Classpecting has been part of Homestuck since its very beginning. Homestuck's core appeal has always been as a "fandom playground," a place people can go to make their own fan-trolls and creations based on the work and classpecting is one of the most mysterious elements to that end. Twelve aspects and fourteen classes to sort Homestuck's characters into like Hogwarts houses or Bending elements, except more vague and conceptual.

In 2014 the Extended Zodiac was released, codifying much of what had been up until that point speculation by fan theorists such as Bladekindeyewear on Tumblr and Optimisticduelist on YouTube, but the EZod raised more questions than answers, igniting a fire in people to figure out just what the hell was going on. Whether it be scholars trying to apply the framework to Homestuck such as Opacifica or people trying to fit the classpect system over other media like Will It Homestuck, love letters to classpecting have been written in digital ink spanning miles.

In the year 2024, things have quieted down. OptimisticDuelist has been gone for some time and the majority of fan creators are presently spending their efforts making visual novels and stirring up drama. Is the study of Classpecting dead and gone? Have the knowledge and mysteries been plumbed from the depths once and for all?

This video seeks to push classpecting forward. I, for one, am tired of the stagnation and I am sick of being the only person discussing this topic. I want to bring classpecting out of esoterica for a modern age, I want to depart from the drab and dusty ways of old, however learned their advocates are. Reignite the fire of inspiration and temper something new with you, the listener.

This video will be the first part of a series. First, we will discuss only ASPECT in this video, with two follow ups covering CLASS and CLASSPECT respectively. What I hope to achieve is an understanding of Aspect so comprehensive the book can be summarily closed on the past so we can move into the future. This is no small task- There have been many writings on Aspect to date, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Sifting through this miasma has been a goose chase of only the wildest caliber.

The simple fact of the matter is that up until now, discussion of Aspect is stiflingly limited. No matter how broad of a scope I applied to my research, I found only one undercurrent: Duality. The dualist system for measuring Aspect is so ubiquitous that I couldn't find a singular source that offered another formula. To be fair, dualism is very broad as analytical frameworks go, but this limitation is the shackle that I want to break to free us from this era of dualist understanding. There are more numbers than one and two, people. There are more spectra than you can even imagine. Let me show them to you.

PART 2: Allegory of the Cave

"In which shadows dance upon the walls."

Before leaping cock-first into this snake pit, let's make sure our feet are planted firmly. What the fuck IS an "Aspect?" We use that word a lot, you probably even thought of something in your brain, but let's wrangle that thought into a workable meaning that we can feel proud to ride into town square on.

Aspect, reflexively speaking, is the general name given to the collective "Aspects:" Breath, Time, Doom, Light, Void, Space, Blood, Life, Rage, Hope, Mind, and Heart. More on these momentarily, but "Aspect" refers to these items and concepts in a group. They are, collectively, the building blocks of subjective reality. You could think of them as "elements."

Unlike the elements of the periodic table or the elements of antiquity (Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water) these elements do not seek to describe some concrete reality as it is. Aspect could be understood as the elements of perception- The building blocks of how we interpret subjectively an objective reality- If an objective reality really exists. A notion such as this could be understood as a "Subjectivist" philosophy- For more reading, look up Thomas Hobbes and Rene Descartes.

As discussed, there are twelve aspects, each one denoted by a single, monosyllabic word. Each one is blunt, each one is vague, and most of all, each one is staunchly opaque. They are, in essence, symbols without an original, each one representing something in terms that change with the viewer, intentionally so. There have been many attempts to make these aspects more concrete by applying other descriptions to them- This must be done with great care. One must never assume they "know" an Aspect, for you know what they say about assuming.

Instead, think of it this way: Each aspect is a pool, its depths inscrutable to the viewer. The surface of the pool is the aspect's name, named only to differentiate its nature from its neighbors. We may reach inside and know something of the pool within, pulling out further descriptions, but we will never understand the true depth of these pools without sophisticated techniques and unnameable methods. More on this later.

For now, to get a more familiar and emotional sense of each Aspect, let's apply to each one some more words to properly define what they are associated with. Call this word association therapy. The following is in no particular order.

BREATH: Breathing. Air. Wind. Flight. Freedom. Blue. Games. Fantasies.

VOID: Ambiguity. Nothingness. No answer. Comfort. Solitude. Potential. Black.

LIGHT: Knowledge. Decisions. Literature. Rules. Luck. Intrigue. Yellow. Brightness

DOOM: Death. Destiny. Fate. Decay. Entropy. Programming. Utility. Darkness.

TIME: Clocks. Mathematics. Order. Red. Sequence. Music. Coolness. Industry. Inevitability.

SPACE: Stars. Distance. Speed. Size. Specificity. Breeding. Universes. Power. Monochrome.

HOPE: Smiles. Determination. Effort. Story. Catharsis. White. Yellow.

LIFE: Abundance. Growth. Economy. Status. Wealth. Prosperity. Green.

HEART: Emotions. Control. Facade. Consciousness. Relationships. Skill.

MIND: Choice. Patterns. Intelligence. Structure. Justice. Games. Knowledge.

RAGE: Revolution. Anger. Contrivance. Motion. Chaos. Power. Theater.

BLOOD: Lineage. Bonds. Society. Responsibility. Care. Leading. Righteousness.

Subjectivity has two components: Stimulus and reaction. What stimulates us and how do we react to it- In simpler terms, what happens and why? In this way, each Aspect has a "concrete" nature, something we have no control over and an "abstract" nature, something we have agency over. For instance, the flow of Time cannot be controlled by us, but what we do with our limited Time is under our control. This is not the only example involving time, but I will be using concrete and abstract going forward.

You may have noticed in the definitions, some words overlap. Aspects and their associations have certain traits in common with each other and have significant overlap in some cases. The only trait that is explicitly mutually exclusive is the Aspect's name and symbol- This might not seem like much, but it is indeed everything.

Searching for concrete meaning in Aspects is pointless. Many have tried, but all of their answers have ended in products without catharsis nor bite. That is not to say meaning cannot be drawn only that Aspect cannot be boxed away in little easy to parse boxes for us to peruse like items on shelves. They are, as said, symbols without originals. The more we try to tie them down the less we are able to understand. To try to guess the "true nature" of an Aspect would be like shaving the bark off a majestic tree and saying "behold! The tree itself!" The tree is a changing, organic thing. Its meaning does not exist inside its rings or in the molecules of its bark, it exists in what we feel looking at it.

In the end, the question "what is an aspect" is not important at all. Each one is a viable way to both interpret the world and to affect it in turn. Understanding them is to enter the mental world.

PART 3: Extant Bullshit

"In which names are dropped and ideas are placed carefully on pedestals."

With a "working" "understanding" of Aspect in development, let's move on. It's not enough to say something IS something, we have to inspect what that "IS" MEANS. In simpler terms- Okay, we know what an Aspect is, so what?

Many people have tried their hands at a working explanation for all of this. Some have tried in vain to pin down a definition for every aspect and some have tried in vain to explain something that doesn't require explaining, but for the most part, everyone I read had SOMETHING to say about the unfathomable depths we find ourselves up to the neck in. I have a few theorists I'd like to put under the ole microscope, some names you know, some names you don't.

SUBJECT 1: OptimisticDuelist

First of all, wow. Total genius. OD is probably the most involved classpecting guy out there. Of all the people in this section, OD is most likely the most knowledgeable when it comes to intuiting Aspect. OD remains one of the only creators who commits to the notion of total subjectivity and doesn't fall for the trap of trying to define their way out of vagueness.

OD has a vast catalog of Classpecting information, but for this video, I'd like to go into detail about some specific quotes and claims from three videos: Hero Titles, and the Aspect Wheel Parts 1 and 2.

OD rightly states that classpects are a "hyperflexible mythology" that defines "reality as perceived by the livers." They also rightly compare all this to the idea of "narrative," or the human tendency to rationalize chaotic events as stories.

In the first video, Hero Titles, OD outlines the dualistic interpretation of classpect, comparing it to the gnostic notion of light and darkness. Order vs Chaos. Yin vs Yang. Balance of forces is a strong theme. They also call aspects a "source of power" to the players in Homestuck, that they use the powers of a "reductive system" that breaks the universe down into constituent parts to give players agency over them.

In the next two videos, OD goes into more detail on Aspect specifically. OD goes into the aspect wheel as depicted by the EZod and makes several geometric comparisons. The most common geometric analysis of the Aspect wheel is to identify which aspects are across from each other and identify what they have in common- This duality predates OD but he doesn't stop there.

There are other ways to interpret dualism on the EZod wheel, such as to "fold" it over and treat the north-south and east-west aspects as axes on which to interpret other aspects. For example, aspects "closer to" Space are more "spacey" and likewise for Time. This is what I'll refer to as polar analysis, making Time-Space and Breath-Blood a sort of axis system by which to measure the remaining eight aspects.

OD also makes note of how some aspects appear more than others- Both in-comic and in real life with regards to the EZod test.

OptimisticDuelist has a firm grasp on Aspect in a conceptual sense, but relies heavily on dualism. More on this later. I put his work first because a lot of it covers what lesser analysts are trying to ape and a lot of other meta about classpect is just OD's work repackaged in some fashion.

SUBJECT 2: Bladekindeyewear

When it comes to classpect, BKEW is the first word. A lot of OD's work echoes BKEW's with a fresh coat of paint and more allusions to literature and mythology. Primarily, BKEW was out here discussing dualism before the EZod even existed. The aspect wheel we know as part of the EZod comes from scholars like BKEW and their theories on aspects as they existed while the comic was coming out. BKEW's biggest contribution is the way he cites everything very meticulously.

BKEW's idea of dualism and I feel safe in saying EVERYONE'S idea of dualism in aspects seems to come from the following passage from Homestuck, spoken by Callie:

"UU: for instance, a hero of life and a hero of doom have aspects as different as can be.[...] bUt if their classes are different enoUgh as well, that is, one active and the other passive, remarkably there is a chance they coUld end Up with very similar abilities!"

Doom and LIfe are drawn specifically in contrast- They are "as different as can be" and yet can compliment each other somehow. It's easy to see how this idea sprang forth.

Sadly, I don't have a lot to say about BKEW because a lot of my research was stymied by the fact that some of the posts BKEW was responding to on their Tumblr simply no longer exist. Their work still does and they're still writing today, but much of the original meta is lost because of the piecemeal fashion BKEW uses for discourse.

In general, BKEW was a titan of influence, the font from which most modern ideas flow from, but a lot of the ideas they designed seem like they are trying to stretch to fit over their ideas. Confirmation bias runs rampant in this early era of analysis.

SUBJECT 3: Ouroborista

Ouroborista is a champion of digesting information. In terms of approachability, I would suggest anyone looking for a crash course on classpect should start with Ouro. OB's theories aren't so much theories as existing theories presented in a more digestible format, such as dualism and polar analysis, but he has a firm grasp on the material. A true teacher.

Most prominently, he seems open to the idea of subjectivity, stating in his video "A Treatise on Classpecting," that what we have to go on when it comes to this system is quote "fragmentary evidence by unreliable narrators." He also goes more into Jungian comparisons than OD's gnostic ones, but let's be real, Jung and gnosticism go hand-in-hand.

Another idea seemingly unique to Ouro is his notion of aspects not as passive elements but as "Eldritch Nature Gods," presumably with some kind of willpower of their own. This invites comparison to greco-roman myth as well as comparisons to the Trinity. Platonism and "forms" also come up. The idea of "Gods" is of interest in the way that he centers self-perpetuation as a goal of the servants of certain aspects- The goal of each player is to "bring more" of their aspect into the universe.

After this overview, Ouro goes into- You guessed it. Dualism. Like OD, he crafts several kinds of polar analysis of how certain aspects relate to each other across the axes- Interestingly, his polar analysis doesn't stop at time, space, breath, and blood- He posits that other ways to "fold" the wheel exist, with different aspects at the poles, say Heart and Mind... Though he brings up this fascinating idea, he fails to expand on it, rather frustratingly.

The rest of the video is discussing class which is beyond the purview of this essay.

All in all, Ouro is interested in pushing dualism to its limits, but seems to shy away at the last moments. A good teacher with good ideas, I just wish he'd gone further.

SUBJECT 4: Opacifica

Of all the research I did for this video, I was perhaps never inspired more than in reading Opacifica's work. Though short, their analysis is both something new and something old- It is a repackaging of dualist analysis through a brand-new lens. This is a summary of their Aspect Theory Essay on AO3.

Firstly, they start off with a theory that seems new but is a repackaging of old ideas. What new they DO add are a few nuances that I enjoy: Firstly, they state that "all characters have a relationship to each aspect," which to me seems analogous to aspects being some kind of stat system in a video game. Perhaps one goes God tier based on how high their various aspect "Stats" are? Opacifica refers to a hero's given aspect as indicative of their "narrative journey."

Their main theory is based around a repackaging of dualism from a biological perspective- She sees aspect pairs as part of two sort of axes: Aspects in an objective or fundamental form, then those same aspects in mutated (delinquent) and instrumental (ideal) forms. This all gets pretty heady and if you check out anyone, check out this writer, because their ideas come with something I feel no other aspect system seems to- An actual lens.

Opacifica mentions that she is specifically a biologist and she has strived to fit aspects over a biological analogy. I find this very fitting- Aspects are symbols, they are building blocks to stories. It's only natural that we try to stretch them over real-world fields of study. Imagine an Aspect system based on, say... Math or physics. You get the idea.

SUBJECT 5: Dewdrop

To those in the know, there is no name more infamous than Dewdrop. If I complained about Opacifica not being thorough enough, Dewdrop is far TOO thorough. Dewdrop is the author of a- and these are big scare-quotes coming up- "brochure" detailing his thoughts about class and aspect. I will have SIGNIFICANTLY more to say on Dewdrop in the class follow-up to this video.

Dewdrop's current pamphlet has undergone seventeen drafts and finding it requires knowing a guy with the dropbox link. In spite of this, his work has become... I don't want to say "influential," it's more like his work has caused a memetic cognitohazard to everyone who read it. The brochure as he calls it is one hundred sixty-six pages full of the most head-ass footnotes I've ever read, some footnotes constituting entire pages. This is the magnum opus of the most demented hyperfixated kind and even though I disagree with nearly every droplet of digital ink, I am endlessly fascinated by his writing.

I've mentioned the idea of "vibes" in reference to aspects- The idea that an aspect and class by extension can only be felt in some intuitive sense and justified post-hoc. Dewdrop takes the complete fucking opposite tack: That classpect is not only real but measurable, testable, and objective.

Dewdrop's idea of classpect is completely haunting. He classpects not only himself as a Page of Time but also his friends and family, attributing real behaviors to their classpects and attempting some kind of unhinged diagnosis of their idiosyncrasies through the lens of an underexplored lore item from a 2009 web comic. Later in this document I'm going to make some lofty claims about the importance and utility of aspect, but I feel Dewdrop's rambling manifesto has put in check my urge to wax philosophical.

Also, for those curious about what he thinks of Aspects- He does the usual thing. It's more dualism. Moving on.

SUBJECT 7: Dahni

Dahni, Witch of Light, is a Tumblr blogger whose blog likely shows up first when one searches for Aspects by name online. This is because unlike other theorists, whose approaches are usually holistic, Dahni chooses a piecemeal approach. Dahni has an article for each aspect, organized by a description from the EZod, their own description, and some keywords. They then describe each aspect through the lens of each class in turn, using standard nomenclature such as "destroys" or "invites" and such.

