#HE got to fucking STICK IT!!!!!! to vriska

[thatlittledandere]

Alright I'll bite for the Homestuck ship asks o.o (I barely have any understanding of Homestuck so I'm just picking things I recognize asdhklf): Favourite canon ship? Favourite rare ship? Do you have a crackship? Do you self-ship with any character? Do you use the quadrants in real life? Comfort ship(s)?

Yey thank uwu

Favorite canon ship: MEOWRAILSSS Nepeta and Equius make me so so emotional they deserved more time together frrr 😭😭♦️♦️♦️

Favorite rare ship: I don't know if I ship anything rare... Tavris isn't as popular as some others for either of them..? And I guess I do ship it now there's no other word for my condition. They're terrible together it compels me. Forever holding out for pitch tavris but unfortunately kismesis requires some level of mutuality and well. Tavros and Vriska just are not on an equal standing in any capacity ever. So there's that

Do you have any crack ships? As a rule of thumb no, never. It doesn't even cross my mind to ship characters without some catalyst in canon. Like straight up the thought doesn't occur to me. There needs to be something there to catch my attention and if there is something there in canon it isn't a crack ship by definition;;

Do you self-ship with any character? I got over my crush on Eridan now I'm stuck with this bitch of a boyfriend who I just can't stop pitying in the platonic, human sense of the word. Might fuck around and adopt him next

Do you use the quadrants in real life? WISH I COULD real life kismesis especially could be interesting tbh, but only if it's done PROPERLY and not the watered down misinterpreted version you know. Kismesis isn't just enemies to lovers it isn't hatefucking it isn't even just a love-hate relationship all of these definitions have some truth to them but are reductive. Where is the begrudging respect where is the strive to be stronger and to push the other to better themself as well where is the fundamental equality in mutual one-upping and catching up-- when Karkat talks I LISTEN

Ok I do use the quadrants to describe my feelings for characters so that's like, 50% real life I guess

Comfort ship/s? I never understood the whole comfort character/ship thing tbh like I guess I sorta get what it means but also the terms just don't fit in my mouth.

Homestuck ship asks

[thewertsearch]

TC: BuT WhAt i mOtHeRfUcKiN NeEd, My bRoThEr… TC: AsIdE Of pLoWiNg nOsE FuCkInG FiRsT InTo a bItChIn pAn oF TeNaCiOuS MuCiLaGe TC: Is tO ChEcK OuT WhAt sLaMs yOu cAn sTiCk iN My dUcTs!

Now, I’m not saying Gamzee’s definitely flirting here – but I am saying that if Gamzee was to flirt, this would be exactly the kind of shit he’d say.

TC: GoD DaAaAaAaAaAaAaMn. YoU ArE DeAlIn sOmE HeArTy rEpRoAcH ToNiGhT. TC: FlYiNg fUcKiN HiGh, MaN. TC: HiGhEr tHaN A LaUgHsAsSiN Up oN ThE MoThErFuCkIn gRiEf tRaPeZe. TC: HiGhEr tHaN A SuBjUgGlAtOr gEtTiN HiS WeEp oN FoR ThE VaSt hOnK I BeLiEvE In tO CoMe.

We have an almost immediate reference to subjugglation. I'm willing to bet that Gamzee is an amnesiac ghost - and it seems his memories are returning a lot faster than John’s.

Well, Gamzee? Are you proud of what you’re starting to recall, or ashamed?

TC: MoThErFuCk iT, mOtHeRfUcKeR! TC: PuRe mAgIc iS AlL WhEn tHeRe bE HaTcHiN Of gRuBs TC: I'Ve sEeN ShIt tHaT WoUlD ShOcK YoUr lOoKsTuBs TC: I PeEpEd oN A PlAcE Of 6 tRiLlIoN HeMoS TC: AlL Up aT OnE RoCk, BlEeDiNg aS EqUaLs

lmao, I just realized that this is probably the ‘worst rap-off in Paradox Space’ that we cut away from in early Hivebent. I bet the fandom was just clamoring to hear this one.

TC: It's eAsY To sEe iF YoU SeArCh aLl yOuR FeElInS TC: ThAt pEaCe hApPeNs fIrSt, AnD MuRdEr's tHe sEqUeL

I doubt if macabre lines like this featured in the original memory, though. Has Tavros noticed that something's up yet?

TC: WhEn wE Up aNd sTaRt tO KiCk aT ThIs rEd TeAm NoIsE, TC: YoU ShOuLd mAkE YoUr wAy tO GeT YoUr hAnG On aT My hIvE. AT: oH, yES, tOTALLY, TC: We cOuLd sPlIt a tIn oF ThE PiMpEsT SnEeZe i gOt oN HaNd, BaKeD Up aLl sPeCiAl fOr yOu. TC: AnD ThEn mAyBe mAkE OuT A LiTtLe.

Oh my god, haha

Was this part of the original conversation, then? Because it really wouldn’t be too surprising if Gamzee was into the guy. Like I said, they vibe extremely well.

Hell, that might even be one of the reasons why Gamzee lost his mind when he did. He snapped around the same time that Tavros was killed; perhaps the loss of his friend and crush was what finally pushed a soporless Gamzee over the edge.

Ahahahaha, he's considering it!

I mean, when your only other option is Vriska, literally anyone else would feel like an upgrade.

[pesterloglog]

Tavros Crocker, Harry Anderson Egbert, Vrissy Maryam-Lalonde, Vriska Serket

Page 206-207

TAVROS: We appear to be,,, in no uncertain terms,,, completely surrounded,

TAVROS: I don't wish to come across as pessimistic,,, but,

TAVROS: It's hard to see what possibilities we have, for a plan of escape,,,

HARRY: there has to be something we can do!

HARRY: my dad is counting on us to get out of here and meet up with him.

TAVROS: Well,,,

TAVROS: I'm also not wishing to be rude, but,,,,,

VRISSY: It's Ok8y Tavvy, I don't Give A Shit a8out being rude.

VRISSY: Harry, your dad's plan fucking SUCKS.

VRISSY: There's no Easy w8y out of this.

VRISSY: It was simple enough for him to Tell us to escape, 8ut we're the ones th8t Have to 8ctually DO it!

VRISSY: And that advice he gave you?

VRISSY: It was All a load of Meaningless 8ullshit!

VRISSY: "Don't get caught."

VRISSY: Yeah, No Shit!!!!!!!!

HARRY: ok, wow. :/

HARRY: vrissy, i know this is a stressful predicament but i think that's going too far.

HARRY: my dad believes in us.

HARRY: and if he thinks there's something we can do, then there has to be a way!

HARRY: it's the only possibility.

VRISSY: Ok8y, how A8out This for an alternative explan8tion.

VRISSY: Your dad is Giddy and High on the Thrill of Something Interesting h8ppening in his life For Once!

HARRY: i don't believe this.

HARRY: i've been waiting for my dad to start talking to me again for what feels like forever.

HARRY: you KNOW that!

HARRY: and you couldn't just be happy for me this one time?

VRISSY: Oh my GOD Harry 8nderson.

VRISSY: I know you've spent So much Time crying into your d8tenight Popcorn a8out this but Please give it a 8reak!

VRISSY: Just LISTEN to me for once.

VRISSY: This isn't a8out your hangups with your Dad, okay?!

VRISSY: We're in the middle of a WAR.

VRISSY: A War th8t is, in some part, His Fault!

VRISSY: And instead of Taking Responsibility and 8cting like a Grown Up, he decided to Rope us all into this Ins8ne Game he thinks he's pl8ying!

TAVROS: Vrissy,,,, i don't think that's fair,

TAVROS: Uncle john isn't to blame for this,,,

HARRY: yeah, no shit tav.

HARRY: this whole situation is because of YOUR insane hitlermom.

TAVROS: Ok, now,,,

TAVROS: That was uncalled for,,,

VRISSY: Yeah Harry, not cool.

HARRY: oh what, so you're gonna just pretend that his mom *isn't* a literal dictator?

HARRY: he doesn't need you to stick up for him, vrissy! he's fucking loaded!

VRISSY: Harry, all of our families are O8scenely Wealthy.

VRISSY: We're standing in your mom's 8outique living room! You can't exactly pl8y a Privilege Card here!

VRISSY: And Tavros, you don't have to Defend Mister Eg8ert just 8ecause you feel weird a8out him trying to kidnap you that one time.

VRISSY: If 8nything, you should 8e on My Side here!

VRISSY: John's clearly got a Tr8ck Record of doing 8nything for a moment of excitement without thinking of the Consequences.

VRISKA: (Grr........)

VRISSY: And Look wh8t h8ppened!

VRISSY: Remember what he did on Harry's 8irthday that one time?

TAVROS: (I told you that,,, in strictest confidence,,,)

VRISSY: Tavros, he could h8ve Killed you!

VRISSY: Why Else do you think you're such a Wimpy, Traumatized 8a8y?

TAVROS: Ok, that,,, isn't the reason for that,,,

TAVROS: And,

VRISKA: (Grrrrrrrr........)

TAVROS: I feel like your implied, "concern", for my childhood wellbeing,

TAVROS: Is less sincere,,, than it is,,, an attempt to weaponize something difficult for me,

TAVROS: In order that you can win an argument,,, with harry anderson,,,,,

VRISKA: GRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

VRISKA: WILL YOU ALL JUST

VRISKA: SHUT!!!!!!!!

VRISKA: UP!!!!!!!!

TAVROS: :O

HARRY: :O

VRISSY: :O

VRISKA: I feel like I'm going fucking insane.

VRISKA: Is it weepy wiggler tantrum hour, or are the three of you always this pathetic????????

VRISKA: No8ody answer that, it was 8ulge-achingly rhetorical.

