#rogue class

While I don’t pretend to be a real authority on the matter and I think the source material is up to interpretation, I was commissioned to write out my thoughts on the Rogue of Light! So with all things preceding this and all things lying thereafter, take this with however much salt you like

Overview

Rogues as a class is based around shifting, swapping, moving, and transferring their aspect as a passive version of the Thief class. This is a fun fact I hope someone not named me cares about, but historically a rogue is a shady character, like a criminal but not exactly confirmed guilty, so a ‘rogue’s gallery’ was a collection of pictures and descriptions of a suspect. While the connotations of a thief has more direct links to being the perpetrator of a thief, rogue has more vague allusions, less spotlight and direct attention, which I think really suits their pairing. A rogue is someone that consorts with criminals but may not be one themself, someone willing to look the other way or give tips, or with the back end of a thief’s work, acting as a fence to launder and sell off stolen goods, the movers and shakers and *arrangers* of crime who set things up. 

For Nepeta, this involved her roleplaying, swapping out metaphorical hats she wears and with her shipping, trying to ‘fix’ hearts and set them as she thought suited.

Light as an aspect based around attention, narrative spotlight and everything that comes with it, significance and relevance itself. In a broad way, what the camera chooses to focus on while Void is everything left outside of the frame. Light’s direct attention, literal focus for the story and plot, can manifest in a few ways.

In terms of Rose as a Seer, diving into the dark for relevant information, shining a light to search. For Vriska, luck, the relevant odds of something occurring and attention, the spotlight focused on herself.

In broad strokes, the Rogue of Light acts as theater stage crew or a criminal fixer. Directing the stage lights, rigging the dice, drawing the attention where they want it to lead. By the time anyone suspects the Rogue it is already far too late to do anything about them.

In a personal interpretation, I imagine the Rogue of Light to suffer much from things like anxiety disorders or imposter syndromes, people that can only handle so much direct attention before it becomes overwhelming. The Rogue of Light is someone that wants things to be done the right way and not have to do everything themself. They struggle to rely on others, feeling like if they just give everyone the proper tools and instruction they will perform as requested and would get angry or frustrated when they lack the focus, confidence, commitment, etc to follow through. Probably a bit of a micromanager, either as an enthusiastic team lead or as a controlling boss.

Interpretations and examples

Attention and focus- The Rogue of Light shifts light around, directing attention as one may direct a theater stage. Lights, camera, action. The Rogue as a director, or perhaps closer to a magician, using sleight of hand, optical illusions and perspective tricks, flashes, mirrors, glitter, etc to draw the eye where they want it to go. The Rogue of Light possibly embracing the spotlight only long enough to make a statement, closer to a host or an artist using a persona as a disguise, anywhere from Hannah Montana to Daft Punk to any professional wrestler. In this sense, their medium of choice can be fairly broad, ranging across all art. Vibrant paintings, dazzling light shows, captivating songs, etc.

Powers: The ability to create glamors, vivid illusions that hide and conceal the truth or alternatively, anything/everything flashy so they may bring attention to them. This may take the form of artistry, such as a siren’s song voice or a legendary ability with an instrument. Bards from dnd are a good source to pull from with their enhanced talents and bardic inspiration to guide attention/the moment to a certain person.

Information- The Rogue of Light as an information broker, someone who transfers knowledge. Perhaps most easily displayed as a spymaster or hacker, transferring revealing files and encrypted messages requiring special key codes and pass phrases. This can be done digitally with Sburb’s own strange, reality warping computer systems or manually with lockboxes, dead drops, messenger animals, etc. In this sense the Rogue of Light is a person with their hand on not the levers as the other Rogues of Light may be, but the one holding all the keys, or at the very least, capable of getting their hands on any key and locking/unlocking whatever doors they please.

Powers: The ability to upload and download information, regardless of medium. Data chips in people’s brains, taking the information of one book and storing it in another, digitizing ancient scrolls to a database. The Rogue of Light may employ a number of secret agents, drones, and other forms of surveillance to amass data.

Luck and fortune- The Rogue of Light as a gambler, less concerned with risk and more concerned with being the House, playing the long games, rigging the numbers and odds to ensure what they want is what happens in the end, even if it means eating some losses first. To set up those wins, someone has to lose, the fortune has to come from somewhere. They have no shortage of patsies and fall guys, no shortage of suckers and marks. Their medium of choice are mechanisms of fate, items like slot machines, dice, and roulette wheels, themself merely as the humble operator. They’d rather set up a big winner and let them take the glory (along with whatever heat and flak may come with it).

