deliciously ironic for equius to be the most obsessed with living up to his caste and the least like the typical
Okay, as I mentioned, I took the test and got Aquara (violet starsign/prospit sway/mind bound). I am now going to look at the key points I took away from their descriptors and my thoughts on each of them. Spoiler First off, the sign itself. Aquara- the Contrarian. So I am defined by being contrary. I feel like the entire description is kind of contrary, mind and prospit don't go together well in my opinion. Next, the violet starsign. "Violet signs are the universe's eccentrics." In other words, I am a nerd. True. "They have a distinct bent toward contrariness." Which explains my true starsign above. "Ready to make friends with anyone, but can come across as clingy or desperate." Clingy and desperate describes my attitude toward my friends pretty well, I am very clingy and desperate for attention. "Politics and humanitarian efforts are often important to them." True. "At their best they are artistic and inspired." The term, at their best, does not apply to me. Neither does artistic. "They tread the fine line between genius and maniac." I would've said madness, but okay. "They can have a hard time holding their tempers, especially if they feel that they are being belittled or ignored." Meeeeeeee. "Intelligence is enormously attractive to them." As is creativity. I admire the ability to create. Next, the lunar sway. "Prospit dreamers are marked by a flexible optimism." Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there. No. I have no optimism. "Their personalities are reactive and intuitive." This part goes with some of the Mind descriptors later, make note. "They naturally exist in the present rather than in the future or the past." No. I mean. I have no plans for the future whatsoever, I'm just kinda here on earth. but that doesn't mean I live in the present. I think. "When making decisions they tend to rely on gut instinct and whatever emotions they are feeling." Instinct gets the better of me at times, unfortunately. I would prefer if it didn't. "This makes them quick to act, but can also make them capricious." I don't think the capricious part is very accurate. then again, i am apparently the contrarian. "They have trouble thinking things through, and their feelings toward specific situations/decisions can change from day to day." This part seems pretty accurate. "They solve problems with creativity rather than cold logic." See above about instinct getting the better of me. "They are less rebellious than they area adaptable." Fair enough. "They like having a defined set of rules." Very true. "Naturally trusting, they have trouble with deception or hiding their true selves." I'm not so much trusting as I am very open about many topics. I have secrets that I keep a tight leash on, and the only thing I trust is that people will screw me over. the rest is true. "They often worry about what others think of them." Very true, again. And last, the aspect. "Mind-bound are the universe's great thinkers." Pfffffffft. No. Not me. "They are very concerned with remaining rational." True. "It's easy for them to see the multitude of choices laid out before them, with often leaves them frozen and unable to act." True. I have a lot of trouble making important decisions. Meanwhile, the rest of my family often struggles with such decisions as where to go for lunch. "They can execute a plan with unbelievable grace and precision." Precision, yes. Grace, no. "Their identity is fluid- it can change from day to day." This combines with something from the Prospit sway above, take note. I will mention this again at the end. "Remaining logical is more important to them than building up a solid foundation of self." I have no idea who I am, so, true. "At their best they are great innovators, architects and creators." Again the term, at their best, does not apply here. So none of this does. "At their worst they can be nasty, inflexible, and indecisive." Very true. This whole thing is full of contradictions between the bright, creative Prospit and the quiet, rational Mind. Hence, the Contrarian. "Oh, you're emotional and flexible." "Oh, you're rational and indecisive." No, I'm not really any of those except Bad. These combine to make either a very conflicted person or a very average one. However, Prospit and Mind also combine to make someone whose identity is very flexible. What I'm getting from this is that my identity is determined by my surroundings and I have no identity of my own. I'm nobody. I'm whatever. And I think that sounds about right, because I try to be whatever people need me to be while still being free to express my opinions and emotions.
