Have you ever felt like you’re one of the only people in your life that has, at least in some semblance, their life together? Sure, your life routine may not be perfect, but it’s functional enough to get you by. You may not have or had the easiest life, either, but you’ve managed to pick up a solid coping mechanism or few over the years. You aren’t out of the water, but you have a lifejacket, or maybe even a flimsy raft to keep you afloat. It doesn’t fix all of your problems, but it helps a lot.
You've come to a better understanding of how the world works, and what to expect from the people within it. You know to keep your guard up until someone shows that they can be trusted. Even then, you might still try to make sure not to get too comfortable. You have to keep up this act of how you want to be perceived. And chances are, the way you want to be perceived is as anything, or anyone, other than weak and subservient.
And when you compare yourself to other people in your life, well...their ability to cope may not look as strong as yours. In fact, it may feel at times that the better off you are, the worse off your friends are. It can almost make you feel guilty, like the universe has simultaneously made you its chosen sufferer, but has also given you more grace to escape from that. Even if you still have problems of your own, it hurts to see so many others struggling.
It makes sense, then, that you would want to go and try to actually make something of yourself, and/or your story. Make it into something more than just for or about yourself. Make it into something that people can see, and hear, and know. Make it into a mirror for people to look into, and see that there is more to life than just suffering under an oppressive regime, or even upholding it.
Of course, when you're the Muse of Time, wanting to become a point of inspiration for others is almost natural, but is it really helpful to you?
It's hard to tell when your life is already one full of so many hard-won and bitterly lost battles. But is it so wrong to go and perfect yourself even further, so people have someone to look up to?
What's important to try and remember, in all of your work for inspiring, is that you do stand higher than those suffering around you.
What this means is that you can look back on how far you've come, and see the people who may be following the same steps as you. Unlike you, they may not be as well equipped to bounce back from the endeavors they face. Some people may turn a blind eye or scoff at their struggles, but not you - not the Muse of Time.
The Muse of Time, who is best known for having the biggest sense of spirit out of all the Classpects, won't stand for people being left behind. They are the epitome of their Aspect, in all the best ways. If you need someone to cheer you up, they’re the one. If you need someone to be there for you when you can't go on, they're the one to carry on with you. They are one of the best, most supportive friends you can ask for...but they’re also, still, just a person.
Sometimes, that can be forgotten in all that they do for the group. And they truly do so, so much. Even if they try to keep everyone a safe distance away, they also can't help but meddle in the affairs of those around them. If you try to tell them to slow down and take a break, don't be surprised if they take this as some personal insult. They'll tell you that they know what they're doing, and what's best for them, but the more keen someone is...the more clear these claims aren't as strong as they may seem.
Where do they fit in the world?
The Muse of Time, much like any other Muse, tends to be a very passive person. They don't want trouble, but they aren't also going to immediately crumple like a wet paper bag if conflict ever arises. The Muse of Time is much like a Swiss Army Knife, or a Multi-tool gadget.
Largely thanks to their passive nature, they tend to be whatever people need them to be. As long as it pertains to their Aspect, they'll be able to help you out of whatever trouble you may find yourself in. In a friend group, the Muse of Time is someone who helps people navigate current and past problems, oftentimes helping people to realize that their troubles are real and valid. They are, however, nowhere near being a healer.
Rather, they’re more like the ultimate cheerleader, if we are to define them in a single phrase. Of course, any Muse can have this title, but the Muse of Time puts their own special spin on it. A remix, if you will.
While they will help those who have fallen, they won't usually do this in the most tasteful or hand-holding type of way. No, they're more likely to grab you by the hand, and slingshot you back into a forward momentum of progress.
They also tend to accidentally encourage people to linger on the past, so that they can use it for the present moment, but rarely, if ever, do they actually touch on the concept of the future.
Life's not fair, and the Muse of Time knows this very well. That's why they’re one of the most stubborn people you will come across, if only rivaled by their fellow Master Class Time-bound, the Lord of Time. However, their stubbornness is often far less aggressive for the sake of being aggressive, and more because they simply know what their worth is.
