#sprite anon!

[beescake]

PLEASE PLEASE MEGADUMP THE ARASOL!!! PLEAAASEE MR BEESCAKE I AM ON MY KNEES BEGGING YOU

HFHGHD GLADLY aaa i’ve been adding notes to it here and there for months but just hesitant to post it bcs im 🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂

also this is just my own takeaway of the events, it doesn’t necessarily comply to the Ultimate Truth of Canon-Alignment or represent the actual facts of what hussie intended! v sentimental smh but hopefully its still interesting to read

i love when characters inform each other by proximity, it's one of my fave things to see in media :') it feels even more significant when two characters deliberately choose to stick together, so that when one operates, you can tell the other is similarly aligned in associative solidarity.

sollux is a keystone of this trope — whoever he aligns with is a wordless statement, a nod of approval. this stood out to me bcs the main four humans were alr friends by default, but once you reach hivebent you realize the trolls can actively choose who they want to hang out with.

and as we all know, after assessing every troll's biases/loyalties, sollux is the only one who maintains his selective preference for innately Good 👍 people.

aradia is such a beautiful character honestly, she evokes such incredible feelings in me. she might not have been consistently written with care but the best parts of her character are truly stunning. i think it's easy to remember sollux as the self-sacrificing one bc he's so open about it (and his friends frequently react to his Moments) but when you compare him to aradia, it's always struck me

how much more. raw it is

to be so alone as an agent of time, having to orchestrate immeasurably harrowing events nobody understands or gives a fuck about

with your role painted in the story as one who must tend to the needs of the narrative, responsible to match every next note

because when you're given the capabilities, it becomes your duty to carry it out.

it becomes expected of you to keep experimenting and arranging the machinations to work for everyone, dusting off hundreds of necessary failures to keep going

and having to be so unwavering in your drive knowing miserably that there's no one who can help you but yourself.

or alternatively: to make things fun! so other people won't think twice about letting you go off on your own.

sure she's had some very good buds, notably thanks to Team Charge v Team Scourge antics.

and yet, at the end of the day, the one friend that kept choosing her time and time again was the friend with the highest standards.

i can see why people like to define arasol as moirails/matesprits but surprisingly i find the nondescript, unlabeled aspect of their relationship more straightforward to understand.

there's no shortage of people who would accommodate sollux. most of the surviving trolls are his oldest friends bcs he’d chosen them well. his transparency with his feelings had built him strong friendships that won’t falter or break, regardless of how much of a dick he can be. they’ve already seen and accepted him at his worst, and they still like him for who he is.

contrast that with aradia, who'd been so approachable, friendly and reliable in her exchanges it was super fun to talk to her. but the moment she became depressed, all her connections broke down.

her friends became hesitant to interact with her (until she became god tier, “happy” and amicable again) because her gloom and resignation didn’t serve them. she dealt with it alone.

there’s def something of note here abt the disparity between the way male & female characters are written+perceived in homestuck (esp parallel arasol with davejade) but i won’t go into that lmaoo

with this in mind i like to think of sollux as a gift to her, a loyal companion given to complement and commend her resolve. she's capable of doing so much alone but hussie took the time to build her and sollux's relationship as one of a unit; a set.

the ambiguity of their status does complicate things, but i do believe it makes sense with their characters. aradia's relationship with romance is a rocky one, the dubious stringalong equius had with her is a pointed reminder that her feelings of attraction are ultimately controlled by the author writing her.

unlike the other trolls who can openly address and own up to their crushes, aradia had romantic emotions forced upon her (especially when hussie implies 'she kissed equius back on her own volition'). and it seems like her character is so intrinsically neutral abt attraction that even when forced by the almighty powers above, she's unable to retain it wholly.

however, looking back to pre-game when she could actually "choose" her own feelings, she did have a crush on sollux.

their soft spots for each other were so obvious to the point where other people could see it.

taunting aside, when vriska comments on their unit as bf/gf it actually informs the audience that arasol's relationship is romantic in nature despite not aligning with the quadrant system.

