Zwölf's Expanded Classpect System

Homestuck's Classpect System deserves to have a power of two number of classes and aspects. So, I expanded it, with my additions bring the totals to 32 of each. All the Aspects have been published. New Class drops every Fquielday @11:30am EST, until finished.

[12colors-classpects]

Zwölf's Expanded Classspects

There are 12 canon aspects and 14 canon classes. I thought both of them should be a nice and even power of two.

Alas, it turned out the small job of making four aspects and two classes to reach sixteen each was harder than the big job of making six times as many in total get to thirty-two each.

🎲_🎲

So, I did the big job. Find linked below essays on my 20 fan aspects and 18 fan classes.

Aspects

Mist and Ink

Dealing in deceptions uttered and oaths sworn.

Thorne and Lead

Handling persistence and pollution.

Coin and Soot

Managing capital's wealth and labor's power.

Clay and Rust

Shaping primordial potential and envitable loss.

Soap and Lice

Obsessing over cleaniness and wallowing in abject filth.

Jazz and Stone

Listening to music move and silence sit still.

Rime and Zest¹

Building cold anticipation and climaxing hot catharsis.

Glass and Bone¹

Perceiving qualialic filters and addresing material realities.

Lace and Jam¹

Compiling the universe's source code and spitting out countless errors.

Teeth and Beans

Taking a pragmatism bite out of problems and wishing on whimsy.

¹The aspects are generally listed "A and B" where each A is then next aspect in clockwise order from the previous A; however, Pairs marked by this footnote have been listed "B and A" by simple dint of sounding better in that order. Apologies in advance for whatever confusion this creates.

Classes (Links pending essay publication)

The Raffe and Muse²

Those who Liberate.

The Scribe and Seer²

Those who Witness.

The Dawn and Copse

Those who Embody.

The Mirth and Colt

Those who Donate.

The Saint and Mage²

Those who Allay.

The Lord² and Spawn

Those who Subjugate.

The Vex and Rue

Those who Suppress.

The Mime and Jinx

Those who Ignore.

The Nark and Gaunt

Those who Abandon.

The Shrike and Host

Those who Exploit.

The Gnome and Smith

Those who Alter.

²Classes marked with this footnote are canon. The blog author does not plan to make essays about them.

[12colors-classpects]

The Colt

The gift horse's mouth holds a secret which the horse can only guess. Look closely at its teeth to compare what you're owed to what you get.

Narrative Function

To dual-speakers of English and German, the word "gift" provides a wonderful opportunity for a translingual pun: In English it's a present, offering, or kindness; but in German it simply means poison. This pair of false friends present the best framework for understanding the Colt.

The Colt's primary narative function is to be sacrificed. The Colt gives themselves, or a part of themselves away, for the benefit of others, at great harm to themselves. They might offer their self up on an aspect's alter to settle some debt or dispute, or they might lose a part of their self in the name of a greater cause. But, even as the Colt is bleeding out, turned from horse to gift-horse, they can still bite the hand that slaughters 'em, turning from boon to bane in a final moment of defiance.

There's a lot of flexibility in the Colt's narrative. A Colt might 'change hands' muliple times, flitting around shifting their allegiance mulitiple times, like the toaster-oven that keeps getting regifted (with each movement of the Colt constituting a sacrifice of the narrative potential of their old connections), before they reach the culmination of their arc.

Player Tendencies

The Colt is one of the most passive classes, as its basic beat is a moment of altru sacrifice, but this doesn't actually tend to reflect in the class's Players. The opposite enfact, Colt players' tendancy is anathema to their class, as Colts are likely to be selfish and egotistical. Their sacrifices aren't sought out as first solutions, but resorted to under the duress of dramatic or ironic circumstances.

Godhood

The Colt's godhood is styled after the typical dress of the roving warrior class of Yankelan, which were fostered as a cultural part to Meiji era Yankeland's third imperial expansion project, commonly referred to in the local cultures as "Cowboys."

It is a hooded pancho over a button-cuffed shirt and pants, a belt with a buckle you can park a 2026 Ford under, and a pair of trusty dusty leather boots.