Powers: Being able to invert luck either just before or as it occurs. Just as a coin is about to land in a good way, they force it to change. Just as someone is about to score a critical hit, they miss by just as wide of a margin. The ability to manipulate odds, especially in the long term, to ensure that the house always wins in the end. While chance is still in play, overtime the statistics point to only a single, inevitable conclusion

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Rogue examples:

Bard examples:

Sylph examples:

Thief examples:

Rogues are the passive counterpart of the redistrubiting class, their active counterpart being the Thief class. Rogues from the canon story of Homestuck are Roxy Lalonde, Nepeta Leijon, and Rufioh Nitram. All of the rogues of the canon story are fairly sociable, having many bonds and connections. They also have near direct ties to their aspect's seemingly literal definitions, Roxy with her use of alcohol causing a state of 'void' (in the sense that it's an abscence of mind), Nepeta's penchant for shipping and roleplaying, and Rufioh's wings and his emotional isolation. Outside of their connection to their aspect, they also appear to share a common trait: a rebellious nature that appears to manifest either quietly or loudly. For Roxy, it was her rebellion against Crockercorp and Her Imperious Condescenscion.

She fought against the Crocker corporation, seeing it was threatening both her friend/s and previously her own mother. Her rebellious nature against )(IC was also a manifestation of fighting for her friends, as she played a major threat against her session and teammates. Another rogue that possessed the rebellious trait common with the class was the Summoner, Rufioh's post-scratch counterpart.

The Summoner incited a rebellion on Alternia, inspiring others and encouraging them to fight for their freedom against )(IC. This aligns directly with his role of giving others freedom, as he inspired the fight for freedom among the Alternian citizens. While his rebellion didn't end up bearing fruit, it was still a valiant effort that defined his place as a Rogue of Breath. Ultimately, Rogues are a class defined by a connection to their aspect, and their Robin Hood-esque nature. Quite a fun class, in my opinion. For powers, they're able to take their aspect from others and their environment. Shown through Roxy stealing the concept of nothing from items destroyed/nonexistent such as the Matriorb, or Rufioh stealing Damara's freedom in a way, causing her servitude to Lord English through him entering a relationship with Horuss and causing a rift between them. As for Nepeta, you could see her ships as a way of both being tied to Heart as an aspect and her methods as a Rogue, redistributing/changing the bonds between her friends.

The aspect of Time is one of the cardinal aspects of every session, essential if you need a backup plan incase something goes wrong such as a permanent death or anything of the like. It's symbols are rooted in death, history, clocks, and music. Canon Time Players are Dave Strider, Aradia Megido, Damara Megido, and Caliborn from Homestuck. We also have Skylla Koriga, Marvus Xoloto, and Mallek Adalov of Hiveswap. Nearly all of the listed Time Players have ties to time's symbols, Dave and Marvus are both connected to music, Aradia and Damara are tied to death and/or the inevitable end of the Universe, and Mallek and Skylla are naturally rebellious/action-prone. Being prone to action isn't necessarily a symbolic piece of the Time Aspect, but it is a trait most if not all those aligned to Time share.

Dave Strider is one of the three canonically god-tiered heroes of Time, and the first I'll be analyzing of the two. He has ties to music dominantly, seen through his most dominant symbol of his narrative being tied into music (ex: the Beat Mesa/Scratch Construct, his shirt symbol, and him being musically inclined). Music is a significant symbol in Time, seeing as most songs have a set time period and end, tying directly into Time's meaning. He also had an aforementioned interest in dead things, though this wasn't as prevalent or significant as his ties into music. He was a fairly active player in his session, tying into the action-prone part of Time and the nature of its players. His activity is likely another offshoot of his role as an active class (Knight), but it can also be partially from his aspect. Another Time Player we can analyze is Aradia Megido, a passive player of Time.