While Lords are best known for being as loud and show-stopping as can be, Muses prefer to have their strength be more like a swan – or a Canadian Goose, in the case of the Muse of Time. Once a Muse has made up their mind, there is little that can be done to change it. However, this doesn’t mean they don’t care about the consequences or negative impacts of their actions; they just believe, with all of their mind and heart, that they are doing what is right.
As mentioned before, the Muse of Time knows that life isn't fair, and so they've come to adapt around that harsh truth. However, when they see or meet people who haven't quite accepted this fact yet, they tend to become rather defensive. They feel that these types of people seek to undermine the hardships the Muse of Time has faced. To put it bluntly, the people who bring out the Muse's ire the most are those who try to bring about any sort of optimism into their life.
They'll spit and sneer at anyone who tries to show any sort of positivity about life, because they're convinced that their hardships have shown them the truth of the world. No one really cares about each other, except for themself and the people they help. Everyone else is inherently selfish, and needs help in realizing the error of their ways. By Inspiring their Aspect in the hearts of those who are struggling, they are being the hero - the Savior - that they once so desperately wished existed in their own time of need. If anyone ever questions them, or tries to gently help them move on from these traumas, they're not afraid to gnash their teeth at such meddlesome hands.
Of course, as may have been obvious, the Muse of Time is someone who thinks that they are not stuck in the past. Yet, they are also not one who mentions the future. They'll likely tell you that they just focus on the present moment, because that's what matters. While that is not entirely wrong, anyone with a keen eye will see that the Muse of Time is not as free of the past as they claim to be. No, they are still very much tied up and held back about whatever happened to them, be it recent or not. That is why they so often lash out, or why they never seem to be capable of truly accepting that they really are safe.
There is also a certain irony to the fact that they loathe people who try to put a positive spin or outlook on life. People who either say "It couldn't have been that bad!" or "Yeah, but at least you're here now!" or, sometimes, even people who try to share in the pain of the Muse really get under their skin. They don't want to feel babied. Not now. The world and the people within it had its chance to baby them, but now, they're a big kid, or even a grown up, and they're going to own it. They don't want a pity party - they want admiration.
What does their journey look like?
The thing about Muses is that they are meant to Inspire their Aspect in other people. And, as glorious as the Muse Class is, arguably being the Gods of God Tiers, they aren’t that different from the other Classes. They still need to learn how to properly tap into their Aspect and use their powers with it, even if it does come more naturally to the Muse. What, exactly, does this journey look like?
As stated earlier, the Muse of Time is someone who has faced hardships in life. They’ve fought their fair number of fights, and scored a good number of wins and losses. In comparison to their friends, they’re doing pretty alright.
Where they tend to struggle the most, though, is feeling actually secure in their, well, security. When so much of your life has been painted over with struggle and hardship, it can actually become rather difficult to believe when "safe" is actually safe.
When faced with someone who they feel has never really faced hardship, they tend to Inspire the more painful parts of their Aspect in other people. Either through their words and/or actions, they have this ability to make people feel how they once felt. This, as you can imagine, does not always end up bringing the best consequences to their actions.
Yet, all the while, the Muse of Time is often gripped by the fear of maintaining this sense of perfection. "Perfect" is something that's untouchable, or that people won't see as weak. Thanks to their rough upbringing, the Muse of Time has had it drilled into them that they aren't perfect, but that's okay. Because they have grown into the purpose of proving people wrong.
The biggest flaw of the Muse of Time, however, is that they also live to try and mend a past that cannot be changed.
There is a difference between living to spite the people who wanted you to stay down, and throwing a punch because you thought someone's tone was just a little too snappy.
One is a tactic of survival, and a trophy to hold up in the faces of those who wanted to suppress/oppress you. The other is an instinctual, almost impulsive action taken with little to no warranty of its execution.
