#classpect guide

Hello everyone, this post is going to serve as a sort of retroactive-precursor to my first post, The absolute beginner's guide to Classpects. Said post contains many mistakes and some regretful assertions about Classes. This post will serve as an easier to digest intro to that post, as well as correcting some of the things I got wrong, or misrepresented.

Part 1: Personal connection and "Roles in the story"

Firstly, I'm happy to say that the first three sections of my initial post still largely hold up. However, the first thing I'd like to address is my take on what should dictate your Classpect. In the original post, I said this:

It's a common belief that your Classpect represents your personality, or is based on it. In my opinion, this is a misconception. Now yes, your personality and traits 100% have relevance to your Classpect, but it's not a matter of "You're a Maid of Breath, that means you're friendly". I'll get into what I mean more later, but I wanted to make that point clear. I don't see Classpects as personalities, and I think too many Classpect quizzes treat themselves like personality tests. Bottom line, the main important thing that your Classpect represents is your role. Your purpose.

I still partially agree with these assertions, but I really didn't communicate them well and some of them are a bit misguided in retrospect. Time to amend that. I do believe that Classpects aren't dictated by your personality, but are inherently tied to it. In the same way your personality is shaped by the people around you and your life experiences, so is your Classpect. Therefore, just as your personality and character change as you grow, so can your Classpect. This is why I don't see Classpecting to be a path with a set endpoint. It's a dynamic, moving journey with no set endpoint. This is, however, referring to your life prior to playing Sburb. It is my belief that your Classpect is determined by the person you are when you start playing. Even if you change as a person, your Classpect remains the same. Skia gives you a role to perform, but you are not bound to it. There are plenty of examples in canon of players doing things contrary to their own role. In spite of Skia's assertions onto you, you still have free will. This is where real life comes into play. As this is the real world, there is no Sburb. We cannot play a game that tells us which Classpect we are, therefore we have to decide for ourselves. (Or not. You by no means are required to Classpect yourself.) Therefore, we do not have a pre chosen in-game journey to fulfill. This grants us much freedom in the way we Classpect ourselves. Since we don't have a figure of authority to tell us what we are, we are free to decide our own Classpect based on where we are in life at that point in time. I still do believe that, while your personality should definitely affect how you determine your Classpect, the same does not work the other way around. You can't determine the path a player will take or their own personality based solely on their Classpect. Two players with the exact same Classpect will likely perform their role in two completely different ways and be completely different people.

I also maintain my belief that quizzes and tests are unhelpful in determining your Classpect. The only person that knows you best is yourself. That's why I believe doing the research and coming to your own conclusion is the best way of going about Classpecting yourself. Though, the guidance of someone more experienced can be helpful.

Part 2: Aspects, simplified.

I believe that my analysis of the Aspects still holds up. However, I think that I was far too wordy and gave too much detail. Detail is important, but seeing as there are 12 fundamentally different Aspects, it can be overwhelming for a beginner. I will now give a more simplified rundown of the Aspects, for the sake of being easier to digest.

I will go over both the literal meaning of each Aspect, as well as their more personal meanings.

Time

Literal meaning: Time, timelines, age, decay. Personal meaning: Determined, goal-focused, privy to detail, fixated.

Space

Literal meaning: Outer space, physical dimensions, empty space, matter, size, velocity. Personal meaning: Patient, creative, big-picture focused, thinking-outside-the-box.

Heart

Literal meaning: Inner self, soul, emotions, love. Personal meaning: Emotional, introspective, relatable.

Mind

Literal meaning: Logic, decision-making, outcome, outer self. Personal meaning: Logical, strategic, reserved, big-thinker.

Hope

Literal meaning: Belief, wishes, dreams, thoughts. Personal meaning: Hopeful, optimistic, naive, positive-thinker.

Rage

Literal meaning: Truth, skepticism, anger, physical strength. Personal meaning: Skeptical, driven, stubborn, realist.

Light

Literal meaning: Knowledge, fortune, relevance. Personal meaning: Scholarly, meticulous, organized, planner.

Void

Literal meaning: Nonexistence, obscurity, darkness, secrets. Personal meaning: Abstract-thinker, quiet, open-minded.

Breath

Literal meaning: Freedom, movement, independence, wind. Personal meaning: Lone wolf, directionless, unbothered, independent.

Blood

Literal meaning: Bonds, relationships, unity, leadership, blood. Personal meaning: Natural leader, caring, selfless, wise.

Life

Literal meaning: Growth, positivity, rebellion, life. Personal meaning: Empathetic, optimistic, rebellious, encouraging.

Doom

Literal meaning: Death, fate, negativity, doomed timelines, rules. Personal meaning: Pessimistic, resigned, wise, adept.

Personal meanings aren't dictated to whomever possesses these Aspects, rather they are common traits among people with said Aspects.

Part 3: Classes, simplified.

This is far and away my biggest regret with the original post. I boiled down many of the Classes far too much, overenforced Class pairings, and treated many fan interpretations of Classes as being factual. This is all on me for not doing enough research. It's time to get it right. In addition to speaking about Classes individually instead of pairing them together, I will have a clear distinction between what's known for sure, and what's my own personal interpretation.

Prince

Canon function: One who destroys their Aspect or destroys through their Aspect. Canon alignment: Active (-) Speculation: Unnecessary.

Bard

Canon function: One who allows destruction of their Aspect or invites destruction through their Aspect Canon alignment: Passive (+) Speculation: The canon function may be phrased so bizarrely as an attempt to define it's passive nature, rather than being an exact definition of it's function. My belief is that it's function is identical to that of Prince, only passive. Unofficial function: One who destroys their Aspect or destroys through their Aspect.

Thief

Canon function: One who steals their Aspect or steals through their Aspect. Canon alignment: Active (-) Speculation: Unnecessary.

Rogue

Canon function: One who steals their Aspect or steals through their Aspect. Canon alignment: Passive (+) Speculation: Rogue is my primary reason for believing Bard's function to be identical to Prince's. Rogue has the exact same function as Thief, only passive, and the two are paired. I believe it makes the most sense that this apply to Bard and Prince as well.

Witch

Canon function: Undefined. Canon alignment: Active (-) Speculation: Based on canon examples, Witch's function is most likely "One who manipulates their Aspect or manipulates through their Aspect", or something to a similar effect. This is not known for certain, but is the most common interpretation and makes the most sense, in my opinion. Unofficial function: One who manipulates their Aspect or manipulates through their Aspect.

Heir

Canon function: Undefined. Canon alignment: Passive (+) Speculation: There are many possible interpretations of Heir. The most common is "One who inherits their Aspect", which is rather vague and I personally disagree with. It still could be correct, however. My personal interpretation is "One who embodies their Aspect and is influenced by their Aspect". See my post Beginner's guide 2: An elaboration for more information on that. Unofficial function: One who embodies their Aspect and is influenced by their Aspect.

Maid

Canon function: Undefined. Canon alignment: Undefined. Speculation: Maid has two common interpretations. "One who creates their Aspect or creates through their Aspect", and "One who upkeeps and maintains their Aspect". The former being derived from the powers of Jane Crocker, the Maid of Life, and Aradia Megido, the Maid of Time, and the latter being taken largely from a line that Aradia says, stating that "all loops must be tidied up even [Lord English]'s" In my opinion, the former interpretation has a lot more evidence behind it and makes more sense. Either interpretation could be correct, however. Maid's alignment is also unknown. Some people say it's active, some say passive, usually depending on which interpretation they believe. I personally believe Maid to be active, but it could still be passive. Unofficial function: One who creates their Aspect or creates through their Aspect. Unofficial alignment: Active (-)

Sylph

Canon function: Undefined. Canon alignment: Undefined. Speculation: The most common interpretation of Sylph is "One who heals their Aspect or heals through their Aspect". This is based on Aranea Serket, the Sylph of Light, healing others, and even describing her actions as such. There is justification for Sylph's function to be otherwise. However, both of the other two most common interpretations are based on Sylph's pairing, with one being "One who manipulates their Aspect or manipulates through their Aspect", paired with Witch, and the other being "One who creates their Aspect or creates through their Aspect", paired with Maid. I disagree with these interpretations simply due to the fact that they're justified by their pairing. I personally think Class parings should be based on the Class's function, not the other way around. See my post Why Class pairings will never make sense for more information on that. My personal interpretation of Sylph is the first one I went over, but there's justification for other interpretations. Sylph's alignment is also unknown, but most believe it to be passive due either to the nature of it's function, or it being paired with an active Class. Unofficial function: One who heals their Aspect or heals through their Aspect. Unofficial alignment: Passive (+)

