#Mage of Void Analysis

[highoncatfood]

welcome to my little Rainstuck hell everyone.

(click read more if ur interested in even more of my rambling...)

if u dont know already i am a huge homestuck nerd who LOVES classpecting so it is pretty much inevitable that i will make a homestuck au out of any media im currently into. and raincode is no exception!

so. heres a part one of i think 5 (unless i change my mind and include more than 2 characters per post) featuring yuma and makoto bcuz theyre the protag/main antag duo so its only expected to do them first i think.

ive written their descriptions first so theyre kinda shitty but the general idea is there. plz note that i am by no means a Writer and i do not have great Writing Skills so dont expect many convoluted sentences and stuff. this is mostly just for me and i try so hard to prioritize having fun over sounding cool or smart

so yeah idk i hope this ruins ur day i guess? LOL

[aortaobservatory]

How's it going. Would you be able to give you thoughts on the mage of void.

Mage of [Void]:

Know - Too Much Experience with Void

A player who gains thorough understanding of [The Unknown and Possibilities] through near constant good and bad experiences with [Secrecy and Potential], and uses their understanding of it in a practical way to progress

A Mage of Void is almost constantly experiencing secrecy and potential in the people around them and their surroundings, which gives them a unique understanding of how the unknown and possibilities can help a situation... or hurt a situation.

Mages are flooded with their aspect, uniquely experiencing both the good and the bad of it. As a result, they gain a unique understanding of what their aspect is or does, often resenting it or becoming jaded and frustrated with it, but never rejecting it. Their challenge is to become open to new insight or different perspectives than their own.

Inverse Classpect Analysis of Mage

Mage of Void: Void (Secrecy, Unknown, Potential, Possibilities) is actively there. Too much experience with aspect causes innate understanding of it.

Inverse: Heir of Light

By experiencing the active presence of Void (Secrecy, Unknown, Potential, Possibilities), the Mage passively changes Light (Knowledge, Evaluation, Insight, Meaning) in others as they understand Void (Secrecy, Unknown, Potential, Possibilities).

Embodiment of Light (Knowledge, Evaluation, Insight, Meaning) in others is changed by the Mage's experience with Void (Secrecy, Unknown, Potential, Possibilities).

The analysis written above is my own writing, analysis, and thoughts. The statements are my own analysis, but they may function as a “fill in the blank” statement for you to create your own interpretation of the classpect as you please.

-aortaObservatory

[mageofmercy]

bard of void? ::3c

But this I can certainly do. Hello Seer-Void, welcome to our parlor. Si'down, relax. and Enjoy.

This should be fun.

Well, Bard of Void? You came to the right place, this won't be your typical bard post with gnarly horns, jagged teeth, cod-pieces and shoosh paps.

In fact none of my bard posts will be that way.

My posts are raw. As I give you my honest take to the true uniqueness of whoever is out there reading this. Theres very little structure. But, I hope you like it like that.

