Do you mind elaborating on how Dave was *sexually* abused by Bro? It's been a long while since I've read Homestuck but i hear many other creators say that that's an "absurd, chronically online" thing to say. so you specifying that that's exactly what happened morbidly piqued my interest (no pushing of course, given the gross subject matter i completely understand if this is not something you're comfortable with answering)
The idea of calling that statement "Absurd" and "Chronically Online" is baffling to me, because you'd honestly need to do significantly more mental gymnastics to say that Dave hasn't been sexually abused by Bro. It's textual, and it's a major part of Dave's intro.
Putting this under a cut, because you're entirely correct- this is a really touchy, disturbing subject matter. But it still needs to get talked about. Lucky for you, I'm perfectly okay with talking about the darker aspects of Homestuck's writing... Without filtering it through a fetishistic lens.
I apologize in advance if this is more rambly than my usual essays. It's an uncomfortable series of topics that's hard to tackle for any normal person.
Let's do this.
Content Warning: Heavy Discussion of CSA, Mentions of Incest and Pedophilia.
I think where people are getting tripped up is that they hear the phrase "Child Sexual Abuse" and automatically think of the worst forms of it possible. It's an easy trap to fall into, and a pretty understandable one. The word "Abuse" is loaded, and perceived as an inherently violent, extreme action- a callous, sadistic disregard for the safety of someone who is seen as weaker, something done only by an unfeeling, inhuman monster who wishes to dominate the victim. It's a violent word, so people envision it as a violent crime.
I can't fault anyone for hearing the term "Child Sexual Abuse" being applied to two brothers with a significant age gap and instantly assuming that what's being said is that the older brother is committing absolutely heinous acts on the younger brother. That is easy to digest. That's the simplest takeaway one can get from that statement. It's a fair assumption.
I can't fault anyone for assuming that the phrase "Dave was a victim of CSA under Bro's care" means that the person stating it thinks that Bro sexually assaulted Dave. I can't fault them for having the assumption that what is being said is that Bro is an incestuous pedophile. I cannot fault it for a second. It's just the easiest takeaway, and the most mentally and emotionally intense one. It's easy to digest, and easy to get mad at. Because saying that would be wrong.
Most cases of abuse are more subtle and nuanced than its most extreme cases. Sometimes abuse come in the form of Neglect. Even sexual abuse can come in the form of Neglect.
For The Record: We have no reason to assume Bro Strider ever made sexual contact with Dave, nor do we have any evidence to the idea that he even had any sexual thoughts or feelings about him. To assert that idea as fact would be fucked up. But that doesn't automatically negate the presence of sexual abuse.
What I want everyone to understand is that it is sexually abusive to constantly, wittingly expose a child to sexual material, be it websites, videos, photos, or objects. It is sexually abusive to do this, and the fact that Dave is surrounded by sexual objects and pornographic material- and has been since he was a literal baby- should absolutely concern people. The comedy of it is surface level, and a quick prod quickly reveals the abject horror of the situation.
Bro's main business appears to be in the porn industry, specifically making puppet fetish content.
A parent being in the porn industry and having a fetish... Isn't inherently a bad thing. Kinks and fetishes are normal, and so is being a sex worker. If that's what you want to do, go for it. But Bro leaves his Smuppets everywhere, which are, by and large, sex toys. Whether or not they are for his own personal sexual gratification is irrelevant to the debate- if you are a parent and your business is making and selling dildos, it is still your job as a parent to hide those dildos from your kid, even if they're not for your own use.
Dave knows this. He knows that Smuppets are sex toys. Dave is very aware of the fetish porn site that Bro runs. Bro knows that Dave knows this. The sexual boundary between Bro and Dave is incredibly thin- inappropriately so for one's own young child.
And Dave, the child in this situation, knows this lack of boundaries is wrong... But he's genuinely not in the right place to fully acknowledge it. He's too unsafe still, so he has to keep making excuses to try and bury his trauma.
[Homestuck, page 461.]
The thing you have to keep in mind throughout reading Dave's entire introductory segment is that "Irony" is a code word. A lot of abuse victims, when they're still too unsafe to fully acknowledge their abuse, tend to make excuses for their abuser's behavior in the form of "At Least" statements. As in, "At least they don't hit me", or "At least I can still talk to my friends". Things of that nature.
"Irony" is Dave's "At Least". That's him saying "At least this is a joke", "This is creepy, but at least it's not serious", "at least he doesn't mean it".
All of this Smuppet stuff is creepy, and Dave wishes Bro would stop. He wishes he'd put his puppet sex toys away, wishes he'd stop tormenting him every waking moment of his life, wishes he'd stop forcing him to fight. He wishes he wasn't trapped in an apartment that feels like hell, and he wishes he didn't have to hide any drinks and food he could get his hands on in the closet to get any chance at sustaining his own life and body. He wishes he was a normal kid in a normal home with a parent that loves him, just like his friends.
But hey, it's all ironic. At least Bro doesn't mean it, right?
It all stops being abuse when you declare it to be a prank, right?
Since the Striders wear shades like, 24/7, do you think that they have photosensitivity???
It’s definitely possible, especially if you choose to read it as a personal physical necessity. Cannot fault anyone for seeing them as Photosensitive- it’s a pretty cool idea. It’s mostly a symbolic thing in text, though.
Dirk and Bro wear shades because they’re both Princes of Heart. Eyes are the windows to the Soul- and if your entire Classpect is literally Destruction of Heart and Ghosting of Mind, then it only makes sense that you cover up the eyes. This is also why the Mindbound wear shades.
Dave, meanwhile, wears shades because of the impact Bro had on him growing up. The whole Cool Guy Hyper-Irony routine is very much so a Prince of Heart type of deal- it’s putting on a Persona and masking his True Feelings. It’s taking the soul out of his statements, and destroying his ability to be open and vulnerable about his emotions- just as Bro did when he raised Dave. It’s all very complicated and fascinating in its execution, but luckily rather easy to explain for once.
If Dave is jewish and was raised by Bro, wouldn't that imply that Dirk is also jewish? Cuz even if Dave is ethnically jewish because of Roxy, he's never met Mom Lalonde and wouldn't be aware of his heritage unless Bro raised him like that.
Yeah, makes sense! Bro is a weird case, though, in my opinion- he doesn’t seem like the type to actually teach Dave much about it?
Sure, I think he might say a thing or two, it’s kinda hard to say literally nothing about something like that for all those years, but I definitely do not see him as the type to either actively/devoutly practice any religion, or actively teach Dave a lot about the culture. Dave definitely seems like his connection to it would be vague and foggy. It’s there, but his grasp on things is… Not great.
That’s all just my headcanon, though! People can write whatever the hell they want. Don’t let me stop you from fucking around with writing an intensely Jewish Strider or something. It’s a fun character exercise!