Dahni I find to be an efficient synthesis of information as well as an intuitive person who is able to quickly and accurately describe how each aspect would interact through class. They do use words like "opposite" when describing Aspect which indicates a subscription to dualism as discussed in other sections. I find their contribution most useful if you're having trouble classpecting yourself or trying to identify a classpect of a fictional character. I do find their explanations limited, though for reasons that other theorists utilize.

SUBJECT 8: Classpectanon

Classpectanon, a personal friend of mine, is another Tumblr blogger whose work is significantly less centralized than others discussed here. Instead of systematic explanations and reinforcing existing ideas, CA tends to make broader and more in depth explorations. Recently, they have explored the notion of the "narreme," a singular unit of narrative that they claim the Aspects reflect. Narremes reflect the building blocks of our reality, namely matter and atoms, as the building blocks of the Homestuck reality and the way it interacts.

CA also has various quizzes that serve as a more comprehensive version of the EZOD quiz. I like CA's notions, but I find them limited by- You guessed it. Aspect dualism. They are more open-minded and have a more quixotic view of things and they will come up again when class is discussed.

PART 4: The Rolling of Sisyphus's Boulder

"In which rationales are explored, destroyed, and explored again."

PART 1: Pieces of the Kintsukuroi

With the current meta, classpects and specifically aspect are somewhat bound to a dualist system. We can see there are many KINDS of dualist systems, from a strictly geometric opposites-based system to a polar system. A system based on symmetrical geometry such as this suffers from a number of shortcomings that no current system addresses.

Firstly, there is the inconsistency problem . In a geometric system of opposites where time and space correlate as do blood and breath, the opposites on the existing wheel do not always represent their counterpart in the same fashion. Time and Space and Breath and Blood as two pairs represent a complimentary system- You need time and space to form existence, you need breath and blood to be alive. They are continuums. On the other hand, what should we make of Light and Void? These aspects are mutually exclusive. As Light increases, Darkness recedes and vice-versa. They are not continua they are spectra. Some opposites are a complimentary system and some opposites geometrically are mutually exclusive.

Secondly, there is the variety problem. In a geometric system of a limited kind, there are only so many relationships that can be drawn. Heart for instance is opposite to Mind and "across from" Void. No information can be gleaned about the relationship between say, Heart and Time as there is no strong corollary for apsects adjacent to each other. This runs against what we see in Homestuck itself- Dave (Time) and Dirk (Heart) have a very important relationship that the current system has no insight into.

Thirdly, there is the rigidity problem. When we are drawing geometric conclusions, it is very easy to "rule out" certain intuitive ideas. For example, in the current system we think of "Void" as being opposite to "Light," and while the two aspects do share themes, Void also shares themes with Space- Even down to its aspect symbol being an inversion of Space's symbol. In this way, Void is also opposite to Space- But there is no accounting for this in the rigid system of opposites.

Fourthly, there is the specificity problem. This is considerably more vague than the first three problems. The issue in the broad strokes of trying to make a geometric system is that it is an attempt to classify what evades classification. Drawing conclusions about things that it is not useful to draw conclusions about. Think of it this way- Does a geometric system make you further think about the nature of the Aspects themselves or does a geometric system make you further think only about the geometric system? When you construct a system, it should be harmonious with its constituent parts, but the geometric aspect wheel only serves to flatten aspects and put them into boxes. A fly pinned to a board can show us the nature of a fly, but what does that pinned, dead fly lack? For a system to suit a symbolic series like the Aspects, there needs to be constructed a means to better observe these Aspects in context, not arranged in a predetermined order. In short- When we're talking about the Aspect Wheel, we're not talking about Aspects, we're talking about the Aspect Wheel.

The four problems- Inconsistency, variety, rigidity, and specificity, are issues that can be circumvented- More importantly, they can be circumvented using the system that currently exists. I have so far been critical of dualism, but I would like to be careful to not throw out the paradox baby with the ectoslime as it were. What in the geometric system is worth preserving?

The aspect wheel as it appears in the EZOD for starters, I find actually very useful as a reference. The number 12 is very harmonious and significant. Mathematically, it is a highly composite number, containing four divisors, 2, 3, 4, and 6. Four divisors to twelve is the highest ratio of divisors to natural position in mathematics. There are, of course twelve hours in each unit of the day and Aspects share a dodecagon with the clock face that we have used for millennia. 12 olympians. 12 sons of Abraham. 12 apostles of Jesus. 12 days of christmas. 12 names of Hanuman. 12 battles of King Arthur. 12 months in a year. 12 atoms in Magnesium. 12 cranial nerves in the human body. 12 function keys on your keyboard. 12 muffins in a dozen. 12 Angry Men. Ocean's 12. 12 books in the Aeneid.

Now, to be fair- It's very easy to do this for any number. Numerology is a game of coincidence, but the number twelve seems to have particular significance to both stories and the human brain. Twelve seems to come up whenever a big important number is needed, a number with some fucking gravitas.

PART 2: Music of the Spheres

You know what other system of twelve is heavily based on context, vibes, and symbolism?

[Chromatic Scale]

Music is fascinating because in spite of all the theory and mathematics involved, all music and all theory is utterly lacking when compared to the practice of music. In other words, there is no one meaning of any one note, every relationship is predicated on context.

Like notes, aspects and how they appear is predicated on context, even aspect pairs that are identical have wildly different interactions given different circumstances. Tavros and John share themes and an aspect, but when paired with Vriska, they act completely differently- On paper, a Light player is helping a Breath player grow in both cases but the results couldn't be more different.

Similar to chosen classpects, people who play music often gravitate toward a few musical keys based on which instrument they play or what pieces they know. Brass players like playing in B-flat where Pianists enjoy playing in C, but those who play in mixed ensembles might enjoy the key of F between those two. People usually pick their classpect based on that vague sense of gravitation born from both circumstance and preference.

Like notes, aspects have in and of themselves a nature that can be examined and identified. C is different than a D. Time is different than Life. Like notes, each aspect has a NATURE but not a distinct MEANING. Meaning can only be derived by the complex interplay of what came before and what follows, analyzed only as subjective listeners.

This creates a system where MEANING has near-infinite permutations that change depending on the subjective listener but can be traced back to definitive NATURES that are worth examining. NATURE here means for example a note's actual pitch or an aspect's actual name and symbol where MEANING here means a note's feeling in context or an aspect's expression in a narrative. NATURE is the plain fact that middle A is 440 hz where MEANING is the way the note A makes you feel when it's placed into a piece.

In a simpler way, much like there is a "music theory" that seeks to in some way codify the interplay of notes, I wish to construct an "aspect theory" that seeks to in some way codify the interplay of aspects. In the simplest terms, it is a meeting of the objective and subjective, constructed in order to better understand the system we're participating in.

Though no one has written about this to my knowledge, I didn't actually pull "Vibes Theory" out of my ass. There is in-comic precedent for the musicality of aspects, namely the oft-forgotten fraymotifs.

Fraymotifs, according to Hussie's commentary, are battle techniques that he once intended to be part of a hero's arsenal. They are all associated with an aspect, sold in consort-run shops and certain fraymotifs incorporate multiple aspect users to function. All of them have music-themed names like "mixolydian maelstrom" or "feathercadence." It seems these were intended for incorporation at some point but were dropped like many other lore tidbits.

Early in the comic as well, characters were often related to certain musical instruments or endeavors. This only really applied to the beta kids- John on Piano, Dave as a DJ, Jade with the Bass and Flute, and Rose with her violin- But remained as a general motif throughout the comic. The early comic reeks of "band kid" energy.

All of these things sadly, were dropped concepts that got little elaboration outside of side-content in John's quest and eventual appearance in Collide, but it's enough to get readers sniffing in the direction of music and aspect overlapping.

Homestuck and Music are so intertwined it's hard for me to believe that this has never been documented before. There's a whole Homestuck music wiki, music is integral to the identity of the comic itself.

PART 3: Due Diligence of the Deranged

I'm willing to assume most people watching this video are unfamiliar with music theory. To those people, I have prepared a short primer on the topic to make the rest of this flagrant bullshit comprehensible. To those already familiar with music theory, I have strived to make this recap novel for your sake.

As I said before, much like with aspects there are twelve different notes that are utilized in western music. That's it- Nearly all of the melodies and harmonies you listen to are constructed from these twelve notes. Seven of these notes are given letter names A through G and the remaining five are raised or lowered versions of these letter names called "flats" or "sharps." The space between every note is the same, called a "half-step" or a "minor second."

Once the cycle of notes is completed, the cycle repeats, but higher in pitch. This cycle is known as an "octave." For instance [these] are both the note of C repeated in a [higher and lower pitch.] They are the "same note" more or less because they have pitches whose sound waves are precisely half or a 2:1 ratio. The science of pitch is interesting, but we shall have to skip it for now.

The twelve notes are not only arranged one after the other, however. They can also be arranged into the circle of fifths, a circle where each note is listed not by half-step or minor second but by seven half steps, an interval known as the "perfect fifth." Don't worry about the numbers right now with the halfs and the sevens, just worry about the "fifth" for now.

The reasons the notes are arranged in this way are myriad, but primarily it is for a quick reference to how different keys are constructed. A "key" or "scale" is a series of notes that form a more pleasing arrangement. Each "scale" has a certain number of notes that are flat or sharp- Each clockwise increment around the scale indicates an additional raised note in that key and each anti-clockwise increment indicates an additional lowered note. In simpler terms, it's a simple reference to find information about the scale that is built on that particular note. The major key of C has zero flats or sharps. The major key that begins on F has one flat. The major key that begins on A has three sharps.

Now that we have the circle of fifths, you've probably noticed that it [looks just like-] Yeah. Now you're getting it.

The next concept we should talk about is the idea of "interval." Interval refers to the relationship or "distance" between two notes. These "intervals" all have a particular quality to them that is distinctive and recognizable. For instance, the notes C and G are a "fifth" apart, as are the notes Db and Ab. The musical "distance" between intervals are where they get their names. I've already talked about a few "intervals" like the minor second and perfect fifth. Don't worry about the nomenclature right now, there will be more on this later. Intervals can be either "stepwise" if played in order or "simultaneous" if played at the same time.

In sum, music as a theory is the study of intervals, notes, and rhythms. The notes and their relationships are very simple- But in concert (literally) they form the basis for every piece of music created in the western tradition, from Bach to Nickleback.

PART 5: The Irritable Tap Of The Conductor's Baton

"In which the viewer comprehends that all up til now has been but a prelude."

PART 1: So What?

To synthesize what I have so far insinuated, I have several problems with aspect theory as it presently exists. First, the problem of dualism and how it limits discussion to opposite pairs. Second, how this dualism fails to describe the relationships between aspects properly. I have posited that there is instead a more complex and comprehensive way to describe aspects in a systemic fashion: Vibes Theory.

Much like the intervals in music, we can draw "intervals" between the aspects and create complex interchange between them by identifying these intervals. This creates a system where every one of the twelve aspects has a unique "interval" between itself and each other aspect around the wheel. Just like in music theory, the intervals depend on which note or aspect comes first, so C and D (major second) have a different interval between them than D and C (minor seven).

Let's make an example. According to the circle of fifths, Breath and Life are adjacent to each other. Breath is a "perfect fifth" away from Life and Life is a "perfect fourth" away from Breath. We can see how this impacts characters like John and Jane. These intervals are harmonious and we can see certain similarities between John and Jane, from being part of the same family to sharing interests like pranking. However, the Perfect Fourth is a somewhat dissonant interval when used in melodies- We can see this reflected in how Jane exists in John's shadow to some extent. Jane is the "leader" of her session but it is stunted and broken.

This is the fashion that this analysis will take. Identifying an interval, then identifying traits that indicate how that interval informs the relationship between two characters. The interval could be said to be how an aspect "interacts" with another and using this theory you could create new characters and new interactions for your own projects or use the intervals to identify relationships between characters in other media.

PART 2: Alchemy-Like Into Wisdom

All aspects have two halves of the wheel, separated by the tritone. The "Major" series and the "Minor" series. Aspects are either "Major" (Appears in major scale) "Minor" (appears in minor scale) "Diatonic" (Appears in both scales) or "Nondiatonic." (Doesn't appear in scale.) M3, M6, M7 are Major. m3, m6, m7 are Minor. U, M2, P4, P5 are Diatonic. m2 and TT are Nondiatonic.

Diatonic could be understood as "compatible" aspects. These would be the directly adjacent aspects and the second clockwise aspect. These aspects are similar thematically or have some form of overlap with the POV aspect. Ex. John, Jake, and Jane being reflections of the same archetype.

Major could be understood as "familiar" aspects. These would be the third, fourth, and fifth clockwise aspects. These aspects are comprehensible to the POV aspect. This does not necessarily indicate a positive relationship. Ex. John and Dave, John and Rose.

Minor could be understood as "unfamiliar" aspects. These would be the three aspects on the leftmost side. These aspects have a relationship with the POV aspect marked by strife, either external strife to be overcome together or internal strife that causes clashes. Ex. John and Terezi vs John and Roxy.

Nondiatonic could be understood as "alien" aspects. These would be the parallel aspect, the aspect one clockwise from the parallel aspect. These are the aspects that the POV Aspect has the most difficulty understanding. This does not necessarily indicate a negative relationship, simply a lack of common ideological ground. Ex. John and Karkat.

"Major" and "Minor" are colloquially understood as "happy" and "sad" and while this is often true, it is not always true- Perhaps not even "usually." Major-key songs can be sad (Hallelujah) and minor-key songs can be happy (Happy Together). Major key songs also incorporate minor chords and minor songs incorporate major chords. A better word to describe "major" vs "minor" is "light" vs "dark" in terms of sound. It is the interplay of these sounds that creates music just as it is the interplay of aspects that creates stories.

Intervals also have "inversions," which describes the interval if the two notes were flipped. For instance, the space between a C and G is a "perfect fifth," but when you change this interval to G and C, even though you're comparing the same notes, the distance is different. G to C is a "perfect fourth." There are three types of inversions.

Symmetrical inversions are Unisons and Tritones which are the same distance apart in either order. Perfect inversions are fourths and fifths which invert into each other. These are the "stable" inversions. The "dynamic" inversions are all the others which invert from major to minor. m2 inverts to M7. M3 inverts to m6. M6 inverts to m3. m7 inverts to M2.

If that is the case, then it must be true that there are a total of 144 unique intervals between each note and 144 unique intervals between each aspect. Now, you might be thinking that 144 permutations of each aspect is a monumental task to tackle in one video, and it would certainly be a fool's errand to make some kind of list out of each of the permutations in turn.

[Beat]

PART 6: Some Kind Of List Of Each Of The Permutations In Turn

"In which the author does the improbable and inadvisable."

The following is a project undertaken by myself and a few kind reviewers including Cal's Calzones, Owen Davis, and anyone who contributed on Twitter and Discord. Every single interval between every single Aspect is listed using textual examples from Homestuck.

Breath [Breezy Dude Voice]

P5 Life - BREATH views LIFE as familiar but distant. If breath "lives in the now," then Life is "the now," no matter how fleeting. John and Jane have a great deal of overlap but fail to have meaningful discussions with each other.

