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homestucksimplified · 1 year

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The Sburb Aspects.

Sburb, the game that the human Homestuck characters play, has the objective of “creating a new universe to live in”, and it brings the end of the current one. Sburb is full of complex and interesting mechanisms, and one of its most interesting feature is the titles of power given to the players. Those are the Aspects.

A person’s Aspect is understood to represent what their goals and actions in life are caused by. Characters in the story and readers who are holders of Aspects guide a life ruled by what the main idea of their Aspects is.

The Sburb Aspects are Time, Breath, Doom, Blood, Heart, Space, Mind, Light, Void, Rage, Hope, and Life. All Aspects are present in the comic, but some are more represented than others, due to certain characters not appearing as much. The two Aspects with the most canon players are Time (Dave, Aradia, Damara, and Caliborn) and Space (Jade, Kanaya, Porrim, and Calliope).

Together with the Aspect, there will be a Class. A person’s Class is understood to represent the way they deal with their Aspect. You can only know your Class after you find out what your Aspect is, since each one changes greatly with the switch of Aspect. We are not going to discuss Classes in this particular post, but by the time you see this I’ll probably already have a post on each of them within each Aspect (search for the tag #classes).

Below is my speculation on how each Sburb Aspect is to each player.

1st Aspect: Time

Time is the Aspect of music, of death, of rebellion, of not accepting what comes in the way that it comes. Time is an Aspect that caused much suffering in the comic, but it is also the savior-Aspect. Time Players seem to “go against the clock”, they are usually either terrified of death or completely alright with the idea of it. They work in melodious ways, are impatient, and enjoy the destination more than the journey itself. They are hardly stable, extremely dedicated and stubborn. Time Players are fighters, sometimes even in a literal way. They also tend to be revolutionary, depending on the Class. They can be related to music, since the ticking of the clock is a reference to melody and heartbeat.

In more miscellaneous descriptions, Time Players can be enjoyers of History. Since Aspects can be literal sometimes, many Time Players struggle with the concept of Time, are bad at keeping track of time, feel like they don’t have time to do all that they want to do, like they have to catch up. Time is the opposite Aspect to “Space”, which is patient and conforming. Time is an Aspect of change.

(Time used to be considered a Derse-only Aspect, since its description is really similar to that of Derse Dreamers. Since the publication of The Extended Zodiac, that was proven to be untrue. Arist, Taurist, Gemrist, Canrist, Lerist, Virist, Librist, Scorist, Sagirist, Caprist, Aquarist and Pirists are all Time + Prospit Extended Signs).

Known Time Players are Dave Strider, Aradia Megido, Damara Megido, Caliborn, and Toby Fox.

2nd Aspect: Breath

Breath is the Aspect of freedom and flexibility, of the element of air, of going with the flow, movement. Breath Players tend to be more detached from reality, and most of them are in search for the liberty that they crave. They’re usually very positive-minded, or are just unaware of the stress they are holding. A character who reminds me of this Breath characteristic is Mr. Peanutbutter from Bojack Horseman. Breath Players’ main theme in their journey will be freedom, and often times they will be leaders or have to deal with leadership.

Breath has that “protagonist” vibe at the same time that it has the “ignored side character” one. John and Tavros holding that Aspect makes that even more true. It is a very unpredictable Aspect, and I believe the players are as well. The bad side of Breath might come from detachment from important things, from people and situations. The players might also be absent-minded, gullible, and sometimes avoidant.

Breath is the opposite Aspect to “Blood”, which shares its leadership characteristics but is about the opposite of freedom.

Known Breath Players are John Egbert, Tavros Nitram, and Rufioh Nitram.

3rd Aspect: Doom

Doom is the Aspect of inevitability, destiny, fate, conformity… Doom Players are known to be good listeners, people who understand and will empathize, even if they don’t know how to fix many issues. They seem to be okay with fate, with the way things work, with both contentment and pain. Doom Player Sollux knew that he was going to die, and he accepted it knowing nothing could be done about it. Doom can be heavily emotional.

