what do you think when people say Homestuck died or got so confusing/irritable that even the creator didn't know what he was doing towards the end?

I get sad, really, for different reasons. When people say Homestuck died, they say it with the same intent they say things like FNAF are ‘Cringey’ or games like Undertale should Die. It’s a trend online, where things that get really popular are immediately dumped into the cringe category, and assumed that they have to die within the year. People will defend watching Classic Movies or playing the same nostalgia-ridden games over and over, but god FORBID you have fun enjoying modern content in the same way as if it was a Classic. And when a franchise that’s already deemed cringey or dead continues, it’s either ignored and still assumed to be dead, or confusingly wondered why it’s it even still going, as if there aren’t people that totally do enjoy it. I hate this kind of attitude, towards any content, to think enjoyment of something has an expiration date is absurd, and specially when there’s still content coming from both the author and the Fandom, but people are so caught up in their accusations of Cringe and hatred that they just don’t care. They just shame something popular until the Fandom is reduced only to people who genuinely like the stuff, then mock said people as if they were the whole of the ‘big obnoxious’ Fandom they used to be. Not saying this is the exact case with Homestuck, but it’s definitely the same attitude.

And when people say that Hussie didn’t know what he was doing towards the Ending, I feel it comes half from most people not even knowing what Homestuck IS about, and half from people not liking to admit they can not like something and that something can still be good? Like, even if you don’t care about Homestuck on a deeper level and you just follow it for the characters or the base storyline… Yeah, the comic had an open end? And there could’ve been more interaction with the characters towards the Ending. But that doesn’t make it bad and wrong immediately, the Ending was still intense and enjoyable, and Hussie heavily encourages the Fandom to produce content around it with it. People have this mindset that not enjoying or getting the Ending immediately means all the years that came before it are somehow erased or ruined and latch onto catchphrases like “The Retcon changed everything and made things worse” and “Hussie just wanted to finish the story quickly”. The latter of which is baffling to me because Act 7 and Collide were both ordeals to create, and the Ending was incredibly insanely bold. If Hussie just wanted to get the story done with he would’ve killed off everyone he didn’t think was relevant, had a big fight with LE and everyone at the end and made everything concise and simple. LE is defeated, Kids win, the end. Instead we got symbolism and the fabric of reality coming apart at the seams and a glimpse at the future and still obviously lingering stuff like John’s depression and Terezi seeking Vriska. That’s not what ANYONE does when they’re rushing a story. That’s what someone does with an intensely symbolic open end planned. That’s maybe what someone intending to go more in-depth about this in the Epilogue does, too. And that’s the thing- Homestuck is so heavily symbolic. It’s a Creation Myth, and a Puzzle, both said by Hussie himself, and it sticks to these roots, it sticks to the symbology it creates and the Gnostic references and the Meta. You may NOT like this, but. It’s how Hussie built the story? And saying this is bad because you personally don’t enjoy delving deeper into it and piecing the puzzle together does not mean the Ending is objectively bad. Buuut that seems to be a trend lately where subjective opinions become law and people bandwagon on it because it’s easier to be part of a hateful hivemind than thinking critically about something and your opinions. Again not saying this specifically applies to Homestuck, but it’s a trend I’ve seen in other Fandoms.