#the arcana game meta

[macabremayhem]

The old sketch of human (or not?) Valdemar.

Because of their antiquity, I came up a headcanon about their origin. So, what about a country near the great river and with the great pyramids? Many lands of the Arcana world have references from India, Arabic region or Mongolia – so, Ancient Egypt? Why not? I can't decide, maybe this is ancient Zadith? There is nothing about Zadith in the canon, just a note in the ArcanaWiki:

"The homeland of Asra's parents, Zadith lies across the Malvent Strait from Vesuvia. This is a country where both science and magic are highly respected. Those who combine both disciplines are known as alchemists."

I think this short description is suitable for the heritage of such civilization as Egyptian.

I’m sad that the history of the world is so poorly developed, but I still love the lore so much. And I’d be happy to read (only from the original writers), say, a brief history of the world. But since there's no any history, I'm taking the liberty (and, a bit, my history degree) to assume: Zadith is the inheritor of some ancient civilization like the Ancient Egypt.

I'm not good at naming, so I will provisionally call it "Deshret" – Egyptian word for "red land, desert". Valdemar spoke about "millennia of existence", describing their antiquity, so I'm pretty sure: they have been born as a human in the ancient kingdom, like the Ancient Egypt. Also, note that red beetle brooch at the neck: similar motives were common in the Ancient Egypt. And, I think, Valdemar had this beetle brooch long before the Plague.

Okay, maybe developers in Portia's route (flashback scene with Prospero and foundation of Vesuvia) just showed Valdemar to us as we know them, because of developing another (kinda "more ancient") sprite and costume for the short scene is not viable. But anyway: we have what we have. What if we imagine that "red beetle brooch" of the Courtiers is rooted not only in the Red Plague? What about a, merely my headcanon, the Egyptian "scarab" motif?

So, there's the old traditional sketch I have. When I drew this pic, I imagined Valdemar just after their first deals with the Devil. Just look at their eyes.🫀

And – of course, they are in the tomb. Maybe as a priest? Who knows, fellow humans.

[mapofredemption]

@arsenicxarcana YES I LOVE THAT THEY'RE FOILS

I was gonna make a meta post about how the characters’ corresponding patron arcana are in the same sprite pose as them but then actually looked and realized that’s only true for Julian lmao so I guess just have these comparisons

+ Valerius & The Hierophant whose poses are kinda just inverted versions of each other

[felassan]

ancient meta from the dawn of time and by that I mean pre-DA:I's release in 2014 [edited for brevity] [the Hermit card].

"The Inquisitor’s Edition of DA: Inquisition comes with a deck of 72 tarot cards, both major and minor arcana, with custom artwork Solas - The Hermit The Hermit, set against a barren landscape, leans on his staff and holds a lamp in front of him to light the way in the darkness. Let’s start with the obvious: Solas is literally a hermit. The card speaks of retreat, wandering, distance, reclusion, solitude and (when reversed) loneliness. In the story of the Tarot, the Hermit heads out at night, peering at and examining whatever takes his fancy. In the same way, Solas walks the Fade while asleep, finding brilliant unimaginable lights, only to smile in delight and move in for a closer look. The Hermit’s lantern illuminates animals that only come out at night, flowers that only open in moonlight or starlight - Solas sees things in the Fade that can only be found if you go in without fear, without preconceptions, your way illuminated by the knowledge. The Hermit wants the truth at all costs - Solas values freedom of thought above all else. In readings, the Hermit can symbolize a wise person with a philosophical attitude. The person may also be someone older, like the old man the Hermit is usually portrayed as. The person may be someone the querent meets who will give them the insight, tools or training needed to overcome an obstacle - someone who can shine a light on things that were previously mysterious or confusing. This comes from an interpretation of the Hermit: he has internalized the lessons of life to the point that he is the lesson. Now he returns from isolation to bestow boons on his fellow man and share the knowledge he has gained. Now he is like his lantern, illuminated from within by all that he is, capable of penetrating the darkness. He helps, acts as a mentor and offers wise counsel. In the knowledge he offers the Inquisitor, Solas embodies one of the meanings of the card - guidance. The Hermit is ruled by Virgo. if anyone is going to take a lantern into a dark place to see what’s going on, it’s a Virgo. Solas reflects key themes of the card such as going on a personal, solitary quest." </end 2014 rambling>

[emphasis added rn]

Light is a super common metaphor for knowledge, wisdom, insight and guidance. Cole says "He wants to give wisdom, not orders". The riddles in Lateral Thinker, in which we have to light a series of braziers with Veilfire torches, go:

"The Dread Wolf keeps its gaze on the one light that illuminates the way forward. // Where the Dread Wolf's gaze blazes, paths are brought to light. // When the Dread Wolf's gaze is bright, light burns in a ring of the dead. // One sees the hunter, one flees from it, one hunts it in turn, one outwits them all."

A lighthouse is a tower-like structure designed to emit light and act as a beacon. The Game Informer article calls Solas' Lighthouse a "towering" structure. this magical realm in the Fade is his lair, his inner sanctum, his home base; it reflects him (and his hermitty isolation). the article kind of likens it to visiting your friend's bedroom, it's not a showy place like Skyhold or a fortress, it's something realer and more intimate than that. you could read it as, Solas' personal home in the magical Fade is called a lighthouse because Solas, like the Hermit with his lantern or little flame in his hand, is like a lighthouse, a beacon in the dark - as if the "flaming Rook" emblem on the front of the 'red book' isn't just a fiery rook as in the chess piece or Tower card with Fen'Harel above it, but a tower-like structure, a lighthouse, and at its top blazes a bright fire, a beacon of light like those atop a lighthouse, where Solas himself resides, lighting the way.