VRISKA: Just keep quiet for a moment while I insult you some more.

VRISKA: Vrissy, you're cool and all, 8ut I'm getting tired of this teen nonsense.

VRISKA: John's "advice" totally 8lows, 8ut at least he understands what needs to 8e done.

VRISKA: Don't insult my friends. Only I get to do that.

VRISKA: Tavros, stop 8eing such a wimp.

VRISKA: No8ody has time for this pansy clownery!

VRISKA: Do you remem8er what happened to the last clown I had to deal with?

TAVROS: (Gulp,,,)

VRISKA: Yeah, I thought so.

VRISKA: And Harry, listen.

VRISKA: Neither you nor your friends have anything really important going on.

VRISKA: Your lives and your planet are a total 8ore!

VRISKA: 8ut somehow John loves you anyway.

VRISKA: Try and be fucking gr8ful for that every once in a while.

VRISKA: Not everyone is so lucky.

VRISKA: Anyway, forget his advice. John wasn't counting on you to get us out of this.

VRISKA: He was counting on me!

VRISKA: So from now on, everyone just follow my lead and do what I say.

VRISKA: And if that doesn't sound like a good enough deal to you, then...

VRISKA: Just,

VRISKA: Stay out of my way.

HARRY: ...

VRISSY: ...

TAVROS: ,,,

VRISKA: Alright! I'm glad you can at least recognize when a grown-up is talking.

VRISKA: Harry. Go to your room.

HARRY: um... what?

HARRY: no??

HARRY: you're not my mom.

VRISKA: And no8ody is more gr8ful for that fact than me!

VRISKA: You need to arm yourself, stupid.

VRISKA: None of you even have a way to fight!

HARRY: oh.

VRISKA: Here. Take this.

HARRY: what is it?

VRISKA: It's your stupid face is what it is!!!!!!!!

VRISKA: Hahahaha, just kidding. It's a spare strife speci8us.

VRISKA: You wanna prove you'd make it on Alternia?

VRISKA: Take this and go gra8 a weapon.

VRISKA: Meet us 8ack here in a min8.

HARRY: a... what?

VRISKA: A MINUTE, GOD!!!!!!!!

HARRY: alright alright, i'm going.

[findingtheperfectcharacter]

The third most awful rap battle in all of paradox space 👀 I’m a sucker for silly/long winded titled stuff.

BOTH OF THE ASKS I GOT ENDED UP BEING ABOUT THIS ONE AND I’M DJDJDJDJDHD

Smaller info tidbits <3

-While Technically Tavros could look like anything in Dream Bubbles, he tends to go for his wheelchair because he honestly has a better sense of motor control using it than either his robot legs or his old ones (Vriska described the accident as happening sweeps ago at least once, and since a sweep is ~two years and Tavros is 13, it’s likely he’s been using his wheelchair since he was the human equivalent of 7-9. It just makes sense in my head Idk.)

-50/50 on Gamzee being here because I fucking love the few seconds of dynamic they had and he’s the ultimate hypegirl and I have VERY mixed feelings on them… But those mixed feelings are also the ‘why’ because I feel like he has 10 different characterizations in canon and it’s WEIRD to think about how they meld? I might just stick with my earliest reads of it combined with Vibes? Because they also rn serve the story purpose of ‘give Tavros a second person to talk to who he’s close to since he barely interacts with Aradia so it’d feel… Weird-)

-Shout out to ‘wHat, pfft, I don’t hate Dave. i Like being around him! hE’s way too smug though, even when i know i’ve got him cornered he still acts like he won somehow. iT makes me want to write something so impressive he won’t be able to hide anything from me, something that’ll tear him to bits- make him know that i SEE him and he can hide all he wants but i’ll get him and tear his mask off-

… oH.’ Or something on that level. See also: ‘he’d probably get better at this faster if he didn’t insist on basing all of his beats on whatever he’s thinking about at the moment.’

(Undecided because so far the fic’s entirely from Tavros’ perspective so this is just… Me mentally peeking. Pretty much as I’m writing this) ‘Yes, I’m sure he’s deeply incompetent. That’s why Yesturday you were as calm and still as a glass of water while talking to me.’

‘damn right I was, Dave, king of the chill. Like fucking ice water really, so still, so gentle.’

‘Sounds like the worst way to spend a night.’

‘no no, I’m gentle, but firm and stiff. Like an oak in the breeze.’

‘I would have thought a rock comparison would be more apt.’

‘well you would have thought wrong.’

‘… If he gets you this easily. Why not just leave? It’s not like you have no one else to talk to.’

Dave thought about the way he felt when they fought, the way his heart pounded and the rush throughout his soul. The way he’d lose balance occasionally, the thrill he’d get when he managed to get a genuine emotional hit on Tavros- especially considering he’d made a goal not to use cheap shit in his attacks… Even though he tried to never give him the satisfaction of knowing he lost… They both knew when he did and it only made him want to get better, to prove he could do better. And when he won…

He wanted to see him again anyway.

‘no one around here’s worth talking to and you know it. He’s annoying but it’s better than being boring.’

…

Whoops I think I wrote an actual passage while trying to peek- WELP- granted it’s too blunt to be in the fic proper.

[chronicangel]

lavender moon: Intermission 1

Link to this fic on AO3. Words: 2000 Date posted: January 21, 2025

The intermissions for this fic are written from the perspectives of other characters, are shorter than main story chapters, and are not essential to understand the rest of the fic! This one is about Karkat and Terezi.

She drags him with her until her back is pressed against a wall and he’s pulled flush against her, and he leans down to kiss her if only to get that shit-eating grin off her face. He pulls away just as fast as he’d kissed her, though he doesn’t go very far, to murmur, “Terezi, I’m supposed to be on-duty. And I need to finish packing my shit tonight.”

She rolls her eyes, milky white layered over a pale blue-green, and he thinks he might be the only person in the world who remembers what color they were. She’d probably make fun of him for that. “I get to see you once a year. Why am I being punished because you procrastinated packing your shit?”

He thinks about commenting on her language, but he figures now is not the time. “I didn’t procrastinate, Terezi, I was busy.”

“Busy with what?” she snorts derisively. “Having a pissing contest with the prince, no doubt. Karkat, if you want people to take you seriously as a leader, maybe you should try being less insecure about it.”

“Fuck off,” he huffs, and as he tries to pull away, she locks her arms around his shoulders and pulls him in for another kiss.

Though the prince and princess had left the ceremonial hall immediately after the wedding, no doubt to consummate the marriage, the large room is still full of guests—guests Karkat is supposed to be helping to monitor. There had been some nerves in the weeks leading up to the wedding that protests might break out, that the citizens of Prospit still might not approve of the king’s choice in suitor for their princess. With Jade cleared out of the room and away from danger, that’s most of the worry assuaged, but technically, John and their father are still in there for who knows what reason. If there was an assassination attempt and Karkat was in another room getting handsy with a noblewoman, he cannot imagine the kind of shit that would come his way, even if it failed. He’s risking a lot to sneak away with her.

She’s worth the risk, though, as much as he wishes she weren’t.

The unfortunate thing about being in love is that they’ve both got noble obligations. Even though Vriska’s family’s social standing is only barely higher than Terezi’s, Terezi is still technically her lady-in-waiting. Oh how Karkat would kill to have been privy to the conversation where they decided that. Likewise, he’s a knight—no, not just a knight, the princess’ personal guard. If he was just a knight, they’d probably keep him in Prospit. He could probably even bargain to be sent to the capital city where Vriska and Terezi live with the amount of experience he has. But Jade is going to Derse, and his duty is to Jade, so he’s getting shipped off to Derse, too.

He can’t bring himself to be entirely upset about it. As much as he’ll miss Terezi, he does care about Jade. It’s hard to be responsible for someone’s personal safety for so many years and not care about them, he thinks. He’d have to be some sort of Serket-level sociopath obsessed only with wealth and power and his own social status not to have developed something akin to a friendship with the princess��if for no other reason than because he was one of the only people she had when they were children. Plus, he owes her. It was only because Jade advocated for him in the first place that the royal family actually let him train as a knight. Without her, he’d still be begging for scraps in the ruins of what used to be Beforus.

“You’re distracted,” she murmurs against his mouth, and he lets out a grunt that he thinks sounds vaguely apologetic and slides his hands down her waist to cup the backs of her thighs and pick her up off the floor. He’s not sure which one of them hates the stupid dresses they stick her in more. At least she’s not wearing one of those stupid fucking cages this time, just regular, flat layers that bunch up at her waist fairly easily.

When his hand makes contact with her bare thigh, he sucks in a sharp breath and pulls away, looking around like someone might be watching them. “Not here,” he murmurs, and she rolls her eyes again.

“You are so paranoid,” she says, but she slides out of his hold without any argument. She knows as well as he does how bad it would be if they got caught.

It’s not that they can’t be together, not in the traditional sense. It’s not forbidden or anything. He didn’t take a vow of celibacy when he was knighted, and she’ll be expected to marry someone someday. He thinks that as a moderately high-ranking soldier he’s probably got the social standing to toss his name into the ring, if nothing else.

It’s just that this isn’t the time or place. If he was smarter than he is, or maybe just less smitten, he’d have turned down her advances, pulled his hand away from her when she started to pull him away from the party, and stayed at his post. Unfortunately, he isn’t smarter than he is, or any less smitten, so here they are.

“I bet the knights’ quarters are empty,” she says, with another one of those shit-eating grins, and he groans and drags a hand down his face.

“Why do you always want to do it in the most insanely fucking risky places possible?”

“It adds to the thrill.” She grabs his hand again and starts tugging on his arm. It’s not like she can actually take them there, though, considering that she’s never been in the knights’ quarters, or in this castle at all, and considering the fact that she’s completely fucking blind. He lets her pull him until she starts to lead them in the wrong direction, anyway.