Doom is a poetic Aspect, and it’s extremely interesting, although rarely depicted in the comic. A Doom Player’s struggle might be about acceptance, a doubt about how it all is supposed to work. It is realistic and skeptical, not always pessimistic instead. Doom can be stability, having an outlook on life that is healing in their own way. I have heard from a Doom Player that “the Life-Doom Aspect pair is the facet of a person that deals with healing. While Life heals through change and improvement, Doom heals through acceptance and adjustment”. This difference is sometimes described as “the vent friend” (Doom) and “the advice friend” (Life). Life is the opposite Aspect to Doom, and it is serving and helpful.

Known Doom Players are Sollux Captor and Mituna Captor.

4th Aspect: Blood

Blood is the Aspect of bonds, relations, friendship or relationship or hatred, anything that holds the idea of people connecting and interacting. Blood Players usually strive for community, craving the unity of people, thriving on groups of friends, families, rioters getting ready to protest, anything that ties the bloods together. They can have a hard time adjusting to freedom, preferring the value of the attachments in their life. Their view of the world is very interesting, mostly focused on the association between people, even the disharmonic ones.

Blood can be literal, in the sense of a Blood Player’s path having to do with their care or lack of care for a sibling or parent, but it can also be about friends or lovers. They can attempt to form unity whenever they can, that might be their way of dealing with the world. They have a thought that “everyone has the same blood”. Blood is the opposite Aspect to “Breath”, which is focused on freedom and detachment.

Known Blood Players are Karkat Vantas and Kankri Vantas.

5th Aspect: Heart

Heart is the Aspect of the soul, the self, of passion and impulse. Heart Players are described to be obsessed with their own identity, in both the good and bad sense (like every Aspect, it has both sides). They are doomed to struggle with their sense of self, to be focused on the improvement of their own paths. Heart Players know themselves in more intrinsic ways than most people are used to knowing themselves. They are masters of self-analysis, and to quote a Homestuck character, “drowning in [their] own dismal persona”, they “can’t escape from themselves”.

In more literal ways, Heart can have to do with relationships and the idea of love. Many Heart Players seem to have a connection with or a struggle with romantic love, though this is much more a theory. All the Homestuck characters with the Heart Aspect got their hearts broken at one point and were very interested in romance. Many Classes make a Heart Player a great helper to others, since they understand how self-improvement should work and may want to advise others on it. They may know others more than others know themselves too. Heart’s opposite Aspect is “Mind”, of course, which is more focused on rationality and justice.

Known Heart Players are Dirk Strider, Nepeta Leijon, and Meulin Leijon.

6th Aspect: Space

Space is the Aspect of creation, the big picture, the capacity to accept things as they come, adapting to them. Space Players tend to favor the journey over the destination, enjoying the time they spend creating something much more than the end result of it. It is the opposite Aspect to “Time”, which is all about rebellion and, well, time. Space seems to be the most important Aspect in all of Sburb, and a session is impossible without the Space Player, who usually accepts pretty easily what their path is meant to be. They don’t see the point in fighting against what is inevitable, so they pick their fights carefully, prefer to make something out of what they already have.

Space Players can be lonely. But Space is usually patient, and it is big, so big. It is everything, after all. It’s not a coincidence that the creator of Homestuck, the creator of all of this that I’m writing about, is a Space Player. Space gathers everything, and everything is in Space.

(Space used to be considered a Prospit-only Aspect, since its description is really similar to that of Prospit Dreamers. Since the publication of The Extended Zodiac, that was proven to be untrue. Arga, Taurga, Gemga, Canga, Lega, Virga, Liga, Scorga, Sagiga, Capriga, Aquaga and Piga are all Space + Derse Extended Signs).

Known Space Players are Jade Harley, Kanaya Maryam, Porrim Maryam, Calliope, and Andrew Hussie.

7th Aspect: Mind

Mind is the Aspect of reason, justice, logic and decision. Mind Players usually have a very black-and-white view of the world, deciding between choices by considering which path is the most fair. Their journey has to do with rationality, and most times they value facts rather than feelings. A Mind Player who’s driven by emotions might have a more rebellious Class. Mind Players are good at figuring out what choices will be better in a situation, defying the idea that libras are indecisive (The libras in Homestuck are Mind Players). I would say they have a very corrective view of the world, always seeing solution to whatever problems might exist around them, in their own way.

