History AlternativeCharacterInterpretation / Homestuck

* Both in and out of universe people wonder whether [[PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad Kankri]] is genuine in his beliefs, or just [[StealthInsult using them as a cover to insult]] his friends. The fact that he snaps at a crippled person for falling over involuntarily certainly pushes it towards the latter, but his own status as part of an extremely marginalized (mutant) class does suggest that he is at least trying to work towards equality. And even then, seeing as he's a parody of stereotypical overzealous social justice warriors, it's entirely possible that he's only working towards equality for [[ItsAllAboutMe his own benefit alone]] and is only pretending to care about the problems of others [[HolierThanThou to make himself look better]].

* The Guardians get this in-universe from their charges; John thinks of Dad as a silly, embarrassing bumbler who's obsessed with harlequins, only for it to be revealed that he's a tough guy with SuperStrength who only pretended to like harlequins because he thought John loved them. Rose sees all of Mom's actions as an attempt to spite her, when in reality all she wants is to spend time with her. Dave sees Bro's obsession with puppets as a level of irony that even he can't understand, when it looks more like a fetish (although given what Dirk has said on the subject, [[TakeAThirdOption both might actually be correct]]). And finally, Jade thinks of Bec as a "good dog, best friend" and his more...[[RealityWarper unusual]] {{p|hysicalGod}}roperties don't seem to faze her, but she wasn't aware of ''why'' he had those properties until later. [[SubvertedTrope Didn't really change her opinion of him, though.]]

* A good number of people think that Kankri isn't actually interested in social justice or insulting his friends. Rather, they think he is using these beliefs as a mental crutch of sorts, hiding his own issues by stealthily accentuating those of the others. Given his remarks to Porrim on her seemingly genuine beliefs, it could be that Kankri is either primarily concerned with maintaining this hypothetical jerkish facade above being nice, or is simply hyperfocused on his own beliefs. Speculation continues.
* Or, Kankri ''is'' interested in social justice, it's just that (consciously or not) he lets his own personal desires and issues override his judgement. The person he judges the most is Mituna, who happens to be the matesprit of Latula (who he has repressed romantic feelings for). On a more humorous note: Kankri talks Porrim's issues down because he's annoyed at her constantly smothering him.

** John sees his father as an embarrassing BumblingDad with an obsession with clowns, when he really [[spoiler: is actually a very boring businessman outside of the home, and not really all that into harlequins. He only collects clown-related figurines and memorabilia because he thinks ''John'' is obsessed with them, from observing John's subconscious drawings on the walls of his room.]]
*** But then, John's dad is ''also'' [[spoiler: a badass fighter with the ability to lift heavy safes, punch out powerful monsters, and put the Hegemonic Brute in a headlock. He also ran a joke shop with Nanna before it (and she) got hit by the meteor carrying Baby John]]. Clearly a man of many layers.
** Rose interprets every action her mom takes as a calculated move in an escalating war of passive-aggressive, spiteful smothering. [[spoiler: It's actually been implied throughout the rest of the story that she really does care a great deal for her daughter and wants the best for her (hence the over-the-top pampering), but went slightly nuts after the death of their family cat, Jaspers. Or, per Roxy, is just a bit nuts.]] And then, there's more to [[spoiler:Jaspers's mausoleum]] than meets the eye...

*** Dave (and the comic itself) eventually seems to come down on the side of [[spoiler:Bro was a horrible, abusive guardian figure and everything Dave said to the contrary was merely a coping mechanism]].
** Jade thinks of her dog Bec as a GOOD DOG BEST FRIEND with her best interests at heart, even if he does have alarming nuclear space superpowers, but it turns out that [[spoiler:Bec was created by the bad guys using the genetic code that the Dark [[DarkIsNotEvil (but not evil)]] Gods warned Rose to destroy. Yet his loyalty to Jade is undeniable, and strong enough to influence Jack Noir through the prototyping]].

* This is actually a major plot point in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' with the relationships between the main characters and their parents/guardians.

* Is Bro's relationship with Dave a friendly brotherly rivalry, or is he an abusive father? When Act 6 Act 6 Intermission 5 rolls around and Dirk and Dave do sit down and talk, Dave does view Bro's mannerisms, attitudes and training as abusive. Though the two also wonder how much of Bro's behavior was Dirk's own personality problems going unchecked in later life, and how much influence Lil' Cal (possessed by the amalgam that would grow to be Lord English) had upon him, seeing as he spent his entire life around the evil puppet.