I am the Mage of Heart, and here is my review!

~~~~~

Bard of Void

In order to remove Aspect, it has to go somewhere. But where do secrets go? Well, there's truth.

But what is truth in the face of a black hole? The true embodiment of mystery, the enigma of a black hole is at it's very core? -We know basically nothing about them-

And this Bard is no different. You'll see what I mean.

As many of us know many bards start their lives defacing their aspect, and ripping it to shreds. (This is often times needed.)

At this point they are destroying void, which means they will not keep secrets, I didn't say cannot, I said will not. They refuse to be apart of anything enigmatic, shady, hidden, secretive, and the like. They probably have a deep fear of the deep blue sea that's relative to the situation. But If they were swimming, and they couldn't see beneath them/it's just a bottomless void? They would royally flip the fuck out.

When I mentioned they refuse to be apart of anything shady, that isn't entirely true. Because they've got a bloodhound nose for anything people want kept secret. This Bard at this stage will have no regard for that. They suck that shit up and spit it back out. The Wildcard class, will act the part when unnecessary. But that doesn't mean they will be like this forever, no. This is just the beginning.

People will begin to catch on, and scold the Bard of Void for being too nosy, and telling. They shall be exiled as that one person who upset the delicate order of truth and lie.

So? They eventually will begin to, shoosh pap themselves. They won't tell a soul what which where how or why. Because they got shamed for the grief they set upon people. and now they feel it too. They are now destroying through void.

If any bard remains in either one of these stages for long... two very different contrasts of black and white moral immoral, me-amano...

There will be dire consequences to what will be.

Because the true word for Bards, is finding BALANCE within themselves. Mind body and spirit. In order to grasp just what it takes to be the master of both worlds of light and void, as a void player.

They will need to understand. that for their own sake and everyone around them. That they are important in their own way, That their secrets, sucking everything in for it to stay there forever? Isnt healthy. I recommend an effective moirail to help vent out all the horrible shit you see and witness so you don't internalize it - You need to stay healthy. Try not to destroy with void as to suck it all up and spit it out. But also don't keep it all hidden neither. Prune, don't eviscerate. Deep breaths. Because you've got this. You absolutely do matter, despite what some might say. YOU ARE IMPORTANT. As well as you being a shy, sensitive, knowledgeable person. Keep in mind that the things you share do affect people, and can lead some down some sticky roads. Pay heed to TACT, Keep BALANCE, and remember. You're IMPORTANT to the world. Why? Because I say so. :)

[zerotheclasspector]

What you got for the Mage of Void?

Let’s find out! Classpect No 13:

Mage of Void

Mage: Active knowing class. One who understands their aspect or understands through their aspect for themselves.

Void: Represents nothingness, secrets, and ideas.

A Mage of Void is one who understands literal nothing. This sounds like a contradiction, but it’s actually really cool! A Mage of Void would be someone with great knowledge of things that don’t exist. I could see them getting invested in fictional worlds and their rules. Hell, they might even start an online blog focused entirely around analyzing the rules of fictional systems (I may not be a Mage of Void, but this is still calling me out-).

A Mage of Void is also someone who understands secrets. They would know the secrets of… well… secrets. They may be a bit of a conspiracy theorist, knowing many things the common public doesn’t know. Unlike most conspiracy theorists, however, they would probably be correct in their knowledge. They may even be the one who uncovers Sburb/Sgrub for their team.

In the Medium, the Mage of Void would be motivated to learn all of the secrets of their session. They would explore their Land, learning all they can about it. Eventually, their interest would extend to the very nature of Sburb/Sgrub. They would try to learn what the point of the game is, where it came from, and why their team was the one to play it.

What could a Mage of Void do? One thing they could do is see what secrets someone has. They would be impossible to lie to, as they could instantly know what secrets are being kept. Another thing they could do is look into the void to see what’s being held within it.

[magespuddle]

The Muse of Void Analysis

“To be, or not to be, that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

And by opposing end them. To die—to sleep,

No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;

To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there's the rub:

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come…”

Greetings, the Mage of Blood here. All these books, which sweep past your ears with the rustle of their pages, paintings, which wild strokes confuse your eyes, are essentially reflections of someone's experiences. Surprisingly you see what is hidden from other people's hearts in its pristine form. However, it is not enough just to see something, it is important to be able to understand it. The value of this understanding is very familiar to the main character of our analysis.

The Void is a "heavy" aspect with indirect impact, paired with the Light. At first glance, it seems that its sphere describes purely information - a collection of signals which escaped our eyes and ears, forever hidden in the shadows and therefore forgotten and meaningless. Riddles that frighten and at the same time attract us at the border of the field of view. It is not for nothing that occultism is also associated with this aspect. But that's only at first glance. The Voidbound are incredibly intuitive folks, seemingly looking through what you can't know. And then where does this info come from? From where dreams come from... Yes, that's right, the Void directly embodies the Unconscious people and the images supressed there. Therefore, it is impossible to say that these are meaningless pieces of ideas - but rather imperceptible gears that move silently, supporting the rest of the mechanism. We may think something is not important, but in fact, without it, we would be completely different. And this is appreciated by the heroes of the Void. It is not the shine of the stone that is important for them, but its quality. Since this aspect is much more closely related to our psyche, its symbolism also includes the value of oneself, or rather, underestimation of one's strength, depreciation of ideals.

The Muse is a passive counterweight to the Lord, the Master Class. The Muse contributes to the definition of its aspect by strengthening its manifestation through the symbol that is more common in the system. Contrary to popular belief, the Muse and Lord of paired Aspects strive towards the same goal - the assistance in a crisis situation where there is too much of one aspect of the two and the other is too little - but in different ways. And it's the Muse and the Lord of the same aspect which are antagonistic. Thus, the Muse of Void was born in the most ferocious times when the Void in the world is dying out. And for a while they agree to feed the environment like a battery, cultivating this aspect in others. It seems to be the highest altruism, but truly the Muse pursues much more prosaic goals: to give others what they think is missing in themself. And this victim will not be in vain if others support them in return and not just become parasites on their neck. The Thieves, Rogues, Seers, Mages of all aspects are predisposed to the role of the Muse; as well as Heirs, Princes of Space, Life, Light, Breath, Mind, Hope and Maids, Sylphs of Time, Doom, Void, Blood, Heart and Rage.

What kind of mysterious person is this Muse of Void? They will certainly be very introverted. Intrigued by the finest layers of soul and personality, which we usually strive to hide. They are disgusted by the usual habit of flaunting yourself in society. As if your value directly depends on how successful others measure you, and rarely anyone is ready to look deeper into your neighbour than they provide on the surface. For the Muse of Void such pride is a nasty cacophony that distances from the essence of things. The Muse is used to catching the smallest details of faces, pieces of intonations, words, barely noticeable movements, trying to sincerely understand others without words. And why words, if we already unconsciously express everything we have in our hearts. But that's why our psyche encrypts these desires, because as soon as you show something, there is a risk it does not seem important to another. Your part, you're not important piece by piece...

