#so the most tarot knowledge i have is playing the arcana otome game

[malaierba]

Honestly, the Osomatsu-san Persona post is freaking brilliant. My biggest question is how Nozomi can correlate with The Sun? I see her more as The Priestess or maybe Empress (idk why I think Empress). I did do research, and one of the characters in the Sun Arcana was terminally ill, so maybe that's why??? Also HELP WHY DO I THINK NOZOMI MIGHT BE WEALTHY???? (I saw that her room was by the sea and somehow thought she had money??? What am I thinking???)

Full disclosure, most of my knowledge about Tarot comes from when I played The Arcana 🫣 I tried to get into it and I do use an app to get readings every now and then but I'm not very... Knowledgeable. I know some things, but I'm far from well-versed.

For example I didn't know that The Sun was used for terminally ill people? 🤔 I guess it makes sense now.

The post seems to be focusing on the major arcana which is a big limitation. Personally, I would've given Nozomi the Six of Cups:

The six of cups is a card about nostalgia and the safety and pleasure in memories. It focuses particularly on memories of childhood. Oftentimes in readings it can also indicate an old flame of the past turning up, or it indicates a general return to ways or things from the past. It can be a card of remembered, small joys as well as safety and security.

Which covers a lot of the themes seen in her character arc. That, or a card related to closing cycles, like The World (THE card of closure afaik)

The World card shows a naked woman wrapped in a purple cloth, dancing inside a large laurel wreath. She looks behind her to the past, while her body moves forward to the future. In her hands are two wands or batons, like the one The Magician holds. It is a symbol that what was manifested with The Magician has now come to completion with The World. The wreath is circular, symbolizing a continual cycle of successful completion and new beginnings because, as the woman steps through the wreath, she is completing one phase but beginning another one almost straight away

The Priestess and The Empress, for this I actually talked to my sister lol (my family's bruja/witch frfr) and also relied a bit on The Arcana (otome game lol 💀). Both cards are very similar in that they signify influence and an ability to change the outcome of a situation, but where The Empress has more agency and hard power, or can actively affect an outcome, The Priestess is a "hidden" figure. There's an element of occultism, of soft power, like a king's childhood friend who can affect the king's outlook on something but can't change an outcome themselves.

When I explained the context to my sister she actually agreed that Nozomi could fit the High Priestess arcana! So that was a good catch on your part 👀 I guess what had me hesitating is that I correlate the card with having the means to influence something (usually a social position, or expertise in a field that makes your opinion trustworthy) but my sister correctly pointed out that said means of influence can be achieved after one takes action. In this case, making a wish and leaving a card in the past empowers Nozomi in a subtle, backstage way.

I kind of like The High Priestess card for Nozomi too because the major arcana are often read as more permanent, like the situation has more longevity, while the minor arcana can be more incidental. As in, they address single events, their timeframe is not as wide, something like that (correct me if I'm wrong though again I'm not that good at tarot 💀). So I think it gives Nozomi the opportunity to have a more long-term role in the story.

Man this was fun thanks for bringing it up 🥺🩷

And about Nozomi coming from a wealthy family! I got the same feeling! If nothing else because sadly chronic illnesses aren't cheap, and while Japan's healthcare is quite good, it's my understanding that most resources are veered towards older people. I mean, it's still one of the best among developed nations, and the National Health Insurance Scheme (public, universal) in theory ensures that everyone has access to health services. That still leaves a 30% of any medical costs incurred to be paid by the patient, and since Nozomi is implied to have been sick for a while, it was probably her family who shouldered the costs.

Hmm I wonder if our perception of her wealth is influenced by us being American 🤔 I'm thinking so many things lol. Like, in our continent (exception being Canada and a few Caribbean islands, and maybe Cuba, maybe?) longevity when one is chronically ill tends to affected by income, because our healthcare is generally so bad. I know that in France chronically ill people live for longer because the system is better, and it's not as shocking to them (or at least, talking to regular, able bodied, mainly white folk will lead you to believe that... France's healthcare system scores high internationally in any case).

But that also raises the question, was Nozomi chronically ill? Was she managing it for many years with reasonable ease, until it took a turn for the worse? If so, WHEN did this happen?

