Just my little corner of the fandom

[homestuckfic-blog]

[zenosanalytic]

i asked deliverusfromsburb a while back about the mind aspect including perception as much as logic or justice, and i really liked your response. would you mind expanding on that a bit more, please?

Sorry anon, but I can’t seem to find a reblog-response of a deliverusfromsburb ask-response specifically about Mind and Perception (:( While looking, I noticed some mis- or mal-tagged posts, so it could be that I just didn’t mark it appropriately and, as a result, it is now lost in the depths of my archive until I go about the time-consuming business of making that more coherent via a tags page u_u. So, while I can’t respond directly to the opinions I expressed in the post you’re thinking of, I can riff a bit on how Mind and Perception interact, using these two posts as a jumping-off point, and I’ll do that below. If you have the specific response or post you’re thinking of bookmarked and could provide a link via fanmail or the like, I’d be happy to give a more spot-on expansion of those ideas, as I certainly think that Perception is a facet of the Mind Aspect :)

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[mmmmalo]

Reblogging hiromalo: Expanding on Heir of Mind

Okay I know my focus is back on Gundam, but here’s some quick thoughts:

Neo (from the Matrix) and Naota Nandaba seem to fall under the same classpect, Heir of Mind, as passive conduit of changing actions, faces, and other containers of the Heart. The entire Matrix trilogy is an exploration and expansion on the “brain-in-a-vat" philosophical quandary of having no absolute evidence that our world is real. Neo is trapped in this false world much the same way that Naota felt trapped in his home town of Nabase. In both cases however, the limits are not of Doom or Blood, but of Mind. Back to that in a moment.

As an Heir of Mind, Neo was ceaselessly presented with manifestations of the outer self: Neo was constantly presented with choices throughout the film (often with hands placed on or in front of his face. Deliberate??), be it Morpheus offering the pills, the Smiths offering to let him off clean, or Tank laying the burden of choosing to save Morpheus on his shoulders. He was also present with identities that were not his own (much like Naota’s “Takkun”), be it Thomas Anderson or the One. THAT IS NOT WHO HE IS. The name he chose for himself, that best displays who he is, is NEO. This loud declaration as he kills his first Smith shows his subrole as a Mage of Heart,again VERY similar to Naota’s declaration to Mamimi that he will not stand for her pet nickname. This also ties into Neo’s found ability to see the code of the Matrix, controlling the illusion of Mind on the surface and reaching through to the Heart beneath. There is no spoon; what Neo bends and conducts is the veneer of the Matrix, shaped by his own decisions. That got convoluted but whatever.

Bizarrely, their physical powers also manifested in the same way. Naota leapt into (and at long last OUT of) Canti’s maw to achieve his power boosts, just as Neo topped off his escape by leaping in a Smith and bursting out of it. This shows that in the eyes of Neo and Naota as least, the other was an obstacle of Mind. For a long time, they ran from it or lets themselves be conducted by other people decisions. Taking control of the machine showed that they had learned to assert their own decisions.

Or something. Idk this one is hashed out like potatoes. I just wanted to get the parallels off my chest. Later.

[zenosanalytic]

I think this is a cool way to think about those non-HS characters, and clarify the sort of challenges an Heir of Mind might face and the sort of things an Heir of Mind might be able to do through their analogy. In particular, I like how tied up and interrelated Heart and Mind are in this reading; how to be true to the totality of their existence(their Soul and Heart), a Mind-Player(and perhaps all Heroes to a lesser extent?) needs to both stand up for their perspective, and possess the “authenticity” to accept their responsibility to make decisions as well as the consequences that come from them(their “Mind”).

From a power perspective, the idea of them weaponizing Thought(either by the Neo method of recognizing their physical reality is an illusion that can be manipulated by the Mind, or through the Naota method of literally pulling weapons, monsters, and allies out of their brainscape) is another good idea for what an Heir of Mind could be capable of.

