On Dream Selves and God Tiers within Homestuck

Within every Incipisphere initiated by a Skaianet game, there are several common features. These are, from centre out: Skaia, Prospit, the players' Lands, the Veil and Derse. The two of these which are relevant to this essay are Prospit and Derse, otherwise known as the Light and Dark kingdoms.

On the moons of these two planets are towers, and at the very top of each tower is a room containing a player's Dream Self. A Dream Self is a physical manifestation of the player's idea of a perfect version of themself. For instance, a player who had been blinded, but disliked being blind, would have the ability to see in their dreams; were they to prefer blindness, they would remain blind. The Dream Selves are regarded as the princes/princesses (as appropriate) of their respective moons, and held in high regard by the planets' inhabitants; even the Dersite authorities, who are opposed to the players' goals on principle, will not assassinate a sleeping Dream Self.

The Dream Selves have a variety of uses, the primary one being to allow the player to remain productive whilst asleep. When the player falls asleep, wherever they are, the Dream Self wakes up in their room (provided they have previously been awakened, a subject covered below.) When the player wakes up, their Dream Self disappears from their location, reappearing in their bed, asleep.

The Dream Self has essentially the same abilities one would expect from a dream, essentially giving them godlike powers over their local reality - a Dream Self can fly (even through space), for instance, or duplicate their arms, should they so choose. They have, however, the same temperament one would expect from a dream, which is to say forgetful, easily distracted, prone to confusion and overemotional. It is essentially only these qualities which prevent the Dream Selves from being unstoppable weapons, given how useful their reality-bending could be in a fight.

In addition, the Dream Selves allow access to means of scrying the future. Prospit Dreamers can, when the moon eclipses Skaia and grazes the very edge of its atmosphere, observe the Skaian clouds, which show images of the past, present and future; it can be very confusing to sort through these images, and they are usually only half-remembered upon waking. Derse Dreamers, on the other hand, can approach the very edge of their Incipisphere, coming close enough to communicate with the inhabitants of the Furthest Ring: the Horrorterrors. They will typically divulge information to Dreamers that suits their (the Horrorterrors') goals, which therefore has a more limited range; it is usually more clearly remembered, though.

Most Dream Selves start the game asleep. They are awakened, generally speaking, when faced with an issue of mortality (either their own, or someone close to them), or can be physically woken by a Dreamer who is already awake. At the moment the Dream Self wakes up, the waking Self is forced to sleep, regardless of their current circumstances. There is, however, at least one player in each session - in sessions with a Hero of Space, it seems that these will always be chosen - who will Awaken long before the game begins. This awakening is usually in very early childhood and generally involves a First Guardian's influence.

The other use of a Dream Self is as, essentially, a "second life". If a player is killed, or indeed greviously wounded, their Dream Self will slowly take on the same wounds, after a short delay - this also Awakens the Dream Self, should this not already have been done. Should, however, another player kiss the player's corpse before the Dream Self dies of their wounds, the Dream Self will be fully healed, and take over as the new waking self. This strips them of most of their reality-warping powers, though they retain the ability to fly. A player who falls asleep whilst having no remaining Dream Self will dream of the Furthest Ring, specifically within Dream Bubbles; the exposure to the Horrorterrors that this provides is generally quite unpleasant at first. There are no special effects if the Dream Self dies first, barring the changing of dreams.

There is another method of revival, this one far more beneficial for the player, though harder to achieve. It is known as Ascension to the God Tier. There are in fact two ways to trigger this. It is, though, heavily implied that these are only possible for players who have reached the very top of their Echeladder, so if one has not, they should attempt the first method of revival. Like the simpler method, this process removes most of the unorthodox abilities, bar flight.

The first, and easiest, is for a player who still has a living Dream Self to make their way to the edifice on their Land known as the Quest Bed - easily distinguished by the large, glowing symbol hanging above it, a representation of the player's Attribute's symbol. Should the player die atop this stone slab, or be placed upon it before the corresponding death of their Dream Self, the process will be triggered. On a corresponding Quest Bed on the Battlefield at the centre of Skaia, the player's Dream Self will appear, provided it is sleeping at the time of death; it will then be healed of its wounds, and its outfit will change to a different one, known as a God Hood, whose design and color changes depending on the player's Class and Attribute, respectively. The God Hood can also reflect personal or cultural representations of perfection that exceed those they are given by the Dream Self - for instance, an insectoid race may include wings. For the most part, these are part of the costume, though fully functioning, and thus removable if chosen.

The second, and hardest, is available to all players, but is the only (thus far seen) means of Ascension for a player lacking a Dream Self. At the very centre of the moon of Prospit and Derse are located stone slabs, each inscribed with the symbol for one player originating on that moon. If the player is killed atop these slabs - there is no grace period via this method - they will be revived, also in their God Hood and, essentially, as another Dream Self - that is to say, they become idealized, even if it is the original self that died via this method.

A God Tier individual has achieved absolute mastery over the skills granted to them by the game. These skills are innate and as easily performed as any motion a person would make; more abstract abilities, like the fortune divination granted to a Seer, might not even be done consciously. They also have unusual dreams in that they have the ability to control them: they have complete mastery over the Dream Bubbles, and can insert themselves at will into the dreams of even individuals who dream in manners unlike their own - such as non-player characters in the game.

They are also, for the most part, immortal; most deaths will simply result in revival after a short delay. There are only two exceptions to this: a Heroic death, and a Just one. These terms are defined broadly, mysteriously, and according to the individual. One may sacrifice themself to save others, for instance, which would be a Heroic death; they may, on the other hand, become corrupt and be slain by a noble foe, and this would be Just.

A God Tier individual is, by default, placed on the lowest of the God Tiers, though this is essentially meaningless. Much like the Echeladder before it, they can go up to the next Tier, which instead of Boondollars provides the player an Achievement Badge, stored on a game abstraction known as the Kiddie Camper Bandysash. These have a variety of effects, though they are not necessarily tied to attacking power.