M2 Light - BREATH views LIGHT as idealistic and admirable. Light measures meaning and nothing delights the Breath player more than imposing meaning on there they have blown from or are blowing to. John and Rose get along exceptionally well and Tavros looks up to Vriska even after his betrayal.

M6 Time - BREATH views TIME as stalwart and reliable but mystifying and occasionally frustrating. John does not always understand Dave and John has an actively antagonistic relationship with Caliborn. John is also stymied by Aradia. Strong feelings one way or the other.

M3 Heart - BREATH views HEART as cagey and aloof. Breath goes with the flow and Heart is concerned with whims. Still, where do Breath's whims come from but heart?

M7 Rage - BREATH views RAGE as amorous but strange. Breath often utilizes strong emotions and is in touch with rage though it does not always enjoy it. Tavros and Gamzee are not close but have a background attraction that seems to play itself out repeatedly.

TT Blood - BREATH views BLOOD as delightful and lovely in its weirdness. The bonds that connect people are what Breath and Blood have in common. John has a deep affection for Karkat even through Karkat's antagonism and Tavros, much like other trolls, sees Karkat as a confidant.

m2 Doom - BREATH views DOOM as inconsequential and strange. Why worry about the inevitable? Live in the now. John doesn't interact with Sollux nor does Tavros, even though Sollux and Tavros share game partners and mutual friends.

m6 Void - BREATH views VOID as comfortable and attractive. Void and Breath share an absurdist "don't worry about it" mentality that instantly entangles them. John immediately works together with Roxy, developing feelings for her.

m3 Space - BREATH views SPACE as stalwart and safe. The breeze carries and space is its destination. John gets along closely with Jade and Tavros seems to get along with Kanaya even though they shared a paramour. A stable affection born of equal inner peace. As with Tavros and Jade, this is not always a two-way street.

m7 Mind - BREATH views MIND as irritating and superfluous. Again, Breath players don't know themselves well and go with the flow, antithetical to Mind players. John is actively killed by Terezi and John later requires Terezi's help to solve a complicated problem. Tavros and Terezi are also at odds though they are not antagonistic. Mind appears to see into Breath's blind spot. Wary companions.

P4 Hope - BREATH views HOPE as weird and off-putting. What do you make of someone who tries to put the world in a box? If whatever will be will be, why bother hoping about anything? John and Jake, while familial, don't speak much and when they do they seem off-put by each other. Though they share superfluous similarities.

U Breath - BREATH views BREATH as confusing and flighty. Breath players don't understand what's going on in their own heads. Tavros and John don't get along and when John meets his time-clones he seems baffled by them. Trying to understand the motion of the universe is pointless.

Life [Uptight, Haughty Voice]

P5 Light - LIFE views LIGHT as annoying and pointless. Knowledge and reason are silly, anything worth knowing is self-evident. See Meenah getting bored by Aranea constantly.

M2 Time - LIFE views TIME as lovely but cruel. Time makes things grow stronger! Time is the great nurturer, the cycle-giver. It is also the great taker-away. Aradia and Feferi get along but the Condesce hates Lord English, her master. Damara and Meenah are at each others' throats and seem to be wrapped in mutual despisal. Time and Life are fundamentally of a different stripe.

M6 Heart - LIFE views HEART as in the way. Life has to make tough calls. Life is in charge. Life doesn't need a bunch of emotions cluttering everything up. Still, heart is the reason life is doing anything. Dirk and Jane have a complex, distant relationship.

M3 Rage - LIFE views RAGE as useful. Zealotry is quite useful indeed. The Condesce put the GHB in charge of the land, after all.

M7 Blood - LIFE views BLOOD as... Cute. Life sees blood as its lesser form, something that doesn't bear considering in life's order. The Condesce ignores the Sufferer. Feferi doesn't seem to take Karkat seriously. Meenah also seems to have a crush on Karkat.

TT Doom - LIFE views DOOM as romantic. Doom is death. Death is the meaning-giver. Death is the reason Life means anything. Feferi and Sollux are romantically involved.

m2 Void - LIFE views VOID as incomprehensible. What the hell is going on in void's head? Does void even CARE? Ugh. Void completely stymies life and that annoys them. Jane and Roxy are good friends but Jane constantly belittles her out of insecurity.

m6 Space - LIFE views SPACE as its compliment. The self recognized in the other in a good way. Life and Space are at their best and worst together. See Crockertier Jane and Dogtier Jade.

m3 Mind - LIFE views MIND as reason. The most useful tool in life's arsenal. Notice the mind players are always working in service to the life player, the Condesce.

m7 Hope - LIFE views HOPE as cloying and clingy. Just stop with the hope shit. Life sucks sometimes, deal with it. GOD. Feferi and Eridan. Jake and Jane.

P4 Breath - LIFE views BREATH as baffling but idealistic. Breath is the freedom Life craves but never seems to get. Life is bound by too much. John and Jane are mirrors in this way.

U Life - LIFE views LIFE as hot shit. Life loves looking in the mirror. Light is on top of the fucking world! Meenah admires the Condesce who admires herself, though this admiration turns into distaste. Still, Jane experiences a lot of self-hate from people belittling her, showing the weakness of this vain self-esteem.

Light [Professor Voice]

P5 Time - LIGHT views TIME as exasperating but necessary. A bureaucratic formality in the way of their designs. An irritant. Cruel. Rose and Dave bicker but Aradia and Vriska truly go at it. Still, one can't be without the other.

M2 Heart - LIGHT views HEART as vexing. Heart and its little feelings. Light resents heart for the feelings that secretly rule light like a master.

M6 Rage - LIGHT views RAGE as humorous. Rage doesn't understand shit. A blind idealist. Light has no time for rage, though again, Light resents that which secretly rules it.

M3 Blood - LIGHT views BLOOD as amusing and fickle. Blood, to Light is cute. Bonds are made to be broken, what matters is prestige and knowledge. Mindfang didn't have much thought to spare to the Sufferer and Vriska doesn't have much to spare for Karkat.

M7 Doom - LIGHT views DOOM as trivial. Doom is a formality. Light is concerned with only what comes before.

TT Void - LIGHT views VOID as whimsical and convivial. In a way, Void is the puzzle light tries to solve. Void is Sisyphus's boulder and as we know, we must imagine him smiling. Vriska and Equius get along (or at least Vriska is attracted to her neighbor) as do most Serkets and Zahhaks. Rose and Roxy also get along. If we accept Mom Lalonde as a void player like Roxy, we can also interpret Rose's complete disconnect from her mother to reinforce this.

m2 Space - LIGHT views SPACE as beloved but esoteric. Space is fine, but space is fuckin' weird. Space eats bugs, Light is pretty sure. Rose and Jade don't speak much, but Kanaya and Vriska get into it. Vriska still doesn't know what the hell is happening. There's also the legendary couple Rose and Kanaya who get along, but only through elaborate rituals.

m6 Mind - LIGHT views MIND as alluring and dangerous. It's hard not to get pulled along with mind. Mind and Light are locked in battle. Serkets vs Pyropes. Rose and Terezi briefly chat on LOLAR in Act 6 and they seem to be on the same level and exist vulnerably together.

m3 Hope - LIGHT views HOPE as childish but practical. Light is incapable of seeing hope as its equal, it thinks hope basically sucks, even though hope is a major factor in light's fortune. Vriska dismisses Jake and Eridan. Aranea uses Jake as a main pawn in her Game Over plan.

m7 Breath - LIGHT views BREATH as quixotic and whimsical. Light is skeptical of Breath's actual abilities, but their attitude is infectious. Light can't help but love breath. Rose and John, Vriska and Tavros, Vriska and John. The throughline is Light's intense belief in Breath. Rose is the one who calls John their leader.

P4 Life - LIGHT views LIFE as bizarre but aspirational. Light looks up to Life! Life is so cool. Light wants to be just like Life one day. But they can't. See Meenah and Aranea.

U Light - LIGHT views LIGHT as fundamentally smug. Light's ideal self cannot bear a mirror. The idea of Light is all that it can handle. Rose and Jasprose. Vriska and (Vriska.) However, this smugness can turn into adoration like in the case of Vriska and Mindfang.

Time [Deep, Methodical Voice]

P5 Heart - TIME views HEART as mysterious and fickle, an unreadable mask that time fails to replicate. Time cannot comprehend the machinations of a fickle heart as they do not beat in step. Dave and Dirk have a complex relationship where neither brother seems to comprehend the other.

M2 Rage - TIME views RAGE as creepy and surreal. Time does not have the language to process emotion and Rage is emotion unbound. Dave tries to connect to Gamzee but utterly fails and sets off Gamzee into a monstrous rage.

M6 Blood - TIME views BLOOD as inscrutable yet compelling, the bonds that bind and weather time's inevitable decay and decline. Dave and Karkat are antagonistic to one another, but Dave sees this antagonism as amusement.

M3 Doom - TIME views DOOM as the inevitable end, the ending that gives life meaning. Aradia and Sollux are close and Sollux and Dave share motifs. There is a great deal of overlap here, though their optimism is different in degree.

M7 Void - TIME views VOID as strange and alien. What is the nature of nothingness to they who measure somethingness? Aradia is disgusted by Equius and Dave, in spite of blood relation, seems to have little to say about Roxy.

TT Space - TIME views SPACE as unpredictable and weird. This can manifest in close friendship like with Dave and Jade or as bitter hatred like with Calliope and Caliborn. In either case, there exists a curiosity and attraction for better or worse.

m2 Mind - TIME views MIND similarly to heart- Mysterious and fickle, but more regimented and comprehensible. The filtering of the inner world with the material world. Dave and Terezi both share a sense of humor and are able to coordinate complicated plans together.

m6 Hope - TIME views HOPE in similar regard to Light- Why measure what is inevitable? Why put bets on the immutable? Dave does not interact with Jake and Aradia does not interact with Eridan in any significant capacity.

m3 Breath - TIME views BREATH as free but indecisive. An ideal to strive for, a breeze to carry you onward. Aradia and Tavros as well as Dave and John are bosom buddies. Friends to the end. Unshakably intertwined.

m7 Life - TIME views LIFE as fascinating but alienating. Intrigued by the motion of life and its cycles, it idealizes life and death in a cosmic dance. Dave views Jane at a distance but is obviously attracted to her. Aradia and Feferi share a paramour in common. Damara and Meenah have a clash that seems at least somewhat based in class-based rivalry. Time and Life are expressions of the same forces from different levels of resource.

P4 Light - TIME views LIGHT as baffling and pointless. Why measure the movement of the spheres if they simply are? What will come to pass will come in time. Aradia feels hatred toward Vriska, who tries to bring about pointless idealism. Dave and Rose, while connected, rarely are talking about the same thing.

U Time - TIME views TIME as the primary force of the universe. Without it, there would be no motion, no ability to progress. No turning of the page, no whisper on the breeze. Time is the reliable clockwork that undergirds the world. Dave and Aradia both get along with their time clones and experience mutual understanding of each other intuitively.

Heart [Excited Meticulous Voice]

P5 Rage - HEART views RAGE as pleasant and sympathetic. Rage and Heart work in harmony, they are both expression of the ego's emotions. Meulin and Kurloz are the closest of friends, though sometimes that is not to Meulin's advantage.

M2 Blood - HEART views BLOOD as attractive and nurturing. Heart loves Blood as nourishment. The Disciple falls for the Sufferer as Nepeta falls for Karkat. It is not always destined for success or reciprocity but it is destined for fulfillment.

M6 Doom - HEART views DOOM as blank. Doom is inevitable and the inevitable is of no interest. Heart deals in uncertainty and conviction not certainty and inevitability. Dirk nor Nepeta have any significant bond with doombound.

M3 Void - HEART views VOID as incomplete and strange but inescapably alluring. Void is the great creeping nihilism that Heart is running from. Void is the proof positive that Heart's sense of self is fragile and transient. Heart, the ego, cannot face its own destruction. Roxy and Dirk nominally get along, but Dirk appears to have no idea how to factor Roxy into his plans or have any insight into her mental state. Equius and Nepeta are famously moirails. When Equius and Hal combine they get along but they seem to be at odds. Harmonious imbalance.

M7 Space - HEART views SPACE as neutral and overarching. Space is of little emotional importance to the Heart player. They have no notion of the ocean they swim in. Dirk views Jade as dangerous but ultimately able to be circumvented. Callie vs Dirk in the Epilogues.

TT Mind - HEART views MIND as idealistic and mysterious. The Mind is the layer that Heart cannot penetrate. It is a total mystery to them, they cannot step out from behind their perspective. When brain-ghost Dirk appears before Terezi, Dirk quickly dismisses her attempts to find out about him. He is uninterested and finds her obtrusive.

m2 Hope - HEART views HOPE as achingly idealistic but incomprehensible. Hope is the light at the end of the tunnel for Heart. Dirk is obsessed with Jake during their relationship to the point of alienating Jake.

m6 Breath - HEART views BREATH as irritating and pointless. Going with the flow produces nothing of value. Carpe Diem. Dirk is dismissive of John in every case.

m3 Life - HEART views LIFE as a force to be corralled. Life is a big fucking mess and Heart believes it has the mop. Heart, though fickle, is ready to face life's challenges and process the feelings. Dirk, more than anyone, meets Jane on her level and appears the only one to be able to get through her thick fucking skull.

m7 Light - HEART views LIGHT as utilitarian. Light, to the Heartbound is a tool. Luck is not a force to be harnessed but a law of nature to be studied. It is like a caged animal and can provide great insight into itself. Dirk views Rose as a tool and a rival.

P4 Time - HEART views TIME as routine and droll. Time acts upon Heart but Heart does not know how to act upon time in return. Indecision only becomes a vice with time spent deciding. Dirk and Bro have no idea how to connect to either version of Dave but understand they are connected. There's also Davepeta.

U Heart - HEART views HEART as the enemy. The dog growling at his reflection. The self recognizing the self in the other. Heart's relationship to their inevitably fractured selves is stultifying misery. They fundamentally despise themselves and are unable to self-construct like Mind or Breath. Agonizing existence. Dirk and HAL are sources of mental anguish more than any other self-same pair.

Rage [Gravely Gruff Voice]

P5 Blood - RAGE views BLOOD as stalwart and potent. Purple bloods understand the importance of red-bloods. Gamzee and Karkat. The Grand Highblood and the Sufferer. They recognize this innate power.

M2 Doom - RAGE views DOOM as stultifying. Doom is what the rage player most primarily rages against. This is mostly speculation.

M6 Void - RAGE views VOID as enervating. There is nothing that removes the wind from Rage's sails like ambiguity. Uncertainty and doubt are poisons. Equius is the only person Gamzee never bests and gets under Gamzee's skin.

M3 Space - RAGE views SPACE as cruel and tragic. Space is the source of rage and anger- It is where the buck stops. Every injustice can be traced to resources and real space. Kanaya saws Gamzee in half. This is mostly speculation.

M7 Mind - RAGE views MIND as alluring and manipulable. Rage uses mind like a tool, shaping and making them malleable, then discarding them. A single mind is worth little. Gamzee and Terezi's relationship is a one-sided affair with Gamzee taking advantage.

