HEIR OF MIND

Breath and Blood

Breath and blood are equidistant from Time and Space because their power is as related to creation, and posibilities as to destruction, action and completion.

This is a curious thing to take into account: All aspects have a passive or active nature except for these two.

Breath represents liberation, renovation, inspiration, individuation and especially change. The relationship between the wind and the soul is incredibly strong. In fact, two greek words for wind are amenos and pneuma, which both are refered to soul. From this two words we get pneumatic, animated and other words that imply movement.

Breath is the aspect between Hope and Life

-Hope means change through creation of ideas. Hope comes with the posibility to change. Here we can se how hope is both linked to space and breath.

-Life means change through action. Acting according to one's ideas, bringing them to completion. It is the union of breath and time.

So we can agree that breath doesn't only mean change, it also has to do with ideas. These ideas are pure and simple, as Tavros's and John's minds, but they are also independent, as these two kids end up being. The problem of being too independent is that you can get isolated from the rest of the world.

(When I talk about ideas, I'm referring to the usual term, but also to the "Ideas" in Plato's Theory of Forms. We'll get to that later.)

Blood is what we all have in common, it appears when we are wounded, when we make mistakes and suffer. Blood is present at birth, all along our lives and until we ultimately die. We cannot avoid blood, although we'd love to. Blood is common to all human beings, and so it represents restriction and society, pain and absence of change. Another curious thing to say about blood is how it means heritage. We do not choose our bodies, our families or our crushes.

If breath represents autonomy, blood represents dependence. We need many things to survive, but specially others. The bonds we make with the people around us, the ability to connect with them and to see that we are all the same, that's what makes us human beings.

Blood is between Doom and Rage

-Doom represents the general restrictions that rule the world, the inmutable laws that are necessary for a thing to exist. This aspect is very tricky and will require further explanation. It has to do with the restriction (blood) of posibilities (space).

-Rage is the power to act (time) in response to our restrictions (blood)

At this point we have to understand the so disputed duality of nature and spirit, body and soul. Are we authors of our life or are we determined by our genetic and society? Is society even something natural? Could we live by our own? Are we different to the rest of animals because of our conscience?

Lots of questions can be derived from our dual nature, but let's leave it here for now.

This time we dig into Gamzee’s recurring links to the masks of Comedy and Tragedy, historical worship of the Greek god of Theatre, Dionysus, and what all of this tells us about Gamzee’s arc and, potentially, even the Rage aspect.

Today’s question is: Can you think of other trolls with strong ties to figures in Greecoroman/Egyptian/Judeo-Christian mythologies?

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Not an Enigma, and Certainly Not a Curse: the "Ultimate Self" in Hussie's Own Words

I've found myself, lately, in several conversations in a row where the other guy and myself weren't on the same page about what the Ultimate Self meant; and though I welcome the opportunity for discussion, explaining my position over and over again has cost me minutes of my screen life that I simply won't win back. So this post is a departure from my usual fare in that it's more for my own benefit than that of anybody else.

I've been over Davepeta's "superceding bodyless and timeless persona that crosses the boundaries of paradox space" enough already, so if you're interested in the Ultimate Self as it is in Homestuck, I recommend you read "Homestuck's Gnosticism: The Conflict", and then, if that piques your attention, you continue with the follow-up "The World/The Wheel". For the purposes of this post, though, I want to keep analysis, interpretation and hypothesising to a minimum. As the title indicates, this is the Ultimate Self not as I describe it, or as characters describe it, but - so to speak - straight from the horse's mouth.

In Andrew Hussie's commentary on Homestuck: Book 6, p. 312:

Oftentimes, when characters lose certain qualities that came to define them, there's this sense of liberation they seem to experience. They become a happier, more relieved, easier-going version of themselves. When Aradia ditches a defining quality we came to know her by (being dead), she becomes a much happier and self-actualized Aradia. Sollux also seems to be chilling out now that his defining properties (bifurcation, etc.) have been KO'd. He had a mouth full of gnarly teeth that gave him a wicked lisp (gone), eyes full of nasty laser beams (gone, along with his eyesight), and a brain full of doomsday visions and bipolar disorder (also gone—well, maybe not the bipolar thing, because that's probably not how that works, but whatever). You get more of this kind of thing in even higher degrees with some of the fusion stuff that happens later (Arquius, Davepeta), where characters become almost euphoric versions of themselves for having been completely liberated from certain self-limitations which previously defined them. The concept of an "ultimate self," which appears much later, probably has its roots way back to stuff like this, which got the ball rolling on the idea that a more complete or fulfilled self is one that becomes free from mortal limitations, or the idiosyncrasies which comprise a specific instance of one version of yourself. Hence an ultimate self is an aggregate of someone's full potential. It's not just doing away with negative traits, but summing up all iterations of yourself, including ones without those traits, allowing you to move beyond them. Or maybe more accurately, to view them as insignificant in the grand totality of what a person really is.

