the classpector (tm)

the blog of a guy who is extremely autistic about classpecting

[cherryredtimeplayer]

hello! welcome in!

this is a homestuck classpecting blog run by @catharticresolve. i go by ara or kolya and use they/ them :)

i don't have a lot of time to work on this blog much anymore (chronic physical/ mental illnesses + college + job) but i'll try to answer asks/ make posts whenever i can

i accept asks about anything classpecting related, including but not limited to: asks about my defintions of classes or aspects, asks about individual classpects, asks about character classpecting, asks about shipping related to classpecting, and more!

i will also classpect non-homestuck characters, real life people, objects, concepts, and the like. for fun and profit. :)

disclaimer: i mostly look at things through an in-universe game mechanics/ narrative perspective, and less from an authorial perspective. aka: i'm just here to play toys. if you have questions, feel free to ask!

i'm willing to have discussions and/ or arguments (in fact i encourage it! i love discussion), but if it turns into harassment or slander i will not hesitate to block and/or ignore.

this blog contains postcanon spoilers.

more information below!

+/- pairs:

Page and Knight, Heir and Witch, Sylph and Maid, Rogue and Thief, Bard and Prince, Seer and Mage.

i'm aware of the "official" pairs and that they're different, but i don't consider them to be entirely accurate to canon, and prefer my own interpretations.

i don't talk about muse and lord a lot, since they're pretty much entirely separate from the rest of the classes narratively, but i'll still answer questions about them if asked! especially in terms of narrative role, as i find them really interesting in that regard.

narrative pairing charts:

welcome to the depths of my mind: the narrative pairing charts. the way these work is that two classes/ aspects that are across from each-other on the wheel are narrative opposites. however, if two classes/ aspects are next to each other, they are narratively adjacent.

the definition of being adjacent changes slightly for classes and aspects respectively. aspects are closely related to (slash made of) the two aspects they're adjacent to (ex: time is comprised of aspects of both heart and light). classes, more specifically, share a narrative role with those they are adjacent to (ex: heir and page both "embody" their aspects).

this chart specifically is important to the deeper levels to my classpecting. i will explain any and everything in more detail if needed! :) it's a little outdated atm and a bit insane, and mostly just here for fun and games

icon by @/vo1d-ed1ts :)

[classpectingshitposts]

Could you classpect the person reading this?

None of Bitches.

[cherryredtimeplayer]

also, while thinking through my ask backlog, i did finally figure out something that's been bugging me for a while, and that's blood and breath's role in the narrative alignment. aka, does the aspect stand with or against the narrative a majority of the time? so, to revisit the almighty wheel:

the two most narratively-inclined aspects are time and space, but a majority of the time (haha. time), space players are going to be working against the forces of the story, and time players are going to be working with them, or at least in tandem with them. heart and light players are also inclined to work with the narrative (even more than time sometimes, honestly), and mind and void players are inclined to work against it in the same fashion.

and while this concept does tend to stem a lot more from hs:bc, the best way i can think to describe this is act 5 act 2, and jade and rose/ dave's differing approaches to escaping the scratch. rose and dave do more of what the narrative would "want" from them: they do something conventional (if you can call a reckless suicide mission conventional) they don't break any game rules, hell, they don't even think they're going to survive the ordeal. they're putting a hell of a lot of faith into the game mechanics. jade, on the other hand, says hell no to that, and basically breaks all the rules of the game by quite literally breaking through the narrative wall to escape her fate.

do notice how i didn't mention john! because he didn't have jackshit in terms of a plan, his ass just got saved by jade. he is very much a passive player for a lot of that story, actually. and this ties into my point, because in the way that space and time are the most narratively involved aspects, breath and blood are the most narratively uninvolved. and i've actually been struggling quite a lot with what that actually means, because my stance on blood and breath as the narratively uninclined aspects has been just that, that they're uninclined. ignorant, actually. but while that makes sense to a degree, as all the breath and blood characters of the story seem entirely ignorant to the narrative all all it involves, just saying they're narratively uninclined feels wrong to me.