[mimir-anoshe]

I love that ARCANE is using the MAJOR ARCANA for symbolism.

Chefs kiss.

These are Sevika's tarot cards from season 1.

The Magician (upright) overlapping Death (upright).

Foreshadowing? Oh hell yeah. But its only now after S2 Episode 6 do I understand what they might actually be foreshadowing. People may have talked about this before, so I apologise if this is similar to anyone else's meta. These are all my own thoughts, I usually just watch arcane and don't dabble into the meta but this season has me feral and I just rewatched season 1.

SPOILERS for Arcane S1/S2 below.

I just want to prologue this post with a note about how I've noticed even from season 1 there are thematic parallels and linear symbolism being afforded between Jinx and Viktor. Others in the community have too I'm sure. Its strange. I thought it was interesting in S1 but didn't deep dive into it, but S2 has driven headfirst into it and its making me go "oh... oh ok." Even Viktor in S1 noted Jinx's genius, and in another timeline perhaps Powder would've been a student of Viktors had fate not set them on parallel paths. Two children of Zaun, both mechanical/scientific geniuses. One physically disabled whilst the other mentally disabled. One who "escaped" and was given a chance, rising to the top only to create something that would be used for harm. Fighting that fate at every step. Whilst the other trapped at the bottom of the barrel, forced to use her gifts to become a weapon herself. Such GOOD story writing.

So now let's think about the art of the cards, because in tarot, even the symbolism of the specific art is important. Its why an artists interpretation of a major/minor can be so crucial to a reading.

Here's a figure map I made earlier.

Lets begin with Death.

Thirteenth of the Major Arcana, a "significant transformation and the end of a phase in life." There is death and rebirth symbolism all over arcane, but let's take a closer look at the symbolism mirroring the art.

Figure 7&8 - The one who has "died" a skeleton/skull laid down and being "imbued" with something as something else is taken away.

See that the imbuing focuses on the "chest" area.

It's quick, but it flashes briefly when Viktor is being imbued with the Hexcore. He canonically dies "the skull" and is reborn with the Hexcore on an "altar"/table.

Same with Jinx. Canonically "dies" and is reborn laying on an "altar"/table using shimmer. Purple being used as the visual thread between shimmer and the arcane of the hex; a colour imagery representation of "magical" alchemical/arcane power turning them into something beyond human.

Singed and Jayce. Two hands of death, giving and taking life as if they were a God. One using shimmer, the other Hextech thats imbued with shimmer. Messing with the balance of life and death.

With Viktor, the energy is transferred straight into his chest, just like on the card.

So now we've established the parallels to the death tarot, lets look at The Magician.

The First of the Major Arcana, "the connection between the physical and spiritual worlds, and the ability to manifest one's desires."

Viktor is the Magician. No doubt. He connects the physical and spiritual world of the arcane, he brings people back from the brink of death, as he was. He manifests his desires through the use of the hex, the arcane. And the dude just looks like a mecha wizard.

Though if you want it to be even more obvious.

Figure 3 - The Third Arm/Third Hand.

The image below is "The Machine Herald" Hero from League of Legends. This is the hero Viktor is based upon.

He canonically has three arms, same as the Magician in the card. The Magician is Viktor, Viktor is the Magician. The Magician is the Machine Herald.

The Magician overtakes/overlaps death. But Viktor by episode 6 still doesn't quite resemble the machine herald from the games. There's no third arm... Yet. So the Magician in the card isn't Viktor from episodes 1-6, this is the machine herald who comes after the one killed in episode 6. Another Rebirth is set to happen for Viktor.

Figures 1 &2 - White mask. Red/pinkish eyes.

Hmmm... Red/pinkish eyes are associated with shimmer. And a white mask, of the machine herald? The mask of a messiah. That the hextech Viktor will most likely also be imbued with shimmer like Jinx, to become the true "machine herald." Messiahs of the hex, monsters of the shimmer.

Its also worth noting that both Jinx and Viktor are framed as messianic figures of Zaun in this season. One the fighter who will rally together the undercity and free Zaun from its oppression. The other a healer and a saint like figure who will free the Zaunites of their suffering and lead them into a better future.

Jinx wanting peace - represented by Isha - and Viktor's dream of peace and healing for Zaun - represented by a lot of things including healing Vander - are metaphorically and literally killed in episode 6. Funnily enough, one symbol of peace killing the other (Isha and Vander - Child and Father). After all, peace and violence are two sides of the same coin, as are Viktor and Jinx. Or should I say, two sides of the same cog...

Figure 4&6 - The Cog shaped Hole in the Magicians chest/The Cog Coin and Jinx's cog.

"I understand now. The message hidden within the pattern. The reason for our failures in the commune. The doctor was right. Its inescapable. Humanity. Our very essence. Our emotions... Rage. Compassion. Hate. Two sides of the same coin. Inextricably bound."

In episode 6, whilst Viktor is explaining to Vi about what it will take to heal Vander, Jinx is sceptical. She doesn't even believe in herself as a messiah, so this "hero"? This "saviour" coming along to solve their problems? To fix things? When all she can do is break everything around her, jinx her own family, destroy? She's scoffing at Viktor sure, but she's also scoffing at herself. Mirroring. People treat her like they treat him, so to believe in him as a saviour means she would have to look into the water of that well and face her own reflection. And Viktor sees right through it, the pretence, and he sees her potential.

Knowledge is a paradox. Jinx wants to stick with what she knows, to destroy instead of to build, to "Watch it all burn." Or ignore the plight of Zaun, so she can live peacefully with Isha. Jinx - Powder - is choosing to remain ignorant to what's right in front of her. Right up until the moment Isha dies.

