#The fool Arcanum | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

shuunnico · 5 months

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You like rpgs. Do you recommend any games like baldurs gate 3?

Absolutely. I'll assume you mean CRPGs and not RPGs in general.

Computer Roleplaying Games (CRPGs) refers to a style and genre of game that BG3 follows. Some have started calling CRPGs "Classic RPGs" instead. CRPGs are typically identified by an isometric, top down view style, a heavy focus on story and exploration.

I'm going to split my list it three main categories based on accessibility factors. These factors include the amount of reading involved, the depth of mechanics and the level of abstraction/math required.

Easy Entry Level

Baldur's Gate 3 - 2023 - Larian Studios. The current gold star for easy entry CRPGs. Exceptional graphics, every character voice acted, very little reading and fairly straightforward mechanics and concepts.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 DE- 2017 - Larian Studios. This is basically a less polished, more complex version of BG3 and made by the same studio.

Disco Elysium, Final Cut - 2019 - ZA/UM. Disco Elysium is a detective/social focus game that dives into heavy narrative concepts. Failing rolls is just as viable for the story as succeeding them, making the game's mechanics take a backseat to story. However, there is a lot of reading and that may be a barrier to entry.

Tyranny - 2016 - Obsidian Entertainment. A game about being evil, it's mechanically pretty simple, but there's a fair bit of jank due to it's low budget, and the game ends on a cliffhanger, but it's story is very solid.

Mid Entry Level

Wasteland 3 - 2020 - inExile Entertainment. The long awaited third installment of the Wasteland franchise and significantly less complex than its predecessors. Post apocalyptic, frozen Colorado, grim reality and goofy ideas. This is the franchise that originally inspired Fallout.

Shadowrun: Dragonfall DC/ Shadowrun: Hong Kong EE - 2014/2015 - Harebrained Schemes. Set in the Fantasy/Cyberpunk hybrid setting of Shadowrun. Fair bit of reading, but the game's mechanics are relatively easy to grasp and don't require a lot of math. Always play Dragonfall before Hong Kong.

Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire - 2018 - Obsidian Entertainment. A unique setting, exploring a fictional parallel to the age of piracy. Very wordy (but a lot is voice acted), with a lot of world building, but well worth engaging with. The first game, Pillars of Eternity, is less accessible, but still good.

Kingmaker/Wrath of the Righteous/Rogue Trader - 2020/2022/2023 - Owlcat Games. Owlcat adapts existing systems into CRPGs, like how BG3 is an adaption of DnD 5e. Do not be fooled, these games are where you start hitting a lot of complexity, a lot of math and a lot potential to damage your playthroughs by accident. This is where things start to get difficult.

Difficult Entry Level

Baldur's Gate 1/2 - Bioware - 1998/2000. The prequels to BG3, these games use an older, much more complex version of DnD's rules. Be prepared for a lot of reading and complex mechanics, but you'll be rewarded with some amazing storytelling.

Planescape Torment - Interplay - 1999. Another game using DnD's older mechanics, Planescape is a completely different beast from BG3. Many consider this series mechanically inferior to the Baldur's Gate franchise, but with better storytelling and world building to compensate.

Fallout 1/2 - 1997/1998 - Interplay/Black Isle. One of the most widely known game franchises started as an isometric CRPG. Universally considered more complex, rewarding and deeper than the Bethesda portion of the franchise, you'll need some experience to get into them, but you'll be happy you did.

Games I haven't played but I've heard good things of:

Wasteland 2, DC - 2015 - inExile

Torment: Tides Of Numenera - 2017 - inExile

Neverwinter Nights - 2002 - Bioware

Arcanum - 2001 - Troika Games

Ultima 7 Part 1/Part 2 - 1992/1993 - Origin Systems

Icewind Dale - 2000 - Black Isle Studio

#Baldur's Gate 3 #Disco Elysium #DnD #Fallout #Rogue Trader #Warhammer 40k #Pathfinder #Baldur's Gate #Planescape #Bioware #pillars of eternity

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merrinla · 6 months

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youtube

I need more of him speaking latin please

Translated spells from devnotes

Flagra – Blaze

Arde – Burn

Maior, fortior – Greater, stronger

Fulgur – Lightning

Glacies – Ice

Acidum – Acid

Dolor – Pain

Malleus – Hammer

Confusio – Confusion

Morere – Die

Veni et iuva me – Come and aid me

Configo – I pierce

Ignis – Fire

Peri – Perish

Macte virtute – Be blessed (for your courage)

Ira et dolor – Wrath and pain

Te curo – I cure you

Treme – Shiver

Quod dico face – Do as I say

Invoco te – I summon you

Tonitrus – Thunder

Deure – Wither

Macesce – Wither

Cudo – I beat

Mortalis – Deadly

Ferio – I strike

Frange – Shatter

Inficio – I poison

Stupefacio – I strike (you) dumb

Impero tibi – I command you

Incende – Set fire

Diminuo te – I shatter you

Tormentum – Torture

Gela – Freeze

Perure – Be consumed

Ira – Wrath

Caedo – I cut

Ex Textura – From the Weave

Detono – I thunder

Mortem tuum sum – I am your death

Venenum – Poison

Tu es nihil – You are nothing

Dissolve – Melt

Dialino – I shred

Torre – Roast

Vis medicatrix – Healing Power

Seco – I carve

Circulus mortis – Circle of death

Resisto mortem – I resist death

Vita excolatur – Let life be enriched

Voco spicae – I summon spikes

Magis amica veritas – Truth is a better friend

Te video – I see you

Tempestas – Wind

Risum teneatis? – Can you help laughing?

