#the arcana game discourse

[rubinaitoart]

There’s a lot going on here that I frankly don’t have the energy to cover, but here’s some food for thought.

I’ve been thinking about the current state of the fandom, and the actions Dorian has been taking. It’s been putting me off because for the most part, there’s a gray area in which fandom operates in any piece of media; and Dorian is effectively meddling with that gray area in a way that is driving fans away. It’s been bothering me on a level I couldn’t really put my finger on.

And then I remembered, Dorian may be the copyright holders and owners of the game. But they aren’t the creators. This is where the disconnect is, and why they’re overstepping.

Legally they are within their right to do (most of) of what they are doing. It’s cruddy and violates a lot of the unspoken rules that exist between the fans and the creators, but they can do it. It’s very obvious that it’s targeted right now but that’s an entirely different topic that I don’t think I can comfortably discuss.

It’s interesting because there is another fandom I know of that is seeing (if it hasn’t concluded already) a slightly similar problem. The Undertale fandom has recently flocked around a fan game, Undertale Yellow—which used music from the original game. As far as I’m aware, the creator—Toby Fox—was fine with it. However, the copyright holders were not. Materium Music’s CEO did not want to allow the release of UTY’s album on YouTube and other streaming services even though Toby Fox approved of it. The soundtrack had many original elements but reused motifs and other fragments from Undertale’s soundtrack.

Sound familiar?

But while UTY had the original creator helping fight for their rights as fan creators, we do not. And so the copyright holders, Dorian, are doing what they can to protect the assets they own with very little thought for the creations outside of their own platform. The time and effort that goes into creating. The beautiful dedication to the game that, while they own, they did not create and as such they cannot appreciate it fully.

[juliandevoraksbignaturals]

I am incredibly disappointed to learn about how much toxic shit has been going on behind the scenes in this fandom recently. Not that every fandom doesn't have its issues, naturally, but some of what's come to light is just ridiculous.

To those involved parties who have been the ringleaders of this 3-ring shitshow, shame on you. Feeling not only the need but the justification to slander people based upon a distaste for a fucking fictional pairing, or a person's career choice, when you yourself are responsible for curating your own internet experience, is childish at best.

You guys are in a fandom full of wonderful people who take time out of their lives to provide you with Free Content. Expecting that content to cater to you personally all the time shows a sense of delusional entitlement that indicates that perhaps you aren't mature enough to get to play in fandom spaces, since you can't behave like a responsible adult.

To those that were caught up in the whirlwind of lies and conniving plots, I am incredibly proud of those of you who put your foot down and said, "Enough is enough." I commend you for putting together the receipts and evidence, and presenting it not only to those you've wronged but to the fandom at large. It takes courage to admit wrongdoing and to think critically enough to realize you've been played.

Finally, to those who have been the target of these attacks, to @asrabounding , @drakonishe , and many others, I would not only praise your strength and resilience in the face of such a shitstorm, but also, I would like to take the time to thank you for all the work you've done, and continue to do, for this fandom. You've never written off the fandom as a whole due to the idiotic actions of a choice few, and you've continued to work on multiple demanding projects in the meantime. I've had the pleasure of speaking to @drakonishe during this Arcanacon, not about this incident specifically, but as a friend, and I've been treated with nothing but respect and welcoming vibes.

We, as a fandom, yes, but also as people, need to start being kinder and more grateful to the people who take time to use their talents to bring us joy. How wonderful that we can say we have enough variety in the art and writing produced by this fandom to have content to cater to a variety of preferences! How delightful that we, as fans, can come together to discuss different viewpoints and outlooks, and to share our love for a cast of characters and stories that have captivated us all! We are so lucky to have such talented artists and writers and creators of all kinds in this fandom, but we stand to lose that if we can't be civil and grateful to those that create such delights in the first place.

In all, take a step back, take a breath, and reflect on the wonderful things we have as a fandom. Then go and tell your favorite creator how much you enjoy the things they make. Go tell your friends you appreciate them. Hug your freakin dog or cat. Put some good out there, and remember that behind every username is a person. Lead with kindness, with an open mind, and don't be afraid to admit it when you're wrong.

[a-pancake-i-am]

Probably the biggest issue i have with Dorian is them making participation in app's community life unseparatable from gaming process itself. Unless you donate ridiculous amount of money, enough to never ever do challenges watch streams or whatever, of course.

And this is not how I am used to playing otome games. A lot of my closest novel loving mates agree that playing a dating sim is a very personal experience to them. More fandomly open people end up sharing their headcanons, writting and arts. Some of them eventually ended up with a huge audience subscribed for that particular content and even profited.

However, an experience of playing and bonding with character is still very individual and personal, and this is exactly why the fan apprentice discourse often got sharp and sensitive. Each one of them represents how different people personnaly understood and preserved the same story. And it is never 100% shared. Same old "similarities unite differences divide"

On social media it is easyer to create yourself a safe space. We can agree to disagree, we could block uncomfortable things. There is always a choice NOT to be a creator or active participant WITHOUT LOOSING ANY(!!!) POSSIBLE BENIFITS of you as a game lover and game player.

And that is what Dorian takes away from us by combining together a social media platform and gaming app. Because yes, shure, we are not obliged to post and participate. But everyone is familliar, how social media works and how they encourage users to use the most of their function.

I don't really want anything other then playing my favorite game. I don't want people watch me play, even without mic or cam, as it was suggested by Dorian. I dont wanna watch others play either. And if in addition to that I neither write or draw, or if I have no resourses to invest into game development, I'm gonna be frustratingly left behind in my gamer progress. 100%

[doctowdebowak]

I didn't want to make this post on my main art account @vairow so I chose to put it here, where I posted most of my Arcana art, but...