When they get to the knights’ quarters, she wastes no time at all in practically tackling him with another kiss, and he moves his hands to her shoulders to push her away a little bit—not out of the kiss, mind you, just a little less all over him. She doesn’t respond well to this, and she pulls away to look up at him with furrowed brows and say, “What’s wrong?”

She’s going to think that he’s being stupid. He knows that she is because he is being stupid.

“I just,” he starts, fumbling for the right words. He looks at her face, all twisted with concern, and he swallows. “It might be a long time before I get to see you again. I don’t want to rush this,” he finally mumbles.

Something in her face softens, which he didn’t think she was even capable of. Terezi is always all sharp lines and angles. Sometimes, out of the corner of his eye, he’s certain that her teeth are actually pointed.

She pulls away from him to sit down on a bed—not his bed, just the nearest one she can find. The bedrooms in the knights’ quarters are four beds to a room. His room has fortunately been mostly empty for most of his service—him and Nitram and whatever idiots get sent to the castle for a few months before inevitably being sent back to the capital. Right now, that bed is Dave’s.

“Do you really think it’s going to be that long? I mean, longer than usual?” she asks, and she does a good job at masking her insecurity—a much better job than he’s ever done.

He wants to believe that it won’t. Surely Derse must have holidays, too, must let their soldiers see their families from time to time. Karkat doesn’t have any family, so he’s always gone with Kanaya to the capital city where her mother lives and stayed with the Serkets and the Pyropes, who have lived together much longer than he’s been in Prospit. But if he’s being realistic, even if there are holidays, he probably won’t get to see Terezi for them. It takes two days to get to Skaia from the castle by carriage, and Derse’s capital of Vale is a two-day carriage ride in the opposite direction. If he gets a week off, he wouldn’t even have time to travel back and forth. Sure, she doesn’t have any year-round obligation to Vriska, and if he’s not living in the hyper-protected castle where they’ve kept the princess locked up her whole life, she could come to visit him, but if being in the Dersite army is anything like the training regimens Dave has been putting them through the last three months, he’s not sure he’ll have any time to see her.

He sinks down onto the edge of his bed, their knees touching through the silk of her dress and the cotton of his pants. “I don’t know,” he answers, because that’s easier.

She sees through him, like she always does. For a blind woman, she sees so much. “What if we just ran away together? Steal a horse, sneak out tonight, and ride off to one of the countries in the west. I’ve heard it’s nice and warm there, since you’re such a baby about the cold.”

He snorts. “Terezi, we can’t run away. For one, they’d never let us over the border dressed like this on a horse belonging to the royal family.”

“And for two?”

It’s his turn to roll his eyes. “And for two, I didn’t actually have a second reason, dumbass. We just can’t.”

They’re both quiet for a long minute. Her eyes drop down to her lap, as though she could actually see his face if she kept looking at it and she doesn’t want to see his expression. He knows he must look miserable, but she has no reason to know that. “Am I ever going to see you again at all?” she asks, and her voice is so small he almost doesn’t hear it.

His chest squeezes painfully. For just a second, he hates Dave and Jade for making him do this. Then he thinks of Jade all alone in Derse, and he brings his hands up to run through his hair. “You can’t get rid of me that easy,” he says, and he hopes he sounds reassuring.

She does smile, for whatever that’s worth—and it’s worth a lot, to him. “And what if I just never let you leave?” she says, with a teasing edge, and her grin isn’t anywhere near as sharp or bright as it usually is, but it’s there, at least.

He snorts again and reaches out to grab one of her wrists and haul her into his lap. She settles into it so easily, like she belongs there, and he slides his hands down to the curve of her waist while leaning his face closer to hers. “Yeah? And how the fuck are you going to manage that?”

She takes the bait, leaning down to kiss him and really grinning against his mouth now, and he lets out a relieved sigh through his nose as he kisses her back. Her hands slide up to his chest, and he can barely feel it through the leather and steel of his brigandine, but he feels her push him back until he’s flat on his back and she’s settled over him with a wide grin.

If Tavros finds them in bed together later that night, he’s gracious enough not to say anything. Peeling himself away from her so he can start throwing the last of his shit into the small trunk all of his belongings are stuffed into is the most painful thing he’s ever had to do. Second most painful, maybe, after having to look at her still sleeping in his bed when it’s time for him to go. He leans down to press a kiss against her forehead and murmurs, “I’ll see you later, Pyrope.”

[saltisboring]

thinking of chbstuck so uhm… here’s some camp stuff!!!! I make my favs very clear

SO HERES LITTLE SCENARIOS AB THEM!!!!

INFO <— link to the main CHBstuck post, which contains who’s a kid of who, who’s at what camp, and some art :3

ARCHERY LESSONS

now this is complicated…. Because neither Apollo twins (Dave + Rose) know how the fuck to use a bow. Its more of,, them calling for their dad like “pls don’t let us fuck it up” and Apollo just kinda “okay be cool”

Like, Dave got more of the music aspect of Apollo, along with some healing and yk,, flocks (haha I’m so funny) and Rose got light, arts, and also a bit of healing as a treat. So idk why they’re expected to run the archery practice but they are!!! Because they’re kinda either the oldest Apollo kids, or simply the only ones,,

(Context on “the only ones” is just trials of Apollo, i imagine he’d be less uhh careless with the number of kids he has after THAT experience lol)

(Haven’t decided if canon should be canon bc,, that’d just make this a crossover but also TRIALS!!!!! anyways)

Chiron makes an effort to lead as many as he can, but he can’t exactly control when he’s needed elsewhere lol

the twins just kinda make sure to give offerings every night like “don’t let us fuck this up PLEASE” it’s great

Equius is a big enthusiast of these lessons, even if he isn’t very,, good? He tries but (like in canon) he just can’t get the right amount of pressure to put on it?

June is also surprisingly okay with a bow and arrow!! She’s just cool like that B)

Jade tried once and never again. Her hands were shaky and she almost shot someone’s eye out?? Didn’t matter too much to her tho, she’s much batter at hand-to-hand and sword fighting.

———

DND CLUB

now I kinda already said who has in the club, but I never rlly talked about it much!!! So here’s that

Review: dnd club is basically the flarp group, except restricted to dnd bc they larped too hard and Mr.D and the Apollo kids were tired of all the injuries lol!! Its Tav, aradia, vriska, and terezi, tho I might add more nerds in the future even though they’re not,, yk,, the flarpers

Anyways Vriska DMs and is so insufferable about it but they’re too into the story now to really give up?? Plus fighting so much can be fun sometimes

Theres also the honorary members, who r just spectators that come by to watch their friends play!! That would be June and Sollux lawl (might add more)

———

CAPTURE THE FLAG

ohhhh boy do these games get heated. Listen, okay, when you restrict a group of kids from hurting eachother while role playing, what makes you think they won’t take advantage of a game that is literally just that…

Vriska is the CTF equivalent to those try hard gym kids (being a daughter of Nike). She is just so extremely into the game it’s insane!!!

Hephaestus kids also kinda also go hard, yk finding an excuse to test out the stuff they make!! Dirk more than anything, and also to kinda test out his strengths n shit cuz he’s lame

Dave and Rose sit on the sidelines because,, healing and also they have an excuse to sit out so they WILL be sitting out

Gamzee is usually put to watch and guard the flag idk it just makes sense? He doesn’t mind tho, he just sits around and fends it off when he can.

Karkat and Feferi seem like the type that would sort of scout the area? Like, while someone guards the flag difectly, they stop any surprise attacks from a bit father. Feferi tends to stick next to the lake, and Karkat is just placed wherever (he is, after all, luck).

While I do think Terezi and Vriska would make such a good leader combo for CTF, I have a small little feeling that Mr.D already has them clocked and just does not let them team up because that is too many injuries!!!! It only reduces them by a bit tho, being on opposite sides simply making them a taaad bit more competitive

———

HORSEBACK RIDING

The amount of accidents is actually insane,,, though it’s more of bruising than anything that would need Apollo kid action.

I don’t even have to tell you the people who would have an absolute blast.

Nepeta and Equius hang out near the stables the most, but that doesn’t mean the pegasi are any less loved :3 Gosh, they are definitely pampered.

Dave probably falls off the most often — not because he’s not skilled, but because he forgets he has to actually hold on (It makes sense to me, trust).

June really really enjoys flying around. That’s not exactly a big scenario, I just felt like that needed to be included. She likes the freedom that comes with it!!

———

I have more ideas for Canoe racing and the chariot stuff,, however words are hard so take the other brainrot instead :3

[stephenleasheppard]

This was going to be a comment but it got too long, because I'm procrastinating going grocery shopping. Let me tell you about Homestuck.

Homestuck is/was a multimedia webcomic by Andrew Hussie that ran from 2009 to 2016, a followup to his previous successful (but not nearly as successful as Homestuck) comic of a similar format, Problem Sleuth.

Here's where I'm going to go deeper into the weeds and talk about Jailbreak, the comic Hussie did before Problem Sleuth. Jailbreak started out as an audience participation comic on the Penny Arcade Forums -- it didn't have a website of its own, just a forum thread. Hussie would upload a panel (crudely drawn in MS Paint, for speed), people would reply with suggestions for what the protagonist could try next as he attempts to escape his jail cell, and then Hussie would pick the prompt he liked most and upload a new panel based on it, often in a way that trolled the prompter and the readers -- like, he'd draw an object in the background half-visible in the frame that looked like it would be useful, someone would reply "Use that thing to escape the cell" and then he'd draw a followup revealing that the other half of the object, not visible in the previous page, was damaged or ridiculous in a way that made it useless. Because he was basically drawing stick figures in MS Paint, it went quickly, and he could upload multiple pages per day, so it got popular.