The journey of the Muse of Time will see them having to find the best ways to navigate the complexities of life. Not only that, but as for Inspiring their Aspect in others, they will also need to figure out how to pick and choose who gets what, and how to live with those consequences of such cosmic actions.
Especially when the Muse of Time learns about their place in upholding the Alpha Timeline, something some may consider to be one of the hardest responsibilities for any Time-bound to accept.
When do they begin to perfect themself?
What do you do when you're suddenly put on the spot for something? Let's say someone wants you to "show off" a part of yourself; what do you do?
It can be easy to think and say that you would be quick on your feet, and execute whatever spontaneous plan you've made with perfection. Many people like to think of themself as the flawless protagonist who is just waiting for their time to shine. When that opportunity actually arises, though, the fact of the matter is that most of us would likely panic. You may be that lucky person who doesn't, sure, but many of us will likely fall into the role of freezing. Talk is cheap, while actions will always have various prices to pay.
For many Time-bound, they are often put into situations where they will have to be quick on their feet. Very rarely are they given the chance to think, and even if they are, there's always that internal ticking of the clock they feel inside their souls.
As for the Muse of Time, they are in an interesting spot when it comes to their powers and how it relates to Timeline Maintenance. They are meant to Inspire their Aspect a.k.a Time. What does it mean, though, to "inspire" Time? One interpretation of it is that they are someone who is meant to Inspire people to play into certain parts or actions that help keep this timeline as part of the Alpha Timeline.
What's important to keep in mind, however, is that the Muse of Time best works on spontaneity, but if you try to tell them what to do...okay, they might still do it, but they'll also be sure to give you hell about it the whole time. They're spunky, they don't blindly obey, and they hate being ordered around.
This is one of the biggest things they'll need to work on, especially in regards to their responsibility of upholding and fostering the Alpha Timeline. When you start to work more with your Aspect, it becomes a little more blurred on how much of that relationship is mutual respect, worship, and/or another boss & employee type of dynamic.
If they really will come to accept their role and responsibility, then they will need to know the details of why it's so important first and foremost.
This is often where some Muses may end up choosing to learn how they can Inspire through Time. In fact, it could be argued that the best way for a Muse of Time to learn is by seeing, or learning, what happens if the Alpha Timeline is not maintained. People die, battles are lost, and their timeline is set to forever spiral out in the cosmos of Paradox Space. Obviously (presumably), no one wants this to happen!
To focus back on their general powers of Inspiring their Aspect, the Muse of Time will also need to learn how to recognize when is the right time to invoke the their Aspect in other people. If they aren't careful, they may end up inspiring someone who shouldn't be a fighter, or triggering an event at a wrong time. But, when you're so ready to fight and help others, and you want to share that spirit with those you help, it can be really hard to hold back with them. It can even feel like you're controlling your Aspect, like some no good Lord.
However, the Muse also has to learn and accept that they can't use their powers for petty or trivial reasons, either.
Remember when it was mentioned earlier that, sometimes, it can feel like the better you are, the worse everyone else gets? It's still a little difficult to say for certain whether that is the case or not, but what can be said is that there are rules about "give and take" that do exist. If you want to maintain this visage of being perfect, then you can't continuously indulge with these petty acts of inflicting your Aspect on people you don't like. Try to meet people on where they're coming, so as to get a better idea of what, exactly, they mean.
Why are they like this?
What would you do, if your attempts to inspire people with your own story of struggling actuallydidinspire people to keep fighting? Would you feel relieved, shocked, flustered, or something else?
For the Muse of Time, they want to be someone who is admired, but perhaps not idolized.
But they also don't want their traumas to feel like they didn't happen just because of coincidence, they want it to mean something. Suffering has to have a purpose, it can't just happen because the world is evil. At the same time, though, they'll still swear up and down that the world is a dangerous place with dangerous people who seek to do harm to others.