While I am still proud of what I created, my work as Admin on the Fandom wiki, and even of Fields of Vesuvia, I will not be returning. Please do not expect for me to draw any more art from TAG or post about it anywhere.

I'm coming to terms with the fact I was abused by members I met from said fandom, and seeing my art made for and with those people puts a very bad taste in my mouth now, to the point I am debating removing my original posts.

I may not remove them simply because I see people still actively finding interest in them, but I hope those of you reading this understand<3

[peachypizzicato]

people who call the masc LIs bisexual but categorize nadia and portia as lesbians how does it feel to miss the entire point and also be like. wildly exclusionary

[valtsv]

not sure if you’ve answered before, but what is your favorite video essay?

i have a collection

Control, Anatomy and the Legacy of the Haunted House by Jacob Geller (self explanatory but even after watching all his other video essays i still find this one the most compelling to return to over and over again. kind of like a haunted house you can never truly escape. i love the way that he blends media analysis and like. cultural and sociological history and discourses in general.)

We Need to Talk About Game of Thrones I Guess and The Last of the Game of Thrones Hot Takes by Lindsay Ellis (just... really good and hysterically funny critical analysis of how badly you can fuck up a story by not understanding its themes, worth a watch even if you've never seen a single episode of game of thrones in your life)

MsScribe: The Harry Potter Fandom's Greatest Con Artist by Eldena Doubleca5t (a brilliant deep dive into the msscribe incident which provides historical context for everything that happened and is also extremely funny; the tarot major arcana chapter break formatting is fucking genius)

Born Sexy Yesterday by Pop Culture Detective (had a massive impact on me and made me think more critically about media - in a good way!)

All of Overly Sarcastic Productions' Trope Talk videos are also very enjoyable and not too long

[bakersgrief]

Okay not that I've seen recent discourse about it BUT I just wanted to pop up to say I actually really like the way The Arcana handles nonbinary identities.

A LONG time ago someone mentioned it was lazy/disrespectful for the writers to refer to Nazali as a sister in game.

But that's how nonbinary identities work! It's not always completely genderless terminology.

Nazali may not be a woman but they are a sister to their other sisters! Just like I'm not really a girl but I'll always be a sister and a daughter because those titles are integral parts of my identity!

And Asra's nonbinary identity isn't lessened just because he uses exclusively he/him in game and doesn't mind they/them pronouns. He's still nonbinary!

Okay anyway just wanted to say being nonbinary comes in many flavors and I'm really glad to see that represented in The Arcana bye.

[etherealsworldvision]

What’s Your Current Energy and The Energy You’ll Come Into?

[ With a Bonus Mini Letter from Your Inner Self ]

Before I begin the reading I’d like to take a moment to talk about: Monterey Bay Aquarium. They’re a non-profit organization that aims to inspire conservation of the ocean. If you’re interested do check them out and if you’d like to further support them click donate.

Divider Credit: @animatedglittergraphics-n-more

New song discovery for the reading: Ecstasy by Anna Tsuchiya

1. 2. 3.

🚨 P.S.A 🚨 : I do not give personal readings! Disclaimer: this is for entertainment only!

Added Description: all my readings are timeless and meant to reach those who resonate to the messages.

[ General Messages: 3; Secret Circle; Rings; Chesapeake Bay; Pink and Purple; “Pick Me”; Uses this :3 text emoji; Slow Burn; Gradual changes; Relationship Content; Insecurity; Free things; DnD; WhatsApp; Comparison; Anticipation; Lana Del Rey; Coquette & Cottegcore; Becauseimmissy content ]

Pile 1

Cards: 6 of Swords; The Chariot; 2 of cups ®; 9 of Pentacles ®; The High Priestess; 2 of Pentacles

[ Messages: Izana Kurokawa; Temperament; Full Moon; Sagittarius or Capricorn Moon; 222; Strength; Unconditional Love; Diluted; Akon (?); Jealousy, Jealousy by Olivia Rodrigo; Heal; 19 or 22; “Silver-Spoon”; Kyle; Craving; Fanfics; 66; 9; June 6th ]

This is oddly specific but Kyle kept popping up…so idk if you are or dealing with a person with that name. It may be an extra confirmation.

Your Current Energy:

You may have moved on from a romantic connection (I’m not getting platonic), I’m getting the sense that you’re in a good place right now. It could have been a big accomplishment because we have the chariot (major arcana). You might’ve experienced a traditional connection that ended up being what you imagined.

For some reason, I keep thinking about relationship advice on tiktok and twitter (discourses). It may have placed a negative effect on your perception of what a relationship is supposed to look like. For a few, you may have grown up around traditional relationships and (might subconsciously) sought for that. Overall there is an emphasis on Traditional relationships regarding gender roles and stereotypes. I feel like it doesn’t help that there’s also a new-age agenda of approaching (new) relationships (mind games) as well as isolation.

After experiencing that you might’ve thought, “Why does everyone want this?” Or “Relationships aren’t all that great”. There’s this sense of having a nihilistic view in love because of media and personal experience. Which, I don’t blame you.

I don’t know if you recently stumbled on a post or something about love but I feel like it challenged your stance on it. Which leads to you wanting a better mindset of love & connections despite what you’ve gone through. Currently, you may be trying to find the balance in your connection (with yourself and other people) and getting to really know yourself.

The energy you’ll come into:

With the high priestess here, you may be learning how to be in tune with your emotions and your gut when it comes to people/connections. I feel like, because you’re getting to know yourself better and starting to understand what you want you’ll have an easier time seeking balance.

