Fridgestuck: Equius Zahhak (Facts/Theories)

A retrospective on the sweatiest troll alive/dead while Jen gets older. See you in the new year!
Music by Kevin MacLeod,
Hi, description reader, dear friend.
Holy cow, I'm super behind on my finals. I feel like butter scraped over too much bread, y'know? But now, with the next FS video not scheduled until January, I might be able to survive. Haha I'm so tired... Also if this video doesn't get that yellow dollar symbol on it, I will be really surprised.
Animation Channel: / catwithpencil
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[@tabbender1232]

I love how Hussie managed to make everyone think Equius was an irrelevant character when he's actually 1/4 of THE MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTER IN HOMESTUCK Equius is the Heir of Void, he hides in the shadows where no one notices him, but he's here. Both literally and figuratively. That's what this character always have been about.

[@GlitchTechV1]

Not to mention he probably donated to the buffness of LE

[@VoidstriderLucatiel]

Equius is the character who DESERVED a better ending. But did not NEED it. And thus, was not given a better ending. And rightly so. His death, and subsequent incorporation into ARQUIUSPRITE was needed for his own development as a character. It was important for his evolution. The implementation of a HEART player, in Lil' Hal was what finally allowed Equius to come to terms with his feelings, and finally get over/get around his hemospectrum fetishization. I think Equius was humbled by his death. And further so, by Hal's incorporation into his character. But I still want him to pound Gamzee into dust.

[@user-sx6sc5uy2q]

+

[@papyrusn1fangirl]

Yeah pretty much you described my feelings about him. He and nepeta are my two favs trolls and while I like him a lot I feel like his death had a meaning and a reason (something I can’t really say for nepeta)

[@brastionskywarrior6951]

Ya “pound gamzee into dust” you definitely would like that

[@grunchchristmas]

i want him to pound gamzee too

[@ChesSkelington]

I Always Saw Equius's Typing Quirk 100 And The % As A Simple 100% As In MAXIMUM POWER.

[@robustcolma6430]

ChesSkelington that would definitely make sense

[@devon6236]

Maaa%imum effort. Like, Deadpool or whatever. But Equius...

[@FiSH-iSH]

yeah that works

[@JohnDoeLover]

Also when he reversed it 1% to show his restraint when it comes to his unbelievable STRENGTH

[@pinkajou656]

That’s always that i thought as well

[@ihavekalashnikovyoudomath9275]

Arrow in the knee joke in 2017? More likely than you think

[@LaureledEevees]

Only the *best* cut-off gags here, Ricardo

[@gemraldkid6304]

I'm pretty sure it was intentionally written by the author. Unless, Skyrim came out after, that is. I know I thought of the joke the moment I saw that part.

[@gameygeemer4142]

@@gemraldkid6304 Skyrim absolutely came out afterwards. Act 6 dropped on 11/11/11, the day that Skyrim dropped

[@celestialjunipers6829]

He actually did a ton of help to everyone in the session. He's underappreciated

[@jinxtheunluckypony]

I think Equius has a surprisingly well written tragic death, Equius never stops being a creep, he never finds live he didn't manufacture, and there was nothing heroic about his sacrifice. Ultimately Equius believed he was doing the right thing by submitting to Gamzee only to unknowingly let him kill his best friend and torment the others for years. Even after his reserection as a sprite when he realized what he did and tried to apologize to Nepeta he inadvertently killed her again by overwhelming her. Finally he was prototyped with Lil Hal and ultimately made into a part of Lord English the monster who killed countless players and nearly destroyed space in it's entirety.

[@chemolcalico6792]

Jinx Jade heir of void? more like *DEVOID OF AIR! EEEEEEEEEEHHH*

[@cyberpunk-2O77]

No.

[@a-bird-lover]

Also "equius" sounds a bit like aqueous, and both milk and sweat are aqueous solutions I think. I had a mental breakdown in chemistry last year over this (the other mental breakdown was that krypton, Dirk's element, is right next to BROmine)

[@celestialjunipers6829]

So ironic that the troll they hate most is the reason why people tear up when his death is mentioned anywhere (Equius ALWAYS makes it to the bottom pile of "which character do you like most")

[@Type3Diabeto]

Considering that Equius was a heir of void and "became nothing to the plot" (until the sprite shenanigans in the alpha timeline at least) speaks volumes to his character, even with his status as a joke character. And if we do bring up the Arquiusprite, he did overcome the challenge void players face at being in the spotlight/important to the plot when he helped seal lord English in little cal. A well done, if rarely shown character.