like, okay. john doesn't give much of a damn about the narrative. and that tracks even through john's journeys into fucking around with the canon, as until the epilogues he doesn't understand the fact that there's a narrative to be concerned with at all, even with universe-altering retcon powers, and seems mostly entirely annoyed with the concept when he does find out about it. but he is still very much involved with the narrative, even just as much as the time and space players! because of all the characters that end up being most important, the blood and breath players are among them. john and karkat, quite obviously, but even tavros gets a fair amount of time in the spotlight (even if his role as an unfulfilled page gets him swept under the rug fairly quickly), especially compared to some of the other trolls (that aren't kanaya, karkat, terezi, and vriska, of course). and, like, karkat. karkat gets clowned on quite a bit by that said narrative, but he's still, like, fundamental to the story on a very large level. especially in the epilogues and hs:bc where, again, this concept stems from. it's just been driving me insane!

so, the concept i've kind of arrived at is that it's less about a scale of being involved with the narrative, like i originally thought. it's less like you're fading out of importance with your involvement in canon, it's more like their inclination to side on either side of that scale is fading more and more until you hit the middle. so blood and breath, in their own way, actually end up being very narratively important because they're complete wildcards. being utterly unaware of the concept that there ever could be a "narrative", let alone the fact that it's important, means they're not skewed in one direction. they can choose their own side, or hell, not choose one at all, and just end up doing their own thing for all eternity. and that unpredictableness is just what makes them actually so important in the first place, because they're not usually working for some big greater purpose, they're just... doing whatever they think is right, on their own smaller scales. to come back around to john, yeah he gets involved in narrative fuckery, but just because he wants to protect his friends. and that's just a very nice layer of bullshit on top of this bullshit cake i hadn't considered before. anyway ted talk over i think i need to be locked up before i lose my marbles any more over this

[cherryredtimeplayer]

Do you have any analysis for an Heir Of Light? (Aka my classpect)

i do not! but it is definitely an interesting one. light is one of the aspects that represents a lot of different concepts at once, to me, with the main association of luck, but i believe it also has quite a few associations with knowledge and outcomes. so, in that way, i think an heir of light could actually be somewhat similar of a character to who rose is! at least in the way that both classes (seer and heir respectively) tend to be characters easily consumed by their aspects, and who can resonate with them deeply. both require an understanding of the aspect to work within their roles, though of course it’s far more intrinsic for heir than seer. that all to say, i think an heir of light is somebody who is very knowledgeable on outcomes and luck, but more as a sense of instinct, rather than as overt knowledge. and, of course, as they embody the aspect, they are also able to manipulate the flow of luck and knowledge in their favor. heir as a whole is actually pretty simple like that, at least on the surface. heirs can tend to be a little bit lackadaisical, though, with john’s general attitude (though breath as a whole is very much like that as well), and equius’ generally... himself type of attitude, so i imagine they would be less intense, direct, and committed than a lot of light players tend to be. less concerned with getting things done, more committed to going with the flow and seeing how things spin out. overall a fairly simple combination, but very interesting all the same. thanks so much for asking in!

[cherryredtimeplayer]

hello!! if you don't mind doing so i ask nicely for a page of doom analysis from you! :Þ

oooh. very much an interesting one! i love page and i love doom, and together they’re very interestingly similar to me. there’s not much that can be said about doom, because we haven’t had a main kid with it (yet, i stand by my assertion that ly’lac is 100% a doom player ;P), but i see it as a very “go with the flow” type of aspect. just from what we’ve seen from sollux (and mituna, but i can’t speak on the majority of the dancestors) and his relationship with it. page is much the same way, kind of being the definition of a vessel class, with the aspect working through them and all that. so it’s basically just the “being a vessel” class/ aspect double whammy combo. which is, of course, really interesting! very much a character type prone to possession, as literally as you wanna take that. a hopeless kind of person, somebody who struggles a lot with their sense of identity, like all pages, but very much in a… “what does it mean to be alive” kind of way, if you get my meaning? overall, just a great classpect. thanks so much for asking in! :)

[cherryredtimeplayer]

have u done maid of mind?

i have not! it’s also one i haven’t given much thought, but definitely a very interesting idea. i think especially with maid’s implications of being a bit of a vessel class, along with being a healer in a violent environment like skaia, and what that means for mind’s, well, mind and brain associations. it’s very much like aranea’s direct-healing-shock-to-the-brain type deal, to me? maid is a bit of a brute-force class in my eyes, as well as a class that very much works in the retrospective, cleaning up (or even sweeping aside) the shards of what’s been broken, but at the same time, powerless to, or intentionally choosing not to, do anything in the present moment. vaguely waving my hands at aradia and jane. it’s all just got interesting implications, to me. i’ve got an interesting post about sylphs/ maids and their violent roles in the game here, and the section about mental healing is kind of what i’m getting at. overall just a really interesting classpect in terms of narrative role. thanks for asking in! :)