Compromise and balance is being emphasized in this reading, so maybe that’s the thing you’ll be focusing on (healing). What is your relationship with Compromise and Balance? How did it affect you? I also see that this will come once understanding nuances instead of having an “extremist” view. Another thing is that you crave for a stable relationship and seek it by finding someone who is stable.

Which is fine but there’s this big need of: them having to be “the (perfect) one” before entering in a committed relationship. You may have gotten fs readings/astro stuff because of this. The funny thing here is — in order to be in a committed relationship is to be okay with the unknown and trusting yourself. I know it’s easier said than done but that’s what I’m getting.

Another thing I’m getting is how you’re challenging yourself to be more focused on yourself in terms of finances, health, and basically practical things. There’s this sense of being grounded; how you want to treat yourself via materials and consumption.

Letter from Your Inner Self

“Who said we have to be rigid to be treated like ‘royalty’? Look at Simba! He's fun and outgoing — he’s still a well respected king and with the love of his life! We need to loosen up a bit, be more courageous when it comes to stepping out of our comfort zone. The longer we stay in our old ways we’ll end up living with regret, that’s worse than living with consequences! How about we do the first thing we were scared of? If we get a booboo on our knee that’s fine at least we did it. If they don’t show interest then that’s okay too, we can continue to sail. All I’m saying is we should have the courage to go with the flow and live our life to the fullest instead of wallowing or through the screen/fantasies. Let’s embrace the unknown and hope for the best, yeah?”

Alrighty pile 1 that’s all I have for you today. Thank you so much for sticking through until the end, I greatly appreciate it. I’m giving you virtual hugs 🫂 and shooting hearts at you! 🧡🧡🔫 *Pew Pew*

Pile 2

Cards: Knight of Swords; King of Pentacles; Empress ®; 10 of Cups; Knight of Cups; The Devil

[ Confirmation Messages: Rollercoaster; Lilo & Stitch; “Inner Demons”; Renaldo from Los Espookys; Camera; Water and Earth Placements; San Francisco; Fear; Amusement Parks; Kali Uchis; ‘Take a Seat’; Road-trips; Night Drives; 333 ]

Your Current Energy

Okay Pile 2 your current energy is stable in terms of finances (as well as materialistic things) and you’re well grounded. You may be looking into how you can better your current financial stability or just being more responsible by getting your needs met especially in money matters.

Another thing is — there’s this sense of caution in regards to spending money. Now, I can’t give financial advice (it’s not my forte) but I can give reassurance. If there is a bit of wiggle room to spend on a snack or on that t-shirt you like then it’s okay to get it. I feel like there’s this sense of shame in regard to spending despite being able to afford things.

I used to feel this way as well and I remember talking to my cousin about it. They would tell me, “Whenever I feel guilty about spending on things I like, I think about the amount of hard working hours I put in to be able to afford it.” To lessen the guilt or shame of buying something that makes us* happy. This doesn’t have to apply to huge spends — can be minor ones like an album or that pint of ice cream you’ve been eyeing at the store.

There’s just this sense of guilt of spending which leads to a bigger guilt of not being able to nurture yourself in the way you want to. I feel like there’s this blame you have towards yourself for wanting things and punishing yourself for not doing it (the “damned if you do damned if you don’t” situation). Based on your cards I don’t see money issues (currently going on) but I do see the trauma linked to it. I don’t know if this stems from childhood or recent experiences.

(If you can, talk with someone you trust. They may have some insight that you need or just connecting with someone in general.)

The Energy You’ll Come Into

What’s funny is: there’s this sense of “fuck it we ball” vibe. I don’t know how it got to this sudden shift but it’s reminding me of one of the reasons why this acc exists. So maybe a tiktok or reel will piss you off into buying something for yourself with zero shame.

( I struggle with imposter syndrome, when I saw a YouTube short of someone dropping a 50lb lollipop from a rooftop and called it an “experiment” (it’s just obnoxious food waste! There was no science or anything!). I got so mad that they were earning money for wasting food I ended up saying “fuck this I’m adding to society” and boom here I am lol. )

I’m not saying your financial trauma is going to magically disappear but there is this sense of being fed up with how it makes you feel. If you are (or will be) seeing a therapist you may be working on your relationship with this financial trauma. I think another thing that you will be coming into is learning how spending and financial issues have affected you. I feel like during this period you may be reflecting on your relationship with money while doing exposure therapy.

But yeah the energy you’ll come into is indulgence and emotional fulfillment (however be careful as to not over do it) without zero shame. Despite not having any balance cards besides the King of Pentacles — I do feel like that’s what you’ll be coming into. Working on balancing your wants and needs while regulating your emotions when it comes to money.

Letter from Your Inner Self

“I know we struggled with money but we’ve put in the hard work to make ourselves happy. Why not bask in our success for just a minute? Why not see how far we come by planning something for ourselves? Can’t we at least congratulate ourselves for putting our foot in the door and say “I did it”! Because we did do that! Yeah, yeah we dealt with delays, some difficulties along the way but we pulled through! We did that, baby! We made it happen — we have a job, a career! Let's celebrate ourselves and give ourselves the gratitude we deserve. We fucking earned it!”

Alrighty pile 2 that’s all I have for you today. Thank you so much for sticking through until the end, I greatly appreciate it! I’m wishing you the best! Remember it’s okay to have nice things for yourself! 🧡

Pile 3

Cards: Page of Swords; The World; 7 of Cups; Page of Pentacles; Knight of Cups; The Hierophant ®

[ Confirmation Messages: Astrology; Occult; Investments in Hobbies; Culinary Arts; New Passions; Lack; TikTok; Radios; Seltzers; Renaissance Fair; OktoberFest (?); Young or New Energy; Amethyst Crystal (Pendant); Twilight; Taking a Leap of Faith; Vampires; Vibrant Personality: 3 Body Problem ]

Your Current Energy

Your energy is like the sun after a cloudy day — like it is not like the other two piles. To be honest your excitement feels so contagious (in a good way). So you may have been very patient in the past or passive. You kind of just let life pass you by until something comes up.