TT Hope - RAGE views HOPE as a farce. A joke is the man who hopes. Hope is in the action. The Grand Highblood kills Dualscar without a shred of mercy. This is mostly speculation.

m2 Breath - RAGE views BREATH as alluring and idealistic. Breath's effortless freedom is addictive to the ragebound. Gamzee has a crush on Tavros based on very few interactions.

m6 Life - RAGE views LIFE as a useful resource. In rage's conquest, life is a force of great power, but only when put into use. HIC and GHB.

m3 Light - RAGE views LIGHT as heretical. Predict the future? Gain knowledge? Gamble on uncertain luck? Pointless endeavors in a subjective reality.

m7 Time - RAGE views TIME as overarching and awe-inspiring but cruel. Time is the great healer. Time changes things. Rage wants to change things. Gamzee serves Lord English but is enraged by Dave. Kurloz, too, serves Lord English. Rage and Time are entwined.

P4 Heart - RAGE views HEART as disposable and fickle. Why should one follow their heart when they can follow a maddened crowd or worship an esoteric god? The heart betrays. Gamzee kills Nepeta with a smile on his face. Kurloz is Meulin's lover, but his designs far eclipse his affection. Rage struggles with committing to people over ideas.

U Rage - RAGE views RAGE as tragic. Woe is he who gives his life to serve the higher purpose. Substance abuse, neglect, and self-loathing plague the ragebound. Gamzee cares little for his dancestor and after his ultimate breakdown cannot face himself.

Blood [Stentorian Bossy Voice]

P5 Doom - BLOOD views DOOM as certain and regrettable. As said, Blood pushes against entropy and against Doom, but it does not hate Doom. Karkat and Sollux are close but prone to bickering.

M2 Void - BLOOD views VOID as creepy and weird. Void does not constitute anything worth discussing. It is not material reality by definition. Karkat and Equius don't talk much but when they do there is a palpable disconnect.

M6 Space - BLOOD views SPACE as frustrating but alluring. Space in its vastness creates the material conditions Blood is bound to. Space is immovable and real. Karkat puts Jade and Kanaya on a pedestal in some sense, deferring to them. The Dolorosa cares for the Signless, he would not exist without her.

M3 Mind - BLOOD views MIND as insipid but useful. Mind's constant prattling are like nails on a chalkboard to blood, but mind's theories and ideas prove inevitably useful. Karkat has a deep trust of Terezi but he often argues with her, usually to his own embarrassment.

M7 Hope - BLOOD views HOPE much like Light- Insipid idealism. Though Blood seems to think it can bring Hope back to reality. Karkat acts as the voice of reason for Eridan with his girl troubles. Both Blood and Hope can be kind of weenies.

TT Breath - BLOOD views BREATH as frustrating and quixotic. Breath spends its time detached and free when Blood attempts to be tied down. Karkat is frustrated by John's carefree attitude but the duo work toward the same goals. Theirs is a difference only in philosophy, not of means or ends.

m2 Life - BLOOD views LIFE as a curse. Life is a great stage upon which is played a theater of cruelty. Life is pain and suffering. Blood players don't hate being alive, but they do hate life. The Sufferer and the Condesce are the main conflict of the story of the dancestors.

m6 Light - BLOOD views LIGHT as annoying and unnecessary. Needless optimism has no place among blood's pragmatism. There is no way to bring the lightbound back to earth, so blood doesn't bother. Karkat concedes authority to Vriska during the late stages of the comic and doesn't bother with her.

m3 Time - BLOOD views TIME as inextricable and cruel. Blood trades in bonds and responsibility. It attempts to stem the tide of entropy and cannot stand its crushing weight. Karkat is constantly enraged by Dave though he is fixated upon him.

m7 Heart - BLOOD views HEART as alien yet comforting. Literally speaking, the heart is the vessel for the blood, the blood serves the heart. The blood then, can never know its container. Karkat seems to understand Nepeta has a crush on him but keeps her at arm's length. The Sufferer and the Disciple engage in a love that transcends the quadrants. The porcupine's dilemma.

P4 Rage - BLOOD views RAGE as sympathetic and misguided. Rage is blood's instincts in a pure form. Emotion distilled into wild acts. Karkat views Gamzee as a bro, but a bro in need of being pacified. This relationship is unstable.

U Blood - BLOOD views BLOOD as enraging and stultifying. Like Breath, Blood does not know itself, but unlike Breath, it is not for lack of trying. Blood players undergo incessant and maddening introspection to the point of the drama boiling over from inside themselves to outside. Karkat argues with his time clones. Kankri infuriates anyone who bothers to listen. The sufferer's convictions earn him death. Blood, uniquely, hates itself in fractal

Doom [Detached Serious Voice]

P5 Void - DOOM views VOID as strange but inevitable. Void is the end result of Doom. If Time becomes Doom, then Doom becomes Void. Sollux and Equius, in spite of several mutual friends, do not speak significantly. They accept their place.

M2 Space - DOOM views SPACE as vapid and pointless. Space is merely the arena in which doom will be enacted. If a tree falls in the forest and there is no-one to hear it, does it make a sound? Doom and Space do not have significant overlaps. Kanaya "hassles" Sollux in their first-ever pesterlog.

M6 Mind - DOOM views MIND as meddlesome and irritating. Why bother deciding course if the end is charted? If it isn't broken, don't fix it. Sollux and Terezi don't get along well and are embroiled as bystanders in a cycle of vengeance. When they do talk it's all-business.

M3 Hope - DOOM views HOPE as its most beautiful enemy. Hope is not for the Doombound, why Hope for anything when the only ending is Death? Inevitability invalidates Hope. Sollux and Eridan despise each other. Cronus and Mituna are incapable of constructive discussion. They are incompatible. Though tenuous, Erisol, who is equal-parts Doom and Hope hates himself and in turn hate Jake.

M7 Breath - DOOM views BREATH as pointless and distant. Why worry about where life may take you when we all know where life ends? There are no significant relationships between Doombound and Breathbound.

TT Life - DOOM views LIFE as idealistic yet cruel. Life is the thing that ends when Doom's inevitability comes to pass. As such, Life is the thing Doom strives to derive meaning from. This can be idealistic- Sollux and Feferi are confidants and friends. This can be cruel- The Psiionic is the slave-battery to the Condesce. Doom is of utility to LIfe, for better or worse.

m2 Light - DOOM views LIGHT similarly to mind- Meddlesome and dangerous. There is no "fortune" in a zero-sum game. Sollux regards Vriska with mocking hostility. He doesn't care.

m6 Time - DOOM views TIME as ever-present and progressing. Time is the force moving the world toward its inevitability, the servant to Doom. Sollux and Aradia are close friends and implied lovers and are never shown engaging in significant arguments.

m3 Heart - DOOM views HEART as vital and important. If Doom seeks meaning through endings, Heart creates these meanings to be ended. The Psiionic and the Disciple were both followers of a doomed cult to the Sufferer.

m7 Rage - DOOM views RAGE as unfettered and chaotic. Chaos is value-neutral to the Doombound. Let Rage wild out, who cares?

P4 Blood - DOOM views BLOOD as mystifying and frustrating but necessary. Blood is the bond that gives existence meaning, though blood refuses to acknowledge inevitability. Karkat and Sollux are bros but they're always bickering.

U Doom - DOOM views DOOM as completely singular. Endings cause meanings. Nihilism is not an existential threat to the Doombound. While there are no conversations from doombound to doombound, all doombound seem to have a strong sense of identity and purpose.

Void [Happy apathetic voice]

P5 Space - VOID views SPACE as... Oh, wow. The stars in the nights sky... Have you ever noticed how beautiful they are? So... Distant but beautiful. Roxy is inspired by Callie. So much mystery.

M2 Mind - VOID views MIND as... There's a lot going on here. Just a lot of moving parts. Let me put it this way- Why play chess when you can play checkers? Why play checkers when you can play tic-tac-toe? Rules don't matter as much as you think, but they can be fun. Rules aren't supposed to be "fun" but that's all they can be.

M6 Hope - VOID views HOPE as... This guy has fucking problems, dude. I'm serious, this guy is fucked. I don't know what his problem even is. Like I get it, I do! He wants good stuff, don't we all? But he's so obsessed with it, like aaargh, y'know? Roxy and Jake are occasional half-baked rivals but they get along.

M3 Breath - VOID views BREATH as... Well, que sera sera? Breath understands Void. They get along. It's the same thing with different inertia. Roxy likes John right away. Easy going.

M7 Life - VOID views LIFE as... Basically, you need to stop putting shit in boxes. Things shouldn't be all set up and regimented. It doesn't matter. No matter how you arrange it, it's the same stuff and it will be forever. Meaningful change is an illusion. Why can't you see that? Roxy and Jane try to connect but end up talking about different things. There's also Roxy and Fefeta again.

TT Light - VOID views LIGHT as... Wow. Uh, kind of bright? Turn that down... We don't need all that light. Light is only good for hurting the eyes, but... I guess it's fun to chat about philosophy, y'know? Rose and Roxy get along just fine. They're sisters, so are void and light. Some light players, though... Like Roxy and Aranea. Eugh.

m2 Time - VOID views TIME as... It's what keeps going. You gotta have time, y'know? Equius views Aradia as necessary and compelling enough to make her a robot body. Time is... Stuff moving around.

m6 Heart - VOID views HEART as... Oh god, THIS guy... I love this guy, but holy shit. Man, this is- No, they've got their shit ALL mixed up. Equius loves Nepeta but doesn't understand her. Roxy loves Dirk but doesn't understand him. They need to get their poop in a group. There IS Fefetasprite... Dear sweet Fefeta.

m3 Rage - VOID views RAGE as... Haha, oh, this guy. Funny guy. You'd better kill me in one shot.

m7 Blood - VOID views BLOOD as.... Ehh. Maybe. Maybe that blood stuff, maybe not. Is it really going to matter in the end? It might. It might not. It mattering doesn't matter.

P4 Doom - VOID views DOOM as... Well, yeah. Doom. Y'know? Obviously, Doom. Doom is there. Doom is the cole slaw at the cookout. It's there, just accept it. It's whatever.

U Void - VOID views VOID as... Well. It's there. It's there, not being there. Its non-existence is proof positive. It's the paradox that undergirds the universe. Void is because it isn't. It's the paradox you meet and say "okay, sure," and move the fuck on. Void knows what it is and what it isn't and it's everything and nothing and vague and defined and it's... Void. You know it when you see it, you know it when you don't see it.

Space [Excited Intense Voice]

P5 Mind - SPACE views MIND as surreal and fascinating. Like a bug in a jar. Mind's facade cannot pierce Space's observant gaze. When Porrim and Latula speak, Porrim insists Latula drop her rad-girl affect.

M2 Hope - SPACE views HOPE as distant but idealistic. Space is materialistic but fundamentally optimistic, so Hope has a distant appeal. The glass is half-full. Jake and Jade correspond but only from a great distance, same with Jake and Grandma. Kanaya doesn't appreciate Eridan's flirtations but does humor him.

M6 Breath - SPACE views BREATH as idealistic and beloved. Space and Breath share a go-with-the-flow vibe, but Space seems to be more rooted in the pragmatic. Jade and John are friends.

M3 Life - SPACE views LIFE as necessary cohorts. Life and Space have many spheres in common such as fertility and continuation of species. They are dispassionate friends. Jane and Jade work together in the service of a greater life player, the Condesce.

M7 Light - SPACE views LIGHT as cerebral and confusing but ultimately beautiful. Predicting the future must not seem necessary to someone who deals in slow progress. Rose and Jade get along but seldom chat. Kanaya drops affection for Vriska when she doesn't reciprocate. Then again, there is Rose and Kanaya who enter a relationship. Even so, Kanaya seems to always be trailing behind Rose's shenanigans.

TT Time - SPACE views TIME as whimsical and lovely however cruel. Time is the force acting on Space. It is its partner in the cosmic dance. It is also the ultimate entropic, destructive force. Jade and Dave are close friends who work together intimately whereas Calliope and Caliborn are sworn, bitter rivals of an irredeemable specie. Porrim seems to be the only person who cares about Damara of their group, even if it's unclear how Damara feels about this.

m2 Heart - SPACE views HEART as overwrought. For space, who is defined by its material conditions, cannot understand the pining nature of Heart.

m6 Rage - SPACE views RAGE as fucking insufferable. As a repressive force, Space doesn't like Rage or the way it acts out. Kanaya kicks Gamzee off a building and saws him in half one time. They don't get along.

m3 Blood - SPACE views BLOOD as frustrating but necessary. Space tries to impose restrictions on Blood to corral Blood into being fucking reasonable. Jade can only stand Karkat when Karkat is being NORMAL. This is similar to Kanaya and Karkat as well as the Dolorosa and the Sufferer. They have a nurturing instinct.

m7 Doom - SPACE views DOOM as tragic but useful. Space's works and progress are inevitably undone by Doom, but Doom is a viable path forward. The volcano's eruption gives way to new vegetation. Kanaya and Sollux don't speak frequently, but when they do, Kanaya needs something.

P4 Void - SPACE views VOID as beautiful but indecipherable. Space, seeing its opposite, pauses to contemplate the space within itself. Is Void more space? Is Void something else? Space gets creeped out and thinks about something else.

U Space - SPACE views SPACE as... Complicated. It's hard for Space to meet Space on its own terms. Jade doesn't understand her time-clone/dream-self. Kanaya and Jade eventually get along, but only after they are stymied by each other. Kanaya and Porrim seem to be the only example of positive space-space relations, mostly due to the fact that Porrim has something to teach, namely Kanaya's vampire powers. A great wariness plagues the introspecting space player.

Mind [Lawyer Voice]

P5 Hope - MIND views HOPE as aspirational but self-aggrandizing. Hope is a delusional force and mindbound despise this, but mind can see Hope's great capacity for change. This is mostly speculation.

M2 Breath - MIND views BREATH as impractical and irritating. Breath is a freedom from constraint that Mind doesn't consider useful. Terezi and John don't get along to the point of her killing him. Terezi doesn't have many words for Tavros.

M6 Life - MIND views LIFE as overarching and inert. Mind players are not concerned with changing systems, only analyzing them. Life is the construction of systems, which is uninteresting to the mindbound. Mostly speculation.

M3 Light - MIND views LIGHT as poisonous. Light's luck and wild chance and appetite for knowledge give the meticulous mind player a run for their money. All Mind and Light players are at odds.

M7 Time - MIND views TIME as useful and straightforward yet esoteric. Time is the vector by which the mind acts, but its intricacies are lost upon Mind.. Terezi and Dave get along well. Aradia and Terezi were close, but they ended up being pawns in a sick game.

TT Heart - MIND views HEART as alien and strange. Heart is inscrutable to the mind, emotion is inscrutable to reason. Even so, it sure is interesting. When Dirk appears as a brain ghost, Terezi begins to sniff him intrusively.

m2 Rage - MIND views RAGE as addictive and destructive. Mind players, in their staunch convictions, are drawn to other staunch convictions, but rage players most frequently do not meet mindbound on their own terms. See Terezi and Gamzee.

m6 Blood - MIND views BLOOD as fickle and funny. Mindbound feel disconnected from emotions that Blood deals so heavily in, but they still share common ground. Karkat and Terezi are antagonistic but close.

m3 Doom - MIND views DOOM as intriguing but depressing. The mind is a playground which will be gone when Doom has its way. Terezi and Sollux don't speak much and when they do it is utilitarian. Latula and Mituna are close but they aren't speaking the same language.

m7 Void - MIND views VOID as funny and essential. Vagary and interpretation are the playground of the mindbound. This is mostly speculation.

