by marathemara​

The ashen quadrant is weird. Really weird. Not only does it not correspond to a human relationship, the trolls trying to do it don’t understand it either. So let’s take a closer look at it and see if we can’t figure it out.



As the black conciliatory quadrant, auspisticism (ashen) is sort of between kismesissitude (caliginous) and moirallegiance (pale). Like kismesissitude, auspisticism is hate-based. Like moirallegiance, its goal is to promote social harmony. But it’s also not like either of them. Here’s Hussie’s definition:

“This quadrant involves a particular type of three-way relationship of a black romantic nature. Falling on the conciliatory side, it has no bearing on the reproductive cycle, except for indirect ramifications.



When two trolls are locked in a feud or some otherwise contentious relationship, one can intervene and become their AUSPISTICE. The auspistice mediates between the two, playing the role of a peace keeper, preventing the feud from boiling over into a fully caliginous rivalry.

Since such lesser feuds are quite common among trolls, there is a significant need for auspisticing parties. Without them, too many ashen feuds would become caliginous, and begin to conflict with other exclusive kismesis relationships, leading to a great deal of social complexity and sore feelings (even more so than black romance usually involves). Without auspisticism, the result would be widespread black infidelity.”

http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=004300

[There’s a page about quadrant vacillation here, which I’m going to skip.]

“An auspistice can stabilize particularly turbulent relationships. If the auspistice fails to mediate properly, or has no interest in the role, or perhaps has different romantic intentions him/herself altogether, then the relationship often quickly deteriorates into one of an especially hostile and torrid nature.”

To summarize, an auspistice is one troll who mediates between two other trolls who hate each other and compete with each other. The goal of the one troll is to keep the two trolls from becoming kismeses (or sometimes matesprits, according to Karkat) in order to preserve the status quo of concupiscent relationships in their community. A good auspistice is essentially an official cockblocker for the good of society. Sounds simple, right?

If you immediately answered “no,” you’ve been paying attention. Not once in all of Homestuck do we really see anyone do auspisticism right. Kanaya is our example auspistice, but her efforts to mediate between Eridan and Vriska are weakened by her own crush on Vriska–not to mention that Eridan has asked for her help repeatedly, with Kanaya becoming more reluctant to help every time she’s asked. Reluctance makes her irritable, and she becomes the opposite of conciliatory, making fun of Eridan’s flush crush on Feferi.

Speaking of Eridan, it’s interesting to note that he keeps seeking out potential auspistices (Kanaya, Terezi, and Feferi at last count) between himself and people he hates. He’s so desperate to fill his quadrants, it’s almost funny. Until he starts killing people. But that’s another story.

In spite of getting nowhere, Kanaya still feels compelled to auspisticize in other situations, like between Karkat and Gamzee before they become moirails.

Or between Dave and Karkat while they fight over Terezi.



Later on in the Game Over timeline, she tries to pass on her knowledge of auspisticism to Rose, with the warning that an auspistice never actually gets anything out of their work. We don’t know whether Rose learns how it’s actually supposed to work–when she finally tries to stop Gamzee from harming Terezi, she no longer cares whether they need to be auspisticized. Her decision that enough is enough comes from her own understanding of human relationships.



It’s not just trolls and humans who “auspisticize” in a way that doesn’t fit our definition–game constructs do it too. The B1 Courtyard Droll mediated between Liv Tyler and WV after WV ate Liv Tyler’s green eye. That doesn’t sound like real auspisticism to me, because there’s no way WV and Liv Tyler were going to become kismeses. On the other hand, it’s probably no coincidence that Clubs Deuce is an instance of the Courtyard Droll.

There’s also everyone’s favorite host, who fills the “official cockblocker” part of the role when he finds Snowman and Spades Slick hatekissing in his living room. The problem with Doc Scratch as an auspistice is the “for the good of society” part. Instead of interrupting Snowman and Slick to calm them down, he does it to make them hate each other even more, so that Slick will kill Snowman during the Scratch. Leave it to the Doc to twist yet another rule to his own Lord-English-serving ends.



So to sum up, auspisticism sounds like it should be simple and sensible, but when you get actual people involved, it’s complicated enough that even the one being in Paradox Space who even has a hope of knowing the rules prefers to ignore them. Sounds a lot like life.