16/02/2018 10:04:13 ¶ ●

## A question about Pages, do they lack their aspect at the start?

revolutionaryduelist:

> hussianphilosopher:

> > revolutionaryduelist:

> > > Maybe? I don’t really like jossing headcanons, but I’ve never really read a version of this idea that feels compelling to me, personally.

> > > I think it’s more accurate to say Pages tend to either A) Attract the attention of others who mean well, but can be unpredictable in how they go about “helping” the Page, or B) Serve themselves their Aspects in very selfish ways.
> > > I don’t think Jake in particular reads as “lacking” Hope. Understanding the impact Jake has on Dirk when they’re 13, specifically through the vector of his Hope, is instrumental to understanding both their characters, imo.

> > @revolutionaryduelist​
> > Well, I think that saying that Pages “lack” their aspect is very much oversimplifying it, and it’s worth noting that we never actually hear it stated this way in the text, not even from Calliope or anyone who gets info from Calliope. It is, however, present in patterns, just as it is for Princes - “lacking” the aspect is a signifier for them, too. Let’s review:

> > -Tavros is the simplest and most literal application of this signifier, and is probably where the concept originated because of it. He lacks freedom, both physical (due to his confinement in a wheelchair) and social/sexual (due to his constant victimization by Vriska). And this is not a failing on his part! Tavros is aware that freedom is something he does not have, and is not happy about it! Freedom sounds pretty good to him! Eventually, he gets it. Good for him.

> > -Jake, then, presents us with the other interpretation of this concept; that of having a bad relationship with one’s aspect, in which that part of one’s life is unhealthy. Taz can source this better than I can, but while Jake is very hopeful, he is naively so. Jake is a hopeless optimist, a person who thinks that if he just believes in something hard enough, it will eventually come true. If he believes that he’s a rugged, badass adventurer, he’ll become one! If he believes that his friends are all Good Pure People With No Issues who he can have Straightforward, Easy, Uncomplicated Relationships with, that’s what they’ll be! Everything will work out, you just gotta believe. Jake’s journey - one that as of Act 7 he has only just begun to make serious progress on - is that of understanding that hope is not enough, that in order to make the world the way you want it, you have to strive for it.

> > (Despite his other issues, I think we see the end of this road in Grandpa Harley - one does not become as accomplished in as many different fields as him by wishing in one hand and seeing how quickly it fills up!)

> > The concept holds up pretty well with the Princes, too - Eridan has hopes and dreams, but they all get smashed to pieces and his moment of greatest power and greatest impact on the story comes at his moment of utter hopelessness. Dirk certainly has a soul, he has emotions (indeed, Dirk’s biggest problem is arguably that he can’t stop feeling way too much, all the time, forever) - but, like his counterpart Rose, he’s very bad at dealing with them and processing them, and he’s constantly held back by difficulties placed in his way by his Self or versions of his Self (such as Hal) and by his own literal Self-hatred. Kurloz we don’t see too much of, but he’s a Rage player (anger, chaos, doubt, purifying truth) who is always 100% calm and collected, and dedicates himself to a god who cares nothing for him - hardly a righteous or truthful faith.

> > So there’s my counterpoint - I would say that yes, Pages do lack their aspect at the beginning of their journey, but that’s only one way that their difficulties can manifest, and interpreting that too literally is limiting and inaccurate. It might be better to say that early on Pages (and Princes) have a weakness corresponding to their aspect.

> A solid add-on! I think I could still make an argument that Tavros’ issues stem from an unhealthy relationship with his Aspect, or a fundamental misunderstanding linked to it. But I agree on the broad points, and I think this is a pretty solid way of conceptualizing the parallels.

I think my problem with this interpretation is it also holds for Thieves, lest we forget Vriska’s roomful of 8-balls and Meenah living as a fugitive on the moon (by choice, but still). It holds for Maids, with Jane’s life dictated by the Condesce and Aradia, well, dying. Could we make an argument that it holds for Mages? Perhaps. Sollux certainly has his fair share of Doom-related issues at the beginning of his story, though of course they’re not exactly caused by a dearth of impending catastrophes and explosions.

My arguments are getting weaker as I go along, I recognize this, but may I posit that all heroes start with a comparatively poor connection to their Aspect? That is, after all, rather the point of character arcs (well, most of the time).