** Is Vriska a BrokenBird who is just trying to fit in desperately with people in the only way she knows how? One who manipulates everything for fun? A confused little girl trying to live up to the example set by her infamous ancestor, even when she doesn't necessarily find it all that fun? Someone who has atoned for her actions and should be forgiven or hasn't and her ultimate death was justice? Hello, BrokenBase! Canonically, she is presented as somewhere in between all of these things. Not helped by the fact that WordOfGod confirms Vriska is deliberately designed to be as divisive, confusing, and difficult to interpret as possible.
*** There's also her {{mercy kill}}ing her lusus. Given how {{a|busiveParents}}wful it turned out to be (it basically forced her into being an indirect SerialKiller because it refused to hunt for itself. It's explicitly noted that it deliberately refused to eat anything other than trolls, making Vriska lure innocent trolls in for it to eat) one has to wonder whether Vriska genuinely wanted to spare her lusus any pain or was just using that as an excuse to [[TheDogBitesBack take revenge on her abuser]].
** Is Equius a {{Squick}}y FanDisservice pervert or a guy who truly cares for those close to him, but clings futilely to classist ideals?
** Interpretations of The Felt rely on this, as aside from Clover and Snowman, none of them are portrayed as anything more than mobsters.
** Fans often play up Jack Noir's sympathetic traits. Complicating matters is that he's had at least three variations in the story who have been in different situations and behaved in very different ways. (Aside from stabbing people constantly, but at least Spades Slick has only stabbed people who are ''probably'' evil. And Karkat.)
*** The sequence where Karkat admits that he caused the human universe to be flawed by half-assing on the frogs and his conclusion that Bec Noir is the cancer destroying the human universe seems to imply that most versions of Jack aren't [[OmnicidalManiac crazy]] like Bec Noir, which would explain the massive differences. This still leaves ''a lot'' open to interpretation though.
** Is Bro's relationship with Dave a friendly brotherly rivalry, or is he an abusive father? When Act 6 Act 6 Intermission 5 rolls around and Dirk and Dave do sit down and talk, Dave does view Bro's mannerisms, attitudes and training as abusive. Though the two also wonder how much of Bro's behavior was Dirk's own personality problems going unchecked in later life, and how much influence Lil' Cal (possessed by the amalgam that would grow to be Lord English) had upon him, seeing as he spent his entire life around the evil puppet.
*** Bro's creepy obsession with puppets seems to be closer to a fetish, and it's really hard to tell where the line between {{Irony}} and sincerity blur. ([[LampshadeHanging Dirk makes clear this is on purpose, and unnerving others with it is half the joke.]]) In-universe, Dave interprets this as him being ironic to a level that Dave can't even begin to understand, [[SelectiveObliviousness because it freaks him out to think otherwise]].
** Was Darkleer's {{Wangst}} legitimate or was Mindfang just being dismissive?
** [[FanNickname Daddy Droog]], Diamonds Droog as an overprotective father/big brother figure JerkWithAHeartOfGold, especially toward Aradia.
** Calliope is a rather mysterious character, and while she's been presented thus far as a nice girl, there's enough to suggest she's a {{Manipulative B|astard}}itch for fans to believe it.
** ''Gamzee''. Though he was subject to some in early Act 5, and Act 5 Act 2 before becoming sober, he hits this trope high in later parts of Act 5 Act 2 and onwards, and then even more in Act 6 and onward where his motives and reasons for what he does become extremely blurry and unclear. Debate abounds over the extent to which sopor (and the deprivation thereof) affected his behavior, how much he's been {{Brainwashed}} or {{mind control}}led, whether or not he has a SplitPersonality, and how much of his behavior is [[ForTheEvulz motivated by malevolence]] vs. [[WellIntentionedExtremist good intentions]]. Meanwhile, he's one of the most mysterious characters in the entire comic, and any real answers aren't likely to be forthcoming for a very long time.
** The Guardians get this in-universe from their charges; John thinks of Dad as a silly, embarrassing bumbler who's obsessed with harlequins, only for it to be revealed that he's a tough guy with SuperStrength who only pretended to like harlequins because he thought John loved them. Rose sees all of Mom's actions as an attempt to spite her, when in reality all she wants is to spend time with her. Dave sees Bro's obsession with puppets as a level of irony that even he can't understand, when it looks more like a fetish (although given what Dirk has said on the subject, [[TakeAThirdOption both might actually be correct]]). And finally, Jade thinks of Bec as a "good dog, best friend" and his more...[[RealityWarper unusual]] {{p|hysicalGod}}roperties don't seem to faze her, but she wasn't aware of ''why'' he had those properties until later. [[SubvertedTrope Didn't really change her opinion of him, though.]]
