#the fundamental thing im trying to do here is promote symmetry and elegance in how the classes and aspects interact

[red-elric]

aight i got some attention 😎 here's my thesis on classpects lol

ASPECTS:

- aspects in homestuck represent a fundamental part (or "aspect") of the universe. each aspect is a building block that, when used in combination with the other aspects, creates the universe as we (or the players) know it. the aspects primarily work in distinct pairs to create six fundamental tenants of the universe. three of these tenants exist on a more cosmic scale, and the remaining three exist on a personal scale. additionally, within each pair of aspects, there is one aspect that serves as an expanding, limitless concept with large amounts of potential; the other aspect in the pair serves to limit and guide the first with a much more concrete definition and power. (note: this is not to say the limitless aspect has more power or is stronger than the limiting aspect; there is power in limiting as well, and the broadness of the limitless aspects can make them difficult to interpret and utilize. no aspect is more important or powerful than another)

- the cosmic tenants are those that relate to paradox space, fate, the timeline, and the universe. these aspects exist on a grander scale than the personal aspects, but conversely they have little to do with actual people/players and their relationships and emotions. players that act in service to a cosmic aspect can find themselves limited in personal development; whereas those that rebel against the cosmic aspect assigned to them may find themselves personally fulfilled, but less effective in matters that the game deems important. the cosmic aspects are void/light, mind/doom, and space/time. (note that these six aspects all have symbols that are roughly circular in shape and are symetrical in at least one direction, often more than one direction.)

- VOID/LIGHT: this aspect pair deals with the tenant of CHAOS AND ORDER. void is the limitless aspect of nothingness; it is the chaos through which every concept might exist, but through the contradictory overlap it is meaningless. light limits void by giving it order, picking through the infinite possibilities and finding the one true path with meaning, creating a narrative. void and light also have associations with luck; while void represents the statistical inevitability that anything that could exist does, somewhere, light represents the infintessimal chances that any given possibility actually DOES exist in the reality the players exist in. light has a tendency to try to make things 'work out the way they should;' light players have an association with heroism and narrative satisfaction; they can seem more like characters in a story than any other players and tend to feel something is 'off' if things don't work out the way they 'should.' conversely, void has the capacity to understand that anything is possible; void players have incredible capacity to 'roll with the punches' as nothing can really surprise them, but they can veer towards nihilism and depression if they conclude 'nothing matters.' void and light are represented in a more literal sense by darkness and space (void) or brightness and sources of light (light); players that are more literal minded may end up with abilities relating to these representations, such as a prince of light being able to remove all light from an area to allow stealth attacks.

- MIND/DOOM: this aspect pair deals with the tenant of CHOICE AND FATE. mind is the limitless aspect of choices; it is the existence of every possible branching reality, brought upon by every individual choice that might be made. doom limits mind by definining the alpha timeline as the one that is 'real;' all other branches are 'doomed.' this does not mean they are meaningless, especially since doomed timelines frequently interact with the alpha timeline; it simply means the events in these timelines are not the ones fated to happen by paradox space. mind represents a player's free will, stating that their actions have distinct consequences; 'we make our own luck.' doom represents the determinism inherent to paradox space, stating that actions exist for the benefit of the alpha timeline; 'we've been doomed from the start.' doom players have a tendency to see the world in black and white, all in absolutes with no nuance; things are the way they are because thats the way they are. they may also tend to stagnate because of this; they accept things as unchangeable and are less motivated to action at times. conversely, mind players tend to take matters into their own hands; they see every outcome as something they are personally responsible for and can be extremely motivated to take decisive action. on the other hand, a mind player might find this responsibility overwhelming, while a doom player might find the predetermination freeing; it depends on the player's disposition. literal representations of these aspects include brains and dice/coins/any tool for random chance (mind) or death/decay and fire (doom); literal minded players may develop powers relating to these representations as well, such as a sylph of mind becoming able to heal someone from brain damage or mental impairment/inhibitors