When it did come to you and you took that chance it’s as if the world showed itself. There's so many options to choose from and that’s what’s getting you super excited. I feel called to say there are not wrong choices as it can work out with persistence and hard work.

Since you are in the process of accomplishing things or already achieved it — you may be wanting to expand/explore what’s out there for you. Let's say you got your drivers license, now you get to drive to the place you want. Or let’s say you took a chance on an idea then suddenly, you get loads of engagement. Because you took this chance a lot of opportunities are coming your way to the point it’s almost overwhelming.

The Energy You’ll Come Into

Because you’re putting in the work towards something you love — you’ll feel more fulfilled. I feel like whatever you’re working on will be another way to gain connections. It doesn’t have to be transactional connections — it just means you may make friends along the way or collaborate.

This especially applies to people who went the “unconventional route”. It feels like you made a decision that really aligns with you. I think what also really inspired you is seeing how people made their dreams come true, even if it’s by doing the simplest things. There is encouragement to remain open to what’s to come, especially when it comes to your creative skills.

I’m not getting too much on your future energy besides you making an earning from it and feeling fulfilled. I am getting this celebratory vibe that you have done it from the ground up. Through your patience and perseverance you were able to make it happen. I’m also getting a confirmation “yes, do it” to the question you’ve been really really thinking about.

Letter from Your Inner Self

“Listen…I know your intuition and anxiousness is going haywire right now. However, to feel your intuition you’ll feel a strong and I mean a strong pull to do something. I’m encouraging you to do it — do it even if you’re alone. You’ll never know the outcome unless you do it. Yes it’s unconventional but what’s the harm in taking that chance? We did it once, why not do it again and see where it takes us? It’ll make us happier knowing we did it instead of never doing anything. I believe in us, so don’t lose hope.”

Alrighty Pile 3 that’s all I have for you. Thank you so much for reading until the end, I greatly appreciate it! I’m so excited for you and wishing for things to go smoothly! Best of luck! 🍀🧡

[ever-so-sleepy]

"zenkichi is just a repeat of dojima" okay? so are sojiro and futaba. sophia is aigis 2.0,,, but they still manage to find new meaning with it. persona reuses a lot of the same tropes, but often (not always) they're able to write it just differently enough you get something new

persona 4 is my favorite game. i love jb blanc (dojima va), and i am so biased to dojima and nanako. but zenkichi and akane are very similar to me and my dad. i didn't watch my mother die thank god,,, but i did lose a family member as an early teen. when i was around akane's age (14-15) i was angry, and who was easiest to blame? my dad

he HAS done bad things but at the same time, he cared. i said the same things, "my dad doesn't care about me" knowing it wasn't true. friends and family would say the same thing makoto did, "don't say that it isn't true". and while i can't speak for akane, that always pissed me off

maybe it wasn't right, but it was how i felt. my dad, like zenkichi, hadn't shown well enough that he cared. so even if i knew that he loved me that insecure, hurt part of me said he didn't. i built up this tolerance to that idea, that now i don't want my dad to apologize. i don't want him to be the better man, to grow and get better. that anger gave me comfort and some sort of peace, having something to blame for my emotions. when zenkichi reveals the truth, and apologizes anyway, akane is still just as sad. and angry

the small differences matter. akane and nanako are years apart, and they're also different people. they will, then, grieve differently. zenkichi knew who killed his wife, but he stopped chasing it because akane's life was literally threatened. dojima never stopped but he never (as far as we're aware) found out who it was. but that isn't the main cause of discourse with his daughter, it's his own fear of being a dad. imo dojima is more at fault than zenkichi. the latter obviously should have acted differently but some things were out of his control. nanako just wanted a present father

also so off topic but fuck the idea that mamoru (i think that's how it's spelled; star arcana in persona 3) is just a kazushi clone !!! they're so different and have majorly different meanings. yes atlus reuses tropes, but they don't demean the characters story and that idea doesn't even apply to these two. leave my man's alone

[preworldjudge]

My uQuiz Masterlist

I decided to put all of my public uQuizzes together! They get better the further you go into each list, and there are very few (and short) lyric and quote questions. Enjoy!

Comedic Quizzes: Which of my favorite games are you? Which cursed location on my camera roll are you? Which iconic Wizard101 spell are you? Which of my protagonist OCs are you? Are you a Dungeon or a Dragon? Which Pirate101 class are you? Discontinued Major Arcana quiz Choose things I diagnose you a Sims 3 supernatural Which area of my college are you? What is your innate element color? I diagnose you an unethical psych experiment Which dumb queer discourse are you? Wizard101 Book of Secrets but good D&D die quiz that gradually devolves Which of my Sims 3 saves are you? Chess piece diagnosis (serious) Which Sims 3 oddity are you? Who are you in a D&D setting but the tone is inconsistent Which damage type are you? D&D Alignment Quiz I assign a beta version of a story of mine (writing since 12) Which of my deleted OCs are you?

Serious Quizzes: Discontinued Major Arcana quiz I assign one of my aesthetics & give some advice. Which is your abstraction? Which Major Arcana tarot card are you? Escape to my fantasy world to gain knowledge or judgment Daggerfall Class Quiz (LONG)

[faroreswinds]

Hope you don’t mind me sending you this message but as a casual Fire Emblem fan who is absolutely fascinated (and by fascinated I mean a mix of appalled and laughter) by the state of the discourse I’d like to elaborate on why a lot of Edelstans are (very) off base by their “criticism” of the church is that they are absolutely focusing on the wrong religion entirely. I think I’m qualified to speak about Buddhism and why Houses reflects that. No I will not come off anon but please bear with me. I know you and your mutuals have talked about the Buddhism of Three Houses but I hop you don’t mind if I expand on that.