In the scene earlier in the episode, Jinx accidently destroys a bit of the well, releasing a cog that falls into water. Cogs have been symbolic of Viktor healing people throughout this season, using cogs to "Build."

Powder was thrown into water just like that cog by Silco, and reborn as Jinx. But its not Silco that picks up this cog. Its Viktor. He holds the potential of his creation in his hand, and in paradox, holds Jinx's destruction. Viktor holds Jinx's potential. He's literally holding the two sides of Jinx/Powder in his hand, her - their - fate. Just like Jinx, Viktor has the equal capacity to destroy, and if he is reborn as a weapon later on, perhaps that cog represents Jinx being reborn too. As a creator. A builder.

He holds onto Jinx's cog all the way through the rest of the episode, balancing that potential, that fate, of creation and destruction in his hand. Right up until the moment he dies, and the coin/the cog falls, sealing their fate. His death causing the deaths of Isha and Vander too.

So we've established that the story is viewing cogs/coins in a similar light. We've also established the show is linking Viktor and Jinx through the symbology of the cog.

This is reiterated in the symbolism surrounding the Tarot cards. Around the cards are coins that take the shape of cogs, the currency of Zaun. Fate - coin flips - and cogs, gods and machines. Deus Ex Machina, that is what Viktor is to become, and Jinx creates destruction using machines. She's an inventor, just like Viktor and Jayce. A creator and a destroyer. A god of the machine.

So how does Figure 6 - the coin cogs - relate to Figure 4? The hole in the Magician's chest.

On the Tarot Card, the Magician has a circle in the middle of his chest. A hole. Just like the hole Jayce puts through Viktors chest at the end of Episode 6. The one that kills him.

But if you look closely at the image above, it might be a stretch, but to me, the striations on the inner ring look very similar to those of a cog. The hole is what kills Viktor. Cogs have been given visual symbolism for healing, and are also associated with Jinx's potential for creation. Its a stretch, but it could potentially be foreshadowing Jinx using her abilities to heal Viktor; to build instead of destroy. We've already seen Jinx do it once with Sevika, by "building" her a new arm.

I also find it interesting that we're shown Jinx using her talents to build someone a new arm, and Viktor - the machine herald - still has yet to acquire his third arm. Perhaps he doesn't make it. Perhaps Jinx does?

Maybe, just maybe, Jinx - Powder - is the one to fix Viktor, and flip the cog of fate once again.

Now in Episode 6 we already get foreshadowing that it'll be singe - not Jinx - who saves Viktor by imbuing him with the ultimate shimmer from Warwick/Vander - stabilising him. He says it in the episode, but Viktor refuses to sacrifice Vander in the name of creating the ultimate weapon of destruction.

"It would destroy him."

Viktor's potential for destruction goes hand in hand with Jinx's.

Its even foreshadowed in both the cards. The red/pink eyes of the machine herald foreshadowing shimmer. And the shadow being imbued into the chest of the dead skeleton (Viktor) looks an awful lot like Warwick; the beast that traps Vander.

So why am I talking about Jinx saving Viktor if I'm so certain its Singe? Well I'm certain Singe will bring Viktor back to life, to be used as a weapon. That seems like the most likely outcome.

But like Viktor was saying about Vander "He's not a specimen, he's a man." Viktor was doing everything in his power to save Vander's humanity. So yes Singe will bring the machine herald back most likely - even if I think it'd be thematically cool for it to be Jinx - but I think Jinx will save Viktor. Save the man, the humanity. Be the big fat hero.

Jinx was a girl imbued with Shimmer, and despite having monstrous abilities and doing monstrous things, her humanity has still survived.

I could be wrong, I most likely am, but the the thing that's getting to me is this...

Figure 5 - The Broken Infinity.

At the centre of Viktor's chest, in the middle of Jayce's death blow and Jinx's cog of creation & destruction, is a symbol.

Now a diagonal infinity symbol is associated with the Firelights. Ekko. The boy who shattered time.

Broken Infinity? Shattered time? Seems to go hand in hand.

Though Ekko's symbol is a whole infinity, more akin to a Z than an ongoing X.

There are plenty of theories Ekko will play a role in Viktor's fate and the fate of everyone by rewinding time somehow. And the multiple shots of the coin rolling support that to an extend. Rewind time, change fate, change the flip of the cog. And I agree, I think Ekko is going to have a role to play. But there's also another character who fits with this symbol, who uses shimmer to move faster than humanly possible and defy fate time and time again. Who is the fulcrum of fate in the eyes of the story, the catalyst of everything. And only one character who has solely been associated with a broken infinity symbol before.

Jinx. That's Jinx's symbol. Her champion tag.

Jinx's symbol, right at the centre of Viktors chest. And this line to Jinx from Viktor...

"You have much to offer this commune, Powder. Your talents could be used to build instead of destroy."

And the line from Singe, about Viktor's fate being tied to the commune. Viktor IS the commune, he's the centre of it all. The one who can make the dream of Zaun - Vander's dream - a reality. And that line foreshadowed Jinx using her talents to help the commune. To help Viktor.

Hell, she was technically the reason he "died" in the first place. She fired the rocket that nearly killed him. Wouldn't it be poetic story telling if she was the one who saved him in the end?

I can't wait for Saturday.

I believe whatever happens, Viktor and Jinx's fates are inextricably bound.

[bowenoke]

I'm microwaving the mechanics of stress tokens rn. because as per Siobhan's comment about animal handling and nature checks... they get to pick which skills they'll take disadvantage on.

The solution everyone here on tumblr is talking about for ALL their other problems, to just rely on each other, would genuinely work here. All they have to do is pick one person to maintain a given skill, and everyone else can not bother with it. forget arcana checks; Adaine can do arcana checks. Everyone else stops giving a singular shit about magic. Sneaking?? Who cares about being stealthy! Everyone else rocks comfy pajamas at school, and lets Riz take care of that. (Not even in a meta-gaming way, but in the genuine sense that they cam rely on their friends in-world to handle specific types of problems.)