The main character of our analysis understands this, as they have repeatedly been burned with shame for their desires. And even more often they have felt powerless that they could not bring the world in line with their inner vision. And when this realization reached its climax, the Muse allowed it to drown in the abyss of their Unconscious, so that instead of burning pain they only feel a peculiar but distinct desire not to exist. To some extent, it borders on the desire to die, but if on the Doom field we are talking about the final and inevitable destruction of the physical body, then in the case of the Void we are talking about the termination of awareness. Deprivation is primarily preferable to be described as sensory, but what's the use of the signals you get but can't decipher? Proof of our existence is not the ability to feel touch or taste, because people with a dead brain can also react to stimuli, but the ability to realize this feeling. The Void is by no means empty. It's just that the information is in its rawest form. And trying to recognize it by jumping beyond its capabilities will always lead to defeat. Again, if you compare it to Doom, you will grow stronger in the fight against fate, but the fight against the infinity of the Void of your desires and existence always only wastes energy. However, it's not bad, the Muse of the Void would say. Often to get rid of excess, you need to go back to the origins. And there's no need to be ashamed that there's nothing there that would be appreciated and cherished by others. Because having lost the whole world around you, your thought and your self continue to exist. And this experience of existence and the chance to "be" are already a treasure in itself. The Muse of the Void will remind each of us this with a silent look. And for their realization as a Master Class, they would like to hear back, standing on the verge of existence and the abyss: "Cogito ergo sum".

In terms of abilities, their manifestations will depend on the prevailing symbol of the Void in the system. The Muse will be kind of catalyst for all types of outbreaks of this kind. For example, dreams will become unusually deep and long, it is quite possible that it is in the dreams that the Muse will appear to the players and will gradually affect the course of events. It is possible to reorganise the memory of the characters with the darkening of those memories which once seemed significant. It is also possible that the appearance of the Muse may darken the light on the ground or, if you think about a more brutal method, cause blindness. At the same time, usually deprived players will be able to notice that all their senses are heated to the limit and now show them hidden details of the environment. For some reason, I think about using ultrasonic and infrasonic waves as weapons, but more for the purpose of self-defence of the Muse than attacks. After all, their desire is to show the beauty of the indescribable and unspoken... And no matter how you twist it, you can't do without ones spectating it.

[landofgatesandconstellations]

Hello, could you do a session analysis on my team, we have Prince of Time[D], Rogue of Space[P], Knight of Void[P], Maid of Breath[D], Knight of Heart[P] and Mage of Rage[D].

Relationships are: RoS, MoB and PoT are siblings, RoS and MoB are pretty close but PoT is distant and blunt, means well on the inside[smartass sometimes.] KoV is adopted/extended family, KoH and MoR are siblings[MoR is the youngest of the group]. RoS is the leader of the session.

Hope this helps👌

You've asked this twice now. I don't mind.

Not bad at a first glance, but not great either. Definitely looks haphazard. Lot of active players, but this size of session can work with whatever there. In terms of axis, you're only missing life-doom, which isn't the best to be missing, but it's not the worst.

Why the hell is your rogue of space the leader? That's a terrible idea. They're going to be bad at it and way too busy with the frogs already. That's the maid of breath's job. RoS being the leader is only going to cause conflicts, and result in mistakes. Leading is breath and blood player's explicit purpose. If your breath player isn't leading, they might as well not have a classpect. So perhaps you can see why for the rest of this review I'm going to assume that the RoS is the "leader" who goes in first, and convinces people to play, and the Maid of Breath is the one actually leading.

The Rogue of Space, who redistributes beginnings The Prince of Time, who destroys endings The Maid of Breath, who creates movement The Knight of Void, who wields the unknown The Knight of Heart, who wields internal truth The Mage of Rage, who knows reality

DPS: high Utility: low Control: good Support: good

In combat, this team will do well, but may struggle in less conventional fights. Their raw power and good support should make most fights doable. They may struggle against large groups of enemies due to no aoe damage specialists, but their aoe controllers (rogue and maid) should be able to stall long enough that the dps can take everything out. The maid and rogue should consider investing in using their aspect powers to kill.

Your frog breeding potential is remarkably average. Keep in mind that while the time player should be the one helping, both of your knights are going to want to help, regardless of whether they are asked to.

Leader: MoB Weaver: MoR, KoV? Guide: none? KoV? MoR Therapist: KoH, MoR, MoB Cleanup: KoV, KoH Rings: KoV, RoS Frog: just throw everyone in there, it'll work out fine

Your big problem here is that none of your players are particularly good at anything. You don't have a seer, mind or light player to be the guide. Your time and void players don't have good weaver classes. You don't have any of the several therapist specialists and your therapy capable players are busy doing other things. Knights are good for cleanup, but yours are also busy doing everything else. While Knight of Void is one of the best ringwrangler classpects, they're already really busy. Your only specialists are also your most versatile. Meanwhile the PoT isn't useful for much of anything beyond combat and fulfilling the requirement for a time player. The RoS, KoH, KoV and MoR are all jacks of all trades. The Maid of breath, at least, is a pretty good choice but you can't make a good team out of exclusively Jacks of all trades. This team is not more than the sum of it's parts.

Overall this team is.. fine? You can win, but this team isn't cohesive. You don't fil in each other's flaws, none of you have flaws, also none of you have strengths. It's fine. Whether you win or not is going to depend on the players and the circumstances, not the classpects alone.

[comicaurora]

These have been pent up for a while, so there's a whole list lol. Some are Aurora, some are not.

1) Can lacrimas carry out multiple purposes at once? Or will they blend them? I'm assuming that this is possible, considering that the automaton in the ruins was using a lacrima as a brain

2) Has anyone tried to make tools or weapons out of lacrimas? I'm talking like chisel that needs no hammer. Or maybe a Fire lacrima on a bow that sets your arrows on fire

3) Can you engrave runes on lacrimas to make them affect themselves?

4) Where can I read more about the Twins? If I'm not wrong they're the creator gods, aided by the Light dragon and the Void dragon to create life, but I might be getting a wrong read on that

5) Since we see Erin successfully become the first Void mage, does that now mean there's potential for him to make a Void lacrima? The dragon probably won't allow it, but still

6) What exactly does elemental corruption of each element do? Fire literally burns you up, as we saw in Arc 1. I can infer that Life likely makes you a chimera. Void corruption makes you a cave crawler. But what do the other one do? Does Earth make you a statue? Does Wind disintegrate you, Thanos style?

7) Now onto the non-Aurora questions, is your art vector or raster? I believe it's vector, but it's always better to confirm

8) What are your opinions on reading into the environment and the character design to infer things about the character themselves? In any type of media

9) Have you played Baldur's Gate 3?

10) Do you have any music that you'd recommend? I've listened to every song I liked so many times that I hate them now.

11) I'm new to Tumblr, anything that I should know? You don't have to answer this one if you don't wanna. I think I know some of the basics already. Reblog what you like, and avoid the terfs, right?

You might be able to tell that I like the idea of the lacrimas a little bit. Just a teensy bit. The artificer in me definitely isn't obsessed. I appreciate any answers you can give :3

Cheers!

Ooh, lots of stuff!

Yes, it's possible. A lacrima can be engraved with multiple spells, set in a casing engraved with commands, or some combination of the two. Typically, all spells engraved directly on a lacrima will activate at once when the lacrima is "switched on", but a spell can be quite complex, and conditional activations are possible - "if-then-else" statements, basically.

Yes, magic items exist.

Generally no. If the lacrima is disrupted or broken, the spell generally stops functioning, so a self-affecting lacrima will run only as long as it takes for the lacrima to distort or break.

There's an extra lore page about them!

He probably could if he wanted to (and the Dragon allowed it) but Void energy is very dangerous, so he likely doesn't want to.

Each form of elemental corruption agitates the presence of the element in the mage's body. Earth corruption can damage or alter bones, encourage unhealthy petrification of soft tissues, etc. Wind corruption can have physical effects but it often most obviously produces breakdowns in the person's ability to speak or understand language. Lightning damages, numbs or intensifies a person's physical senses.

Raster, I draw with CSP's digital pens. I've only very briefly experimented with vector art - I don't like how it simplifies the lines.

I think it's a fun school of analysis but, like all literary analysis, it runs into trouble if it tries to lock down exactly what the writer was thinking or intending (which is an objective fact that one can be incorrect about) rather than trying to analyze the story on its own and what meaning might, intentionally or unintentionally, be factoring into it.

Nope

don't trust my taste in music it's 90% nu metal and sonic OSTs