He never finished Jailbreak but he did make a webpage, MS Paint Adventures, and did Problem Sleuth as a followup, integrating the audience text prompt thing into the webcomic interface. Problem Sleuth was more visually sophisticated but still looked basically like stick figures drawn in MS Paint. Almost every page of Problem Sleuth was a single image, some text underneath, and an input field where readers could type suggestions for the next page. The combination of audience participation, the audience-trolling nature of Hussie's sense of humor, and a rapid upload pace got Problem Sleuth a dedicated audience.

Eventually Problem Sleuth ended (proper ending and all this time) and Hussie took the website infrastructure he'd developed for it and rolled it forward into Homestuck. Homestuck, like Problem Sleuth, is a webcomic where almost every page is a single image with a caption, and at the start it also had an audience prompt field for readers to suggest the contents of the next page. (He eventually took it down because he was getting so many prompts he could just do whatever he liked because there was always one that fit his plans, so he figured why bother anymore; the removal of the prompt was integrated into the comic's plot.) Because Problem Sleuth had been successful, all the factors that lead to its success lead to Homestuck having a big initial huge audience, and Hussie (at least initially) often uploaded four or five pages per day, which kept people visiting frequently.

Homestuck also quickly became experimental. It often incorporates music, looping .gifs, or flash animation into its pages, all things he'd experimented with in previous works but significantly more often with Homestuck. He collaborated with a bunch of different musicians to provide really great music for it, including Undertale's Toby Fox (who apparently once spent six months living in Hussie's basement while he was working on Undertale). Megalovania's in there as a character's theme music.

It's important to understand when you look at Homestuck and think "What the fuck is this? How was this successful?" that it existed in a specific context -- Hussie had an established audience and the release format was designed to drive audience engagement. He's also been pretty open about designing it to be popular -- it's got a big cast of rotating protagonists, including two different sets of twelve characters who are color-coded, based on zodiac signs, and designed so that no matter who you are there's probably one you'll really like (Vriska) and at least two you'll love to hate (Vriska). That plus the rapid release schedule plus the fact that you never knew when you were going to log in to discover that the next "page" has a bangin' music piece or flash animation or is actually a twenty-minute interactive point and click adventure game essentially made for fandom catnip.

In terms of story, the premise is that it's about four online friends stuck playing a magic video game where the win condition is you get to create a new universe, occasionally interacting with a group of aliens (grey-skinned, candy-corn-horned "trolls") who also played the game and lost, all communicating through an online chat client while physically exploring their game sessions. In terms of format, it is probably the most successful use of the idea of Scott McCloud (I don't like a lot of what he has to say but credit where it's due)'s "infinite canvass," the idea that online webcomics don't have to look like comics in print, but can experiment with form like music and animation and interactivity in a way print books cannot.

Nobody but tumblr talks about it anymore but for its time it was everywhere. There was a period between about 2010 and 2018 where you could not go to a convention without seeing absolutely massive numbers of Homestuck cosplayers. It was a cultural phenomenon for its time.

People think of it fondly because it was fandom catnip and did genuinely interesting things with narrative format that no work has done since, and because people are still attached to the bits of it they loved the most.

People think of it as a curse because it was very of its time, and often around 75% audience trolling by volume, and so required a certain specific sense of humor to enjoy. Homestuck fans tended to be idiosyncratic tweens, teens, and twentysomethings who often made people uncomfortable with their enthusiasm -- in modern parlance, it was very cringe. Those same people are now older and caught between affection and embarrassment. There have also been a few scandals about Hussie himself since, specifically that he allegedly misused funds from the Homestuck video game kickstarter to fund the end-of-comic animation and that he made unreasonable demands of the people writing the less-popular, somewhat controversial followup comic Homestuck^2, and that he seems to be kind of a jerk.

Personally I'm not embarrassed; I think reading it would be a great use of a couple of weekends even now. It's still available on the Homestuck webpage and I think all the Flash animations have now been converted to formats modern browers can read. But it's very much not for everyone and I wouldn't tell anyone to keep reading it if it's not maintaining their interest.

Problem Sleuth is also pretty great.

ok something is bothering me and i need to ask about it

what the fuck is a homestuck

tumblr is the only place that mentions homestuck, literally i've never seen it mentioned anywhere else - atleast in my experience, yet i'ts been mentioned on alot of the posts i've seen?? it's being treated like some sort of curse but also it's weirdly treasured??? i've directly gone through the tag but no one has mentioned anything about the plot literally the only thing i know is that it's a comic????

[skips-is-asleep]

Everyone shut up this is trolls with autism part 2: fav stims/textures

These were getting really long so I may make a part 3 about comfort foods in a separate post

Aradia: obviously, her hair, she loves playing with it, braiding it adding things to it etc, but I bet when she was younger she was a Hair/shirt chewer and idk why but I feel like she'd also just like breaking things. Not smashing, but snapping pasta noodles, brittle bones, or sticks, that sort of thing. She has a chewy necklace, but it's not a tough grade one like Terezi needs. If she doesn't have something MEANT to be chewed, her shirts get holes in them. Also toe walker. Least favorite texture: when your hands have been wet for a really long time and your nails are all dried out

Tavros: he has jewelry that's for stimming, like bracelets with little spinny parts or that you take off and play with, but before that, it was rubber bracelets or hair ties that he'd never even use as intended. He has a fidget spinner and a pop socket too and you could pry them from his cold dead hands. Tavros is also very very good at shuffling cards because he just really likes the noise it makes when they all flutter together. Least favorite texture: course grade sandpaper

Sollux: pen clicking, leg bouncing, he fucks with his piercings even though he knows he's not supposed to. Often he doesn't even realize he's doing it until someone loses their mind at him for it and tells him to stop. Sometimes, if he can, he'll pull up a whole new word document/notepad and just start typing nonsense bc the act of typing on a keyboard or tapping on a screen just feels good. If anyone opened up one of these notepads, they'd just be random descriptions of what's around him or complete gibberish. Also see the link for other Sollux stim headcanons. Least favorite texture: every and all slimes

Karkat: Skin picking, absolutely, especially around his fingers. He copes by painting his nails and picking that off and it's saved his skin forever. But he also loves silicon toys, the little brush ones I mean, and anything meant to be taken apart and put back together, bonus points if it's those ones that make the little pop and click noises when you do so. Karkat also likes pop-its, yeah I said it, someone has to like them. Another link for more karkat (and more Sollux) headcanons Least favorite texture: metal + teeth

Nepeta: she's also a chewer, but she likes very hard things, nothing squishy. It's all bones, wood, plastic that kinda thing, her favorite is straws. She's also a big fan of messy crafts, like finger painting, getting her hands in the mud/shaving cream that kind of thing, she just likes being messy, making a mess but doesn't like cleaning it. Yeah and toe walking. Least favorite texture: tin foil

Kanaya: she doesn't sew AS a stim, but she does sew a really long running stitch, intentionally neglect to tie it off just so she can pull the thread out, insanely soothing to her. Also anything that's meant to be gently tapped against her face, like a makeup sponge or very soft rag is A++ Anything that jingles when she walks (jewelery but also heavily beaded fabrics) are perfect. She also loves running her nails over things, specifically tapping with them. Least favorite texture: burlap

Terezi: we've got another intense chewer. She sits right between aradia and Nepeta. They like hard things, but obviously hard as in crunchy. We knew they eat chalk but also ice, stale bread, that kind of thing, things meant to be eaten and crunchy. She's also the type to just draw all over herself with markers, the wet + cool sensation of markers going over skin is everything. least favorite texture: braille

Vriska: Hair, like moving it around/out of her hair constantly and dice. She plays with them, rolls them when theres no reason to, sometimes chews them but it's pretty rare and the oral fixation is only with dice. Idk what they're called, but the little game with the dice under the plastic dome and you push it and it pops the dice everywhere? Yeah. She also likes ripping/cutting paper a lot and will steal magazines to rip/cut them up. Least favorite texture: cotton balls

Equius: Equius is also a hair stimmer, softly brushing it. I think he *used* to hit himself in stressful situation but because he's so strong, that's obvi not an option anymore (that's why he has the battle bots) but he also just likes breaking things as in destroying them. In humanstuck, I think he regularly visits those places where you're put in a room with a bat just to smash old TV's and shit. Least favorite texture: rusty metal

Gamzee: definitely noise based stimming, his horns, little bells and squeaky toys, but also he loves just...watching wheels spin. Will sit for hours with his unicycle upside down watching the wheel go. Also beaded curtains. I think growing up on the beach, he'd also really like the texture of wet sand, touching it, walking barefoot on it, making imprints of it, that sort of thing. Least favorite texture: bugs with legs

Eridan: Spiny rings spiny rings spiny rings. At least half of his rings spin/click/or make some kind of noise, also just the sound of rings clinking on things is itself a stim. I think he likes those silicon brushes too, but he likes plucking them. Some of his books in his library aren't even meant to be read, he just will sit and turn the pages until he feels better. Idk if this counts a stim but I also think he copes by swimming to the deepest water he can stand and just laying there like a massive weighted blanket. Least favorite texture: wet paper

Feferi: hair, but also she has so many different fabrics in her outfit, they probably all have different textures that she likes touching. Feferi's a fan of squishy stuff, she likes slime, wet foods like puddings and jello. I'm sure they'd have slime that can be submerged in salt water, but above water she loves the very transparent jiggly slime. She also loves fucking with jelly fish and I bet she smacks the bulb on beluga whales for fun. Also assigned toe walker. Least favorite texture: concrete + bare feet

[davekat-sucks]

The reason they don't talk about it is because most of the fandom doesn't even want to acknowledge that Equius exists. They'd rather if he was just a bad fucking dream. Still others posit that he is literally their sexual abuser or something along those lines, made manifest in fiction. Thats what Equius is. Your rapist ex.