- SPACE/TIME: this aspect pair deals with the tenant of BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS. space creates limitlessly, ever expanding with dominion over all life, objects, locations, etc in existence; it sets the stage for all creation. time defines the ways life, objects, etc play out and brings them all to their proper resting point; it cleans up after space and closes chapters on space's creations. these aspects in particular and the cyclical way they interact with one another in paradox space are the most relevant aspects to the game of sburb/sgrub, because the goal of the game is to create a new universe, which lies heavily in space's domain, and it executes this goal through the paradoxical creation of players who are capable of playing the game as required, which is only possible through close association with time. this is why sessions without a space player are doomed to fail (especially considering the frog must be bred on a space player's planet) and sessions without a time player have an extremely low chance of success (the time player takes the role of making sure all loops are closed as they should be, and is naturally predisposed to clean up after paradox space). time players have strong associations with endings, particularly death, and tend to see things from the perspective of the end result. they may veer towards nihilism or determinism through this perspective, or they may find a sense of peace through knowing how things will play out in advance. conversely, space players have strong associations with beginnings, particularly birth and growth. they have the perspective of the starting potential, and may be optimistic about all the possibilities open to them, or they may be anxious from the potential ways things might go wrong. literal representations of these aspects include frogs, plants, and matter (space) or gears, corpses, and clocks (time) and more literally minded players may develop powers related to these manifestations, such as thief of time physically turning back the hands of a clock to travel backwards in time

- the personal aspects deal much more primarily with the matters of players and individuals, and players with these aspects are rewarded for developing their personal life and conversely not as poweful if they focus too much on the fate of the game and paradox space itself. each pair of personal aspects is directly parallel to a pair of cosmic aspects, they just deal with matters on a different scale. the personal aspect pairs are RAGE/HOPE (parallel to void and light), HEART/LIFE (parallel to mind and doom), and BREATH/BLOOD (parallel to space and time).

- RAGE/HOPE: this aspect pair deals with the core tenant of INSTINCT and PHILOSOPHY. rage is the aspect dealing with base, instinctual emotions and reactions, tied closely with behaviors in one's pure self interest, without trust in others and community. hope is the aspect dealing with enlightened thought, faith, and heroism; it surpasses rage's instincts by presenting lofty ideals for people to believe in, and produces heroes and strength for light's narrative. rage inspires fear in the isolated; hope inspires strength in the community. these aspects represent two schools of thought in the philosophy behind peoples' behaviors; rage insisting we are ruled by our instincts and the needs of our bodies, and hope insisting we have evolved beyond that and are ruled by thought, which can overcome those instincts. both philosophies have a degree of truth to them and combine to explain general human (or inhuman, depending on the player) nature, despite their contradictions. hope players have a strong connection to the narrative of the hero's journey (or, depending on their alignment, the villain's journey), though they are much less likely to be cognizant of this than light players. they deal with grandeur and lofty ideals about life and purpose, and can be either inspired by or overwhelmed by this, often feeling pressure to 'be a good person.' conversely, rage players have a strong connection to base emotion; they are good at finding core emotions that drive us and the fundamental feelings behind instinctual reactions. they deal with the innate, rather than the cerebral; some may find peace in their understanding of these subconcious emotions, while others may feel disturbed by the idea that they are controlled by their feelings alone and overwhelmed by this connection. literal representations of these aspects include angels and light (hope) or clowns and darkness (rage), and more literal minded players may develop powers related to these physical manifestations, such as a witch of hope summoning and controlling angels to fight for them