P4 Space - MIND views SPACE as ordinary yet complex. A paradox. The world we live in is immutable but full of multifaceted geometries. This is mostly speculation.

U Mind - MIND views MIND as rational and stalwart. Mind players don't talk to themselves often, but they do have an overwhelming self-confidence. When that self-confidence is shattered, they shatter with it, like Terezi on the meteor. They are their own North Star.

Hope [Lovely Excited Voice]

P5 Breath - HOPE views BREATH as an idealistic mirror. Breath is freedom, what Hope craves. Breath achieves freedom, Hope strives. Recognition of the self in the other. Jake and John don't speak much but they resemble each other quite a lot.

M2 Life - HOPE views LIFE as confusing and attractive. Life is cool and sometimes sucks and Hope doesn't really understand how to get different results from Life. Jake and Jane. Eridan and Feferi.

M6 Light - HOPE views LIGHT as idyllic and fascinating but intimidating. They unlock potential but not in the way Hope is used to. Light takes some of the fun out of the game of life. Aranea and Jake's conversations end up one-sided and cringeworthy, and not on hope's side.

M3 Time - HOPE views TIME as base and crass. For the idealist, time is a resource in short supply. Hope needs more and there never is.

M7 Heart - HOPE views HEART as cloying but attractive. Hope isn't always satisfied with how it idealizes love versus how it works out for them. Dirk and Jake, for instance. Also, Eridan pines for romance which is Nepeta's sphere of expertise.

TT Rage - HOPE views RAGE as animalistic and crass. Rage takes what Hope believes and puts the rubber to the road, but rage has no concern over rightness and wrongness like hope does.

m2 Blood - HOPE views BLOOD as stalwart and basal. Blood is the only one to buy into hope's bullshit. Karkat is the only person sympathetic to Eridan even a little and Eridan immediately opens up to him.

m6 Doom - HOPE views DOOM as antithesis. The great delusion of Hope is Doom. How could it accept the other?

m3 Void - HOPE views VOID as mysterious and wonderful. Hope's fascination is with possibility and void's vague nature lets hope run wild. Jake and Roxy are the only alpha kids who have no significant quarrel with each other.

m7 Space - HOPE views SPACE as whimsical and fascinating. Space hides so many opportunities, which are the currency of Hope players. Jade and Jake exchange letters and Jake seems excited to meet her. When Eridan speaks to Kanaya, though, it is only to both flirt with her and gain more knowledge about his crush Vriska. Hope's relationship seems one-sided.

P4 Mind - HOPE views MIND as incomprehensible. Hope players are single-minded. They have very little patience for nuance. My way or the highway.

U Hope - HOPE views HOPE as... As... It doesn't really view itself at all. The delusion of hope requires the Hope player to live off in their own little world. There's no room for another guy up there. Erisol, who is equal-parts Hope and Doom dislikes Jake but refuses to engage with him, leading to Jake having a delusional impression of their non-friendship.

PART 7: D.C. Al Coda

"In which this bitch finally finishes up."

Though this list was exhaustive, we made it. The door is now open. Analysis is ready to be made, new characters are waiting to be crafted, new stories are aching to be told. Due to the time constraints of this particular video, I was unable to fully explore more concepts like class or deeper concepts in vibes theory such as the notion of chords and cadence. In the future, there will be more material on the topic, and if you are lucky enough to be IN the future, you will be able to view those topics presently.

This video began with a thorough explanation of the current scholarship surrounding Aspects and by the end I have posited my own more comprehensive theory, but ultimately, this material is not for the benefit of we, the philosophers and scholars, but you, the viewers. The creators, the writers, the story makers, for you to be inspired to either look inward and view something you love from a different perspective or to look outward and be inspired to create fresh. I strive to be your muse. This material must have a purpose.

Chapter 2: Classes: A Comprehensive Peek

Summary:

Watch this essay here!

Chapter Text

PART 1: At The Precipice, Yet Again

"In which the thesis and antithesis are set up like dominoes."

There has never been a codified list of Classes or a quiz to sort prospective readers into Classes, unlike the 2014 Extended Zodiac, which sorts characters into Aspects. This left theorists like OptimisticDuelist and Dewdrop to speculate more heavily about them and as such, Class looms large over discussions of Classpect. Compared to the more orthodox Aspect dualism, Class is something like a free-for-all, taking the canonical words from Calliope and Andrew and extrapolating them into fascinating new theories.

In the year 2025, things are different. Theorists are quiet, there is little discussion about these things. There are still some dedicated discussions going on, shout out to the Homestuck Discord's Classpect Containment thread, but broad-scope pieces haven't been released in some time.

What I have noticed the most from people discussing classpect, especially class, is an assumption that class is in some way formulaic or direct. Recently, I asked on Twitter, "Is Jesus a Sylph," and while all of the answers I got were very thoughtful and interesting, some of them were mired in reductionist thoughts, from mentions that Muses and Sylphs are often women or talk of how Jesus is too "active" to be a Sylph. In other words, discussion seems to be mired in what limits someone in terms of class instead of what class can open up and tell us about them.

The fact of the matter is, up until now, discussion of Class has been stiflingly limited. No matter how far I went with my research, I found people only willing to explain geometric configurations of classes into categories and systems instead of discussing class more openly. For every mention of Carl Jung, there was a failure to explain in depth how these theories related to extant psychology and analysis. This is the shackle I wish to break, the shackle of simple allusion and straightforward categorization. Enter a world of myth and legend, there are more things than passive and active. Let me show them to you.

PART 2: Carl Jung's Festering Ghost

"In which the external is internally analyzed."

Before we dive ass-first into the sucking void, let's make sure the diving board isn't going to snap off, here. What IS a Class? We use that word a lot, and you probably have some concept in your brain, but let's take a moment to wrestle that word into submission and make it tell us its secrets.

Class, reflexively speaking, is the name given to the group of "Classes," which number fourteen: Muse, Lord, Bard, Prince, Rogue, Thief, Page, Heir, Mage, Maid, Seer, Witch, Knight, and Sylph. More on these in specific terms soon, but for now, understand them as pieces of ourselves and pieces of the characters in the collective consciousness.

Classes, much like the archetypes of the Tarot or in Jungian psychology, are the unitary components of "selfhood," in other words, the pre-existing cross-cultural templates for us to import into our own lives and behavior. In simpler terms, they are blueprints we see in stories that tell us how to act. Each "class" is a monosyllabic archetype taken from myth and legend, the broad anachronistic "pre-modernity" of our minds. Jobs like Page and Knight that aren't around any more, beings like Muses and Sylphs of legend. They are the building blocks of self and character, bridging the gap between literature and psychology.

Imagine each class as it exists as a faceless, nameless character, a character we, through the acts in our lives, consciously and unconsciously attempt to recreate. When our boss pisses us off and we steal some staplers, we are the righteous Rogue. When a parent dies and bequeaths us a rare baseball card collection, we are Heirs. When we type a Twitter thread defending our wives from the hateful mobs, we are Knights. You get the idea.

Even though we may embody part of a Class at different times, our lives have Classes that overarch them. When we say we "are" a Class, we are saying that we most closely resemble one of the fourteen archetypes in some way, to the point that we could be mistaken as them. We begin to try actively to emulate them, to construct moral systems to make us more like them. "Being" a Class is "acting like" a class.

Great. We know what a class is, but now here's a better question: What IS a class?

As previously discussed, Aspects in Homestuck are like "music" in many different ways, each one ripe for analysis. If Aspects are the "music theory" in a vacuum, the "classes" are much like musical instruments- The instrument or method with which characters and people use these aspects.

A class, linguistically speaking, is "attached" to a person somehow, used both as a title and a name in itself. Characters are addressed as "Witch" or "Heir" more than "Space" or "Void." This means that a class is attached to a person, but the aspect is not, the aspect is something else that a person gains access to, much like someone using an instrument gains access to music that they may not have in and of itself.

The question is, how INTRINSIC is class? In other words, do people choose their classes or are classes inborn into people? Nurture or nature?

In Homestuck, class is predetermined, but predetermination in Homestuck isn't necessarily indicative of intrinsic nature. In Homestuck, though predestined events exist, free will still exists because you still have to CHOOSE to do those predestined things. You can choose NOT to, you'll just die in a doomed timeline.

If this is true, that predetermination exists but so does free will, it means that people neither choose their class nor have it inborn. It means that people have a class that their free will naturally leads them into. A cosmic choice they make subconsciously. For a real-world example of such a trait, take Albert Einstein. Einstein, of his own free will, became a famous scientist. The fact that he is a scientist is the result of his free will, but it is just as much an intrinsic part of his being because since he is dead, he is unable to become something else. Nikola Tesla was and always would have been an inventor, Marie Curie did and always would have discovered radiation, and Shakira did and always would have written "Hips Don't Lie." Just in this way, John was and always will be the Heir of Breath, Dave was and always will be the Knight of Time, et cetera.

Could a character's class change over time? I think it would depend on what kind of character or person they are and how much about them remains to be known. For example, it would be difficult to identify John's classpect very early in Homestuck's story since he does not exhibit many breath or heir related traits other than minor things. Going back to the Einstein example, it would be difficult to tell early in his life that he was going to become a scientist. There is evidence, like perhaps he got good grades in math or science class, but his potential is hard to identify.

Class is only easy to identify retroactively, taking a broad swath of factors into consideration, just like a profession or a quality would be hard to identify proactively. This means that Class must be analyzed with a totality of a character's story in mind. Applying Class to a character necessarily applies a degree of predestination and immutability to them. Was Dave always a Knight? Did Shakira's hips never lie?

In summary: Class is a complex and holistic analysis of a character into a fluid set of traits or behaviors that is further complicated by their relation to Aspects.

This implies numerous things.

First, class is possibly malleable. Just as there are many diverse musical instruments, there may be diverse classes past that of aspects.

Second, class is possibly transient. Just as someone can "learn" one instrument or another, one might be able to "learn" a class. This fits with other "classes" in video games.

Third, class is possibly mutable. A character's class could change over their story. There is textual evidence of this.

Finally, class is possibly subjective. In other words, it is possible that unlike Aspects, Classes do not represent Platonic ideals of nature but instead social and societal constructs.

PART 3: Extant Tomfoolery

"In which things that have been said before are said again."

SUBJECT 1: Calliope

Most existing Analysis is devoted to the idea of passivity and activity in class. This idea is suggested to us textually by Calliope- This is unlike the previous Aspect video, where most canonical information came from the Extended Zodiac and fan-theorists. Now, a character within the actual text is acting as fan-theorist. Meta! Calliope specifically is an interesting character to give us this information and has certain important biases that come with the information she gives us- biases that we should deconstruct. What does Callie have to say about Classes?

Between her discussions with Roxy and Dirk, we get some information from her about what a class is as it pertains to the both of them. She reveals Dirk and Roxy's classes to them and explains those Classes in the context of other Classes, referring to passive (plus) and active (minus) classes and their traits. She defines the delineation as active (minus) as exploitative for themselves and passive (plus) allow their aspect to benefit others. She does say however that the distinction can mean various things.

UU: [...] yoU see, there are passive (+) and active (-) classes. some more strongly passive or active than others.

UU: the +/- distinction can mean many things, bUt coUld be qUite roUghly sUmmed Up in this way: active classes exploit their aspect to benefit themselves, while passive classes allow their aspect to benefit others.

UU: bUt of coUrse there's plenty more to it, and that rUle is in no way absolUte. only a starting point for Understanding the dichotomy.

TG: you mean kinda like

TG: offensive vs defesive magic in an rpg

UU: sUre!

UU: that's another fine way of looking at it.

UU: classes always come in +/- pairs, with significant disparity between them.

Later, she also defines class as having "counterparts," and defines Thief and Rogue as well as Bard and Prince as opposites, but doesn't inform any others. She also mentions certain verbiage, that active classes "destroy" their aspect- Dirk, a Prince of Heart, equates this as that his classpect means he is a "destroyer of souls."

UU: a prince is a destroyer class.

UU: it is very far on the active side of the scale. its more passive coUnterpart woUld be the bard class. both of these are exclUsively designated for male players.

UU: to Understand a hero's capabilities, it always helps to search for the right way to parse the class/aspect pair into a more explicit statement.

UU: for instance, being active, a prince coUld be viewed as "one who destroys x, or caUses destrUction throUgh x," if x is the aspect.

UU: while the more passive bard coUld be seen as "one who allows x to be destroyed, or invites destrUction throUgh x," as if by the will of the aspect.

[...]

TT: So if I'm following, my title nearly parses as,

TT: Destroyer of Souls.

UU: indeed.

Callie also mentions the gendered nature of class.

UU: both of Us woUld be. we are both assigned extremely rare and powerfUl classes.

UU: they are the two master classes!

TG: oh yeh?

TG: what is urs

UU: mine is the most passive on the scale. a class designated for females only.

UU: i am the mUse of space. ^u^

While it would be disingenuous to dismiss Calliope entirely, her information is meant to be understood as revelatory about HER as much as about CLASS. In other words, what is she telling the reader about herself in these passages? She makes a big deal about active/passive dichotomy, which is meant to reflect her relationship with Caliborn. To her, someone who is embroiled in a struggle for her own autonomy with a destructive personality, it's easy to see why she would rationalize class as a firm dichotomy. She's trying to construct a narrative about her own struggles. In practice, while there are "active" and "passive" moments from various characters, there are moments when characters act outside of this dichotomy. Roxy, a "passive" Rogue, is instrumental in defying the Condesce and actually strikes the killing blow. In Act 5, Rose goes Grimdark and attacks Jack Noir, a passive Seer using highly offensive and destructive magic. Dirk Strider, an active "destroyer," is soft-spoken and often lays low in favor of taking action, preferring plans and schemes.

Comparing Dirk and Roxy, we see two characters who act very similarly in terms of their abilities. Both of them lay low and gather information before striking, then they act on behalf of their friends and loved ones instead of selfishness. How can we call either of them passive or active at all? It seems reductive.

Next, we have Calliope's claim of gendered distinction. In spite of initial rejection, this is cogent in a social sense- In real life, a "maid" is generally considered a feminine job, whereas "prince" is a male gendered term. However, this distinction is not as ironclad as she makes it seem. In fiction, terms like "prince" are sometimes subverted, like in the Vampire the Masquerade mythology, "Prince" is a gender neutral term for "ruler." It's more accurate to say the gendered classes have gendered associations like professions in the real world like "nurse" and "teacher" being "feminine" in spite of sometimes being held by men. It's arbitrary but there exists some bias. In other words- There could easily be a male "maid" but it might seem odd to those around them who exist in a certain social order.

What I mean by all this is that we should not consider Calliope's analysis to be "wrong," but "incomplete." Much like Shakira's hips, Callie doesn't lie, but there is more to the story.

SUBJECT 2: Hussie

In a now-archived Reddit AMA, Hussie answered some questions related to class. His answers shed more light on Class and broadly align with Calliope's analysis with more nuance.

