The themes of this story are pretty hard to figure out, because I didn't really write it with any in mind. But looking at the arcs Nick, English and even the audience in a sense, I think there is something. We see the whole cast very proud of their creation, eager to show it off and please their audience. And then we have English-Caliborn, who wants an Oscar, a symbol to prove the greatness of his creations he is so proud of. The audience of course is promised The Homestuck Epilogue, which also happens to be Con Air 2. Of course, even if this had been canon, I think nobody expected it to literally be Con Air 2. Still, the illusion of canonicity gave something incredible to expect.

The question this story poses at the end is if any it was ever worth it? The Oscar English so desperately wanted turned out to be the juju that would destroy and banish him, and ironically he was defeated by having it thrown at him. The final battle reached its climax as Hella Jeff threw himself between Nick and English’s death laser, which was necessary only because Buscemi baited Nick with the film reel. Had Nick not fallen to this trick, Ben might’ve survived. The readers wanted a spectacle, and while they got it, the ending was bleak. More was lost than gained.

Creators might value their works and desire praise and validation for their work, and audiences might want to experience those works, but if the price results in the creator destroying themselves and the story ending in disappointment and loss of the connections between the creators and the fans, was it worth it? Certainly that is a topical question with the Homestuck Epilogues, which greatly divided the fandom and cast a shadow upon the future of Homestuck, disappointing many fans with its twists.

This was true for this story, in a reverse way. I couldn’t provide anything official nor did I have the time or resources to top Homestuck’s content, which of course would cause disappointment. But as far as I saw people’s reactions, that didn’t matter. A lot of people had a great experience with the ARG, and for many the story was a source of inspiration. Some people found their connection with Homestuck again, and it was even said that this was kind of a return to update culture.

I’m sure there were a lot of people who read it and didn’t like it. And that’s expected. I didn’t ever go into this thinking I could rival Hussie, even if some people thought that way. As I have said, all I had to offer was the hype. The feeling of experiencing Homestuck, something I had missed too. Whether or not it actually was Homestuck didn’t matter for some, but that it was enough to remind what in Homestuck mattered. That kind of result is good enough for me.

© Neonredfeather