I will say that “I kinda just exist here on Earth right now” is....definitely one way to live in the present. if you aren’t constantly preoccupied with the future and the past, that’s one fashion of ‘living in the present’. personally, I do extremely little of that—I’m always, always thinking about what comes next, what’s happening tomorrow, what should I do about this impending thing, when do I need to do this thing to make it all work, as well as what I didn’t do right last time, where I fucked up yesterday and the day before, the mistakes I’ve made previously and why they happened, what things I did and how they could’ve been better. I’m very much stuck in the past and the future, and yes, I do mean stuck, because all this deliberating and thinking and planning means...not a lot actually happens, because I’m always thinking about what I need to do a week from now, and then I fail to take the steps I need to take today to make sure I’m ready to do that thing. I’m so focused on what I need to do then that I completely ignore now. I am not sure I have ever managed to just exist in the present time for more than like an hour, ever. it’s hard for me and I have to force myself into it. “I’m just kind of Here” is, as far as I know, a way of existing in the present moment rather than being stuck in the past or future. maybe not the most effective, but I’d definitely call it being in the present moment.
so I decided to do an analysis for the sign I was given like what @tickingnectarine did. because....I’m bored and have time. Spoiler: the rumor come out: does Eevee is Scories? sign class first. I’m blue, aka cerulean, hi Vriska. here we go. ”Let's not mince words: Blue Signs are the ones to watch.” am I. really. are you sure about that I’ve done like 2 things worth noting so far. “They can be incredibly effective, and also incredibly destructive. Tell a Blue Sign this and chances are they would agree with you.” ....okay, I hate to admit it, but I do have to at least agree with the ‘can be incredibly destructive’ part. “They are magnetic and adaptive” adaptive? sure, maybe. magnetic? not so much, if you ask me. “They have a mask for every occasion.” hmmm. I mean, I like to think I’ve gotten a little less ‘different mask for every person and situation’ over the past year, but this is....not wrong. “They are obsessively dedicated, willing to throw themselves into work, play, and everything in between.” I. uh. ....so I wanted to say this never applies, but I am obsessively dedicated to work I want to do or see the value of. play, though, not really. “You could be best friends with a Blue Sign and still never truly know them.” okay, honestly, I hate this part, because I WANT people to know me well—but for the longest time no one did because I hid so much crap. I’ve been trying to change that. I like to think it’s going well. but this part was kind of an ‘ouch’ moment for me. “They are powerful and successful, but they also tend toward jealousy.” this really couldn’t be further from the truth. “They often resent those they see as more well-positioned than they are.” this is true, though. people who I see as being better-positioned than me to change social or political things which are important to me, or better-positioned to achieve goals I want....yeah, I can be pretty prone to being angry and resentful that they have that and I don’t, and that they have it but aren’t using it for the good of others in a lot of cases of politically influential positions. “A well-adjusted Blue Sign is fantastically competent and inspiring, but a Blue Sign at their worst is a force for chaos.” if this is true, I’m pretty sure I’ve never been at my best, though I guess that wouldn’t surprise me. but I will admit that when I was at rock bottom, when I was doing my absolute worst in life, I was....a destructive and chaotic person to be around. not healthy for me or anyone else. on to moon! I got Derse, which. didn’t surprise me. “Derse Dreamers have personalities marked by a distinct and restless skepticism.” I...don’t know, honestly? I wouldn’t consider myself a hardcore skeptic, but...it’s hard for me to tell, honestly. “Rebellion is in their blood, manifesting whether they are fighting back against a fascist dictatorship, or the most recent trend in casual footwear.” I mean. yeah. okay. I agree. “Derse Dreamers are cerebral and self-aware; they have a far better grasp on the landscape of their own minds than on the world around them, which they can find alienating and confusing.” HAHAHAHAHA joke’s on you I find BOTH of these things confusing, my mind makes no more sense to me than the world around me “But as so much of their identity is built on control, they will do their utmost to hide any insecurities, often with false humility or self-deprecating humor.” “will do their utmost to hide any insecurities, often with false humility or self-deprecating humor.” HI HAVE YOU CONSIDERED THAT YOU SHOULD SHUT YOUR FUCK “They may be inflexible