The sufferer's story literally sounds like one of those tiktok pov stories that're like "when you're born you get assigned as a sign and a colour but I never got a sign because of my rare mutant colour" played by a random white woman in her 20s with no acting experience
When you want to say “I was made just for you. I was made to love you. It is not a burden to me and it is not an honor. It is simply instinct. It is what I’m made of. I was made to protect you and make you strong enough to protect yourself. I was made to keep you well fed so you can feed me in return. I would kill for you and I will kill for you. I would die for you and I will die for you. For you I would do anything. I hope I have loved you the best I knew how. I hope you grow big and strong. I hope you don’t need me. Loving you is in my nature. I hope you know I love you. I hope you know how to love better than I ever will. I love you. I love you. I love you.” but it comes out as “SKREEEEEEEEE”
HEY DO YOU WANT TO MAKE YOUR FICS LOOK MORE CANON ACCURATE LIKE THIS
HELLS TO THE YES YOU DO
so here’s how it works:
the first thing you want to do is familiarize yourself with the handy-dandy pre-existing Homestuck skin for AO3, so head to the Skins menu on your AO3 home page
click onto Public Skins, and from there click onto Work Skins, and you should end up on a menu called Public Work Skins
no points for guessing which one we click on
the Homestuck skin is gonna be a big set of formatting blocks that look like this; take note of all the names like ‘.gamzee’ and ‘.jade’ because these are what you need to know
you don’t necessarily need to open this skin up in a browser window every time you work on a fic, but it’s good to acquaint yourself with all of the character names and colours you have available to you
if you don’t need any other special formatting, at this point you’re good to open up your fic itself (or post a new one) and scroll down to Custom Stylesheet, selecting the Homestuck Skin option
head down to the fic editing section. if you haven’t done so already because this is a new fic, paste your text into the Rich Text editor
and then switch over to HTML editing and it will probably look something like this:
the next step is to add the code which applies the formatting from your work skin. the code we need to use is <span class=”X”>, where X is the name of the character as specified in the skin above.
I’m going to show you two different ways of formatting it. the first is the way that I do it:
just copy and paste your <span class=”X”> tags in front of every line of dialogue that needs it, and make SURE that the tags are AFTER the <p> tag, and you’ll end up with this:
you’ll notice that in the method I used, the HTML section was formatted neatly with paragraph tags (<p> and </p>) which, as the name implies, split the text into paragraphs
this causes each line to be spaced apart, which is a little different from how they appear in the comic
if you don’t like it like that, or if the method you used to copy your fic into the editor did NOT add paragraph tags, you’ll want to format it like this instead:
as you can see, the basic idea is the same, but because the <span class=”X”> commands are not enclosed inside the paragraph tags, you:
need to add a </span> at the end to mark where the formatting ends
only need to use the commands when the speaker changes, instead of using them for every line
when you do it like this without paragraph tags, it ends up looking like this:
I personally don’t do it that way because it’s more work, but for you the situation might be different.
and that’s it! at the end of the day, once you know what you’re doing, it is as simple as choosing the work skin you want and then throwing in some <span class=”X”> tags wherever they are needed. you can of course preview your work to make sure that the formatting was done correctly, and I recommended checking the previews frequently. as far as I know, the methods I’ve outlined here should work on any computer.
now, what if you need to do something custom with your skin? that’s pretty simple. first, go back to the skins menu and hit Create Skin
make sure it’s set to Work Skin so that you can use it, and then name it whatever you want. you’re probably going to be basing this new skin off of the pre-existing Homestuck skin, and using it only for special circumstances, so it’s probably not a good idea to apply to make this skin public.
now, copy and paste this segment (which I took from the Homestuck Skin) and modify it however you want:
i think a lot of white queer/trans people need to hear that "breaking gender norms" isnt just wearing a dress while masc or dying your hair. its also unlearning the beauty standards that impose ideals of white beauty and attractiveness on non-white folks. yes you have a nose ring but i just heard you tell your black friend with meticulously cared for natural hair "you'd just look so nice with straight hair is all im saying..." why does your blog fetishizing i mean uh. appreciating trans women only feature skinny white women who pass. when societal gender norms are so inextricably tied to whiteness and emulating whiteness it is not enough to simply change your aesthetic. you need to defy the gender norms in your own head too.
The stars of Befriendus volumes 7-8 are experts on airtime in their own special ways. Intermission 3 will still be coming first, but I couldn't not share something special for 6/12!