Mind seems to be connected to justice, and not only because of the libra thing. Being the Aspect of decisions, it refers to making choices that will be better for everyone. Mind Player Terezi Pyrope went against her best friend’s plans because she could see that they wouldn’t be fair to anyone but herself. Getting more answers than you have questions is a good way to describe the Aspect. Seeing the patterns of the world, seeing through lies.

Mind’s opposite Aspect is “Heart”, which is the Aspect of the soul and emotional world.

Known Mind Players are Terezi Pyrope and Latula Pyrope.

8th Aspect: Light

Light is the Aspect of knowledge, luck, and literal light too. It is about inviting light into a situation, usually about seeking knowledge and sometimes being obsessed with the answers to everything. Light Players can be scholars, focused on learning the most they can about what they’re interested in, or Light might come up in different ways, not academic or literally.

Light Players seek to find the reasons for what things are what they are. They are great at researching, and this can be abstract or not. They probably had curious childhoods, wanting to search for the meaning of life from a very young age, and still not letting go. They also are not very worried about rules, and like bending them to their own likes. They follow rules that they want to follow and ignore those they find useless.

This Aspect is linked to luck too, and its Players tend to believe in such. Their Classes will also dictate whether they believe they have that luck or not. Light Players don’t have to necessarily be wise; just like other Aspects a Player may show only some aspects of it. But they will always be looking for wisdom. In their own way.

Light can have to do with relevance, with awareness, and like in the comic, with sight in a way. A canon Thief of Light blinded another person, and a canon Sylph of Light fixed their eyesight. Also, Light’s opposite Aspect is “Void”, which is obviously about mystery and emptiness.

Known Light Players are Rose Lalonde, Vriska Serket, and Aranea Serket.

9th Aspect: Void

Void is the Aspect of many things, though Void Players usually describe it as the Aspect of “nothing”. It is, indeed, the Aspect of nothingness. Void is about absence and emptiness, but also potential and mystery. Void doesn’t seek knowledge, and is more interested in what is not there and can be created. Void Players would be interested in mystery, would definitely be more interested in the rising of the sun if they didn’t know how that phenomenon worked. Void’s opposite Aspect is “Light”, which is about curiosity and brightness.

Depending on the Class, Void Players may have issues with their own incompleteness, believing themselves to be empty of feeling or anything at all, irrelevant. Healthy Void Players have learned to thrive in the darkness and to understand how their potential works better in the shadows. Unhealthy Void Players may try to overcompensate by mirroring Light, pretending they are full of what they are really not. If Light is the sun, Void is the ocean, vast and full of enigmas. It is quite literally the Aspect of water in a way, and its Players may have a strong connection to it, one way or another.

Void is more a concept, an idea. It is subtle. It is where light doesn’t reach. It is starting from nothing. It is obscure. Maybe it is lack of luck, depending on the Class. Void is vague, while Light makes itself very obvious. Void is full of riddles.

Known Void Players are Roxy Lalonde, Equius Zahhak, and Horuss Zahhak, interestingly all True Sagittariuses.

10th Aspect: Rage

Rage is the Aspect of truth, doubt, and, well, rage. Rage Players cast doubt in what they dislike more than they believe what they do like. They may be negative and literally driven by fury, though that will depend on their Class. Rage values the truth over anything else, and they might search for it everywhere. It can be irrational, as most rage is. It can be chaotic in both the bad and good ways.

Rage’s opposite Aspect is “Hope”, which is like in the name, focused on belief and trust. This highlights the Rage Player’s skepticism and less naive mentality, and their complicated relationships with religion.

Known Rage Players are Gamzee Makara and Kurloz Makara.

11th Aspect: Hope

Hope is the Aspect of belief, literal hope. Hope Players have and want to have trust in a better reality, and they hope so hard that they can become naive or easy to control. They are more focused on dreaming up a better future than on doubting it can be possible, which makes them the opposite Aspect to “Rage”. Hope is one of the most interesting Aspects, and I assign the song “Imagine” by John Lennon to it.