You could also look to the passive/active nature of the classes in making some retroactive sense of the Derse/Prospit dreamer duality. Passive/active classes are also a pretty vague thing, and don’t resolve so easily into simple dualities like defensive/offensive and such. Those are the guidelines for understanding them, but there is clearly a lot of flexibility within that system. They seem to suggest tendencies rather than absolute capabilities. Like there isn’t a rule that says a passive class could never use an offensive technique. The system is meant to be very flexible, and in the story, classes suggest a little more about a hero’s path and role in the greater quest than what their battle capabilities are.

As stated before, though Callie offers us a more rigid system, Hussie seems to take the active/passive dichotomy as more vague or even arbitrary. Hussie has more information relating Derse and Prospit to the active/passive dichotomy. More on Derse and Prospit later on.

Unfortunately, Hussie doesn't give the audience much directly, but the lack of authorial information can actually tell us a great deal about Hussie's intent. It doesn't seem like something he put a particular amount of thought into other than the general theming and structure, it's something he refers to as "hyperflexible." To me, this says that as an author, the system is meant to be vague and ill-defined purposefully to allow people to fill in the gaps themselves. As such, analysis of Class is less about trying to "decipher" what Hussie "intended," and more about constructing a system from the intentionally scant evidence. Like a connect-the-dots with the numbers removed. You can make any picture you like.

SUBJECT 3: OptimisticDuelist

OD's analysis videos, "Hero Titles" parts two and three cover Class, mostly the active/passive system, using much the same evidence as stated above, Hussie and Calliope. Mainly, OD sets the tone for most analysis that came later, three main takeaways: One, a connection to the psychoanalysis of Carl Jung. Two, an active/passive dichotomy with strong opposites much like there are strong opposites in their aspect system. And three, inversion theory, that each class has a contemporary and opposite class.

In the previous Aspect video, I railed against dualism, but dualism has more precedent in Class since Calliope and Hussie both explicitly state an active-passive dichotomy at play somehow. OD pairs each class into seven groups, each of which has a passive and active "expression." For instance, Seers and Mages are both "Magicians" and "Prophets," but Mages are active and Seers are passive. The justification and evidence for each pairing, however is lacking other than in intuition. Unlike Aspects, which got a confirmed geometric wheel arrangement, only a scant few Classes have confirmed opposites- Lord/Muse, Bard/Prince, and Rogue/Thief.

The question for any theorist is: Where they are drawing the necessary extrapolations in their systems from? If all of the active/passive sets aren't defined, how does one identify them? In OD's case, they draw from real-world examples and mythologies such as Tarot and Archetype theory. This is all well and good and leads us to deeper understanding, but what can we do better?

SUBJECT 4: Ouroborista

I discussed the first half of Ouro's video in my previous Aspect video, so I'll address the other half now. Ouro's theory of Class seems to mirror OD's, but the method they use to extrapolate missing information is different. They also compare Class not to Jungian archetypes but to playing a "role" in a story.

A particularly poignant example of how Class relates to Aspect is how they describe the difference between a fireman and an arsonist, with two vastly differing approaches to the same aspect- In this hypothetical case, "fire." The fireman destroys fire, the arsonist creates it.

Like OD, their class symmetries exist along passive-active lines, but unlike OD, their opposites are described not using intuition but using the verbiage of each class. For instance, they pair Princes and Bards as "those who destroy." They pair Maids and Knights as "those who serve." Critically, OD and Ouro come to different conclusions about what the actual symmetries are. They pair different classes. In OD's system, Knights are paired with Pages.

Again, something feels lacking. Ouro mentions that other symmetries in Class could exist, which invites the notion that undermines their and OD's analysis, namely that if symmetries can't be codified reliably, there cannot be a system of symmetry at all. How can we say which Class is which Class's inverse?

SUBJECT 5: Dewdrop

In Dewdrop's classpect brochure, by far the meat of their analysis is in Class. There are some things that are beyond the scope of this analysis for now, such as the fan Classes they have invented, as well as certain notions about gendered classes that I disagree with for reasons listed above. Much like OD and Ouro, they have a notion of verb-ing in Class, in other words analyzing a Class through the lens that each class has a discrete set of verbs that define it. Calliope's example is that "Princes destroy," and similar verbiage can be applied to other classes.

Like OD and Ouro, they organize the fourteen classes into seven pairs, each given an overarching title. They make certain pairs that differ from OD and Ouro, such as combining Knights and Pages into "Servants," but also pairing Maids and Sylphs as "Fae." Also like OD and Ouro, they are scant with textual evidence, but their pairs do pass the intuition test as well as scrutiny.

Unlike OD and Ouro, Dewdrop treats the idea of "Class Inversion" differently than the "Passive Active Dichotomy." An inversion isn't necessarily the aspect that is its passive/active counterpart. For instance, Dewdrop pairs Princes and Bards as active and passive counterparts but pairs Princes with Sylphs as inversions. Also unlike OD and Ouro, Dewdrop has an exhaustive section on how certain Classes can "seem like" other classes, roleplaying falsely as them.

All in all, the picture Dewdrop paints is that which has a very strong notion of a "true" self that is sometimes difficult to identify. They classpect their friends and peers throughout the work and attribute certain characteristics to them that are emblematic, especially when it comes to Class. Though I do appreciate Dew's commitment to a more complex and thorough analysis, there is an emphasis on the "trueness" of the system that feels somewhat backwards. Essentially, there is an unspoken question in most Class analysis: Do we control our class or does our class control us? The latter seems to be true to most existing analysis some extent, not only for Dewdrop but more significantly in their case.

PART 4: Fourteen Lines in the Sand

"In which the curtain pulls back the first few millimeters."

PART 1: Foundations

I asked before- In a system that requires extrapolation for things that aren't explained in the comic, we need to get our extrapolation from somewhere. But what exists already in the comic that we don't need to extrapolate?

Each class in Homestuck has certain "representatives" who we can glean information from. Some are more represented than others, which reflects real-world quizzes on class, which makes me believe that the distribution of class isn't necessarily symmetrical. In other words there are more "seers" than "mages" and of those "seers," they make more of an impact on Homestuck's story. By analyzing each representative and drawing similarities between them, we can more accurately identify what classes "look like," and how well they are embodied.

Lord: Caliborn. Muse: Calliope. These two have one representative so they are the most difficult to talk about since there is no parallax between them and other characters. They are the "master classes" which in many ways are superior to the other classes. This implies that not all classes are equal. Most specifically, both classes are associated with massive overwhelming power- Lords through force, Muses through influence.

Witches: Jade, Damara, and Feferi. Witches are all loners who have staggering powers. They aren't necessarily in the spotlight, overshadowed by others, but never overshadowed in power. Dangerous but reliable, Witches are a force to be reckoned with.

Rogues: Rufioh, Roxy, and Nepeta. Rogues are often lonely and often outside the social norm. Roxy and Nepeta both live alone and help their friends in ways their friends don't necessarily "ask for." They work alone, but they work for others. They're often misunderstood but always try their best to be helpful.

Heirs: John, Mituna, and Equius. Heirs are possibly the most diverse bunch. They are individuals in their own little worlds but simultaneously help others immensely. They let the story happen to them rather than actively seek the story, but they still have massive impact upon it. They are intuitive and don't question their own taste, John and Equius have legendarily bad art taste.

Seers: Rose, Kankri, and Terezi. Seers never shut the fuck up. They're opinionated talkers and observers who often take drastic action when they need to. They are instrumental in that they see the big picture, sometimes to their detriment. Seers look like weirdos to those around them, but are undeniable.

Mages: Sollux and Meulin. Mages are wise old hermits. They're stuck in their ways, uninterested in things that don't align with their predispositions. Their predispositions are usually right, though. They know what's coming, they know what's what, and they're ambivalent about sharing it, but to those they open up to, they are beloved.

Maids: Jane, Porrim, and Aradia. Maids serve others. This is because they are passive people who require others to "make use of" them. They don't always like to serve, but when they do, they are passionate and powerful. Maid has wordplay with "made," which has the impression that they are "made of" their aspect and have inexhaustible reserves of it.

Knights: Dave, Karkat, and Latula. Knights are similar to maids in that they are powerful and serve others, but they do so on their own power and autonomy. They're protectors. Powerful and acute, but often blinkered and have a tendency for workaholism. They pay the price.

Sylphs: Aranea, Kanaya. Sylphs are meddlers of the highest order. They believe they know what is right and they're often correct. They are single-minded in fixing problems and have issues with black-and-white mentality. They are healers, but they are not demure and methodical like doctors. They often have good and bad sides.

Pages: Tavros, Jake, Horuss. Page is most likely the most difficult class. They are defined by their potential for change but seldom get to enact that change. They are the most powerful in service of others, usually via coercion. They are defined unlike any other class by a lack. They have a great deal of growing to do.

Princes: Dirk, Eridan, Kurloz. Princes, like pages, are fundamentally defined by their ambitions and skills. They are driven, opinionated, devoted, and forceful. They like having power and they like using it. They are straightforward outwardly, but they usually have deeply turbulent inner lives.

Bards: Cronus, Gamzee. Bards are unassuming but influential. They are incapable of not being true to themselves for better or worse, often worse. Because of this whimsy, they are unreliable and often antagonistic, but always powerful and always impactful.

Thieves: Meenah, Vriska. Thieves are singular and maligned, loners who have delusions of grandeur. They are fighters and strugglers, their willpower is unstoppable. While sometimes bad at teamwork, they are often the only ones who can see through the bullshit.

This is suitable for a definition of each Class and already, we can see similarities and patterns forming. Using this information, let's see what we can dream up.

PART 2: Structure

Using this canon knowledge, we have a baseline understanding of each class and the job they do. Linguistically, what do these classes have in common? They are all anachronistic, but they generally refer to a vague "past." All of the professions named as Classes are archaic ones. No one is a "Knight" or a "Seer" in this day and age. They harken back to a mythological time of monarchy and fable. They all relate back to something bigger, something ancient, each one having a different place with respect to each other.

Imagine each class relating to an imaginary "King," who rules over them. The "King" represents authority and power and each class relates to it differently. The "King" could stand in for a class's aspect, their story, or a specific character who they find influential: The "King" is the want and drive in all of us. The "King" could also be conceptualized as a "Conductor," to further the music metaphor.

For instance- How may a Thief react to a "King?" It may see him as a tyrant or as a treasure trove. A page might see a "King" as aspirational and awe-inspiring. A Prince may see their "King" jealously, as someone in the way of their ambitions. Classes all take their names from antique archetypes, but each one has a different role.

Lunar sway presumably affects class a great deal. Broadly speaking, Lunar Sway is more straightforward than class, each one having to do with a person or character's relation to positive or negative emotions. In Homestuck, every character who awakens to a moon "likes" being there, so we can assume the moon we "prefer" is the one that holds sway. More specifically, Prospit is associated with positive emotions, fairness, good society, and order, where Derse is associated with negative emotions, survival, bad society, and chaos.

Each of the 14 Classes then has a total of 28 possible permutations, 14 classes with 2 possible lunar sways each. In Homestuck, classes tend to result in like sway, but not always. For example, Nepeta and Roxy are Rogues both hailing from Derse, the Heirs Tavros and John hail from Prospit. This is not always the case, like with the theives Vriska and Meenah being from Prospit and Derse respectively. This means that some classes could lean one way or the other, but 28 permutations still exist. Taking sway with class, we can call this the "subclass."

Not all 28 subclasses are represented in the work of Homestuck, so some of the descriptions will be informed by extrapolation, however, these descriptions will be as general as possible in order to preserve the idea that two characters with like classes (or even like classpects) could look very, very different.

Prospit Lord: No in-text examples. A prospit lord at his best is an ambitious character who wishes to topple an unjust King. The Prospit Lord will work tirelessly because he believes he is the leader the world needs. His ultimate goal is to topple the king and rule in peace. A Prospit Lord at his worst is a spiteful self-righteous despot rewriting the rules in his favor. His ultimate goal is to topple the king and weed out what he sees as evil.

Derse Lord: Example: Caliborn. A Derse Lord at his best is a fierce and totalizing force of nature who steers the world into a new order. The Derse Lord will move mountains to affirm their own ego. His ultimate goal is to kill the King and rule in his place. Most change their ego to suit the world, the Derse Lord changes the world to suit their ego. At their worst, the Derse Lord is bitter, petty, spiteful, and worst of all, supremely powerful. They are a fussing, crying baby on a cosmic scale. His ultimate goal is to kill the king and raze the kingdom.

Prospit Muse: Example: Calliope. A Prospit Muse at her best is an astute chronicler and totalizing influence. The Prospit Muse catalogs everything she sees and doesn't miss a detail. No one can escape her absolute knowledge. Her ultimate goal is to steer the King to a better world. The Prospit Muse at her worst is a mistress of misinformation, using her privileged knowledge to skew truth itself. Her ultimate goal is to subsume the power of the King entirely like her puppet.

Derse Muse: No in-text examples. A Derse Muse at her best is a seductive and charming spirit, giving and taking power as she pleases. She is everywhere, she is always watching. Her ultimate goal is to make the King want precisely what she wants. A Derse Muse at her worst is a petulant and vengeful beast who can not only destroy reputations but force her enemies into evil. Her ultimate goal is to poison the King.

Prospit Witch: Example: Jade. A Prospit Witch at her best is a cheerful and helpful scion of power. Reliable, trustworthy, and lovable, she can change the very winds. Her ultimate goal is to serve the King using her magic. A Prospit Witch at her worst is a dejected, depressed liability. Her power is too dangerous, too extreme, it cannot be trusted. Her ultimate goal is to hide from the King who persecutes her.

Derse Witch: Examples: Feferi, Damara. A Derse Witch at her best is a friendly-but-jaded individual. She knows what's what and she doesn't take any crap. She's powerful but she knows how dangerous they can be. Her ultimate goal is to serve the King's court with a measured hand. A Derse Witch at her worst is paralyzed and scared. She fears her own power and cannot solve her own problems. Her ultimate goal is to run from the King's forces.

Prospit Rogues: Example: Rufioh. A Prospit Rogue at her best is merry and sly, cunning and skeptical. She gently leads people into realizing the contradictions in their lives and gives excellent advice. Her ultimate goal is to steal from the King. A Prospit Rogue at her worst is spiteful and vindictive, slighted by the world, justifying her misdeeds as she goes. Her ultimate goal is to undermine the King.

Derse Rogues: Example: Roxy, Nepeta. A Derse Rogue at her best is cunning and sweet, chronically on the run, and a loner. She is rejected by others but takes it on the chin and eventually finds her clan. Her goal is to take from the King to give to her friends. A Derse Rogue at her worst is a depressed loner without hope or prospects. She lives only to be hunted. Her goal is to flee from the King.

Prospit Heirs: Examples: John, Mituna. Prospit Heir at their best are living their true lives. They love what they love without apology and would do anything to protect it. Their ultimate goal is to eventually replace the King. Prospit Heirs at their worst are confused and lost. Their choices have led them astray and they feel alone. They don't know how to get out of the woods. Their ultimate goal is to find the King.

Derse Heirs: Example: Mituna, Equius. Derse Heirs at their best are shrewd and stalwart. They are enthralled by their own power and wish to use it for good, but they realize there is a lot wrong with the world. Often misled, they're trying to make things better. Their ultimate goal is to be better than the King. At their worst, Derse Heirs are vindictive and vengeful, seeing the bad in the world without a cure, often lashing out. Their ultimate goal is to surpass their King.