Like what you like, reblog what you want, generally it's considered dubious form to add a comment to a reblog unless you have something profound to contribute (commenting in the tags is fine), steer clear of discourse and callout posts and generally the sectors of the site that are constantly on fire, blocking someone for any reason is 100% fine

[janetkwallace]

On the consequences of the Burmecian Genocide

You don't have to agree with what I'm about to say.

As a matter of fact, you can disagree as much as you want, I'm not saying that what I say is the right thing or that my view is better than yours. Everyone hold different views on the things they like and they don't, and today I'm writing about something I both like and dislike about one of my favorite games. The thing is, I don't like to do this sort of analysis where I comment on the negatives of my favorite stuff, even if I were to do it with a bit of humor.

Well, do not expect any humor.

I was kinda hesitant to write about it, but then I found myself writing it on a whim, so here we go... There is no turning back.

I've written about my thoughts on Final Fantasy IX before, its goods and its flaws. I've said what I had to say about the second visit to Alexandria during Disc 2, aka the point in the game where my enjoyment for the story has significantly decreased, it did not ran out as the game is still good after that point, but for me things were no longer the same as they did during the first hours of gameplay.

If you read the title, you know what I'll be commenting on today. So, genocide... It happens across most of the Final Fantasy games, it's shown to be very graphic when it happens, and IX was no different. Disc 1 ends with the party visiting Gizamaluke's Grotto, and later Burmecia, places filled with dead soldiers and NPCs lying down on the streets. The bleak atmosphere combined with haunting music adds a lot to these scenes. When the party fights against the Black Mages at Cleyra, each fight doesn't end with a victory pose... Because there's no victory when lots of innocents are annihilated by a powerful attack all at once. Later, when you revisit Lindblum, a giant monster is swallowing everything in its dark void, from knights to people to Black Mages themselves, it doesn't matter who gets sucked in or whose corpses fall in midair.

Pretty graphic, don't you think? The scenes do not include any blood or gore, it's just these little gruesome details that the player clearly sees with their eyes, this nightmarish stuff that happens and you can't do jack about it. One of my praises for Final Fantasy IX is for doing these sorts of things and not being afraid of doing it so. Sometimes it's whimsical fantasy, and other times a bleak, chaotic mess that belongs to dark fantasy, all of it happens in one game that most people – and I still can't believe it – think it's for children or that because it's geared towards children it has to dumb down a lot of themes they can’t grasp by themselves.

It doesn't. From the beginning, it’s clear that people do die, and it doesn't matter if your party members are well-trained or skilled, people in the world still die. I believe this is one of the core themes present in the games Sakaguchi worked with, that death is inevitable and out of the player's control. The original Final Fantasy VII had a lot of scenes revolved around said theme, such as when Barret meets his old friend Dyne or the main antagonist revealed to be a walking corpse who and whose mother – also a corpse – refuses to die in contrast with a party member whose sacrifices gives everyone else a chance to live.

I'm not here to talk about VII, maybe someday, but returning to the main point... The Burmecian genocide that occurs in Final Fantasy IX is shocking due everything I've said before, but the consequences of it are not fully explored. It's something that not only happens in this game, but a problem with the Final Fantasy series as a whole where the act of genocide is shown to be a horrifying event that leads to many casualties, and yet, very little is told or shown in the aftermath. Sure, there is an attempt to show the Burmecians leading their lives after the invasion, a few NPCs in Lindblum and some Cleyrans who managed to flee their settlement that are spread across the entire world, but it's not enough.

Genocide not only kills people, but their culture. How does the Burmecian culture look like after the genocide? Do people want to go home or do they want to build a new home elsewhere? The destruction of symbols can be demoralizing, so do any of the Burmecians feel sad or guilty or depressed after witnessing the collapse of their birthplace? Do other NPCs consider Burmecians as victims or do they see the mass murder as a justified act, given the few times conflicts between Burmecia and Alexandria were mentioned? What about the Cleyrans, what do they have to say about the giant crater that lies where Cleyra used to be? Are there any attempts from the citizens of Burmecia to restore their homeland to its full glory or is that something impossible to be achieved?

We see Lindblum in ruins and during its reconstruction, but nothing happens in Burmecia, it's abandoned the way it is since Disc 1. You could say that's a result of disc limitation at the time, and yes, while the limits of what can fit inside a 700mb disc plays a factor, it isn't the sole reason why a lot of things about Final Fantasy IX and other games from the series feel rushed or underdeveloped.

I'd say it's not only a lack of digital space, or budget constraints , but I do see it as a lack of care too, which's weird to think about since a lot of effort was put on the game, its story, characters, graphics, the backgrounds that we see for just a second and then never again, all of that done with such intricate and pure detail, and then you have stuff that isn't very well executed or explored. Disc 4 is there to show this dissonance of "let's put lots of details in these background elements" combined with "the story goes crazy and we will offer cryptic explanations as to why this happens and the characters in the party barely react to the information".

In the end, nothing that I wish for will be true. This game is called "Final Fantasy IX", not "Burmecian Fantasy IX", after all. They were never meant to be given any focus, but that doesn't mean they're irrelevant or any less important than anything else that takes place in the game.

[zal-cryptid]

How about toyfolk class/aspects? And maybe lands?

Oh boy, the Theories channel on Discord are gonna have a hay day disecting this. So, I've thought about it, and here's what I got for aspects:

Eleanor - Light player.

Charlie - Blood player.

Dolly - Mind player.

Gabe - Void player.

Paul - Heart player.

Jen - Doom player.

Tammy - Space player.

Mel - Time player.

Maria - Hope player.

As for classes, I'm still thinking. I think Eleanor would be a Sylph? Dolly would be a Maid. Charlie a Bard, and Gabe possibly a Mage. I'd love to hear any of your guy's thoughts and suggestions.

UPDATE:

Thanks to @gargusscp for her awesome analysis and speculations 🙏

[goodsniff]

To address the big grey, candy corned horned elephant in the room. Yes I am a homosuck fan. I'm still mildly amused that people are so shocked that the nerds making animated shows, are into animated nerd shit? I've already been asked a few times so I've written out below what I think the Heeler's classpects would be.

HOWEVER unfortunately for all of you I am not only into Homestuck but am also a huge textual analysis nut for it. So before you can have dessert I'm going to use this as an excuse to lay out some of my fav pieces of writing regarding it. They sum up why I still have an immense reverence for this stupid piece of shit better than I could ever explain.

@hampermarketplace Why I can’t understand Homestuck

@some-triangles I’m trying to figure out why I like Davepetasprite so much.

@optimisticduelist2 & his wonderful YT channel

@mmmmalo is a never ending stream of interesting and intricate theories and I like to pretend I'm erudite enough to understand even half of them

There's too many artists still out there posting up and drawing extremely hard HS pics that I love to list out, but fruitegg has got to get a mention. Everything I attempt to do in my art when it comes to capturing the energy and attitude of living Aus she does far smarter and far funnier. It rules I have somehow fooled her into being my friend.

______

Alright done, here's what you wanted

Bandit: Bard of Hope Chilli: Mage of Hope Bluey: Knight of Void Bingo: Page of Light

Bandit & Chilli are straight forward enough. The thinking behind Bluey & Bingo is as follows. Doing a close reading of them as kids you could easily argue they're Breath/Hope players BUT. There used to be a few working theories around Hiveswap characters mistakenly imitating the wrong classpects. And though I don't think the girls are doing that, it feels to me like their youth is masquerading what their classpects would actually be.

As they're very clearly delineated active (Bluey) passive (Bingo) and so close as sisters, I reckon they'd be a full classpect pair. As much as I think Bluey would really suit Knight of Blood, there's ways Knight of Void would act as a perfect compliment to Bingo's Page of Light. A helpful, positive Knight of Void who protects her friends from despair, and is socially intelligent enough to weaponise people's unawareness/ignorance to her and her friends own advantage seems like a really exciting angle to analyse her through.

Finally, the only classpect I would bet my life on is Muffin being a Mage of Rage. 🤡

[aortaobservatory]

Classes of Light - AO Classpecting

Chosen Keywords: Knowledge, Evaluation, Insight, Meaning