- HEART/LIFE: this aspect pair deals with the core tenant of SOUL AND BODY. heart is the aspect dealing with the essence of who a person is, including constants across all iterations of the person as well as their limitless potential to change across different iterations. mind represents all possible choices that can be made to influence reality, while heart represents the possible results of those choices on a single person. life is the aspect dealing with the physical and limited form that a soul inhabits; it represents the defined, exact iteration of a person in this reality and the form they take. the body (including the specific circumstances that create this body) houses the soul and limits it to one instance of a person, but the body without a soul is worthless. life players can (depending on their class), however, heal and raise the dead by reminding the body of the soul it previously held and reforging that connection. life players have a tendency to feel strong connections to their own sense of self, and can show strong confidence in their own actions; alternatively, they can feel overwhelmed by the limitations of the body they are 'trapped' in and feel as though they cannot break out of bad habits. conversely, heart players can feel overwhelmed by the enormity of their understanding of themselves, and their personal iteration of themselves can feel dwarfed by the possibilities of what they could have been; alternatively, they could also feel empowered by these alternatives and their ability to change themselves to better suit their goals and ideals. physical representations of these aspects include literal hearts and energy (heart) or plants and other forms of life (life); more literal minded players may develop powers related to these representations, such as an heir of life finding their enemies strangled by plant life.

- BREATH/BLOOD: this aspect pair deals with the core tenant of INDEPENDENCE AND COMMUNITY. breath is the aspect dealing with freedom, a disconnect from worldly and personal ties to focus on one's self. it has associations with the limitless ideals of nirvana, of removing one's self from others to achieve personal enlightenment, without the distraction of connections. blood is the aspect dealing with connections and relationships, choosing to focus more on the team or community as a whole than one's self. it utilizes connections with others to achieve social fulfillment, locking away personal freedoms for the opportunity to interact with others and creating strong social power. blood players are very often the best among all other aspects at helping other players work together towards a common goal. they are good at leadership, as long as they have and understand a goal; however, they are more focused on the team itself than the actual goals and may become lost if teamwork is not necessarily the priority. conversely, breath players are not generally good at working with a team, preferring to forge their own path, but their commitment to freedom and individuality can in itself be very inspiring to those who watch them, and they may be considered leaders in their own right (though a breath player would never consider themselves a true leader). these two aspects are not any more or less important than other aspects; however, due to the cooperative nature of the game and the game's focus on individual fulfillment and growth for the players, the aspects are strongly related to the themes of the game from the players' point of view, and as such blood and breath players are often held in high regard by others (though there are exceptions to this. it depends how commited the players are to realizing their aspect, and how contrary their non breath/blood teammates feel). physical representations of these aspects include wind, air, and literal breath (breath) or vows, family, and literal blood (blood); more literal minded players may develop powers related to these manifestations, such as a thief of blood having the ability to drain all the blood from an enemy's body.

CLASSES:

- unlike aspects, classes in homestuck deal entirely with the personal and not at all with the cosmic scale. a player's class represents how they interact with their aspect (broadly, in a constructive or destructive way), as well as whether they are benefited more by using their aspect power for themselves (active) or for others (passive). the classes are divided into 7 active and passive pairs, and both classes within a pair interacts with the aspect in a very similar way, but with the purpose of meeting a different goal depending on which side of the active/passive scale the class falls upon. these pairs are divided into three sets of contructively aligned classes, three sets of destructively aligned classes, and one pair that has ultimate control, both constructive and destructive. this exception is, of course, the master classes (lord and muse). it is this pair we will discuss first.

- LORD (-)/MUSE (+): this class pair interacts with their aspects using ULTIMATE CONTROL. unlike all other classes, lords and muses can both create and destroy their aspect and representations of their aspect, and have very few limitations to their connection with the aspect. the limitations that do exist lie within the differences between the two classes. the lord is purely an active class, and can bend their aspect to their will, and their will alone. they will struggle greatly with using their aspect to benefit others, but they will likely not feel compelled to do so in the first place. conversely, the muse is a purely passive class, and can only inspire their aspect to act in ways that benefit others. they, too, are capable of great power, but this power often comes at great personal sacrifice and they must rely on others to defend and protect them. however, by aligning yourself with a muse, you will have acess to great power frorm their aspect; their aspect will help you with your goals, so long as the muse feels as though they can place their trust in you.

- the destructively aligned classes associate their aspect with destruction in some way, whether that is by directly destroying the aspect, or using the aspect to destroy other things. the three pairs of destructive classes are prince/bard, thief/rogue, and page/knight.