Hope will change a lot depending on the Class, but ultimately the Players will have a long relationship with faith. In themselves, in others, in love, etc., in literally anything. Hope Player Jake English said to believe in everyone, and was pretty much the only one who had faith in one of his hopeless friends. Jake also believed things about himself that he wished were true, and he did it so well that he took long to realize it was all made up. He realized his adventure-loving self was just a hopeful way to cope. “You know how you think you know these things about yourself? You just believe them and hope that the believing is what makes them true. But then you spend so much time believing those things and taking their truth for granted that you somehow forget to MAKE them true with your words and deeds. How can I truly love adventure when I never even knew what it was?”

Hope is what is left when there is nothing else. It saves its Players from their lowest lows and carries them to their highest highs. Depending on the Class it can make players full of or lacking hope.

Known Hope Players are Jake English, Eridan Ampora, and Cronus Ampora.

12th Aspect: Life

Life is the Aspect of, obviously, life. Plants, health, energy… It is always growing. In most Classes, Life Players are about curing and auxiliating. A Life Player’s challenge can be about a number of things, some can have problems accepting death is inevitable, some can deny that there are some things they cannot fix, others may worry deeply about health in themselves and others… Like all Aspects, Life differs greatly from player to player, and it can be a very powerful Aspect to deal with. One of the most powerful characters in the comic, the Condesce, was a Life Player. She was an incredible manipulator and used her powers for evil. Another Life Player character was Feferi Peixes, who used her royalty and power for good instead, focused on kindness.

More often than not, Life tends to be about helping others and sometimes being neglectful of your own self for the sake of other people. It can extend not only to humans, but also to beings like trees, which are the symbol of Life. Life can be about growing, it is about energy and life itself, the will to exist and the aspects of existence itself. Living wants to keep living. Even the smallest fly will fight to survive.

Known Life Players are Jane Crocker, Feferi Peixes, and Meenah Peixes.

#sburb #aspects #time #breath #doom #blood #heart #space #mind #light #void #rage #hope #life #homestuck

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kingdomoftyto · 2 years

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That post joking about doomed polycules left me no choice but to assign classpects to the Vampire Chronicles cast (though not restricted to the actual "polycule", as it were, lol)

Long rambling analysis under the cut :)c

Lestat: Prince of Time I wanted him to be "Prince of Blood" so bad, but in the end I can't justify giving him anything other than Time as an aspect. He has strong elements of Rage, and maybe Breath and Heart as well, but the official description of the Time aspect from the Extended Zodiac site fits him to a fucking T. To quote just one line: "Their lives are often marked by struggle, not so much because fate has it in for them, but because they are fundamentally incapable of just accepting things as they come." He's got the impulsivity, the ruthlessness, and the stubborn belief that, again from the official description: "impossible is just a word". Aside from the obvious reason, I made him a Prince because Time/immortality is a destructive force on both himself and those he inflicts it upon, or alternatively you could read it as him "destroying" mortality/the passage of time via the Dark Gift. No matter what, he gets a bright red cape out of the deal. Lestat is also canonically a Scorpio, a.k.a. a Blue Sign, which... just read this description: "Of all the sign classes, they have the potential to do the most good, but also cause the worst harm. They can be incredibly effective, and also incredibly destructive. Tell a Blue Sign this and chances are they would agree with you." Since his Lunar Sway is for sure Prospit, that makes his Extended Zodiac sign that of Scorist, the Mutineer (sounds about right):

Louis: Heir of Blood Psyche, Lestat also can't be the Blood player because Louis is the Blood player!! Louis also has traits that fit with Life and Light, but I like the vibe of Blood the most for him. The Blood aspect is all about bonds with other people, and Louis certainly defines himself by his relationships to others--to Lestat, to Claudia, to his brother, to his victims, to humanity as a whole. On the EZ site, Blood is also described as generally a more passive aspect, with its bearers functioning mostly as inspiration to others--"they are prophets, rather than generals, giving others the strength and motivation to keep fighting." This is pretty much 100% in line with how the other vampires view him in what I've read of the books. "He's the most human of all of us," etc. etc. He's an Heir because, again aside from the obvious reason, that class is one that invites change through one's aspect as well as being shaped by one's aspect. The character arcs we have in Homestuck that show what an Heir's development looks like show the hero slowly learning to take control of their aspect instead of letting it control them--"inheriting the throne" so to speak. I imagine Louis' growth over the course of the books involves coming to accept both the literal blood/Dark Gift as well as the metaphorical Blood of found family and fellowship with the other vampires (and especially with Lestat), on top of continuing to exist as that passive reminder to the others of all the most admirable aspects of mortals. Louis' canon birthdate, as far as I can tell, makes him a Libra, which, um... "Deep down, they often long for a hero, someone they can idolize and count on, with the smarts and charisma to keep up with them. Unfortunately, they have a tendency to get involved with people who are very obviously wrong for them out of a desire not to be alone. Many Teal Signs are better off being single, at least until someone really extraordinary comes along." 😬 Anyway, since he's definitely a Derse dreamer, everything combined thus makes his EZ sign Licen, the Worshiper (🙃):