The example of Naota and Neo emerging from their enemies makes me think of another cool/squicky thing an Heir of Mind might be able to do. When John fights BecNoir, he avoids an attack by turning into air, then reforms to attack from a different angle, and when Tavros goes to kiss Vriska after her beating, it is teased that he may have been about to give her “the Breath of life” and heal her. What if a God-Tier Heir of Mind could do something similar by moving through the memories of others, or resurrecting themselves from the Mind of friends and enemies after death(ala Athena bursting from Zeus’ head)? Through “becoming Mind” in a way similar to John’s Breezy Thing, they might be able to travel instantly between those who have memories of them, or even to “possess” others. Heirs really can be kind of scary :/

[clonerightsagenda]

I don't know if your ask box ate mine from like, a day ago, but... Just to be sure... Could you do Heir of Mind...? Sorry if I'm a bother, but I'm quite curious, and... Yeah. u o u

Yeah, it’s there. I just hadn’t gotten to it yet. It’s ok. I’ll do it now.

This is actually kind of a tricky one. Heirs serve as a focal point for their aspect - at least that’s how I see it - and how does someone focus Mind? I’m not quite sure, which is why I’ve been dancing around this particular prompt for a while.

Some suggestions:

An Heir of Mind might naturally draw people’s thoughts and attention. They’re not trying to catch anyone’s eye, but they always do. This can be helpful if they want to talk to someone, but a huge liability if the Black Queen comes after them in particular.

Heirs also tend to ‘spread’ their aspect, and John is able to manipulate it (although he initially learns his powers without trying to). So while an Heir of Mind would start out by simply weighing on the minds of those around them, with practice they might learn to change them. A skilled Heir might be able to make opponents (or friends) decide on different courses of action or scramble their thoughts to tie their mind up in knots. With the focus on them, they could leave their enemies so confused they don’t know which way’s up. 

Mind players also tend to be very clever. An Heir of Mind would probably be naturally cunning with a disciplined mind. They’re likely to keep their head in a fight and come up with good decisions while everyone else is panicking. These quick mental reflexes are an asset, especially if all the underlings keep deciding to attack them first.

[zenosanalytic]

One thing that occurs to me is that they could be the sort of person who asks really good questions. John tries to help his friends by making gentle, insightful suggestions in a way they’d be likely to view positively, and Equius tries to help Nepeta by denying(“Voiding” perhaps?) things she desires that can be dangerous to her. An Heir of Mind might be one who encourages their friends to make healthy decisions by asking the right questions at the right time, in the right way :)

As part of their Nexus-like nature -and expressing the Mind=Karma or Mind=Justice facets of the Aspect- their mere presence might lead to allies and enemies receiving their just desserts. Perhaps an enemy trying to attack them from behind would trip and fall on their sword, or a friend’s secret transgression against another friend would come back around to have some unfortunate consequence for them in the Heir’s presence, or through their unknowing involvement. They might also help their friends move past the sort of egotistical illusions of themselves everybody holds, helping them to deal with all the emotional and psychological issues that seem to form the true challenge for Heroes in The Game or, if they are a less well-realized and helpful example of the Role, damaging their teammates sense of self and making victory even more difficult.

[clonerightsagenda]

I’m coming to the conclusion that as long as you’re relatively stable, Heirs totally scored in the Class department

[zenosanalytic]

Yeah, though Equius is a good example of how the lack of direction or any strong impetus to work at developing their skills can easily lead the class into stagnation. I wonder a bit if the short time limit and “mentorship” of an amoral power-gamer like Vriska actually worked in John’s favor during his Session; if, in a more usual Session, an Heir(and particularly an Heir of Breath) would have much more leeway to waste time, avoid their quest, and unintentionally screw up their teammates through unconscious Aspect-influencing. Having said that, Mituna didn’t seem to fall into that trap during his, though he was a gung-ho power gamer himself, with Latula around to keep him on track, and he seems to have been taken out of commission by Kurloz long before their Session’s Endgame.

[homestuckfic-blog]

Fef could put her finger on why Dave's hair interested her. In fact she could put ten fingers on it and mash them around, but it got her no closer to actual answers. 

Maybe it was the straightness. Feferi considered as she combed her fingers through it, pointedly ignoring the grumpy muttering and attempted to get a good enough grip on the fine strands to braid them. She tugged impatiently, twisting them together rather ruthlessly. 

Dave made pained noises and she shooshed him absently, pinching the end of the braid together with her left hand and reaching into the box of hair accoutrements. With respect to Dave's color choices she carefully dug around until she had one that was the darkest fuschia and clipped it shut on the end of the short braid, pinning it to the rest of his hair. 

"Are we done?" Dave asked, though he didn't sound at all hopeful. 