Thats what people genuinely believe about him. Yep. The dead horse.

Not Gamzee. The guy who canonically "sexually coerced a minor" (teenage Vriska) as a 40 year old guy, in Homestuck 2. This was a developement Hussie approved, OK'd and then shipped for public consumption. Gamzee "sexually coercing" Vriska is ACTUAL, HUSSIE-APPROVED CANON.

He definitely has no friends outside Nepeta. It was never fully explored. But yes I think she definitely would've made a difference in Equius if she was allowed to do that.

At the very least, her death, and him letting down Nepeta as a moirail and a friend, started something in Equius.

Despite him being adamant about the hemocaste and the supposed rules he and others must live by, at least he could see that what he did was wrong.

He understood that he hurt Nepeta, which he would never ever want to happen. He admitted his sins, and when confronted with Fefetasprite, he admitted to himself and others that he believes that he doesn't deserve forgiveness.

I'd say, that all that, coming from the most racist, stick-in-the-mud bastard, asshole character, is definitely something, and I think it should be noticed.

So yes, I think Nepeta tried what she could do so that Equius wouldn't be such a fucking piece a shit loser. With the best way possible. By being a light-hearted, loyal, lovely, silly friend who doesnt take things too seriously, and also tells Equius off when he's being a bastard.

I think Hussie also mentioned at one point, that Aradia was not under the influence of the heart-chip when she made the move. Almost immadiately after, the comic explains QUADRANT VACCILATION to the readers. Troll sure are alien and weird!

Yeah and the thing about Vriska... Aradia just simply doesn't give a shit anymore. On the pirate ship Vriska actually makes it a point to apologize to Aradia. But Aradia says not to think anything of it, because the wounds of the past doesnt fucking matter to her.

Because Aradia is INFINITELY more interested in "watching this whole place break apart :)" than be pissed because Vriska murdered her and crippled Tavros or whatever.

I genuinely think that she HONESTLY doesnt give a goddamn about SHITTY DICKHEAD BLUEBLOODS. And you know what? Absolutely fucking amazing for her! Hell yes, fuck haters, they dont fucking matter. Got bigger fish to fry.

And honestly? She wouldve had every right to COMPLETELY DESTROY Equius here, Sollux was right there too. Yet neither of them, nor Hussie decided to chew out or dunk on Equius. Eridan gets plenty of that.

But for some reason Equius seemingly only suffers, as much as he deserves. No more, no less.

No, instead of tearing into Equius, Aradia just says "im sorry, itwas a mistake for us to get involved :(" I think quite politely.

You'd think a dead horse, a complete joke of a fucking character, Equius, would deserve to get fucked with the painstick a little bit harder than that.

But no, Aradia is just like "sorry, it was a mistake", no telling him that he's a disgusting blueblood snob or whatever else. Neither does Sollux go for that either. If you remember, right before Aradiabot explodes on the meteor hideout, Sollux complains that "since she (aradia) became Equius' smoochbot they barely had any time to talk".

Which I guess means, that as fucked up as their relationship was I guess at least Sollux respected whatever Aradia had going on to not try to get involved in it, because Hussie couldve given him some choice lines regarding Equius. But he didnt.

Fitting for the Heir of Void to be left unnoticed by the fandom and the nu-fandom thinking he is nothing without Nepeta at his side. Probably for the best for him, because they probably would have spun him as some non-binary or trans because he had crossdressed as a maid in that Ministrife that one time. Though maybe not because he is mostly depicted as a muscular sweaty type. The modern fanbase don't like that body type. You have to be fat fat not muscle fat. Strange double-standards that Equius does not receive the harsh end compared to Eridan. I can only think that he did not get too much shit is probably because he is a highblood and Aradia is a lowblood. So him making out with Aradiabot (she is still a rusty as a ghost) and keeping her is all within his right compared to Eridan killing Feferi (who is the next Heiress). But that all ties in the hemocaste system that he would have to get over with. That and Equius is a part of Hussie in terms of liking horses. Not a full self insert, but like "Hey, I made this OC based on my weird interests in this one animal. So he is like a part of me in some way!" - Hussie

[dingodad]

my beautiful little mutual spencer asked a really interesting question which is that IF the subjugglators are responsible for the nightmares that trolls have, are the trolls going to still have nightmares with the subjugglators gone, and are they still going to need sopor slime to deal with those nightmares. so i checked my little sources. and this is the closest thing to an explanation andrew gives on formspring:

For the subjugglators in their small numbers to keep such a large population under their control, it would be very useful to have the ability to psychically amplify fears through dreams. They may have directed their chucklevoodoos on every susceptible mind in the population. Each lowblood may have a little highblood voodoo doll lurking in their subconscious, making them too terrified to organize any sort of rebellion.

we might guess from this that trolls' nightmares stem from a chucklevoodoo doll, which makes sense bc it's also where john and dave's nightmares et al. come from. so the next question might be whether we presume a clown's chucklevoodoo doll sticks around if that clown dies. and since gamzee never REALLY dies, i guess there's no way we can answer that for certain. but im going to go with yes, it sticks around? for a couple reasons.

chiefly that because of the whole dream self thing, there's not really any clear difference between a 'dream object' and a 'real object'... like, dream selves can dissolve into smoke, but generally speaking if you grab something from someones dream room and take it out of the dream room, it still exists as a regular object. an obvious example of this is lil cal; if gamzee got sucked into lil cal at the end of the comic, would that count as gamzee still "being around" to maintain lil cal's existence? it's interesting to think about it... but it's also implied to some degree that gamzee didn't even "create" lil cal, he just used his powers to pull him out of the void... so is that true for all chucklevoodoo dolls? kind of besides the point but still worth thinking about

there's also a question of practicality. like, if subjugglators are constantly controlling the fears of the population at all times, and a subjugglator dies, does another clown have to take over that guy's job and re-curse a bunch of kids... it would be stupid. but. pretty funny to think about. like having to cover your friend's shift at the nightmare factory. funny.

so im going to say the answer is that if you already had a nightmare doll when troll society blew up then you would keep it. and you might need therapy or maybe the good version of an evil clown to get rid of it. but if you were born after the collapse of alternia youre probably fine.

2 more questions though. what about ghosts. ghosts dont really have dream rooms cus they kind of ARE dream people? and we also dont know if they sleep at all. BUT we DO know kurloz could still fuck with meulin's brain while they were both dead. so do the ghosts on earth c for example still have evil fleas.

second question. more of a thought. in his formspring answer hussie also suggests gamzee could have been fucking with everyone on the meteor with his powers, i.e. messing with vriska's luck or terezi's investigative abilities. this has to make you wonder whether gamzee is messing with the voodoo dolls they presumably already have in their minds, or if he is like, adding them? like does your dream self bed just become one of those huge plushy walls over time as you get more and more traumatised

[tomatograter]

New to the fandom, Could you explain June? 💯 Love and support her. But homestuck 2 doesn't have her and I'm just confused?

June Egbert precedes the concept of homestuck^2! I’ve seen a lot of people be confused about this because they weren’t active on the fandom at the time the epilogues dropped, when reading her as a trans woman got a lot of discussion going and eventually lead to multiple confirmations.

So here’s an attempt at contextualization:

Throughout Homestuck, a few key ideas about Egbert’s identity and motivation to push forward with her hero’s journey are dropped like breadcrumbs. She’s meant to play the default straight-man protagonist. Her defining traits are ridiculously… generic, when compared to how all the other kids present themselves and stick to exaggerated bits. She’s a perfectly normal, regular suburban kid with normal, suburban issues. 

She may not leave her room a whole lot. She may not have a lot of real life friends in the neighborhood. She holds a comical irritation for the concept of birthdays, even though her father is extremely supportive, and is delighted to see his son grow up nice and healthy. There’s no reason for her to be so irrationally upset at cakes and gifts, and that’s what makes the setup funny! June doesn’t even know why she’s annoyed with half of the things that annoy her, what the heck.

But under all that playing around there is a sense that her life is so normal, so blasé, so unexciting and limiting and hollow and fake that she’d give anything to not be herself, even if only for ten minutes. This goes way, way back. It’s why June needs SBURB to happen.

June lives as though her life hasn’t started yet. She’s stuck in the Tutorial stage. I would argue while most kids (and trolls) play SBURB to escape a shitty environment or the end of the world as they know it, June plays for a simpler reason: She needs to escape herself, and she needs to do it before it is too late. 

Being thirteen means crossing the homeric abyss between being a child with no care for the world sporting a generic hand-me-down identity and becoming a Teen (capital T) who needs to figure out how to cope with atrocious bodily changes while building the adult they’re meant to be AND deciding what the fuck they want out of life, and how they’re going to work to get it, forever and ever.

When you’re trans, and you don’t yet know you’re trans (or that this is a thing you’re even ALLOWED to be) the above feels a lot like serving a life sentence for an intangible crime.

You know what you’re supposed to do. You’ve seen it on tv, you’ve heard it from your dad, you know what are the normal trials and tribulations. You know you'll grow a few pimples and stubble and you'll need to learn how to shave, obviously, because it's basically a tradition in your family, and no one is really happy to be a teen. You know at some point you'll find a nice girl and you'll grow a hat out of your skull and then you will have to pay taxes and maybe you will have a baby daughter? You'd like it to be a daughter for no particular reason. And when you get a daughter you're going to name her Casey and she's going to be adorable and this is something you've dedicated a lot of thought to. Maybe its because you thought Nic Cage looked really cool with those long flowing locks in con air, the movie who featured a trans woman as a minor character for a few minutes (and she gets quite a bit of compliments, regardless of how the movie has aged), and he had a really exciting life, but goddamn did he love his daughter. There is no purer love than the bond between a father and his daughter. 