even while dead, aradia could still describe her care for sollux, expressing that she would like to see him happy. if they had more time to explore their relationship on alternia, it's possible they could've settled in a quadrant once they grew older.

but going back to the lack of labels, their dynamic was affected once more when aradia became god tier.

to me, her ascension was both the perfect culmination and possible closure of her character. it's the light at the end of her journey toiling through countless of timelines where she had to actively assess and participate. that's why it's cool to see her being silly and having fun giving guidance, passively exploring and watching other people do their parts.

and yet the joy of her freedom makes it hard to explore further introspection. if we take her by her word, she'd already come to terms with the hurt she's been through and forgiven those involved.

i can't help feeling attuned to how impersonal and detached it can be, to devote and meld your identity so completely with your designated position as Maid of Time until you've become hard for your old friends (and even some readers!) to personally connect to.

idk post-canon but i assume there’s some degree of similarity to be bridged here with aradia's god tier and how the hs2 humans' Ultimate forms was described as a consolidation of all their possibilities. since aradia's classpect is inherently of service to Time, going god-tier may have elevated her beyond personhood with the "game construct" possessing her entirely. sollux doesn't realize the extent of it bcs he's still mortal, but a part of him may have subconsciously understood this.

i think there is a core aspect to aradia that was lost to the dehumanizing glory of god tier — a core aspect that may have contained an element of why sollux enjoyed talking to her in the first place.

to him, aradia hadn't just been a nice girl, she was a cool girl. despite not having much in common, he's still willing to chill next to her so she's not alone while she does what needs to get done.

back on alternia, they held a mutual and equal-level regard for each other that could've definitely settled into something permanent. but now, he's placed himself in a position where he can be kept around or left behind at will. the parameters of the relationship are largely in aradia's court, so any label she suggests to identify their relationship with he's likely to accept.

but that's why it's so difficult to label it. because god tier aradia may not necessarily Want quadrants or relationship labels. rather than the initial romantic attachment, their commitment to each other had evolved into one fundamentally of companionship.

no label? ok fine. no matter what, he still thinks she's a good soul worth latching on to. the best, actually. aradia > everyone else.

even if it gets stilted at times. there's an unexpected struggle to connect when sollux's go-to default for talking points is his feelings about things, and aradia may not want to talk about emotions all the time.

not to mention god tier aradia became an observer, especially of chaos. but sollux's avoidance of involvement comes partially from his innate pressure to get involved if something goes wrong. and he can't always tell when something goes wrong, because aradia doesn't mind if things go wrong anymore.

it's a non-negotiable preference that causes them to take the occasional time apart, a new boundary that wouldn't have existed before the game and aradia's god tier.

but just like how his friends tolerated his moods, sollux accepts aradia as she is. with no quadrants, their connection doesn't break down because there's no implicit romantic expectations to be disappointed by or resentful over.

sometimes when i see hs content that deliberately distances sollux from aradia, i assume this is the dissonance people might have felt. people might find it "easier" to be cynical about them bcs of this strange tension.

but idc lmao. grab that shit by the neck

lack of easy resolutions and cleanly tied ribbons is pretty standard of homestuck and imo it doesn't make arasol's dynamic any less incredible. with the right affection and consideration, there's still so much potential to develop the nuance of their relationship outside of the popular quadrant-based depictions.

hs has a lot of really great character compatibilities but the way aradia and sollux are in their own special orbit is why i can write this much about them in the first place. it's that frail innocence between first loves that makes it so sweet to me, two kids who grew up too fast playing guesswork without being clear where they're going.

ultimately i do think you're meant to feel a little tragedy for just how much they care for each other, even if they can't quite establish it in simple terms.

maybe they keep taking breaks to progress their own paths. maybe they remain as anchor partners while seeing other people. but even if you decide to separate them, they're still (awkwardly) texting each other updates all the while. and when they reunite it feels like coming home.

and well. more than anything, i like to believe that they do want to be exclusive.

they're just afraid. after all, they're still learning how to love, beyond the projections of the foursquare quadrant system they had inadvertently distanced themselves from since young.