PLEASE PLEASE MEGADUMP THE ARASOL!!! PLEAAASEE MR BEESCAKE I AM ON MY KNEES BEGGING YOU
HFHGHD GLADLY aaa i’ve been adding notes to it here and there for months but just hesitant to post it bcs im 🧍♂️🧍♂️🧍♂️🧍♂
also this is just my own takeaway of the events, it doesn’t necessarily comply to the Ultimate Truth of Canon-Alignment or represent the actual facts of what hussie intended! v sentimental smh but hopefully its still interesting to read
i love when characters inform each other by proximity, it's one of my fave things to see in media :') it feels even more significant when two characters deliberately choose to stick together, so that when one operates, you can tell the other is similarly aligned in associative solidarity.
sollux is a keystone of this trope — whoever he aligns with is a wordless statement, a nod of approval. this stood out to me bcs the main four humans were alr friends by default, but once you reach hivebent you realize the trolls can actively choose who they want to hang out with.
and as we all know, after assessing every troll's biases/loyalties, sollux is the only one who maintains his selective preference for innately Good 👍 people.
aradia is such a beautiful character honestly, she evokes such incredible feelings in me. she might not have been consistently written with care but the best parts of her character are truly stunning. i think it's easy to remember sollux as the self-sacrificing one bc he's so open about it (and his friends frequently react to his Moments) but when you compare him to aradia, it's always struck me
how much more. raw it is
to be so alone as an agent of time, having to orchestrate immeasurably harrowing events nobody understands or gives a fuck about
with your role painted in the story as one who must tend to the needs of the narrative, responsible to match every next note
because when you're given the capabilities, it becomes your duty to carry it out.
it becomes expected of you to keep experimenting and arranging the machinations to work for everyone, dusting off hundreds of necessary failures to keep going
and having to be so unwavering in your drive knowing miserably that there's no one who can help you but yourself.
or alternatively: to make things fun! so other people won't think twice about letting you go off on your own.
sure she's had some very good buds, notably thanks to Team Charge v Team Scourge antics.
and yet, at the end of the day, the one friend that kept choosing her time and time again was the friend with the highest standards.
i can see why people like to define arasol as moirails/matesprits but surprisingly i find the nondescript, unlabeled aspect of their relationship more straightforward to understand.
there's no shortage of people who would accommodate sollux. most of the surviving trolls are his oldest friends bcs he’d chosen them well. his transparency with his feelings had built him strong friendships that won’t falter or break, regardless of how much of a dick he can be. they’ve already seen and accepted him at his worst, and they still like him for who he is.
contrast that with aradia, who'd been so approachable, friendly and reliable in her exchanges it was super fun to talk to her. but the moment she became depressed, all her connections broke down.
her friends became hesitant to interact with her (until she became god tier, “happy” and amicable again) because her gloom and resignation didn’t serve them. she dealt with it alone.
there’s def something of note here abt the disparity between the way male & female characters are written+perceived in homestuck (esp parallel arasol with davejade) but i won’t go into that lmaoo
with this in mind i like to think of sollux as a gift to her, a loyal companion given to complement and commend her resolve. she's capable of doing so much alone but hussie took the time to build her and sollux's relationship as one of a unit; a set.
the ambiguity of their status does complicate things, but i do believe it makes sense with their characters. aradia's relationship with romance is a rocky one, the dubious stringalong equius had with her is a pointed reminder that her feelings of attraction are ultimately controlled by the author writing her.
unlike the other trolls who can openly address and own up to their crushes, aradia had romantic emotions forced upon her (especially when hussie implies 'she kissed equius back on her own volition'). and it seems like her character is so intrinsically neutral abt attraction that even when forced by the almighty powers above, she's unable to retain it wholly.
however, looking back to pre-game when she could actually "choose" her own feelings, she did have a crush on sollux.
their soft spots for each other were so obvious to the point where other people could see it.
taunting aside, when vriska comments on their unit as bf/gf it actually informs the audience that arasol's relationship is romantic in nature despite not aligning with the quadrant system.
even while dead, aradia could still describe her care for sollux, expressing that she would like to see him happy. if they had more time to explore their relationship on alternia, it's possible they could've settled in a quadrant once they grew older.
but going back to the lack of labels, their dynamic was affected once more when aradia became god tier.
to me, her ascension was both the perfect culmination and possible closure of her character. it's the light at the end of her journey toiling through countless of timelines where she had to actively assess and participate. that's why it's cool to see her being silly and having fun giving guidance, passively exploring and watching other people do their parts.
and yet the joy of her freedom makes it hard to explore further introspection. if we take her by her word, she'd already come to terms with the hurt she's been through and forgiven those involved.
i can't help feeling attuned to how impersonal and detached it can be, to devote and meld your identity so completely with your designated position as Maid of Time until you've become hard for your old friends (and even some readers!) to personally connect to.
idk post-canon but i assume there’s some degree of similarity to be bridged here with aradia's god tier and how the hs2 humans' Ultimate forms was described as a consolidation of all their possibilities. since aradia's classpect is inherently of service to Time, going god-tier may have elevated her beyond personhood with the "game construct" possessing her entirely. sollux doesn't realize the extent of it bcs he's still mortal, but a part of him may have subconsciously understood this.
