Introduction to my Classpecting Ideas
This felt like a good idea for something to put out before I put my Knight & Page analysis out there, since I plan on making this a 6 part series. (Potentially 7 if demand for a Lord/Muse addendum is high enough).
So, I'll be laying out my most important philosophies on the subject here for future reference.
Point A. Classpecting is malleable.
There is not one rigid, set definition for any Class pair, or any Aspect pairing. The freedom of the author is that they may assign any symbolism to a concept that they may like.
What I mean by this is that people often seem to think that manifestations of an Aspect within Homestuck's narrative paint that object or idea as a concept inherently tied to that Aspect.
Example: Pumpkins & Void. You would not believe the amount of people in the early fandom who swore by the idea that pumpkins were inherently just Void constructs because of their role in Homestuck's narrative.
No? Pumpkins symbolise Void in Homestuck itself and Homestuck itself only only due to a running gag inherent to Homestuck itself.
Anything, with enough narrative basis and existing thematic ties, can serve to symbolise an Aspect. Furthermore, two different authors may have different ideas of what Aspect something represents.
Some authors may see alcohol, for example, as a Void-bound concept owing to its obfuscation of fair judgement. Some may see it as a Light-bound concept owing to the idea of 'in vino veritas' and the tendency of drunkenness to induce truthful confessions. Some may see it as a Life-bound concept owing to its associations with hedonism and impulsive behaviour.
With enough narrative consistence, anything is possible. Homestuck's narrative is not as rigid of a point of reference as some people would swear by it being. This is deeply important.
Point B. Classpecting is not the whole of a character.
I can't exactly phrase this in a satisfactory manner, but... a Classpect is not a personality type in of itself. An individual being a Prince of Heart does not instantly make them Dirk Strider. It merely means that their core value is identity & selfhood, and they interact with it by destroying it. It is that simple!
I see, time and time again, Classpecting blogs acting as if a Classpect is indicative of a character's whole personality and giving guides as to the exact behaviours & quirks a character with that Classpect should have.
I am imploring you to explore wider possibilities when it comes to this. Even if it means sharing a title with a canon character! It doesn't mean you have to just rewrite that canon character because that's not how Classpecting works.
I've seen fanventure characters share titles with canon characters. (Sovereignstuck's Annomi Errata & Dynama Zarrow sharing titles with Dirk & Porrim respectively, and Porrim herself is also a player in that narrative, mind you!)
I've seen fanventure characters share titles with eachother. (Vast Error's Dismas Mersiv is a Rogue of Mind. One of my fantrolls is also a Rogue of Mind!)
In every instance, they are fundamentally different people. I cannot put it any simpler than this.
Point C. Classpecting is always applicable.
That is the perfection of the Classpecting system. You can give a title to any character, from anything ever made. It's not even that difficult if you're half-decent at media analysis!
Quite literally all you need to do is ask yourself two questions.
"What's this character's core value?" and "How do they interact with that?" Do that, and you've got yourself a Classpect.
That's the beauty of it! It's obviously not going to be as airtight as a story that has the Classpecting system baked directly into the narrative, but it's still going to work out!
Hell, do it to yourself! Do it to your friends! The world's your oyster. You can do anything you want, forever, for the rest of time. I'm a Seer of Life! My best friend is a Page of Blood! My mother is a Witch of Hope! Go wild.
For my Classpecting posts, I'll aim to give two related definitions for every Class.
Definition A is the narrative function, what the Class says about the person and how they interact with their Aspect as an abstract concept.
Definition B is the practical function, what the Class says about their role in the session and how they interact with their Aspect as a SBURB construct.
Therefore, we get an idea of both the abstract, personal definition of a Classpect, and the functional, game application of a Classpect.
I'll also aim to give about two or three examples for each individual title about how you could write a character with them, since there are always going to be multiple directions you can take with a Classpect.
tl;dr - what I'm trying to say is this. Classpecting is malleable, easily applicable & capable of saying any number of things, and my posts will aim to give two concise definitions of both narrative and practical function for every title.
I'll get the Knight:Page analysis done either today or tomorrow, and the rest of the Class posts will be staggered releases in order of poll results. Thus, the order is going to be:
Knights & Pages, Deficiency and Exploitation.
Mages & Seers, Experience and Comprehension.
Witches & Heirs, Adherence and Manipulation.
Princes & Bards, Instability and Destruction.
Thieves & Rogues, Inundation and Redistribution.
Maids & Sylphs, Maintenance and Generation.
7. Lords & Muses, Absolution and Dominion.
And then, subsequently, the order for the Aspect posts, which I've decided based on relevance to the canon, roughly speaking anyways...
Space & Time, Genesis and Terminus.
Breath & Blood, Fluidity and Stability.
Light & Void, Potential and Simplicity.
Heart & Mind, Instinct and Dialectics.
Life & Doom, Progress and Stagnation.
Hope & Rage, Conviction and Iconoclasm.
I look forward to the next post. Until then, take care.