Attribution

The godhoods were all designed, on commission, by @meraki-sunset. She's an amazing artist and a delight to work wit.

[12colors-classpects]

The Raffe

RISE! Where is you anger? RISE! Where is your fury? RISE! Where is your fire? RISE! RISE! RISE! Where is you Wrath?

Narrative Function

The Raffe [răth]¹ are the instigator, leader, lynchpin, and success of revolutions: Through their aspect, they seek the liberation of both themselves and other characters. Sometimes they go beyond that and seek to free the entire narrative from the subjugative clutches of another aspect (or in especially rare cases, their own.)

Not all rebellions stories feature a Raffe, but those that do tend to find better success and greater successes, as the Raffe breathes strength into the movement, their presense a banner on the battlefield and a rallying cry in the wind, creating a movement-wide morale boost.

Player Tendencies

Raffes tend toward being a righteous and altruistic lot: they're deeply entuned to the suffering caused by unjust systems and actively seek to liberate those who suffer from the systems which harm them.

Godhood

The Raffe's Godhood is styled after fashion from the various punk scenes of late 20th and early 21st century Yankeelan and Britain.

It is a hooded, sleeveless battle jacket, worn over a sleeveless undershirt and ripped pants. The battle jacket is covered in patches and its hood is covered in a mohawk of spikes.

The pants are held up by a simple knot belt that flows into a 'waist-cape.'

Spiked bracelets act as arm accessories.

The shoes are big-stompy lace-up boots, which I like to imagine double as heelies.

Attribution

The godhoods were all designed, on commission, by @meraki-sunset. She's an amazing artist and a delight to work wit.

The class sigil was created using Weakness 4796520 by Freepik

[12colors-classpects]

The Jinx

Turvy-tipsy, the crow-cow flies Hoping to scarf itself wit a ribbon of wind And-yet, its neck keeps no company and it crop fruits no stones

Narrative Function

The Jinx ignores what their aspect is supposed to be, in favor of pursuing a warped and twisted inversion, an 'antispect' if you will. While this can be a conscience choice, for most Jinxes, their very presense in the narrative acts as an automatic anathema, curdling their aspect sour.

The Jinx's anathemic effect tends to start out as a localized affect afflicting themselves with negative experiences rooted in their antispect. Over their arc, Jinxes tend to learn to both mitigate the detirious effects of their antispect in themselves and their allies while weaponizing it against their enemies.

The classic example is the Jinx of Light, where Light, in either its literal or symbolic sense is inverted, creating shadows and/or misfortune, which the Jinx experiences first involuntarily before learning how to make it their enemies problem.

Player Tendencies

Jinx players tend to be canny sorts with squirrelly personalities. Antispects are not kind nor pretty things to experience and surviving the influence of one long enough to even start the narrative requires cunning, quick reflexes, or luck, possibly all three and more.

The squirreliness might eventually mellow out as the Jinx players learn to manage their aspect and aren't constantly under threat of suddenly having a very bad time, but the canniness tends to be more persistant.

Godhood

The Jinx's Godhood isn't styled after anything in particular, leaning toward generic flowing clothes.

The Godhood is a shoulder-cowl over shirt and pants, with tall lace-up boots. The cowl's distinctive features are a widows peak for it's windows and cat ears on its crest.

Additionally, in an allusion to the childrens' game of Jinx, the mouth is wrapped in bandages.

Attribution

The godhoods were all designed, on commission, by @meraki-sunset. She's an amazing artist and a delight to work wit.

[12colors-classpects]

The Nark

"Et tu Brute," proclaimed the snake unto the scorpion. With a twist of it stinger, the scorpion agreed, "Et tu me, but not before you."

Narrative Function

The Nark's abandonment is one of betrayal, actively chosen. They are put into a situation where they must choose: hold true to some greater belief, principle, or loyalty; or, given into a base temptation by betraying the same.

And well, if theyr story were shaped by them to choosing the former, they wouldn't be a Nark. There are various different ways the Nark's wider story can play out—redemption and comuppence are most common—but, the betrayal is at the crux of their story.