This absolutely has nothing to do with your father and you, or how you hold no excitement for becoming an adult man, or how your father's excitement for you becoming an adult man in your stead feels a little stifling.

But i digress.

June spends her time on SBURB mostly hassling karkat, and readily following the instructions of zany, dangerous, COOL girls that seem to know what they're doing. June lets Terezi lead her to certain death without blinking. June lets Vriska dress her up as soon as opportunity presents itself. June thinks its really funny to trick this troll Who Types Really Oddly into believing she's Rose, and also into believing that she's a very silly girl. You may even say Homestuck employs a few of jokes pertaining to how her name looks like EGG !

June has a ball playing this game until it starts to get shitty. She's never able to mend her relationship with her dad, as he's one of the first causalities. She has to spend a lot of time waiting around with jade on a ship until things get cool and exciting again, but she never stops growing during those three years. Its fine, though, because there's always more things to be done and more people to fight.

Until there aren't, and they make a new earth, and while everyone cheers and claps for the birth of a new planet June realizes all her excuses are over. Her friends begin to grow up. Rose gets married. Jade is living her best life. Dave has a not-boyfriend glued to his hip. Jane has a job. Jake is on TV for some reason. June doesn't want to leave home. June's birthday is around the corner again. Here come all the congratulations for becoming a strong lad for yet another year! Vriska is gone. Terezi is gone. SBURB is over. Wacky hijinks have been swapped for real-ass, boring-ass Regular life. We watch her unsuccessfully chase after the glory of days gone by when Rose presents her the possibility of going back into the game, when things were cool and mattered, or her flimsy decision to settle down with a nice girl she hasn’t really made an effort to know and become a father and be absolutely miserable for four decades as she asserts nothing is real, not anymore, and this is just how it is.

Depersonalization, depression and general apathy towards the world are all pronounced aspects of dysphoria that seem like unrelated incidents for someone who hasn't came out yet. June's trainwreck of a life post-game, specially her feeling of hollowness and chasing after anything that could fill it struck a chord with trans readers who left the epilogues to read HS again and discovered this has always sort of been here. June being a trans woman who doesn't have the proper vocabulary to express she is a trans woman makes a lot of earlier bits from the comic click into place, now in a broader context. We settled in the name "June" because it's what she imagines Vriska is calling her at some point, amid laughs, but even that was discussed for a lengthy period last year. What would she want to be called, what are possible tags for this, etc. But it was mostly for fun and games, because the prospect of the protagonist of a 10 year old beloved cult series being ACTUALLY confirmed as a trans woman just wasn't something that was done.

Until word got around to Andrew Hussie and he was reportedly so pleased with this interpretation of events he’d be making references to it, and some time later, a box of toblerones was left in a cave as a gift for fans to find. The first person to find a toblerone thought it would be funny to dedicate it to June, because now she was an ongoing reference that was fun to make. Instead of it ending there, Hussie logs on twitter for the first time in a long while to say 'Oh yeah, i'll make it happen' and that's when the whole thing exploded. I have a post detailing this made a year ago (with pictures!) so i won't keep you here.

In the year since, June has been vaguely alluded to in Pesterquest (in jade's end card, she's having her nails painted by rose.) Has been widely adopted by the community, those making their own fanventures and continuations, and the team behind Homestuck^2. In every way that matters, she's already thriving within the community that brought her to light a year ago. But her coming out in canon is something that will take time and a proper narrative arc to happen, one that is still being set up. We know it'll come eventually, the only question is “how”.

Not that the wind waits for anyone.

[purple-stuck]

I really adore your writing! Can I PLEASE request a purple Sollux drabble? Maybe interacting with gamzee?

hey, gz. wanna hang out?

Gamzee stared down at his phone, squinting his eyes at the purple text. Somewhere in his addled think pan he thought it was strange. Sollux hardly hung out with anyone in person. He was always a shut in, especially for Purple blood standards. Only clown who'd attended less church was probably Gamzee himself and that was only because Sollux sometimes made video calls. But, ever sense Aradia... it was a miracle he still answered texts.

Still, Gamzee wasn't gonna say no to his blood brother's company. Maybe Feferi helped him cope. Maybe he went pale for Karkat, those two had always been close. Hardly mattered.

WeLl, ShIt. SuRe MoThErFuCkEr. CaN't SaY nO tO a NiCe AnD pRoPeR hAnGiNg SeSsIoN. wAnT mE tO sWiNg By YoUr PlAcE, oR wHaT?

nah. ii'm at the door. ii wa2 iin the area and fiigured ii'd a2k.

Right on cue, there was indeed a knock at Gamzee's front door. Huh. Sollux must've been right at the door when he texted. Made sense. If Karkat was any indication, Sollux had a habit of just barging into a brother's hive like he lived there and playing all their video games. Probably remembered at the last second that he and Gamzee weren't that close.

When Gamzee open the front door, he found himself staring at Captor's chest. Even hunched over as he was, Sollux was still the tallest troll Gamzee knew. The boy managed to be both lankier and buffer than Gamzee somehow. Granted, that's not hard. It'd be a stretch to call any version of Sollux Captor buff, but any purple blood with a proper lusus was going to be thicker than Gamzee.

Gamzee stopped that thought dead before it sunk in any deeper.

"At least I know I'm not interrupting anything." Sollux said dryly. "That's not the hair of someone who had plans for the evening."

Gamzee snorted, appreciating that the ribbing was good natured. Sollux didn't regard him with the same contempt, say, Equius did, so it was hard to take anything he said as an actual insult. Same deal with Karkat, really. "So, what brings you around to my hive? Feferi finally convince you to go outside?"

Sollux's lips twitched into a smirk before he jutted his thumb behind him. "Nah. I'm just picking up an old hobby."

Gamzee's eyes trailed to the cart Sollux had parked at the bottom of the steps, a chill going down his spine at the sight of faintly blue blood trailing down it's side. "Oh..."

Gamzee's eyes twitched back to Sollux, who just sighed. "I'm on my second kill, so don't worry. I don't kill in odd numbers. Plus, I've seen you making diamond eyes at Karkat and I'm not that much of a dick."

Gamzee let go off a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. "Well, it's good to know I won't be adding to Aradia's fucking corpse collection-"

Sollux stiffened and Gamzee stopped dead. Shit. Fuck. He should know better. What was he doing bring up Aradia, fuck-

"It's... fine." Sollux sighed, bringing his hand to his temple as he steadied himself. "I'm fine. It's fine. She would've found it funny, anyways." Sollux forced a smile onto his face. "Besides, you're not wrong. She'd love to throw corpse parties for these motherfuckers in whatever rung of the Dark Carnival she wound up in."

Gamzee laughed politely and stepped aside to let Sollux in before the conversation got any more uncomfortable. Sollux plopped onto the couch, quickly propping his legs up on the table. "You got any video games? I somehow doubt you're much of a shooter fan."

Gamzee grunted, sliding him a faygo as he took his seat. "Nah. Tav got me into fiduspawn. You ever play that?"

Sollux snorted. "Funny story about that, actually. EQ got me into it. I was talking shit about it around him and he protested that NP was into it."

"Did he? Shit, man, good for him. He always kinda... rolls over around me. Motherfucker's always trying to please me."

"Well, yeah. It's NP we're talking about here. You'd complain is I started talking shit about Tavros."

Gamzee blinked. That was... oddly pointed coming from Sollux. Sure, every word sounded like a sarcastic insult when you put it in his mouth, but it sounded like he was trying to make a point. That suddenly serious stare wasn't helping, and it made Gamzee cough uncomfortably.

"Uh, yeah, I would." His eyes flickered towards the door. Towards the cart. "...Why?"

"You got any feelings for him?"

Now this was starting to get wildly out of character. Sollux was the last person to stick his nose into anyone's love life, unless it was to annoy Eridan somehow. Hell, people just being sappy around him annoyed him, which made this even more bizarre.

"Yeah, well, Tav, said he wasn't interested."

"He's not?"

"Look, bro, I appreciate it, but we don't need an auspistice. You can't mediate what ain't there."

"But you do feel something for him. You care about him, pitch, red, I don't care how." Sollux was almost looming over him now, even without standing up. Gamzee was beginning to wonder whether he should go for his clubs when Sollux sighed.

"Right, right. That.... probably doesn't make any sense to you. I'm sorry." He stood up, face not just sour like usual, but outright grim. "Let me show you what I'm talking about."

Sollux made his way to the door wheeled his cart inside, a chill went down Gamzee's spine.

"...Bro. Did you?"

"No. Gog no. Fucking Messiahs above, hell no! I cull trolls but I'm not a sick fuck who parades their corpses around in front of their friends."

Sollux looked down at the cart, at the body hidden beneath the crumpled sheet. He seemed far, far away for a moment, like his soul had been taken by the Messiahs themselves and his body was an empty shell they left behind.

"You... know Aradia's dead, right?"

Gamzee relaxed, more confused and sad now than afraid. "Yeah."

Sollux looked at him. "Do you know how she died?"

Sollux didn't need an answer and he didn't wait for one. The purple voids of his eyes showed behind his matching glasses. "It started... when Vriska abducted me."

"I was out doing my regular, bi-wipely rounds. Looking for two bodies for Aradia to preserve in a 'corpse party'. Or, more accurately, looking to make two bodies for her to preserve."

"I'd spotted a couple of burgundies, so I went to make my move. I'd barely seen Vriska's face by the time the bag was over my head and by then the needles were in my neck. My guess is she'd paid some FLARPers to help her. I know damn well she couldn't handle me alone."

