Aspect Keywords

Aspect Keywords

The 12 Aspects all mean significantly more than their literal meanings. Supposedly, collectively, they encompass all of reality.

Here are some keywords that can be used as substitutions for the actual Aspect names. Not only are they useful for understanding the Aspects themselves, but they're also useful for classpecting purposes, for understanding the meaning of a Hero Title.

When paired with my Classes Chart, these Aspect keywords provide broad, basic, simplified information on what a particular role might do.

Existence

   Space   physicality, creation, (trans)formation, matter, beginnings, (re)birth, concreteness

   Time     timing, destruction, endings, inevitability, death, abstractness, meta

Knowledge

   Light     information, importance, relevance, fortune, luck, agency, visibility, clarity

   Void      nothingness, lack, irrelevance, submission, misfortune, unknown, obfuscation, invisibility, mystery, secrets, shadow

Perception

   Hope     belief, possibility, options, wish, realness, imagination, ideas, conception, sexuality

   Rage     fear, anger, lack of options, fakeness

Psyche

   Heart    soul, inner self, emotion, desire, love, will, motivation, passion

   Mind     thought, reason, logic, decision, choice, façade, outer self

Drive

   Breath  wind, (mis/re)direction, freedom, escape, quest, detachment, disconnection, distance, flight

   Blood    bonds, relationships, pacts, responsibility, duty, loyalty, unity, attachment, connection, groundedness

Energy

   Life        life force, energy, growth, power, persistence, wealth, boldness, enthusiasm, efficacy

   Doom    sacrifice, rules, limits, boundaries, decay, restraint, consequences, punishment

Edit 2/21/15: Added keywords to Space, Time, Hope, Breath, and Blood. Changed "self" to "inner self" for Heart (for clarification).

Here we have a nice picture of the Green Sun in the black void of the Furthest Ring:

But if we take the image and invert it...

...We have a Pink Sun in a white void.

If the Green Sun and black void symbolize the current instance of Paradox Space, perhaps the Pink Sun and white void symbolize a new instance of Paradox Space, a new reality to where the heroes will escape.

Doomed vs. Void Timelines

A doomed timeline is associated with time travel. It is an offshoot timeline, branching from the Alpha Timeline. It is destined for failure, for an ill fate. It can never succeed because, by itself, it cannot propagate reality's existence. A doomed timeline invariably ends when someone travels in time to undo its events.

So what happens when someone retcons events? Retconning is different from time travel. It doesn't create a doomed timeline because the timeline is the Alpha, not a branching offshoot. It doesn't create a stable time loop, either, because events are actually changed, as opposed to linked by causality. Doomed timelines and stable time loops are the results of time travel, not retcons. So what is the result of a retcon?

A retcon, instead, creates a void timeline. When the Alpha Timeline is changed, it renders previous Alpha (or canon) events null, void, ineffective, cancelled out.

The Alpha Timeline is the timeline of Light; it is the most important, significant, and relevant timeline, the path that successfully propagates reality and existence itself. Retcons turn the Alpha Timeline's Light to Void, making previously canon events unknown, irrelevant, ineffective, and as though they do not exist.

So, to clarify:

Doomed timeline = Offshoot timeline events undone via time travel.

Void timeline = Alpha timeline events undone via retcon.

Homestuck and the 12 Archetypes

I recently came across something called the Twelve Archetypes. Apparently it’s a concept by psychologist Carol S. Pearson, inspired by the Jungian notions of personality types and archetypes, as well as Joseph Campbell’s theory of a monomyth (aka The Hero’s Journey).

And, well… Wow. Twelve hero archetypes. That is absolutely the Homestuck class system. While not perfect, they translate really well, too!

Witch = Magician

Heir = Everyman / Orphan

Mage = Explorer / Seeker

Seer = Sage

Prince = Ruler

Bard = Jester

Maid = Creator

Sylph = Caregiver

Thief = Revolutionary / Rebel / Destroyer

Rogue = Lover

Knight = Hero / Warrior

Page = Innocent

Apparently there’s a whole formal, official, scientific-based personality test regarding the Twelve Archetypes called the Pearson-Marr Archetype Indicator (PMAI). (Free version of the test here.)

Information on the Twelve Archetypes: The Pearson Archetypal System The 12 Common Archetypes Pearson-Marr Archetype Indicator (PMAI) (Wikipedia) Pearson’s heroic archetypes

How am I just now learning of this? There's no way Hussie could have NOT based the SBURB class system on this concept. I don't even.

Classpect Profile Guide

In my previous post, I posited a theory that all standard classes and aspects can describe an individual, beyond the Hero Title and subrole.

Here's a step-by-step process of how to determine a Classpect Profile, all 12 roles. I will use myself as an example.

1) Divide the aspects into 6 complementary pairs/opposites:

Space & Time

Light & Void

Hope & Rage

Heart & Mind

Breath & Blood

Life & Doom

2) Look at each individual aspect, and consider how you typically interact with it. (See Aspect Keywords post for reference. bladekindeyewear and infinitywhale go into more depth here and here.)

For interactions, here are some keywords for class types:

Manipulate/Change (Witch/Heir)

Understand (Mage/Seer)

Destroy (Prince/Bard)

Create (Maid/Sylph)

Redistribute (Thief/Rogue)

Apply (Knight/Page)

You can also use these keywords for individual classes:

Control (Witch)       Influence (Heir)Experience (Mage)       Study (Seer)Demolish (Prince)       Deconstruct (Bard)Generate (Maid)       Mend (Sylph)Take (Thief)       Share (Rogue)Exploit (Knight)       Empower (Page)

3) Next to each aspect, write the class keywords you think might fit. You should be able to narrow each aspect down to a few potential keywords.

