The Retcon Timeline

So, apparently the House Juju contains the souls of the Beta Kids:

THIS WEAPON COULD ONLY BE USED AGAINST FOUR GUYS AT A TIME. BECAUSE ITS SHAPE HAS. LIKE FOUR SLOTS OR SOMETHING. SO I CHOOSE MY TARGETS CAREFULLY.

THEIR SOULS WERE TRAPPED IN MY JUJU. FOREVER.

Flash back to John sticking his arm in the Juju:

It’s in Rose’s square.

I dunno, I feel like this is significant somehow. What it means, though, I have no idea.

Time to reset for the third time this hour.

> Dave: Reset.

Just noticed something. The platform the characters are on...

Trolls’ platform, too...

Is shaped like a lily pad!

The Mirthful Messiahs: Lord English and Calmasis?

We already know Lord English is a fusion of the souls of Caliborn, Arquiusprite, and ½ Gamzee.

But what if there’s a Calliope counterpart? A fusion consisting of Alt!Calliope, Davepetasprite^2, and ½ Gamzee.

Gamzee states that he finally understood his Mirthful Messiahs were always both him, :o) and Do:, who seem to represent both Caliborn and Calliope. Later we learn that Gamzee is literally a component of Lord English, (likely) one of his Mirthful Messiahs. Wouldn’t it make sense for his other half to be a part of his other Mirthful Messiah? And wouldn’t that messiah also represent Calliope?

For now, let’s call this fusion Calmasis. Perhaps the Mirthful Messiahs are Lord English and Calmasis, and both are central to the end of Paradox Space.

Recall Sollux and Terezi’s exchange:

GC: WH4TS 4N 4NG3L TA: 2ome terriible mythiical demon. TA: wiith the2e awful feathery wiing2. GC: Y1K3S TA: paradox 2pace u2e2 them two u2her iin the end. GC: HOW DO3S 1T KNOW WH4T 4NG3L TO US3... ........

Caliborn and Calliope are both Cherubs—or angels—and Lord English is obviously a “terrible mythical demon” who “ushers in the end.” However, notice Sollux says “them,” and Terezi essentially asks “which angel?”—implying more than one. While Alt!Calliope alone could represent another angel (as could Bec Noir and PM), it makes more sense for Gamzee also to be included in a Calliope counterpart to LE.

So if Caliborn + ½ Gamzee + Arquiusprite = Lord English, it seems reasonable for there to be a Calliope counterpart with parallel components: Alt!Calliope + ½ Gamzee + X = Calmasis.

Davepeta seems the most likely candidate for X.

For one, Arquius is a sprite consisting of Equius and a version of Dirk. Davepeta is also a sprite (squared), consisting of Nepeta (Equius’ moirail) and Dave (the other Strider). Sprite + Troll + Human (well, and also Crow + Sprite). None of the other sprites contain representations of both a troll and a human.

Davepeta also has this inexplicable desire to fight Lord English.

DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < i have this weird urge...... DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < to go fight lord english […] DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < im just strangely drawn to the idea DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < i wasnt at all before as a really depressed bird version of dave DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < and nepeta didnt even know who he WAS until recently DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < but now it sounds cool suddenly DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < i f33l like... DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < the exact blend of people i am DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < is a being that he should in some way be vulnerable to DAVEPETASPRITE^2: B33 < i cant even explain why i f33l that way

This makes absolute sense if Davepeta is destined to become a part of Calmasis.

Caliborn even distastes Davepeta’s colors. Perhaps that means something, as well.

uu: ORANGE AND EMERALD. uNPLEASANT TOGETHER. uu: I HAVE NO TASTE FOR PuMPKINS. OR ANY HORRID VEGETABLE MATTER.

Alt!Calliope is already established as a key to defeating Lord English. Dave is also crucial for defeating LE.

As for Nepeta… During Murderstuck, the only trolls Gamzee kills are Equius and Nepeta. (The other trolls are all killed by others.) We already know how Equius’ death is essential for the eventual creation of Lord English, one of Gamzee’s Mirthful Messiahs. Perhaps Nepeta’s death is intentional and crucial for the same reason—for the eventual creation of Gamzee’s other messiah. (On another note, Roxy even makes a comment about Fefeta being a secret weapon, which, while sounding absurd, is also intriguing, considering Fefeta is a sprite consisting of Nepeta, just like Davepeta.)

