(I want to just expand that Dirk isn't the only character I resonate with; my post is how Homestuck handles M/M optics in general. I do think it does good strides in responding to fan feedback at times, but I also feel that it tragically doesn't do the legwork anymore to address how it more often than not falls flat on how men being gay is depicted in derisive or homophobic ways.)

Also, I refrained from touching on the Dirk candy route because I really still don't know how to unpack the way the story goes about Dirk doing that to himself, it's kind of "saved" (or ignorable in the larger meta about how the story treats male queerness) by factor of Dirk still being alive in Meat and thus it's not a definitive end to his personhood and narrowly IMO dodges over problematic depictions of queer people doing that.

I'm grateful for your input, Taz. I hope you get the DirkJake conclusion you dream of at the end of the day.