PAGE/KNIGHT: PRESERVATION OF THE FUNDAMENTAL.
Otherwise known as how you can decipher Preserve (or Protect) as the verb for + Page / - Knight from base Homestuck alone without any secondary info from beyond canon.
So, to preface, the latest commentary on HSBC's latest flash had two major things it revealed around some Page stuff.
For one:
Pages are passive, which could be described as a given to most people but depending on some interpretations it isn't.
For two:
Pages Fight To Preserve Their Aspect
Considering to most people I see talking about classpecting or have been talking to since reading Homestuck last year Page in a Page/Knight interpretation usually uses the verb WIELD or EXPLOIT it felt pretty crazy to see James describe it as one who fights to preserve their aspect, but it fits for what happens in 8r8k.
That doesn't really matter for this though, because this is primarily about homestuck proper. There hasn't been much discussion on this commentary since it's private but I have seen and do think it's likely most people may throw away this idea since it's from Beyond Canon, but this slots directly into Homestuck Proper and most understandings of Knight and Page already, so let's get on with that.
Knight: Actively Preserving An Aspect
It's weird but it's better to start here with Knight since there's a fairly common headcanon that's important here for explaining this in the context of page. Knights have what their session lacks, Trolls lacked bonds so Karkat kept them together. Kids only had a day so Dave stretched it with time travel to get all the shit that needed to be done done.
This is incredibly easy to tie to preservation, Dave and Karkat are actively fighting to make sure their threatened aspect is still prominent. Bonds are strong, they don't run out of time, they actively preserve the aspect in the face of threatening it.
This is also tie-able to the fact Knights notably seem more proficient with their aspect, they have to be considering it's lacking, there's no time for them to stumble around while learning to use it, they need to preserve it the second they enter. Dave is given turntables the second he enters basically by Davesprite, Karkat is trying to get everyone to do what they need to from minute 1. Because, of course, their aspect is always threatened. It's also why they seemingly mellow out following the conclusion of both their sessions, at least in using their powers. Karkat mellows out as a leader and Dave generally refuses to use his time travel powers.
Page: So What's Passive Preservation?
It's all in the reaction baby.
Pages react to the threatening of their aspect by utilizing their powers. It's more conditional, reactive. Passive preservation. To put it simply, in the context of the masterpiece if Dirk dies without containing Caliborn and the rest in Cal, they lose. He is their only hope, when that hope is threatened to the brink is when Jake Hopesplodes, a passive reaction to the threatening of an aspect.
It's a little more difficult to tie this to Tavros but throughlines between the two is hard for a lot of things. The main thing I can see from Tavros gathering the ghost army is that he's making up for the fact Vriska and Meenah are both terrible at gaining an army of that size in that little time, they're just not that good at getting people to follow them. But a breath player is, and a page of breath is really good at getting an infinite ghost army to do it.
Pages are one's who react to only the most heavy threatening of their aspect. Their session doesn't really lack it so they're not strong to start off to make up for it (Trolls aren't exactly in need of someone to lead by example nor are the Alpha kids in need of hope), this is to make up for the fact they're strong when it matters most. Ties directly to Page of Hope even, Deus Ex Machina classpect for a Deus Ex Machina aspect.
Pages react to the threatening of their aspect by fighting to preserve it, Knights preserve an actively and constantly threatened one:
+ Page / - Knight