In a previous post, I discussed an alternate interpretation of a passage from [S] Seer: Descend.

If Paradox Spaces uses both Lord English and Calmasis to “usher in the end”… And if Calmasis contains the souls of Gamzee and Davepeta along with Alt!Calliope…

A maimed clown (Gamzee), an undead cat (Nepetasprite), and an impaled crow (Davesprite) would make three of the four “held in reverence for the eternity they serve to cut short.”

A fusion of Alt!Calliope, Gamzee, and Davepeta in the form of Calmasis is the perfect parallel counterpart to Lord English—both of the Mirthful Messiahs and mythical demons ushering the destruction of Paradox Space.

Does anyone else find this resemblance incredibly ominous?

UU: it is the day whereafter the legendary octet of mUtUal progenitoriety will come together and heal a great breach in paradox space. UU: a day delivered throUgh eighty billion years and foUr distinct Universal instances worth of Unfathomable tUrbUlence. UU: and while the emerald eye of this storm is fixed in the abyss forever UU: today yoU are poised to escape its scowl once and for all. UU: by skaias gUiding light, yoU may leave behind its tUrning arms of bright coloUrs and mayhem, and secUre peace for yoUr cosmic progeny for all dUration.

The emerald eye of the storm---the storm of “Unfathomable tUrbUlence“ and “a great breach in paradox space“!

1) If John ends up re-retconning Vriskas death and the meteor crew goes through the personal growth that they're supposed to go through, what does that mean for Jade? Wouldnt John and Davesprite still be dead? And John knows that he was responsible for for their deaths so would he try to do something about that? I dont think hed try to retcon their deaths since he'd be weaseling his way out of the deal he made with Typheus and thats sounds like a bad idea

2 fin) (Though John was the one who came up with the idea to zap everyone to where Caliborn was and look how THAT turned out) Do he think he might try bring Jade to where the meteor crew is? Though that will essentially rewrite all the character development the meteor crew went through on their original journey… man this is getting confusing!

I don’t think John is going to mess with the timeline in any drastic way relating to Jade. I’m sure he realizes there would be consequences for interfering, likely own death. So if John retcons the retcon, I think Jade will still be alone in the new timeline, too.

I could see John making small influences, though, such as writing a note of encouragement to her or appearing briefly to say he’s okay. But as far as undoing John and Davesprite’s death or bringing Jade to the meteor, no; that would be interfering too much.

Alone!Jade would really be the main difference between the “fixed” Game Over timeline (when John traveled to “R3UN1ON” to get the ring) and the final Alpha Timeline. Note how there are two Johns at “R3UN1ON”; that probably won’t be the case in the final Alpha.

Of course, it’s possible in the re-retconned timeline, Jade won’t be alone at all, and it’ll play out almost exactly as it did originally. But… eh, that doesn’t seem likely to me. Who knows, though?

Okay, John's note that "it was gamzee," on the most obvious level, means Gamzee is responsible Nepeta's murder, not Vriska, whom Gamzee is framing and Terezi suspects.

But what if there's a deeper meaning to the message?

What if John inadvertently answered his own (and likely poor, confused Terezi's) question?:

"you don't need him."

Who's "him"?

"it was gamzee you idiot!!!"

By pairing together these two seemingly disconnected messages from John, maybe it'll plant the idea in Terezi's mind that Gamzee is the one she doesn't need. ...Unintentionally, at least on John's end. Granted, she probably won't even make this connection until much later, perhaps after more messages, but hey.

Inception, Egbert style.

I am getting some serious The Matrix vibes.

JAKE: [Lil Sebastian] would be PERFECT for this tea party! JAKE: Like the white rabbit and all.

Remember both Neo and Alice followed the White Rabbit.

JAKE: Nepeta right? You must be the alice of the group. JAKE: That would make sense! Since you just got here and appear to be very confused about this situation. JAKE: By my estimation that makes you a dead ringer for the alice of this tea party!

Oh... OH...! OH SNAP!

THE SWEATY MUSCULAR GHOST APPEARS OUT OF NOWHERE.

It’s Arquiusprite! Lil Cal contains the souls of Caliborn, Arquiusprite, and (half of) Gamzee! THIS MAKES SO MUCH SENSE, YOU GUYS!