Mage

Canon function: Undefined. Canon alignment: Undefined. Speculation: Mage is the Class we know, by far, the least about. I mean it when I say we know nothing about Mage, and we have essentially one Mage player to analyze. Most people define Mage's function as "One who experiences their Aspect and gains deep intuitive knowledge about it", and pair it as the active counterpart to Seer. It's a cool function, but I have to be honest, it's borderline fanfiction. It's a function built from the scraps of hints we get and held together by dozens and dozens of assumptions and guesses. It's the conclusion I came to in my post Beginner's guide 2: An elaboration, but honestly? I don't think I can interpret Mage in a way that offers any merit, including the generally accepted function. This is the only case where I am genuinely going to throw in the towel and say that we just straight up don't know enough to make a call. Therefore, I would advise against Classpecting yourself as such. Of course, I won't try to stop you. If you want to use the generally accepted interpretation, go for it. However, I am personally going to put this one under 'I' for "I don't fucking know". I am, however, going to say that Mage is active, simply because with all of my other alignment interpretations, it wouldn't make sense for it to be passive. Unofficial function: ??? Unofficial alignment: Active (-)

Seer

Canon function: One who learns a lot about their Aspect or learns things through their Aspect. Canon alignment: Passive (+) Speculation: I find it strange that this Class is canonically passive, seeing as nothing about it or it's players really would indicate such. I feel similarly about Heir. The most likely explanation is that the two were given an alignment early in the comic, before Classes were a very fleshed out idea.

Knight

Canon function: Vague. Canon alignment: Undefined. Speculation: In reference to Dave Strider, the Knight of Time, Aradia Megido states that "the knight of time is not necessarily the tactician. he is a powerful warrior class which exploits the flow of time as a weapon" This leads to the most popular and generally accepted function of Knight being "One who exploits their Aspect and uses it as a weapon". This is a reasonable interpretation and is the one I agree with, but it isn't technically canon. Aradia isn't an encyclopedia of knowledge about Classes or Sburb as a whole. She's fairly informed, but it's very possible she's incorrect. Also, similarly to Sylph, this description of Knight's role may not literally reflect it's function. Therefore, I will put this function down as unofficial. However, it's certainly more likely than most other unofficial functions. Knight's alignment is unknown, but most define it as active, due to it's function having no real focus on others. I personally see it as such, but it could go either way. Unofficial function: One who exploits their Aspect and uses it as a weapon. Unofficial alignment: Active (-)

Page

Canon function: Vague. Canon alignment: Undefined. Speculation: Page is often touted as the passive counterpart to Knight and given the same function as it. In my opinion, this is the most unjustified common interpretation and is another result of people basing a Class's function on it's paring and not the other way around. The other most common interpretation is "One who provides others with their Aspect". This is the interpretation I agree with, but it also leaves out a major element of Page. That being, the growth. Page is explicitly said to start out weak and get stronger as it grows, eventually being the strongest Class of all, excluding Master Classes. I personally like to include this as a part of the function. Not entirely necessary, but I think it sums Page up just a little better. Page is most often said to be passive, either due to being paired with Knight, or due to it's function having to do with assisting others. Unofficial function: One who grows to provide others with their Aspect Unofficial alignment: Passive (+)

For more information on and interpretation of Classes, see my posts Beginner's guide 2: An elaboration and Why Class pairings will never make sense. Also, check out some other blogs. I'm not a source of authority, these are just my own opinions.

Part 4: Conclusion

Hello everyone, welcome to the beginner's guide to Classpects! Now, going into this, I will assume a few things and I want to make sure we're on the same page. Going into this guide, I will assume: ● You have read at least some of Homestuck ● You are aware of the names of each Class and Aspect ● You are aware of Active and Passive alignments

●You are aware of Sburb and how it works

That's all you need to know going into this guide. If you don't remember the names of the Classes and Aspects, don't worry, I'll list them soon enough. If you don't know about the other three, I recommend reading more Homestuck before you try and Classpect yourself. I recommend reading at least past Act 5, but at the very least finish Act 4.

Also worth noting, this guide and all further analyses on this blog will contain heavy spoilers for all acts of Homestuck! If you do not wish to have the story spoiled for you, come back when you've finished the comic. With that, let's begin.

Part 1: Introduction.

In Sburb, all players are assigned two different parameters relating to their Hero Title. These parameters are their Class and their Aspect. Put together, these form each player's individual Mythological Hero Title, frequently referred to by fans as a "Classpect". I will refer to Hero Titles as 'Classpects' from here on out. Your Classpect is a determiner of only one specific thing: Your role. Now, what is a 'role'? Well, it's just that. It's the role you will perform in the context of a Sburb session. When you put your Class and Aspect together, you get a Classpect. Depending on your Classpect, you will have a specific title relating to both your Class and Aspect put together. The style is "X of Y", with 'X' being your Class and 'Y' being your Aspect. For example, my Aspect is Light, and my Class is Sylph, therefore my Classpect is Sylph of Light. To put it simply, my role boils down to "One who creates Light, or creates through Light". If Sburb were a real game, and I were to play it, that would be the role I would perform in my session. (Though, I'm assuming I'm correct about what my Classpect is, but there really is no way to know for sure, as the game does not exist.) It's a common belief that your Classpect represents your personality, or is based on it. In my opinion, this is a misconception. Now yes, your personality and traits 100% have relevance to your Classpect, but it's not a matter of "You're a Maid of Breath, that means you're friendly". I'll get into what I mean more later, but I wanted to make that point clear. I don't see Classpects as personalities, and I think too many Classpect quizzes treat themselves like personality tests. Bottom line, the main important thing that your Classpect represents is your role. Your purpose. On the topic of Classpect quizzes, let's move on to the next part.

Part 2: Quizzes/Tests

There exist many quizzes and tests out there online which set out to tell you your own Class, Aspect or both just based on your answers to some questions. A lot of these have a lot of effort and thought put in, but unfortunately, I won't be linking most of them. Like I said, your Classpect is representative of your role in the game. A quiz cannot tell you that. There's only one quiz I consider worth looking at, and the sole reason is because it's technically canon. I'm referring to the Extended Zodiac. A quiz that sets out to tell you your Lunar Sway (An extra element of Sburb that isn't relevant here) and your Aspect. It then puts those together with your astrological sign to give you a "True sign". What's noteworthy about this quiz? It's made by Andrew Hussie himself. That's right, this is the only canon Classpect quiz out there, so surely it's worth something. These special "extended" zodiac signs don't make any appearance in Homestuck, and have no real impact on canon. So, we're left with the quiz. Hypothetically, your answers to this quiz should indicate what your Aspect is. How accurate is it? Me personally, it gives me the Rage aspect. Not technically that far off from Light, but I don't think it's correct.

Here is a link to the test if you wish to take it. Now, if you want to take the answer it gives you and roll with it, and not bother analyzing the Aspects themselves, more power to you. However, if you care about getting the most accurate answer you can, I'd recommend you continue reading. However, this website does offer some valuable info. It offers a page in which it goes in depth about the Aspects themselves and what you can expect from a player of each Aspect.

This part is what I find the most useful and have based a lot of my analysis on. I recommend reading through these for some insight on each of the Aspects. It's also worth noting that this quiz does not determine your Class, nor is there a page for Class analysis. Unfortunately, that's been left up to the rest of us.

Part 3: Aspects

Aspects have two main components. How they spiritually relate to your role in the game, and what they physically represent. They are the material your Classpect is built out of. If your Aspect is the cookie dough, your Class is the cookie cutter. There are 12 aspects, and I will go over each of them in some depth.

Time

Extended Zodiac explanation: Those bound to the aspect of Time are fighters, full stop. Their lives are often marked by struggle, not so much because fate has it in for them, but because they are fundamentally incapable of just accepting things as they come. They value action over passive acceptance, even if that may not be the wisest or safest choice. Don't try to tell a Time-bound to sit still and look pretty. They are very goal-focused, and tend to value the destination over the journey, and you won't find them making that journey in any traditional sort of way. To quote cheesy posters found on many a guidance counselor's wall-"impossible is just a word". If you need a miracle, they are who you call. At their best, the Time-bound are empathetic and relentless problem-solvers. At their worst they are ruthless, defensive, and impulsive.

Time, literally, represents time. Time passing, wear and tear, timelines, the past, the future, all elements of time itself are at play here. When you think about it, do you really need more? A role relating to time itself kinda, well, speaks for itself. Time players tend to be the ones on the front lines the most. As the Extended Zodiac says, they're fighters. They don't tend to take injustices and strife lying down. They'll prefer to stand up and fight back, even to their own detriment. They might be impulsive and unwilling to compromise in a bad situation, but also make great problem solvers and work incredibly hard on things that matter most to them.

