List of Homestuck characters
The webcomic centers on a group of teenagers who unwittingly bring about the end of the world through the installation of a beta copy of an upcoming computer game.
Homestuck features a complex story and a large cast of characters, starring the four children John Egbert, Rose Lalonde, Dave Strider and Jade Harley.
"[6] Jokingly described by blogger Subdee as a "shoujo heroine", John's character is notably fond of bad films and has a seemingly irrational revulsion to the Betty Crocker brand.
This originated as a headcanon, however Andrew Hussie made it canon when a fan of Homestuck was granted a single wish for if they were the author by finding his hidden chocolate bar.
He copied this behavior from his older brother (also his biological father through ectobiology and his only guardian), who collects puppets and katanas on what Dave assumes is an ironic level.
Surrounded by bad video games and junk food,[7] he wears aviator sunglasses, obscuring his eyes entirely, and wields katana in combat situations.
[10] Dave is the fictional creator of Hussie's spin-off webcomic Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff, in-jokes of which are featured frequently in Homestuck.
Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff are intentionally poorly made, featuring unsteady lines, liberal use of the spray paint tool, heavy JPEG artifacting, and the unpopular typeface Comic Sans.
Her genetic son is, due to the "Paradox Clone" phenomenon, actually her grandfather and an alternate version of John Egbert, whose sister was Jake English's grandmother, Jade.
His older brother, another version of Dave, created a media empire surrounding Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff; the movie stars Donald Glover as "Geromy.
[5] Homestuck trolls are by default bisexual; this normalization has been described by a fan as "incredible for all the bi and gay kids out there... seeing loads of couples that don't think twice about how they're dating somebody of the same gender as themselves.
"[13] With few exceptions, all trolls fall on the hemospectrum, a caste system dictated by blood color and its corresponding attributes, including lifespan, powers, personality, and rarity.
[15] In an interview with ComicsAlliance, Hussie remembered how "the moment it went crazy was really unmistakable ... it was when I brought the trolls into the picture", saying that Homestuck became a "contagious phenomenon" about halfway through the sub-arc introducing the characters.
[5] Told as a powerful psychic with an ability to speak with the dead, Aradia is responsible for recovering the code for Sgrub, the troll version of Sburb, from some ruins.
One night, before entering Sgrub, an incident occurs involving Vriska Serket, Terezi Pyrope, Tavros Nitram and a violent cycle of revenge which kills her lusus (caretaker).
Eventually it is revealed that this also killed Aradia, turning her into a ghost and causing her to lose interest in everything she enjoyed prior, including archaeology and focus instead on acquiring and playing Sgrub.
[HS 21] Karkat is the de facto leader of the trolls' group, and his introduction in Act 5 mirrors that of John Egbert at the start of the webcomic.
She has a great interest in fashion, and is thematically strongly influenced by the Virgin Mary, taking on a motherly role towards the other trolls, particularly Karkat Vantas.
[HS 23] Hussie has stated that Kanaya is lesbian, but due bisexuality being the norm, this goes unnoticed in troll culture, or is considered a sexual fetish.
She is blind (due to the same incident involving Vriska Serket that left Tavros Nitram paralyzed) and able to visualize the world through her sense of smell and taste.
Gamzee is a purple-blooded troll with strong ties to his religious faith, referred to as the "Cult of the Mirthful Messiahs," which he eventually brings about the creation and realization of through time travel.
Feferi is the heir apparent for Alternian rulership, which puts her at risk from Her Imperious Condescension, the Empress of Alternia, who would make an attempt on her life if it weren't for her lusus' protection.
[HS 30] Other characters featured in Homestuck include the nearly-all-powerful antagonist Lord English,[19] and a pair of "diametrically opposed twins living inside the same body" named Calliope and Caliborn.
[20] Late in the webcomic, Hussie introduced Davepetasprite^2, a fusion of the characters Davesprite (an apparitional alternate timeline version of Dave Strider) and Nepeta Leijon.
[13] According to Lilian Min of The Atlantic, Homestuck's greatest strength is Andrew Hussie's "gift for character-building", and that the characters are unique and "strangely relatable".
[3] Elliott Dunstan of Monkeys Fighting Robots said, "the sheer number of characters and possible interactions can get overwhelming", and that each fan ends up with a favorite cast member.
[23] Mary Kinney of New York University wrote that Homestuck, which is heavily stylized as an adventure game, features an "implied character" as the player.
[4] In an interview with The Daily Dot, Homestuck guest artist Shelby Cragg praised Hussie's webcomic for its 50:50 gender ratio and large number of well-written female characters.
[24] Creatrix Tiara of Autostraddle noted that Hussie was highly successful with creating a diverse LGBT cast, by writing the characters in a "realistic, non-fetishistic manner."
Some readers of the webcomic see this implementation of death as a subversion of the "bury your gays" trope, as homosexual characters frequently get killed off in American media.