and pessimistic, but they are also great problem solvers, facing conflicts head-on with shrewd, calculating minds.” r u d e (but also, yeah, I’m....pessimistic for sure.) that said, I wouldn’t really call myself shrewd or calculating. I am decent at solving other peoples’ problems though? maybe that counts for something “They tend to be introverted, but if you win their trust Derse Dreamers are extremely powerful allies.” introverted, yes, but there’s this running idea of ‘powerful person’ I am noticing in my sign that I really don’t feel is accurate. “However, they find sincere vulnerability difficult and will often keep people at arm's length.” .....you be quiet. you be quiet right now. “Letting go and living in the moment is hard for a Derse Dreamer; they constantly look toward the future and analyze the past.” yeah, accurate. finally, the aspect....I was given Time, which I don’t agree with, but whatever let’s go “Those bound to the aspect of Time are fighters, full stop. Their lives are often marked by struggle, not so much because fate has it in for them, but because they are fundamentally incapable of just accepting things as they come.” on one hand, yes, I’ve spent a lot of my life fighting and had to deal with a lot—but that had very little to do with me being unable to accept things as they come and more just that sometimes shit happens and circumstances weren’t great. also, I grew up in a heavily abusive household. if I had just accepted shit, I would probably be dead! so. uh. sure, I guess, but also fuck you? “They value action over passive acceptance, even if that may not be the wisest or safest choice.” do you wanna fucking go?? ABUSIVE HOUSEHOLD. PASSIVE ACCEPTANCE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE LEAST SAFE CHOICE IN THE LONG RUN. fucking fight me. ....proving the first point about being a fighter a little too much maybe “They are very goal-focused, and tend to value the destination over the journey, and you won't find them making that journey in any traditional sort of way.” I....don’t really know what the latter part means, but when I have a goal I am usually pretty goal-focused? “To quote cheesy posters found on many a guidance counselor's wall-"impossible is just a word".” nope “If you need a miracle, they are who you call.” nope! “At their best, the Time-bound are empathetic and relentless problem-solvers. At their worst they are ruthless, defensive, and impulsive.” empathetic? probably not ever. I can’t Empathy. problem-solver, sure, I guess. as for being ruthless, impulsive, and defensive at my worst, I mean, yeah, but....I feel like that’s sorta covered by the Blue sign ‘chaotic and destructive’ deal. in conclusion: I agree, to an extent, with the Blue sign and the Derse dreamer parts. but Time, imo, is really not that accurate for me.
Looking at the sign caste list, and I was reminded of something by Scedasticity's tumblr comments on it: jade's supposed to be rare, yeah - but isn't lime supposed to be completely banned? But then again, what source do we have that says limebloods were made illegal at all? I think it might just be Callie who's the source for that, and...well, Callie's not a deliberately unreliable narrator, but she's also basically in the same boat we are: she's finding things out through second- and third-hand sources, and piecing things together after the fact; she has very little first-hand information. (Also, it is petty of me, but I'm delighted that this list places Karkat as a mutant limeblood; I remember a lot of arguments on tumblr back in the day about how Karkat totally couldn't be a mutant limeblood, because his red blood placed him outside the spectrum entirely.) I think there's also the fact that Equius (and Horuss) are both super-obsessed with shoving themselves into boxes. And there's two lines in the indigo descriptor that stood out to me: "being around a well-adjusted Indigo Sign is always a good time" and "they don't usually mean to offend and are often shocked to find out they upset anyone. When this happens, they can dig their heels in and insist they did nothing wrong." Which, uh, fits Equius (and what we know of Horuss) pretty damn well. Equius is definitely not super well-adjusted; Horuss is worse, in that regard. And Equius is definitely super-awkward and has no idea how to gracefully back up and apologize for anything, and is prone to digging in and insisting that he's fine and didn't mess up. Combine that with his interest in being seen to be a proper highblood, and it's a recipe for the sort of disaster we see him being. I suspect that given more time with Nepeta, he would've figured out that he can apologize without it being the end of the world; the key thing would probably be having to spend time around Aradia and Karkat, since they wouldn't put up with that nonsense and would be pretty blunt about how he'd fucked up and why he needed to apologize for things. (Edited because I messed up the formatting a bit.)