Space

Extended Zodiac explanation: Those bound to the aspect of Space are, as the name suggests, concerned with the big picture. They are patient, masters of the art of 'wait-and-see', and are inclined to take things as they come. That isn't to say that they're pushovers or willing to let injustice lie-they just choose their battles wisely, understanding that sometimes you have to let something burn to the ground in order to build it back better and stronger than before. To this effect, they tend to be innovators, concerned with creation and redemption. Catch them recycling the old to make the new, the fresh, and the beautiful. For the Space-bound, the journey is as, if not more, important than the destination; how they do something is as important as what they do. At their best, they are steady, impartial, and creative. At their worst, they can be detached, apathetic, and vague.

Space represents, you guessed it, space. Not as in, outer space, per se. It represents physical matter, what makes up the world around us. It also represents space, literally. The physical dimensions around us, the space where something might eventually be, even if it currently isn't. Space is two completely different objects, but it's also the distance in between the two. It can be space that's filled, or space that's empty. Space players are the architects of Sburb. They're builders, they construct and maintain. Literally, Space players are tasked with the creation of a new universe. Even past that, they're most focused on building upon what exists and are keen to create something new after watching something burn. They contrast Time players' want to bring down the problem by focusing on what comes next. They're architects, but also carpenters. Planners, but also construction workers.

Heart

Extended Zodiac explanation: Those bound to the aspect of Heart are very concerned with their favorite subject: themselves. It wouldn't be a stretch to call them 'self-obsessed', but not necessarily in a negative way. They simply want to understand the one thing we all are stuck with for our entire lives, i.e. our own minds. Forging an identity is extremely important to the Heart-bound, and every decision and action goes toward building a coherent narrative of their own story. That isn't to say Heart-bound don't care deeply for their friends and allies; they just have a tendency to assume that everyone is as concerned with identity as they are. They are excellent at putting on and taking off masks as the situation calls for them. At their best, they are competent, imaginative, and steady. At their worst they can be overbearing, inflexible, and cold.

Heart represents emotions, irrationality and the Inner Self. Heart is about all types of emotions, whatever you happen to be feeling. Because of this, Heart players tend to think irrationally, and base decisions on emotion rather than logic. This isn't always a bad thing, sometimes your emotions should drive you. They don't exist for no reason. Heart also represents your inner self, the part of you that makes you who you are. You could see this as your soul, or your identity, or your true self. All valid interpretations. At the end of the day, Heart players care a lot about themselves in not a selfish way, moreso a personal growth and potential way. They want to be the best person they can be, and they're some of the most eager to do the work.

Heart players are...one where it's difficult to discern exactly what their role is from their Aspect alone. It really shows how much your Class matters. Heart works much better making up half of a Classpect than it does as a standalone factor.

Mind

Extended Zodiac explanation: Those bound to the aspect of Mind are-you guessed it-the universe's great thinkers. But don't for a second think that means that they have all the answers. They are very concerned with remaining rational, and they have such a firm hold on the constant conjunction of their thinking that it's easy for them to see the multitudes of the choices laid out before them, which often leaves them frozen and unable to act. That said, when a Mind-bound finally launches into action, they can execute a plan with unbelievable grace and precision. Their identity is fluid-it can change from day-to-day, from thought-to-thought, from interaction-to-interaction. Remaining logical is more important to them than building up a solid foundation of "self." At their best they are great innovators, architects, and creators. At their worst they can be nasty, inflexible, and indecisive.

Mind represents logic, decision-making and the Outer Self. Mind is the Aspect of analysis. Of strategy. It's the Aspect most likely bound to those lost in thought. Mind players value rational thinking and making strong decisions over all else. This might make them seem like a hard ass, but that just depends how they carry themselves, and they certainly do. They tend to put on a show instead of portraying how they really feel - they put on a mask.

Hope

Extended Zodiac explanation: Those bound to the aspect of Hope are driven first and foremost by their convictions. They do right for right's sake, and are quick to come to the aid of anyone they deem to be experiencing injustice. That said, their views of the world can be quite black and white, so what they see as the "right" thing may not always be the universally accepted view. They put great value in the power of the imagination, the ability to dream up a better and more beautiful future. If anyone could dream a better world into existence, it would be one of the Hope-bound. They may sound like all sunshine and rainbows, but they aren't adverse to a little destruction, especially if they think they can replace it with something better and more just. At their best, Hope-bound are positive, caring, and warm. At their worst they can be narrow-minded and selfish.

Hope represents belief, dreams, ideas, and naivety. Hope is one of the most optimistic Aspects and no wonder. Hope represents all the possibilities in your mind. Any world you can dream of. Any solution to any problem. Any wish you can make. If this sounds childlike, that's because it is. Hope represents a fundamentally naive view of the world, but goddamn if that won't stop them from dreaming.

Hope players tend to be, well, hopeful. They're the dreamers of Sburb. Literally, they could dream a better world into existence. The journey of a Hope player is not to stop being naive, it's to put that mindset towards progress. Hope players are the team's motivational backbone that rarely falters. Like a beacon of light guiding through the darkness.

Rage

Extended Zodiac explanation: Those bound to the aspect of Rage are bringers of chaos. They posses great contempt for lies or false ideas, including the stability that false ideas can impart. To them, the true is far more important than the good; they would tear down a system just to destabilize it if, by their reckoning, it is built on faulty premises. Often the Rage-bound prefer anarchy to any of the alternate forms of civilization, which they believe to be riddled with lies and foolishness and obedient masses. They are bringers of confusion and doubt, and they can be frustratingly difficult to convince otherwise when they have attached themselves to an idea. If they sound dangerous, they are. The Rage-bound tend to be most volatile and unpredictable of the aspects. At their best they are original, revolutionary, and fearless. At their worst they are cruel, uncompromising, and vicious.

Rage represents truth, anger, realism and skepticism. Rage is, in my opinion, the most misunderstood Aspect of them all. Many believe it represents all negativity and hatred, but that's a view that misses the bigger picture. Rage players value truth, first and foremost. They care far more about what's true than what's good. They'd much rather face a bleak reality than live in denial, and may even look down upon those who do, though most instead would try to help them see the truth. They're intensely skeptical, not out of pessimism, but out of realism. They don't take things on faith. They're usually the first to see through a ruse and are unlikely to be tricked. At the extreme, Rage players tend to cause chaos not because they like chaos, but because that's what usually follows uncovering a bad truth. Rage players are, unseemingly, just as important for team morale as Hope players. When Hope isn't what a team needs, and everyone is having trouble facing the truth, a Rage player leads the way. They're incredibly adept at pushing through the darkness that can't seem to be shone away by Hope. The dichotomy between Hope and Rage is one of the most important things in a session, even one lacking either players.

Light

Extended Zodiac explanation: Those bound to the aspect of Light are the universe's knowledge-seekers. They are, above all, driven to learn and understand. They are great alchemists, able to take multiple sources of information and synthesize them into something useful. They are scholars and researchers, absolutely dedicated to knowledge for knowledge's sake. They are the ultimate students, and although that might conjure up the image of people sitting around peacefully waiting for knowledge to be brought to them, that couldn't be further from the truth. The Light-bound will go after knowledge with a fierce intensity that others may find distasteful. They aren't overly concerned with laws or norms, either. They often take rules as simple suggestions, instead searching for loopholes or work-arounds. At their best, the Light-bound are resourceful and driven. At their worst they can be fussy, pedantic, and insensitive.

Light represents knowledge, clarity, importance, fortune and light itself. It's the Aspect of learning.

Light players tend to be, obviously, knowledge seekers. They strive to learn about whatever it is they intend to learn about and aren't the type to wait for someone to teach them. They love to share their knowledge with others and greatly enjoy discovery.

Void

Extended Zodiac explanation: Those bound to the aspect of Void are the universe's secret-keepers. The unknown doesn't scare them-where others might see emptiness, they see potential. A blank page, an empty canvas, that's what the Void-bound live for. They value mystery and the unexplained, and are not particularly bothered by not having all the answers. Where others might be compelled to go out and seek answers, the Void-bound lean more toward casting doubt on what is already considered fully understood. They don't take much on faith and would rather live in a state of confusion than believe something that might be untrue or bow to intellectual authority. After all, in order for something new to be built, the old, rotting foundation must often be razed. At their best, Void-bound are wise, intuitive, and vibrant. At their worst they can be dismissive, indecisive, and apathetic.