Aradia Megido, the Maid of Time. As confirmed by Hussie, Maids are a passive class and are a counterpart of Heirs. Since we had our system uprooted and the common interpretation of Maids being an active role and counterpart to Sylphs, this will be a very menial inspection on Aradia's role. Maids are passive, and observing Aradia's actions can actually make sense as to how maids interact with their aspect and are seen as passive. Aradia, upon god tiering, acted as a guide of the dream bubbles, and was interested in playing a passive role while watching the universe coming undone. She wasn't the most passive player, but when compared to other players she can be seen as a passive class. A reminder that being a passive class doesn't necessarily entail sitting idly, as Rose Lalonde and JEgbert were both passive classes and still contributed a lot to their session in terms of activity. Aradia interacted with her aspect in the way of seeing it as death and how everything has an end. Cool, right? I've always been fond of time myself, eyebrows eyebrows.

Now for the ultimatum: the Rogue of Time. Someone who redistributes Time itself or through Time. We can naturally assume that with the nature of all rogues, they likely have direct ties to Time in a literal sense. If you're writing a rogue of time, you could have them be either a clockmaker or a music director. Time has many symbols, and there's many directions you could take when going into creating a designated Rogue of Time. Speaking of Rogue nature, a Rogue of Time would likely be one of if not the most rebellious of all Rogues, afterall being aligned with the most action-prone class won't exactly make you an idle player by any means. A rogue of time wouldn't necessarily be a revolution fighter who has a constant struggle, though it is a good chance. A classpect doesn't define a single person, and can be used to shelter multiple of the same people. Power-wise, redistributing time is an incredibly useful ability. I'd imagine that a rogue of time would be incredibly good at managing the timelines, giving time to those in need of it. For example, if a battle is cutting too close to a designated time limit such as a bomb, a god-tiered Rogue of Time could have the opportunity to maybe even steal time from their opponent and give it to the timer. What a cool classpect!!! Wowie Zowie!!!

Masterpost

Canon examples: Roxy Lalonde, Nepeta Leijon, Rufioh Nitram Non-canon examples: Robin Hood (most versions), Gregor (Limbus Company), Ren Amamiya (Persona 5), Enrico Pucci (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure), Tony Tony Chopper (One Piece), Captain Kidd and Goemon (historical/folklore), Edmond Dantes* (The Count of Monte Cristo)

Alignment: +4 (Passive)

Rogues are the third most passive normal class, and the fourth most passive class overall. This places them right in the middle of the passive part of the scale. As such, Rogues are more prone to taking the initiative than previously discussed Classes, but they are still hesitant and unsure of themselves without backup.

Rogue is paired with Thief, its more Active counterpart, due to their shared verb of "Steal." However, while we know the verbs, we don't know the construction of those verbs. Still, Calliope lays out the difference pretty well with the explicit comparison to Robin Hood. In that case, the Rogue's "passivity" comes from acting for the sake of others rather than themselves.

Gender: Female (Non-exclusive)

Rogue is one of the classes explicitly stated to be open to any gender, but it leans heavily female. The thing is, there's not a whole lot of mythological support for this. In fact, going through myth, legend, and folklore for Rogue-like characters, you'll find the vast majority of them are male! Granted, the vast majority of characters period are male, but archetypal Rogues don't exactly buck the trend. So why are Rogues considered to lean heavily female?

Ultimately, it comes down to game balance. Sburb is an absolute mess of a game when you start to pick it apart, but as a long extended metaphor for coming of age and sexual reproduction, it would be kinda lame to cut the women out. To keep the balance, Rogue is chosen as one of the leans-female classes because of an association with agility, grace, and dexterity, which are seen as more feminine traits. Furthermore, Rogue is seen as a more "nurturing" class, which forms a very interesting (and familiar) dichotomy with the Thief class: the Madonna-Whore Complex. Even non-gender-locked classes aren't immune from misogynistic tropes.

Note: You can of course use gender however you want. Hussie herself has given you permission. I just prefer to look at things as they are, interpret why they are that way, and then decide on a case by case basis whether I want to break the rules.

Mythological Role: Unjustly Outcast

A man returns home after a long campaign against the Crown's enemies, but instead of receiving a reward he is branded a pirate. A samurai clan is purged save for a single 15 year old boy, who swears revenge. A war hero has a PTSD episode on the subway, and all the authorities know how to do is escalate. A girl whose mind is a little bit different than others' flees into the wilds when imperial drones burn her hive for reasons she will never understand. Rogues are not born, they are made, and it is injustice that makes a Rogue.

This is unusual in the Classes I've examined so far. Bard and Heir both become their class because of who they are or what they do, but the binding thread between Homestuck Rogues and their inspirations is that something happened to them. They are driven from society, called outlaws and monsters, through no real fault of their own. Of course, due to the nature of Paradox Space, this was always going to happen, but it still happens because of the deliberate malicious actions of others.

