Andrew Hussie - Tumblr Posts

happy homestuck day, you filthy animals

aw, silly john eggbar! Fun fact: this was my first homestuck drawing ever :)

chat with @purretty-purrincess

original:

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.

Vriska's Return and the Alpha Timeline's Fate

There is something downright ominous about Vriska’s return. Something about it just seems so foreboding and …wrong.

It brings to mind John’s reaction to Caliborn’s retelling of events in “Homosuck”:

Her return is so ominous, evidence suggests that John will eventually retcon his retcon to restore the original Alpha Timeline.

But what makes Vriska’s return so foreboding? What significance will this new Alpha Timeline have upon reality? And why must John undo this change?

Overview of Topics:

Personal growth

Terezi’s inverted behavior

Characters’ meta-awareness

Retcons, void timelines, and semi-stable retcon loops

Caliborn’s statements

Doc Scratch’s omniscience

Alt!Calliope

Gamzee’s importance

Vriska’s Thief of Light and Page of Void roles

Horses: the Ultimate Bad Omen

Vriska’s return is disturbing because it undoes all the experiences and personal growth the heroes have undergone for the past three years on their journey through the Furthest Ring. The very notion contradicts something in story Hussie himself emphasized as important:

They have to face all those issues themselves, or they will never learn and grow as people. […] The journey itself is more important than the destination. The struggle is what builds character and teaches us about ourselves and about life.

He elaborates, comparing Trickster Mode shenanigans to Mario using a Star to overcome obstacles:

But the point is, [Mario] didn't really win. That magic star was actually devastating to his development as a human being. WHY. Because he skipped over many critical trials on his spiritual journey. Mario NEEDS to stomp on all those mushrooms. He NEEDS to bonk those bricks with his head, for the sake of his personal growth. By using the star, he is denying himself many powerful moments of catharsis.

This idea very much applies to John’s retcon powers and using them to change the Alpha Timeline, the events of the story. Like Trickster Mode and Mario's Star, retconning seems like an easy fix, a cheap, deus ex machina solution. It’s cheating. Dave even states, “messing with the alpha timeline [...] almost seems heretical.” Solving problems by retconning them out of existence is ineffectual and does not lead to growth.

By Terezi having John reset the timeline, undoing Vriska’s death, many of the characters will no longer face the challenges and hardships they previously would have. Terezi undoes the guilt that torments her, her abusive relationship with Gamzee, and the healing of her eyesight.

It is absolutely understandable that Terezi would want to do this! How many people wish they could undo something in their lives, especially mistakes they deeply regret making? How many people would change these mistakes if given the capability? However, in doing so, Terezi is denying herself the opportunity to grow and to heal from these experiences.

The events of our lives and the actions we take shape, define, and refine who we are as individuals. By having John retcon Vriska’s death, Terezi is essentially changing who she is and who she will become. Consequently, she’s changing who the other characters are, as well. Terezi is acting as a Witch of Heart, one who changes and controls the core identity of individuals.

The comic even visually hints at this role behavior when Terezi wears Jade’s Witch shoes:

Her Witch of Heart subrole should support her Seer of Mind role, not the other way around! Using the subrole, one’s inverse, as the lead role is not a healthy mode of operation! It spells disaster! This behavior foretells dire consequences.

There is something else foreboding about Vriska’s return. The characters all seem to intuitively KNOW these events are not supposed to happen. They KNOW things have been changed, that this is not how the story is supposed to go, that this is not the intended path of the Alpha Timeline. They have an almost meta-awareness of it.

JANE: But it wouldn't surprise me if the one who dealt my fatal blow was the leader of the raid [Vriska].

JANE: This was the unanticipated factor. JANE: Their leader was someone who was not expected to show up with them at all. […] JANE: You see, Callie, your historical documents make no mention of the leader of the raid, because originally, the curtains closed early on this plucky customer. JANE: But the hero was written back into our story by some inscrutable gambit of circumstance which we may never fully understand.

JOHN: i randomly appeared and knocked vriska out cold, just like the scarf told me to. […] TEREZI: YOU W3R3N'T SUPPOS3D TO DO TH1S! TEREZI: 1 W4S SUPPOS3D TO K1LL H3R! TEREZI: YOU JUST DOOM3D US 4LL!!!

Does Terezi’s reaction sound familiar? It should. Dave reacts the same way when John accidentally “zaps in,” interrupting his and Jade’s conversation and retconning events that originally occurred.