- PRINCE (-)/BARD (+): this class pair interacts with their aspects using PURE DESTRUCTION. they are both often surrounded by their aspect in some way, and perhaps overwhelmed by it, and can find great power in destroying it or using it for destruction. the prince, as an active class, directly destroys their aspect in a desire to feel control over it, and must balance this with the power their aspect grants them when it is in abundance around them. too little of the aspect, and they have nothing left to control and use; too much of the aspect, and the aspect uncontrollably overwhelms them. the bard, as a passive class, invites destruction through their aspect, inspiring rather than controlling directly. their presence in a group must also be balanced; given too much influence, the bard's power could destroy everything around them uncontrollably, but with too little influence, the bard is supressed and unhelpful.

- THIEF (-)/ROGUE (+): this class pair interacts with their aspects by REMOVING AND RELOCATING. they both may feel a lack of their aspect around them, and cannot create it themselves; they must take it from others instead. both are also especially adept at turning the intangible concepts behind the aspect into something quantifiable and real. the thief, as the active class, draws their aspect to work for themself vampirically, taking representations of it exclusively from others to benefit themself. they are able to precisely control their powers and understand them implicitly. the rogue, as the passive class, struggles more with their understanding of their powers, and cannot control them as well, especially if they feel as though they are attempting to take their aspect for their own benefit alone. however, if they have a robin hood-esque motivation to rebalance their aspect and help their friends, they are capable of similar things as thieves.

- PAGE (-)/KNIGHT (+): this class pair interacts with their aspects by WIELDING them as a WEAPON. they both draw great power from their aspect and can channel it to great destructive force. the page, as the active class, is capable of channeling and controlling huge amounts of their aspect as raw power. however, this power is only accessible if the page desires it for themself; they are often predisposed to let their desires sit by the wayside and can feel lots of pressure from others to achieve their true potential, and that pressure can make it possible for a page to awaken their true power. the knight, as the passive class, can also wield their aspect as a powerful weapon, but their skills are most effective in helping or protecting others. the aspect is not kind to the knight themself, and often great power for the knight comes at great personal sacrifice.

- the creatively aligned classes associate their aspects with creation in some way, whether that is by directly creating the aspect or using the aspect to create other things. the three pairs of creatively aligned classes are maid/seer, witch/sylph, and heir/mage.

- MAID (-)/SEER (+): this class pair interacts with their aspects by COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING. they both have an innate connection to and knowledge of their aspect and can channel that information towards constructive purposes. the maid, as an active class, works in service of the aspect completely in exchange for dominion over the aspect itself; they become 'made' of their aspect. they have a fundamental understanding of the aspect that cannot be compared to another class's relationship with the same aspect, and can use that knowledge to their own great benefit. the seer, as a passive class, uses their aspect as a conduit to better understand the actions and paths they and their party must take for ultimate victory. while many seers are predisposed to work alone, their skills are much better utilized to guide others in the use of their own skills, and they are rewarded for taking an advisory position instead.

- WITCH (-)/SYLPH (+): this aspect pair interacts with their aspects by MANIPULATION AND CREATIVITY. they, like thieves and rogues, can take hold of conceptual ideas of how an aspect works, and can bend the aspect to their own will. a witch, as the active class, has incredible control over the aspect and creatively uses it to mold an optimal reality. however, their manual control over their aspect can sometimes lead to catastrophic mistakes if they are not careful. the sylph, as a passive class, struggles to reach this same level of control, but if properly motivated by the desire to help those around them, they can achieve similar abilities as a witch, albiet in a more roundabout way. the sylph in particular is drawn towards healing, and a sylph of ANY aspect might find a creative way to justify that power.

- HEIR (-)/MAGE (+): this aspect pair interacts with their aspects by PURE CREATION. they both manifest their aspect around them in abundance, conciously or not. the heir, as the active class, will find that their aspect protects and serves them, initially without concious control on the heir's part. they are beloved by their aspect and can wield it freely. the mage, as the passive class, is also surrounded by their aspect; however, the aspect is more aligned to helping those around the mage than the mage themselves. the mage can find benefit from this by surrounding themselves with friends; surrounding themselves with enemies will lead more towards detriment.