First guardian

A first guardian is an entity in Homestuck that exists to protect any “planet destined for intelligent life” and to “facilitate the planet's ultimate purpose.”

Common characteristics

“A first guardian is typically almost as old as the planet itself, and each has a unique, circuitous origin through the knots of paradox space. They can be born into a great diversity of forms, though they all share a common, especially potent genetic sequence. The code grants them near omnipotence[...”] The is the source of first guardians' power.

First guardians tend to be associated with the color white and, like many other kinds of guardian, are depicted as lacking most identifying features.

Origins

All known first guardians were created in ectobiology labs found in Frog Temples, and delivered to their planets on-board the Temple's meteor. Unique to the ectobiological process for creating first guardians is the inclusion of a written genetic code, in each case sourced from the subconscious of one of the session's players, representing the unique genetic sequence that makes first guardians.

Doc Scratch is additionally special in that his genetic components were not living organisms but inanimate objects; however the presence of souls inside Lil Cal and mysterious nature of the magic cue ball may bestow those objects with their own DNA.

Abilities

Omnipotence

Owing to the cosmic source of their power, first guardians' abilities are similar to those of Heroes of Space. Among these are the ability to instantaneously teleport both themselves and other objects - from their immediate vicinity and from a great distance - and to warp the relative size of objects.^[image?] Their own bodies act as portals through space through which objects can travel, and first guardians sometimes appear to expand their own forms to encompass other objects when transporting them from one place to another.^[image?] This includes teleportation to the Sun itself, which the guardian's body “serve[s] as a gateway to”, though the first guardian themselves cannot teleport there; a first guardian must be within the 's "domain" to use this power, which excludes the Furthest Ring but includes all universes and Incipispheres within the 's gravitational pull. That being said, a guardian can “only teleport locally”, within their current universe or session but not from one universe to another.

Omniscience

Becquerel and Gcat both seem aware of and capable of reacting to things happening far away,^{[citation needed]} indicating that they are somehow capable of seeing things happening throughout the 's domain, a capability likely related to Jadesprite's inability to “stop seeing [the Green Sun]”. To be truly omniscient, however, or at least near-omniscient enough to process the large amounts of information that come with seeing the Sun, as Doc Scratch is, a first guardian must be “merged with a host of great intelligence”. This may also imply that like Scratch, Becquerel and Gcat's depicted lack of eyes represents a literal lack of traditional ocular organs, requiring them to "see" through other means.

Nature and goals

One of a first guardian's primary purposes seems to be ensuring that the life cycle of universes continues by ensuring that Sburb is played; Becquerel does this, for example, by leading Jade to John's gift, allowing them to meet in the first place. GCat actively ensures that Jane survives to play the game by saving her from an explosive trap set by Betty Crocker, and completes a long time loop necessary to the events of both the B1 and B2 sessions by causing the death of Jaspers; how much of GCat's actions were influenced through animal communion, though, is not totally clear.

Though the name first guardian would seem to imply that their role is one of protection, this does not seem to always be strictly the literal case. Though Becquerel prevents the Earth's destruction by eliminating an oncoming meteor, neither he or GCat do anything to stop the planet's implicit and then explicit invasion by an alien race; Doc Scratch also works to ensure Lord English's entry into his universe, which necessitates its death. The Condesce's empire came into contact with and invaded countless other intelligent races throughout her home galaxy in Universe A; it is unclear what role, if any, these planets' first guardians may have had in these conflicts. What role a first guardian might play in an attack on a “civilized world” by a malevolent cherub is also not known.

Known first guardians

Doc Scratch of Alternia

Becquerel of Earth (pre-Scratch)

God Cat of Earth (post-Scratch)

In Hiveswap Friendship Simulator and Pesterquest (Dubiously Canon)

Main article: MSPA reader/Dubiously Canon

At the conclusion of Pesterquest: Volume 14 the MSPA reader absorbs the power of the and uses it to “remove [the Friendsim and Pesterquest canon] from causation” and “lock it away”. This becomes the Locked Timeline, and they describe themselves as “[i]ts first guardian.”

Upon becoming the first guardian of the Locked Timeline, the reader's dialogue begins to be rendered in white text on a dark green background when they speak in the narrative text in the first person, much like Doc Scratch.