Prospit Seers: Examples: Terezi, Kankri. Prospit Seers at their best are masters of debate and philosophy. They know where things ought to be going and they will advise accordingly. Their goal is to counsel the King. Prospit Seers at their worst are disillusioned cynics who despise the world's order and offer critique without prompting. Their goal is to undermine the King's propaganda.

Derse Seers: Example: Rose Lalonde. Derse Seers at their best are tacticians of the highest pedigree. They know what's coming and are planning 5 steps ahead. They don't let emotions cloud their judgement but are also paradoxically prone to outbursts of anger. Their goal is to strategize the King's armies. At their worst, Derse Seers are wrathful schemers who don't care who gets poisoned if they get what they want. Their goal is to win the King's favor for personal gain.

Prospit Mages: Example: Sollux. At their best, Prospit Mages are serene hermits who dispense guidance to those who ask for it. They don't seek pupils and often are cryptic, but their power and guidance are undeniable. Their ultimate goal is to steer the King. At their worst, Mages are embittered by life and wish to be alone. They withdraw and fail to share wisdom. Their ultimate goal is to cut ties with the King.

Derse Mages: Examples: Sollux, Meulin. At their best, Derse Mages are behind-the-scenes workers who engineer the very fabric of reality as it is known. They work in the shadows to bring about the change they desire. Their goal is to influence the King through his kingdom. At their worst, they are chronic puppetmasters who think they hold all the cards. Their goal is to control the King through subterfuge.

Prospit Maids: Examples, Jane Crocker, Porrim Maryam. At their best, Prospit Maids are obedient and diligent, working tirelessly for what is right. They work for themselves first and foremost. Their goal is to serve their King. At their worst, Prospit Maids are beleaguered and exhausted workaholics who have spite for those they serve and never get thanks. Their goal is to earn praise from their King.

Derse Maids: Example: Aradia Megido. At their best, Derse Maids anticipate the needs of those around them and fall into a role of silent helper. They know you better than you know you. Their goal is to do the King's dirty work. At their worst, Derse Maids are dejected and rejected, resented by those they serve. Their goal is to earn their King's respect.

Prospit Knights: Examples: Karkat Vantas, Latula Pyrope. Propsit Knights at their best are incapable of being facetious. They wear their hearts on their sleeves and through their incredible earnestness they win over others. Their goal is to fight for their King. At their worst, Prospit Knights are full of vindictive rage that doesn't go anywhere but at themselves and their peers. They don't get no respect. Their goal is to win the King's honor.

Derse Knights: Example: Dave Strider. Derse Knights at their best are quiet protectors and effective servants. They would rather not fight at all, but they don't have the option. Their ultimate goal is to protect their King. At their worst, Derse Knights are depressed and impotent. Without a reason to fight, they have nothing. Their ultimate goal is to find their King.

Prospit Sylphs: Example: Kanaya Maryam, Aranea Serket. Prospit Sylphs at their best are intuitive listeners who always give the best advice. They are humble but have a reputation as meddlers and blowhards. Their goal is to advise the King. Prospit Sylphs at their worst make dangerous designs and plan revenge. Their unchecked inner turmoil explodes outward. Their ultimate goal is to undermine the King who has slighted them.

Derse Sylphs: No in-text examples. Derse Sylphs at their best are sardonic healers who aren't afraid of the ravages of battle. Seeing them when you're in trouble is a relief, but they're prone to I-told-you-sos. Their goal is to keep the king Healthy. Derse Sylphs at their worst are vindictive wielders of poison. Doctors, too, use knives. Their goal is to poison the King.

Prospit Pages: Examples: Jake English, Tavros Nitram. Prospit Pages at their best are humble and ravenous for adventure. They are willing to put in the work to better themselves and do the right thing. Their goal is to impress the king. Prospit Pages at their worst are dejected, depressed, and impotent. Without power, they cannot act. Their goal is to escape the King's dungeon.

Derse Pages: Horuss. Derse Pages are eager to prove themselves, to do deeds and feats and impress their own sense of justice. They are somewhat blinkered, but mean well. Their goal is to win the King's tournament. Derse Pages at their worst wield rage impotently and miserably. They are exhausting to even be around. Their ultimate goal is to strike a King who ignores them.

Prospit Princes: Kurloz Makara. Prospit Princes at their best have a powerful sense of right and wrong. If might makes right, then the just must be mighty. They cannot be dissuaded or corrupted. Their goal is to be worthy to inherit the King's kingdom. Prospit Princes at their worst are jaded and angry, striking out in ways where the ends justify the means. Their ultimate goal is to prove the King wrong about them.

Derse Princes: Examples: Eridan Ampora, Dirk Strider. Derse Princes at their best are servants to their people and incorruptible leaders. They know how the sausage gets made and aren't afraid to get their hands dirty, fighting on the front lines. Their ultimate goal is to right the wrongs of the King. Derse Princes at their worst are violent and blind, chasing down windmills. Their ultimate goal is to rebel against their King.

Prospit Bards: Example: Gamzee Makara. Prospit Bards at their best are friendly and helpful. Not always reliable but never afraid. Their goal is to entertain the King. Prospit Bards at their worst are sharp tongued and cruel. They are the road runner being hunted by the coyote- It never ends for the Coyote. Their ultimate goal is to undermine the King.

Derse Bards: Cronus Ampora. Derse Bards at their best are extravagant singers and poets, hungry for attention and always willing to raise spirits. They see the world for what it is. Their goal is to tease the King. At their worst, Derse Bards weaponize their wits and lay traps. They are masters of court and know the 48 laws of power by heart. Their ultimate goal is to overtake the King's court.

Prospit Thieves: Example: Vriska Serket. Prospit Thieves at their best are incorrigible spirits working outside the law to do what they believe is right. They are singularly potent and precise and their influence cannot be ignored. Their ultimate goal is to take the King's riches. At their worst, Prospit Thieves are slighted and wounded by the social order and cannot tell a valid target from an innocent bystander. They hurt everyone. Their goal is to leave the King penniless.

Derse Thieves: Example: Meenah Peixes. Derse Thieves at their best are charismatic and sly, though too blunt to be true tricksters. They don't care if they're doing something wrong and they always look out for their own even if it might sink them. Their goal is to live apart from the King. Derse Thieves at their worst are slighted, betrayed villains. They do not believe in an eye for an eye, they believe in a life for an eye. Their ultimate goal is to assassinate the King.

PART 3: Inversions

Inversions are an essential part of Classpecting and are the real "meat" of most Class systems that exist- The issue is, everyone seems to have a different idea of what inversion "is," only that Class has some relation to the Jungian notion of the shadow.

It's implied by Calliope that each class has a "counterpart," but it's difficult to tell the intended "counterparts" other than the ones Calliope specifically states. Each system that attempts to establish class pairs comes to different conclusions.

In Dewdrop's Classpect Brochure (draft 17) there is an extensive section in how certain classes can appear similar. They refer to this as "the rubber band stretching before snapping back," and while they mean that one shouldn't misdiagnose their classpect, I take a slightly different meaning. All classes interact internally in various ways, through certain similarities between them.

For instance, Rogues and Thieves are very similar, in that they both "steal." Heirs and Pages are both defined by their "potential" in some way. Similar themes emerge between many different classes, or as I would argue, all classes. Unlike Aspects which have a vague, almost unknowable character, classes have specific and broadly overlapping character. The difference between, say, a Witch and a Mage could be as general as a gender difference or a preference of terms.

Limiting symmetry to only pairs of active-passive members limits this analysis in what I hope is an obvious way: Why should there only be one class whos opposite is a certain other class?

The idea of a "class inversion" reflects the Jungian notion of the conscious and unconscious- The Persona and the Shadow. It also reflects the Gnostic ideas of the spiritual and material worlds- Splitting a self into a mundane body and divine spark. There has been a great deal of moralizing regarding these notions- In that the "shadow" is often conceptualized as foreign or immoral and the material world is seen by the Gnostics as illusory and transient, but ultimately, these notions simply point to two "selves," the self we know and the self we do not.

In us, there is a conscious spark which constitutes all of the conscious willpower we have control over. Our hands, our voice, our eyes, all of these are controlled by our willpower and desires. There is, however, a deeper, unconscious part of us that controls our subconscious processes such as blinking and breathing and becoming hungry. Think of these as the "body self" and the "mind self," each one is "us" in that our body and mind are both our own, and they are not independent, but they are different.

The mind-self is what could be understood as having a "classpect" as we imagine it. A class and an aspect someone uses in order to change the world, the lens through which they see things. However, there is also the body self's classpect, which could be understood as the "inversion." A class and aspect that take charge when we attempt to suppress our needs and instincts. These often express themselves violently and angrily, in times of distress, fear, and anger.

When Rose Lalonde lashes out, she is acting with her body self, she is acting at the will of her suppressed shadow. When Dirk Strider, fearful and angry, cracks the lenses of Hal, his brother, he is acting in his frightened body self. In these moments, the subject acts out of step with how we might expect a scion of their class to. A Prince does not fear and doubt, a Seer does not fight and rage. In these moments, we see other powers and abilities manifest themselves and must be understood as expressing a different class and aspect.

In simpler terms, everyone has a "class" as well as an "inversion," as posited by Calliope. The way this analysis differs is that there could be many more ways to express these inversions than one direct inverse. A Seer's inverse sometimes acts as a Witch, but it could act as any class. A Prince's inverse could act as a Page, but it need not be.

Discovering your own shadow is not an easy process. If it were, there would not be an industry for analytical psychology. As such, trying to "assign" yourself an inverse classpect is a difficult process. We should also not conceive as these inverses as "malignant" nor "bad," because doing so would lead to further self-loathing and fear. That said, inversions usually only manifest during genuine moments of strife or as a person's worst instincts and fears. Suppressed desires such as strong characters wishing secretly to be comforted, kind characters wishing secretly to be cruel, and willful characters secretly feeling weak and doubtful.

The proper attitude to have towards an inversion is to desire discovery and acceptance. To look at yourself and say "maybe I do want to hurt someone," "maybe I do have a feeling I'm ashamed of." Again- If this were easy, therapists wouldn't have jobs. This is also not to say your dark impulses are correct nor should be indulged, just acknowledged and not suppressed nor shamed. In the following section, I will list the nefarious tendencies of each class and define how it could be a shadow over your ego.

The inverted Lord is a tyrant, cruel and wicked, desiring power for its own sake. The inverted Lord is felt by the powerless and the powerful, those who want to see others bow before them. To reconcile the inverted Lord is to accept your desire for power as endemic to human life and to allow your inner Lord to relish the power you have over others without abusing them.

The inverted Muse is a lazy pillow princess, wishing for all of their needs to be met by devoted, thankless servants. They are a lounging goddess in the mind. They want to be served and give nothing back in return. To reconcile the inverted Muse is to accept your desire for comfort and peace as endemic to human life and allow your inner Muse to savor every moment of lazy indulgence without wallowing.

The inverted Witch is vengeful and sinister, wishing vindictive harm upon others. Curses, hexes, all manner of foul fortune must befall the inverted Witch's enemies. The inverted Witch is hatred incarnate. To reconcile the inverted Witch is to accept your own deep despisal of others and to savor that hatred without succumbing to it. Let it pass through you.

The inverted Rogue is the self-righteous kleptomaniac. Heart heavy with greed, the Rogue takes first and justifies it to themself later. They want what others have, sometimes foes but often friends. They desire material wealth and will take it. To reconcile the inverted Rogue is to accept that you have envy for those you love and to savor material wealth and prosperity.

The inverted Heir is a crying baby, the immature spirit desiring comfort. The inverted Heir feels an impossible to fill pit in their heart that draws on care and comfort. They desire things that are familiar and are fearful of leaving whatever womb they've embedded themselves in. To reconcile the inverted Heir is to acknowledge one's own lack and sate it without shame without succumbing to it.

The inverted Seer is a sharp tongued gossip who sees all and probes into affairs that do not concern them. They savor information like food and redistribute it in hushed tones. The inverted Seer cannot help but stir the pot and gossip. To reconcile the inverted Seer is to acknowledge a passion for gossip and to savor the juicy secrets when they are found.

The inverted Mage is a wrathful, angry furious being. Anger and rage for its own sake, a raise of the blood pressure, an addiction to being self-righteous. Any excuse to shout at someone is a good excuse to the inverted Mage. To reconcile the inverted Mage is to take proper pleasure in anger and to enjoy it, thus taking away its edge.

The inverted Maid is a servile, submissive being. A desire to serve others, to be dominated and abused by them. A sick, twisted pleasure and a tendency to find and appease broken people. The inverted Maid has a trail of horrible exes who they cannot stop calling. To reconcile the inverted Maid is to accept existential masochism and indulge in a safe version of those desires.

The inverted Knight is a sadistic and coldly cruel existence. A scoffing superiority to others, a sense that you are the only one who has it together. A tendency to treat others like fools and hold yourself above them. To serve them through condescension. To reconcile the inverted Knight is to accept and appreciate the ways you are superior without becoming deluded.

The inverted Sylph is a fussing and uncomfortable xenophobe, an intense and burning suspicion of anything different, a passionate resistance to change of any kind. The inverted Sylph is stuck in their ways and cannot escape their own squalor. To reconcile the inverted Sylph is to acknowledge and enjoy routine and ritual without fearing your own boundaries.

The inverted Page is helpless and childish, immature and stupid. The inverted Page hates learning, hates anything new, and indulges its most id-driven desires like food, games, and pleasure. It cannot be reasoned with and stands in the way of any ambition, accepting its lowly place. To reconcile the inverted Page is to enjoy your pleasures and savor hedonism without succumbing to it.

The inverted Prince is envy and jealousy honed to a fine subtle point. To despise others and to wish to take from them. To climb high is not enough, others must be knocked down. Grudges never leave the inverted Prince. To reconcile the inverted Prince is to accept ambition and to disregard comparisons to others, but to still savor their foibles.

The inverted Bard is sadistic and immature. It is the childish desire to tear wings from insects. To abuse those with less power than you like toys, to be smug and self-assured simply by nature of one's own superior station. The sadism of the powerful, a lack of care for the weak. To reconcile the inverted Bard is to enjoy your power and to savor superiority without letting cruelty enter your heart.

The inverted Thief is the inflated ego, the self-love that crosses into worship. The Thief loves the sound of their own voice and the fact that they have everything all figured out. Blind and deaf, they love only their own reflection. They never apologize and never regret. To reconcile the inverted Thief is to love your face in the mirror or your own words on the page while foregoing disdain for others.

PART 5: I Brought These Toys From Home

"In which theories are brought into the real world."

The question hanging over all Classpect analysis is of course, "how can I insert myself and my favorite characters into this system?" I said before that a class cannot be "diagnosed" in the way we currently imagine it, but we can still apply these labels to ourselves an others like masks a performer wears for a play.

If you were in band or in choir, before you began to sing or play, someone likely asked you to select an instrument or a range. This question, like many questions in life, are criterionless. In other words, they are impactful decisions that will shape your future that you have no way of comprehending when these questions are asked. As such, these selections can be made with spurious reasoning and tenuous details. When I was young, I chose to play the trombone because it was the one that looked the silliest and the instructor told me that "since you're tall, you'll be able to control it better." I spent the next ten years of my life dedicated to an instrument that I chose on what was essentially a whim. Others in my class chose even more spurious selections, things that suited them, things that didn't. Some students already had an instrument selected, since they got private lessons from their parents. Whatever the case, a choice was made and we worked to become more skilled at an instrument not because it was the ideal one for us, but because it was the one we chose. An arbitrary choice that was committed to.

