of "transparent, collaborative negotiation," or at least attempts on miles' side. I'm definitely going to be interested to see what else gio excluded from his texts because there really was not a lot of receipt for just how LONG this all was going on??? like there were lawyers for both sides. if anything gio has proven every misgiving anyones ever had about him and any risks they would take even attempting to collaborate with him because of this. like he did exactly what people were concerned about lmao
A lot of Miles' response seems to be more so directly aimed at clearing up misconceptions that came from outside conclusions and a progressively insane game of telephone, most prevalent on twitter. Yes, it's not a good response to Gio's article, but i'd argue that reassuring the public of the HICU/FRAP's independence (which is arguable and something i'd like to see adressed in an official capacity) the fact that Homestuck is/won't be 'Lost Media' and other myths is neccesary. Otherwise, i agree
Re: cami
Yeah, that’s exactly why I labeled it as Miles’ *unofficial* statement, I know it’s not the official Homestuck response, Im not confused about that.
The whole point of my post was that Miles' personal take still fails to address the core issues. He chose to put himself out there as ''the other side of the story,'' and in doing so, he downplayed or reframed events without actually engaging with the licensing pressure, the legal threats, or Andrew’s established pattern of behavior. That's what I'm critiquing, not because I think Miles wrote the contract, but because this was positioned as a clarifying perspective and it really wasn’t.
Also, acting as Andrew's liaison for over a year does mean you were involved enough to have relevant insight. You cant spend that much time directly communicating terms and then wave off criticism with ''well, I didn't make the decisions.'' No ones asking him to take the blame for Andrews actions, we’re asking him to acknowledge them instead of sidestepping them.
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i am not trying to be inflammatory but i really think you are coming at this from an incredibly bad faith perspective i have to be honest
"Without love, it cannot be seen."
Re: alexis
this is such a reach!
First off, ''acting scared to talk to Hussie'' is not proof of bad faith, its a pretty understandable reaction if you know his history with lawsuits, NDAs, and how prior negotiations with fans have ended. Caution in that context isnt sabotage, it's self-preservation.
Second, the ''two whole years'' framing makes it sound like Gio was dragging things out for no reason, but even Miles' own post admits this was an on and off thing that eventually stalled because the core disagreement never changed. If the terms on the table are still ''sign a license that lets Andrew take control whenever he wants,'' then it doesn’t matter how long you talk, the issue isnt the length of time, its that the terms themselves were unacceptable.
And saying ''there were lawyers for both sides'' doesnt magically mean it was a fair, collaborative process. Lawyers don't automatically create equity, they protect their own clients interests. If Andrew's side was never going to budge on those control terms, then the presence of lawyers just means the power imbalance was more formally entrenched.
The ''he proved everyone right about him'' line is also just circular logic, it's using the outcome (Gio not agreeing to a bad deal and then writing about it) as retroactive justification for the mistrust that led to the bad deal in the first place. Thats not an argument, its just your bias being confirmed.
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RE: deltrius
Your first interaction with me (one of many, really, you seemed quite focused on responding to my posts today) was literally accusing me of just starting shit for the sake of it. A reply you posted one entire hour after joining FRAF. I have been actually engaging with the fandom, and this forum. You have been here, exclusively, to talk shit, for 13 hours now.
You seem to be under the impression you are owed the benefit of my doubt. You are not. You have decided, from the moment you entered this forum, to be a defender of Gio's integrity, disregarding any claims as "character assassination". I was called "Ragebait" (capital R and all. You gotta buy me dinner before you you give me a petname, honey) when I brought up Gio's history of transmisogyny, and then I had that be assumed to be about Hussie's pronouns or whatever, and not about the goddamn trans women that have been harassed.
You have done nothing to earn any respect from me. You do not get to cry out "bully" when I hit back.
-- The Butch