DAVE: you being here DAVE: thats not supposed to happen […] DAVE: its not supposed to go down like this i can feel it JOHN: i know! […] JADE: whatever dave and i were going to argue about JADE: i think the moment has passed JADE: the whole thing is kind of ruined to be honest

Dave has the same thoughts as Terezi: that John should not be there, these events are not supposed to happen, and John has doomed the timeline. John explains to each of them that this is not the case because it’s “not time travel,” yet Dave and Terezi remain skeptical and uneasy.

This meta-awareness and sense of a doomed timeline occurs elsewhere, too: when Aranea puts on the Ring of Life and invades the merged session.

MEENAH: you know all youre doing is making another doomed timeline where everyone dies right ARANEA: Of course I know that.

After the events of Game Over, Roxy and John sense the timeline is doomed, as well.

ROXY: this is starting to feel an awful lot like the end […] ROXY: maybe we should just ROXY: admit to ourselves this is probably what its like when you find yourself in a timeline where everything went wrong ROXY: and you know it means youre doomed

But here’s the thing. In each of those cases, the timeline isn’t "doomed" in the traditional sense, events undone because of time travel. In both cases, events are actually retconned by John, making the timeline not doomed, but void.

John voids the Game Over timeline by going back and retrieving the Ring of Life, preventing Aranea from obtaining it.

Regarding Dave and Jade’s confrontation, John purposefully retcons his retcon, setting events back to how they originally transpired, voiding his interference. He creates a semi-stable retcon loop.

In the new Alpha Timeline, because the characters have this same meta-awareness that these events are not supposed to happen—that Vriska is not supposed to be alive—and they sense that the timeline is doomed, I suspect John will retcon his retcon again, undoing the undoing of Vriska’s death, and creating another semi-stable retcon loop.

Why? Meta-narratively speaking, so events will play out how they originally were intended, how the characters KNOW and FEEL they are supposed to happen. So it won’t undo all the character growth the characters undergo. Besides,

It's also logical, since there is essentially nothing new in paradox space. Everything that can happen is either a visual or substantive reproduction of something which has already transpired on a timeline, offshoot or otherwise.

Another semi-stable retcon loop is bound to occur at some point. We were shown the first one for a reason.

Aside from all the parallels to events surrounding John's previous semi-stable retcon loop, more evidence supports a retcon of this new Alpha Timeline.

Caliborn points out the irony that Vriska “ACTUALLY THOUGHT SHE WAS GOING TO BE RELEVANT” and tells her to “KEEP DREAMING,” which is visualized by a “PSYCHE-OUT!!!” watermark and Vriska losing her head.

In the current iteration of the Alpha Timeline, Vriska’s new life state gives her the opportunity to have greater relevance and importance than before, when she was dead. “Dreaming” can even be a euphemism for “dead,” as death in dream bubbles compares to the state of dreaming and never waking up.

Caliborn seems to know Vriska will not be as important as she thinks she will be, and by telling her to “KEEP DREAMING,” he’s effectively telling her to stay dead. If John retcons his retcon, and Vriska actually remains dead after all, not only will this fulfill Caliborn’s statement, but it would prove to be the ultimate “PSYCHE-OUT!!!” to everyone, particularly to us readers.

Doc Scratch provides another indication John will retcon his retcon. Doc Scratch claims to have “absolute mastery of the Alpha Timeline” alone, any deviations withering from his perception. If the Alpha Timeline remains on its present course, it would make Doc Scratch either a liar or incorrect about this mastery.

When John retcons Vriska’s death, it voids events of the original Alpha Timeline, events Doc Scratch explicitly shows us.

    John's retcon turns the original Alpha Timeline, the events Doc Scratch shows us, into a void timeline. If Doc Scratch’s knowledge only pertains to this pre-retcon Alpha Timeline, his mastery is not of the true Alpha, but a voided version of it.

Doc Scratch is omniscient and does not lie. Yet at the same time, he has difficulty with Void.

AG: Sure you know a lot, 8ut I know for a FACT there's stuff you don't know. That's true. But the gaps in my knowledge exist by design. They are the pillars of shadow on which my comprehensive vision is built. Necessary pockets of void meant to effectuate outcomes I've foreseen and which will require my influence. Each dark pocket, in time, will be filled.

Occasionally I discover there are things I have not always known. It gives me the opportunity to make deductions, which are practically always flawless. […] But sometimes that is the nature of these hollows in my perception. It feels a bit like dark water, sloshing about the cavity in my head.

Wouldn’t it make sense for the new, current Alpha Timeline to be eventually retconned back to how events originally transpired? It would make the present Alpha, wherein Vriska lives, a void timeline. Void, which can escape Doc Scratch’s perception.

Considering Vriska “occupied a blind spot” to the Condesce, Jane, and Jade with her return, it seems reasonable she could occupy one of Doc Scratch’s “dark pockets,” as well.