Rather than make them bitter, the Rogue instead gains empathy for similarly outcast people, and starts to garner allies. Even if it's just one really STRONG ally, it's this support that defines a Rogue. Truth is, they could never stand on their own. Rogues are often painfully aware of this fact, leading to a lack of self-confidence in their ability to handle their Aspect. This need for support is not a weakness, it's a strength, and when they need it most, their generosity will be rewarded.

Game Role: One who steals [Aspect] for others or One who steals from [Aspect] for others

The presence of a Rogue indicates there is an dangerous imbalance in their Aspect. Some have too much, others too little. Maybe the session is drowning in the Aspect, like Void in a Void session, or maybe all the volatile relationships need a dedicated shipper to sort them out. Regardless, the Rogue's duty is to make sure that everyone has enough of their Aspect and nobody has too much. This is often a careful balancing act, and some rogues never fully recognize their ability to actually affect change through their Aspect.

Modes of Failure:

Too passive: Fantasy. The Rogue knows how things should be, but what are they supposed to actually do about it? They're powerless, living on the margins. They can fill books with their stories, but they don't believe they have the power to actually act on their fantasies. They certainly don't have the Bard's power to make fiction reality. Nepeta filled her cave walls with shipping charts but never actually intervened to help untangle the toxic relationships that tore her friends apart.

Too active: Helplessness. A Rogue is supposed to keep the balance. However, they can't do this without support, and attempting to do so anyway can just drive home how powerless they really are. In this way, the Rogue becomes a Page without the potential. Everyone sees what they can provide without giving in return. Roxy got stuck in this mode in the Candy timeline, trying to smooth things over with her rapidly fracturing friend group while her bestie Jane descended into fascism and outright madness.

Inverted: Vainglory. Wow that Rogue sure is great! Everyone loves them! We should all be as great at that Rogue! Rogues are not meant to take the center stage. As much as they can act to bring people together, their role is to then help the others, not gas themselves up. A Rogue who becomes the center of attention ends up using their resources to shore up a false confidence that they know is false. They should leave the showboating to a Thief, who's actually supposed to be the center of attention. This was part of Rufioh's downfall. He stole Breath with a glance, but he never got around to giving it back.

In Summary

Origin: Someone who suffered injustice, ostracism, or oppression through no fault of their own.

Struggle: To recognize their own self-worth in the face of trauma and tragedy.

Reward: The love and support of allies who can protect them when they need it.

At their best: The one who makes everyone else better.

At their worst: Paralyzed by self-doubt, never recognizing their own power.

Flip it Turnways: The Avenger

Example: Edmond Dantes (The Count of Monte Cristo)

Rogues tend to be some of the most generous and good-natured characters despite the trauma of their backstory, but not everyone can just get over it. Some people can't just build a new life for themselves without tearing down everyone who ruined their old life first. That is The Avenger.

Avengers often draw a sharp line between those who deserve kindness and those who deserve cruelty. They can be just as generous as a more typical Rogue, if it suits their ends, but when it comes to their enemies they are completely without mercy. Those who wronged them can't just be defeated, they have to suffer first. Of course, at some point the innocent will suffer on a quest for revenge, at which point the Avenger will have to decide whether revenge is worth the cost, or if maybe they should focus more on helping those who've been harmed rather than punishing those who did harm.

Classpects

Rogue of Breath

Rogue of Life

Rogue of Light

Rogue of Time

Rogue of Heart

Rogue of Rage

Rogue of Blood

Rogue of Doom

Rogue of Void

Rogue of Space

Rogue of Mind

also what do u think about thief of doom/rogue of life dynamic? (probably u can recognize who i am for that question LOL)

I was just thinking about this! The Thief of Doom would be someone who enforces their own role as some kind of servant. "GIVE ME YOUR MENIAL TASKS, NOW!!" It would have to be someone insistent and maybe fiery. I decided a good example would be the little cleaning robot from WALL-E.

Now, as a Rogue I WAS very displeased with the methods of Thieves like Meenah and Vriska because. Mostly Vriska I guess. Because. She is an awful person. And also I think fundamentally aspects need to be shared and distributed where they are needed and NOT hoarded and kept to oneself! But sometimes I think if someone wants to be the head of their aspect, good for them. Thieves want all of their aspect in their hands, and I expect they don't like people messing with it at all.