More than forcing them to exhaustion, the stress mechanic seems like a really great opportunity to let individual party members shine at Their Thing, their Expertise, in a party where skill bleed is huge, and everyone has taken feats and multiclasses to become a jack of all trades bc of the modern setting often splitting the party

[mapofredemption]

beautiful post and additions

idk something about the way lucio clearly just loves animals and how he hated training and how morga said he was never a good hunter and how he ran away from a lame bear even she thought he would be able to fight off. something about caring for animals everyone else seems to disparage, mercedes and melchior were hated and feared by everyone in the palace, camio was seen as an irritating nuisance, the eels, the stove salamander, even. something about a little boy with so much love to give and no humans willing to take it.

[blind-alchemists]

sorry, Zagreus, I've had your sister for five hours and I already like her more than you.

anyway! I did treat myself and bought the game early and. it's just very good!

in somewhat chronological order, my thoughts after yesterday's session

the music! the music is even more amazing than in the first game and if I'm done, I need to listen to the whole OST on loop

the art!! also even better than in the first game!!

Melinoë is a great protagonist

it's incredibly funny the first god we encounter is Apollo, because Apollo is the guy people modded into the first game years ago

... boy, I wonder what the speedrunning meta will look like for this game (I have very obscure knowledge about Hades I speedrunning meta)

I love the little backgrounds that pop out with the art

oh, right, I jumped into the Hades I EA late, so I never saw the place holder graphics in-game before

the environments!! beautiful.

I shouldn't have played the first game last week. It's fucking with me. where's my second dash??? Why do we start with 30 HP??? where are my death defiances??? weapon mechanics???

of course there's a fishing mechanic again.

I like Hecate's design.

saluting??? what's the lore behind that?

OH. this tone of the story isn't ... quite what I expected. A lot more serious. a lot more severe.

Melinoë doesn't remember her family??? Hello??? what the fuck???

and she keeps talking about her task with such a dutiful determination ... no, I'm not crying. But. That's such an interesting conflict.

NEMESIS!! She's holding her sword aspect!! her design!! her resentment!! her vengeance!! her rivalry with Mel. how Mel calls her Nem. please. tell me she's a romance option. PLEASE.

oh, hi odysseus.

hey, there's hypnos! ... why's he sleeping??? (funny thing is, I got the Charon dialogue that implies he's more useful this way lol)

I cannot. Take. Skelly serious. It's worse because Mel does.

I like Moros' design. The long hair going over the horns? Yeah, that's good.

Mel gets an AXE??? a heavy, double-bladed axe??? (I love women wielding heavy weapons, and as long as the rail doesn't make a return, I'm good with anything after enough time)

I like the new art sprites for reoccurring characters!

ahhh, the good old "we don't trust Olympus so we're not telling them everything" line. understandable, but I figure that's going to blow up sooner or later.

I love Mel's bond with Artemis and Selene and the implication that both helped raise her.

... and I like the predominantly female cast so far

Nemesis can show up in Erebus???

BABY MELINOË omg

why does every chthonic goddess / titaness sound like they have a thing for Persephone. Nyx already had a few lines like that in the first game. Why does Hecate also have these kinds of lines.

the Hecate fight frustrates me to no end, because I'm very used to more dashes, more health, and more death defiances, and very different weapons :( (I have bet her twice in total so far)

unrelated, but I didn't know I needed a sheep in the Hades art style but it's so damn cute and I want a large art print of it

Archane!! I love how her silks change Mel's avatar

Oceanus is beautiful

... except for the traps. Really not digging the traps. or the maps.

CHAOS??? why are you holding your old form's head??? and why is there an embryo coming out of it??? why do you have wings??? why do you wear a suit??? the new design unfortunately checks all the boxes but upon reflection that is because it fits into that very niche character design trope I've seen in manwha recently and I couldn't put a name on it if I tried

on that note, I also adore Aphrodite's new design!!

not quite sure what I think of the gathering / farming mechanic yet

I do like the incantations, magic, hexes, and arcana though!

HERMES! I also adore his design.

wait, what? Mel's going to Olympus? You're telling me one part of the game is descending into the House of Hades and the other is climbing to Mount Olympus?? (that's my speculation, at least.)

god, I hope the cast of the first game is alright/alive. :(

I hope we also get to see Athena, Ares, and Dionysus at some point :(

on that note, I can't wait for Mel to meet her brother and realize he's the opposite of her lol. I love siblings and mirrors.

[1eos]

i just finished the game.................my brain is wired completely differently now i am not the same as i was 3 hrs ago....

the person u become after finishing persona 3:

NO BUT LETS TALK ABT IT (spoilers under the cut)

thee fucking bittersweet excellence of the persona 3 ending my god. you've passed december you've made your choice ryoji is fucking GONE and there's this feeling of doom bc you know he's gone and you know the world is on the path to be gone no matter what you do.. and then nyx shows up and she comes FROM THE MOON the celestial body that has been the centerpiece of all of your day to day week to week goings on. AND SHE'S WEARING RYOJIS FACE. ALMOST LIKE A MASK. when i tell u i gagged.............................like who comes up w this shit i need to kiss them.