[@AquaLugia]

I'd like to point out in that one panel with Kanaya about to saw Tavros' legs off, Equius blended in within the shadows, hinting his god-tier Heir of Void. (seriously though am i the only one that knew this)

[@LaureledEevees]

I'm really happy that What Pumpkin? created that Expanded Zodiac quiz. I like introspective stuff. I guess I am a Derse dreamer after all.

[@willwallz]

What sign did you get?

[@LaureledEevees]

I mention it in the first few seconds of the video buuuuuut... Sagiries.

[@willwallz]

Nice. Also, happy birthday :D

[@LaureledEevees]

Thanks, AW!

[@altumopiscis6824]

Not the Karkat video but karkats sign is in the lime category so that theory CONFIRMED XD

[@optimisticDuelist]

I'm enjoying this video quite a lot. One note, I do think it's odd to reference the musclebeast statue in Jake's manor as an Equius thing. I think there's a much more direct line to draw between Grandpa and Dirk Strider, since he seems to remember the Alphas in a bunch of ways and Dirk was also super into muscly horse dudes. Equius doesn't really come into that particular reference, I don't think.

[@hamjuice345]

I dont think its important, since its just a little detail but whatever I really like your videos by the way, i think more people should be aware of your content.

[@celestialjunipers6829]

Thats why Arquius is like one of the healthiest sprites in the alpha timeline.

[@k8g8s8]

I think it's supposed to hint at the relation of Jake to lord English and Lord English to equius.

[@MithrilRoshi]

Turns out those 'bigger fish' were much more disappointing in the grand scheme of things lol

[@withercat]

fistkind is most likely a martial arts, anyone can throw a punch sure, but it requires training and knowledge to not just break your hand

[@locobandito7536]

Did Hussie genuinely plan all of this stuff out? Like what with Equius’ blood colour being a reference to Nepeta, and how both of their typing patterns creating a diamond symbol for their diamond quadrant relationship. If so, that’s genuinely insane how much effort has gone into it. Like, I know there’s stuff like that for their characters too. But, is this just speculation, or was it all genuinely planned?

[@RenaDeles]

I was sad about equius' death and him failing his character arc, like I was sad about vriskas failure before her death and eridans outright refusal, But I also continue to be mystified by people who expected them to do better. I want another for all three kids but I was expecting them to fail and that was good writing. And as for heroism, it's because of him and AR that LE was able to be defeated. Arquius did exactly what he said he wanted to for the end game and made the major heroic sacrifice of having his combined soul stuck with caliborn after that. In death he managed to do better then he did in life

[@without_with]

I think the other reason he was killed is because the Heir class is supposedly a passive class. And you had to show that you were passive, yet, Equius didn't follow those rules and ended up not getting a just or heroic death.

[@nocanseegreen3845]

i dont think he was god tiered so heroic or just wouldn't matter. Unless ur saying the point of the god tier system is to guarantee a heroic or just death and not to grant conditional immortality?

[@theblackrosedaughter]

I appreciate Hussie's classy spin on "IT'S MY STORY....HE'S MY CHARACTER....HE'S DEAD...DEAL WITH IT AND FUCK OFF"

[@lordbuss]

12:15 Void is connected to - among other things - submission, the lack of actions, free will, importance, opposed to Light being will and actions (for example, Vriska, as a Thief of Light, is able to control the actions of others). Heir is the passive changer, counterpart of Witch (yes, some people disagree, but this is the only thing that would make sense). Equius, even if not purposely, CAUSES CHANGE IN SUBMISSION all the time. Both in himself and in others.

[@-kenik9629]

By the way, using weapons without the proper specibi allocation is a godtier thing. Johns punch still fits.

[@LaureledEevees]

And Jake before he becomes Godtier..?

[@paulgettle4969]

Perhaps his interest in fisticuffs, scrums and whatnot as a hobby and not a properly allocated specibus is why he had so much trouble with BroBot?

[@SuccubyArt]

even if he was made as a joke character, he will always be my utmost favorite troll 💙💙💙 and i just learned even more stuff about him than anything i ever knew! 0w0 i love it!

[@bravetigerproud6895]

I cried LITERALLY ONCE while reading Homestuck and it was when Equius died. I'm even three chapters in to writing a fanfic where Aradia shows up and saves him at the last second by sending him back to the time of the Ancestors. It's called "Signless and Equius" and I swear I didn't intend for this comment to turn into an ad for my fic.

[@gliscaradu1424]

2 years late? Yep! Am I gonna try to find it and read it? Yep! It sounds very neat!