Importantly, what Hussie does here is draw the conceptual line from the themes of Acts 1-5 to what are often interpreted by some as radically different, even left-field themes through Act 6. Think of this as an extension of one of Homestuck's meta-themes, where the comic undergoes a series of escalations that take simple conflicts to their logical extremes: we start the story worried about a Reckoning which might destroy the Earth, then end up with the more pressing concern that a Rapture is about to end reality as we know it. The Ultimate Self is the end result of the exact same kind of escalation; where the God Tiers are a method of becoming a better version of oneself by merging with one's "ideal" dream body, the Ultimate Self is the logical conclusion that one can become the best version by unifying with every body.

To draw my own conceptual line back to Homestuck: Book 5, page 409:

This connects to the basic question of whether to embrace the regimentation of a heroic path conveniently laid out for you (the expectation), or to reject it as the shallow and rigid confinement of personal destiny (the deviation). These issues are expressed through the fundamental language of platonic idealism: perfect ideas of things, and then specific, imperfect instances of those ideas, or varied permutations, evolutions, or hacks of those ideas through alchemy. The way Sburb "should" go is an ideal (expectation), but the disastrous, chaotic way it actually goes is an imperfect instance (deviation). An "idea" of a person, such as Rose, along with her regimented heroic quest for growth, and all the great things she might imagine herself to become if she followed it, is an ideal (expectation). The messy, flawed, yet more genuinely human individual she does become resulting from her errant choices and rejection of formalism, is an imperfect instance of an ideal (deviation). What's the bottom line here? This is a lot. I know it's a lot. Homestuck is, in fact, a lot.

I've added some of my own emphasis there again, but that whole extract is worth reading. The reason I bolded that part is because this "Platonic idealism" is something Hussie talks about a lot in his commentary, and I think that commentary is essential reading for anyone who wants to even get their foot in the door on this topic. Again, this is something I've blogged about extensively already, so there's more than just Hussie's word to take for it if you're really interested; but for the sake of this post, I'll finish off with, again, what Hussie himself has to say on the matter, all the way back in Homestuck: Book 1, page 123:

With things like Athenums and Perfectly Generic Objects locked and loaded, Sburb architecture seems to be circling widely around a game abstraction-based systemization of Platonic idealism. Homestuck deals with what I am going to roughly characterize as THEMES.

Very good analysis I like it a lot

Split Interpretations Theory:

(Ever notice how lunar sway moons look like the :eyes: emoji?)   The Extended Zodiac states that lunar sways are “a designation which says things about your perspective on life. “ In Homestuck, aspect powers are determined by thought, and thought is determined by perspective/how information is perceived. Wouldn’t it stand to reason that lunar sway plays a huge role in how aspect powers/movesets are utilized? I believe aspects can be split into two interpretations by a character depending on their lunar sways. A masculine and a feminine. I use the terminology masculine and feminine here because the respective dreaming moons are associated with the two heavily gendered cherubs, each of which strongly possessive traditional gender role traits. Caliborn (Derse): is proactive, forceful, and rational, logical, idealistic, traits heavily associated with masculinity. Calliope (Prospit): is adaptable, reactive, submissive, and intuitive, practical traits associated towards femininity. Of course, gender roles are considered bullshit in Homestuck (and ought to be IRL), so whether a character is female or male is actually irrelevant in possessing these lunar sways. An interesting dichotomy presents itself when viewing characters this way. Rose Lalonde, as a light player, is less focused on fortune and more focused on knowledge. Fortune permeates her life in not so subtle ways, such as living in a mansion with an ACTUAL OBSERVATORY.