"When I woke up, I was in Vriska's hive. She looked so... fucking smug when she had me all chained up. She explained what Aradia did to her. Talked about how she'd sent some ghosts her way... and she wanted to get even."

"So Vriska was going to have me kill Aradia."

"That's when the torture began. It was pretty amateurish, but that's all it needed to be. She just needed to distract me, make a crack for her to slip into... one opening was all she needed to grab my mind."

Sollux was staring down at nothing by the time he finished, bending the metal handles of his cart with his grip.

"I still remember the walk to Aradia's hive." He said, choking back something. "I could hear her scream in my mind before she even saw me."

Gamzee's hand landed on his shoulder, snapping Sollux back to reality. Sollux pushed the smaller clown back before clearing his throat. "So, the next time I left my hive, I decided to pay Serket a visit."

Sollux threw the tarp off to reveal Vriska's mangled body. Or, what was of it.

Gamzee took at a step back. The amount of patchwork Sollux had to do to get Vriska's upper torso back in one piece would be impressive if it didn't imply how grizzly the scene must've been before he started. Tellingly, Sollux didn't even try to put Vriska's legs back together. He just dumped the soupified slop into a box and put it on the bottom shelf of his cart.

"Jegus..."

"Yeah, I got carried away."

Gamzee backed up and fell onto the couch, mostly just to get away from the smell. Sollux pulled his two swords out of Vriska's head, wiping them clean in one quick stroke.

"So... why are you telling me this?" Gamzee asked.

Sollux seemed to think for a moment, staring at his reflection in the blades. "To try to understand." He waved his blades vaguely over Vriska's... "body" for lack of a better word. "Most of this was unnecessary. She died quickly but... it wasn't satisfying."

Sollux looked at Gamzee meaningfully. "I figured you could tell me why."

Gamzee's eyes widened. "Shit, man, you mean because..."

"Of Tavros. Yeah. Vriska killed him. The army won't take someone who can't walk and he has no where else to go. That's assuming someone like, well, me, doesn't just pick him up off the streets. He's living on borrowed time on a planet like this, and that's all her fault."

Sollux looked at Gamzee meaningfully. "So... is this satisfying to you?"

Gamzee sunk into the couch, staring up at the ceiling. "Fuck, man. You can't do this to a motherfucker. This is a lot to drop on me all at once." He looked at the corpse, trying not to curl his nose at the sight. "...I mean... no. Fuck, I'd hesitate to say anyone even deserves that, but mostly it just makes me feel... kinda sick."

Sollux slumped down. "I don't get it. This should be satisfying. We should be glad that she's dead, but we're not."

Again, Gamzee was there, suddenly resting a hand on Sollux's shoulder. "...Look, man. I'm sorry I'm not any help with this. Karbro is so much better at this shit than me, but..."

"...I guess it's not really her death that we're looking for. We're looking for a way to make it so all the problems she caused never happened. And... that's not gonna happen. I've accepted that Tav's not gonna get his legs back... and I think he's accepted that too. And, Aradia, wherever she might be now up in that Dark Carnival, knows that she's not coming back either. So... shit, maybe we should just... keep moving?"

Sollux stared at him blankly, before that default grouchy snarl crept back onto his face. "That's a really shitty way to end that spiel, you know that?"

Gamzee shrugged, that some color had bled back into Sollux's face. "Well, shit. I'm no Karkat and you know it."

"Yeah, you're not. I'd still be huddled up inside without that grouchy asshole."

Sollux sighed. Not tiredly, but like a weight had been lifted somewhat. With all that off his chest, Sollux tilted his head up. He nonchalantly lined up his swords and slid them down his throat, swallowing up his blades until only the hilts remained to dangled beneath his uvula. Gamzee squinted at him curiously.

"....What?"

"Shit, man, I have no idea how you manage to talk like that."

Sollux smirked, grabbing his faygo off the table and chugging it in two swigs. At this point, he was just showing off. "Very, very carefully. I'll teach you sometime."

Sollux threw the tarp back onto his cart and began peddling it out the door. "I'd better get going, the sun will rise soon." Gamzee waved him off as he opened the door, pausing just before he closed. "Oh, by the way. You owe me a game night. This one derailed."

Gamzee just nodded as Captor slammed the door, knowing that was Sollux-ese for "let's hang out sometime".

[thewertsearch]

AG: Tavros, you give confidence a 8ad name. I gave you all the chances in the world to earn it, to earn REAL confidence, and you failed.

Pictured: Vriska giving Tavros 'a chance to earn real confidence'.

AG: You couldn't even do the one little thing I asked you to! The one thing that would have made you man up once and for all.

'Man up' is a funny idiom for a troll to use. We've occasionally seen trolls fall into human gender stereotypes, but it's quite rare, and always sticks out like a sore thumb.

There's an interesting conversation to be had about troll genders. With a reproductive cycle so different to ours, their gender framework will inevitably be different as well. Yes, there are male and female trolls - but what do male and female actually mean to a troll?

On Earth, your assigned gender carries cultural baggage which simply wouldn't exist on Alternia. Assigned gender plays no role in reproduction, nor does it influence household division of labor, since trolls don't have households.

Gender aside, do trolls have a concept of masculine and feminine? Beyond a few stray idioms, the only evidence I can find is their clothing styles. We haven't seen any male trolls rocking a skirt - not yet, at least.

tl;dr: 'Man up' is a cultural can of worms. I think that was probably unintentional, though, and I think we're supposed to interpret that line as if a human spoke it. Vriska's calling Tavros a wimp, which is business as usual.

AG: So instead you flew away and cried, and decided to sleep away your sorrow for the rest of the adventure.

Tavros already alluded to this incident during his conversation with Jade. I guessed that Vriska would be involved, but that was a bit of a no-brainer.

Vriska's trying to frame Tavros as pathetic, but it sounds like he actually put his foot down, flat-out refusing to participate in whatever she had planned. Much like the FLARP incident, this sounds like a victory for Tavros, even if she's convinced him otherwise.

AG: Do you have any idea how sick that made me? Everything a8out you makes me sick.

He rejects your advice. He rejects your advances. His lusus cared for him. He was allowed to be kind, and accepts kindness from others. He doesn't care about winning, but he never lets you win. No matter how much you torment him, he refuses to get any stronger, which means your mindset might be wrong.

'Sick' would be an understatement.

AG: Your plan to control her lusus really wasn't a 8ad idea! AG: And using your a8ility to "save her life" (lol) was a pretty good way to test how effective your powers are across sessions. [...] AG: Practicing your a8ilities is important, so when it comes down to using them for something that really matters, you know you're ready for prime time. AG: I know this first hand. AG: I got lots and lots and LOTS of practice with your little guinea pig friend. ::::D

So that's why Jade was constantly napping? That can't have been good for her brain.

AG: The catch is it's not going to work! [...] AG: You couldn't sic the guardian on Noir even if you were inclined. Not even if I were to MAKE you inclined! :::;)

Like I said before, it's really Vriska who can control First Guardians.

AG: 8ecause you are dealing with a pro here. I already thought of that. AG: I thought of everything! AG: The guardian is not going to attack the agents who engineered him in the first place. AG: Or who I should say were "encouraged" (lol) to engineer him.

Why the fuck would you do this?

When Vriska prototyped Bec, she explained that the event was mandated by the Alpha Timeline, so she didn't make anything worse by causing it. I don't agree with her argument, but I do understand her logic.

This is different. Up until now, there has been no evidence that Bec can't harm Agents. Vriska had no prophecy to fulfil, and no reason to believe that this was required to preserve the timeline. Yes, now we know it's baked into the timeline, but only because Vriska wanted it.

Having Bec help with Jack was a really good idea, and removing the option to do so helps no one. Where's the benefit?

AT: wHY WOULD YOU DO THAT, AG: Tavros, at this point it should 8e o8vious. AG: I am the unseen hand 8ehind every major event in their session, and to some extent, their whole lives. AG: At least those events not happening 8y the volition of their own natural incompetence! AG: Don't you think this is how it should 8e? Shouldn't the greatest player leave her fingerprints on every step of the rise to power of her ultim8 nemesis?

I know Vriska likes to feel in control, but this is ridiculous.

Inserting yourself into Alpha loops is one thing, but nerfing Bec when you don't have to is straight-up sabotage. Couldn't she just stick to micromanaging John's outfits?

AG: I have every angle covered already. The human session is on full Serket lockdown. Any effort you make to disrupt my plans will 8e laugha8le, just like everything you have ever done in your life. AG: The only thing left to do now is prepare to kill Jack myself, and save everyone's ungrateful asses.

Oh my god, I think I've cracked it.

Vriska thinks she's the only one with the right to kill Jack.

She describes him as her ultimate nemesis, which reeks of main character syndrome. Bec isn't important enough to kill Jack, so she eliminated him as an option. It has to be her, the most powerful Player, who's gained all the levels, because that is how these things are done.

It's not just ego, either - there's a deeper motivation at play. If Vriska doesn't beat Jack, she doesn't win - and if she doesn't win, then what was all that abuse were all those challenges for? What was the point?

In Vriska's head, Jack needs to be her nemesis. She needs to be destined to kill him - because if she is, then everything she went through was justified. She'll have secured her position as the most powerful Player of all, and she'll never have to be jealous of anyone again - least of all that wimp with his sweet little fairy lusus. They're all weak, and she's strong.

If she doesn't kill Jack, she's a loser.

And losers may as well be dead.

[pesterloglog]

Meenah Peixes, Vriska Serket

Act 6, page 7226-7228

MEENAH: BOOM

MEENAH: there goes another one

VRISKA: Wow, yeah.

