Alright then, after a quick perusal of the wiki and also the part in Homestuck where John gets tricked into going to Rose's house, I have determined that yeah, I was totally right the whole time.
http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=003583This page and the few after it for proof.
I actually got a bit confused myself after checking the pdf and wiki, (
http://mspaintadventures.wikia.com/wiki/The_Seven_Gates) but the first paragraph of the wiki seems to be where the pdf got the information and is more than a little misleading, especially when you read further down (paragraph four). The main problem is it doesn't distinguish between gates over the house's, and the gates sprinkled over the lands.
Anyway, the important bits:
1. There are more gates than the ones hovering over your house, and those in your land take you to the homes of players in their land (including your own)
2. In any case, the first gate of either set wouldn't port you to anyone else's house.
3. God tiers aren't the only way to reach Skaia. You do not have to get the tiger to participate in the final battle.
4. Choosing to go God Tier will require a sub-quest, rather than immediate level advancement for someone who wants to have a powerful Signature Alchemy. The main bulk of said subquest will involve finding one of your two quest beds, and then dying all over it.
5. Lastly, remember rule zero. There's a lot we know about the game mechanics of Sburb, but also a lot we don't. Things will be fudged. Canon will be
ignored interpreted creatively.
Now, let's get back to playing the game. I have to do something real quick, and then I'll probably get to assaulting CR with a bunch more enemies.