I mean just because jades are rare doesn’t mean they would have fewer signs than the others? there’s really only ever one fuchsia at a time after all, and they’ve got just as many signs as every other class that said. limes are extinct. we don’t know that they are illegal; that said, they were, as far as we know, hunted to extinction. Calliope is not the only one to have said this, although the possibility of limebloods having psychic powers is information we have solely from Calliope. but since they presumably had to exist freely at some point prior to their extinction, it would make sense for them to have a group of signs, even if there aren’t any trolls to use them for anymore.
Now I have the urge to read some fanon interpretations of SBURB mechanics/classpects/Alternia stuff. I kind of glossed over a lot of it when I read Homestuck, and SBURB Glitch FAQ has been sitting in my to read list for a while.
I recommend deliverusfromsburb's classpect meta! It's been my go-to when I'm trying to assign classpects to characters.
Hm, true. Equius is enthusiastic about the interests we know of - but we don't know how long he's been into those things, and he keeps getting pushback over some of them (the musclebeasts most particularly) which could motivate him to dig his heels in and insist that there's nothing wrong with musclebeast portraits and double-down on his expression of that interest even if he'd rather look at some other art for a change. Plus...one of his expressed interests is robotics and engineering, and he's most often making new projects for Vriska or building new sparring robots for himself. That could give him enough variation to be happy while still making it look like he's consistently keeping an interest. (And, his is the Sign of the Engineer. Considering how into being performatively Good at what he thinks society's expectations are of him, he might not even have picked it up because he was interested in it to begin with! He might have thought he was expected to be doing that. And it's less hassle for him to build things for Vriska (who wants a lot of different projects) than to deal with her shaming him over having lost interest in something he was very passionate about; I don't think she'd understand that sort of behaviour and she definitely wouldn't treat it respectfully.)
Sburb Glitch FAQ is excellent. Lots of extrapolation on different game mechanics, potential late game quests, aspect RP interactions. Also seconding deliverusfromsburb. Between the two of them, I sometimes feel like they had a better handle on how Homestuck should have gone than Hussie himself ever did :P
The Glitch FAQ is really good, yeah - it's what RV's canon built off of. I don't know if Grinds and deliverusfromsburb had a better handle on how things should've gone? Maybe it's just that Hussie left things unexplained for so long, there's no way an answer could be satisfying to us compared to what we came up with ourselves. (And at this point, some of the answers provided conflict with stuff we came up with! Time's description is a big one there, for me; I always headcanon'd it as being a lesson in figuring out how to pick your battles and recognize which ones couldn't be won, not a lesson in "never give up, never surrender".)
Also! Someone did an analysis of how the quiz works ( http://the-awkward-goldfish.tumblr....ou-know-how-the-new-aspect-test-is-annoying-a ) and it looks like Time and Space are the two answers it defaults to if nothing else makes sense; Breath, Blood, Doom, and Life are the rarest ones, and are less likely to win if they're tied between something else (Time or Space will always win if in a tie against something else, Time will win in a tie against Space). It looks like Doom never wins ties at all.
Or, the sign descriptions are as accurate as a horoscope, which is to say, not, so we don't actually need to twist ourselves in knots to figure out how a wrong thing is actually right, and Equius is a character and not a checklist of traits that need to all be met for quality control and any indigo that sticks with an interest they are very fond of for years is still an indigo, just like how a quiet unadventurous rust is still rust, because people are people and not cookie-cutter shapes.
plus there's like. no way this is how trolls conceive it in canon? i mean for one thing there's got to be thousands of signs per caste, if you only ever get repeats with ancestors, and no one has any idea prospit or derse or the aspects are a thing,. and the empire propaganda machine would not stick with 'yellows are geniuses!' or whatever.