MEENAH: dude sure is busy today

VRISKA: I've got to hand it to him.

VRISKA: As far as indestructi8le, reality-destroying monsters go, he really is tireless.

VRISKA: Even though on some level I can tell he's pro8a8ly a complete moron, his dedic8tion and persistence is actually pretty admira8le.

MEENAH: holla

VRISKA: How many ghosts do you think were in that 8u88le he just wrecked?

MEENAH: dunno

MEENAH: hard to give a carp really

MEENAH: and not just cause im a sociopath

VRISKA: What do you mean?

MEENAH: hes just reclamming souls who hangin around too long anyway

MEENAH: before i died i was already like i aint give a fuck about death much

MEENAH: i looked at it like life had a price of admission no one could afford

MEENAH: in the ticket takers eye theres no way you could ever earn your stay

MEENAH: so to stick around you gotta learn to steal

MEENAH: but shit catches up with all thieves in the end

MEENAH: even the great ones

VRISKA: ...

MEENAH: i lived like death wasnt no thing

MEENAH: at all times overdue

MEENAH: a hard stop to being you

MEENAH: and only chumps arent fine with that

MEENAH: but then i die

MEENAH: and find out dying dont mean what little i thought it did

MEENAH: so all those spook eyed souls up there scared to death of double dyin?

MEENAH: fuck em

VRISKA: Peixes, have I ever told you, for a no-8ullshit fish princess, you sure have a way with words?

MEENAH: yeah youve kissed my ass before if thats what you askin

VRISKA: Ooh, look!

VRISKA: Another space tragedy.

MEENAH: daamn

VRISKA: I will say this much. All the cosmic mayhem is really quite pretty.

VRISKA: Almost like the 8ig man out there is putting on a fireworks display, just for us.

MEENAH: daw

MEENAH: lord muscleguy be thoughtful as fuck

VRISKA: How far do you think he'll go?

VRISKA: To find... who was it? His "kid sister"?

VRISKA: Is he really going to keep smashing the 8lack space forever until he finds her, til it's all gone?

VRISKA: Is it actually POSSI8LE to shatter a continuum that's theoretically infin8te?

MEENAH: shrug

VRISKA: Like I said. Got to admire the guy's determin8tion.

VRISKA: Still, I can't imagine he's led a very enjoya8le existence.

VRISKA: I mean, sure. May8e he THINKS he has. In the way that totally delusional, egomaniacal people tend to do.

VRISKA: I 8et he never had anyone in his life who was actually important to him.

VRISKA: Someone who could have helped him see that nothing is worth that kind of o8session.

VRISKA: That it's 8etter to just try and 8e happy.

MEENAH: poor skull guy 38(

[technofantasia]

post your scrimblo bimblos and so forth for homestuck.

:'0 ASKS FOR AN ASK GAME.......... THANK U also @rystonlentil bc you also asked for homestuck so i shall DELIVER in my TYPICAL WORDY FASHION

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most): John. Definitely. I love John Egbert so much anybody who says he's boring is WRONG because he's NOT BORING he's just nice and generally likable and represses everything all the time so his problems don't seem as interesting but they ACTUALLY ARE INTERESTING. I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL JUSTICE FOR MY EGG SON

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped): .........Karkat. Yes he's an asshole but he's also so sensitive and a raging tsundere and he needs affection in the cold cruel world he lives and he's so good and I want to hug him So Bad

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave): Excluding John from this category bc he's already my blorbo... mmmm probably Sollux! I love Sollux like a lot and people just don't talk about him much. He's really funny and what we get of his character in canon is extremely appealing to me! And people do wonders with him in fanfiction, too. He's like a more assholish version of Dave, ilhsm. Definitely got the short end of the canon stick

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week): The Signless!! Really I just love all the ancestors an odd amount but The Signless specifically. Yeah sure he never actually got a single line of dialogue (unless you count a heavily implied "fuck") but his place in the story is just so interesting and you can assume so many interesting things about what he must have been like from context, his association with Karkat, and his association with Kankri, that I just adore reading things about him. Signless-era Alternia is such a great setting and The Signless himself, written any number of ways, is just so gooood

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave): Like ok I could be obvious here and say that I actually really like Vriska, but I feel like that'd be boring. Everyone has a strong opinion on Vriska. Everyone knows why people like her, everyone knows why people hate her. Nonono, I'll double up on the fun and say I actually really like Caliborn. I haven't seen anybody who likes him!! But yeah I think he's absolutely hilarious, is entertaining every second he's onscreen, and has a surprising amount of pathos for a character that's meant to be unapologetically evil and just all around a horrible person. Near the end of Homestuck I was highkey hoping for a Caliborn heel-face turn actually (and had, like, theories and stuff to back it up, too)! Really feel like the ending stiffed him of his potential. But I'm probably literally the only person who thinks that lol

...Or.... actually I'm totally cheating by technically putting 3 characters here but also, Eridan would totally fit in this spot for me, too. I really like Eridan and felt he had a lot of potential if he'd just been given an opportunity to grow up a bit more and recognize the fucked up thought processes his upbringing instilled in him.

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason): This is just any of my favorite characters in other categories. I love putting my favorite characters in immense pain!! That's what fandom is about babey

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell): Gamzee goes to superhell for the crime of having his entire character ruined beyond recognition halfway through the comic. I really love Gamzee pre-murderstuck and both his character and everything it could have stood for got mutilated afterwards, making him By Far the worst character in the comic (in terms of, he wasn't entertaining and I didn't like when he was onscreen). It's tragic and worthy of an eeby-deebying imho

THANK YOU FOR ASKING!!! :D

[homestuckexamination]

I’m new to this blog, so sorry if this has been answered before, but I don’t see how active and passive gets conflated with selfish and selfless? Like the only thing I could think of was that comparison of Vriska and Roxy, but that doesn’t really hold up when you think about Tavros, Jade, Eridan, Gamzee, Kankri and Cronus? I think we should just stick to definitions like “changed by Aspect”/“changed through Aspect” and leave it at that? Otherwise we might get more situations like that poor anon that got triggered by that toxic anon?(I know it’s a while back and I’m late but that whole business rubbed me that wrong way)

Hey hey! Selfless/Selfish is drawing from the fantastic @optimisticduelist2​‘s Class Analysis, trying to actually determine Class divergence using the Muse vs Lord as example in trying to determine how they work, since English’ power usage is quite passive, by all regards, while Alt Callie quite directly and actively fucks the Green Sun up.

Selfishness is seen usually as a bad thing, but that’s not really the case! Perhaps a better way to talk about it would be “Self-Oriented vs Group-Oriented”? But there’s also like, nuance that is lost there. Basically, it’s not that Active Classes are Selfish, and as such, bad, but rather that Active Classes tend to do things for themselves or prioritize themselves first- Which IS good! Look at Roxy, so Selfless that they actually comment how it’s a detriment in-canon, and end up neglecting themselves in the process.

To use the examples you gave: Tavros is a pretty passive dude by all accounts, and as far as Trolls go, he actually has a good heart and tries! But also he IS at his happiest when he’s focusing on self-improvement and trying to push forward in his own way, even when it comes at the detriment of others! He actually starts making headway in his Land by mind controlling Underlings and advancing on his own, and every time Vriska is ‘helping him’ or ‘asking him for help’ end up with him being confused or traumatized. Similarly, taking bad example on how to be confident, leads to him being a dick to Jade. He also takes up on arms to stop Vriska himself- Going alone on a solo mission, rather than telling the others or something. His best moments, too- Leaving Ghost Vriska’s side and then returning with an army of his own, are very self-oriented. Standing up to her and going do his own thing on his own, and returning only to give Vriska a middle finger.

Jade is VERY passive at the beginning, and that also has to do with her dreaming so much in Prospit! She cares about her friends a lot and she IS very selfless! Which isn’t what she wants. She’s frustrated by having to wait for the game, and not being able to share what she wants. She’s pained by not knowing what to do and actually enjoys taking control of the situation in the Session, going from worried and not wanting to sleep, to guiding everyone towards the Scratch. She tells John to leave her and be with the others and that she’ll be fine, but we also know how loneliness affects her. Jade is selfless to her own detriment, and she’s at her happiest and best when she’s actually prioritizing herself and having fun and NOT letting circumstance step over her.

Eridan is a selfish prick and I’m not sure why he’s on the list. As far as they go, he’s a Prince through and through, imposing his own ideals of superiority on others and eventually changing sides entirely based on his own ideals that there’s no hope left in sticking by the rest. Similarly, Gamzee is an asshole, but he is fully and absolutely devoted to his Religion and Lord English, to the point where fans wonder if he ever even has a will of his own. Kankri truly believes himself to be doing good social justice work- And as we see in Alternia, in a better situation, he’s Selfless as they get, putting himself in danger in trying to spread a gospel of kindness.

As for Cronus... He IS a weird case. Originally he was a Harry Potter-esque type, so it could be seen that he became more jaded and selfish as a direct response to that not panning out? But also I like the joke idea that he’s doing everyone a favor by being such an asshole, because that way you know to stay away from him. X3

Ultimately, Selfish/Selfless is just the convention OD went with, and I followed, regarding the ‘difference’ between Class Pairs, but it’s not meant in a Negative/Positive way, as much as it is a “You/Others” way. And it is, also, a Tendency, not a Hard Rule. Jade may be happier prioritizing herself, but she LOVES her friends dearly, and that is why she’s willing to suffer for their sake, even when it tears her apart. Rose is a Guide that wants her friends to be okay and safe, but also, specially during the Session (Though she roleplays a Witch very well), she does neglect them in taking care of things herself, and ultimately giving into a quest of revenge once corrupted.

It’s kind of a complex balance? But it tracks well enough.