Claudia: Maid of Rage Another title that works equally as well for the literal reasons as it does for the symbolic ones lmao. I considered a few aspects for Claudia (she inherits some Heart from Lestat and some Light from Louis), but ultimately you can't deny she's Rage. "They posses great contempt for lies or false ideas, including the stability that false ideas can impart. To them, the true is far more important than the good." Rage players are further described as fearless, single-minded, and sowers of doubt and discord. "If they sound dangerous, they are." She's a Maid because she's been molded out of her aspect, her righteous fury the culmination of a slow-burning resentment over the course of decades. She also stokes the fires of doubt and rebellion in others (namely Louis). She could be assigned Sylph for the same reasons, but I choose Maid because it's the "active" one of the pair, and I see Claudia as one who is determined to draw first blood. She schemes and plots, yes, but with the intention of going in personally for the kill. I don't know if Claudia has a canon birthday so I picked from the list based on her personality and assigned her Purple/Capricorn. Ambitious, driven, with a dark sense of humor, and a willingness to "say out loud what everyone else was thinking but was too nervous to mention". Holds a grudge but can also be deeply loyal. Sounds about right to me. And I initially had Claudia marked down for Prospit but quickly realized that facades, distrust, and insecurity are some of her defining features and wondered how I could ever have thought she was anything BUT Derse lmao. Therefore, her EZ sign is Capriborn, the Malignant (I love that it looks like a broken/bleeding heart):

Armand: Sylph of Doom My initial thought for Armand was something on the Light/Void spectrum, and I also considered Mind, but in the end I truly think Doom fits him best. "The Doom-bound understand that misery loves company, and they are ready and willing to provide said company. The Doom-bound won't fix you; they aren't healers. They are commiserators, aware that sometimes the only thing you can do for a person is let them know that they are not alone in their suffering." This might be a slightly sugarcoated way to look at it, but it seems a pretty accurate description of Armand's favored method of getting close to people. Symbolically, Doom is also largely about sacrifice and accepting one's fate, which tie in strongly with Armand's outlook (particularly pre-Daniel, but also just in general as far as I know). I argue he's a Sylph because, even when he's in a leadership position, he always strives to slink back into the shadows and influence things in a passive way. He's not a warrior, he's a puppetmaster. Sylphs are associated with creation, and he could be said to invite the "creation" of Doom (sacrifice etc) in several of his roles throughout the books--as head of the Paris coven, certainly, but also in his little world tour with Daniel. He also passively oversees the more literal doom of all the vampires under his wing and the victims thereof, without ever stooping to create a fledgling of his own for hundreds of years. (Plus, as a bonus, the word "sylph" makes him sound ethereal and cherubic, so. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) Again I don't have a canon birthday for him so I'm assigning him Rust/Aries. Largely this is because I view the bit with him and Daniel in QotD as showing the truest version of his personality I've read so far, and, well: "They crave new experiences, the wilder and farther-from-home, the better." Plus: "Rust Signs make great friends and traveling companions, but they also can be selfish and quick to anger. If what they deem to be an acceptable level of 'excitement' isn't happening around them, they have a tendency to try to stir some up. They love the drama." Did you say a messy bitch that requires constant enrichment? That's our Armand! Armand was another one that I clocked wrong for Lunar Sway at first. My instinct was that he's Derse, but after thinking about it for a second I realized he's actually fully Prospit. This makes Armand's EZ sign Armino, the Static (no I am not making this up):