Player Tendencies

Nark players tend toward being selfish and transactional characters with short term memories, measuring their relationships by cost-benefit analysis with a strong tendency towards 'what have you done for me lately'-isms.

If they aren't, then a good chunk of their arc can be spent in internal conflict between their desire to hold true and their act of giving into temptation, and how they, despite giving up what they had, didn't get what they wanted.

Godhood

The Nark's Godhood isn't styled after any fashion in particular, leaning heavily on the idea of generic flowing clothes.

It is a hooded cap with crossed lacing over a shirt and pants. The shoes are soft-sole slip-ons. It also features elbow-length gloves.

Attribution

The godhoods were all designed, on commission, by @meraki-sunset. She's an amazing artist and a delight to work wit.

[12colors-classpects]

wha happened to da jinx,,,,

Fquielday this week is Saturday. See ya at 10:30.

[12colors-classpects]

11:30 EST

[12colors-classpects]

Do you think maybe when your done with the classes, will you ever write descriptions for the official classpects to complete the collection? Just curious.

Maybe one day, wit the aid of adhd medication, writing those essays wouldn't feel worse than the time I forgot to tell my toot-pulling dentist I'm lidocaine insensitive.

[12colors-classpects]

The Dawn

(and its Dusk)

Here comes dawn, an kiss of the morning-light. To be the sun is to never know depths of night.

Narrative Function

The Dawn, despite the connotation leaning towards beginnings and creation, does not create their aspect. Rather, they gather such a mega-massive portion of their aspect in themselves, embodying it near comprehensively as a singular body, that they become like a sun made of that aspect, radiating it into an otherwise aspect-vaccuous story.

As a fully-realized Dawn moves through their story, the narrative surrounding them becomes near hypersaturate in their aspect; but not without consequence, as the parts of the story where their influence does not reach fade to be aspect-dim. This secondary effect lends the class a nickname.

Just as their coming slowly fills the story flush with their aspect on approach, like a dawn over the horizon returns the world to day; when they leave, their aspect fades, the story becoming becomes dim of it. An anti-dawn follows in their wake, as if a Dusk.

Player Tendencies

Dawn players tend to struggle wit empathy, especially so when it comes to questions about their aspect. Being so deeply tied to their aspect alienates their perspective from those whose lack it, and even those with a normal base-line amount. As the introductary couplet suggests, the sun can never know the night.

Godhood

The Dawn's Godhood is styled after Grekoroman togas.

It is a hooded cape over an asymmetric toga with a high-to-low hem. The cape's distinctive feature is a pattern around its edge of the homestuck sun's corona, radiating out from the edge, like the wearer is the sun's body.

A headband repeats the motif with rays of light extending from the crown of the players head.

The shoes are sandles, each with an in-laid gem.

Attribution

The godhoods were all designed, on commission, by @meraki-sunset. She's an amazing artist and a delight to work wit.

[12colors-classpects]

The Host

Infest me to my bones Crawl inside my veins Make my flesh your flesh I'll still refuse you my name.

Narrative Function

The Host is the most unwilling agent of their aspect among all classes. Their relationship to their aspect is one of parasitism, where the Aspect invades and exploits the Host, taking what it needs or wants without any care for their wellbeing.

A Host's arc is primarily characterized by the contest of wills between the Host and their Aspect, each vying to control the narrative long enough to reach their preferred end-point: the Host seeking to vanquish the Aspect and the Aspect seeking to conquer and take-over the Host.

Often, this contest will culminate in a draw when circumstances force the Host and Aspect to call a ceasefire and cooperate for a short-time. Everytime they call a ceasefire, resumption of hostilities gets more difficult.

Player Tendencies

Hosts players tend to have a deeply antagonistic and resent-filled relationship with their aspect. They might have personal goals that are incompatible with their aspect quest. They might have a general ick for either the Aspect itself or what it represents. Or they might have Aspect-envy for an aspect they think is cooler or would be better suited for them, if only they weren't stuck with the shit theyr stuck with.

Whatever the reason that justifies it, they tend to loath their aspect and find themselves ill-suited to it.