** Eridan Ampora. Although dead since Act 5 Act 2, fans ''still'' argue about him. Generally, he's portrayed as either a soulless monster without any sense of morality, a complete douchebag who only cares about quadrants, or a poor little [[TheWoobie Woobie]] whose instability and upbringing are to blame for the things he did. Canonically, he appears to be [[AxCrazy incredibly fucked up]] and [[{{Jerkass}} vindictive]], although he really does possess affection, as illustrated by his love for Feferi, and his moments of genuine friendship with Karkat and Kanaya, pushing him more in a JerkWithAHeartOfGold territory.
*** On the subject of Eridan and Feferi, the fandom can only speculate as to what his motive for killing her could be. As such, a lot of fans who have made up their own theories have been claiming that their explanation is canon, no matter how different they are.
** Was Feferi a MessianicArchetype who is key to achieving equality on Alternia, or was she just as classist as other highbloods, but in a different way? Canonically, she appears to be well-intentioned, but very misguided. The way life was on Beforus seems to imply the latter possibility, as the Feferi from that timeline was the Empress who had basically enforced WhiteMansBurden by law.
*** Some of her interactions with Vriska and Sollux seem to show a [[BitchInSheepsClothing nastier side to her]], as she trolls Vriska for no apparent reason (after the latter was being uncharacteristically nice) and refuses to stop [[WhiteMansBurden babying Sollux]] even after he states he's uncomfortable with it.
** Both in and out of universe people wonder whether [[PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad Kankri]] is genuine in his beliefs, or just [[StealthInsult using them as a cover to insult]] his friends. The fact that he snaps at a crippled person for falling over involuntarily certainly pushes it towards the latter, but his own status as part of an extremely marginalized (mutant) class does suggest that he is at least trying to work towards equality. And even then, seeing as he's a parody of stereotypical overzealous social justice warriors, it's entirely possible that he's only working towards equality for [[ItsAllAboutMe his own benefit alone]] and is only pretending to care about the problems of others [[HolierThanThou to make himself look better]].
** A good number of people think that Kankri isn't actually interested in social justice or insulting his friends. Rather, they think he is using these beliefs as a mental crutch of sorts, hiding his own issues by stealthily accentuating those of the others. Given his remarks to Porrim on her seemingly genuine beliefs, it could be that Kankri is either primarily concerned with maintaining this hypothetical jerkish facade above being nice, or is simply hyperfocused on his own beliefs. Speculation continues.
** Or, Kankri ''is'' interested in social justice, it's just that (consciously or not) he lets his own personal desires and issues override his judgement. The person he judges the most is Mituna, who happens to be the matesprit of Latula (who he has repressed romantic feelings for). On a more humorous note: Kankri talks Porrim's issues down because he's annoyed at her constantly smothering him.
** Is Damara really sex-crazed or does she just use ObfuscatingStupidity and crazy propositions as a defense mechanism and to annoy those who have betrayed her? Keep in mind that all the people she has made crude advances towards were all those who had hurt her in the past. (Meenah, Rufioh, Horuss.)
** Did Dualscar kill the Dolorosa [[MurderTheHypotenuse because he was jealous]], or did the Dolorosa (who had just lost her adoptive son and was being sexually abused by Mindfang) [[SuicideByCop ask him to do it]] and did he [[MercyKill take pity]] on her? Or did he [[TakeAThirdOption kill her out of jealousy and she just happened to be suicidal at the time?]] And on that note, did Mindfang really begin to develop real feelings for her or is UnreliableNarrator[=/=]NeverMyFault at work?
*** For that matter, ''was'' the murdered slave girl actually the Dolorosa? People tend to forget that's just a theory, albeit one that makes sense.
** A few later updates seem to imply that there's more to the Condesce's brainwashing of Jane than just using her as a pawn; Meenah (the Condesce's alternate self) bemoans the fact that she can't be a CoolBigSis to Feferi without her royal blood forcing her to try and kill her and the Condesce herself seems absolutely horrified when Aranea kills Jane (and even that can be subjected to alternate interpretation; is she angry because she really cared about Jane [[PragmaticVillainy or was she just mad about her plans being derailed]]?).
*** And on ''that'' note, did the Condesce kill Aranea because she ruined her plans, [[MamaBear or maybe...]]
** And Finally Lil Hal, or the Autoresponder, is a fucking playground for this, because ultimately, he is still Dirk, a troubled teen heavily implied to have depression, trapped in a pair of shades, originally created as an ironic joke, and practically seen as such by his friends. Is he still just Dirk, lonely, hurt, and bitter, who's basically lost everything, and goes to enormous lengths to cover his grief and resentment, as well as his hatred of the "Real Dirk"? Is he an egomaniac who legitimately believes that he's the superior iteration, and is mainly just trying to nab a body to complete the package? [[GoMadFromTheIsolation Or have three years spent being viewed as a toy by his friends, despised by his creator, rendered utterly immobile, and having no foreseeable future outside of those shades warped his mind beyond recognition, even to the point of insanity?]]