"Silly! I've only managed one so far! I have at LEAST three more clips that are this dark almost-red. Maybe when I get that many braids in we'll be done," she said, tipping his head from side to side until she figured out which strands to secure to match the one success so far. "Maybe."

Dave sighed but kept his head still, trying not to wince too much as Feferi tugged on his hair, yanking this way and that until finally securing the end with the second clip. It took another 15 minutes of intensive tugging and twisting and muttered curses as she kept starting over until she had managed three more braids to match the first. 

"Glub!! Check the mirror and tell me what you think!!" she said excitedly, bouncing a little as she tucked her legs under herself, beaming at him. 

Dave patiently clambered to his feet and went to look. Four braids had been forced into his hair. Two lay thick from his temples to almost the back of his head, loose strands sticking haphazardly out of it since his hair was mostly too short for braiding. The other two curved behind his ears and were slightly neater. The large fish clips were an almost eye-searing deep fuschia and glittered like proper scales with faceted stones. 

"They're... great..." he said politely, his eyebrows climbing toward his abused hairline, though his glasses and poker face otherwise kept his emotions hidden. 

Feferi applauded happily. "That was so fun!! We should do that again!! You can borrow those clips for as long as you want!!"

"Oh.." said Dave, looking at his reflection again and turning his head slightly. The jeweled hair clips flashed at him garishly. "...Thanks... That's really... generous of you.."

[homestuckfic-blog]

Friendships were strange. Feferi was nowhere near as socially ignorant as she had been and, looking back, she found amusement now in her first clumsy attempts. Isolated as she had been, she had had enthusiasm and optimism and little else to guide her. "High" literature (invariably more than a century old) and classical music and carefully screened tutors had given her very odd ideas about how one made friends. Summer camp and Sollux in particular had done a great deal to normalize her, but Sollux wasn't exactly average and dropping out of the sky into the seventh grade had been considerable culture shock. 

Eridan had enjoyed that period particularly. Feferi was still giddy about having so many people to interact with, but while she flitted from person to person, practicing and learning like a freshly hatched babe, she formed no long-term attachments and failed to be adopted by a wider friend group. Eridan kept an eye on her, but she was not shy about telling him that she didn't want a shadow and could look out for herself. 

Still, the private academy was small and all the students knew by the end of the first day who she was and, especially, who her mother was. She got so much polite respect that she wanted to screech, but instead brought her polished public face to school as well and resolved to work even harder on making friends. 

Eridan was a comfort to her. As harsh and pessimistic as he often was, he had been a constant in her life for so long that his fits and rages were as familiar to her as swimming and his riptide never quite managed to pull her under. 

By the time they graduated, however, Feferi was ready for the open ocean. This bargaining took longer, but She eventually gave way and Feferi enrolled in the same school as Sollux for the first time in her life. For once their time together at camp wasn't the bright spot on her horizon, for she had months and months of company ahead. 

[homestuckfic-blog]

Bargaining with Her (part 2)

Feferi settled into the guest chair, though the thing was chosen for style over function and felt like it. Her mother's office was decorated like most of the house with an eye toward style and opulence with no regard for comfort. 

The ebony desk itself was properly intimidating, a vast smooth, highly polished surface completely free of dust despite how rarely her mother was in residence. The office chair was highly carved and equally clean, with somewhat fanciful fish and waves worked into the design.

Feferi focused on sitting still and upright in the guest chair, determined to appear composed, relaxed, and in control whenever... if ever her mother chose to contact her. She was sure there were cameras tucked away somewhere in here. Perhaps in the scrollwork of the glass-fronted shelves or in the elegant crown molding that surrounded the ceiling. Feferi lived life in a fishbowl and behaved as such. No sense in throwing a fit that would only lead to greater restrictions. She sat up straight, smiling, and waited. 

If there was one thing the elegant office lacked, it was a clock. Based on the fact that her legs were going to sleep from the uncomfortable chair, Feferi estimated that she had been waiting at least an hour before she finally heard the soft hum as the wall-mounted screen came to life. The camera eye set into the bottom of the screen made some robotic mechanical sounds as the image of her mother came into focus. She did not look pleased. 