A nothe that it's not like Aspects select for the least suited character to be their Hosts. Rather, when a character's personality and their aspect don't mesh well together, a Host-shaped arc is the likely result.

Godhood

The Host's Godhood is styled after leeches and squids. It consists of a tattered cowl over a tattered shirt. Both have long tails which twist around, like tentacles. The head is covered with a loose wrap of bandages.

Attribution

The godhoods were all designed, on commission, by @meraki-sunset. She's an amazing artist and a delight to work wit.

[12colors-classpects]

The Shrike

The butcher-bird impales its meal upon a thorny spine high up in its tree to store it for later. It is no cruelty.

Narrative Function

The Shrike is among the most selfish classes, existing purely to take advantage of both its aspect and other characters, most often to the detriment of others and its exclusive gain, but sometimes for the gain of a special person or group that they care about more than themselves.

Player Tendencies

Shrike players tend towards being a ruthless lot, as it becomes more difficult to thoroughly exploit every drop when one grows scruples. Theyr tend to be kurt, prickly creatures who are hard to get along wit, and even if theyr friendly it doesn't mean they consider you a friend.

Theyr willingness to exploit near any connection it difficult for people wit functional pattern recognition to trust them; but once someone truly manages to earn their way into a Shrikes inner circle, theyr loyalty is wholely unshakable.

Godhood

The Shrike's godhood isn't styled after any fashion trend in particular.

A hooded-cape over shirt, pants, and boots. The cowl and shirt's distinctive shapes evoke bird wings and feathered plumage. The boots and additional bracelet accesories feature upward facing spikes that gesture at the feeding habit of the class's namesake bird.

Attribution

The godhoods were all designed, on commission, by @meraki-sunset. She's an amazing artist and a delight to work wit.

[12colors-classpects]

The Rue

♩♪ Mojo town is as it seems: Here they’re not over, all your dreams Your wrong turns are not taken yet Just make a wish and then forget So what′s on offer with this proffer? Choose an ending, you’re the author Old mistakes become successes Over your choices, he obsesses Until Kooshma comes along.—~ ... All are welcome to stay forever, time to sink or time to swim! ♫♪

—Roux, South of Midnight, Olivier Deriviere et al.

Narrative Function

The Rue acts as a bridge between that which haunts the narrative and those who are haunted, suppressing others through forced confrontation betwixt characters and their deepest regrets and most profound sorrows; They are embassary of tragedy, the consequence of mistakes, the duality of words said in anger or left unsaid in fear; the bite of bitter 'never-was's and 'never-can-be's.

The Rue is regret made manifest and they force others to drink of it or drown; often acting as a the proctor for tests of growth tied to learning from pasts mistakes as well as overcoming fears. While these story beats tend to result in characters getting stronger, that is regularly despite the Rue's intentions to victimize a character, drowning them in a mire of regret and uncertainty: the growth, in part, is consequence for the Rue's failure.

Do Not Leave the Rue in the Fridge

The fridge-corpse is a trope where a character, typically a woman or other minority, has their story cut drastically short for a combination of cheap reader shock value and cheap motivation for another character, typical a white dude.

Rues are not fridge-corpses, and fridge-corpses are not (always) Rues. Rues, while they engage the narrative through the lens of other characters regrets, is a character in their own right wit agency. By contrast, a fridge-corpse is a former character who is denied their agency; and their story, which could be about anything really, is cut short so that they can made into a dead prop for the benefit of some other character.

Player Tendencies

Rue players, tend toward personalities that read easily through the lens of the Kübler-Ross grief cycle. While they can run the whole gomut, a typical Rue Player's personality will tend toward expressing one of the first four stages (denial, anger, bargaining, depression) most often, with a secondary or tertiary stages coming into focus when theyr flummoxed. Rues with personalities evoking acceptance are exceptionally rare.

Godhood

The Rue's Godhood isn't styled after a particular culture's fashion, but was designed intendind to invoke the image of a weeping willow and the idea of 'regret made manifest.'

It's a cloak over a robe with sandles. The robe is lightly tattered and the cloak features many long thin ribbons trailing down, like the canopy of a willow.