[@bravetigerproud6895]

@@gliscaradu1424 It's on Ao3 and is now part of a series called "Guardians and God Tiers" with my stories "Alpha Android" (the direct sequel) and "Rescue and Recovery" (this one explains my version of Kankri's background from Alpha Android). I've also renamed it "My Child" instead of "Signless and Equius". 😊

[@gliscaradu1424]

@@bravetigerproud6895 ty!

[@gliscaradu1424]

@@bravetigerproud6895 just to be safe, you posted in fanfiction as well? because i found one there too

[@bravetigerproud6895]

@@gliscaradu1424 Yep. I posted on fanfiction, wattpad, and Ao3. I've stopped using the other two sites, tho, so I usually direct people interested in my fics to Ao3.

[@mynameismud8596]

Did I mention before how much I love this series? Take your time and don't rush, it's quality over quantity. Even if it takes two months or more ; ]

[@bijtmntongaf]

Werent you that guy on the Living Tombstone video?

[@mynameismud8596]

Gote the Capricorn Fucktard that's highely likely, I've got top comment on a bazillion videos

[@lilaanthony5404]

Equius is one of my freaking favorite trolls ever. He is in my top five. Equius Eridan Gamzee Karkat and Feferi

[@multigrandmarquis]

John was actually able to punch Vriska because of the Universal Specibus Badge on his Kiddie Camper Handysash. (At least, I think he had it)

[@kittyshippercavegirl]

using youtube logo for censorship. good one

[@lithesra3666]

I actually found out that roxy also has the true sign of sagittarius. Sagittarius+derse+void Don't know if this was already common knowledge, just wanted to point it out.

[@suzettedelucia223]

I always thought his name was a reference to the Spanish letter 'Equis', which is basically "X". I thought since his name was so similar to it, and his typing quirk involves an X, it had something to do with it ig sjskkso

[@atomykebonpyre]

I just realized something... LaureledEevees... LE Lord English... LE LE = LE Illuminati confirmed * mic drop *

[@anluzdom6086]

Oh that was a great episode! Very well done! I just wanted to be a lil bitchy and mention that even though Having some Equius in LE most certainly was the reason why he choose a megido as maid, LE was still Gamzee and Caliborn, two characters MUCH more inclined to be violent againt others that they care about while Equius was not. Apart from that,holy crap i disnt knew horses sweated that much o.o Happy fricking birthday and have a nice day!

[@LaureledEevees]

Thanks, AD. And I never want to touch a horse ever again after learning about horse sweat.

[@celestialjunipers6829]

I think the reason why nepetasprite is sad n shit (before she became davepetasprite^2) Is because she knows that she'll eventually fight Lord English, who had a bit of Equius (her moirail) and Gamzee (the one who killed her) in him.

[@isakaner-roth4525]

Happy birthday Jen! Another day with fridgestuck is always a good day

[@LaureledEevees]

@Isa Kaner-Roth Thank you so much!

[@abramthiessen8749]

About the song "Chaotic Strength", in the pdf document that comes with the AlterniaBound album has the following tidbit: {TF: Thomas composed this right after the flash between Gamzee and Equius... if you can, just imagine the beginning of the song playing as Gamzee stares into Equius’s face... and then the “YEAHHHHHH!!!!” just as Equius breaks the string around his neck with a manly flex. Awesome fighting ensues. That didn’t happen though.} So even the music team had mixed feelings about Equius's death.

[@ratking3771]

I was told he smiled while dying because he "knew" nepeta was safe

[@blankexpression8706]

Me:man i wonder what's up with equius and his horse fetish *new fridgestuck video about equius* Me:huh i guess jen the out of breath has mind reading powers....neat

[@paulgettle4969]

Nah, after having discovered her Time aspect via the new quiz, she came from then to now, to read this comment, and then went back to put together this video for you, Because she's just that kind of person.

[@blankexpression8706]

Paul Gettle woah that sounds amazing

[@radiorebel8223]

I think they are bruises. Other trolls have bags under their eyes, and they are not the trolls blood color. That or he wears eyeshadow.

[@garnetnovember9118]

I think that equius didnt mean to die in a non heroic way. He tried to talk his way out of a confrontation with gamzee and then was caught off guard when gamzee shot the arrow at him. And even thought this inadvertently lead to nepeta getting killed after, he expressed concern for her when he told her to hide, and then expressed shame and remorse after seeing fefeta. Im glad arquius and davepeta were able to work things out and i think that in the end arquius fully redeemed himself at the end of the masterpiece. Although he didnt know it would lead to caliborn becoming significantly stronger it shows he was ready to overcome authority. His sacrafice, while leading to something bad ultimately, was well intended.