and the final battle is so good 'the arcana are the means by which all is revealed' i could quote nyx in my DREAMSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. and in the final final battle the protag stands alone facing like a cocoon of human misery and with 1 hp 1 sp will not die, emboldened by the power of bonds raises one finger and gives his all to push back the end of the world? and then u realize this is what it was all heading towards. the moment the protag came back to iwatodai the events were set in motion bc death was in him! for him to live meant he would have had to continue on in ignorance. persona 3 is truly a shakespearan tragedy esp if u factor in the meta of it being a video game so theyre all in this tragic timeloop and characters dying but being unable to die and are reborn constantly to play out their roles. like wowwwwww rest in peace shakespeare :( you wouldve loved the doomed yaoi btwn minato and ryoji :(((((

[thefools-journey]

Wait, what's going on? I just re downloaded the arcana but I haven't noticed any problems :(

hi, anon, welcome back to the fandom! we hope you have a good time here!

the problem is not with the arcana application itself, the problem is with the dorian app version. dorian bought the arcana from its former owners, nix hydra, and promised to keep the original app running while adding new arcana content (ie new arcana tales) to the dorian app. all well and good, but dorian’s made a few choices with their app content which we’re side-eyeing over here.

for example, a new asra tale came out on their app last week. they misgendered the magician (they/them, was referred in the tale as he/him), they completely ignored the soft magic system asra and the main character’s tarot magic runs on in favor of using spells with names (which don’t exist for any magic system in the arcana game, really), that sort of thing. we initially chalked the issues up to growing pains for the new devs, as learning about the worldbuilding and most character pronouns requires actually playing the game and taking notes (the arcana fandom isn’t the most curative out there).

then nadia’s new tale came out yesterday and the dorian devs broke the one meta rule of game design: choices matter. instead, they locked the “good” end of nadia’s new content behind a paywall. the original devs never did that. they hid raunchier/hornier/far more romantic moments behind a paywall, but nix hydra never hid endings. you always could get the entire plot for free with a little bit of patience.

the dorian devs further doubled down on hiding the good ending by giving the player choices throughout the route which, obviously, do not affect the ending. no matter what you picked, if you chose free paths only, you got the negative ending. but that discrepancy between the "choices" and the f2p ending meant that players caught on to the hidden good ending a lot more quickly than they would have otherwise. you paid to win or you didn't.

they then tripled down on hiding the good ending by changing how the paywall works. with nix hydra, you paid once and then your account had access to the scene forever. with dorian, you have to pay every single time you want that hidden content.

that's the most important and relevant nonsense anyway. there's more, but we're not here to dump the garbage on our blog.

[angstandhappiness]

NEAT

Do you have any tips on designing arcana masquerade outfit? I really need ur help >_<

Masquerade outfits are first of all, formalwear: suits, gowns, and other elaborate outfits. What would your character wear to a fancy once-a-year ball? It’s an opportunity for the character to dress their best and flashiest (Lucio might be less bright, but the gold filagree is more detailed than his other outfits) Despite hiding their faces, they’re designed to show off the character and their style.

One crucial aspect of masquerade outfits is theming. Each one represents a character and the symbols they surround themselves with. This is most obvious with the masks, which is what I’d recommend starting with. They come in a variety of styles, from only covering the eyes to hiding the entire head with draping veils, but they’re all animal-themed.

Lucio’s is a good example of how much they can tell about a character. It’s white and gold, showing off his classic colours and love of flashy wealth, it’s a dog to show his connection to Mercedes and Melchior and that, as well as covering half his face, shows how he’s half the Fool. It also draws inspiration from the Phantom of the Opera, alluding to his more dramatic nature and even how he spent years haunting the Palace.

Portia’s is one of the best for how it connects to the rest of the outfit (despite never being worn in her route). They share colour schemes, bow details, and floral patterns, making them feel like a cohesive costume. Similarly, Muriel’s shares the blue and white colour scheme, as well as the patterns, though in gold rather than white to distinguish it.

The devs are open about drawing inspiration from all sorts of cultures and times to design the characters. Nadia’s resembles modern runway fashions while Portia and Lucio are definitely traditional outfits, though tweaked to be more unique. When designing an outfit, think about what inspirations you’ve used to design them originally. Also, while modern fashions are good inspiration, it’s helpful to look at classic ballgowns and suits to get something which feels like it belongs at a masquerade ball.

The devs haven’t shown off much concept art for masquerade outfits so I can’t say much about their process, but it’s good to explore different concepts and colours to see which you prefer. For example, Portia’s was going to be more classically formal with a different hairstyle and Nadia almost had an opposite colour scheme.

tl;dr: Get a distinct theme (usually an animal and tarot card), colour palette, and pattern to design a mask, then create the outfit from that, drawing on different cultural/historical formalwear for inspiration

[utilitycaster]

hi yes hello im the lowish int wizard anon! no offence was taken! ive never actually played dnd so i dont know the ins and outs very well at all, and it was an entirely hypothetical question as i have no plans to play either. that said, i do have ocs i made with dnd mechanics (ie classes and such), one of them being a wizard! his name is Vi :3. and yes. hes not the smartest man around. the largest reason i asked is because, he keeps his components in colour coded pouches - with matching bracelets (blue on the left and red on the right) - so he knows where his peices are because hes a little bit of a scatterbrain and i love him. it wouldnt do any good in a fight to go "ah shit give me a sec where did i put my amber" you know? i didnt think that would classify as low wisdom. i have 0 idea if he would work at all the way he currently is. lmao.

again, my man will more then likely never be used in a real game so this is all just food for thought and fun to mess around with. thanks for awnsering and offering to give ideas! i really value your metas and such. you appear very well spoken.