However, Rose’s fixation is less on this fortune and her feelings of luck, but instead on the acquisition of knowledge. Knowledge, which grants her power and control and most importantly agency. (It also lets her shoot light rays out of some sticks). Knowledge, in this theory, would be the masculine element of light. It requires conscious thought and rational thinking to utilize effectively, especially as Rose uses it to determine probability. Rose’s affinity for light grants her theoretical knowledge which she then uses to provide agency for herself and others. Vriska, on the other hand, fixates on the feminine interpretation of her aspect, luck. Luck is a huge part of Vriska’s identity, and she believes fervently in it even though luck would generally be disregarded as bullshit by most. Luck is feminine because luck is reactive to the will of an individual as opposed to proactive, conscious thought. Vriska’s affinity for light grants her theoretical knowledge, to a lesser degree than Rose, but it makes up for this in it’s sheer practicality. Even the way that both use their powers offensively fits this divide. Rose shoots flash magic like she’d imagine a wizard would, as though she’s creating light ex nihilo whereas Vriska sort of just sucks out the luck that’s already there by looking at you hard enough. Both characters flow into active and passive states of their aspects to accomplish their ends, however it is Vriska who outstrips Rose in flexibility. Relying on luck requires a degree of intellectual submission and faith, which Rose’s ego is not inclined to allow. Vriska on the other hand, lets lady luck take the wheel so to speak, and if lady luck insists that Vriska gathers information to plan then she’ll do it. The downside is that Vriska becomes more easily manipulable and susceptible to the wills of others. The neutral element between both of these active states is “resourcefulness” which is the ability to look at your environment and take what you want/need from it. Luck would not work if one’s eyes are not open to opportunity, and you wouldn’t be able to acquire knowledge unless your eyes were open to it’s sources.

Tyzias and Stelsa both occupy a similar position as Vriska and Rose, both being blood players with differing lunar sways. Tyzias (prospit) interprets blood as camaraderie, bonds, and connections (community oriented/feminine things) and as such is blessed with the power of charisma, similar to Karkat. Stelsa on the other hand focuses on the masculine interpretations of blood, which is accountability, and social responsibility. Her connections with people are not ends, but rather a means to an end. And in this way, she very closely resembles the statement given about early session Karkat by Hussie himself. “As a Prospit dreamer, did Karkat struggle because he was actually passive in nature, but had a very active self image as a leader and conqueror?”

*rubs my greasy little hands together* time to get my ip address banned through sharing possibly my most disturbing headcanon heheheh

For a while, I was thinking about the jades. Specifically how damn weird Hiveswap's lore about them is. From very young, they're condemned to the caverns to help raise grubs... But only certain, arbitrarily selected jades are picked to be cloistered? So that means there are other jades allowed to do whatever. And instead of joining the workforce like literally every other troll, SPECIFICALLY the cloistered jades are sent to be space nuns, hidden from everyone. It... Doesn't really add up if you think about the kind of place the Alternian Empire is. They're all about making as many warriors as possible, why bother with a tradition like that? Doesn't help anyone. Just seems hard to imagine Meenah coddamn Peixes tossing funds to a useless sisterhood, is all I'm saying.

So! Mothergrubs. There's the headcanon that they share an evolutionary root with trolls to explain how they can produce grubs, but what if we go one step further? Let's say the trolls are neotenies (an "adult" species that actually has another stage of life past the one they're in, like axolotls). Perhaps once upon a time, they could turn into mothergrubs naturally, but for whatever reason, they can't now.

Or so it'd seem.

Uhh yeah tired of the suspense: the cloistered jades are "special" because they actually might possess the rare gene that turns trolls into Mothergrubs. So the space sisterhood? It's actually some Bloodborne shit. Horrific cult antics that literally strip away all personhood, in all meanings of the word, turning them into nothing more than slurry-processors to be sent back, furthering the troll race. Possibly a fate worse than death to some.

Idk. Figure it makes sense the Empire would keep that under wraps from the jades, y'dig

Blocked blocked blocked blocked i hate this

but honestly that's a really really interesting perspective because I do agree that the mothergrub is a troll. Just a different type of troll (much like if you were to look at the life cycle of a fern) so I think you hit some interesting points especially with the de-trollization of the mothergrub into something to be revered but never considered a troll, an equal

also here is the lifecycle of a fern for funsies (where the mothergrub is essentially the diploid phase and normal trolls are the haploid

Thinking back on the idea that sprites represent the Platonic “geists” of their associated heroes, when we consider that both Roxy and Calliope contain “Nepeta-ness”, it starts to look a lot like the theory put forth in Plato’s Symposium that humans, having been created with two heads and then split into two, search for a romantic partner who literally completes them; Roxy and Calliope both contain different parts of Nepeta, and they attract each other because these different aspects of Nepeta-ness want to join together into a whole Nepeta.

Which makes complete sense in Homestuck, because that’s exactly what the cherubs are: “two-headed” beings who split in two upon reaching maturity, and spend their lives seeking out a mate who matches their missing half!