Attribution

The godhoods were all designed, on commission, by @meraki-sunset. She's an amazing artist and a delight to work wit.

The Class sigil was created by editing Theater 860163 by Monkik.

Roux is a song from the soundtrack of South of Midnight, sung by a character of the same name. Yes, Rue and Roux are homophones. The pun is there and the folks of Compulsion Games were very clever when they named their character that. It's a bit of convergent evolution that we both got to the same word for regrets, as the Rue was among the first classes I pinned down the name for, long before the release of South of Midnight.

[damienwulfriotoffice]

So, if a rue expresses their personality as Denial

Is that denial connected to their aspect?

Say a rue of life is denying themselves the assumed personality traits associated with life.

[12colors-classpects]

What your describing is being 'aspect quiet' and that's more a Mime, and occasionally Gaunt, thing.

Being a 'denial Rue' is more-so meant as, having a personality that's 'denial' shaped, agnositic to aspect.

I don't think English has good adjectives to describe it, but the way you can have an Angry/Infuriating person or a Depressed/Depressing person, you can have a (In)Denial/Denying person.

Someone who's frequently in denial about everything and/or someone who causes others to doubt/deny their reality.

[hoagster]

My own interpretations of the aspect icons by @12colors-classpects

Some are very different, some are very similar, but all of them changed in some way!

[12colors-classpects]

The Rue

♩♪ Mojo town is as it seems: Here they’re not over, all your dreams Your wrong turns are not taken yet Just make a wish and then forget So what′s on offer with this proffer? Choose an ending, you’re the author Old mistakes become successes Over your choices, he obsesses Until Kooshma comes along.—~ ... All are welcome to stay forever, time to sink or time to swim! ♫♪

—Roux, South of Midnight, Olivier Deriviere et al.

Narrative Function

The Rue acts as a bridge between that which haunts the narrative and those who are haunted, suppressing others through forced confrontation betwixt characters and their deepest regrets and most profound sorrows; They are embassary of tragedy, the consequence of mistakes, the duality of words said in anger or left unsaid in fear; the bite of bitter 'never-was's and 'never-can-be's.

The Rue is regret made manifest and they force others to drink of it or drown; often acting as a the proctor for tests of growth tied to learning from pasts mistakes as well as overcoming fears. While these story beats tend to result in characters getting stronger, that is regularly despite the Rue's intentions to victimize a character, drowning them in a mire of regret and uncertainty: the growth, in part, is consequence for the Rue's failure.

Do Not Leave the Rue in the Fridge

The fridge-corpse is a trope where a character, typically a woman or other minority, has their story cut drastically short for a combination of cheap reader shock value and cheap motivation for another character, typical a white dude.

Rues are not fridge-corpses, and fridge-corpses are not (always) Rues. Rues, while they engage the narrative through the lens of other characters regrets, is a character in their own right wit agency. By contrast, a fridge-corpse is a former character who is denied their agency; and their story, which could be about anything really, is cut short so that they can made into a dead prop for the benefit of some other character.

Player Tendencies

Rue players, tend toward personalities that read easily through the lens of the Kübler-Ross grief cycle. While they can run the whole gomut, a typical Rue Player's personality will tend toward expressing one of the first four stages (denial, anger, bargaining, depression) most often, with a secondary or tertiary stages coming into focus when theyr flummoxed. Rues with personalities evoking acceptance are exceptionally rare.

Godhood

The Rue's Godhood isn't styled after a particular culture's fashion, but was designed intendind to invoke the image of a weeping willow and the idea of 'regret made manifest.'

It's a cloak over a robe with sandles. The robe is lightly tattered and the cloak features many long thin ribbons trailing down, like the canopy of a willow.

Attribution

The godhoods were all designed, on commission, by @meraki-sunset. She's an amazing artist and a delight to work wit.

The Class sigil was created by editing Theater 860163 by Monkik.

Roux is a song from the soundtrack of South of Midnight, sung by a character of the same name. Yes, Rue and Roux are homophones. The pun is there and the folks of Compulsion Games were very clever when they named their character that. It's a bit of convergent evolution that we both got to the same word for regrets, as the Rue was among the first classes I pinned down the name for, long before the release of South of Midnight.