TEZ Keywords: Knowledge-seekers, students, problem-solvers, precision, scholars, researchers, resourceful, driven, (fussy, pedantic, insensitive)

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

All of the analysis written below is my own writing, analysis, and thoughts as based on the sources I consulted. The statements are my own analysis, but they may function as a "fill in the blank" statement for you to create your own interpretation of the classpect as you please by replacing the aspect word with any of the provided keywords above.

Sources consulted: (dahniwitchoflight), (rosespecting), (godtier-haven), (TEZ), (MSPA Wiki)

LINK: (Classpecting Analysis Masterpost)

TAGS: [Mage], [Seer], [Witch], [Heir]

TAGS: [Knight], [Page], [Thief], [Rogue]

TAGS: [Sylph], [Maid], [Prince], [Bard]

-aortaObservatory

Knowers/Changers

Mage (Active): Know - Too Much Experience with Light

A Mage of Light is almost constantly experiencing knowledge and evaluation from the people around them and their surroundings, which gives them a unique understanding of how insight and the meaning of something can help a situation... or hurt a situation.

A Mage of Light is flooded with Light (Knowledge, Evaluation, Insight, Meaning), uniquely experiencing both the good and the bad of it. As a result, they gain a unique understanding of what Light is and does, often resenting it or becoming jaded and frustrated with it, but never rejecting it. Their challenge is to become open to new insight or different perspectives than their own.

Heir of Void (Inverse): As the Mage of Light knows Light in a flood of both good and bad, they end up embodying Void, whether on purpose or accidental. They have an indirect relationship with Void; because they know and experience Light (that which is knowledge, evaluation, insight, and meaning), they fully embody and thus must change Void (that which is secrecy, unknown, potential, and possibilities). Because the inverse classpect is a ghost of the true classpect, the Mage of Light does not undergo the Heir of Void's challenge; their relationship with the Heir class and the Void aspect is purely surface level.

~

Seer (Passive): Know - Too Little Experience with Light

A Seer of Light is surrounded by secrecy and many potential unknowns, and lacks knowledge and insight in their life, and as a result are driven to learn everything they can about meaningful evaluation in order to understand what they previously lacked.

A Seer of Light studies Light (Knowledge, Evaluation, Insight, Meaning), craving knowledge of it from their previous lack of it. They seek knowledge of Light with a fierce intensity in order to gain more understanding of it, acknowledging the potential consequences of doing so and dealing with them later. Their challenge is to learn how to translate their insight and knowledge into action and decision, as well as learn how to manage their engagement with Light so as to not overwhelm themself or others.

Witch of Void (Inverse): As the Seer of Light attempts to gain experience with Light from their previous lack of it, they end up changing Void, whether on purpose or accidental. They have a direct relationship with Void; because they change and thus half embody Void (that which is secrecy, unknown, potential, and possibilities), they gain experience with and thus know Light (that which is knowledge, evaluation, insight, and meaning). Because the inverse classpect is a ghost of the true classpect, the Seer of Light does not undergo the Witch of Void's challenge; their relationship with the Witch class and the Void aspect is purely surface level.

~

Witch (Active): Change - Too Little Embodiment of Light

A) A Witch of Light embodies knowledge and the insight it gives them, in order to change their own and others evaluation of what something means.

B) A Witch of Light embodies the evaluation of what something means, in order to change their own and others knowledge and the insight it gives them.

Witches are self-assured and conclusive individualists. They pick and choose which parts and pieces of Light (Knowledge, Evaluation, Insight, Meaning) fit into their own already determined desires, making Light embody themself and changing it to suit their own wants and needs. Their challenge is to achieve a stable balance in themself without losing themself to Light or their own changing whims.

Seer of Void (Inverse): As the Witch of Light changes the pieces of Light within themself, they end up experiencing Void, whether on purpose or accidental. They have an indirect relationship with Void; because they change and half embody Light (that which is knowledge, evaluation, insight, and meaning), they gain experience with and thus know Void (that which is secrecy, unknown, potential, and possibilities). Because the inverse classpect is a ghost of the true classpect, the Witch of Light does not undergo the Seer of Void's challenge; their relationship with the Seer class and the Void aspect is purely surface level.

~

Heir (Passive): Change - Too Much Embodiment of Light

An Heir of Light embodies the ability of evaluation, meaning they are knowledgable; however, only by changing themself can they change the insight they gain and the meaning of it.

An Heir of Light inherits and embodies Light (Knowledge, Evaluation, Insight, Meaning), allowing Light to change themself or itself. They have huge amounts of Light related strengths, allowing themself to be surrounded by Light or naturally gravitating towards it. Their challenge is to not get stuck on Light, to know when to move on and change themself to keep themself balanced.

Mage of Void (Inverse): As the Heir of Light embodies Light within themself, they end up knowing Void, whether on purpose or accidental. They have a direct relationship with Void; because they fully embody and thus must change Light (that which is knowledge, evaluation, insight, and meaning), they know and experience Void (that which is secrecy, unknown, potential, and possibilities). Because the inverse classpect is a ghost of the true classpect, the Heir of Light does not undergo the Mage of Void's challenge; their relationship with the Mage class and the Void aspect is purely surface level.

-

Utilizers/Allocators

Knight (Active): Utilize - Too Much Skill with Light

A Knight of Light would be very skilled in using the knowledge they possess and the insight it gives them, to protect and defend the evaluation of others and the meaning given to them.

A Knight of Light is extremely adept with their Light (Knowledge, Evaluation, Insight, Meaning), their driving effort to protect it and others through it. They are loyal to Light's cause and naturally gifted with it, using it as a tool to achieve whatever they set themself to. Their challenge is to learn how to be less harsh on themself, to accept and learn from failure, and to accept the assistance of others when they need it.

Rogue of Void (Inverse): As the Knight of Light utilizes Light from their loyalty to it, they end up valuing Void, whether on purpose or accidental. They have an indirect relationship with Void; because they utilize and are skilled with Light (that which is knowledge, evaluation, insight, and meaning), they value and thus give/allocate Void (that which is secrecy, unknown, potential, and possibilities). Because the inverse classpect is a ghost of the true classpect, the Knight of Light does not undergo the Rogue of Void's challenge; their relationship with the Rogue class and the Void aspect is purely surface level.

~

Page (Passive): Utilize - Too Little Skill with Light

A Page of Light is a beginner when it comes to learning and evaluating the knowledge they gain, but they repeatedly strive to master it using the insight they've acquired and the meaning they've ascribed to it.

A Page of Light starts unskilled in Light (Knowledge, Evaluation, Insight, Meaning), learning how it works and how to use it to its full potential over time. In their many attempts to master Light, they teach others the value of Light, becoming an unintentional source of inspiration. Their challenge is to keep at it, learn from failure, and eventually master Light, being able to confidently provide Light to others.

Thief of Void (Inverse): As the Page of Light attempts to gain skill with Light from their previous lack of it, they end up allocating Void, whether on purpose or accidental. They have a direct relationship with Void; because they take/allocate and thus do not value Void (that which is secrecy, unknown, potential, and possibilities), they gain skill with and thus utilize Light (that which is knowledge, evaluation, insight, and meaning). Because the inverse classpect is a ghost of the true classpect, the Page of Light does not undergo the Thief of Void's challenge; their relationship with the Thief class and the Void aspect is purely surface level.

~

Thief (Active): Allocate - Too Little Value towards Light

A Thief of Light lacks knowledge and evaluation in their life, resulting in a fierce desire to possess such things for themself and leading to them not understanding the value of the insights they gain and what that means, as they take knowledge and the evaluations of others from others and hoard it all to themself for their own benefit.

A Thief of Light takes Light (Knowledge, Evaluation, Insight, Meaning), either craving it fiercely from their lack of it in their lives or simply because they like it, stealing and hoarding it all for themself and their own personal benefit. Despite their outward confidence with Light, they often take it at face-value without learning of its true value, being unsatisfied with how much Light they hoard and craving more and more. Their challenge is to focus less on attaining and more on learning about the value their aspect, as well as to let others have their aspect and learning why it is important to others.