Void represents nothing, darkness, absence of information and secrets. It represents not only what's hidden, but what isn't in the first place. It represents emptiness. Not empty space, literally no space at all. Imagine that, no up, no down, no left, no right, no forward, no backward. What could become of that? That's up to the Void players themselves to decide.

Void players are abstract dreamers. Not dreamers in the same way Hope players are, they instead dream about what doesn't even exist. They create things in incredibly abstract ways that doesn't make sense to a lot of people but they know exactly what they're doing. Their work can seem like miracles simply because nobody knows what they even did. They keep secrets they know must stay hidden, and are adept at hiding things in the first place. They're the hardest players to understand, but they are far from clueless.

Breath

Extended Zodiac explanation: Those bound to the aspect of Breath are, above all, expansive. Flexible and driven, they leave an impact wherever they go. Like the breeze itself, they are able to sweep others up to carry along in their wake, but also like the breeze, they can be difficult to catch hold of or tie down. Although Breath-bound do make very good leaders, breath tends to be a very personal aspect. Often, heroism comes along as an offshoot of them pursuing their own personal stories. They lead by example, and will routinely be surprised that others look up to or feel inspired by them. They have a tendency to underestimate themselves, and not always out of poor self-esteem. They were just doing their own thing. At their best Breath-bound are motivated, adaptable, and forward thinking, but at their worst they can be volatile, avoidant, and gullible.

Breath represents wind, freedom, movement and independence.

Breath players tend to want, above all else, to be free to choose their own path. They don't want others commanding them or choosing for them, they want to do it themself. They can make good leaders, but can also fail to take into account the wants of others. They can seem selfish, but at their best, they care deeply about others. They merely want to forge their own way, without help. They can be practical, offering blunt advice that isn't always the most helpful.

Blood

Extended Zodiac explanation: Those bound to the aspect of Blood draw their strength from bonds, from the trust and camaraderie that blooms among a group of people who all share a single vision. Blood-bound are absolutely leaders, but they inhabit more of an inspirational role than a commanding one. They are prophets, rather than generals, giving others the strength and motivation to keep fighting. The Blood-bound can dispense excellent advice even when their own lives and interpersonal relationships are disasters. They can be very "do as I say, not as I do" types. A Blood-bound can often be found on a sinking ship, forcing an endeavor forward with sheer stubborn force of will. No matter how bad things go, a Blood-bound can always count on friends and allies. At their best, they are charismatic, uplifting, and magnetic. At their worst they can be sullen, unkind, and set-in-their-ways.

Blood represents bonds, friendship, unity and connection. The aspect of kinship, camaraderie. Blood is about the priceless connections between people and what that means to each person.

Blood players work their best in teams. They make amazing leaders, but may be somewhat stubborn in their ways. They work hard for the people they care about and that drives them harder than any other. They also take on a guiding role, willing to show the way and inspire people.

Life

Extended Zodiac explanation: Those bound to the aspect of Life are the universe's healers. They are concerned with the betterment of themselves and those around them, as well as the onward march of positive progress. Deeply empathetic, they have an intuitive understanding of other's suffering and the best way of righting those wrongs. If you're poisoned, chances are the Life-bound have something for what ails ya. This applies to both physical and mental suffering, though it might not be a cure you'll like. They also have the tendency to put other's needs before their own, which never ends well for anyone, because the Life-bound can grow bitter if they feel their own self-care has had to be shunted aside. At their best, they are great listeners, caretakers, and nurturers. At their worst, the Life-bound are passive aggressive, and pushy-they're certain they know best.

Life represents growth, optimism, positivity, defiance and life itself. Life is about growing, changing. Not in the sense of growing old, but in the sense of improvement.

Life players seek the growth and betterment of those around them. They love to see nothing more than somebody improving, though they can forget themself in the process. They're the healers of Sburb, the doctors. If somebody gets injured, you know it's a Life player first to rush to their side. They tend to be optimistic, and rebellious. They aren't afraid to stand up to authority.

Doom

Extended Zodiac explanation: Those bound to the aspect of Doom are fate's chosen sufferers. It may not sound like an overly pleasant aspect to be aligned with, but it does come along with great wisdom and empathy. The Doom-bound understand that misery loves company, and they are ready and willing to provide said company. The Doom-bound won't fix you; they aren't healers. They are commiserators, aware that sometimes the only thing you can do for a person is let them know that they are not alone in their suffering. They are not the advice friend-they're the friend you go to when you need to vent about a rough day at work. They are not necessarily noble martyrs, either-the Doom-bound can become quite irate about their lot. At their best they are wise, kind, and non-judgemental. At their worst, bitter, resentful, and fatalistic.

Doom represents death, fate, pessimism, wisdom, rules and doom itself. Doom represents inevitability. Fate reaches us all, and Doom encapsulates that entirely. It represents rules, and Doom players know full well why rules are rules.

Doom players tend to suffer. It sounds bad, but they're some of the most wise and comforting people to be around. They've been through it all and have an aura of sympathy that's indescribable. They tend to be pessimistic, but because of how much they've suffered. They tend to assume the worst in all situations.

Part 4: Classes

Classes represent how exactly you use and perform through your Aspect. Like I said: The Aspect is the cookie dough, the Class is the cookie cutter. However, before I delve into Classes, let's talk about Active/Passive alignment. A lot of debate has gone into what exactly Active and Passive mean, but I'm going to take a very simple approach.

Active: Perform your role for yourself

Passive: Perform your role for others

This will be my reading on Active/Passive alignment going forward. Best to keep things simple when we know so little.

Classes, like Aspects, come in pairs. Unlike Aspects, each pair serves a nearly identical function, with the exception that one is Passive, and the other is Active. It's up for debate which Classes are Active and which are Passive, and how exactly they're paired up, but I will do my best.

Stealing Classes (Thief/Rogue)

Thief (Right) and Rogue (Left) share the role of Stealing their Aspect or stealing through their Aspect. Thief being Active means they do it for themselves, Rogue being Passive means they do it for others.

Destroying Classes (Prince/Bard)

Prince (Left) and Bard (Right) share the role of Destroying their Aspect or Destroying through their Aspect. Prince is Active, therefore doing it selfishly, and Bard is Passive, therefore doing it selflessly.

Creating Classes (Maid/Sylph)

Maid (Left) and Sylph (Right) share the role of Creating their Aspect, or creating through their Aspect. Maid is Active, therefore doing it selfishly, and Sylph is Passive, therefore doing it selflessly.

Influencing Classes (Witch/Heir)

Witch (Right) and Heir (Left) share the role of Influencing their Aspect, or influencing through their Aspect. This, however, is where it gets tricky. Witch is pretty straightforward. Witch is Active, and Influences their Aspect or through their Aspect. Their influencing is a bit more like manipulation. Their can almost bend their Aspect to their whim. Incredible control over it. Heirs, however, are a bit different. Heirs are Passive, and influence their Aspect in an odd way. Some people describe this as them inheriting their Aspect, this definition is even better with the Class being named "Heir". However, I think the better definition is embodying their Aspect. Heirs passively influence their Aspect or through their Aspect by embodying it. They almost "become" their Aspect. Complicated and roundabout, I know. Get used to it.

Knowing Classes (Mage/Seer)

Mage (Right) and Seer (Left) share the role of Knowing about their Aspect or knowing things through their Aspect. Seer is straightforward. Seer is Passive, and gains knowledge about their Aspect or through their Aspect by external means. Mage is a bit more complex. Mage is Active, and gains knowledge by experiencing their Aspect or experiencing through their Aspect and gaining a deep, intuitive knowledge of their Aspect, or whatever their Aspect helped them learn.

Exploiting Classes (Knight/Page)

Knight (Left) and Page (Right) share the role of Exploiting their Aspect as a weapon or exploiting through their Aspect. Knight is simple. Knight is Active (I will fight you on that one), and exploits their Aspect as a weapon or exploits something else as a weapon through their Aspect. Pages, however, are a doozy. Pages have the unique trait of starting sessions of incredibly weak, with a deficit in their Aspect. However, if they reach their maximum potential, they're by far the strongest Class. Pages are Passive, and equip others with their Aspect to fight. This is my very best reading of Page's role, but it's still really difficult to work out.

Part 5: Conclusion

Hello everyone, today I'll be talking about Class pairings and why, in my opinion, there is no satisfying answer to the question "What Class is X Class paired with?"

Part 1: Explanation

To begin, Classes are stated to be paired in groups of 2, with 1 of said Classes being Active and the other being Passive. Being told this, most people naturally tried to figure out which Classes are paired with which, myself included. In my previous post, Beginner's Guide 2, I did my best to pair these Classes with each other based on my own analyses of canon and my own interpretation. That, however, is the problem: Interpretation.