i think there is a core aspect to aradia that was lost to the dehumanizing glory of god tier — a core aspect that may have contained an element of why sollux enjoyed talking to her in the first place.
to him, aradia hadn't just been a nice girl, she was a cool girl. despite not having much in common, he's still willing to chill next to her so she's not alone while she does what needs to get done.
back on alternia, they held a mutual and equal-level regard for each other that could've definitely settled into something permanent. but now, he's placed himself in a position where he can be kept around or left behind at will. the parameters of the relationship are largely in aradia's court, so any label she suggests to identify their relationship with he's likely to accept.
but that's why it's so difficult to label it. because god tier aradia may not necessarily Want quadrants or relationship labels. rather than the initial romantic attachment, their commitment to each other had evolved into one fundamentally of companionship.
no label? ok fine. no matter what, he still thinks she's a good soul worth latching on to. the best, actually. aradia > everyone else.
even if it gets stilted at times. there's an unexpected struggle to connect when sollux's go-to default for talking points is his feelings about things, and aradia may not want to talk about emotions all the time.
not to mention god tier aradia became an observer, especially of chaos. but sollux's avoidance of involvement comes partially from his innate pressure to get involved if something goes wrong. and he can't always tell when something goes wrong, because aradia doesn't mind if things go wrong anymore.
it's a non-negotiable preference that causes them to take the occasional time apart, a new boundary that wouldn't have existed before the game and aradia's god tier.
but just like how his friends tolerated his moods, sollux accepts aradia as she is. with no quadrants, their connection doesn't break down because there's no implicit romantic expectations to be disappointed by or resentful over.
sometimes when i see hs content that deliberately distances sollux from aradia, i assume this is the dissonance people might have felt. people might find it "easier" to be cynical about them bcs of this strange tension.
but idc lmao. grab that shit by the neck
lack of easy resolutions and cleanly tied ribbons is pretty standard of homestuck and imo it doesn't make arasol's dynamic any less incredible. with the right affection and consideration, there's still so much potential to develop the nuance of their relationship outside of the popular quadrant-based depictions.
hs has a lot of really great character compatibilities but the way aradia and sollux are in their own special orbit is why i can write this much about them in the first place. it's that frail innocence between first loves that makes it so sweet to me, two kids who grew up too fast playing guesswork without being clear where they're going.
ultimately i do think you're meant to feel a little tragedy for just how much they care for each other, even if they can't quite establish it in simple terms.
maybe they keep taking breaks to progress their own paths. maybe they remain as anchor partners while seeing other people. but even if you decide to separate them, they're still (awkwardly) texting each other updates all the while. and when they reunite it feels like coming home.
and well. more than anything, i like to believe that they do want to be exclusive.
they're just afraid. after all, they're still learning how to love, beyond the projections of the foursquare quadrant system they had inadvertently distanced themselves from since young.
they might not have everything figured out, but they'll get there eventually if you just hold them together and write them there.
optional post-canon segment:
one of the limitations of main hs is that (monogamous) relationships are often written as the go-to solution to wrap up character growth; it's an easy "patch" to imagine characters getting their happy ending because they have a partner, and those who don't end up with someone don't get that closure (most notably jade).
hs2 reaffirms this by suggesting that aradia's character cannot progress without letting sollux go, because happily settling in a relationship automatically locks your potential.
that pathetic panel of sollux staring emptily into the sky is still my fave hs2 spoiler ngl i find the impact of their parting so emotionally provoking precisely bcs they were written in original hs to be each other's forever, coming back together again and again
but now, they're subject to the decisions of the post-canon authors who might choose to deviate from that.
it's not new for them to part, but now there's an underlying worry that her dropping him off this time might be the last time. while i think the prospect of shattering their stability to make them grow separately sounds fun on paper, no amount of me desperately hoping for a good execution is gonna guarantee it
idk. i guess prediction-wise im expecting sollux in classic dramatic-hs2 fashion to tell dave to back off aradia LMAO. otherwise it's just gon be sollux and karkat pathetically watching aradia and dave from a distance swimming in their unresolved feelings for narratively-powerful time players smh obvs it sounds corny as hell but who knows its still plausible
srsly tho i hope they take the opportunity to develop arasol's relationship in a fresh direction that doesn't hurt me too badly...... and i hope they force sollux out of his comfort zone. i like watching him struggle :-)
troll lineup! i did these nearly 2 years ago by now and there are several designs id change if i committed to doing this sort of thing again but for now heres them
alpha trolls next
HOLY SHIT I JUST REMEMBERED I NEVER FINISHED THAT DRAWING. ive been completely out of motivation and just have been forcing myself to draw so i never got to it. im sorry. ill try again sometime soon.
AAA OMG I JUST FINALLY SIGNED BACK INTO TUMBLR I FORGOT MY PASSWORD
snowghoul
annaxmalina
discoholicmusic
turnnoffyourmind
origamiaround