If John retcons his retcon and creates a semi-stable retcon loop, it would validate Doc Scratch's mastery of the final, true Alpha Timeline, and it would reinforce the notion of pockets of Void in his knowledge.

But all of this raises another question: If eventually John is going to retcon the new, current Alpha Timeline back to its original state, what importance does the present timeline have?

The answer is Calliope’s alternate reality self.

JADE: like i said, [Alt!Calliope] just finished telling me that she was able to beat her brother in this reality JADE: but apparently, that wasnt supposed to happen? JADE: so she lived out the rest of her life in a doomed timeline and eventually died

Now, granted, this Calliope could be any Calliope from any regular doomed timeline, but I don’t think this is the case. This Calliope seems too important and special to be a random doomed one. This Calliope indicates her story is tied somehow to our John, the same John with retcon abilities and unstuck in canon.

JADE: and then she did this kinda fancy transition [...] to a story about MY brother... who was stuck in a doomed timeline too […] JADE: almost all our friends had died JADE: and johns only hope was to return to his planet, and attempt to complete his personal quest

Jade’s wording about Calliope is suspiciously similar to descriptions of timelines John retcons: Her defeat over Caliborn isn’t “supposed to happen.” If this Calliope is one who retroactively embodies Paradox Space, it would make sense for her to have been a part of the Alpha Timeline at one point, even if that timeline is eventually retconned. A standard doomed Calliope likely would not have enough importance to have such drastic influence over all of reality itself.

The difference between this Calliope and all other doomed Calliopes, why she unprecedentedly dominated her brother, could be in how they were raised: without Gamzee’s influence. In the present Alpha Timeline, Gamzee is suspiciously absent at the end of the three-year journey.

  The meaning of Terezi’s ominous message, “you don’t need him,” has not yet been explained. Perhaps it refers to Gamzee. If removed from the picture, he cannot raise the cherubs, influencing their upbringing, personalities, resources, and knowledge.

    Remember, just as Calliope is “not supposed to” dominate, Gamzee is “not supposed to” die. Hussie even states he is “not aware of a single timeline in which [Gamzee] dies.” If Gamzee only ever dies in a void timeline, each time the Alpha retconned so his death never occurs, Hussie’s supposed lack of its awareness makes sense.

If John retcons his retcon, it will make the current Alpha Timeline, wherein Vriska lives, a void timeline in actuality. It seems fitting that a Thief of Light from a void timeline would steal the Alpha Timeline’s Light—its importance and relevance. Not to mention her Page of Void subrole, empowering others to exploit Void—a void timeline—maximizing its use.

However, everything the heroes have done so far has advanced Lord English’s machinations. What exactly will happen is unclear, but all the ominous foreshadowing surrounding Vriska's return hints that something disastrous will occur and force John to go back and retcon this timeline.

One clue is Jane’s phrasing of Vriska’s return and the raid she leads in the merged session:

JANE: The tilt between the friendly and felonious was a true horse race again. A real barn burner in the brewing.

Jane’s colorful wording metaphorically surrounds them with horses.

VRISKA: I think I've just decided that 8eing surrounded 8y horses might 8e the ultim8 8ad omen. Nothing good can ever follow or precede those circumstances.

The Ultimate Bad Omen. Vriska’s return is ominous indeed.

John the Wizard

Remember after the Trickster arc (A6A5A2), how the story returns to A6A5A1? Caliborn yells at Hussie for going "BACKWARDS BY AN 'ACT'." He thinks the Trickster shenanigans were "erased," to which Hussie responds:

What are you talking about? I didn't erase it. It was still a thing that happened. Do you really think I have the power to make something unhappen?? I would have to be a wizard to do that.

Well, it turns out someone does have that power:

Which means John Egbert is a wizard.

John already has plenty of wizard allusions:

DISREGARD THE UNIMPORTANT MALE GHOST BEHIND THE CURTAIN.

An obvious reference to the Wizard of Oz saying, "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain."  

JOHN: let's all go see a big pompous wizard to solve all of our problems.

JOHN: we didn't realize it at the time, but there were still a bunch of problems waiting to happen. [...] JOHN: but don't worry, i'm working to overcome all those problems right now. JOHN: that's why i'm here!

  Frigglish bothered his beard, as if unkinking a hitch in a long silk windsock. [...] As a matter of fact, his cadre of fellow wizards were all putting similar moves on their beards as well.

Thanks to John's god tier hood (wind powers help, too), others (mostly Roxy) continually mention windsocks with reference to John.