In many ways, this is the criterionless choice one must make when selecting for themselves a class. Each class exists as something mysterious and impenetrable, a vague archetype colored only by other examples of those who have chosen these archetypes. The question "which class are you," is the question "who do you want to be," expressed through a limited set of fourteen pre-existing classes.

The way to select a class is the same way to try on a piece of clothing or try a new skill. It must be attempted without experience and naivete, it must be tried on like a mask, and skill must be built in it before we can judge it. You select one and become slowly changed by it and discover if you've changed into someone you like.

This is all essentially to say... You really can just pick. Unlike Aspect which is a deeper and more varied analytical form, class is a set of archetypes that to some extent, anyone could embody. In different parts of your life, you have probably felt Prince-like or Page-like and if you haven't, you can at least empathize with the emotions of someone Witch-like or Seer-like. We understand these drives, we understand these emotions, they exist within us in a template, in our genome.

The idea of a "Mage" or an "Heir" as a shorthand, descriptive title existed before Homestuck, long before. They are patterns experienced in real life, overlaid on fantasy and fiction to construct a narrative. This is somewhat of a "hot take," but while most analysts seem to understand classes as something specific, classes are not so direct. They are subtle and varied, subject to a person's own personal opinions on the roles they choose for themselves. Put another way- Some trombonists become fine chamber musicians, some become jazz artists. They are all trombonists.

A "class" can be identified and assigned essentially arbitrarily. Not much evidence is required. Evidence can be anything, from a linguistic flourish to the weapon a character uses, to the color coding present. What are you trying to be? What is the character trying to be?

Let's change our thinking, here- What is a cat?

A cat, of course, is a four-legged mammal with sharp ears. A good enough definition, but that description also defines a fox, does it not? What about a four-legged mammal with a short nose with sharp ears? Well- Perhaps, but some cats have blunt ears. In this way, linguistic definition is actually very difficult to accomplish. "Cat" is a broad category which a singular definition doesn't fit over. It's not hard to do this for any class of thing- Chairs, tables, dogs, trees- All of these things are categories that are recognized not using specific sets in and of themselves but of recognition and association. Put more simply, you know these things when you see them. There is no calculus to be done to identify a "cat," you recognize it without hesitating.

Therefore, a "class" of things can be understood not as a cluster of definitions but as something you build your skills in "recognizing." How is this skill built? By inspecting members of a class and figuring out what they have in common so one can figure out how to spot more in the future. For instance, most trees have leaves, most trees have bark, most trees are tall, most trees burn. Not all trees have these traits, but seeing a plant with bark and leaves, we can see a tree. Or, seeing a plant with leaves but without tallness, we might re-identify it as a bush.

Earlier in this piece I have identified all canonical examples of members of certain classes, but we can go further. In myth and in stories, there are examples of "Seers" and "Mages" that we can use to further figure out just what is meant by these things. Let's build a better understanding of each class through mythological and historical examples.

Lord: Lords in myth and media are singularly dominant. Characters say "my lord" to refer to their masters and the title "Lord of X" is bestowed on figures that are supreme in some fashion. Lord is a status requiring great respect and fear. "Lord" is used to refer to gods and goddesses, notably God the Father of the old testament, a feared and revered deific being.

Muse: Muses in myth are seductive and consuming as well as sexual. When a character refers to someone as being their "muse," they mean that character is inspiring and captivating in a singular fashion. "Muse" is derived from the Greek Mousa then the Latin Musa, meaning a deity who inspires. Inspirational and captivating figures are associated with the divine. If God the Father is a Lord, God the Holy Spirit is a muse, inspiring and suffusing followers' lives.

Mage: Mages in myth are associated with magic and wisdom. Other terms meaning Mage are the plural "Magi" and the archaic "Magus." The Three Wise Men in the New Testament Bible are referred to as the "Magi" in some translations. Magi are sometimes mystical often reclusive and always learned. The Owl is a common symbol of wisdom and solitary nature. Yoda and Gandalf are examples of Mages, characters with great power and a tendency towards solitude.

Seer: Seers are common figures in ancient Helenic history, both in myth and in their real lives as an occupation. The Oracle at Delphi is a famous example. Oracles are not the only example, as "Seeing" has been used to mean future-sight with figures like Odin from Norse tradition and the Moirai in Helenic tradition. Seers are obscure and odd, represented by the Norns and the Moirai. Other examples include Cordelia Chase from Angel who sees visions of future tragedy and Imhotep, the third-millennium BC chancellor and mythological God.

Witch: Witches are often maligned in modern media, from the Salem Witches to the Wicked Witch from Oz. Even so- Glinda calls herself a "Witch," too. Witches are associated with femininity and nature, strong and weirding women who are often maligned but just as often resorted to in times of trouble for cures and ailments. In Arthurian Myth from the Anglo-Saxon tradition, the witch Morgan Le Fay is a figure of great power and uneasy evil. Ravens and other corvids are associated with witches. Joseph from the Bible is an example of a more masculine Witch, a man who has mysterious powers bestowed by God who is often wrathful.

Heir: The term "Heir" is still used today, as is "inheritance" from which the name comes. Heirs inherit fortunes and sometimes do not deserve these gifts but often grow into the ownership. Heir in Homestuck also has some wordplay with "air," as in the air we breathe. King Arthur is a classic example of an Heir, a boy who pulls the sword from the stone and inherits the title of King. Heirs are associated with kings and other kingly symbols like the lion and the crown. Luke Skywalker, though not a king, inherits his father's gifts and must grow over the course of the films.

Knight: A knight summons very direct associations in the western world: Armored fighters, usually from the renaissance and middle ages who defended kings. Knights could also be understood as "Soldier" and could refer to many different soldier archetypes such as Japanese Samurai and Roman Legionaries. Swords are a heavy symbol across all cultures, or in more modern times, guns. Weaponry used to defend rather than to conquer. Knights and Samurai also have a strict code that members rely on. The Knight Lancelot from Arthurian legend, Don Quixote from the literature of Cervantes, and even mythological figures like the Gargoyle use physical violence to defend.

Page: Often related to the Knight, a Page is understood as a knight-in-training. Training and potential are heavily emphasized. The Page stands out among the classes as it is the only seemingly explicitly transitory class. Pages in media don't stay pages. Pages are also associated with foibles and mischief, often clumsy. Still, they often are positioned to see past institutional dogma unlike their betters. Goku, especially early in Dragon Ball, is an example of a Page, a trainee. Paul Atreides is also a Page, someone who reaches for and in some ways fails to reach his potential. A more esoteric example of a Page's devious side is Sisyphus, tricking Thanatos and Persephone.

Thief: Thieves loom large in media. They are outlaws of any stripe that does not immediately discount sympathy, anything from Pirates to the Gentlemen Theives like Arsene Lupin and the Scarlet Pimpernel. Thieve is a synonym to "steal" and as such we could also consider Prometheus, the stealer of fire to be a Thief, but the line between Rogue and Thief is very thin. A more solid example of the Thief is Dracula, a man who must drink blood to survive. Wolves and other devious hunters are often associated with these tricksters.

Rogue: Rogues and thieves are almost the same, but the primary difference is the selfishness and earnestness. Thieves are outlaws because they are avaricious, Rogues are outlaws because they cannot countenance the social order. Robin Hood is the most classic example, giving to the poor and stealing from the rich. "Roguish good looks" is a common phrase referring to confidence and slyness. Rogue in more common parlance often refers to any charming outlaw. Foxes are associated with Rogues.

Maid: Servants of any kind could be associated with Maids. Butlers, Handmaidens, Manservants, or even a caddie. Maids serve and do it dutifully, usually admiring their masters to some degree. Who would Jeeves be without Wooster? Maids have a dark side, though, when their master goes astray, they are not above admonishing and even punishing them. Not always submissive but always reliable. Not all maids are explicitly servants. Bulma in Dragon Ball invents and uses ingenious inventions to serve her more powerful and capable friends. There are numerous helpful fey and sprites who serve, such as the story of the Cobbler. Maids also have some wordplay in Homestuck with "made" as in "being made of something."

Sylph: "Sylph" or "Sylphid" is an arcane term, perhaps more than any other class term. Sylph is rather vague, referring in folklore to a spirit inhabiting a dead body or a spirit of the air, but they are usually transient ghosts. In Homestuck, they are understood as "healers," but more accurately they have an association with Alchemy due to the writings of Paracelsus. Sylphs are supernatural and mysterious and usually benevolent. Jesus Christ in many ways reflects the Homestuck conception of the Sylph as a mysterious fae-like healer. Osiris of Egyptian myth could also be understood as a Sylph, the god of the dead who works in subtle ways.

Prince: Most directly, the Prince is the son of the King. Princes are understood as dominant but also slightly childish and inexperienced. There are many princes from myth and real princes. Thor, son of Odin, the naive God and hero. Hercules, son of Zeus, mighty hero with a lot to prove. Zeus himself is something of a prince, an often immature king, son of despot Cronos. Princes in Homestuck don't denote royalty, but the chipped shoulders and dominance remain.

Bard: We all know Bards from Dungeons and Dragons. The fun musician class with creative spells and interesting interactions. Bards through history and myth are storytellers and weavers of narrative. Bards like Orpheus who sing so beautifully and inspire others, Gods like Kvasir of the Norse of poetry and wisdom. Bards as an occupation marry the mundane with the transcendent, the bridge between myth and people. They're heavily associated with music and art as well as eccentricism.

The amount that classes and their names associate with real-world examples of their names is unclear in Homestuck. For example, John is called an Heir, but his father is just a regular guy. John does inherit things from his dad like the shaving cream and his car, but I doubt we would call him an heir in the common parlance. If we were to attribute a more modern archetype on John it might be something like Nerd or Geek, since he's into computers and video games and whatnot.

Class, then, does not have a direct relationship with these archetypes, but more like a vague association based on how they act in a story. The last video in this series, the video on "Classpects" taken together discusses this in more depth. For our purposes, we can just say that a class is more "subjective," broadly speaking.

If these Classes are so subjective, then could there possibly be other classes? Broadly, other theorists are open to this idea, with Dewdrop in particular codifying a few in their analysis. In Homestuck itself, there are other Classes, such as "Gent" embodied by the unnamed Sburb player Nanna speaks to and "Waste," the Class Andrew Hussie assigned himself. As such, I don't think it's very far-fetched to say there could be other classes and other associations that could be constructed, but this analysis is going to be limited to a discussion of the main fourteen. This flexibility is another reason the geometric passive-active dichotomy is difficult for me to accept.

The fourteen classes in Homestuck being embodied by more than one character each (except the Cals) implies to me that each Class is a "baseline" class and is exhaustive in the way that it defines the spectrum of possible Classes. In simpler terms, the main twelve are the "normal" classes with Lord, Muse, Waste, Gent, et cetera, existing outside of this, with Muse and Lord being the Master Classes from which the others spring.

PART 6: DS Al Coda

"In which the finish line is crossed by a final shaking step."

Class and Aspect have now been discussed in exhaustive detail. I have taken them apart one after the other like this in order that I might explore them as their own existence, but there remains one part that is unspoken. Class and Aspect are not independent of each other in the comic of Homestuck nor in most analysis. Therefore, the next part in this series is going to be a video about "Classpect" as a unit, how one informs the other, and the all-consuming question- Which Classpect are you?

This video began with a thorough explanation of what Class is, what writing exists about it, and finally my own new thoughts and opinions. The Aspect video was heavily themed around music but this Class portion didn't have any one particular theme emerge of that nature. Class seems to have more to do with society and archetypes than any vague metaphor I could construct.

This material, though somewhat pretentious and heady, is not made only for myself, of course. This knowledge has the ability to open doors into the self that could not be opened by Aspect alone. Do you see yourself differently now that a broader picture of Class has been drawn? What vices do you see in yourself after discussing inversions? Hopefully you've reached a new conclusion and a better picture of who you are through viewing pictures of others. That is the human condition, after all.

That's all I have to say until next time. If you would like to spread the word or support me in my further endeavors, please do so at Patreon dot com. My blog is hosted for free on Patreon so there is plenty of free stuff available outside of paid benefits.

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NoOneWillFindMeHere on Chapter 2 Sat 04 Jan 2025 05:15PM UTC

i've been looking for classpecting analysis and this is the most interesting one i've read so far

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Manastar on Chapter 2 Sat 04 Jan 2025 09:48PM UTC

Funny enough a lot of what you said about a relationship with a king is something ive seen expressed elsewhere. To perhaps expand upon these thoughts, I'd be interested in hearing what you have to say after reading the Beginner Classes Guide by Lostdeep on here. It's formatted as a guide for people playing sburb but all of the theory is sound and it's fun to read. It says many similar things to you but in different ways.
https://archiveofourown.to/works/14382951/chapters/33210591#workskin

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Work Header

Classpecting by Funk

FunkMcLovin

Summary:

Chapter 1: Aspects: Vibes Theory

Chapter Text

PART 1: Prelude to the Rabbit Hole

PART 2: Allegory of the Cave

PART 3: Extant Bullshit

SUBJECT 1: OptimisticDuelist

SUBJECT 2: Bladekindeyewear

SUBJECT 3: Ouroborista

SUBJECT 4: Opacifica

SUBJECT 5: Dewdrop

SUBJECT 7: Dahni

SUBJECT 8: Classpectanon

PART 4: The Rolling of Sisyphus's Boulder

PART 1: Pieces of the Kintsukuroi

PART 2: Music of the Spheres

PART 3: Due Diligence of the Deranged

PART 5: The Irritable Tap Of The Conductor's Baton

PART 1: So What?

PART 2: Alchemy-Like Into Wisdom

PART 6: Some Kind Of List Of Each Of The Permutations In Turn

Breath [Breezy Dude Voice]

Life [Uptight, Haughty Voice]

Light [Professor Voice]

Time [Deep, Methodical Voice]

Heart [Excited Meticulous Voice]

Rage [Gravely Gruff Voice]

Blood [Stentorian Bossy Voice]

Doom [Detached Serious Voice]

Void [Happy apathetic voice]

Space [Excited Intense Voice]

Mind [Lawyer Voice]

Hope [Lovely Excited Voice]

PART 7: D.C. Al Coda

Chapter 2: Classes: A Comprehensive Peek

Summary:

Chapter Text

PART 1: At The Precipice, Yet Again

PART 2: Carl Jung's Festering Ghost

PART 3: Extant Tomfoolery

SUBJECT 1: Calliope

SUBJECT 2: Hussie

SUBJECT 3: OptimisticDuelist

SUBJECT 4: Ouroborista

SUBJECT 5: Dewdrop

PART 4: Fourteen Lines in the Sand

PART 1: Foundations

PART 2: Structure

PART 3: Inversions

PART 5: I Brought These Toys From Home

PART 6: DS Al Coda

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NoOneWillFindMeHere on Chapter 2 Sat 04 Jan 2025 05:15PM UTC

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Manastar on Chapter 2 Sat 04 Jan 2025 09:48PM UTC

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