Daniel: Knight of Light I don't feel like I have as deep an understanding of Daniel's motivations as a character but I think, narratively at least, Light is the most fitting aspect for him. Light deals with both information, which he seeks both as a reporter and later as his personal obsession to find the vampires, and luck, which, well, if anyone in this series could be said to have both the best and worst of luck, he'd be a strong contender lol. Daniel's a Knight of his aspect because he actively uses it to further his goals. After Louis leaves him in San Francisco, he weaponizes what scraps of information he has to track the vampires he knows about, which of course eventually leads him to Armand. He then stubbornly keeps pushing his luck with this fickle opponent/paramour until the near-Apocalypse coincidentally happens, forcing Armand to give Daniel what he wanted all along. I'm assigning Daniel a Violet/Aquarius birthday: "Personable and outlandish, they are ready to make friends with anyone, although if they aren't careful their 'game for anything' attitude can come across as clingy or desperate. When their feelings are reciprocated, however, they are very loyal friends." And he's a Prospitian, which makes his EZ sign that of Aquapio, the Maverick (which looks goofy as hell; sorry, Daniel):

Gabrielle: Page of Space If anyone in the cast is Space, it's Gabrielle: "For the Space-bound, the journey is as, if not more, important than the destination; how they do something is as important as what they do. At their best, they are steady, impartial, and creative. At their worst, they can be detached, apathetic, and vague." Detached, you say? Apathetic, you say? And she's a Page because the class is notoriously slow to get started but invariably powerful by the time they've reached their full potential. Gabrielle spent a whole mortal lifetime feeling confined, a prisoner to her family and to her gender and to society. When she's finally unleashed in her full glory, however, she chooses to grasp that freedom with both hands and expand her horizons to encompass the entire world. She wants to move, to run, to travel, to cover as much ground as possible and take in as much as she can. (Incidentally, this makes Breath another decent option for her, but the detachment of Space makes it especially fitting for her, I think.) None of the descriptions for the sign classes fit Gabrielle perfectly, and while she shares a lot of traits with Scorpio (same as Lestat's), I think it's more fun to put her down as Indigo/Sagittarius if only for this bit: "They are known to be careless, both physically and emotionally, their conversations punctuated by jostling elbows and tactless comments. They don't usually mean to offend, and are often shocked to find out they upset anyone." She's also hard for me to pin down as either Prospit or Derse, but I'll settle for Derse because of her usual inability to show sincere emotion. That makes her EZ sign Sagiga, the Builder (eh, not as fitting as any of the other titles :P):

Marius: Thief of Void Marius is practically defined by all the secrets he keeps and the lengths he goes to keep himself, his feelings, and the knowledge he protects all hidden. Assigning him Void is a no-brainer, I think. The most fitting class for him, then, is probably Rogue, since it's all about "allocating" the aspect (in this case, secrets)...... buuuut Marius doesn't deserve the same classpect as my bestie Roxy so I'm making him a Thief instead lmfaooo I also hate to admit that the description for Bronze/Taurus signs fits him fairly well. (I hate it because that's my sign lmao rip.) The description mentions coming across as arrogant, a penchant for mild hedonism, and a craving for safety and stability, among other things. And this dude's a Prospitian without a doubt, meaning his EZ sign is Taurittanius, the Utopian (which, despite my dislike of him in many respects, is a fitting title for him):

And lastly, I guess, should be David Talbot, but I really just don't care about him as a character and don't know enough about him to even try to speculate on a classpect for him lmao;;

Am I forgetting anyone major? I feel like I'm forgetting someone. Oh well. That's our vampire Sburb session, everyone. God help us all.

#hard to believe there's an even more dysfunctional queer polycule to be thrown into Paradox Space than the one we had in Homestuck proper #Vampire Chronicles #IwtV #Homestuck #classpects #it's been literal years since I've done a post like this #and I gotta say I think this one has the best arguments out of any of these I've ever done #I don't feel super strong about what I chose for Daniel but I think I made that pretty clear #everyone else though I feel like I could make a solid case for #I'm more than open for debate though~! I forgot how much fun this could be to think about >:)

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