[cherryredtimeplayer]

what would a prince of breath be like?

prince of breath is definitely a great combination! breath’s association with freedom combined with prince destroying whatever aspect they’re bound to make this... honestly really simple. the destroyer of freedom. being a prince kind of halfway aligns them with the opposite aspect, which is blood, so it’s also very much the role of the creator of bonds (in all the bad ways, though). in this way, i can see a prince of breath, of course, being fairly arrogant, but also very insecure. i imagine they have a bit of an avoidant relationship with their problems and responsibilities, but also attached to others and somewhat dependent on them, often dragging other people down with them. i do think this is a prince classpect that tends to skew a little less overtly destructive, though, just because of how lofty and carefree breath players can get. thanks for asking in!

[cherryredtimeplayer]

can you mayhaps do rogue of blood if you haven't? :D

of course! rogue of blood isn’t one i’ve given too much thought (i need to think more about all the blood classpects in general) but i think it has a lot of interesting potential. figuring out how it works is a little challenging, as blood is a very… abstract kind of aspect? but i tend to interpret it as bonds, whether that be some kind of familial bond or friendship bond, or some kind of obligation (like a blood pact or contract). and so rogue being able to steal that away from somebody is a very interesting idea! rogue is also a bit challenging because, like thief, it could possibly be more prone to making antagonistic characters, but rogue also has a very specific association of the stolen aspect being used to help other people (like redistribution of wealth, a little) which challenges that. what i’m saying is, i really have no clue, rogue is one of the classes i'm honestly horrible at pinning down, but it’s a classpect with a lot of potential, and i’d be super interested to see a well-done character using it. :)

[cherryredtimeplayer]

what would a knight of space be like?

i very much like knight of space. in terms of actual mechanics, i imagine it working a lot like jade’s witch of space powers, with knight’s role of using the aspect as a weapon or tool, but also in protecting the aspect. knights to me exemplify the idea of the “lawful neutral” as an idea, being bound to their aspect and their obligations to serve it, and i think space and time, respectively, amplify this. both aspects have very important purposes in the game, being fundamental to it being able to happen at all, as so i think a knight of space especially would be an extremely dedicated type of person. i think they would like to find a purpose/ a cause and stick through with it until the very end. stubborn, is what i’m saying. space players do tend to be very sunshine-y and cheerful, but i think a knight of space specifically might be a bit of a quieter, more collected type of person, and someone who is very specific and intentional in what they do and say. overall knight of space is a great one! thanks for asking in :)

[cherryredtimeplayer]

alright i FINALLY locked the fuck in. sorry to everybody's asks that took so long! i'll also maybe be turning anons back on for good in the next couple of weeks if things continue to go well :) prepare for a bunch of asks to be posted rapid-fire style lmao

[cherryredtimeplayer]

Hello everyone! Blog owner's weirdo alter here. Unfortunately we're going to have to turn off ask anons for the time being. However, if you would prefer to stay anonymous to the general public and still want to send in an ask, feel free to specify that in a normal ask and we'll just make a new post. :) Really sorry if that doesn't replace anons for you, it's a bit out if our control at the moment. This will hopefully be reversed as soon as possible!

[cherryredtimeplayer]

okay yeah it's official. cc's 100% a heart player. the shipping syladex confirmed it. if they end up not being one i'll eat my own fucking hat. i don't even have a hat to eat i'd have to go buy one that's how committed i am to this bit

[cherryredtimeplayer]

hi!! how do you think a character that is a slyph of life would work? esp for a character that is meant to be a healer ^^

ooo well you're in luck because you hit the nail right on the head with that one! sylph is one of the two healing classes (by my definition of the class pairing structure), though "healing", as i've said before, looks very different by skaia's standards than by normal ones. but the life aspect is the natural healing aspect, as we've seen in canon before, and sylph of life really cannot get more direct than that. life in-of itself is a very simple aspect with fairly simple class interactions, so it's a bit hard to pin down specifics in relation to sylph. not to mention our main pairs for seeing how life interacts with things have been a maid, which another healer class, and witch, which also has relatively simple interactions, and then thief, which tends to flip things on its head. but just know that your character is going to be very lifeful and 100% a healer character. that's their job for sure! thanks for asking in and feel free to ask any more questions you have :)