Page of Void (Inverse): As the Thief of Light allocates pieces of Light to themself, they end up gaining skill with Void, whether on purpose or accidental. They have an indirect relationship with Void; because they take/allocate and do not value Light (that which is knowledge, evaluation, insight, and meaning), they gain skill with and thus utilize Void (that which is secrecy, unknown, potential, and possibilities). Because the inverse classpect is a ghost of the true classpect, the Thief of Light does not undergo the Page of Void's challenge; their relationship with the Page class and the Void aspect is purely surface level.

~

Rogue (Passive): Allocate - Too Much Value towards Light

A Rogue of Light would redistribute, allow others to take, and/or give knowledge and insight to others in the name of balancing the meanings born of evaluation.

A Rogue of Light gives Light (Knowledge, Evaluation, Insight, Meaning) away, either because they have a lot of it already, or are able to get it so easily they don't know what to do with so much of it. They often know the true value of Light, and are able to see where there is too much or too little of Light and redistribute it in a balanced way around themself. Their challenge is to not let Light run dry within themself, and to learn how to healthily balance Light in themself.

Knight of Void (Inverse): As the Rogue of Light values Light within themself, they end up utilizing Void, whether on purpose or accidental. They have a direct relationship with Void; because they value and thus give/allocate Light (that which is knowledge, evaluation, insight, and meaning), they utilize and are skilled with Void (that which is secrecy, unknown, potential, and possibilities). Because the inverse classpect is a ghost of the true classpect, the Rogue of Light does not undergo the Knight of Void's challenge; their relationship with the Knight class and the Void aspect is purely surface level.

-

Enhancers/Destroyers

Sylph (Active): Enhance - Too Much Reliance on Light

A Sylph of Light is a pure source of insight and the meaning behind it, and driven by knowledge and evaluation, attempt to restore/purify the meaning behind others insights.

A Sylph of Light starts off relying on themself for Light (Knowledge, Evaluation, Insight, Meaning), attempting to heal, restore, and enhance Light in others. They are a pure source of Light for others, and though this can cause frustration and irritation in themself and others, they can see ways for Light to help and heal the struggling of others. Their challenge is to learn how to listen to the needs of others instead of assuming they know best, and to balance themself by learning that it's okay to rely on others for Light sometimes.

Bard of Void (Inverse): As the Sylph of Light enhances Light from their love of it, they end up fearing control of Void, whether on purpose or accidental. They have an indirect relationship with Void; because they enhance and rely on Light (that which is knowledge, evaluation, insight, and meaning), they fear control of and thus destroy Void (that which is secrecy, unknown, potential, and possibilities). Because the inverse classpect is a ghost of the true classpect, the Sylph of Light does not undergo the Bard of Void's challenge; their relationship with the Bard class and the Void aspect is purely surface level.

~

Maid (Passive) - Too Little Reliance on Light

A Maid of Light relies on anyone or anything but themself to tell them knowledge and information as well as what it means, before learning how to rely on themself, restoring and purifying their knowledge and what it means for themself through precise evaluation and insight.

A Maid of Light starts off pushed around by others' view of Light (Knowledge, Evaluation, Insight, Meaning), but eventually allow Light to heal, restore, and enhance themself, making them into an entirely new person and purifying their aspect to themself. They start out relying on others for Light or being told by others how to interact with Light. Their challenge is to listen to themself instead of others, and to not let others opinions dilute their aspect as they restore it for themself and allow it to make them into a new person.

Prince of Void (Inverse): As the Maid of Light attempts to gain reliance on Light from their previous lack of it, they end up destroying Void, whether on purpose or accidental. They have a direct relationship with Void; because they destroy and thus cannot control Void (that which is secrecy, unknown, potential, and possibilities), they gain reliance on and thus enhance Light (that which is knowledge, evaluation, insight, and meaning). Because the inverse classpect is a ghost of the true classpect, the Maid of Light does not undergo the Prince of Void's challenge; their relationship with the Prince class and the Void aspect is purely surface level.

~

Prince (Active): Destroy - Too Little Control of Light

A Prince of Light is surrounded by knowledge and the evaluative demeanor they crave, but they can't control it or have no means of reaching it, so they lash out because of their own insight and meaning, to destroy the evaluated knowledge that others have, in the name of their own insight and meaning.

A Prince of Light destroys Light (Knowledge, Evaluation, Insight, Meaning) with Light or in the name of Light, and as a result, often end up appearing as Void (Secrecy, Unknown, Potential, Possibilities) at first glance. Princes start off with disdain or hate for Light, likely because of its overwhelming presence in their lives, and because despite its abundance, they can never seem to grasp or control it for themself. Their challenge is to be able to recognize Light's presence in themself before they destroy themself beyond repair, and learn that they do not need to control or bend Light to their will.

Maid of Void (Inverse): As the Prince of Light destroys pieces of Light in themself and others, they end up gaining reliance on Void, whether on purpose or accidental. They have an indirect relationship with Void; because they destroy and cannot control Light (that which is knowledge, evaluation, insight, and meaning), they gain reliance on and thus enhance Void (that which is secrecy, unknown, potential, and possibilities). Because the inverse classpect is a ghost of the true classpect, the Prince of Light does not undergo the Maid of Void's challenge; their relationship with the Maid class and the Void aspect is purely surface level.

~

Bard (Passive): Destroy - Too Much Control of Light

A Bard of Light is surrounded by a lot of evaluated knowledge, but fears being controlled by it or fears the control such things have over them, and as such ignores the evaluated knowledge and allows it to deteriorate via keeping it unknown and letting it wonder into possibilities; only by embracing meaningful insight can they begin to destroy the secrecy that destroyed them.

A Bard of Light allows Light (Knowledge, Evaluation, Insight, Meaning) to be destroyed via simply not reaching out for it, and ignoring its presence in their lives, leading to them appearing as Void (Secrecy, Unknown, Potential, Possibilities) at first glance. This is typically due to a fear of being controlled by Light; while they may see benefits to what it could offer them, they can also see all the downsides to it simply because of their fear of what could go wrong. Their challenge is to be able to embrace Light and not be ruled by its whims, learning to control the way it impacts themself without letting it be destroyed.

Sylph of Void (Inverse): As the Bard of Light fears control of Light within themself and others, they end up enhancing Void, whether on purpose or accidental. They have a direct relationship with Void; because they fear control of and destroy Light (that which is knowledge, evaluation, insight, and meaning), they enhance and rely on Void (that which is secrecy, unknown, potential, and possibilities). Because the inverse classpect is a ghost of the true classpect, the Bard of Light does not undergo the Sylph of Void's challenge; their relationship with the Sylph class and the Void aspect is purely surface level.

[ultimateprankster]

feastings sprite edits of the drv3 crew. transparent version and titles under the cut

Rantaro, Kaede, Ryoma, and Kirumi all got prototyped because that's the best way I could figure out how to include them without getting fanmade classes and aspects involved (I think those are really cool, just not what I wanted for this particular thing)

also I referenced the blog classpect-navelgazing while assigning these, cuz that style of analysis really made sense to me. I highly recommend reading through it if you haven't already

Kiibo: Heir of Hope

Shuichi: Page of Light (yes I gave him tights)

Kirumi: [prototyped with a spider (because of course)]

Korekiyo: Witch of Blood

Tsumugi: Bard of Time (yes I gave her an outfit that is slightly less complete horseshit than the canon one)

Kaede: [prototyped with a mantis (presumably several of Gonta's bugs escaped and some of them got into the kernelsprites)]

Kaito: Seer of Heart

Ryoma: [prototyped with his cat]

Miu: Prince of Rage

Rantaro: [prototyped with Kaito's NASA-themed Snoopy plushie]

Himiko: Mage of Void (no I did not make her a Mage solely because of the name, but it was for sure a factor)

Tenko: Maid of Breath

Kokichi: Rogue of Mind

Maki: Knight of Doom

Angie: Thief of Life (wow that title sounds so brutal out of context)

Gonta: Sylph of Space

[qwuilty]

It's been almost a year or so of CAD/A&D fixation so you know what that means. Obligatory classpecting. Admittedly it is late so I can't fully write up a full analysis as to Why for the classpects but the basics are:

Ethan - Witch of Hope: Initially I leaned more towards Ethan being a Page or an Heir of Hope as he has a heavy focus on the ideas of Heroism and the morality involved with that, however I feel that those classes feel a bit too passive for Ethan, Ethan very much believes in his conviction and wants to see the good in people and makes that effort to change other's mindsets, feeling more fitting for the manipulation aspect of the Witch class

Lucas - Knight of Blood: Knights both tend to protect their element while also being insecure about them and I think especially with these more recent pages, Lucas struggles mostly with opening up to his friends and his interpersonal relationships. He's very protective of his friends and is willing to (almost self destructively) risk his own life for their sake but also fears being judged and hurt, leading to him not having that many bonds that the Blood aspect is more about than Heart which I considered for him. Also just him usually being the one who puts himself in the most physical risk and tends to bleed for the ones he loves literally

Scott - Prince of Void: OK so hear me out. I initially thought Mage of Void or potentially Seer of Void but after some thinking I believe the Prince class would be more interesting for his previous developments. Scott struggles immensely with the fear of the unknown and the damage that comes with that, so in ghosting Light he seeks out knowledge and understanding, clinging to what he understands already to be "true" (That sentient artificial life is impossible and if possible, is a risk to everyone he loves) and ultimately utilizes Void as a weapon while trying to destroy Void. (Lying to Lucas and especially Ethan because he believed they were at risk because of that uncertain future that could have lead to them getting hurt, of which became self fulfilling in a way)

Again I could probably write a more complex / through reasoning post but for now. ✨️ Them ✨️

[classpectingcaxy]

so i have this character im obsessed with but ive been having trouble classpecting her, can you help? she grows up with an excess of void in the way of being ignored and forgotten (because her brother is a thief of light and stole the attention), so she ends up idolizing the inverse (light) and has to learn to make peace with the fact that she isn't a light player and she just needs a balance. also she does kill and replace the god of secrets and deception if you wanna take that into account. tysm!!

Oooh, thank you for this! This is a good exercise in my ability to classpect. Hmm...

Analysis below the cut!

An excess of an Aspect makes me think they are a Prince, Rogue, Mage, Heir, or Seer.

Note, if you subscribe to the "Gendered Classes" idea, you're GOING to disagree with my analysis here because the only "Female" Class in the list is Seer, and the only "Non-Gendered" Class in the list is Rogue.

I do not subscribe to the "Gendered Classes" idea, as it limits ALL players to the "nearest" Class to their personality rather than the ACCURATE Class to their personality, in the case of females who align more with the archetypes of "Male" Classes like Knight, Prince, Mage, or Heir, or in the case of males who align more with the archetypes of "Female" Classes like Seer, Sylph, Witch, or Maid.

The game is clearly set in such a way that the Class directly aligns with the personality of the player, which implies that biological sex and gender identity have no bearing on Class selection, but rather it is entirely personality based, meaning male or male-identifying individuals can be Witches or Sylphs, and female or female-identifying individuals can be Knights or Mages.

With that said, let's move on.

Idolizing their inverse, or actively seeking/yearning for, the opposite of their Aspect means they tend to mitigate their Aspect. So an excess that they actively try to reduce...

Prince or Rogue, then, as Destroyer or Distributor.

That brings us to her "quest" which you've stated as being to recognize she isn't, and will never be, a Light player and must find the balance.

This is the deciding factor, and it is 100% a Prince's quest.

Which brings us to Aspect. You mention Void, specifically, and mention that she kills and replaces the god of secrets and deception.

This makes it very, very tricky, because one of the possibilities here goes against something earlier, but could actually lend itself well to the story all the same.

They may be a Prince of Void, but they could just as easily be a Prince of Light.

Allow me to explain.

A Prince of Light Destroys Light or destroys by using Light, and these things are, most often, their active choices. They choose to destroy Light and it's concepts, resulting in nothing but Void remaining. By destroying knowledge, truth, attention, and fortune, they leave nothing behind but lies, secrecy, deception, and such.

By Destroying Light, they create Void, and if their personality is to idolize Light and it's Aspects, it would mean their powers, their very nature, goes AGAINST that idolization, as the very thing they crave is the one thing they can never create, never cause.

Their efforts to act like a Light player, their efforts to BE a Light player, trying so hard to forge it, obtain it, change it, create it, would be the very actions that would Destroy it, leading to their Classing as a Prince.

This would also explain their replacing the God of Secrets and Deception. Who better to do so than one who is destined to leave behind nothing BUT Secrets and Deception, through the active destruction of Revelation and Truth?

This would mean her quest is not so much to accept that she isn't a Light player and never will be, but rather to accept that she is destined to be a Destroyer of Light.

However, if you would like to maintain the original Quest you mentioned, then the only remaining option is to be a Rogue of Void, like our own Roxy Lalonde, gathering Void from every source they can and distributing it for the sake of protecting or benefitting those around them.

This would serve the original Quest well, as they would bear an excess of Void, struggle with learning to accept their role as a Void player, and their Quest being to accept not only being Void, but also that they will never serve any of the roles of a Light player, fits well with the Rogue's usual Quest of recognizing and accepting the value of their Aspect and learning to accept it not only for themselves, but accepting that it's okay to have it and to share it in kind, rather than seeing it as an inherently negative force.

Conclusion

A Prince of Light or Rogue of Void would both fit, for different reasons.

If you would like to keep the Void player aspect, Rogue of Void fits incredibly well, if not perfectly, and if you're interested in a different angle on the story, a Prince of Light fits almost perfectly.

Feel free to reblog this, or even simply send in a second Ask, if you want me to re-evaluate this! Any additional information may help me hit more accurately if this isn't to your liking!

[tavtiers]

an analysis for an Heir of void please?

The Heir of Void [symbols: star, shadow]

The Heir class has its basis in the chosen one trope. An example would be Beowulf.

The Void aspect’s main theme is the unknown. You can find its official description here.

An Heir of Void is among those who explore knowing and perceiving. This is the “classpect group” they belong to. Members include: the Mage, Seer, Heir, and Witch of Void/Light. These classes are all opposites or inverses of each other that explore the Void/Light dichotomy (knowing and perceiving). A description of classpect groupings can be found here.

The Heir of Void passively manipulates the Void aspect. Passive classes are guided by others or act for the benefit of others. They are more likely to be kind, but less likely to stand up for themselves. Witches and Heirs possess great power over their aspect and everything it symbolizes that has been granted to them from an outside source. Simplified, the Heir of Void is motivated by others to manipulate the unknown.

In personality, the Heir of Void struggles with restraint, gets caught up easily, and is very independent. Personality descriptions can be found here.

Their archetype is the Child Spy, defined by uninhibited secrecy. Archetypes are explained here.

Their opposite is the Witch of Light, who actively manipulates awareness.

Their inverse is the Mage of Light, who actively knows awareness.

A classpect or “god tier” is an individual’s best self. All classpects go through a journey from unrealized, to struggle, to realized. When a character is unrealized, they neutrally exist as their inverse. On their struggle, they will wildly flip back and forth between their inverse and true classpect. In their worst moments they will act as their inverse, in their best their true classpect. When realized, they will stabilize as their true classpect. They will still have room to grow, but will become happier, more successful people.

This means that the Heir of Void begins life motivated by themselves to know awareness. When their struggle arrives and they are at their worst, they will continue this behavior in negative extremes. However, when at their best, they will find purpose in instead manipulating the unknown for others. When realized, they will stabilize and continue to manipulate the Void aspect passively, in a positive way.

They share their archetype with the Thief of Life, the Spy Child.

The Heir of Void would quest on a planet similar to the Land of Darkness [Heir] and Void [Aspect]. An example would be the Land of Rainclouds and Waves. An explanation of planet naming conventions can be found here.