Part 2: What we don't know

Despite the community's best efforts to analyze and interpret the 14 Classes, we still are told very, very little in explicit detail. Allow me quantify it. There are 3 main elements of each Class that we can know about. These 3 are:

Function (What they do to and with their Aspect)

Alignment (Active or Passive)

Pairing (Which Active or Passive counterpart their Class is paired with)

Based on what exactly we're explicitly told in canon, the following is what we can say for sure:

Classes of which we know all 3 of these elements: Thief (-) and Rogue (+) - Steal Prince (-) and Bard (+) - Destroy Total: 4

Classes of which we know only 2 of these elements: Lord (-) and Muse (+) Seer (+) - Know Total: 3

Classes of which we know only 1 of these elements: Witch (-) Heir (+) Total: 2

Classes of which we know none of these elements: Maid Sylph Mage Knight Page Total: 5

Out of 14 Classes, there are only 4 Classes which we know the Functions, Alignments and Pairings of. Just to visualize it better, here's a pie chart:

Additionally, you may notice that 5 of the Classes are completely unknown. We're given hints, sure, but we are never told in explicit detail what any of their Functions are, what their Alignments are, or how they are Paired with other Classes. You'll also notice that out of the remaining 9 partially unconfirmed Classes, only 1 of them has a known Function, that being Seer. All in all, this really goes to show how little we're actually told and how much we take for granted the generally accepted Functions, Alignments and Pairings of each Class.

Part 3: Interpretation

As I said, we largely take what's generally accepted about the Classes for granted. I personally came to the same conclusion most people believe through my own analysis, but I'd be lying if I said there was absolutely no bias there. It's likely that I leaned more towards certain Pairings and Alignments just because they're what most people believe. The point here is that many people assume that the Classes are Paired in a certain way, without actually looking into it themselves. I'm certainly guilty of doing this and it often leads to people interpreting Classes in very reductive ways. For example, many people see the Function of Bard being "One who allows destruction of their Aspect or invites destruction through their Aspect" and then apply that definition to all Passive Classes. The reason this is reductive is that most people will do this by taking the Function of the Class's Active counterpart and apply it to the Passive counterpart. For example, some people define Maid's Function as "One who creates their Aspect or creates through their Aspect" and then pair it with Sylph, defining Sylph's Function as "One who allows creation of their Aspect or invites creation through their Aspect". By analyzing canon, we can clearly see differences between Classes we assume to be paired. Trying to force the Active/Passive counterparts to have the exact same Function, only performed slightly differently, is incredibly reductive and is often in direct contradiction to canon examples. Let's look at the Sylph Class for a second. We don't know any of the 3 elements of Sylph. It's Function is unknown, it's Alignment is unknown and it's Pairing is unknown. The generally accepted Function of a Sylph is "One who heals their Aspect or heals through their Aspect" and is often paired as the Passive counterpart to Maid. This is the conclusion I came to in my previous post, but there's a case to be made that this isn't correct. Firstly, we're taking the idea of Sylphs 'healing' from one single source. The source in question, Aranea Serket, is a Sylph herself and is a Light player, therefore it's a fair assumption to make that she knows what she's talking about. However, she is not an oracle. There are certainly things she doesn't know and it's preferable to not 100% trust a single source on matters like this. Feferi Peixes, the Witch of Life, did several things that seemed much more indicative of healing rather than manipulation, such as healing wounds. This lends credence to the idea that Sylph might be the Passive counterpart to Witch and have a Function more closely related to manipulation. This is often backed up by Kanaya Maryam, the Sylph of Space describing Sylph as being "Like a Witch, but more magical". However, this isn't nearly as conclusive as it seems on the surface. First off, what on earth does being "magical" mean? Does it mean anything? Second, Kanaya is talking to Jade Harley, the Witch of Space in this page. Her reason for linking Sylph to Witch isn't necessarily that they're similar or paired, but that she's trying to relate her role as a Space player to Jade, who is much less familiar with the game. She only brings up Witch because Jade is one. Third, she later refers to her description of Sylph as facetious.

Facetious

adjective

1. Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant. "a facetious remark"

This would imply that she was joking when using the word "magical" and throws any comparison she draws in her earlier conversation with Jade into question. This doesn't stop many people from quoting Kanaya in their analyses and using it to justify pairing Witch and Sylph. Taking a canon quote out of context to justify your pairing is a bad look and significantly reduces the odds that anybody is going to take your interpretation seriously. Regardless, there is still a case to be made for Witch and Sylph being paired. It would fit with canon examples and I see no reason that it can't possibly be true, with maybe one exception. That being, it would throw the other Class pairings into question. If we keep using the generally accepted pairings, Maid would then be the Active counterpart to Heir. Some people roll with this idea, other people have even more unusual pairings and often have plenty of good ideas to justify them. The through-line here is that all of this is up to interpretation. Some people see Sylph as the Passive counterpart to Maid. Some see it as the counterpart to Witch. Other still see it as the counterpart to Mage. Every single person is going to interpret canon differently simply because everything is so vague.

Part 4: Meaningless

Pairing Classes is an idea that makes sense. We're explicitly told that Classes are, in fact, paired up, and most are left up to interpretation. The problem is that things were simply left up in the air far too much. We can all interpret Classes and their elements however we like, but at the end of the day, there's no way we can all agree on how exactly each Class works and we're unlikely to get any meaningful elaboration from Andrew Hussie. This is the core reason why Class pairings will never make sense. We simply don't know enough to make a good call. We can try, but at the end of the day, does it really matter? Sure, the Alignments and Functions matter a lot, but does the Pairing really make much of a difference? All it really does is enforce the Alignments of Classes within each pair; and even then, it doesn't solve the problem. Maid and Sylph are often paired, but what are their Alignments? Most people say that Maid is Active and Sylph is Passive, but it could just as easily be the other way around. At the end of the day, my point is this: Pairings are meaningless. I mean it. We worry so much about the exact Pairing of all the Classes, but what does it change? Does Sylph being paired with Witch change the way you view Sylph or it's Function? It shouldn't. Your interpretation of Sylph's Function should be the reason why you think it pairs with Witch, not the other way around.

Part 5: Conclusion

Hello everyone, firstly I'd like to say thanks to all the people who liked my earlier post. I've started posting on fresh accounts before and I was fully expecting to get absolutely no attention. Maybe things work differently on Tumblr than other sites, maybe I got lucky. Either way, thanks! This post will be a follow up to my last post and will include some new topics I felt unnecessary to go over in the last one, as well as elaborating on my exact definition on Classes. With this post, there is going to be a lot more speculation and references to canon than there was in Part 1. Actually, there weren't any spoilers in Part 1, even though I said there would be. My bad, I ended up simplifying things a lot in the end and didn't feel the need to justify my definitions. There will, however, be a lot of that in this post. So I will repeat: Do not read this post if you care about being spoiled! This post contains spoilers for all acts of Homestuck! With that out of the way, let's get started.

Part 1: Master Classes

The Master Classes are specifically stated to only belong to uniquely important individuals, presumably not any average Human Sburb player. Thus, I decided not to go over them in Part 1. In my opinion, you shouldn't Classpect yourself as a Lord (Right) or Muse (Left) because they're supposed to be reserved for unique cases. It can also be presumed that they only belong to 2 player sessions, and as we cannot confirm how any given session will begin - given that Sburb does not exist - these Classes cannot, in my opinion, be held by any IRL fan. However, this is just my opinion. I absolutely cannot tell you not to Classpect yourself as such, you are free to do so if you wish. I'm only sharing how I feel about the matter. With that being said, it's worth at least going over what exactly these Classes do and their Active/Passive alignment.

Lord - Active (-)

Things start to get really complicated starting here. Calliope herself says that she doesn't know what her own title, Muse, does. We can only speculate. Lord is Active, and performs their role by Commanding their Aspect or Commanding through their Aspect. Take the 'Lord' title very literally. They're like a ruler, and their Aspect is completely submissive to their will. Lords, as well as Muses, are thought to be the strongest Classes in the game, and this definition leaves no doubts as to why. It's almost the same role as a Witch, pushed to the extreme. Lords and presumably Muses are believed to have an extremely difficult journey to complete. Similar to that of a Page, only even more so. Lord is also stated to be the most Active Class in the game, while Muse is the most Passive.