Resisto ignem – I resist fire

Non fit injura – No harm is done

Sphaera mortis – Sphere of death

Corpora sana – Healthy bodies

Diminue – Be diminished

Crescit eundo – It grows as it goes

Intactilis sum – I am untouchable

Ververo – I lash

Obedi me – Obey me

Pulso – Open up

Ad lapidem – To stone

Non compos mentis – (You are) not in control of your faculties

Esurio – Be afraid

Resisto frigus – I resist cold

Omnia mutantur – Everything changes

Signum arcanum – Magic symbol

Ad maiorem dei gloriam – For the greater glory of god

Tenebra – Darkness

Mundus vult decipi – The world wants to be deceived

Nulla salus – There is no salvation

Punge – Sting

Ludus non factum est – The game is not over

Hostium munera – Gifts of enemies

Plue – Let it rain

Esto perpetua – May it be perpetual

Bene curatur – It can be healed well

Non movere – Don’t move

Voco murus – I summon a wall

Morio – You absolute fool

Voco flagella – I summon tentacles

Venustior – More charming

Pallida mors – Pale death

Aresce – Dry up

Resarcio – I repair

Evanesco – I disappear

Vincere est vivere – To conquer is to live

Fiat voluntas dei – May god’s will be done

Et alibi – And elsewhere

Invisibilis – Invisible

Propera – Hurry up

Inaccessus – Inaccessible

Nocturnus – By night

Vos curo – Heal you

Demento te – I drive you insane

Agilius – With more agility

Caveat incantator – Let the caster beware

Inexpugnabilis – Impregnable

Virtus et scientia – Virtue and knowledge

Voco vineae – I summon vines

Tempora mutantur – The times have changed

Maledicte es – You are cursed

Vincit qui patitur – He conquers who endures

Voco potentia – I summon power

Risus abundat – Laughter is abundant

Pulchrior – More beautiful

Da mihi facta – Give me the facts

Ocior – Make haste

Resisto venenum – I resist poison

Horribilissimus – The most horrible

Loquere si tibi placet – Speak if you please

Stabilio – I stabilize

Voco araneae – I summon webs

Te occludo oculos – I close your eyes

Dum vita est, spes est – Where there’s life, there’s hope

Canto te – I enchant you

Caeco te – I blind you

Mors tua, vita mea – Your death, my life

Fiat lux – let there be light

Para bellum – Prepare for war

Volo non fugia – I fly but do not flee

Gigans – Giant

Vivat crescat floreat – May it live and grow

Efferve – Swarm over

Ubi es? – Where are you?

Surge – Arise

Incommodum – Disaster

Siccut cattus – Like a cat

Citius – Faster

Resisto acidum – I resist acid

Mors certa – Death is certain

Te adstringo linguam – I bind your tongue

Ex nihilo – Out of nothing

Sine metu – Without fear

Voco glacies – I summon ice

Minimus – The smallest

Intellego – I understand

Voco nubes – I summon clouds

Auribus teneo lupum – I hold the wolf be the ears

Corruptus – Infected

Ale me – Feed me

Flagello – I whip

Es praedae mei – You are my prey

Cave circulum – Beware of the circle

Amo sanguinem – I love blood

Amicus animalis – Friend of animals

Mors animae – Death of the soul

Cum mortuis in lingua mortua – With the dead in a dead language

Aqua pura – Clear water

In nocte consilium – The night brings advice

Umbrae – Shadows

Tibi do pennas – I give you wings

Te absolvo – I acquit you

Inveniam viam – I will find a way

Irretio in sphaera – I trap you in sphere

Ostende secretorum tuorum – Reveal your secrets

Oculus tempestatis – The eye of the storm

Resurg – You will rise again

Mutatis mutandis – With appropriate changes

Tuebor – I will protect

Aridissimus – Driest

Intelligenti pauca – Few words suffice for he who understands

Eiecto te – I throw you out

Cresceat scientia – Let knowledge grow

Silentium – Silence

Impero te – I command you

Time – Be afraid

Resisto – I resist

Video veritatem – I see the truth

Viam sapientiae – The way of wisdom

Stultissime – You most stupid

Ut ventus – Into the wind

Secreti umbrarum – The secrets of the shadows

Clausus – Locked

Lux in tenebra – Light in darkness

Ab uno disce omnes – From one, learn all

Ad vitam aeternam – To eternal life

Impero mortuos – I command the dead

Morbidus – Diseased

Sol Invictus – Unconquered Sun

Te exsecror – I curse you

Mors incerta, vita certissima – Death is uncertain, life the most certain

Gustas dulcis – You taste so sweet

Fronti nulla fides – Appearances deceive

Dissera – Open up

Expello te – I expel you

Extende – Enlarge

Voco arvina – I summon grease

Vae victis – Woe to the conquered

Scio, Didici, Pecto – I know, for I have studied, with my mind

Vita, Mortis, Careo – Life, and death, I am without

Manus, Potentis, Paro – A hand, powerful, I prepare

Veritas, Credo, Oculos – The truth, I believe, with my eyes

Facio, Voco, Ferre – This I do, I call, to bring you forth

Incertus, Pulcher, Imperio – Uncertain, beautiful things, I command

Cupio, Virtus, Licet – I want, excellence, allowed to me

Praeses, Alia, Fero – Protecting, another, I bring this forth

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #halsin #bg3 voicelines

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utilitycaster · 3 months

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ok just a list of even more questions re: Ruidus and its creation and society and basically everything

How much of the creation myths are true? Are bormodos descended from dwarves or halflings or something, or were they drastically changed by Predathos, or something in between? Were cytaa lizardfolk once?

Similarly are Reilora entirely of Predathos or do they have an Exandrian counterpart?

Absolutely fucking wild guess here that's almost certainly wrong but also this took place in the Founding and we don't even know how long the Age of Arcanum was; are bormodos and cytaa and reilora somehow truer to what Exandria was at the time, a la how the North American English accent is arguably closer to the 1600s British English Accent than many modern British accents are?

(my planetary science knowledge is limited and I respect if Matt "oh shit forgot about the polar day/night cycle in the summer in the arctic" Mercer decides to handwave that because frankly you can just say Magic! but why does Ruidus have similar gravity to the much larger Exandria as well as a seemingly comparable atmosphere)

How much of the "design" claimed in the Imperium's religion is in fact deliberate and how much is simply claimed? Are flares purposeful or involuntary? Are they made by Predathos or by the Weave Mind or by Ludinus's bullshit at this point?