The silence stretched on for long moments as the Condesce watched her daughter with the flat indifference of a shark. The woman was sitting, relaxed, in an arm chair. If the call had come at an inconvenient hour, she showed no sign of it. Feferi finally cleared her throat, squared her shoulders, and opened her mouth. "M-"

"What is this about, Feferi," the Condesce cut across her, killing her momentum as sure as a knife. Fef scrambled to gather her wits and drew herself up in the chair, her hands resting demurely in her lap, careful not to clench them into fists. "I am going to to to regular school," Feferi announced. "It is time and past that I interact on normal terms with people my own age of a variety of backgrounds." 

The Condesce fixed her with a cold stare, though a hint of interest quirked one corner of her mouth. She sat forward in her chair, one long finger tapping her chin, the nail sharpened to a point and lacquered a deep fuschia. "Is it now?" she asked with slight amusement, her critical gaze sweeping up and down her daughter. Even with the distance between them, Feferi could feel the weight of that stare. 

"Yes," she said, willing herself to feel the confidence. "If I stay a solo fish in this tank forever I will be maladjusted and antisocial." Feferi was taken aback when the Condesce laughed, an unusually innocent sound that made the hair on the back of Feferi's neck rise. Still, she lifted her chin proudly and stared her mother down, though her heart was racing. 

"You have been kept in a controlled environment for your own good, child," the Condesce said silkily, sitting back in her chair and resting her hands on the arms as though it were a throne. "What good can come of associating with the lower orders? They will have no effect on your life and can only lead you astray." The amusement lingered on that chilly face but the interest was dying. 

"If I do not attend regular school I will not attend any school," Feferi declared, shoulders pulled back defiantly. "I will do no homework and I will not listen to any tutors you send." 

"...Oh you will not..." the Condesce chuckled, but she leaned forward again, scrutinizing her daughter. "If I grant you this wish, there will be guidelines." 

"Of course," Feferi responded, striving for the same cool that the Condesce excelled at, though her heart was pumping with excitement and she was scarce able to focus on her mother's terms. 

"If your grades slip or you become too distracted by your new surroundings, the privilege will be revoked. Similarly if you are truant, defiant, or poorly behaved, the privilege will be revoked," the Condesce listed off almost absently, the new laws of Feferi's existence being sketched out in a bored tone. "You will continue to have extra lessons as I see fit to shore up unsatisfactory portions of the school's curriculum. If you make friends with unacceptables, the privilege will be revoked. I will expect regular updates and will compare your reports with those of your caretakers and discrepancies will be answered for." 

Feferi nodded regally. "Agreed," she said with determined calm, though she was inwardly gleeful. Perhaps she should have demanded this earlier, this had gone so much better than she had been expecting!! 

"Come summer vacation we will readdress this new arrangement. If your behavior has been unsatisfactory, you will return to obeying my curriculum. I will expect your proposal and understanding of the terms in writing by tomorrow evening," the Condesce said, sounding bored, and the transmission cut out. 

"Good night Mother," Feferi said to the black screen, allowing herself a brief smile of triumph before rising with dignity and sweeping from the room in a fair imitation of her mother's imperious manner. She announced loftily to the disapproving butler that she would be attending the local school henceforth and to make the necessary arrangements before retreating (strategically) to her room.

With the door closed and the comforter shoved up against it, Feferi gave full rein to her glee, jumping up and down on her water bed until she realized that she needed to let someone know. Eridan would never approve... but Sollux would be pleased. She dug under a pile of stuffed animals until she unearthed her laptop and powered it up, bouncing with excitement. Regular school! Regular schoool!

[homestuckfic-blog]

Bargaining with Her (part 1)

Feferi poked the fish around her plate. She had been back home from camp for two weeks and even the cavernous dining room seemed to be closing in on her, the dark painted walls getting ever closer. 

The table stretched down the length of the room, surrounded by enough chairs for 20 people, though no one had bothered to set out any more places. She sat to the right of the largest, most ornate chair. The gold scrollwork of the back loomed over her, casting shadows over the beautifully cooked ahi.

Fef forced herself to another bite, chewing slowly and trying to focus on the flavor. Chef had outdone herself and the lemon sauce hit a delicate counterbalance to the perfectly cooked fish, but it did no good. Feferi still wished she was back in the mess hall, eating mac and cheese slopped onto her plate from a large tray, overcooked and underflavored, with listless apple slices for company, already browning at the edges. 

She jabbed her fork into a stalk of asparagus and frowned at it. A bite confirmed that it was crisply al dente with just enough snap and butter to bring out the freshness of the produce, probably picked that morning and hand selected. 