they might not have everything figured out, but they'll get there eventually if you just hold them together and write them there.

optional post-canon segment:

one of the limitations of main hs is that (monogamous) relationships are often written as the go-to solution to wrap up character growth; it's an easy "patch" to imagine characters getting their happy ending because they have a partner, and those who don't end up with someone don't get that closure (most notably jade).

hs2 reaffirms this by suggesting that aradia's character cannot progress without letting sollux go, because happily settling in a relationship automatically locks your potential.

that pathetic panel of sollux staring emptily into the sky is still my fave hs2 spoiler ngl i find the impact of their parting so emotionally provoking precisely bcs they were written in original hs to be each other's forever, coming back together again and again

but now, they're subject to the decisions of the post-canon authors who might choose to deviate from that.

it's not new for them to part, but now there's an underlying worry that her dropping him off this time might be the last time. while i think the prospect of shattering their stability to make them grow separately sounds fun on paper, no amount of me desperately hoping for a good execution is gonna guarantee it

idk. i guess prediction-wise im expecting sollux in classic dramatic-hs2 fashion to tell dave to back off aradia LMAO. otherwise it's just gon be sollux and karkat pathetically watching aradia and dave from a distance swimming in their unresolved feelings for narratively-powerful time players smh obvs it sounds corny as hell but who knows its still plausible

srsly tho i hope they take the opportunity to develop arasol's relationship in a fresh direction that doesn't hurt me too badly...... and i hope they force sollux out of his comfort zone. i like watching him struggle :-)

[sickfires]

heir of nothing. heir of everything.

[bizarrojay-irl]

hey as the official sand anon:

@superstar-ninja-jay-walker answered with a 10

@jaywalkingwalker-irl answered with a "yes sign me tf up" which i will interpret as a 10

@ultimateninjajay-irl answered with a 15

and now you've answered with a 100+ (which is probably only beaten by "girl dinner" by @nadakhan-irl)

- sprite anon

good to know i’m clearly the best Jay

[doctorsiren]

Country gavin anon here, i do vaguely remember what he looked like. He wore a lot of green and yellow and was very tall. Besides that i just recall him being basically a recolor of klavier’s sprites. I’m kinda wondering if the dream continued if it woulda been revealed that he was klavier in disguise. Makes sense, i mean, who names their kid Country?

yes I did spend entirely too long on this

[payasita]

if u cant het a permanant tattoo get some temporary ones lol

holy shit ok you definitely didnt mean it in the way im thinking but in the context of the upcoming wedding, i cannot think of anything funnier

im not gonna do that because i dont have beef with the bride (my cousin) but the idea of getting like, a sleeve full of temporary tattoos out of a quarter machine or whatever JUST to put them on for a family member's wedding is like. utterly indecipherable levels of power play. no one would know why i did that. i would not offer an explanation either because fuck if i know why either. but it would look like some sort of revenge plot and would start a family war that'd go on for years. my mom wouldnt know how to defend me. she can't pull the queer card because im not even out (i mean i'm not subtle but the queer thing is in there with tio's messy divorce and why abuela's youngest son is blonde [abuelo was not] vis a vis Things We Don't Talk About) so the best course of action would be to never invite me to the same functions as this cousin and occasionally test the waters by bringing up that i exist once a year. cousin has a baby. that baby would learn in like ten years that they have an auntie that mama wont talk about and theyd think that the auntie must have killed someone or something but no it turns out they just showed up to mama's decked out glamorous rose-gold themed instagram curated wedding in two sleeves of 35 shitty vegeta and pikachu tattoos from the corner bodega, making several expensive photos utterly unusable. and that'll be it. theyll blame me for it when abuela dies

[stuffyflowers]

Ceeeeeeeeeeerrrooba

Normmmal ceroba sprite (real)

[dead-boy-detective-agency]

I think we may need to find a sweater

no reason sprites no reason

i will fucking end you, i won’t hesitate, you will die

[wildpeachfarm]

callahan is tutoring sylvee for one of her college class😭

aww that's so cute!