Not a question so much as an observation but given that traditionally psionics are INT based in D&D and the Vanguard is sorcerers this explains a whole lot about how dysfunctional it is as an organization: in keeping with the sorcerer theme, it's the most "dish it out but can't take it" group of people that ever existed. You could DEVASTATE these CHA-based fools with a well-placed Synaptic Static, psychic resistance or no.

Did Otohan discover the method by which one became Exaltant via her experiences in the war? This would explain a lot and be literally by far the most interesting thing about her.

Literally though how would one of the Vanguard members who joined due to religious trauma respond to being taken to The Religious Trauma Capital? Are they all going to turn around and be like "well now I'm the one in power, so it's okay" (which is not uncommon as a response irl and would be fascinating to unpack) or are some of them going to turn upon realizing they're just trading one religion for another?

How long ago did the Vanguard and Imperium begin collaborating? For that matter, when did Ludinus specifically get involved given that only Exaltants could do anything with Reilora prior to the solstice?

The most recent Reilora Imogen summoned was not of the Imperium, but Kadija noted that the kinder Reilora Exaltants met in their dreams were sometimes replaced by more aggressive Reilora. Is it a crapshoot whether she summons a Reilora friendly to her cause or unfriendly? Is this also true of the Vanguard Exaltants?

#matthew mercer i am in your nonfunctional chimney #cr spoilers #btw stealthy tags bit but i think that post picking apart how dragons can fly bc magic is dumb #like if that's the point of your story yes dive into it #if that's not relevant then. it is FINE.

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reynasdream · 6 months

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OOO BRO I just saw your lil post about writing for reverse 1999 and lemme tell you how FAST I dashed over here like I could be in the Olympics LMFAO

ANYWAYY BOOKIE I was LOWKEY WONDERING if you would be comfortable enough to doing Tennant and Dikke (separate!) x Ace detective! (Fem or Gn) Reader?

LIKE.. IDK imagine reader like Goro Akechi from persona 5😭 BUT OF COURSE that’s only if you’re comfortable and confident w it!🫧

HAVE A AMAZINGGG DAY THO!!

HELLO MISS!

⤷ pairings: dikke x reader, tennant x reader

⤷ content: all pairings are separate, reader is gender-neutral with no specified pronouns, mentions of homocide, very slight suggestiveness in dikke's part, not proofread

DIKKE

⤷ she had heard of you before from the townsfolk. to be completely honest, she had never really thought much about you other than that you were a smart and incredible, yet expensive detective.

⤷ you had helped solved several cases in the past despite your young age. you had started ever since you were a child, however, your work was more..."unofficial".

⤷ you were more recognized by her when you had gathered evidence to solve a major unsolved homicide case. she became more interested in you, and when she had the time, she sought out for you.

⤷ she didn't want to hire you, however. she simply wished to know you and your work better.

⤷ she asked to meet you at a small cafe, one where you two wouldn't easily be noticed by the townspeople.

⤷ after speaking with each other for a while, you two decided to have these meet-ups at least once every two weeks. the meetings became more often, but of course, you couldn't meet all the time because of both of your duties.

⤷ still, she enjoyed your company and knowing more about your career and cases in the past.

⤷ it didn't take long for her to realize she was in love with you.

⤷ one random day she decided to just confess to you. she invited you to the same cafe, but she tried to make it more special by giving you a gift and a bouquet of your favorite flowers.

⤷ she tried hinting that she liked you, and you did catch on, but you didn't say anything, thinking you were wrong.

⤷ that's when she just confessed to you. her face was tomato red when she confessed, and she attempted to hide her face with her hands.

⤷ if you accepted her confession, she'll take you outside and kiss you behind the building...maybe it'll lead to something more?

⤷ if you rejected her confession, she'll be okay with it, but she'll still want to be friends with you. she just won't be able to hang out with you so much, because now she's moving on and hanging out with you will only make her feelings toward you intense.

TENNANT

⤷ she knows you are not an easy one to fool with her..."charms".

⤷ she essentially spies on you, observing your personality and actions to determine who you are.

⤷ assuming you're wealthy, she'll most likely try to cheat you out of your wealth.

⤷ when her charms prove as useless, she may resort to her arcanum skills to manipulate you.

⤷ if they don't work on you somehow, then she'll be less ticked off and more intrigued by you, similar to dikke except with more malicious intentions.

⤷ she will befriend you, and work her way up to a higher status as your friend in order to manipulate you.

⤷ that's when she realizes that she has fallen in love with you, and she'll try to win you, this time with less...deceiving intentions.

⤷ she will try to win your heart, and although it definitely doesn't seem like it, she's rather desperate.

⤷ i mean, you're gorgeous, smart, and rich. it's not a surprise that she wants to be with you.

⤷ one day, she decides it's time for her to confess her feelings. her real feelings.

⤷ she invites you to a fancy restaurant, even offering to pay for everything. she gives you a couple luxurious gifts and treats you even more well than usual.

⤷ when she does confess, she is very much different from dikke. she speaks with full confidence, not bothering to hide her flushed face as she tells you her feelings.

⤷ if you do accept her confession, she would be delighted. she'll often take you out on fancy dates to restaurants, museums, operas, or other places considered as "sophisticated".

⤷ if you don't accept her confession, she'll understand, but that doesn't mean she won't be upset. she'll try to move on but she definitely won't forget you and your cute little face.

#reverse 1999 #reverse 1999 x reader #dikke x reader #tennant x reader #dikke #tennant #dikke reverse 1999 #reverse 1999 dikke #reverse 1999 tennant #tennant reverse 1999 #reynasdream -`♡´-

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kanralovesu · 5 months

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⛺Recounting the great story of Reverse 1999's Horror at Green Lake so more people can hear it ⛺

We open on a group of college students on vacation in Green Lake Campsite. Blonde beauty Blonney immediately goes off to fool around with the football player, only to find a vicious masked man with a butcher's knife who swiftly murders them. As the rest of the group gets picked off, the virtuous and naive Anne is left alone to fend off the monster. But just as she's about to be corned our main character Vertin and her crew arrive, including Horrorpedia a self proclaimed horror movie expert.