Two possible gods, or denizens, to reign over their planet would be Nyx (Goddess of Night) or Poseidon (God of the Sea). Other Void aspect denizens can be found here.

When the Heir of Void completes their planet quests and dies on their quest bed, they would rise to ascension on the wings of bats (symbols of night). A list of soul animals can be found here.

The characters that I have currently classpected as Heirs of Void are: Equius Zahhak from Homestuck [canon example], Sten from Dragon Age, June from Dragon Age, Uncle Arthur from A Serious Man, Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants, and Captain Haddock from Tintin.

If any of the links not connected to my blog break, the content can be found on my Google Drive.

Official Aspect Descriptions

Personality Descriptions

Aspect Denizens

[yesunova-xiv]

The Real Steppe: Udgans & Böös

On the Azim Steppe we encounter some udgans like Sadu Dotharl and Tumulun Mol. What is an udgan and why is there 'böö' in the title?

A 'böö' is a shaman, whereas an 'udgan' is a shamaness. Talking about shamanism on the Eurasian steppe is a big topic. So at the end, I'm going to recommend some extra reading for those who want to delve deeper.

Overview

When we talk about shamanism on the Eurasian steppe we tend to be talking about practitioners belonging to Tengrism, which is the religion practiced by many Mongolians but expands out of Mongolia's borders, such as into Siberia.

The main principles around Tengrism revolve around the sky gods, known as the Tengri, but also around animism and nature.

There is a whole perspective of the cosmos through Tengerism, which a person's 'ger' or 'yurt' can serve as a map, so where things are placed is important, and there are rituals that may be performed within them. With animism there are spirits in all things, so there is a connection everywhere. Milk is seen as holy water in their traditions and milk products are often used as offerings to spirits. Arkhi (vodka made from milk) and kumis (fermented milk) also get used. There is an interesting implication I will come to with some of the lore of the Azim Steppe here.

For the sake of this post, I want to focus on a few points that can be related to FFXIV. Those main focuses are:

Types of Shamanism

Milk & also it's relation to the Ugund

Souls, Afterlife and Reincarnation, with ties to the Dotharl

But this only touches the surface of a much bigger topic.

Types of Shamanism

Tengri Shamanism is split out into 3 types, though we do not really see them explored in Final Fantasy XIV and their udgans, but I think they can leave some room for speculative analysis.

The three types are: yellow, black and white.

Black Shamans:

They get the name from the direction they drew their power and they are supported by black deities and spirits and they also worship their ancestors. They intended to overcome evil by pitting might against might.

White Shamans:

They personified humanity and their practices related to deed and called upon peaceful masters from the white side and directing their worship in that direction. They have people commune with nature and earth spirits and pacifying any angry ones.

Yellow Shamans:

There were introduced in Mongolia by the spread of Tibetan Buddhism, it is closer to white shamanism but incorporates Buddhist beliefs and practices.

Reinterpreting for FFXIV:

Sadu's job/class is represented as Black Mage, though she is referred to as an Udgan. But in the world of Final Fantasy XIV, certain 'jobs' appear in different parts of the world under different names and practices. Like Warriors with their berserking and the Chaghan tribe and the Will of Karash. Or how Geomancers of the East are like conjurers of the West. So with Sadu she appears to be a black mage. And pitting might against might sounds like her thing and also true of black mages with the Void. Unlike Black Mages we do not see Sadu draw power from the Void. But I feel Sadu's magic would be more in tune with the concepts of Black Shamanism.

On the note of White Shamanism. There's the calling upon peaceful masters, communing with nature and earth, which sounds very White Mage/Conjurer like. Though I sincerely doubt there are any intended connections, but these may be the kind of connections I tend to think about when writing a character related to the steppe (as an RPer).

The Significance of Milk

In FFXIV we have reference to some of the milk-based drinks you will find in Mongolia. There is kumis, arkhi and steppe tea. Ever wondered why they put Ala Mhigan salt crystals in the crafted recipe for Steppe Tea? It's likely because it's based on 'Suutei Tsai', which is the name given to a savoury tea from Mongolia, which is very milky and savoury (hence the salt).

But in terms of religious practices, if you see arkhi served in a ger in Mongolia, you might see somebody dip their finger in and offer some arkhi vodka to the sky, the earth and to their forehead. This is an offering made to the spirits that may be done before they drink it. There's many ceremonies that involve milk as holy water, such as at weddings where they may drink kumis or milk from respective families to the bride and groom or during shamanistic rituals.

On the Azim Steppe there is also a tradition relating to milk and that's with the Ugund tribe. Their flavour text is below:

When members of this tribe die, their heads are removed from their bodies and placed in a jar of fermented goat milk. Once the liquid has been drunk by the head (in other words, evaporated), the head is then buried under an anthill so that the tiny workers can carry the spirit to the afterlife. The journey is thought to be a terrible one, the road filled with ghosts of the damned, so ensuring the spirit is drunk helps ease the journey.

At first glance it looks like the idea is that the spirit finds comfort in their journey to the afterlife by being intoxicated, but it does specify milk. Given it 'holy' nature, I expect this would provide a boon to the dead spirits of ugund in their journey.

The 3 Souls & 3 Worlds

I find the 3 souls concept of Tengrism interesting, though it can be more than 3 souls depending on beliefs, but in short, each of us have at least three souls within us, the suns, suld and ami.

The suld sits in our crown chakra whilst the suns and ami sit in our chest. The suns and ami have to be in balance with each other, else you may be susceptible to illness. A shaman is able to perform rituals that help rebalance them. It is also possible for suns and ami to become disembodied, but the suld is vital to life and you will die if you lose it. If the suns and ami are gone for a period of time then you will fall ill.

Suld - This resides in nature after death. This is vital to life, without it, you will die. This has a connection to father heaven and the tengger that live there. It's the most individualised and it is your nature spirit. It carries no past-life experiences but develops characteristics to distinguish you from other people, like your charisma and dignity.

Suns - Reincarnates after death. This contributes to the formation of your personality and carries the collective experiences of past lives. It's also comes from the lower world and in death will return there and may also return as a ghost. The suns has the strongest past-life memories. But significantly evil suns may end up extinguished forever. The suns can temporarily leave the body and sometimes wander as far as the lower world.

Ami - This is the body soul, which also reincarnates after death. It is called the 'breath' soul, if it exits the body it'll result in illness. It returns to the world tree in death and roosts in the tree branches between heaven and earth in the form of a bird. They tend to reincarnate through relatives and carry genetic or ancestral memory and these enter the body at birth.

As we reference three worlds here too: they are comprise of the upper, middle and lower worlds, which I referenced in my post on Morin Khuur with its symbolism. The upper world is represented by the heavens and the lower world can possess evil and malicious spirits and has more superstition and taboo surrounding it. The crossing over into the lower world is also represented as crossing a river.

There's a few nuggets of information I've represented above that may elicit some connections. So I will break them down.

The idea of the suns and ami souls reincarnating can maybe be related to the Dotharl, where only the udgan can tell a person's previous life, this remains consistent with the point that in Tengrism only shamans can see these souls. Could it be that the Dotharl follow the 'suns' soul and sense its past lives to know who it once belonged to and help them learn who they were and continue their life in a new body?

The talk of the Ugund journey to the afterlife being filled with the ghost of the damned could be referencing the suns of the lower world.

And one can draw a comparison to the lower world and life stream if you wanted, though there is not causal relationship here in Final Fantasy lore, but the similarity can make for comparison. But of course, something like this in Final Fantasy could have been inspired by something like the River Styx, as it's not an exclusively Tengri imagery used for passing into a lower world

Learn More:

This is a huge topic and this post scratches the surface, but I thought these were interesting aspects that have some references (some loose) in FFXIV's lore.

This is a pretty good online resource, the author is a Tenger Shaman and I also have a copy of their book, which covers much of what's on there as well as some of the rituals: http://buryatmongol.org/a-course-in-mongolian-shamanism/

And a video of a Tenger Shaman talking about his profession:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DONJywWRjf4