“For the very essence of a troll becomes sallow when devoid of love and of truth, which are often the same spiritual element,” Exodus said, gesturing emphatically with one hand as his other trembled against the podium upon which he leaned, projecting his rich voice to the very back of the slim and somewhat stuffy room he had managed to transform into some approximation of a church. The air was made stuffier by the excited breaths of his followers, gathered en masse on benches and below his feet, and he felt sweat or condensation cling to his brow and seep under the bridge of his glasses. “It may not seem readily apparent, but love is the pursuit of truth. Truth is the expression of love. While not inextricably linked, it is improper- or, rather, inadvisable to deny that in the absence these two gleaming facets, life loses its meaning and its justification. One must recognize the relation between truth and love, and their pertinence to life itself.” 

Exodus’s sermons were improvised nearly every time he gave them. While he was finding it harder and harder to sift through the dichotomy between what he truly believed and what beliefs he had fabricated for the sake of others, he did find it somewhat amusing that when he stood in front of the slick wooden podium, it truly felt as though a spirit compelled him to speak. The words were delivered to him, and with surprising competency - they had to come from some outside source, he thought, because rarely what he said he agreed with. That, or he agreed, but he could never realistically apply his tenants to himself. He was utterly contradictory, but of course this needed to be kept under wraps to stave off his doomsday, when it all would come crashing down. 

What strange things he was saying today. Utter drivel. He was making himself sick, describing some hypothetical state that was his direct opposite. Truth and love - he wanted to scoff, to spit at himself, as he lacked both in equal measure: untruthful, loveless, a contradiction of all he claimed to stand for. No more than a living lie. 

“It… ah.” He faltered. That wasn’t good, he wasn’t supposed to falter. He lowered his hand and clung to the structure before him, looking down. Long, heavy seconds passed. 

“Why are you crying, my Lord?” Someone said. Similar inquisitive, adoring murmurs rose from the crowd he had assembled. It sounded like birdsong to him: “Why? Why? Why?” 

Quickly now. Make something up; truth isn’t an option, it never has been.

“Fear not,” he said, trying to keep the thickness in his voice at bay. “I have simply thought of a troll I intimately know, an unfortunate soul, who I have known to lack the virtues I just described. I have become emotional, thinking of his life and the consequences of his deficiencies, and I… I weep for him.” He performatively wiped away a tear, though his anguish was real. 

He did something he knew the crowd would appreciate, and stepped out from behind the podium. Wide eyes searched his entire body. 

“Will you join me in prayer?” He asked them. 

“Yes, Lord,” was the resounding response. He continued to walk forwards, down the few stairs of the stage, into the thrum of his following. They crept closer to him with a shy reverence. 

“Together we must tell him, and all trolls like him, that we forgive him. Through this we will deliver him peace. Please join me.” He took a deep breath, and the collective did the same. 

“I forgive you.” He heard their parroted response echo, amplified by the high ceiling, and he felt the sound hum in his chest. He willed himself to glow, tears spilling onto his uniform, and the open faces that surrounded him were alight with a rose wash, petal-tender and hushed. The Heart symbol appeared, shimmering close to the rapid thumping of his own blood-pump adrenaline, and tentative hands ran over him, pressing palms to the pink curved sign, shaping themselves to his warm body. His shaking legs gave out, and, taking this as yet another sign, his collective supported his weight, lifting him above their heads, safe in their arms. 

“Say it with me,” Exodus whispered to their eager ears. 

“I forgive you. I forgive you. I forgive you,” they said. It was all he had ever wished to hear. 

to read a more traditionalist classpect interpretation into the streets/lawnrings parallel construction, wind (read: breath) skimming the streets implies freedom of movement, wherewas blood would imply restriction; maybe the word ‘lawnring’ is used in place of ‘street’ in much the same way ‘cocoon’ replaces ‘mailbox’; because trolls don’t have streets, and the lawnrings are representative of a more oppressive culture with an interest in keeping its people where they are

Root Spells

Base spells with one core objective that may be modified or specified for certain functions. Some classes have a focus on certain root spells, while some root spells are class-locked. This is not to say that a class can only use magic derived from one root spell, but that their magic is tailored better for certain functions. They are able to use other root spells but often to lesser effectivity if it is not compatible with their class. Some classes, however, are fully unable to access certain root spells due to the innate nature of their magic. This does not mean, however, that they will be unable to fulfill certain goals, as magic should always be seen as a tool to achieve a means.