As our heroes use their magical arcanum powers to fight the killer, they're shocked to see Blonney wake from the dead, covered in blood that smells suspiciously like cherry syrup. "You ruined my perfect shot!" She proclaims, parading her magical floating camera. Turns out we had accidently wandered onto a student movie set! A pissed off director Blonney proclaims that she doesn't even like horror movies, but choose to make one for her film major because "they're so cliched and easy to make!" We even find out the football player who was acting all tough earlier is actually a timid liberal arts major! Anne, however, is just as naive as her film counterpart as they apparently just enlisted her from the local village to replace an actress who got sick the night before.

But the story doesn't end there. As everyone gets ready for the next take, Blonney is reminded "wait, didn't Greg also get sick? Who did we find to replace him as the killer?" Blonney thought the rest of them had found someone. With the realization that no one knows the true identity of the killer in the mask, the group bolts to the nearby cabin, chased by the supposedly real killer who was among them!

Hiding from the killer as rain begins to pour, Blonney consoles in Anne that she's actually an Arcanist like the rest of the main characters. In this world, that means she has magical powers but faces discrimination because of it. She tried to blend in to human society, throwing away her childhood love for horror movies and storytelling because emotional things like those are more stereotypically arcanist in nature. She put on an air of "the pretty and stupid blonde" because that's what she thought society wanted out of her. However, as her crewmates (besides Anne) turn on her for being an arcanist, she's shown that the prejudice runs deeper than she thought.

Throughout all of this, a mysterious entity has been leaving clue and picking off the film crew one by one. Not a singular movie monster, but someone controlling multiple movie monsters, each of which our heroes has to fight off. When push comes to shove, Blonney embraces her Arcanist powers once again, drawing up a creative version to her car with giant teeth and then making that drawing a reality to crush the monsters! Anne also gets her moment, although she dispatches the man with the butcher's knife in a less magical way: whipping him with a large branch, stealing his own knife and then driving him through with it. Horrorpedia, as genre savvy as ever, points out that Anne has true "Final Girl" energy!

But there is one final twist to uncover: who is the mastermind behind all of these monsters? In a shocking twist presented in a puppet theater of all things, we find out that Blonney accidently willed into existence an imaginary friend when she was younger and visited Green Lake Campsite: a deer girl based on the puppet she had back then. Back in the day, she told so many stories to herself, imagining all kind of horror movie monsters that the team now find themselves up against. It was Blonney's imagination that created these monsters, but her imaginary friend had turned them into reality after she left.

This deer girl, waiting ever so patiently for her best friend to return, is revealed to be Anne all along! She had been masterminding the monster attacks because in her naivete she believed that it was all just fun and games. Not only that, but she was desperate to not be left alone again like when Blonney left her as a child to pursue the human world. Blonney knows she can't stay with her in the forest like Anne (whose real name is Jessica) wants, but she offers Jessica a home with her instead. After our main character assures her that everything will be alright, Jessica calls off the monsters, transforming the campsite into a beautiful location yet again.

Horrorpedia is disappointed that the whole thing ended with "love and friendship and a deus ex machina" and everyone lived happily ever after! (With Blonney and Jessica becoming girlfriends of course. I skipped over the details but its barely subtext! I don't care if she's a deer-centaur and she's a human, they're perfect for each other!)

Please go play Reverse 1999! Its got a few translation issues as you can see with the text above, but the stellar character writing still shines through, especially since its fully voice acted. I still recommend reading this story for yourself even after reading this plot summary because there is so much nuance I missed out on when summarizing it. Particularly the way Blonney and Anne/Jessica's relationship evolves over the story is great to see! There are also plenty of other great stories like this in the main campaign. So far, they haven't missed!

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rainbowgod666 · 3 months

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Really fucking stupid patch notes, wizardposting edition

Fixed a bug where @the-gnomish-bastard could NOT turn back into a normal gnome when using "Become Lead Statue" in some cases. This somehow applied to every "Become Statue" spell but the Lead one was the most broken one

Fixed a bug where Meme Summons straight up couldnt work if you had more mana than usual. No, we have no idea what the fuck happened

Fixed interactions with every variant of @the-wizard-council-blog, including the Illegal one, the NSFW one, The worse one, The better one, and all other iterations

Fixed a bug where the stew arcanum was straight up uncraftable because all the data was gibberish. This was fixed a few versions ago and now you only need 3 high-tier gods to make it. Also you need Meme-Infused Magic Spellwood Bowls to hold this post-post endgame item. Yes, its still too much stew but we kept it like that because its unironically funny

Speaking of magical trees: fixed a bug where some types of trees straight up Did Not Grow unless some form of "chunk loading" was enabled. In other words, what the fuck.

Fixed a bug where stacking too many attack ups made the damage 0 on any "explosive" spell. @official-megumin can now deal 9 quintillion damage (as long as its not over the positive 64-bit integer limit, because then the bug stays) (also the code is less fucked)

Fixed a bug where some unusual but valid items for wands and staves (such as LITERALLY EVERY NUCLEAR METAL and some fantasy ones like orichalcum and australium) straight up couldnt exist.

Added more items to mythril, but this time everything you can do with mythril can be done with other materials, so now you can choose between mythril orichalcum AND adamantine depending on the color

Adamantium crafting now doesnt require a bordering-on-hyperbole amount of adamantine. Also you now need industrial steel instead of normal one.

Fixed a bug where "Triple Summon of Meth Berserk Chimps" not only was unobtainable, but required over 2.14 billion mana. Granted it was unreleased back then but then it was released and it still was in its testing stage

Fixed a bug with many spider-themed spells not really being "spidery", this one goes out for our boy @autism--wizard, may you find many cute spooders in ur life :3

Fixed a bug where "induce memetic stroke" accidentally... told people about the meme. Whoops.