[gee-arid]

ok, sorry if question is a bit long and if you have answered, please put the link for me to see please. Well... what are the names of the heroes? What was each heroe's first choice? (I mean the ladybug and cat holder). I know that Marinette is with the Fox and Ivan with the turtle, but for some reason I think that if they swap it would combine more (I speak more in symbolism, ivan who cannot lie with the "miraculous of lie"). What is the weapon of each carrier? About the turtle and Ivan, I think a purplish blue would match more (that leatherback turtle). What are the camouflaged forms of each miraculous? Do you have the reason why every person has every miraculous?

A big ask, but thats okay! I'd love to answer! Note that some answers like names and weapons are subject to change, im not great with names and im less familliar with some characters than others so, opinions and other ideas are awesome :)

Names and weapons, left to right:

Aliase Rouges (red wings), Cartoony sledge hammer

Veilluese (night light), Grappling hook

Bison? Hyland?, Guitar- its electric but doesnt have to be plugged in..

Adora (play on Adore), Frisbee

Ouroboros, Mirror shield (play on the medusa myth)

Tack (to temporarily fasten something together), Big Needle

Captain Stinger (shortened to Sting), Cutlass

Jockey?, Reins? maybe a whip

Alectryon, rooster body (i guess?)

Jack Rabbit (shortened to Jack), Pickaxe

Ridley (a type of turtle), Detatched shields- Bonus purpley-blue version: honestly it works just as well.

Tora (Japanese for tiger, i think), Sythe

R.A.T (acronym for Rodent Assist Team? idk, funny bit based on pokemons F.E.A.R strat lol, also sounds like a dj name??. also based on his purpose being mostly assisting pedestrians), Glow sticks (almost like a pair of lightsabers, without the deadliness. Basically glowing battons)

Boar, Boomerang (shaped like boar tusks).

Cirrus (a type of cloud, Aroure and Mirelle share the name and the miraculous), Lightning rod/ wind sock

Caprix (Play on Caprine), Chunky roller blades

Gibbon? (a type of monkey), one of those silly stretchy sticky hands

Reasons for each holder are here!

First choices are also listed there, if there isnt an alternative listed, they either had the same idea or no strong preference for a different holder. Regarding swapping holders based on symbolism (i.e. Ivan with the fox, Mari with the turtle) that would be super cool and i may draw them at some point in the future, but wouldn't fit with my au. This is because my bug and cat holders choose them based on preexisting relationships, traits, and talents.

Camouflaged forms are these:

Struggled with Alyas rabbit miraculous tbh, it doesnt quite fit with my au for it to stay a pocket watch anyway (the Rabbits power being swapped from Burrow in a time sense, to Burrow in a dig way) so i guess its normal activated form would be some kind of keychain? Alyas disguise currently is a tamogachi :)

Nino wears the mouse necklace wrapped around his wrist like a bracelet.

Max's snake bracelet turns into a smart watch.

Markovs claw connects to his existing claws, and mimics what claws he already has.

Mirelle and Aroure have similar chokers with the charm changed. Aroure has the lightning bolt, Mirelle has the rain drop. They have the chokers replicated by comission with Marinette so they can swap the actual miraculous between them when needed.

Sabrinas sunglasses are prescription. They could also be just normal glasses, no black tint, when appropriate.

Marcs ring, where rainbow, is iridescent!

The butterfly and peacock are still unavailable to our heroes.

[pampulonad]

what if you hugged so tight and pressed your grumbling bellies against each other so you both got hard (/gender neutral) and then your cocks (/gender neutral) shared a littol smooch through y'alls pants ? and what if they started whimpering and grinding up on the underside of your gut and begged you to please rub their tummyyy as said tummy grumbled some more @~@" I'm so normal about tummies....,,

~ 💚💛

MMN N Nnfnghfuggk meltingggg

[nadakhan-irl]

did you know that there's two jays now? double the trauma to inflict

there's @jaywalkingwalker-irl but there's also @superstar-ninja-jay-walker :)

- sprite anon

Oh? Interesting. There's two funny men. It'll be interesting to see, who I can break first.

