Moral dilemma when loving Homestuck characters vs. appreciating them as compelling writing?
I’ve been reading Homestuck since I was in middle school back in 2009, and as I’ve grown up, I’ve realized just how much of a weird moral dilemma reading this comic can be. Almost every character in this comic has done something deeply questionable, toxic, or downright evil. Some are definitely worse than others, but it makes me wonder: how do you all balance your real world morals with appreciating villainous or morally gray characters? Sometimes it feels like having a certain favorite character gets you side eyed by the fandom because of the terrible things they’ve done. But liking a character as a piece of writing or an entertaining disaster isn't the same as endorsing their actions in real life, right?
How do you handle this while reading/rereading? Do you completely disconnect real world ethics when diving into the comic, or do you still find yourself grappling with the messed up stuff your faves have done? Who is that character for you?