"TACO BELL TACOSPELL OF INTESTINAL IMPLOSION" fixed to deal less damage than the psychological damage. We know its a forbidden spell but fuck you we are not sending people to the therapist because omega diharrea

Speaking of: fixed a bug where "steal item" could work on vital organs. Youre gonna learn "Spell Of True Thievery" and youre gonna shut the fuck up about it

Fixed a bug where non-sentient kobolds could be... "milked". Yes mr gnome. KILK existed and it was kobold sperm this entire time. This is why you said it didnt exist, CAUSE THAT SHIT WASNT MILK CHIEF! Anyways now KILK actually doesnt exist so y'all better shut the fuck up or FIND A MILKABLE SOMETHING WITH A K IN ITS NAME

Fixed a bug where familiars didnt familiar. Yes it was terrifying in every way ever, so thank @familiar-union for this. Yes thwy cant be tagged by us idfk why

Fixed mithril tools being literal reskins of their steel equivalents. Whoops!

Fixed a bug where that one April Fools joke of "summon cock" actually summoning a penis. Now it actually summons a rooster (and a really big one)

Speaking of that, Summon Rooster has been fixed and now its a better version of the aforementioned spell

Fixed the interaction between A LOT of spells. Turns out that 99% of harry potter being trash doesnt stop people from doing Dragonball Beam Struggles with their spells. Also yes, elements apply

Fixed a few lines of code so that now the "use pokemon typings" option doesnt disintegrate the UI. Over 120k spells and each and every single one of them now has functioning typing. Now shut the fuck up wE DID IT

Fixed retrocompatibility issues. Now runescape can scape the runes! (HR is fully aware that the joke is shit) (but fuck it, it was funny)

Fixed a bug where any "Robot" something would bug up and change colors. Considering that people somehow managed to make trans flags with this, we added a transgender flag skin for every "robot", "wulfrum", and similar tech spells.

Greatrererest Blahaj Blast Barrage now has a hitbox AND a cost. It can be set as your ult and we already have the Gold, Platinum, Uranium and other skins ready. Yes the transgender skin is unlocked by default if you already have the spell, and if you dont- Magical Battlepass has it at levels 10, 32, and 69 (otherwise you get materials and xp) Because the one battlepass that works without FOMO and Whaling had to be the magical one

Fixed a bug where "draconic" items were only easily obtainable by dupe glitches. We may not have fixed those but we upped the drop rates so you dont have to exterminate dragons for one singular heart. Now it takes 3 dragons at most! (Yeah so it turns out the drop rates were HELLA WRONG. Whoopsie daisy!)

Speaking of that: Draconic Evolution Backporting works now! Now when you use a staff of power, people wont think its an euphemism for your di-

Magical swords now can be made woth higher tier elements. No idea why would you need an Entropic Steel Magic Sword but fuck it. You deserve to put some sparkles on that Alien X looking ass blade

The Throngler's Gold Skin now doesnt make it a mess of metal and gold. Now its actually good

Fixed a bug where bad connection made the online version of "the potion seller's strongest potion" unplayable because some elements were only obtainable in multiplayer. Fuck you and your theories about thwnpotion seller being an eldritch dragon eater. LoL. KeK even

The Augur Dragon now doesnt get stuck flying in circles above the Forbidden Volcano Arena. Now it actually CAN hit you from 10000ft in the air!

The marble wyvern boss (and therefore all other marble wyverns) actually drop the dragon marble builders want

Added tier XVII to the Magical Engine. Also recipes for Tier Ascension were fixed.

N2O Blast was fixed to deal hellfire instead of fire. And also being blue. It was easier than you believe

Using "Golden Shower (Metal) actually rains coins instead of being "golden shower but identical and deals steel damage"

Sniler's quests now update in 1 hour instead of 24, and the quests are better. During multiplayer, there are 5 quests avaiable instead of 3

Ghastly Mist now actually blinds opponents instead of being really dense

"F.I.S.T." can no longer be boosted by attack boosts, but nOW its damage is "(999 × your level + (your attack stat × 2)) × 2", and its cast cost went from 1000 mana to 1200.

More scroll duplication bugs were fixed, but the "use Grant Spell Usage onto a low level non-magic enemy so they have a spell that they cant use and then using Turn Into Scroll" has been made into an ACTUAL feature. Go ahead and make a billion "Scroll of Imaginary Technique: Hollow Purple"!

"Starlight Thunderstorm" now has 1% paralysis

Removed the "domain expansion" function until we figure out how THAT works. Theres still the tab, and when it will be implemented just send screenshots of what "domain expansion customizations" and then youre getting them once we implement them

#welcome to the multiverse #patch notes #wizardposting

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spicyviren · 24 days

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Oh let me meditate on the beast of devouring that feeds on the stars, that star devourer dragon Let me repel this Star dragon and banish it from the light of my Sun

- Ancient Sunfire chant, Tales of Xadia

I'm thinking about the sun and the stars and how Laurelion is, probably, both.

(Reposted because I’m a damn fool!!)

The Big Bang, in real life

The majority of atoms which make up us, our earth, and even our very own sun, were formed in the hearts of the very first stars in the universe.

These stars were made of lighter elements, mostly Hydrogen, Helium, and Lithium. But under the immense pressure at the core of those first stars, heavier atoms like Carbon, Oxygen and Nitrogen were formed. The stars eventually died - exploded - and released those heavier elements into the universe to be crafted into other forms.

As Carl Sagan famously put it, "We are made of star stuff."

And so Aaravos's quote in the teaser for season six - We are, all of us, stardust - is a blatant nod to the Sagan quote as well as, I am assuming, that aspect of the universe in some shape or form. Allegorically, it speaks to the idea of the universality of existence in the basest sense. But also, it acknowledges that the stars, like everything else, operate generationally.

So in this way, if we are to assume the TDP cosmos operates at least somewhat similar to our own, Xadia's sun is a younger (but still old as balls) star, from a different generation than the stars which are far more distant and ancient.