Hey anon! Thank you! Anyway good news. That is CLASSIC low wisdom. Absent-minded academic who is brilliant in a very narrow field of study and can't remember where he put a single spell component or his keys or literally anything? That is practically the definition of high intelligence, low wisdom. Give your wizard high intelligence and super low wisdom (and no proficiency in investigation - stick it all in arcana and history and nature and such) and go forth to your heart's content. (But also...at this point I would say that if you are using D&D mechanics to help create an OC but don't intend to play, you can kind of do whatever; just know that if you do get an opportunity and want to play this guy in a D&D game you should re-do the stats to fit with gameplay, ie, high intelligence)

[waffleweirdo]

I will forever be in awe of Arcana Arcadia. Starira is a game with so many issues, but the fact that it’s story was able to come to a conclusion that intricately interweaves every single character’s story into a grand epic is spectacular.

It has all of revue starlight’s meta narrative and symbolism in spades with Play A

Every single character ties into the narrative in an important way, both in the play, and in the production of the play

Aruru Otsuki. Do I need to say more?

The intermissions all give insanely good characterization

They actually wrote a play that spans eras and genres and worlds and it works??? I am always floored by the revue starlight writers what the heck

Plus the way it ties up the story with Elle and adds a new perspective than what we just see from the main cast.

It’s actually incredible, and in my opinion revue starlight at one of its best points. And it’s from a shitty mobile game and locked behind hours of other content! Why!!!

This was just an excuse for me to gush about Arcana Arcadia.

Anyways, if you haven’t you should read all the stories on the wiki. It’s worth it!! Some of them aren’t great, but Arcana Arcadia is so good that it’s worth it!

[stariisoda]

Not me watching The Amazing Digital Circus and then thinking about how since the Arcana is a game, what if there was an AU where our character (The Apprentice) was just playing it on their phone when they got transferred to it.

And then all of the main 6 were once people too before they got trapped in the game. And they are all stuck and trying to figure out how to escape the game. And since it's a romance game you could still follow a route/routes....

Lol, then there would be a meta reason for the Apprentice's amnesia...

[sagesariadnd]

Snippets of D&D-meta headcanon about The Last Unicorn

Ever since I really started getting into D&D, I've had this 'problem' where I can't watch almost any movie without imagining moments as if they were a D&D game. I'm sure none of you can relate, amirite? Anyway, I've decided I should just start sharing some of the moments I imagine from movies since I have SO MANY. Let's start with The Last Unicorn, it's a good one to do this with.

Obviously, Schmendrick is a wild magic sorcerer, with either really awful dice luck or his character was literally built to always go wild when he casts. The DM also probably plays a little more on the spot with what his magic does, with only an occasional roll on a chart, just based on how often the magic does something at least sideways to what he's trying to do. Also, if you've only seen the movie; in the book, Schmendrick is cursed to never age until he becomes a true magician. If that's not a D&D backstory idk what is.

Molly Grue is a rogue; (common law) married to a bandit, good at deception and insight, sneaky in that 'hiding in plain sight' way with how she takes advantage of her work in Haggard's castle.

The Unicorn is...probably a cleric? With the little magic she does seeming to be radiant, and healing Leer. What? Of course the unicorn is a PC, why wouldn't she be in her own story?

Nobody is particularly combat-built in the movie, so this was clearly a group that focused heavily on roleplaying and social checks. There IS combat, sure, but very little, and almost every encounter with a mythological beast is genuinely life-threatening.

Everybody who meets the Unicorn for the first time has to roll an arcana check to determine if they see what she is. Obviously, Mommy Fortuna passed. Schmendrick had some bonuses to his with his background, and had to deceive Mommy when he passed. When she was polymorphed into a human, obviously the DC for that check went way up, and Haggard had to keep rolling the longer they stayed with him to figure it out. Molly rolled a natural 20, making the realization hit so hard emotionally...well, you know the scene.

When Schmendrick distracted Ruhk with a riddle, the DM rolled an INT check for him just to see how long he'd spend thinking about it, and thus when he'd catch them in the act.

The DM was genuinely surprised that the Unicorn set the harpy free - the death flags were ALL OVER that cage. But Unicorn's player stated her logic very soundly as to what she was doing and why. They did still take swipes at each other, but after a few rounds of Celaeno whiffing her attacks and the Unicorn landing at least one blow, the most in-character thing to do - and the most satisfying way to save them from the encounter, especially if Mommy Fortuna entered the combat - was for Celaeno to turn her talons onto her captor.

"Magic, do as you will" was a spontaneous declaration from Schmendrick's player, unable to think of anything specific to try to cast and just wanting to do SOMETHING to prove his power to the bandits. The DM seized the chance since Molly mentioned loving stories of Robin Hood.

Everybody still mercilessly teases the DM about the tree. They probably saw the 'accidentally enchanted the tree to fall in love with him' effect as innocent...everyone else imagined...well...AHEM ANYWAY

The DM probably originally expected the party to follow the Red Bull when it cowed the Unicorn, leading to the encounter with Haggard. But of course, Schmendrick had to do his 'magic, do as you will' bit again. The DM had to decide: what effect could possibly help her in this moment? Something to attack the bull? A way to conceal or buff the Unicorn? They pondered. They rolled on the chart behind the screen. Polymorph. Raised eyebrows.

"Molly, as you help Schmendrick to his feet, you look towards the bull and the Unicorn. There's a long, pause as the bull stands there...a moment passes...and another...and it turns and stalks away to the castle. As you see, unconscious on the ground where the Unicorn once was, is a pure white, naked...human woman. And that's where we'll end for this week!"

As the DM quietly panics restructuring the entire game plan. How would being human affect her? How will Haggard react? Obviously they know how Leer's going to react to a beautiful woman. Lots of back and forth with the Unicorn's player and establishing some ground rules and limits. It's a mess to throw together in a week, but it's so much better than anything the DM planned. Ain't it always the way?