[cherryredtimeplayer]

class + aspect death note chars may b? all them

oooo okay :0 so do keep in mind i’m only a bit past the yotsuba arc so i don’t know much about moooost of the characters? so these are just ones i have a bit of a clue about ^^"

light and L are the definition of heart and mind players to me, down to the fact they’re extremely similar yet opposites in many ways. light is extremely self-centered, he’s obsessed with his identity and maintaining appearances of it to other people, and is extremely driven by his pride and his emotions. i like this line from the hs wiki, “They are excellent at putting on and taking off masks as the situation calls for them.” which fits him quite well and his ability to take on and off his nicer, more societal “light” mask and his real “kira” identity on a whim. and while he has intelligent plans, his “thinking ahead” is quite chaotic and he is much better at operating in the moment. L, on the other hand, is very flexible in his identity and doesn’t at all seem to care about feelings or emotions above just staying rational and doing what the technically correct option is. he plans things out quite well and can execute his plans with great efficiency. light is good at working on his feet, L’s better at planning things out, if that makes sense. in terms of classes, i’m not too sure. light could be a bard of heart, L could be a knight of mind? or perhaps a mage. either of those seem reasonable. classes are a lot harder to pin down than aspects.

misa is also pretty well figured-out to me, though she’s definitely more shaky. the closest i can get to her is being a life player? she’s quite positive and cheerful, which definitely fits with life. this line from the wiki feels fitting to me: “They also have the tendency to put other's needs before their own, which never ends well for anyone, because the Life-bound can grow bitter if they feel their own self-care has had to be shunted aside.” which very much fits with how completely devoted she is to kira and kira’s cause, but also craves attention and validation from others, and gets jealous when she doesn’t get it. however, being a literal murderer doesn’t exactly fit with this, so she’s on the destructive classes or thieving classes scale to me. likely rogue? or perhaps witch. witch is another option. and argument could also be made for prince, but not very much personality-wise.

as for some others, the two shinigami i have some ideas for. rem quite reads as either a space or a blood player to me, both of which stem from her relationship with misa, and ryuk is mostly likely breath, just from his general attitude towards everything. other than that it’s pretty shaky.

sorry if this wasn’t quite what you were asking for! i love death note but i’m a bit too unknowledgeable to be classpecting more characters than this ^^ thank you so much for asking in! and feel free to ask if you have more questions :)

[cherryredtimeplayer]

can you do seer of heart if you havent already? ^^

:0 oooo. okay this is a fun one. i quite like seer of heart, due to how seers and the seer class interact(s) with the aspect. there's a lot of ways you can interpret it, but i see seer of hearts being very focused on what comes next, and very specifically what that means for them. they're reckless, but they're overplanners, if that makes sense. the abilities they can have go very hand-in-hand with that, of course, with their abilities being very similar to seer of mind and the sort of potential-based/ person-based future telling they have. heart in general is just fun, and quite seer-like, in my opinion. thanks for asking in! ^^

[cherryredtimeplayer]

A witch of hope analysis and land if you have not done it before

witch of hope is a very good one. witches have a pretty neutral but interesting relationship with their aspects. hope, being one of the more abstract kind of aspects, makes it kind of an interesting combination because of the association of manipulation and control that comes with witches. it's kind of in a similar position as witch of heart would be, to me, where there could be a lot of moral greyness in terms of the abilities they'd possess. unfortunately witch is one of the classes i'm not too great at analyzing, but witch of hope is a pretty good one to me :)

in terms of a land, it's not exactly my forte. they're very character-driven. i'd look on the wiki for the requirements in designing and making a land if you're interested ^^ thanks for asking in!

[cherryredtimeplayer]

"i will get to them sometime this week" Liar

yeahhh, i'm sorry about that. chronic fatigue's been kicking my ass lately and i don't have a lot of time to focus on fun projects on top of college and everything else. i'll for sure get to them sometime today or tomorrow o7