ROXY: im all ears johnny windsock

Even the Magician's Hat John wears as part of his "Clever Disguise" and the Bunny Sassacre Fedora---one of the first items he alchemizes---are wizardly.

  One of the very first snippets of information we learn about John is that he's "an aspiring AMATEUR MAGICIAN." While it appears to mean a magician in the sense of an "entertainer who is skilled in producing illusion by sleight of hand, deceptive devices, etc.," a magician is also a "person who is skilled in magic" or a "sorcerer"---in other words, a wizard. Couldn't it mean both?

If Heir is indeed the passive counterpart to Witch, both classes who "change, manipulate, and control (with/through) their aspect"---which I like to call the Magician Classes---wouldn't that make the Heir of Breath a magician or wizard, anyway?

John and others continually refer to John and his abilities as "magic":

EB: everyone i know is turning magic, it's ridiculous. EB: including me! i'm magic now.

("Everyone" specifically alluding to Jade and Rose, an actual Witch and a Seer with the inclination toward Witch inversion.)

John calls his retcon abilities "weird retcon magic," and describes it as "some kind of surreal, history altering... reality hopping... magic power.” Roxy calls it “magic ‘fix literally everything' powers.”

Although John aspires to become a SKILLED MAGICIAN and a CUNNING PRANKSTER, he is “neither of these things” for most of the story.

At first, John has no control over his magic powers (first wind, then space-time jumping retcon abilities). However, eventually he learns and masters his powers, becoming a SKILLED MAGICIAN.

JOHN: i've noticed whenever i learn to do new things with my powers, it's usually in response to something. like something important that has to be done.

JOHN: i learned how to turn into wind and swoosh around about a year ago. [...] JOHN: i thought for sure i was a goner, when suddenly i poofed away from his tentacly grasp like houdini's slippery ghost. later i rematerialized to seize the tactical advantage!

JADE: he dispersed every drop throughout existence

JADE: leaving a little mark for anyone who might notice, signifying his final mastery over his confining reality

Thanks to his powers and Terezi's scarf instructions, John becomes a CUNNING PRANKSTER, as well.

JOHN: i am like the ultimate prankster now... nanna would be so proud!

Previously, John was neither a skilled magician nor a cunning prankster. Now he is both.

John, a magician, the wizard with the “power to make something unhappen."

Bonus points for shipping fodder: Roxy LOVES wizards.

John = Wizard. CONFIRMED.

Edited to clarify some information regarding classes and gender. As a note, I’m pretty sure I made this chart either before Hussie made the statement on female Princes, or before I was aware of it. I’m still keeping the chart as-is, though, for now.

Classes Chart

Here’s a chart of all the classes, both Standard and Master.

My goal was to define, describe, and categorize them as efficiently and accurately as possible, based on my understanding of the classes. I based as much as I could on canon information, while inferring the rest.

(For clarity, “–” denotes Active, and “+” denotes Passive.)

(Note: If chart looks distorted/shrunken, right-click and View Image.)

Special thanks to bladekindeyewear, dahniwitchoflight, infinitywhale and probably others for their insight and information, helping me understand the classes and aspects. I couldn’t have made this chart without them.

Some clarification: I am aware Hussie essentially said any gender can have any class (i.e. female Princes). I don’t like the idea of gendered classes, anyway, and I think it’s needlessly restrictive, not to mention sexist and stereotyping.

However, my chart reflects what’s been depicted in comic, based on what Calliope states, looking at the characters’ classes and gender distribution, and then making some inferences based on Hussie’s penchant for balance and based on class names and god tier outfit designs.

tere SEEMS to be some confuson about phiss............ sweat bro and jella heff are me s my intoldlectual proportie.... and  MINE ALONE....  all of my 

HEADcanons are 1005 LEGIT......., were as youre’s are all .LAUGHABLY FAKE....> there is NOT room for interpretetion WHATSOEVER    in sweetbro and hella jelf................... NOT EVEMN A LITTLE>>>>>........... to claim otherwise is HORESAY....... and also   in violtion of my legal rights ass an arTITSt........ i HOPE thsi celars things  up.....

Made my first really crappy sprite edit :(

equisol for all ya curious blokes

this is litterally my FAVORITE!!! ship ever i love it so much

Jesus Christ I got an email from a customer at my logistics job. motherfucker is named Andrew hussie

I'm Homestuck trash.

That's it.

if they made a homestuck movie:

VOICEOVER: it's coming...

*two drum beats*

JOHN EGBERT: *puts the disk for sburb into his computer* i'm in

VOICEOVER: this summer

*two drum beats*

ROSE LALONDE: *rolls eyes* john, stop goofing around

VOICEOVER: prepare to be stuck...