(Note: I recommend starting with the 6 class type keywords instead of the 12 unique ones because it paints a larger picture of the class themes, but if you’re confident (or feel lazy), feel free to start with the 12. You can also mix and match, but just be sure to distinguish types from individual keywords, or it may become confusing down the line. For the purposes of this guide, I’ll start with the 6.)

Possibilities, in my case:

4) Eliminate any keyword that doesn’t have an inverse under an opposite aspect. Inverse keywords are Manipulate & Understand, Destroy & Create, and Redistribute & Apply.

For example, in my case, Manipulate and Redistribute Space don’t have inverses—Understand and Apply—for Time, Space’s opposite, so I can remove them as possibilities.

Narrowed results:

5) Split the class type keywords into individual class (–/+) keywords.

For example, Apply, keyword for Warrior classes, divides into keywords Exploit (Knight) and Empower (Page).

(Note: If you started with the 12 individual keywords, Steps 5 and 6 aren’t necessary.)

6) Narrow your results by removing any class keywords that don’t fit your interactions with an aspect.

7) From there, eliminate class keywords without an inverse keyword for its opposite aspect, just as before. Inverses are Control & Study, Influence & Experience, Demolish & Mend, Deconstruct & Generate, Take & Empower, Share & Exploit.

For example, in my case, Mend Space doesn’t have an opposite Demolish Time, so I eliminate Mend.

8) Use the process of elimination to figure out the rest. No duplicate keywords/classes are allowed, so remove any duplicates of those already solved.

(Note: All class keywords will be used, so if you’re missing any, you’ll have to go back and reconsider your options.)

For example, in the previous step, I narrowed Light and Void to Influence and Experience. That means I can’t use Influence or Experience for Hope and Rage, which narrows Hope and Rage to Mend and Demolish. Likewise, I narrowed Heart and Mind to Empower and Take, because those were the only instances I had of those class keywords.

Simple process of elimination narrowed my results considerably! Most of them are solved!

That just leaves two classpect pairs I’m unsure about, or 4 total.

9) For any remaining pairs left to solve, look at each class description more closely…

…And figure out which descriptions most accurately fit your interaction with each aspect.

In my case, I feel like Knight fits better than Maid for Space, which narrows Space and Time to Knight and Rogue, respectively.

I still can’t determine Breath and Blood, as Maid and Bard both seem fitting. I use dahniwitchoflight’s Aspect posts as a guide, looking at descriptions for all four. Bard of Breath sounds especially like me, and Maid of Blood more than Bard of Blood.

10) Convert the keywords back into classes, and that’s it! You’ve now determined your full Classpect Profile!

I like using my Classes Chart and Aspect Keywords to create a brief description of each of my 12 roles.

Example:

Seer of Life: Invites understanding of/with/through Life (life force, energy, growth, power, persistence, wealth, boldness, enthusiasm, efficacy), guiding others.

All 12 seem pretty accurate to me!

How to determine a Hero Title and subrole Look at which aspect pair has the strongest influence on your actions and perspective. Most likely, it will also match the dual class pair that most accurately describes how you naturally operate in general. Both class and aspect are important to consider, especially if you have difficulty narrowing either down to one pair.

One of those classpects will sound like you at your best; it’s your area of greatest potential and method of having a maximum impact on reality. Its opposite/inverse classpect is your primary focus when you are stressed and in an unhealthy frame of mind, yet it’s also something you can put to good use. You’re probably naturally skilled with both classpects.

Your Hero Title is your best, ideal, and healthiest state, and your subrole is the stressed-but-useful state. Sometimes it’s easier to figure out your subrole first and invert it to discover your Title.

As for me, I am a Seer of Life! My subrole is Witch of Doom.

Alternate possibilities? If you’re not fond of your Hero Title, go with the alternate roles that have the next strongest influence in your life. Most likely, these will be the classpect pairs in which you can easily distinguish a “healthy” role and an inverse “unhealthy” role.

In my case, Heir of Light Mage of Void and Sylph of Hope are strong alternate Hero Titles. (Ugh, why do my top three aspects have to be the color schemes I most dislike? Void is awesome.)

Using an alternate role won’t be as ideal as your primary role, but it’s still a useful option.

Now what? After you’ve determined your Classpect Profile and Hero Title, I highly recommend learning more about each of your 12 roles in Dahni’s Aspect posts. Then use your Classpect Profile however you like!

I hope this guide was helpful and informative!

Music Theory and Dream Moons

Quick Prospit or Derse Dreamer Test:

Which song do you prefer?

SBURB OST by The Homestuck Fan Musicians

SBURB OST by The Homestuck Fan Musicians

"Lulling Lutescent" = Prospit Dreamer "Lavender Lullaby" = Derse Dreamer

Elaborated hypothesis involving music theory:

Prospit Dreamers generally gravitate toward music with major tonality, which has a lighter, happier, airy feel.

Derse Dreamers generally gravitate toward music with minor tonality, which has a darker, melancholic, heavier feel.

"Lulling Lutescent" is an example of major tonality, while "Lavender Lullaby" is in minor.