Imagine, if you will, that you have spent so much of your life being told to sit down and shut up because you can't help but point out logical fallacies in the systems of power around you and everyone else. Now imagine, after surviving a storm of struggles for most or even your entire life, someone comes around and tries to tell you that "oh, psh, well, that's all in the past! You should really let it go and move on!"
Do you think you would be able to listen to their logic, or would you snap at them for trying to downplay the depths of your scars?
For the Muse of Time, but also Muses in general, some of their best inspiration comes from their suffering. When you have lived a life that beats you down, again and again, and yet you always get up, again and again, it can seem like an incredible feat to some people. There will be those who see this suffering and feel motivated to give whatever support they can. However, there will also be those who see this suffering and see something beautiful. Something inspiring.
Muses love to feel like they are needed, and wanted, but they also hate the feeling of expectation, or the fear that they may disappoint those around them. When someone comes around and says, "I see you, I understand you're hurt, and I know you want to help, but this isn't helping. You're hurting, and you need to come and be with the rest us, in the future," it can feel like your heart is being pulled against your ribs.
Muses are also those who may seem perfect or otherworldly, but they aren't. They instead are often victims of people mythologizing them, sometimes without even knowing the Muse on a personal level. If/when the Muse gets wind of this, they can often feel something shift in their life. That passivity of their life is no longer stable, but is now something being morphed and changed; brought to the forefront and put under scrutiny.
They're no longer a handy tool that can sit around and wait to be used. They now have to actually do something about the present. Not only that, but they may actually have to think about the consequences of those actions. They Inspire people, but are they Inspiring the right people?
If someone gets back up and continues marching forward, then the Muse of Time will say, yes, they are Inspiring the right people. But if they don't actually stop and consider every last possible ripple that could come of this casting stone, then they're not doing their job right.
That's why the journey of the Muse is so important.
Time is not something that can be cherry-picked; it is something that happens, all at once, forever.
Whether you like it or not, Time will continue to move, with or without you.
How do they benefit the group?
What do you do when you're given some goal to complete? Do you prefer to take your time, and meander along the journey? Or do you just want to get right to the bullseye, without any care or grace on how you get there? Either way, you'll come across troubles and conflicts along the way, but the speed at which you go will determine the ease of those trials.
Of course, there's more to it than speed. There is also intellect, and prowess. Running head first into a wall, for example, can easily be circumvented in a number of ways. Some people may decide the best way is to continuously ram into the wall into it crumbles open. Others would take the time to inspect the wall for any cracks or imperfections, or see if they could scale it.
Now, imagine being given a goal in a group setting. The ultimate group project of beating the final boss of your game, and stoking the flames of the birthplace of a new universe. There are, obviously, going to be different attitudes on how this process should be done. Some people will completely blow off this goal, and instead want to just play and fuck around. Others will actually take it seriously, and seek to make progress on the matter. How does the Muse of Time fit into all of this?
As should be obvious, their number one priority will largely be to make sure that the story follows the exact beats it needs to in order to make sure everything and everyone stays on the Alpha Timeline's path.
This can often be seen as the Muse of Time being someone who makes sure that everyone keeps going. Through any tragedy, any trial, any trouble, they will be the one who steps up and says, "So what!?" with genuine sincerity.
Of course, this "so what" attitude of theirs is also largely brought on by their own history. They know how it feels to be knocked down, again and again, and to try and find the strength to get back up, again and again.
Perhaps that's why they tend to be someone who doesn't waste their time with pleasantries or politeness, and instead prefers to go all out with the more explosive parts of their personality.
Once they get over their fear of disappointing people, and have also learned to truly heal from the past, they are a strong force not to be trifled with.
Having mastered their craft of being inspiring, and potentially knowing how to inspire through their Aspect, the Muse of Time truly has the chance to become a shining beacon for the group.
All the while, though, the Muse of Time is also setting everyone up to be exactly where they need to be. If it ever seems like the Muse of Time is right where they're needed, or knows what to say at the right time, it may not just be a luck of the draw.
Who is the Muse of Time now?