Churches and “churches” in jrpgs are often just window dressing to add plausibly western details to a plausibly western high fantasy inspired setting, but even if they include crosses and saints and cathedrals the central trappings are very much not western at all and western consumers of japanese products often forget that, especially because japan has a very strong japanizing filter they run almost everything through. This is very much the case with Fire Emblem even though their most recent games have tried to incorporate more East Asian elements like with what we see in Awakening, Echoes, especially Hoshido, but that doesn’t mean that the philosophy is missing from the other games. Fans tend to dismiss the general plots of Fire Emblem as the cast fighting and killing an evil dragon-god but they forget a single crucial detail to that: the evil at the end reminds the characters that as long as humanity has evil in its hearts and continues to make the same mistakes over and over again, then evil will inevitably return and so the cycle of fighting and hatred will start again. This is usually not the case with many western media focusing on a single savior figure who vanquishes the evil and then they all lived happily ever after and it explains the confusion with western fans saying stuff like they can’t believe that what Marth and Alm and Celica did was all for nothing because later Walhart and Grima happened. Yes we can argue about retcons for Awakening and Echoes but thematically speaking it makes sense, not because Marth and Alm and Celica were incompetent but simply because what they did was too limited in scope and fixed the problem temporarily because they’re only humans who are tied to the human realm and all its problems (but also because intsys needs to keep making money with more stories or recycling stories). They are heroes but they are unable to break the karmic cycle.

Now this is more apparent with Three Houses even though it does have a mix of western elements like how the crests represent tarot arcana but generally Fates and Houses are the most eastern of the games because of their themes: Fates is a war between west and east but also the secret literal Middle Kingdom manipulating them, Anankos yes he was basically the deity of Touma but people don’t know that in eastern religions and Buddhism even gods are not immune to being corrupted because they too are bound to the six paths and the dual nature of the world. Anankos enjoyed both heavenly and earthly pleasures but being steeped in them too long made him decay, make costly mistakes that only made him more angry and paranoid instead of being able to reflect on them, and in the end became a creature of death and violence and discord who could only be released through defeat.

Houses especially has the basis of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but Byleth’s personal class Nirvana, confirms also the basis for Silver Snow and the dual themes that would come better if Intsys was a more competent writer:

So the six paths/realms (Im condensing very many details) are upper and lower parts on the wheel of samsara. The devas’ realm, the human realm, and the asura’s realm are the upper three and the best paths to achieving nirvana but they all have their flaws and even upper level inhabitants can be reincarnated into lower levels if they behave badly; the lower three are the bad ones and often have no redeeming qualities because they are meant as punishments, they are where contaminated souls live until their karmic debt has run out in that realm/they have achieved some form of clarity enough to change their ways and it qualifies them to move up a path. The lower three are the realm of animals, the realm of ghosts and angry spirits, and then the hells.

Byleth starts out in the realm of animals, it’s reflecting by their title of Ashen Demon and their description of being emotionless killing machines before Garreg Mach. They don’t care about much, they only focus on their immediate needs like eating and resting and whats immediately in front of them, they have no curiosity or inner awareness of themselves and their world. It is coming to the monastery that they become exposed to positive influences that put them on the correct path, they learn structure and good morals and to care for others and the game says so. I have issues with them but ultimately think they work because they show how even a blank slate, like an animal, can move on the correct path through learning and discipline.

Edelgard is an interesting mix, she embodies a lot of the selfishness of the animal realm but her position also incorporates a lot from the realm of the asuras, which is the realm the agarthans inhabit. Asuras were once divine and occupied the same realm as devas but their drunken wild behavior got them thrown out by Sakka as disciplinary measure. Asuras did not reflect on why they were tossed out, instead they got angry and now wage war on the devas in order to retake what they think belongs to them.

Now asuras are not excluded from the path of reincarnation, everyone has the chance to repent, change their ways, do better and move up the wheel until they achieve arhat and nirvana, but often asuras have negative qualities. They tasted heavenly pleasures but do not understand that acting poorly robbed them of that and so blame the devas instead of working to better themselves; they are addicts to pleasure and immediate gratification but also to violence and fighting, they are envious of others and mostly focus on how much they hate others for daring to be happier then them instead of working to achieve their own happiness. Now these are not qualities exclusive to asuras but they best embody them while humans are more neutral.

The agarthans were humans who became greedy and waged war on each other to accumulate wealth and power and the goddess Sothis decided to discipline them, but then agarthans proved they were (ironically) acting like beasts by deciding that their greed was more important. They could not stand being contradicted and being told that their acts were wrong. So they plotted against heaven and chose to condemn themselves to hell (they live underground in the darkness, Shambhala is supposed to be the name of a heavenly paradise but instead they built it underground to continue their evil away from the eyes of heavens), because what sends anyone from any realm to the hells is knowingly choosing to do major evil and embracing major evil.

Edelgard acts out of ignorance like an animal or common beast, her vision cannot see past her own immediate desires and so she acts on that ignorance and her own selfishness. But what condemns her to hell, what turns her into an evil demon instead of remaining a selfish yet innocent animal is that she turns away from many people imploring her to listen to them and that her actions are wrong and that she is causing suffering. Edelgard being born into a wealthy, powerful family would usually mean that her previous karma has been good despite the tragedies in her later life, but good karma can easily be corrupted. Edelgard has been corrupted from a young age by bad faith actors who have embraced hell and so she has been steeped in corruption and been fed bad information for a long time, with no one stepping in to stop that because her environment was turned into one of corruption as well. But it is ultimately her who makes the choices to persist on a path of evil because she refuses to listen to others and embraces the suffering she causes and has caused as justified in pursuit of her goals.