Muse - Passive (+)

Muse is Passive, and performs their role by Inspiring their Aspect or Inspiring others through their Aspect. At first, this seems far weaker than Lord's role, but hear me out. Muse is stated to be the most Passive Class in the game, while Lord is the most Active. Muses don't have direct control over their Aspect, but their Aspect is still ready to submit. They Inspire their Aspect, indirectly influencing things to happen to their Aspect. They also Inspire other people through their Aspect. "Inspire" is a word that, in my opinion, doesn't really explain the full scope of what a Muse does. However, it's the best we've got. Think of it as them indirectly doing the same thing that Lord does, through other people. They have control over their Aspect on the same level as a Lord, but they execute their role Passively. A Lord pulls out a gun and shoots somebody. A Muse tells their teammate to shoot them. Both got the same result, just through different methods.

Part 2: Gendered Alignments

It is commonly thought that some Classes are aligned by gender, that meaning that certain Classes can only be held by Males, and some by Females. Ignoring the fact that some people don't fall into either category (you can get the fuck off my blog if you have a problem with that statement), this is pretty reductive and, in some ways, sexist. The reason many believe Classes to be aligned by gender is that, well, we're told that they are in canon. Calliope states that some Classes are aligned by gender, and even gives us a few examples. In my opinion, the best reading of this is that Calliope is basing that belief on her own species, with how inherently everything about Cherubs is bound to gender, and it doesn't actually apply to Humans. I can't prove this, nor can anybody else. It's just an interpretation that I think works the best. If you buy into the idea that some Classes are bound by gender, then I'll indulge the idea at the very least. We're told by Calliope that there are an equal number of Male-exclusive and Female-exclusive Classes. She states that Lord, Prince and Bard are all Male-exclusive, and states that Muse is Female-exclusive. With there being an equal number of Male and Female Classes, that means at least 2 more Classes must be Female-exclusive, possibly more. Out of the remaining 10 Classes, Thief, Rogue, Mage, Seer and Knight are confirmed to be gender neutral, either being stated by Calliope, or by both Male and Female players holding them. That leaves 5. Witch, Heir, Maid, Sylph and Page have ambiguous gender alignment. Many believe Maid and Sylph to be the remaining Female-exclusive Classes, given that their role (Create) is the opposite of the other confirmed Male-exclusive roles, Prince and Bard (Destroy). Others say it might be Witch and Maid, given their names' feminine connotations. Either interpretation is valid. If you held a gun to my head and told me to pick which remaining Classes are gendered, I'd tell you that Maid, Sylph and Witch are Female-exclusive, and Heir is Male-exclusive. This leaves the alignments even, and lines up with our canon players. However, make no mistake, I dislike this reading of Classes and I think it's overall reductive. In my opinion, Calliope is assuming that Human roles work the same as Cherub roles whereas they, in reality, do not. Therefore, any player can have any role, regardless of gender. Andrew Hussie has responded to a question asking "Could there be a Female Prince player?" to which he simply responded "Sure". This doesn't prove much, it's a single word responding to a pretty specific question. However, it, at the very least, lends credence to the idea that Classes aren't gendered.

Part 3: Classes, continued

Moving on, I will now be elaborating on my previous post and going more in depth about each Class and what role they perform exactly.

Thief - Active (-)

Thieves are explicitly stated to Steal their Aspect or Steal through their Aspect, and canon examples back this up. Vriska Serket, the Thief of Light, is notable for stealing luck from others, turning the outcome of battles into her favor. She also steals Light, literally, by causing Terezi Pyrope to go blind. She also steals relevance, another notable part of the Light Aspect, by intentionally creating Bec Noir with the intention of being the one to kill him herself. Meenah Peixes, the Thief of Life, took the lives of her and her teammates by timing a detonation to happen right before they initiated the Scratch, so that they could continue to exist as ghosts after it. It's a little tenuous to call this "stealing" Life, she, moreso, ended it. However, it's the best we can do. Her post-scratch self, Her Imperious Condescension, instructed Roxy Lalonde, the Rogue of Void, to steal the Matriorb in order to save her species. She also has an increased lifespan due to her blood caste, and is able to extend this power to others, i.e the Ψiioniic. Through this, however, she essentially steals any life he could have lived by enslaving him as the helmsman of her ship, which eventually leads to his death.

Rogue - Passive (+)

Rogues are explicitly stated to Steal their Aspect or Steal through their Aspect, but in a Passive sense. They more Redistribute it, like a Robin Hood type. You could also see it in a communal sense, like redistributing wealth. Roxy Lalonde, the Rogue of Void, steals Void in several ways. Most notably stealing Void out of things, making them "Not nonexistent", therefore making them real. She was able to create the Matriorb out of thin air, and does so selflessly, saving a species she doesn't belong to. Nepeta Leijon, the Rogue of Heart, doesn't do anything of note in relation to her role as a Rogue. Rufioh Nitram, the Rogue of Breath, also doesn't do anything of note in relation to his role as a Rogue. His post-scratch self, the Summoner, does, however. He inspires and leads a revolution against the Highbloods in the name of freedom for the Lowbloods. Redistribution of Breath.

Prince - Active (-)

Princes are explicitly stated to Destroy their Aspect or Destroy through their Aspect. Dirk Strider, the Prince of Heart, is notably emotionless, being called a "stone cold motherfucker", despite his role as a Heart player. This can be seen as him destroying Heart in himself, not feeling any emotions. After Aranea Serket heals away Jake English's insecurities and causes him to become a fully realized Page, a version of Dirk that originally existed only in Jake's mind manifests as real, due to Jake being a Hope player. He proceeds to attack Aranea, and attempts to rip the soul out of her body, therefore destroying Heart. The only reason he fails is to due to her influence keeping Jake fully realized, causing him to lose his powers and eventually completely stop existing after Jake's death. He also uses this move against Lord Jack during [S] Collide. He was also, personality wise, completely immune to trickster mode. Eridan Ampora, the Prince of Hope, was Hopeless. Not just as a romantic, he had no hope that any of them would survive Bec Noir, deciding to join him instead. Upon him killing Feferi Peixes and severely wounding Sollux Captor, he had a standoff with Kanaya Maryam, but instead of attacking her, he attacked the Matriorb, destroying all hope for the future of their species. The weapon he used he described as a "science wand". Despite it just being a regular stick with no special properties, he was able to use it to shoot beams of energy powerful enough to win again Sollux's eye beams, just by believing hard enough that it would. Therefore, destroying through Hope. Kurloz Makara, The Prince of Rage, does very little in relation to his role as a Prince. He, at one point, had a nightmare so terrifying that it caused him to release a sound so loud that it caused Meulin Leijon, who was sleeping next to him, to go completely deaf. This has very few if any connections to his role, but is worth mentioning.

Bard - Passive (+)

Bards are explicitly defined in a..strange, roundabout way. Bards are explicitly stated to "Allow Destruction of their Aspect or Invite Destruction through their Aspect". Gamzee Makara, the Bard of Rage, spent the early parts of his story stoned on Sopor Slime, which impaired his judgment and generally mellowed him out. His Lusus being absent for large portions of his upbringing lead to him having poor common sense and little common knowledge. This all could be seen as allowing the destruction of Rage in himself. He also follows a religion only he seems to believe in and believes in miracles. Again, seeming to indicate destruction of Rage in himself, believing things on faith and lacking skepticism. He eventually learns the truth about his religion, and stares into the eyes of Lil Cal soon after and learns that he is a descendant of the High Subjugglators. Having run out of Sopor Slime, he is no longer mellowed out and decides that he must kill all his friends, having decided that he's both of the gods from his own religion. This is a weird mishmash of destroying Rage and embracing it. He proceeds to demonstrate powerful physical strength, succeeding in killing multiple foes thought to be physically stronger. This likely indicates that Rage has links to physical brute strength, and Gamzee most definitely uses it to destroy. It is also revealed that Gamzee dealt the most powerful hit to the Black King during the Trolls' session, other than maybe Vriska. Gamzee also implanted a clown plush resembling Jack Noir into John Egbert's dream room, ultimately leading in part to Jack's rise to power. His reason for doing this was to "get even" with Dave Strider, who had mocked his religion. Inviting destruction through Rage. Eventually, Gamzee is calmed down. Later on, it's implied he's "in kahoots with Lord English" and he eventually begins serving Caliborn. Aiding Caliborn can reasonably be seen as inviting destruction, though it seemingly doesn't have any ties to Rage. Sheesh, I had a lot to say about Gamzee, huh? Let's move on. Cronus Ampora, the Bard of Hope, doesn't do anything of note in relation to his role as a Bard, nor does his post-scratch self, Orphaner Dualscar.