[@aggrontheboss6436]

Idea: All human characters with the sagittarius sign will be sucked up by the void Calliope created or be killed. Only John and Jane will survive.

[@jadethenidoran]

Nepeta or Jade

[@tabathawalker5745]

"Stop acting like a bunch of 12yr olds" But I was 12 when I got into it.

[@LPOverLord5000]

With Fistkind, I believe it's like, a dmg proficiency in video games, cause remember, sburb IS a videogame, so Equius would get more damage out of Bow and 1/2 Bow kinds, but can't use them due to his strength being too much for the bow's durability stat, so his fists are the only weapon left, thus he can get more damage out of them than he would if he used say, a giant hammer. but if say, John had Equius' strength, he would still do less damage than Equius by punching due to Equius having Strifekind, despite being the same strength.

[@non-bird-nary2420]

Hussie, one of my favorite creators, one of, if not, the most insane, hilarious, and creative authors/artists out there.

[@lynnkin2515]

Do his meowrail

[@GoldPrince2468]

Katie Larsen Ayyyyyyyy!

[@lynnkin2515]

GoldPrince2468 AYYYYYY

[@bunnyqueenkj]

He may be a joke character, but he's still totally my baby ♡♡ I love him so much. My little horse loving weirdo~♡♡♡

[@valthepal4065]

i used to be an adventurer like you once. then i took an arrow to the knee

[@4orks976]

(people making arrow in the knee jokes even though the page where equius gets shot in the leg came out before skyrim was released)

[@marleythekid8320]

Everyone has Fistkind, but those who have it called out are immensely proficient with it.

[@sugarcigarette7585]

Ok a lot of the trolls have bages under their eyes so it is probably brusuges

[@mooberto]

So are you going to make a video on Vriska next? I’m not sure if this is intentional but you have been making these by blood colour lately going down the spectrum with Eridan then Gamzee and now Equius.

[@tabbender1232]

I hope so

[@ericemigh3869]

I thought that Equius kneeled to Gamzee less because of his desire to submit and more because of being shot in the leg. Granted, he still didn't raise a hand against Gamzee even when he could have easily done so (and inadvertently spawned multiple paradoxes in so doing), but his submission was only partially voluntary. I always thought there was a sadness in that; too loyal to his friends to fully obey, too loyal to his ideals to fight back.

[@GoldPrince2468]

Happy Birthday. I hope the cake had a STRONG flavor. Nepeta, next.

[@AstronomicallyComical]

“And a lot of fans take exceptions to it and take that fact hard to take in.” Im fans….

[@AstronomicallyComical]

/j

[@tsunderecat413]

you should stop with the equius death jokes. they're making me get all... *choked* up.

[@coda1665]

Dirk? He is your fave Stribro, after all

[@ChelBlue]

I love these videos so much! I always look forward to them. Happy birthday, Jen, and good luck on your finals!

[@kittiehittie8018]

YES! YESSSSSSSS! FINALLY! I have waited for this for so long! God bless you!

[@dio8451]

Love the video, can't wait for the next one. Just as entertaining as ever, feel free to take as much time as you need. :D

[@willofthewisp9864]

Another fun point of the doc scratch/little cal point. Because of his role as the Heir of Void its also a way to easily explain the lack of detail at some points in the story or the reader’s dark spots funnily enough.

[@arcadia_758]

I know you mention the alpha trolls but is it possible that you could make whole episodes about each of them? I would really like to see an episode about Kankri, Horrus, [insert other alpha trolls here]. maybe after you are done with all the trolls. You don't have too, just a suggestion.

[@themailmandidmywife]

I wus relieved To know I wusnt the only one upset about the death of Equius But u shouldn’t be a brat about it even though Equius is bæ forever😍😘💙♐️

[@FrozenBeanieBooLover]

Happy birthday Jen! Also, thank you for a fridgestuck about our favorite sweaty, hemospectrum-obsessed, horse aficionado friend.

[@thatbluedemon186]

Happy birthday! Keep up with the awesome videos!

[@abbylyngar8422]

I really hope we get to see nepeta next, but i will be happy for whatever on comes out next! Amazing work!

[@babygirlvenere]

11:56 How did I not catch that?

[@knate44]

Yay happy birthday Jen! And good luck on finals!

[@LaureledEevees]

kante44 Thanks!

[@musicalsciectist7148]

Happy birthday Jen! And good luck with your finals

[@jaykanamoor]

Loving these videos! hope to see them coming, there isnt that much A+ Homestuck content these days!

[@melkor0626]

I love your Fridgestuck episodes!