Now Byleth and especially Silver Snow has shown they rose to being qualified by the good influence of the church and its teaching (even if the game doesn’t show much about those teaching but o well) to achieve higher paths, they have chosen to absorb and enact good. But especially, because the realm of asuras and beasts represent laziness, easy temptations, ignorance and immediate gratification opposed to discipline, hard work, introspection, and renunciation, it makes it more significant when byleth decides to sever ties with her when she reveals that she has not been an innocent student but in fact the flame emperor responsible for the many evil deeds along with the cooperation from agarthans. The act of renouncing such ties in order to enact justice and follow the correct path is what immediately qualifies Byleth to Nirvana and why they keep their divine traits on every path except Crimson Flower (where in Crimson Flower, killing Rhea, their final and most egregious act of violence against heavenly principles, condemns them to losing their divinity and turning back into the Ashen Demon, they lost themselves to the temptations and ignorance represented by Edelgard, safflowers are used to dye the robes of monks but red spiders lilies grow on the banks of the river of the dead).

The act of renunciation means Byleth has learned to forgo harmful attachments to instead pursue the correct path even if it comes with heartbreaks, but the reward for the difficulty is being a step closer to arhat. Because they are not the Buddha but are close to reaching enlightenment they achieve a very high position in Buddhism, which is staying in the human realm as a guide in order to help others on the correct path as well and is righteous.

This is also why i have many more issues with Shez than I do Byleth actually, maybe Byleth is silent but they have their own path to follow. Shez has no path and I’m not even sure what they are supposed to represent. Their personal class is asura, often clashing with devas and representing lack of reflection and selfishness and gratification and violence like I said before, but I can’t find anything in Shez story that actually says anything about that or their preferences and choices. Two out of three times they stray from the correct path and Rhea’s death should mean a violation of dharma because the agarthans have won, but I saw nothing in the game about immediate consequences of that violation or the causing of suffering Shez incorrect paths are causing. In Azure Gleam perhaps it is the story of the asura becoming aware that their past actions have been incorrect and so they must work to correct and better themselves, but they are overshadowed by the story of Faerghus. I love Faerghus but I was a little disappointed by the lost symbolism because it became the story of Faerghus repelling the invasion. Yes the Lions are good and righteous but I missed the story of them in Azure Moon, broken, then correcting themselves after they have temporarily fallen off the correct path and rising from their rut into righteousness.

With the Deer in Houses it was a house content to be stagnant and ignorant until war makes them realize they must instead act righteously and so they also choose the correct path, same as the Silver Snow Eagles who cut ties with Edelgard and perform their own renunciation. So Im not sure what Shez or anyone in this newer game are supposed to represent or be about when I liked Houses for its Buddhist themes.

I’m sorry for such a long message! Thank you for letting me talk.

Hi anon. No worries about the long message. I'm just not sure if my response can do it justice!

This is all very interesting indeed! I have a general understanding of Buddhism, but it is certainly not as deep or as complex as your understanding of it. While I grew up in some of my formative years in East Asia, Buddhism wasn't as prevalent in the local religions of my home.

I do agree that Hopes seems to lose the meaning and messages of Houses, although Houses itself was messy in its own right. And I agree that Western audiences often miss or do not understand the cultural differences that are woven into the world and narrative of many Japanese games. Especially when it comes to religion. I know myself and other mutuals have stated that the Church in Houses is no representation of the Catholic Church, as others have insisted upon.

I wish I could give you a longer response to match the quality and effort of your ask. But honestly, I have very little to add! I just thank you for sharing. I got to learn a little more along the way! :)

[rubinaitoart]

Alright I’m joining the complaint bandwagon here.

I’ll be honest I was fine with the Community Tab and I could handle the pop-ups at the start. I get it, Dorian wants users to check out their app. There’s plenty of advertisement for it, I’m sure it works well.

So why are they adding two new links to NON-DAILY events to the Dailies screen? These could fit perfectly as a regular pop-up, or in the community tab.

I also want to touch on the change to the Tales button. They swapped it so that Tales is the smaller one and the larger one takes you to Dorian. It irks me, a lot.

They said they wouldn’t touch it. Now it’s being turned into an advertising platform and losing the charm and magic that it originally had when I first got it.

[selfcarecollective]

Blog Introduction

Our Pluralkit Fronting Link

(So anyone who looks can see our general status on Pluralkit, including when sleeping, who's mainly in front, cofront, cocon, and etc.)

Hello? Hello! We're the Self-Care Collective. We're a TraumaEndo System online that shows support for all origins and good faith identities.

We're bodily 19, go by Elix/ei online, and like just enjoying the company of other plural systems. While we might be anxious, we do try to make friends and sometimes end up meeting amazing people!

We're new to the Tumblr atmosphere and honestly might spam the living shit out of you all. So sorry about that lol, or not. Again, no idea.

Here you'll see the following content:

System Discourse

The Arcana - Mobile Game

Random ass things we decided to post at 2 am

Reblogs of accessibility, LGBT terms, System terms, and so on..

Literally anything I swear

Information about our system:

Mainly here's the important stuff:

Our First and Second carrd

Syscourse Opinion: 👍/💛&👇/📙/🔸&🔺/🔵/🌘/🟦&🟨/🌳/☁️/🥧/🐊/🐜/🐋

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Simply Plural is Selfcarecollective, Instagram is selfcarec0l, Twitter/X is ckselfcarecol, Tiktok is Selfcarecollective, Reddit is selfcaresystemm.