Her view of her plate blurred as her eyes filled with tears. She was lonely. The house was echoingly empty and her mother's chair looming over her only made it worse. Feferi sighed and blinked away the unshed tears and pushed her chair out from the table, setting down her fork decisively. 

Before she managed to stand the butler was there, practically appearing from midair to pull out her chair more properly. Feferi stood patiently and properly as he glanced from her mostly untouched dinner to her face, a slight disapproving frown tugging down the corners of her mouth. "Was the meal not to your liking miss?" he asked frostily. In stories young heiresses left alone with the servants made friends with them and were treated like proper children, but the young heiresses in the stories didn't have mothers like hers. 

"I need to speak to Her," Feferi replied, lifting her chin and squaring her shoulders. She might be barely four feet tall, with tan lines on her face from wearing her goggles for two straight weeks at summer camp, but the butler straightened his back automatically in response to her tone. 

"You know She is on the other side of the planet," he replied stiffly. 

"It is important," Feferi said with finality, focused on breathing evenly and keeping her hands relaxed at her sides. 

".....Go to the study, I will contact Her assistant," the butler said at last, a white line forming around his lips from how hard he was pressing them together. He picked up her mostly uneaten dinner and stalked out of the room, radiating disapproval. 

Feferi exhaled when the door had closed, allowing herself a few moments of giddy happiness before she collected herself and headed for the study. If she was going to succeed she had to keep in control of herself. 

[homestuckfic-blog]

The first time they met Feferi had finally been settled in a small cabin by herself, hastily cleared out and cleaned up. She learned later that it was usually reserved for the head of the camp but that he had given up his fancier cabin for her after some subtle "hints" from her guardian. Her disappointment was crushing as she was isolated even here and she headed for her first breakfast at the messhall gloomily, figuring she'd probably have her own private table where she could be away from those without her refinements. 

It was clear that the other campers had been warned about her. She felt her heart sink as people glanced her way and whispered with each other, but she straightened her back and kept her chin up. People moved out of her way, letting her right up to the front of the queue for food... everyone except for a skinny boy who was busily mashing buttons on a handheld game console. 

[homestuckfic-blog]

Mess Hall Meeting

Feferi tried not to pout as she poked the mac and cheese around her plate. Camp was supposed to be her chance to finally be a normal kid and her name had ruined it again. All her bargaining had gotten her here but they'd snuck around and insured that she still couldn't pretend to be normal. Jerks. She had a private cabin that had a piece of paper tacked over the usual 'Administrator' sign. It even had a bathroom. They hadn't met their counselors yet but she was resigned to having a group all by herself as well. The head of the camp had escorted her personally to the mess hall after she had been shown her cabin (where her bags had been delivered) and explained happily that she wouldn't have to share a bathroom and would have every comfort. Feferi had smiled and agreed that that would be more like home and kept the disappointment off of her face as she was led off to the messhall, where they interrupted the line to serve her immediately and then left her at a central table. Unsurprisingly the rest of the campers gave her a wide berth and she sadly poked her lunch, appetite gone the same way all her hopes for this month had.

She was too lost in her thoughts to notice the approach of the other camper until he set his tray down across from her. She jumped, startled and stared blankly at the boy who was clambering over the bench. "2orry, ii diidn't mean to 2tartle you," he mumbled,. It took her longer than she was used to to find her tongue, but by then she was smiling. "No no it's fine!" Fef bubbled, biting her lower lip and looking down, her glee growing when she saw that they had the same food, so at least she wasn't getting special treatment there. She snuck a glance around the rest of the room but everyone seemed to be ignoring them. Fef beamed at the boy and sat up straighter. "Is t)(is your first time at camp? It's mine! I've been looking forward to t)(is for W---E--EKS!!"

Her voice had hit an exuberant high note that was pretty loud by the end but her new table friend didn't seem to notice. "eh iit2 all riight. havent had any actiiviitiie2 yet. waiiting two 2ee how tho2e go fiir2t," he said with a shrug.

Feferi grinned, practically bouncing on her bench. "I'm Feferi!" she announced, rocking a little from side to side. Someone was talking to her! Someone was talking to her LIKE SHE WAS A NORMAL PERSON!!

"2ollux," he said, then took a big mouthful of food. She followed suit and ate happily, grinning at her new friend Sollux.