(As a side note, the very first stars in the universe did not last very long. Though certain stars in existence right now have "lifetimes" which are projected to last longer than the universe has currently been in existence.)

So if Xadia's sun is technically a star, even by Xadia's own admission (see Sunfire chant), then by this metric I have to ask...

What makes the Sun arcanum different from the Star arcanum?

While those first, most ancient of stars produced the materials which would become life, only a sun can sustain life and is therefore inextricably linked with the earth and all the life on it. It's this connection which I imagine is responsible for the change in the nature of the magic.

In Callum's Spellbook, Callum makes some word-association lists for the different types of magic. He associates "truth" with both Sun and Star (perhaps a trait of their shared stardom). No other words match up completely, but it feels like they are referencing similar things within different contexts.

The Sun teaches while the Stars are simply intelligent; the Sun is a "guiding light" while the Stars are associated with "destiny." Further, many of the other words Callum associates with the sun are about being in positive community with others (optimism, warmth, charisma, leadership). The nature of the sun is more giving, nurturing, and dare I say loving than that of your average star. Sun is revealing and honesty, Star is mysterious and reality-altering. Further, there is a dynamism in the words for Sun Magic that is absent from Star Magic - sharing knowledge vs simply having knowledge, guiding vs prescribing a set path.

(Another side note: Callum also mentions that Star mages are born, which, Callum's limited understanding aside, is perhaps a hint about what it will take to connect to the Star Arcanum. I have thoughts, but.... I'll just leave that there, winky face)

Obviously, these word associations can only go so far. Some of the most hostile and arrogant (eh eh!!) figures we've met have been Sun-aligned. But it does make me wonder about the beginning of Sun magic and what that introduction may have looked like.

Ever wonder what those sparkly dots are up there?*

Okay, so big question for me. Is Aaravos a star, like, literally a personification of a ball of gas burning billions of miles away, or is he just like, a very special elf? The same goes for all Startouch elves.

Zubeia refers to Aaravos as both a star and as an elf, and it's one of those things which I can't decide is real or simply a more poetic way of speaking of him. Is "Startouch elf" simply another type of star? Official art also sometimes depicts him and others as constellations. Are they the formed consciousness of a collection stars?

But it also makes me think of how often Sunfire elves personify the sun/the sun orb.

JANAI: You are a student of history, yes? Do you know where the Great Orb of the Sunforge came from? KARIM: Legends say it was a gift from the Sun herself. The gift of a millenium. - "The Drakewood," S4E6

In "The Queen's Mercy," we have...

Aditi nodded. “[...]and so, as the Sun’s daughter, I will lead you into her embrace.”

...and earlier, there is this:

Queen Aditi the Merciful, they called her. Queen Aditi the Kind. The Light of the Sun Incarnate. Kim’dael had thought it all an insufferable exaggeration. Sunfire elves gilded everything they could touch, of course they would do the same to their beloved leader.

Karim personifies the corrupted sun orb in "After Darkness":

He could still see it: the top of the Sunforge Tower, upside-down from where he lay, shrouded in inky corruption. It looked ill, its sickness weeping red and crowning the spire in a haze of blood. [...] We will come back, he promised his beloved, tainted city, his lost home. We will not abandon you. The orb pulsed mutely, a cry for help he could not answer.

TDP uses personification a lot, so it is kind of hard to parse out when it's being literal and when it's being lyrical. Perhaps in the examples cited it's simply the ostentatious way of the Sunfire elves like Kim'dael thinks. But if Aaravos, a known person, can be a star, then I can easily reason vice versa.

In the Book 1 novelization, Aaravos refers to himself as "of the First Elves." And if that is true, it follows that there must have been "Second Elves."

So who is Laurelion?

The significance of the laurel in the Western canon goes back to the myth of Daphne and Apollo.

There are various versions of the story, but essentially, Apollo (popularly associated with the sun), falls helplessly in love with Daphne. Though her reasons vary in different iterations, Daphne turns away from Apollo's affections. She runs and Apollo pursues. Just as Apollo is about to catch her, she begs for help - sometimes from her father, a river god, and sometimes from her mother, a nymph or Gaia - and she is saved by being turned into the laurel tree. In Ovid's Metamorphosis, when Apollo reaches Daphne post-transfiguration, he can still feel her heart beating below the bark. From that point on, the laurel wreath was associated with Apollo, achievement, and victory.

Gold, the element, takes the symbol Au from its Latin word, Aurum, which has etymological ties to 'aurora' (dawn). Names likes Aurelio or Aurelius similarly mean "golden" or "guilded."

So, taken together, I of course think immediately of this:

THAT BEING SAID, this looks more like a weeping willow or a wisteria than it does a laurel, which has bushy foliage rather than hanging. The closest I can maybe get is a mountain laurel, which does have blooms that hang kinda sorta like a wisteria, though not nearly in such a dramatic fashion. But anyway!

The golden laurel...⋆｡°✩Laurelion✩°｡⋆

Interestingly, in Ovid's retelling of Apollo and Daphne, Apollo's love is the result of being struck by Cupid's golden arrow, while Daphne's disgust of Apollo's advances are the result of being struck by a lead-tipped arrow. And so, there is an association there with gold and love. And within the context of the myth - Cupid is getting petty revenge on Apollo after Apollo is boastful and arrogant about his own prowess with a bow and arrow - it's also an instance of weaponizing love.

Which brings us to that which is known everforth as...

The Nova Blade

It is actually quite common for stars to have companions and to exist in what is called a binary star system. In this system, two stars are gravitationally locked in orbit and can appear as a single object when observed by the naked eye. Sometimes, the proximity between these two stars results in what is called a nova - a sudden brightness which appears to be a new star. Novas are not associated with stellar "death" (you'd be thinking of supernova, in that case).

Now in our universe, novas are not actually stars. They are events, momentary bursts of brightness under specific circumstances between two stars. But the name "nova" originally came from the term "stella nova" which means new star.