As we have an ever growing system, our headcount is always going to be relatively updated. But as such, it's impossible to enter every single member in our system that will post. If a system member wants to do an introduction, the list of introductions will be here, listed in order. The most basic information will be likes and dislikes, appearance, mods/aids, interactions, things they might blog about. And their own blogs.

How we tag:

Mainly how we tag now is just:

✏️(name) - (Name) wrote the post

→ Read this to see an update as of 11/7/23

👀(name) - (Name) is watching the post be made

🖍️ - Little created the post/had help posting. Name will not be public.

Written at the top:

Content Warning - [Non censored word]

The following content above is mentioned, but not described. Within the post it may or may not be censored

Trigger Warning - [Non censored Word]

The following content above is mentioned in detail. Within the post it may or may not be censored

[oliver-nova]

edit: 12/8/2023

thanks for taking an interest in my page! before you follow, here is a general overview of my page and some stuff i ask you to tag if i follow you

if you have any issue with these, especially my dni list, please block me

if you need anything tagged that isnt tagged, please let me know! i want to make your experience as comfy as possible

this is lengthy, so more after jump!

(general what i post, what i tag, dni list, and what i need tagged included)

what i post

the yakuza games

genshin impact

honkai star rail

obey me

a3!

resident evil

red dead redemption

cute animals

zodiac

graphics

shitposts

cinderella phenomeon

xoxo droplets

the ikemen series

the soul calibur series

wrestling (wrestling only page is @hyo-watanabe)

fanfic (fanfic only page is @kristenssinbin. all reblogs of smuttiness will come from there)

romantic shit

personal shit

digimon

castlevania

persona 5

far cry series

food

flowers

fashion/jewelry

nopixel!! (nopixel sideblog is @nicholas-simone)

twisted wonderland

court of darkness

dead by daylight

the call of duty reboot from 2022 (gaz is kind of a babe) 

aes stuff such as flowers and sunsets

stimboard / stimming gifs / satisfying gifs

ikemen prince

onx (rp server)

newday rp

my tags

yakuza

genshin

obey me (lately have been using just om)

a3

re

rdr

fave

ref

cinderella

xoxo

ikesen

ikevamp

ikepri

ikerev

sc

rasslin

rom

shut up kristen

replies

messages

digimon

castle

personal blahness tag retired due to it bringing back bad memories

shut up kristen (general post / venting posts)

my edit

my edits

my icons

my gifs

my lockscreens

discourse

sova

hanzo

fc3

fc4

fc5

fc6

p5

fcnd

twst

cod

mw

nopixel

newday rp

newday

onx

hsr

i tw sensitive content. i either go tw: (sensitive thing) or tw (sensitive thing)

i also try to tag spoiler/spoilers. i do a general rule of after 1 month of me seeing something or it being out for 1 month+ , i don’t spoiler tag then

what i need tagged

insects

spiders

body horror (a little blood is ok because i play m rated games)

the arcana, fuck that stupid fucking game

ships!!! (please tag your ships. i don’t ship anything, but there are some ships that i am super uncomfy with due to age difference and things bringing back bad memories and whatnot)

dni if

fujoshi

pro shipping (especially incest and adult x child ships)

DDlg/CGl(re)/any related age play kink blogs

MAPs/NoMAPs/PEARs/lolicon

maga/conservative

TERFs/Radfems

Bigots/supporters of hateful viewpoints or ideologies (racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, fatphobia etc)

pro-life

anti BLM

if you see nothing wrong with rpf

anti-vaxxers/anti-mask

thinspo

animal abuse

LGBT-exclusionist

overwatch league blog; fuck harryhook and fuck everyone who didn't believe me :3

xqc fan; dude is a piece of shit with a gross fanbase. dude has been banned from like 4 different games and owl because of how awful he is

cg/st/hydra fan; fuck em and the toxic vibes they bring to the np community  

old scu fan; what they (a large chunk of scu) did to jakka re: their chats is super fucking shitty, fuck em

serval x gepard shippers

jing yuan x yanqing shippers

brian knight fans, only because i talk shit about him a lot and it's for your protection, not mine :3

pro AI users - your precious AI steals content from artists and writers in the fandom, and you should feel bad :3

empty or untitled blog - this is always going to lead to at least a block. i will likely report you for being a bot

[imaginarianisms]

#IMAGINARIANISMS. an independent, private & selective multiera, multigenre, multifandom, multimuse, multiship & multiverse aesthetic, worldbuilding ask/rp blog featuring both canon & original characters of naruto, gangsta., a song of ice & fire/game of thrones/house of the dragon, the walking dead, & more. predominantly headcanon & exomemory based with both canon divergency & canon compliancy. sporadic activity; predominantly discord based & mutuals only. non-spoiler free. 15+ years rp experience. alternate universe, crossover, group rp, canon compliant, canon divergent, original character & fandomless character friendly. previously dominusornatum; originally established in 2019, archived in 2020 & restarted in 2023. haunted by angel / arcana & the imaginarians galaxy system.

a 𝖘𝖙𝖚𝖉𝖞 on abandonment, trauma, madness, the nurturing of others when one never received it for oneself, gender, queerness, indigeneity, disability, neurodivergency, alterhumanity, plurality, what makes a monster & what makes a human, indigenous spirituality, coming of age, young adulthood, indigenous pessimism, indigenous existentialism, indigenous psychology, holy eldritch abominations, enlightenment, apotheosis, witchcraft, occultism, prophecy, quests, dreams of the future, legacy, kings & lionhearts, messiahs & machiavels, whatever our souls are made of yours & mine are the same, family horror, platonic lovers, psychosexual tangles, unholy soulmateism, doomed by the narrative, cannibalism as tenderness & love, love is hunger, the divine within the profane, knighthood, queer chivalry, flower language, gods & monsters, coming back wrong, collective rage & grief, raw passion & power, the art of dominance, submission, trust & eroticism, sexual exploration, found family, troubled youth, children forced to kill, the corruption of youth, the face of love's rage, women in power, sex workers, cults, human exploitation, god loves you but not enough to save you, all the eyes on you, colonialism, intergenerational trauma, indigenous historical trauma, having faith in humanity despite everything, all my relations, the lengths you're willing to go for the ones you love, wars in the mind, hedonism, glamour, pleasure, desire, wrath, survival, vengeance & justice, undying devotion & unconditional love.