Because assuming that Nozomi did in fact die (PERISH THE THOUGH) she was, like... Very young??? I think that at the time the movie came out the sextuplets were estimated to be 28 (10 year reunion). Of course it would depend on what it was that landed Nozomi on the hospital, but seeing as she was young, isn't it a bit worrying that she lost the battle so soon? I can only assume that it happened if she had been sustaining cumulative damage from her illness + potentially any medical treatments she underwent for a while. Which, would mean that her family was covering for at least 30% of whatever she required for something close to ten years.

Once again, we are left with many questions 😔 Not sure those will ever be answered either, since OSOSAN is on the bad habit of using its female characters only once, and I fear that may be the case for Nozomi too.

On the bright side, this gives the fandom a lot of material to explore in fanwork.

[tallbluelady]

Which card would they be from the major arcana of tarot cards? (If you're more well read in tarot, you could also do minor arcana.)

Shit, I should have expected this one to pop up XD.

Okay, so what I mostly gleaned from my adventure in Wikipedia was that Urianger IS the Hermit.  I feel like the most applicable to Rowan is the Fool because it's the wanderer etc etc. A cool detail is that the Fool often has feathers in his hair! Which just... huh. Sometimes these things collide. It's like fate or something XD

Thanks for the ask!

[pearwaldorf]

It’s Friday, so I’m going to talk about a game I’m enjoying. It’s called The Arcana, and it’s a visual novel with romance elements, available for Android and iOS.

It’s a fantasy-based setting, based around the major arcana (unsurprisingly) of the tarot. You play an magician’s apprentice who’s lost their memory due to Circumstances. You pick not just your name, but your pronouns (he/she/they), which I do appreciate. 

I know it seems kinda weird to like the way a PC is written, especially considering you want them to carry the story but not necessarily have a personality of their own? But in my short foray into otome games, I have found that not only are you usually restricted to playing female characters, they have personalities I find difficult to identify with. I don’t feel that way about the apprentice. They have feelings and express concerns and thoughts and such, but it never feels forced or contrived. 

The art in this game is sumptuous and lush, and it’s such a pleasure to look at. Every location feels distinct, even though you only see a sliver of it. 

Shut up and get to the romances. Fine fine...

Keeping in mind I’m not very far in at all (book 8 of 16 available, and I haven’t touched the other two routes), Asra’s definitely my favorite. Look, he has messy white hair that gets in his face all the time and purple eyes. How am I supposed to hold up against that? He also has the most connection to the apprentice, being their master and all. (For those of you not into teacher/student relationships, that is addressed, fear not.) I’d say he’s definitely the sweetest of your possible romances, so if you’re into all the lovey-dovey hand-holdy stuff, this is your route.

Nadia is the Countess of Vesuvia, the kingdom you live in. She summons you to the palace to help her do a thing. After a while, you discover you both have something in common. As a ruler, she’s commanding and occasionally imperious, but she likes you. You bring out tenderness and vulnerability in her, and it’s such a contrast to the face she puts on for everybody else. (Also, she could totally step on you.) One of the ways she expresses affection is through providing luxuries, because it is a thing she has easy access to. If you want a sugar mama, this is your romance. 

I don’t know much about Julian other than he’s a doctor and a bit of a socially awkward disaster. (He also has a connection to another character, but that is a thread I haven’t tugged on yet.) Also he likes hanging around in taverns. I feel like this is going to be the angsty romance route, but I haven’t gone down his path enough to say for sure. 

Interwoven with the romance is a story about the past and these three characters’ connections with each other. It’s building up to something, but I haven’t gotten far enough to figure out how it all fits together.

The only content warning I can think of is that Asra’s familiar is a snake, so if you don’t like snakes, maybe don’t play this game?

The only sucky part of the game is the one that plagues all games of this sort: you either have to pay for content or wait for it to be unlocked. There are two ways of doing this: coins and keys. Coins can be used to purchase things (duh) and keys unlock parts of a story once. You get three keys a day, enough to unlock one book. To the best of my knowledge they don’t stack, so use them. Coins are most valuable for purchasing books. That unlocks the book permanently, including paid options. 

If you’re patient, I am told you can accumulate coins at a pretty steady clip playing Heart Hunters, although it sounds like it takes at least a couple weeks to build up momentum. There’s a guide to this here that I found very useful. Don’t forget to spin the wheel of fortune and collect the coin bonus in Tarot. (After 7 days you get a free reading!)

The way it works out, Heart Hunters resets at midnight Pacific time, and my keys fill up before I get ready for bed. So I use my keys to unlock a book, and in the morning after I wake up I play Heart Hunters instead of opening Twitter. It’s a nice bracket for the day.