[@jasombee]

Man, these videos are very helpful and fun to watch. I would love to see what you can do with Dave! Or the Strider boys in general, since they are my favourites among the humans. :D

[@catgirltreats]

Happy birthday Jen! Any chance we can get nepeta next?

[@LaureledEevees]

Maybe next February :D

[@Gabriel-qh4yx]

Void > all other aspects Mage > Heir > all other classes

[@macabreartist551]

Nice vid LE! I was hoping if maybe you could do a fridgestuck episode on Feferi Pexies next. But whatever video is next I look forward to it

[@youmebothorneither]

The percent sign probably goes with him replacing stuff with 100 to get 100%, reflecting him being obsessed with perfection and stuff.

[@jinxtheunluckypony]

I'm surprised you decided to do Equius now, I figured you'd save the love troll for February. :P

[@dawna2472]

Happy Birthday!!!

[@apetnamedsteve9939]

OMG I'm so glad people are still doing Homestuck videos ,I thought I should never upload any ,because I would only get comments of people saying "Oh ,Homestuck was over like on ,IDK ,2007 ,I mean ,put your feet back on the ground ,go buy a fidget spinner" but you showed me I was not right! I am going to start to upload soon!

[@LaureledEevees]

Believe me, I wasn't expecting so many people happy for Homestuck stuff. Go forth, Steve! Make a Homestuck vid. You'll def have my support if you do.

[@ikol458]

"Ley-yon" "Moray-lance" Do you just hate the letter G?

[@4daikon149]

That's just how "Leijon" is pronounced and I have no idea about the Moirallegiance one...

[@morganschoff7302]

Happy Birthday!!!!!

[@iliannaisreading]

ITS THE SWEAT GUY

[@dubslyDOT]

Fun fact “Equ” means equal in Latin, something that EQUius doesn’t seem to believe in

[@cyberpunk-2O77]

He follows it because it kept everyone alive, and society working, for millennia. He fears the chaos and disorder.

[@7ha70n3guy]

Eventually characters could fight with whatever weapon they wanted because of the stupid camper badges.

[@pumpkonking733]

Pavvs provided they god tierd

[@JT8fvhiut769yhouyhoiu]

0:08 So you lied.... you aren't an Out Of Breath, you're an Out Of Time!

[@FeffurW]

Happy late birthday! My sign sibling! 💕

[@dknuts7080]

HAPPY birthday!!

[@LaureledEevees]

Thanks, CT!

[@justanotherhomestuck3205]

Happy B-Day! Um.... May you do Nepeta, Jake English, Dirk, or Dave in the next FRIDGESTUCK video? If not, that's fine.

[@tman3778]

First, I would like to wish you a happy birthday, and another fine year. Second, for a suggestion for a video how about one on Roxy?

[@raktagon]

Please make a Fridgestuck on Beck (or gdog) as his character and role in homestuck still perplexes me and I want to know more. I've become a big fan of your channel in the recent time I've found it and I hope you keep up making these videos that are both informative on the world of Homestuck and entertaining. Subscription well earned!

[@Mc47Fan]

Happy birthday!

[@LaureledEevees]

Tom. Thank you!

[@chickencrusade3886]

Keep it up Evees c: Love ya Jen

[@highground2128]

Happy Birthday Jen and good luck with finals when you do come back from your hiatus could you do a fridgestuck on Feferi or Caliborn thanks.

[@theKobaltPossum]

What if the bags under his eyes is just eyeshadow. Best Theory Ever

[@hotsauce4792]

How about for the next one you do Dave or Nepeta?

[@hotsauce4792]

RIGHTLEFT223 That works too.

[@michaelkrider6890]

Jegus the two videos after this one are actually Dave then Nepeta

[@lucchi018]

Happy Birthday Jen!!! I think is... TIME for you try some red clothes, isn't it? (btw i know how it feels, for year i thought my aspect was heart, but aparently is Breath)

[@ricemilk413]

Thank you for your videos! Maybe Dirk next?

[@tabbender1232]

I took the test multiple times and analyzed the questions / choices and outcomes a bit, and i concluded i'm a Scorgo, aka The Crusader (Jojo reference xdxd)

[@Akanalusa]

I always thought of it like this. Fistkind is for Strife purposes only, while straight out punching Vriska is not use for a fight, BUT a straight up "Knockout"

[@jacketofdiamonds]

John being able to punch people was probably because of one of the God Tier badges.

[@That_Ozian]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WHEEZY GOD TEIR

[@k8g8s8]

I was seriously upset with equiuses death but it was a rally fitting way to go honestly.

[@lemonkatze7461]

can you do nepeta :,c

[@vr0c131]

I’m the null of void and I recently got. Stuck in farching. Friidge