…and though undying, took last breath, immortal Laurelion was no more. - "The Death of the Immortal"

Did Laurelion just...die? You know, it was really unclear...

I do not think the Nova Blade killed Laurelion in the moment described in the poem. Kazi is so doubtful and Callum is so sure - Callum you fool! - surely that would be too easy (quote quote easy)?

I will grant that "Supernova Blade" would sound kind of hokey, and even originally I had thought, "Oh cool, 'nova,' like 'SUPERnova!'" And then I thought to look up just 'nova' and it turns out it was actually its own thing. But even without all that, the 'though-undying' of it all haunts me.

And so I hold to the idea that the Nova Blade makes an immortal mortal. It does bring death's bite, but in a way in which Laurelion becomes something else, reborn with death's promise like all other mortal beings are.

I have two point five ideas.

The Light of the Sun Incarnate

My first hypothesis is, of course, that Laurelion became the tree with the Sunseed with a name that's a nod to Daphne and Apollo. Of course, I'm assuming here that the tree in which the Sunseed is kept is responsible for producing/sustaining the Sunseed, which may not be true.

Now the drawback of this idea is the legend that the Sunseed was a gift from the Sun herself. So here, it would have to be within the context of the Sun sacrificing Laurelion in some way for this purpose. There's obvious Jesus parallels here which, full disclosure, is not really my bag, baby, but there are plenty of elements in TDP that very easily slot in with Christian canon. But also, in the laurel myth Daphne begs a parent to save her, which puts the sacrifice of it all in a different light. It makes me wonder if the event with the Nova Blade is self-inflicted and, mayhaps, an act of love. So in this sense, the Sun "gifted" the world (or just the Sunfire elves, I dunno) her child by simply letting her child go.

My second hypothesis is that Laurelion became the first Sunfire elf, of the second elves. We are, all of us, stardust. It would not come as a shock to me if all elves were ultimately descended from the Startouch elves of old.

AND THEN we've got Aaron Ehasz talking about how the red dragon scale amulet (...and look, this show does color coding, that's SUN) is somehow related to Laurelion?

Sunfire elf, I say! SUNFIRE ELF!

Combining both of these scenarios, I could see Laurelion being the child of the Sun (again IF we are to assume each star is a living entity). Or maybe Startouch elves are born OF stars while not, technically, being the same thing, like an egg hatching the next evolution of its mother.

And so, perhaps Laurelion chose to become mortal, to become the first Sunfire Elf. And all of Laurelion's children, and their children's children, and their children's children's children, they were all of them children of the sun, the light of the sun incarnate, bringing the hope and optimism of something new to the world; destined to return in death to the embrace of their very first mother. And as a symbol of her love, the Sun gifted Laurelion the Sunseed, golden and cradled within a tree.

*oddly relevant Lion King reference

#the dragon prince #laurelion #speculation #you all i am a fuck up and deleted the original post #in case the “keep reading” doesn't work for you #here it is

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vasito-de-leche · 6 months

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;R1999 PAVIA - General Headcanons

Compilation of headcanons and analysis on Pavia as a character and other related things.

the post about Pavia's love languages and how he shows his affection got a lot of love, so I'm doing a lil more thinking into his character to rlly flesh out how I see and write him before getting to write the second part of that post <3

just a heads up, its preeeetty fucking long. but all of my posts tend to be lmfao

On the subject of Pavia, loneliness and trauma.

In this post talked about the concept of showing affection (not exclusively romantic but just in general) and the relationship Pavia has with his reputation, both as a lone wolf and a skilled mercenary, which affect the way he interacts with those he might deem close for better and for worse. So it's only fair that I do that again in a more general context.

Let's get this out of the way. One cannot talk about Pavia without mentioning or alluding to his solitary lifestyle in some way or another, we've all read his 02 Story, but to only read him as someone who fakes this aura of confidence and who feels deeply insecure and lonely 24/7 is an obvious disservice to his character.

Pavia is defined by a strong sense of self which, yes, originates from isolation and neglect. And you may read this as an active choice for survival, a coping and defense mechanism or the natural progress of someone who has had no one to rely on but themself - all of these readings are valid and can easily coexist! But I would like to insist that Pavia as we know him is confident and comfortable in his own skin, happy to live as an outlier to conventional norms and behaviour.

And that's because he's weaponized loneliness into a strength and a shield. He's outgrown that small, neglected child in the basement.

Hell, in his interview with Pandora Wilson, he mentions the fun of "causing pain" onto others, in the context of his presence being used as a "punishment" for others. He's surrounded by people he considers stupid, and he has fun at their expense when they try to bring him into their shenanigans. Pavia is a confident asshole, it is not a façade for a sad boy.

One quote in particular comes to mind when discussing this aspect of Pavia.

Go back to Rome, where the wolves were born. Said my former boss. He knew I was born in Rome, but didn't know I was raised in Piemonte. He was such a fool, even tried to kill me. So I only kept his tie clip. I didn't tell him that as long as the night will come, everywhere I live is Piemonte.

This line in particular, from my reading on it, speaks volumes about how Pavia has reclaimed the night - alluding to the one place he was forced to live in for his entire childhood, a dark and isolated basement, the concept of loneliness itself - as something that defines him and should inspire fear into others. His wolves are made out of darkness, his Ultimate in-game shows him manifesting out of a dark fog on the ground. And the context of that quote is hostile, it's Pavia's former boss telling him to go back to Rome, and Pavia mentioning that no matter where he goes, as long as the night comes, he's home.

One could argue that the quote is meant to be read differently - instead of Pavia reclaiming something that hurt him to now empower him, he's haunted by it. No matter where he goes, he'll always be in Piemonte, in that dark and isolated basement, with no one to pull him out. And that's fair! To each their own, both are banger readings on that dialogue. I just personally think the former fits better with the character as a whole.

The former reading is also supported by his 02 Story, where he describes the wolves that his Arcanum abilities manifested as "friends he found in the darkness and would never leave him".

