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Today, we're counting down the top five most controversial story choices in the Homestuck fandom. If you think the shipping debates are fierce, wait until you hear this list. Homestuck, created by Andrew Hussie, ran from April 13, 2009 to April 13, 2016 on MS Paint Adventures. It spawned a sprawling webcomic, multiple games, and a fandom larger than the population of many small countries. That’s what happens when over 8,000 pages and more than a million words get mixed with time travel, alternate universes, and trolls. But even in a fandom fueled by chaos, certain moments, updates, and decisions drew more fire than the rest. Let’s rank the five that split the fandom the most.
Number 5: The Introduction of the Trolls in Act 5.
On June 12, 2010, Andrew Hussie began Act 5 with the introduction of 12 new troll characters. This was a seismic shift. The trolls—like Karkat Vantas, Terezi Pyrope, and Vriska Serket—came with their own complicated system of romance quadrants, blood castes, and typing quirks. Many early readers were frustrated at being pulled away from the original four kids—John, Rose, Dave, and Jade—for what felt like dozens of updates focused on entirely new people. Some argued that the story became too convoluted and inaccessible for newcomers. Others loved the trolls and saw them as the lifeblood of Homestuck’s later popularity. The division became clear in fan art, roleplay forums, and even cosplay at conventions. Trolls eventually dominated Homestuck tagging on Tumblr and Archive of Our Own, and many readers picked sides—Team Kids or Team Trolls.
Number 4: The Cascade Animation and the “Flash Problem.”
On October 25, 2011, Andrew Hussie released the “Cascade” flash animation, which was over 13 minutes long and included music by Toby Fox and Malcolm Brown. It was the climax of Act 5, and the site crashed immediately under the weight of over a million simultaneous viewers. Cascade’s plot twists, deaths, and time loops became instant classics, but not everyone was happy. Some fans complained that vital story points were buried in a Flash file, inaccessible to readers using mobile devices, screen readers, or slow internet connections. This fueled arguments about web accessibility and whether Homestuck was leaving part of its fandom behind. The debate continued for years, especially as Adobe Flash was discontinued and later animations had to be converted to new formats, leading to further arguments about the preservation of Homestuck’s digital legacy.
Number 3: The “Trickster Mode” Arc in Act 6.
Trickster Mode first appeared on January 19, 2013. A storyline twist caused all main characters to temporarily look like candy-colored, smiling versions of themselves, obsessed with sugar, positivity, and saccharine romance. For many, this was satire poking fun at fandom tropes and the “rainbowfic” style of fanfiction. But for others, it was a grating tonal shift that went on too long, and some accused the arc of trivializing issues like consent and mental health. Arguments broke out on Tumblr and forums like MSPA Forums about whether Trickster Mode was a clever meta-commentary or an annoying, tasteless gag. Even years later, “Trickster Mode” is invoked in debates about Homestuck’s most divisive narrative risks.
Number 2: The Homestuck Epilogues and the Introduction of Meat and Candy Timelines.
On April 13, 2019, exactly ten years after the comic began, the Homestuck Epilogues were published in partnership with Viz Media. For the first time, the story split into two “routes”—the “Meat” timeline and the “Candy” timeline, each with drastically different tones and outcomes. Major characters, including John Egbert, Rose Lalonde, and Dirk Strider, underwent dramatic changes in personality and fate. The Epilogues used prose instead of the classic hybrid format, with more explicit themes and darker content. Large sections of the fandom loved the bold experiment, but others were furious about the handling of beloved characters—particularly Rose’s illness, John’s romantic fate, and Dirk’s manipulative arc. Fans argued for months about whether the Epilogues were canon, fanfiction, or something in between, and whether the new format betrayed the spirit of the original comic.
Number 1: The Ending of Homestuck—Act 7 and its Aftermath.
On April 13, 2016, the main comic ended with Act 7, a flash animation that lasted just over four minutes and was scored by James Roach and Toby Fox. It depicted the surviving kids and trolls entering a new universe, while Lord English is destroyed offscreen. Many readers expected an epic, detailed resolution to years of plot threads, only to receive a mostly wordless video filled with symbolism and unanswered questions. Soon after, Andrew Hussie posted a short text called “Credits,” which gave vague hints but no concrete answers. Fans debated, sometimes bitterly, about whether the ending was a profound statement about stories, a joke at the audience’s expense, or simply unfinished. Discord servers, Reddit threads, and Tumblr blogs lit up with interpretations, rewrites, and even petitions for a “real” ending. Even years later, “Homestuck’s ending” is shorthand for a controversial or divisive finale across internet culture.
Those are the five most controversial story choices in Homestuck history—each one changed the fandom in ways that still spark arguments. Do you think we missed a moment? Should the Epilogues have taken the number one spot? Let us know your ranking and keep the debate going.