*two drum beats*

JADE HARLEY: *wakes up and looks around*

VOICEOVER: at home

*two drum beats*

DAVE STRIDER: *spins record* woah, this is off the wall, yo

*shitty orchestral cover of sburban jungle plays*

ROXY: but you don't understand! this game is dangerous!

*cut to dave leaving his clone behind at his quest bed*

DAVE: i can't do it... i just can't kill another me...

*bec noir appears next to alt dave*

ALT DAVE: he's right behind me isn't he

*fades to black as bec noir slashes a sword at alt dave's neck*

*text on screen reads "ASCEND"*

*cut to rose in her shed*

JOHN: rose, the meteor's gonna hit!!

ROSE: *grabs computer* *rolls eyes*

*text on screen reads "DESCEND"*

*cut to scenes of the war on the chess field*

*text on screen reads "RISE UP"*

*cut to john, running out of his kitchen*

JOHN: these imps are everywhere!!

*text on screen reads "ABSCOND"*

ROSE: it's all over...

*cut to the various sprites being sprited*

*cut to jake kissing dirk's head*

DIRK STRIDER: *standing nearby* *coughs* awkward...

*cut to terezi and john after game over*

TEREZI: john, 1t's 4ll up to you now...

JOHN: *gasps*

*cut to john and dave hugging*

NEPETA: *grins* :33< i ship ittttt

KARKAT: *facepalm*

*cut to terezi and vriska facing off*

TEREZI: vr1ska, you c4n't do th1s!

VRISKA: watch me!

*montage of vriska doing a bunch of random and cool stuff*

VRISKA: i can do anything!!!!!!!!

*cut to grimdark rose and dave*

ROSE: to win... we're gonna have to blow up the sun

DAVE: awww snap

*text on screen reads "NIC CAGE"*

JOHN: and i mean, of COURSE con air is the best movie ever!! what other movie would you even suggest

*text on screen reads "LIL NAS X"*

DAVE: man, this isn't even the best song in obama's whole rap career

*text on screen reads "AMANDLA STENBERG"*

ROSE: *rolls eyes* whatever, mom! i'm summoning cuthulu!

*text on screen reads "ZENDAYA"*

JADE: *petting bec* oh, who's the best dog! is it you?

*a bunch more celebrity names on screen*

*text on screen reads "BASED ON THE WEBCOMIC BY ANDREW HUSSIE"*

ANDREW HUSSIE: *sitting in chair* wait, am i still in this movie? do i still die?

VOICEOVER: yes

HUSSIE: oh poop

*text on screen reads "HOMESTUCK: THE MOVIE"*

JOHN: we're gonna save the world... or die trying

*quick montage of every single death scene*

DAVE: i think we're gonna die trying

JOHN: daaaaveeee

*text on screen reads "COMING THIS SUMMER"*

*cut to dave beatboxing*

KARKAT: CAN YOU SHUT UP?!

DAVE: are you gonna make me?

NEPETA: :33< ooooh—

DAVE and KARKAT in unison: DON'T SAY IT

NEPETA: :33< ship it

*they both sigh*

*cut to black*

We’ve come a long way, baby.

March!Eridan 2013 with Andrew Hussie / 2016 / Maid!Equius with @rufiozuko

I have read enough homestuck to know that if these are our only choices for our future, we are doomed

I had this recurring lewd fantasy about Kankri Vantas becoming a frat boy :3 let me tell you all about it!!

Kankri was minding his own business, being a femboy preaching the politically correct agenda, all was well, until the frat boys attacked. They spiked Kankri's drink with a magical compound, and before he realized it, he felt way hornier! Kankri couldn't stop himself from oogling a cute girl...or two!

He tried to calm himself down, but quickly realized something was off, on his head resided a baseball cap turned around, Kankri felt disgusted at this imagery, and tried to take it off, but it refused!!

He felt hot all over his body, hornier than before, oh jegus he wanted to fuck some women~ he resisted the urges, and realized his muscles had grown significantly as this was happening! In fact, his clothes were changing as well, his long pants became way shorter, to the point that they could barely keep his erection from showing! His sweater turned into a red gym shirt that showed his newly found bulk! And his bulge grew a size or two as well~~

He felt his...head change too...he had trouble thinking, who even was Kankri? He felt like a whole new boy, someone more daring...someone more abrasive...someone who wanted to shag the first woman he came across!!

Ahem, as you can see, this is but a vague outline of the scenario, but the end result is the point, Kankri is now a sexy frat boy who has vastly changed, but still keeps some characteristics of his old self, such as PCness and being a bit of a femboy :3

What do y'all think? Anything you would want to add?