𝐃𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐄𝐑.

angel / arcana / ansale'wit / ᐋᓐᔐᓃ • 24 • poc; indigenous "canadian"; mixed native & jewish • predominantly transmascfem genderfluid two spirit & intersex bodied • bi; omni; bi/omni vincian/lesbian/enbian; aspec; ambiamorous • any but indigenous & plural pronouns preferred • disabled & neurodivergent; autism, adhd, cfs, pots, stpd, bpd, cptsd, did, etc. • future ambulatory wheelchair user & multipurpose psychiatric service dog handler • multigenic hc-did system host

POINTS OF INTEREST:

MUSES | MINIBIOS | PROMO | INTEREST CHECKER | SHIPPING & DYNAMIC INTEREST CHECKER (REVAMPING) | MUSE SHIPPING AVAILABILITY (REVAMPING) | OPEN STARTERS | PERMANENT STARTER CALL | MEMES | WISHLIST | INTERMUSE CONNECTIONS | PINTEREST | SPOTIFY

𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐀𝐆 𝐒𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐌.

• Please be 20+ to access any of the content here, ty!!✨

• Absolutely no discourse, bigotry nor fakeclaiming of any kind is tolerated here, nor are any debates or drama or callout posts. This is our& personal space. Do not waste our& time.

• Affiliated with @creolejesus & @familiarblood / @stillgcod & @loyalpromise & @doedsdans & @velcryons / @brokcncrowns & @scndor / @prodigum / @cregcn / @krakened & @lcerys / @jofreys / @burninghils & @lary5trong !!

main focus : daenerys targaryen, jon snow, misa amane, helaena targaryen, aemond targaryen & alys rivers.

current writing level : medium.

𝐁𝐘𝐅 . . .

• Predominantly beta editor & dashboard user; i'm& still working on the finer details of everything as in actually setting up things but please feel free to inquire about our& muses, we& have plenty! <333 • Read rules before interaction please & thank you! • This blog deals with heavy, triggering themes & has many problematic characters from problematic families from "problematic" fiction & we& have 0 intention of softening them! • This blog is run by a system of color, please be respectful of all of us& & understand that because of this the overwhelming vast majority of our& roster are muses of color, specifically indigenous muses of color & that I& mostly rp with other muns of color but I'm& not opposed to writing with white muns as long as you're respectful, this blog is mostly run by me& but there will be times when my& system members post or possibly even rp as themselves, so if you believe we are faking having did or our plurality as a whole & our& experiences around it, if you do not enjoy any of our& presences while you may do with another or mine&, if you ignore my& system members just to only speak to me& or you are not comfortable with us& often making posts / mentions relating to did, plurality & each other, block us& & move on. our& traumas & copings for them are just as real as we& are, & everyone in the system deserves to & should have the equal amount of respect, love, dignity, honor, care & undivided attention. we& will not tolerate any bullshit from anyone, so if that's something that intimidates you i& suggest you either check your internalized ableism & pluralphobia & learn to do better or leave!!

𝐃𝐍𝐈 𝐈𝐅 . . .

General DNI criteria, just... basic things like minors, bigots, racists, -phobes, ableists, sanists, antisemites, if you're going to drag us& into any kind of discourse, y'all get it. hopefully.

[ambrosia-and-ichor]

Heyyy, this is coming from pretty much nowhere, but why doesn't the wider Arcana fandom recognize that the game and Nix Hydra is.... iffy? I get that the fandom has really died down over the last year or so but I don't feel like there's EVER been much discourse or recognition of stuff that NH actually did.

Some people hate Lucio because he's annoying, not because he's one of the few white LI, abused the rest of the main cast (half of them POC) and he's literally a conqueror.

There's the complete misunderstanding of the cultures that NH pulled from/based their world and character designs on (Aisha's head covering).

I think there's been racist tweet and some stuff on the discord but I haven't actually seen what was said, so someone feel free to point me in the right direction.

There were the game ads about Julian, if I'm remembering correctly (I swear I didn't dream them but I can't find them from a quick search). The ones where you had two choices that were something like "help him" or "slap him".

Abuse/mental health in general stereotypes Julian into the "bad boy" and Muriel into the "poor baby".

There's the odd handling of Asra's gender.

And, some of the plot lines are super unhealthy and toxic. Like not even the Reversed ends.

And less controversial but still disappointing is how much more content there is for the first three characters (Like 3 parts per book) versus the secondary characters (1 part per book). If could be the same amount of content, just less parts, so I could be wrong, however, the secondary routes were still rushed, and it shows. I remember being disappointed while the secondary routes were coming out because the quality just wasn't as good.

I haven't played the game in like two years and I'm missing a lot of context (from the tweets and the complexities of the situation around Aisha) so I could be wrong on some of these. I also haven't combed through insta or the subreddit. I'm tempted to do a deep dive or master post or something. And, finally, this is not meant to call out any fans, as I'm sure most of them have good intentions and there's still a good portion who called NH out about the tweets and discord situation.