What does it mean to change? When you try to be perfect, is there any way to grow and change in any other direction?
When you already think of yourself as perfect, it can feel like the only way left to go is down, down, down...
But what if you aren't as perfect as how you want everyone to see? What if people start to doubt in your ability to lift them up, and keep the good fight going? Have you so easily forgotten that you're no different than them? You've struggled and fumbled through life just like everyone else, and that's okay.
The Muse of Time started their journey wanting to be a figure of inspiration, the living embodiment of those cheesy posters you'd see at an office job.
As things progressed, cracks in who they are and wanted to be started to show. They became petty, and inflicted their feelings on people they felt needed an eye-opener. All the while, they still tried to put up that face of perfection. When you can't let go of your base, survival instincts, anything that moves or speaks in even the slightest, unnerving way will leave you primed and ready to bite.
And who can blame them when they've lived such a hard life. One where they've always had to prove their worth, and disprove that they're eventually going to break. That's not how they flow, no matter how hard life gets for them. With this experience, it also makes them quite qualified in being a really supportive friend to have around. They're, arguably, an even greater leader to have at the head of the party, especially if there's a lack of Breath players in the group. At the very least, they are someone who stands as an unstoppable force, especially once they've gotten over their fears of failure and perfectionism.
It's not a sign of weakness to let go of the past. It's not a sign of weakness to realize that there are other ways to be inspiring. You don't have to bleed in order to mend people's thirst. Instead, you can help to bring them towards the future.
The Muse of Time is meant to Inspire their Aspect in other people, but they can, of course, also Inspire through it. When it comes to the Aspect of Time, you have to be careful which direction you inspire people in. Are you pushing them towards a brighter future, or are you leaving them trapped in the survivalist fear of their pasts? It can be hard to figure out which is which, especially when you were once someone who didn't quite know how to turn off your own survival tactics. Now, though, they're able to see past the stress and fears they felt all those years ago. Now, they can look to the future, and help make sure everyone else gets there, too.
That is the ultimate purpose of the Muse of Time.
Someone who is meant to push everyone forward, through thick and thin, and be ready to catch them when they fall. It's not the prettiest job, and there's bound to be more tragedies along the way. Luckily for them, the Muse of Time truly has become the ultimate cheerleader.
The two create a tear in spacetime. This tear connects the two players, so that each player can warp by wish to ANY PLACE THROUGH SPACETIME that the other was or will be.
Be noted its through SPACETIME, not SPACE & TIME. meaning if the muse wants to teleport to a certain location the lord was in, they must also move in time to any time the lord was there, and vice versa.
This stacks retroactively, meaning if The Muse use the ability and go somewhere else then their, both timelines' spacetime will be accessible for the lord.
From the dawn of 2009, it has been the Homestuck's duty to assign characters from different media a title from their RPG-inspired typology system. Although it is full of holes, has little cannon info, and can be interpreted in so many ways it is honestly pointless to argue about which character is which Classpect, it is my duty as not only a Homestuck, but as a Tumblr blogger to assert that my interpretation is right and that everyone else is wrong.
So here is why Chara is so obviously a Muse of Time, it is actually atextual to suggest any other classpect.
First of all, Toby Fox is a Homestuck fan. He read the comic, he wrote a comic, and he made music for the comic. Therefore, it is not unthinkable that we can look to Chara's design, and dialogue, for clues for their classpect.
Chara was inspired by the Cherubs. The red cheeks, their Al-like speech patterns, their green shirt, their focus on absolutes, the way they were briefly a part of an entity that fought with itself, they have a sibling relationship with someone who is very much their opposite (at least at the time,) it is all very much Cherub inspired. This will be important later.