Molly was the real MVP when they first met Haggard. Schmendrick was absolutely failing to make compelling arguments, and she caught onto Haggard's vibe immediately. More importantly, she argued with Haggard more as a diversion, noticing that he was staring quite intently at the Unicorn. Of course, nobody knew for sure whether he knew what she was, but why risk it?

"He doesn't - this MaRvElOuS Mabruk - doesn't make you happy!" "...roll persuasion."

While in human form, the Unicorn had to roll wisdom saves every night or else suffer the nightmares and memory/identity loss. She failed more than expected, but it lead to some real interesting roleplay, between the romance with Leer and Haggard's suspicions.

Speaking of Haggard, the DM was already planning for a point when he would confront her about his suspicion, but by the time that rolled around she was too far gone for him to do much about it.

"As he glares down at you, forcing you to meet his eyes, you sense a sort of...frustration? Almost as if he was expecting something in this moment, that didn't occur. He pushes away from you. 'It makes no difference. I can wait. The end will be the same. I can wait.'" And the party lets out a collective breath as he storms away.

Literally everyone would die for the pirate cat.

The cat's hint was just intended as direction to talk to the skeleton, and the part about the wine was meant to be a red herring - it's far too specific in a D&D context to make a good puzzle. But the DM was very impressed with what they came up with regardless, especially when they couldn't find any actual wine.

"Schmendrick, are you actually casting anything?" "Nope! Just making it look really convincing, all the while talking about its taste and its flavor and how awful it is, I may as well just throw it out..." "Gotcha. Roll performance!"

"It's time. We're going to find the others now." "Molly, did you say that out loud?" "UH...?!" Dice roll. "The skeleton's jovial mood suddenly drops, as does the bottle in his hand. His eyes flash red with anger. 'Oh, no...no you don't. Not that one.'" "Shit! We're moving! Everyone to the clock!"

The entire time, despite her human form, the DM has been referring to the Unicorn as 'Unicorn,' as that's still her name. But after the last failed wisdom save, when they reach the Red Bull's lair, the DM addresses her as "Amalthea." The entire table collectively clenches up.

Given the time spent in the castle and the climactic battle, rather than rolling on the wild magic chart from the start in the Red Bull's lair, the DM had Schmendrick roll a spell attack. You can't tell me that wasn't a natural 20 moment; the perfect time for Schmendrick to fully harness the magic to revert Amalthea back to the Unicorn. No more wild magic for him, at least for this fight.

The DM probably even expected Schmendrick to be the one to fight off the bull, after it kills Leer. But the Unicorn was ever true to her character - she may be a Unicorn again, but Amalthea who loved Leer was still a part of her, and now she had the power - and a reason, to fight back. Roll that intimidate check, baby!

You know the DM totally had a speech prepared about the release of the unicorns and Haggard's tower collapsing. They could easily have fought him, but adding his fall to that image was even better.

EDIT: Thought of another one: Whatever flavor of spellcaster the Unicorn is - still thinking cleric, but open to opinions - her spellcasting focus is her horn. Which is why she never uses any magic when she's in human form.

[immortal-elements]

Like ok, last post, let me elaborate.

I have a propensity to take the squishiest class in any game and make it into an unkillable tank. This is gonna be long, so it's going under a cut

In gw2, I have been able to, but with a few downsides. Weaver is typically an incredibly squishy spec, but I have made it utterly indestructible. In PvE, there are very few scenarios that are high enough pressure to warrant needing this tanky of a build, in WvW it doesn't have enough objectives that warrant bunkering on, and against a full zerg it will still nuke you down.

No, where this build shines is in PvP. In PvP, 5v5, being able to sit on one point and prevent that point from being captured, wasting the time of several players trying to push you off, makes room for the rest of your team to capitalize off of.

How it works: this build works off of two synergies; woven stride + cleansing water and sigil of energy + evasive arcana.

Let's start with the latter one. Every 2 attunement swaps, get another dodge roll, cast a spell whenever you dodge roll. Simple enough, but the utility of evasive arcana is not to be understated. This is more or less unchanged by these new changes, but it's still such an important part of this build's survivability.

Next, woven stride says a lot of stuff, (whenever you get hit with chill, cripple, or immobilize, gain swiftness, swiftness is improved), but importantly it says "whenever you gain swiftness or superspeed, gain regen". Cleansing water says "whenever you gain regen, cleanse a condi". So we have a synergy of swiftness -> Regen -> condi cleanse, a loop which is bolstered by all the ways to get regen or swiftness in this build, (using a dual attack, attuning to water or air, half your skills in either water or air, heck your friggin stunbreak even gives you superspeed). This on its own is enough to make this build utterly unkillable in a condi dominant meta game, but these new proposed changes make it so so much more potent against everything.

Woven Stride changes. The proposed changes say "whenever you gain swiftness, cleanse a condi", granted it is on an internal cooldown of 5 seconds in PvP and WvW, (3 seconds in PvE).

Relic of Nayos. Whenever you cleanse a condi, heal yourself. This, as of yet, doesn't appear to have an internal cooldown. Let's talk about why this is so powerful. Against condi builds, obviously you can cleanse a fuckload of condis, so you can get a butt load of heals. Condi builds, especially in PvP, will often use "cover condis" or condis that aren't the one or two they are focusing on in order to decrease the chances their main condi will be cleansed. This strategy only serves to increase our healing output. Against power builds, a lot of power builds do rely on condis in order to do their damage, like vulnerability, cripple or immobilize. Not only do the latter of those feed into woven stride on their own, but you now have more ability to heal through their damage.

This build puts out an insane amount of condi cleanse, and a respectable amount of healing, as well as having a ridiculous amount of ways to avoid damage, (stun locking enemies, evading with your weapon skills, evading with your dodge rolls, gtfo'ing with ride the lightning or your two shadowsteps), and it now seems like the upper limit on its healing is only defined by how many condis are put on it. The harder you try and kill it the harder it is to kill.