ROOT SPELLS (VOLUME ONE)

ENCHANTMENT

The act of imbuing a target with one’s own magic. This target can either be an object, a person, or a make-spell (objects or creatures that can created from magic). Proficient enchanters are also able to do self-enchants, which is the act of enchanting oneself to achieve specific functions. Enchantments allow power sharing, grant power ups, or create enchanted items for other people to use. This is most useful when aiding non-combat classes.

MANIFESTATION

The ability to take existing abstract concepts, ideas or emotions and make them a reality, either by the caster’s magic manipulating circumstance to achieve the nearest possible match to the concept being manifested, or by amplifying certain traits of an object, person or aspect. This differs from Creation due to the fact that it solely relies on concepts, ideas and emotions being present - either from the caster or the people around them - alongside the caster’s magic as those are the things that will be exploited, while Creation only needs to rely on the caster.

KINETICS

Ability to consume the magical output of another caster / another object and transform it energy into one’s own magic. This is set apart from Heist and Distribution due to the fact that it does not forcibly take magic from a target but rather catches magic from a target, and the energy is not redistributable as it is subsumed into the caster’s magic. destruction classes can destroy consumed magic as they take it, while other classes can take the magic and blast it back towards the opponent.

CREATION

The ability to create objects or entities out of one’s own magic or an object that is governed by one’s aspect. This is categorized as a separate root spell from Protection due to Protection’s nature to take already-existing objects or circumstances and use it to manifest a caster’s spell, while Creation’s mode is solely the caster’s magic given physical form.

MANIPULATION / TRANSFIGURATION

The ability to shape, manipulate and customize a certain aspect and all that is governed by it to one’s wishes. Depending on the class, this is not locked to only physical things or concepts, but applies to the aspect as a whole entirely.

INHERITOR

The ability to become certain aspects or certain things that are governed by certain aspects. This is an Heir specialty.

GENERATION

The ambient, innate ability to be made out of or to generate certain aspects. This is a Maid and Heir specialty.

DESTRUCTION

The ability to destroy the very make-up of magic, or the ability to destroy a certain target. While most classes’ offensive spells are destruction-aligned, in terms of raw firepower, this is a Destruction class specialty.

PROTECTION

The ability to give one’s magic physical form to protect oneself or a certain target. The magic may or may not have specific modes of manifestation in order to achieve this form of protection. This is a Knight class specialty.

SCRY

The ability to forcibly see into the timestream of the universe, or see into other universes within the same infinity set. Scrying is often an ambient ability, but can be honed with practice and time. This is a Seer class specialty.

HEIST

The ability to forcibly take magic from an enemy, or a portion of an aspect from the universe, and add it to one’s arsenal, either to restore one’s magic or to use the opponent’s own magic against them, proficiency in spells included. This is a Thief class specialty.

DISTRIBUTION

The ability to forcibly take magic from an enemy, or a portion of an aspect from the universe and redistribute it to certain targets. This is a Rogue class specialty.

RESTORATION

The ability to restore lacking aspects or heal injuries. This ability is sadly in accessible to Destruction classes.

CONNECTION

The ability to connect with people or objects, or create connections between people or objects. Hope players are known to display this ability in ambience, often attracting people to them.

TERRITORY

The ability to mark a certain area as a surefire target of one’s magic. Territory magic locks onto certain coordinates as fixed points and release magic onto the area at the caster’s whim; this is a root spell that never misses. Space players achieve easier proficiency of this root spell due to the nature of their aspect.

INFESTATION

The ability to invade another target with your magic. This is differentiated from Connection and Destruction due to Connection simply being a bridge while Infestation burrows into a target’s being, and differentiated from Destruction due to Infestation not being destructive on its own. 

Clownhood is masculine -> rage aspect is respresented by clowns -> rage aspect is masculine -> rage aspect is contrasted to hope aspect -> hope is feminine as rage is masculine -> hope is represented by cherub/angel wings -> cherubhood is feminine -> Caliborn overcoming cherub nature and transitioning to clownhood can be taken as a transition from feminine/female to masculine/male

it feels counterproductive to label cherubs as one particular gender, and counterintuitive to say that transitioning is overcoming cherub nature when it is in fact the very core of their nature... I'm also hesitant to say any aspect has a sexual sway outside of the fundamentally feminine space and masculine time, though I can concede that clowns being men in Caliborn's paradigm would lend itself toward Caliborn associating rage with masculinity (the same way Calliope genders certain classes based on her preconceptions?), and therefore making attempts to feminise the hope bloodline?