[12colors-classpects]

better question than any other before. could a beansbound hero afflict someone with instant diarrhea

Sure, why not.

[12colors-classpects]

Thinking about Wario.

At first it seems like Coinbound is the obvious answer. Wario is greedy, and the only thing that has really motivated him is money. But Coin as an aspect has been described as the aspect of money and wealth as a whole in society, sorta like how Mind is judgement. And then there's Soot. The aspect of labour, Wario kinda seems like that, right? He works damn hard to get money, not letting anything stand in his way. Being of two conflicting Aspects crosses eachother out... But what about that labour? Isn't that also Thorne in some way? It even matches up with Wario's immortality being that he simply refuses to die. And a lot of the time we see Wario fluctuate in wealth, despite having gained so many riches, in Wario Ware Gold he straight up has NO money. Heck, his living circumstance could be considered miserable then, just as Thorne for a player function has been considered. And he is quite petty and persistent, as in what little comic representation of him there is he forever resent Mario over a childhood game. So would aspecting Wario as Thorne be a bad choice or would you consider a good one...?

Classpects are a lens for viewing media and unless that media has canon classpect titles, it's all wibbly-wobbly; So, wit characters that weren't designed in mind to particular titles, you'll often be able to find multiple titles that are cromulent enough, and then it's a matter of building a strong enough arguement for a particular coherent title to be considered the title. And, for characters like Wario who appear in multiple different stories, their title of best fit might change iteration to iteration.

I'm not perfectly familiar with the character in his home games, so Thorne might suit him as he appears in WWG; but, I only know him from Smash, Kart, Party and Olympic Sports, and in those games, he seemed most closely-aligned ta Coin, Mist, and Beans.

[12colors-classpects]

The Saint

To all whom I pray for, I grant a blessing and a curse: May the weight you carry never be too much.

Narrative Function

Saints exist to lighten the burden of others. they are a pressure release valve for the most tumultuous character arcs, but their aid doesn't come without cost because, unlike the real world, in stories 'suffering builds character' rings true more often than not.

In this way, Saints regularly present as unique and active detriments to their story's end game: Since character arcs abridged equate to character growth denied, the way an unchecked Saint will run rampant through a cast of characters, stalling out arcs by reducing suffering will cause the cast to get to the end of the story severely underleveled and ill-equipped to handle the challenges around them.

Player Tendencies

In contrast to the Saints class's active nature, Saints as characters tend to be either deeply altruistic on their sleeve, or in denial about their altruistic motives as they put up a 'selfish front'. Whether they seek out suffering caused by their aspect or its absense, they find it. And whenever they find it they can't help but try to help.

Godhood

The Saint's Godhood is styled primarily after the traditional garb of Shinto shrine maidens. The hood is an addition seporately styled after the traditional habit of european christian nuns.

It is a kimono top with long sleeves and the aforementioned habit, tucked into pleated pants tied by a ribbon belt in a long bow and the aforementioned nun's habit. The shoes are geta sandles worn over two-toe socks.

Attribution

The godhoods were all designed, on commission, by @meraki-sunset. She's an amazing artist and a delight to work wit.

[12colors-classpects]

Bit of an odd ask, but what would you classpect a character who deceives others for their own benefit, as in fun and games, as well as out of habit. I know they would be mistbound, but what would be the class...?

That's a difficult one, because classes really are about taking a wholistic view of the story and seeing the shape of the character's arc. This description alone isn't really enough context to pin it down ta just one class. But, I'll try to narrow the scope for ya.

If their own benefit is the key factor, and they harm someone in their pursuit of self-interest; depending on severity, they might be a Vex, Thief, Nark, or Shrike.

If fun and games is the key factor, depending on how much annoyance other characters experience at their antics, Mirth, Vex, and Rue will do ya.

If habitual lying is the key factor, depending on what caused 'em to develope that habit and why they maintain it, Spawn, Knight, and Scribe are good choices; but, Colt, Seer, and Mage shouldn't be considered too dark of horses.