Secondly, let's look at their ideology. Aspect is the themes that follow you, which informs how you see the world. Chara is very much focused on power. They want all of it they can have. They define themselves by it, and the chase for it. They are noted to be very efficient and particular in how they pour their water, and it is not a stretch to say they keep these traits are probably a key part of their personality. Additionally, they are surrounded by death. They die, cause the death of another, and are only encountered in the route where you kill everyone. You only see them in sepia-toned flashbacks of the past otherwise, or if you believe in the NarraChara theory, narrating the present, using their words to define how we experience Undertale in the moment. Yeah, this is a Time-bound character no doubt.
Thirdly, let's talk about their role in the story. This is what defines their class, and is the tricker part of classpecting. Chara is defined by absence. The fact that their name is actually their name, not Frisk's, is the twist at one of the ends of the game. They are only vaguely alluded to by those that know them, and they don't have a voice bite. We only encounter them in a route where they are pushed so far we don't know if their personality is what we see, and it's at the end of the hardest route too. It would be easier to say Chara is a complete non-character, except...they are the reason the game happens. Their choices indirectly lead to Asgore causing the war, which directly impacts every character in the game. They impact Asriel so much that he is only saved when reminded of them. In fact, much of Asriels/Flowey's actions are defined by Chara's impact on them, and Undertale as a story would have to be completely rewritten without them. Hell, if you believe in NarraChara, they are the narrator. Imagine playing Undertale without the iconic narration! This is all a dead ringer for the Muse class. They are the indirect, most passive, almost absent character that ends up impacting absolutely everything.
Chara is a Muse of Time, baby.
(Oh, and about that cherub stuff? The only two Classpects of the Cherubs we know are the Lord of Time and the Muse of Space. The Lord has iconic red cheeks, and the Muse becomes the Narrator in half of the epilogues. Checkmate, atheists!)
If you read all of this, I just want to thank you for your time. I love this place, and I am glad to finally be here and maybe make some friends on this cursed webbed site. Just remember: I am always right, even in subjective matters. Bye!!!!!!!! <3
i'm a muse of time.... redone the tests millions of time. searched for other tests. everytime, i wad a muse of time. thoughts on it?
oooh. muse of time's neat shit. it's a bit tough to pin down, as most master classes are, but i find it pretty intriguing. somebody who inspires time is a really interesting idea. it's somebody who directly inspires events in the story and in history and in the timeline, being the indirect cause of... everything. somebody quite literally making the timeline, if that makes sense. it's a classpect with a lot of narrative potential because of that!
and that's interesting to me, that you've gotten it so consistently. my first test i took gave me page of void, lol. not super far off, but not super accurate. i identify myself as a seer of time but also relate pretty heavily to doom, so.
RGU God Tiers, @lolliepops-rox kissie for helping me decide and for the descriptions
Nanami here
My reasoning below is below but im curious what ppl would choose instead for god tiers
-Thief of Heart: The one who takes or steals with feelings, and passion for their own advancement.
Utena did steal Anthy from the rest of the student council and eventually from Akio, but in a way that was mostly benefitting herself even if her motives were good.
-Muse of Time: The one who inspires and is controlled by fate, and decay for the advancement of others.
Anthy is a muse because shes the epicenter of the revolution. She is so used to the continued failed attempts from Akio but still inspires Utena to try still.
I wont be drawing it but Akio would just be a witch of blood compared to Anthy being a master class
[IMAGE ID: two horizontal flags with nine stripes; each flag has the time aspect symbol in the center; a bright red gear. it is outlined in dark red. the middle stripe is twice as large as the rest of them, which are equally sized. the first flag has these top three colors: dull cool blue, golden yellow, and magenta. the second flag has these top three colors: cool green, pastel yellow, and light warm green. each flag has these bottom six stripes: dark red, off-white, dark red, medium-dark red, medium red, and bright red. END ID.]
timeasimuse: a gender connected to being a muse of time; this gender is connected to the time aspect, time aspect aesthetics, muse aesthetics, artistic aesthetics, musical aesthetics, and being inspired!
timeasilord: a gender connected to being a lord of time; this gender is connected to the time aspect, time aspect aesthetics, lord aesthetics, being in power or authority, and being gendervir!