[minthe-drawings]

every single time I randomly find a visual novel with the prettiest bois ever I end up loving them without realizing that YOU MADE THEM 😭😭 I swear I think I have most of your stuff in my favorites list in itch.io and I didn't even notice until Rekindle came out. sending you a little kiss on the forehead... thank you for your service......

AWW OMG thank you so SO much !!! This is awfully so sweet, and tbh I needed this so much... I have been in such an awful headspace lately and this message definitely brightened my day !!!

Now I kinda want to list all the game I participated in/worked on! I am mostly a sprite artist to all of these. Long list ahead.

Let's start with:

Rekindle (Project Lead, Director, Sprite Artist)

Titan Arum (Sprite Artist)

Promise Me, You'll Live (Sprite Artist)

Moth to a Matchstick (Sprite Artist)

Flowers of Asphodel (Illustrator/CG artist)

Carnival of Shadows (Sprite Artist)

First Base ( Sprite Artist)

Potion Panik (Sprite Artist)

[gabbbyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy]

Editing is fun!!

Ft. My boy, “Anon” (Arcade/Mask Clown)

Smug bastards. Wipe the damn smirk off ur face… (this is what the Unlikely Clown deals with on the daily)

Doorman days!! Someone come save bro he has been fending off doppelgängers from this bum ass building for 5 years

A semi-requested Nightmare Form for him (not affiliated with the Hooded Man at all), named “Persona Non Grata”

Doppelllssss by yours truly! (The D.D.D.)

[jekyll-doodles]

For your emoji ask 🎨Palette- for your wakey wakey au lords + 049?

🎨 PALETTE - can they draw? what do they like to draw?

[ Sometimes – not all the time – I’ll peek in. Just to see how things are going, just to check in with their progress. This time. in particular, my observations involved a simple “draw something” exercise. I think it was a part of a psych evaluation. Each was individually tasked with simply drawing something, each provided with a pencil and paper to do so.]

[ SCP-049, now more himself, was first. Lambert was hesitant to hold the pencil, as if he would snap it in half by mere touch. However, after giving it some thought, he sketched out a few images of herbs and flowers. Crosshatched them too in the process. They reminded me of the diagrams in his old book, though lacking the labeling and columns of information that accompanied those. The researcher seemed unsurprised by this result.]

[ Nigredo questioned them, “what, exactly?” But was left with an open answer. So, perhaps somewhat spitefully, he drew “whatever he wanted” and attempted to draw the researcher administering the test. It was decent – for a man who occasionally doodled in the margins of his journals. Although, I don't think the researcher found it as funny as I do. Nigredo was pleased with himself though, especially after the researcher caught themself from uttering “that’s not what I meant” in retort.]

[ Rubedo, too, paused to consider what his subject should be. Then delved into a quick, light sketching, before lining it proper. Two smiling figures, a mother and daughter. The first holding the latter close. It was soft, the lines curved and weighted. It seemed to bring him peace. Afterwards, he was, of course, questioned about it. At least now, it didn’t hurt so much to talk about.]

[ Citrinitas drew a horse. The man drew a horse – a side view and a front facing head – from memory. I'm not sure where he even learned to do that. He remarked it had been one of his older horses he’d kept, and probably the only thing he could depict well. Still. What the hell. Even the researcher was somewhat impressed by it.]

[ Albedo was last. When asked to draw something, they thought for a moment before writing the letters “S C P'' on their page in an elegant font. Ah, an example of their calligraphy practice. Followed by little illuminations: the logo incorporated, swirls and twisting shapes. Simple, clean, yet quite lovely – oooh, little figures too! Other anomalies, I think, that they’ve either seen or heard about : something reptilian, a half-cat, a smiling blob, a little girl, and a ghost– …Uh oh.]

[thatfailedpokemontrainer]

pubby :3

[spirithunterfamily]

Yashiki, do you have any skincare routine cuz your skin looks flawless

Interesting...