Maid - Active (-)

The exact role of the Maid is not explicitly stated in canon, so we must theorize. Some theorize that Maid's role is to Upkeep and Maintain their Aspect, which fits well with the title itself, Maid. Others say it's to Protect their Aspect. I disagree with these interpretations, and I'll go over why for each canon example. Jane Crocker, the Maid of Life, was able to bring people back from the dead, though only once per person. She was also able to bring herself back, though again, only once. This doesn't really fit "Maintaining" her Aspect, nor does it seem to fit "Protecting" it. If her role is to protect her Aspect, she failed. I think the most reasonable interpretation of Jane's role is Creator of Life. Aradia Megido, the Maid of Time, is shown to be able to freeze Bec Noir in time after God-tiering. She could have escaped at any time but chose to keep him frozen to buy time for everybody else. She also performs this move against Lord English during [S] Collide, and I have to say. It's one thing to freeze a being with first guardian powers, it's a whole 'nother thing to freeze a LORD OF TIME in place, even if for much less time than she does to Bec Noir. Her role never really indicates "Upkeeping" or "Maintaining" Time. Her ability to freeze foes in Time could suggest a power to Manipulate, similar to Witch. It could also be interpreted as Creating Time, in a very literal sense. Adding Time onto the enemy so much so that they slow to a standstill. She also created Time for her friends by keeping Jack frozen as long as she could. Both valid interpretations. Considering my conclusion with Jane's role, I'm going to go with the Aradia's role being Creator of Time. Porrim Maryam, the Maid of Space, doesn't do anything of note in relation to her role as a Maid, nor does her post-scratch self, the Dolorosa. From all of this, we can, reasonably, determine that the role of a Maid is "One who Creates their Aspect or Creates through their Aspect".

Sylph - Passive (+)

Sylph is not given an exact definition in canon, but Aranea Serket has described her own actions as a Sylph of Light as Healing, so many believe the role of a Sylph to be "One who Heals their Aspect or Heals through their Aspect". We'll see if this definition holds up in analysis. Kanaya Maryam, the Sylph of Space, doesn't do anything of note in relation to her role as a Sylph. Aranea Serket, the Sylph of Light, was able to restore Terezi Pyrope's vision by healing her eyes. She was also able to heal Jake English's personal struggles and essentially bypass his journey to unlock his full potential as a Page instantly. How exactly this works is unknown. It could be she showed him exactly what was his flaws were and how to overcome them, and greatly accelerated his personal internal journey through healing. She also planned to heal a doomed timeline to such relevance that it became the new alpha timeline, therefore reducing Lord English to a footnote. This can be seen as her healing the relevance of the doomed timeline, or even potentially healing through relevance since she'd be saving many people from Lord English's wrath. Now yes, this plan was a failure. In my opinion, it doesn't matter. All that matters is her intentions and the role she intended to perform. Her post-scratch self, Marquise Spinneret Mindfang, does nothing of note in relation to her role as a Sylph. We're in a difficult spot here where we're given very little information from most sources, but a lot of information from one specific source. Given what we know, I'm going to say Aranea most likely represents what the role of a Sylph is, therefore Sylph's role is "One who Heals their Aspect or Heals through their Aspect". In my opinion, this makes perfect sense to pair with Maid, being that Maid is about Creating, and Sylph is about Healing. Similar ideas, no?

Witch - Active (-)

The exact role of the Witch is unknown, therefore we must theorize. Jade Harley, the Witch of Space, was able to manipulate the size and momentum of objects, including entire planets. She was also able to move objects around telekinetically. This could be seen as controlling or Manipulating Space. Feferi Peixes, the Witch of Life, was able to heal WV's injuries, and saved ghosts from being vanquished to oblivion by establishing dream bubbles. These honestly sound much more like the traits of a Sylph, but I personally would interpret it as Feferi simply using her role for good. These actions still fall within the definition of "Manipulation". Damara Megido, the Witch of Time, had vaguely defined Time powers, apparently appearing at key points in the timeline to sabotage her teammates after being driven to snap by Meenah Peixes. She, however, did perform the Scratch with no resistance, gusto even. Possibly because she knew it would cause the end of their universe. Her post-scratch self, the Handmaid, does nothing of note in relation to her role as a Witch. With these analyses, we still can't say with absolute certainty. However, I think the best interpretation is that Witch is "One who Manipulates their Aspect or Manipulates through their Aspect".

Heir - Passive (+)

The role of the Heir is not explicitly stated, therefore we must theorycraft. John Egbert, the Heir of Breath, was able to control the wind itself and create tornadoes. He was also able to turn himself into the wind in order to evade attacks. Neither Grimbark Jade Harley nor Bec Noir were able to catch him in this form. Equius Zahhak, the Heir of Void, was known to be difficult to observe, seemingly due to being surrounded by Void. His blood was also used to block out information in Rose's tome. Mituna Captor, the Heir of Doom, was said to have "prophetic insights" and lost his psychic powers as well as his sanity to protect his friends from an imminent disaster. His post-scratch self, the Ψiioniic, was enlisted as the helmsman of the Condesce's ship, being doomed to a life of being little more than a tool. These all have very few through-lines that could allow me to come up with many ideas. My best interpretation is to treat John Egbert's role with the most significance since we know easily the most about it. In doing such, we can come to the conclusion I drew in my earlier Part 1 post. That being, "One who Embodies their Aspect or is Influenced by their Aspect". Passive in the literal sense, much like the Bard. Now of course Heirs still have control over their Aspect, but it also controls them to an extent. Think of it like this: If you embody your Aspect, and you are in control of yourself, are you not in control of your Aspect?

Mage - Active (-)

The exact definition of Mage's role is unknown, and very little is known about them. Therefore, more theories. When I say little is known about Mages, I mean it. Look at the Wiki page for Mage:

That's literally all we know for 100% certain. That being, nothing. This is where I must express my gratitude to all of the people who analyzed these Classes before me. They walked so I can run, with "run" meaning "have any idea what I'm talking about". The most common definition of Mage is "One who experiences their Aspect and gains deep intuitive knowledge of it". This would make it the Active counterpart to Seer. Let's take a look at canon examples and see what I can string together. Sollux Captor, the Mage of Doom, experiences Doom an impressive number of times, starting with even Pre-Hivebent. Sollux hears the voices of the recently deceased, warning him of the destruction of Alternia. He believes that all Trolls are going to die. Next up is when he wakes up, believing that all of his teammates were in the Medium. Feferi's Lusus soon after unleashed the Vast Glub, a psychic attack that kills all Trolls lower than Fuchsia on the Hemospectrum. Sollux dies in the Glub before he can be brought into the Medium, but is then revived by Feferi, who had not yet entered the Medium. Post-hivebent, Sollux believes that himself and his teammates are all doomed and therefore doesn't bother Trolling the kids. He watches Aradiabot explode as he's having a conversation with her. Believing that she is dead, he goes on to become closer with Feferi and spends a lot of time with her. When Eridan Ampora decides to leave and join Bec Noir, he attempts to get Feferi to join him. She refuses, and Sollux engages with Eridan in a duel. Sollux loses this duel, and is left severely injured. Eridan proceeds to kill Feferi. The duel leaves Sollux unconscious and blinded, but alive. Karkat Vantas drags his body around, intending to keep him safe from the various murderers roaming around at the time. He, however, accidentally drops Sollux's body down the stairs, knocking out his teeth. After waking up, he seems to lose his ability to hear the doomed voices, which brings him great relief. After the creation of the Green Sun via the use of the Tumor, Sollux pilots the meteor away from Bec Noir, and towards the Sun. However, he overexerts himself and dies upon reaching the Sun. All in all, Sollux experiences Doom, and more specifically death, an insane number of times. Meulin Leijon, the Mage of Heart, doesn't do anything of note in relation to her role as a Mage, nor does her post-scratch self, the Disciple. Like I said, we are given incredibly little information and what we can gain comes from just one source, similarly to Sylph. It's difficult to even say that a lot of Sollux's story is even about him being a Mage, having prophetic visions of Doom is something that his dancestor, Mituna Captor, also shares, and he's an Heir of Doom, not a Mage or even a Seer. Mituna also experiences Doom, though this is more expected with him being an Heir. We know so little that I find it difficult to come to a conclusion. However, with the context of most other Classes already being pretty firmly paired, and with what we do know, I think the generally accepted definition is the best interpretation. "One who experiences their Aspect and gains deep intuitive understanding of it".

