Joey Claire, the Heir of Life

Now there’s some heavy debate on what Classpect may fit Joey Claire, and while I have gone on record saying that the Maid of Light could fit her quite well, I do believe her true Classpect is the Heir of Life.

See, Joey has a bunch of references to Maidenhood, and a lot of references to Light. Not only that, but she’s being contacted and helped by Doc Scratch, who’s shown he favors Light Players. Her symbol is a star! There’s a lot binding her to Light, from the puzzle solving to her weapon of choice. Rather than her being a Light Player, however, I am starting to really think this is the way A. Claire has influenced Joey, and that A. Claire is a Light Player herself.

Joey idolizes her mother, and her influence is so great and positive in her, that she has been perusing the recordings of her mother’s dances only in special occasions, so that she has something left to check out. Her mother gave her the sign of the star, her mother gave her the inspiration to dance and practise Ballet and Tap-Dance, and this Light Influence is incredibly noticeable in everything she does. However, there is more to it than it meets the eye.

One of Joey’s draws towards Light could be seen as her craving attention, relevance. Being abandoned by her Pa, she has grown resentful of him, and wants that validation, that attention, and it makes her pursue being more like A. Claire. Joey has to draw attention to herself during the game, she has to restore the light, she has to power up a flashlight, but ultimately? These are obstacles she’s pushed to overcome. It can be an interesting way to see her interact with her Mother- That at her lowest and when things are going the worst, the solution she sees to push herself out of trouble, is to evoke her mother’s Classpect.

But a big, big part of Joey’s character is tied to Life. The Heirloom she holds has a symbol of Life on it, her desire to be a veterinarian, to heal others. When challenged, she may look up to someone she loves dearly and try to be like her, but at the core of Joey’s character, her love for animals and healing, her desire to help, hell even her relationship with Pa! After all, this would tie Joey with yet another Life Player whose feelings were disregarded due to his own way of being, and led to someone he loved dearly being hurt.

This leads me to the second half of her Classpect- The Heir. First of all we have the obvious tie of Joey and her Heirloom, but on top of that you could say that Joey is inheriting her mother’s Life. She’s playing the role of a Light Player like her Mother was, with the Dance and the references to Light, and her mother obviously had something to do with the Portal, so perhaps even the situation in which she’s going to Alternia mirrors what may have happened to her mother in the past. On top of that, Change is a big thing with Joey- From literally having her Life Changed by being sent to Alternia, Changing Xefros’ Life, trying to bring a positive Change to Alternia by empowering and giving agency to Xefros and the rebel group, Changing the Health of animals for their benefit- She even feeds Byers to make him calm down, tying her back to Life again with consumption!

On top of that, Byers, the Deercat, in a way even her Heirloom, these may be seen as her Familiars- Heirs being part of the Magician Classes, they have been tied strongly to things such as Familiars. Besides, with John as the protagonist of Homestuck, it’d be interesting to have another Heir be a protagonist.

Either way, Joey shows an affinity for Light, but seems to mirror her Mother’s affinity for it rather than her own. I feel the Heir of Life not only fits her personality and role in the story quite well, but it also explains why she seems so tied to both Light and Life- Not only because she’s emulating her Mother, but because as one whose life is Changed, and who may Inherit Life, she’s literally taking all the positive she sees from her Mother and applying it to herself, leading to this intricate scenario.

And while some could consider her to be more Active than Passive… Honestly, being directed by Jude, then getting stuck when it comes to freeing herself, but finding the way out when she’s out to help Xefros, the healing of Lusii and her outburst to try and get Xefros out of what seems like a toxic relationship- I don’t think many would argue that her Selflessness definitely comes through as well.