[macgyvertape]

Thoughts on Season of the Wish

Its funny that Mara has now been the focus of 2 extended seasons. Overall I love how this expansion year has had a lot of female antagonists, and conflicts between characters who are against the Witness but not allies like Mara vs Riven, Eris vs Savathun.

Also Bungie has really been able to iterate successfully with randomized maps and enemies in seasonal activities. Its fun to have modes where abilities or weapons are boosted like Asha’s Gifts, the Arcana Cards, and buying things from Riven it can really let niche or non meta builds shine.  Gameplay:

Is Mara’s outfit more shimmery this season or is it just my better graphics card? It really is a good design for space royalty

Understandably the devs wanted to get their full use of the Riven’s paths, but between appearing in the story missions, Riven’s Lair activities, and The Coil I was tired of running them by the season end. I’m not sure if it was a limitation of how randomized areas worked, but it was annoying to have one extra connecting hallway and portal from the start to the first combat area. 

The Coil once scoring was buffed was a very fun activity, Riven’s Lair however didn’t seem to have rewards worth it until Bungie started the daily red borders from activities. Frustrating however that the reprised Undying weapons weren’t included in the red border buff. 

The Guardian Games skimmer has been so much fun to use, especially how it can cross gaps or height differences that are meant to block sparrows, shame that getting it was obviously set as a player engagement grind; watch twitch a lot, be lucky with your personal schedule for focus activities to compensate for bugs, or compete with the streamer try hards for top 10%. 

I noted in this season the other player engagement metrics; “please login each week” with the free bright dust but the 20% silver sale popup felt much more predatory, especially how there still isn’t a silver package that directly matches the silver price of one season.

Blind Well got a buff in difficulty which is understandable since the power sandbox has changed. However I wish the Ada bounty would be reworked to compensate, since it's not worth the time spent.

Never thought I’d say it but had a great time with the Crucible seasonal challenge. I haven’t touched mayhem in a while but running arc staff hunter, Shinobu’s vow exotic, and demolitionist perk Mountaintop led to some really great combo loops. 

I enjoyed Onslaught a lot, however I wish instead of a short playlist mode that isn’t rewarding, there was a 30 minute based mode since an hour for a full run is a big time commitment. No wonder 2 rounds in Legendary then leave became so popular as being most value for time vs reward.

The Archie quest was cute and a lot of fun, nice to go back to older areas for hide and seek. 

I thought Pantheon was fun and I hope a version of it comes back since sadly I didn’t do more than week 2 due to time constrictions and trouble finding a group. I’d love to play through the 2 Rhulks especially at a less than -20 power difference. 

Plot

I love summoning Riven ended in a dramatic “I refuse”. Sloane and Ahsa's storyline was about trusting someone’s good intentions, this season was about a “bargain not based on trust” just the mutually assured consequences of breaking it

Really like the song that plays in boss fights in the Coil as a remix of Forsaken tracks. I hope it appears on the Destiny Music archive eventually since this season didn’t have a soundtrack released

I can’t believe after all that hype we don’t even get to see a Harbringer

“I yearn for you to stop talking” IMO Crow is at his most enjoyable when he has a bit of fight to his comebacks. This really is the season of re-evaluate my feelings on Crow, where I really disliked him in season of the Risen and have overall been bored by him since he got his memories back. 

Riven imitating Shaxx and then threatening to imitate Sjur was really mean, and really funny direct nod at the Shaxx/Mara fanon. I really enjoyed the mutual antagonism this season between Riven vs Mara, Crow, and Petra. Really curious how bad Riven would twist the wish of the Dreaming City safe that she dares them to make

Hearing the Oracles in the one mission was startling enough to gimme flashbacks to hours spent in VoG. It's an unsettling tone, though musically I’m not sure why, or if its just that my raid role was oracle spotter.

The “can only send 1 person reveal” sparked such a fun fight between Mara and Riven that it made it my 2nd favorite season this year. I really have missed the story element of people on the same side being antagonistic towards each other

“You and I will see where the river flows” Riven has been the most interesting character this season, and this has been my favorite Mara character writing since her brief appearance in Forsasken. It felt like a good final send off for Riven, with the slight possibility that she could come back if there was an interesting enough story reason

Lmao Crow Mara special twin bond magic, and he says it was his purpose. I dislike this being his Destiny (pun intended) or that any of the Sovs have a fated path vs making their own choices.

“I’m tired Mara I’m ready for what comes next. It's ok to admit you are too”. Osiris was a side character this season but I really like his character arc about being excited there might be a resolution, an end in sight. Hope that works out for him

Its a big contrast to Petra who starts the season worn down by the curse in the dreaming city and fighting an unwinnable war, and ends the season saying that her focus has to be on her people in the future, with the implication the attacks by the Vex will be The Final Straw (pun intended)

Awwwwwwwwww I feel so sad finishing the story and getting [defeaning silence] when doing The Coil. I then stopped doing seasonal activities in that character and didn’t finish the story in the others

Lmao Crow hammer firing Hawkmoon then using melee recharge dodge when no enemies were around. His ass is not proccing Paracausal shot (there’s a reason I deleted Hawkmoon and don’t use it)

Interesting that during the Crow vs Cayde standoff “Thin Line” which is Uldren’s leitmotif doesn’t play. It did of course play when Uldren shot Cayde but also when Zavala discovered who Crow was. I feel like Crow shooting Cayde has been covered exhaustively so I hope that isn’t a major point of The Final Shape. 

Also I’ve been saying Rheasilvia wrong. Rey-a-silvia. I’ve also been pronouncing Jolyon wrong all these years