Seer - Passive (+)

Seer is defined as having extensive knowledge about their Aspect, or using their Aspect to gain knowledge. Thank the heavens, I get to take a break with this one. Rose Lalonde, the Seer of Light, spends extensive time trying to learn about Sburb. Upon learning that their session was impossible to win, she begins breaking the rules, attempting to find any way to save herself and her friends. Through her speaking with the Trolls, deciphering various information from her planet and a collection of artifacts, including a strange crystal ball, she becomes remarkably knowledgeable about Sburb and intends to use this knowledge to break the game. During this time, she is in contact with Doc Scratch, a first guardian that claims to be omniscient. She asks him for information and he claims not to ever lie, but still lies by omission, ultimately fooling Rose into believing that the Tumor would destroy the Green Sun, when in reality, it created it. Terezi Pyrope, the Seer of Mind, was able to see multiple possible outcomes of any given action, and used this knowledge to be decisive and gain a tactical advantage. When Vriska Serket intended to attempt to fight Bec Noir, Terezi is able to see the outcome of letting her go and observes that it would result in all of their deaths. Thus, she chooses to kill Vriska, saving the rest of them. Kankri Vantas, the Seer of Blood, doesn't directly do anything of note in relation to his role as a Seer. His post-scratch self, the Signless Sufferer, was able to see visions of Beforus before the Scratch occured and began preaching about how troll society was on Beforus.

Knight - Active (-)

The role of a Knight is not explicitly defined, but is described by Aradia Megido as a warrior who exploits their Aspect as a weapon. Let's analyze. Dave Strider, the Knight of Time, was able to use time travel to effectively clone himself in order to have more manpower in a fight. He also used time travel to manipulate the stock market on his planet in order to make Boondollars. Karkat Vantas, the Knight of Blood, was naturally skilled at leadership. He used his personal bond with Gamzee Makara to calm him down after he had gone around murdering several people. Latula Pyrope, the Knight of Mind, doesn't do anything of note in relation to her role as a Knight, nor does her Post-scratch self, Neophyte Redglare. From what we are told and the examples we are given, the most reasonable interpretation of Knight's role seems to be what Aradia says, "One who Exploits their Aspect or Exploits through their Aspect".

Page - Passive (+)

The role of a Page is not explicitly defined, nor is it even vaguely defined. We must, once again, interpret based on the journey of known Page players. Something worth noting is that Pages are known to start their journey incredibly weak. They're thought to have a deficit in their Aspect, but if they meet their full potential, they're most definitely the strongest Class of them all, not including the Master Classes. Jake English, the Page of Hope, was almost completely powerless for most of the story. He was able to create a "Brain ghost" version of Dirk Strider in his head that only he (and Terezi Pyrope, interestingly, likely due to her role as a Seer of Mind) could see. Brain ghost Dirk tells Jake that he is "only as real as Jake's ability to believe in him". This lends credence to the idea that Pages create their Aspect in some capacity. When Aranea Serket set her plan to eliminate the Condesce and heal a doomed timeline to relevance into motion, she used her Sylph of Light powers to heal Jake's flaws and accelerate his journey and reach his maximum potential instantly. Upon reaching maximum potential, he created a "Hope field", in addition to several Angels. This Hope field was strong enough to overpower Grimbark Jade Harley empowered by the Green sun. After the creation of the Hope field, Brain ghost Dirk manifested into reality via Jake believing in him. He proceeded to attack Aranea via ripping the soul out of her body. Jake's power was bound to Aranea's existence, however, and his Hope field dissipated. This gave a mind-controlled Jane Crocker an opportunity to attack, killing Jake. Due to this, Brain ghost Dirk stops existing. Jake's death is ultimately deemed not Heroic or Just, therefore he is revived. Tavros Nitram, the Page of Breath, was known as being the weakest of all the Trolls, and never reached his full potential. He could be seen as having a deficit in Breath, due to being wheelchair-bound during hivebent. Horuss Zahhak, the Page of Void, was a self-taught master of his many proficiencies. His skills are stated to be built "from the blank slate his Aspect would imply" and were built "at the slow rate his Class would imply". It's said that his Aspect ruled his life, in the sense that he was never truly recognized for his accomplishments. This would all take place before Sburb, and his role in the Alpha Trolls' session is not mentioned. His Post-scratch self, Executor Darkleer, was apparently able to create "dark pockets", similarly to other Void players. A common definition of Page is "One who provides others with their Aspect". Based on the canon examples, this makes a lot of sense and is probably the closest we can get. I personally phrased this as "One who equips others with their Aspect to fight" in my Part 1 post, just as a way of connecting it more to Knight. I would say Page has the least connection to Knight as a pairing, but with my analyses, there really isn't any other way to pair them up. With other interpretations of certain Classes, sure, it could be matched with a different one. However, for the purposes of this post, it's the Passive counterpart to Knight and is defined as "One who provides others with their Aspect".

Part 4: Conclusion

Hello everyone, this post is going to be relatively short. Today, I'm going to talk about a concept relating to Classpects that I believe a lot of people have misconceptions about. Let's get started.

Part 1: The topic

The topic in question is the idea that some Classpects are inherently bad for a session. To be more specific, it's the idea that the role that certain Classpects will perform is always going to be bad for a session and is likely to result in failure or the player going rogue. This is most often attributed to 3 Classes in particular, but sometimes is used on others. This usually depends on their Aspect.

Part 2: Classpect Functions and personalities

I think the idea of "Bad Classpects" stems from a much bigger misconception about how Classpects work in general. As I stated in an earlier post, I don't believe Classpects to be based on your personality or to even have much of an effect on it. The way I see it, your Classpect is only representative of your role in Sburb, nothing else. A lot of people seem to believe otherwise. Many people try to pin down the personalities of players based solely on their Classpect or even try to create OCs with a personality based exclusively on their Classpect. I'm not going to try to claim that I'm objectively correct in my assertions, people can use their own interpretations as much as they want. Their opinions are no less valid than mine. However, when it comes to this topic, I don't see any reasonable way to interpret Classpects as having much at all to do with your personality. The personalities of canon characters vary wildly, even among those with the same Aspects and Classes. My point in bringing all this up is that people assuming that Classpects have a large impact on personality tends to lead into people believing that your Classpect dictates exactly how you will perform in a session. This is false. Your Classpect lays out the general idea of what you will do in a session, but that's where it ends. You have a specific Function, but it's up to you and you alone to put your role to use. 2 different players of the same exact Class and Aspect - a Rogue of Time, for example - are likely to perform their Function in 2 completely different ways. You cannot determine how a session will go based purely on the Classpects of that session's players. (The only exception being that a session with no Time and/or Space players is null, barring the possible use of Doom or Light powers to somehow fix it.)

Part 3: Justice for Bards, Thieves and Princes

There is another piece to this puzzle that should largely explain why so many people think like this. For just a second, picture in your head who the biggest antagonists out of the Beta Trolls were. No Bec Noir, no Lord English, no Condesce, just the Beta Trolls. Who do you see? Did you imagine Gamzee Makara, Vriska Serket and/or Eridan Ampora? If you did, you were right. These 3 were easily the biggest antagonists out of the 12 Beta Trolls. These 3 are some of the most passionately debated characters and you can find every opinion under the sun about them online. However, they are generally painted in a negative light and few will (unironically) deny that their actions were, largely, bad. Namely, the murder and maiming. The bigger picture here, however, is their Classpects. Gamzee is a Bard, Vriska, a Thief and Eridan, a Prince. Would you happen to guess which 3 Classes are the most often considered to be "volatile" or, more bluntly, dangerous for a session? That's right. Bard, Thief and Prince. This, to me, is the biggest reason why people take one look at these Classes in a hypothetical session and go "Ooh, that's not good." There is absolutely no reason to assume that a session will go poorly simply due to the presence of a Bard, but when people think of a Bard, they think of Gamzee, and that's all the evidence they need to deem a character "dangerous". Some might point out "Oh, but the Function of a Bard is to destroy. Isn't that dangerous by very definition?" The idea of destroying something is only dangerous if used improperly. Imagine this: A Prince of Life. One who destroys Life or destroys through Life. That character would most likely be incredibly adept at killing, literally destroying Life. However, this does not mean they are trigger-happy, this does not mean they are out of control, this does not mean they are likely to use their power in situations that don't call for it. They would likely be an incredibly powerful fighter, capable of straight up killing their opponent easily. Does this make them dangerous? Not any more so than one who exploits Time, or one who manipulates Space, or one who knows a lot about Doom. The word I would prefer to use is powerful. They are likely to be a strong fighter, but why would you assume they would want to harm their allies? That's a completely baseless assumption. Think of it like this: Would you consider a Sylph of Life harmful, because despite their powerful healing abilities, they might betray you and use their power to help your enemies? No, of course you wouldn't. That's a ridiculous assumption to make. It's just as ridiculous to assume that that Prince of Life is a threat as it is to assume that that Sylph of Life is a threat. You cannot reasonably assume that these Classes will use their incredibly powerful Functions for bad things. You could do so based on the player themself, but their Classpect alone will not determine that.

Part 4: Conclusion