One wolf hid behind another, and the pack surrounded him in the darkness of the night. They held each other's heads and tails and coiled together like snakes, bringing with them warmth and restful sleep. These were the friends he found in the darkness, ones who would never abandon or leave him, and who would forever watch over him.

In his Cover profile, his Afflatus is also "Mourning of the Feral Pack [Beast] Night View".

And when you check Pavia's small description in the Role Garment menu, his main garment and the one unlocked at Insight II form the following phrase:

He's always alone, both in the basement and on the street. It doesn't matter now, though. He will never be "alone" from now on.

His Afflatus, his Arcanum abilities, every small detail - everything points towards Pavia owning the night and the darkness that used to hurt him so much as a child. Because it cannot hurt him now that he's made friends with it, in the form of shadow wolves who will never leave him. He's not stuck here with you, you're stuck him with him. (that Insight II quote will be relevant again later when I talk about the lack of? Humanity? so to speak? in Pavia's character)

But anyway! This doesn't mean that the discussion on Pavia and loneliness/isolation should stop there.

After all, his Afflatus also says "Mourning of the Feral Pack" - mourn what exactly? A lost childhood? The family he could've had if his mother hadn't been admitted to an asylum? The young and innocent child that died in that basement so that the current Pavia could exist?

Who knows! Talk about it, it's fun and I love to read other people's takes! <3

On the subject of trauma specifically, I do see Pavia as someone who lives in the present and doesn't think much about the past - he only mentions his parents once in a seemingly disinterested manner, stating that he never visited (and most likely will never visit) his mother. Piemonte is where his abusive aunt raised him, but he shows a certain pride in his city anyway.

It's not that he's overcome and healed from his trauma, it's that he doesn't even register the things that happened to him as traumatic experiences due to the distance and recontextualization of everything.

The fandom portrayal of Pavia as a deeply lonely person often comes hand in hand with him being touchstarved and the experience of feeling any semblance of genuine human connection for the very first time - but I would like to offer an alternative, explained in the next bullet point.

On the subject of Pavia, conventional society and his pack of wolves.

Pavia's official description, as seen in this tweet made by the official global account of the game, is the following:

An independent mercenary lacking in collaborative skills. Employers are content with his excellent abilities, but can't stand his work ethic of ignoring his coworkers.

This, along with his other quotes and the interview with UTTU, point towards how the world sees Pavia as a nuisance of sorts - a punishment, we know this - but it also points towards Pavia's rejection of conventional society.

The way Pavia behaves, the way he insists on maintaining the barrier between himself and conventional society, the pleasure he takes in making others suffer just by BEING THERE NEXT TO THEM, the stress he puts into being alone - it leads me to think that THIS is the result of his trauma.

It's not a deep seated loneliness, it's not yearning and secretly wishing for genuine connections, it's not a fear of the dark or enclosed spaces - it's an absolute and total rejection of the world that failed him.

Pavia cannot feel or grasp loneliness on the same level as other characters might because there is not a single person in this world he would rather spend his time with other than himself. The details of how he got out of the basement and began a life of crime haven't been revealed yet, so I won't theorize about it, but I like to think that everything that Pavia is and represents is one big "fuck you" to a world that left him to rot in that basement.

It all loops back to the previous point - by rejecting mankind and society as a whole, Pavia becomes the opposite: a beast who acts on his own accord rather than the rules that make up polite society. And in doing so, grows closer to himself and his pack. In doing so, he allows his humanity to slowly slip away.

The Insight II quote I mentioned before is a great example of this - the change in his sprites shows Pavia's eyes changing, now with black sclera and sharper teeth, darkness (and two of his wolves) surrounding him. He will never be "alone" from now on because he is now ONE of the pack, because this is where he belongs.

The medium for his Arcanum (not the "wand" used to cast spells and magic, those are different things from what I understand) is "Beast Teeth". Compare this with other characters: Zima's medium are poems, Dikke's medium is the law, Sonetto's medium is curiosity. An arcanist's medium seems to be a concept or object that represents who they are and what they believe in, something that is essential to their life and dear to their core. Pavia's is beast teeth. He's a beast Arcanist.

I like to think that Pavia based his behaviour, knowingly or not, on his pack of wolves. After all, he's the one who conjured them, it makes sense to me that he would subconsciously latch onto them. This would explain his more animalistic traits that show just how disconnected Pavia is from what a regular human being should be.

You guys freak me out when you sleep. What kind of people needs such a long sleep like that? Fall in a coma like a crispy critter, and wake up 8 hours later. …Only god knows how you can do that.

This dialogue implies that Pavia cannot wrap his head around a normal sleeping schedule - which is extremely ironic, considering that wolves sleep a LOT. But I'd attribute this more to the dissonance between him and conventional society than Pavia trying to larp as a wolf. We have to understand that he spent most of his days sleeping away the hunger, that he went on to reject the company of other people - it makes sense to me that he wasn't taught or didn't get to see how a normal person should behave in theory.

Despite this rejection, we can clearly see that Pavia enjoys a very hedonistic life - going on clubs, having a sweet tooth, wearing fancy clothes, shopping, films and whatnot (He's literally wearing Louboutins, guys. The soles of his shoes are RED). He plays the role of mercenary quite well, too. But it doesn't strike me as a writing inconsistency or hypocrisy from his part, Pavia is known for doing whatever he wants, one of his hand tattoos spells "LIBERTA" or freedom in italian, so this tracks. It's hard to be a hypocrite when your moral compass is all about being a wildcard.

I mentioned this in my first Pavia post, but the items attributed to him are all said to be cheap, fake or crudely hand-made.

His glasses are a copy of an actual Italian brand that no one would ever think of mistaking for the real thing, his bracelets and rings are dented and damaged, Pandora Wilson even goes as far as calling it junk. They even describe his earrings as rough workmanship. And yet, Pavia brags about his clothes and enjoys shopping. There's that small dissonance again - he enjoys bragging but does not know (or care) about the actual value or authenticity of his material possessions. (Pavia wears fake Louboutins, this is my headcanon, thanks for coming)

He plays the role of mercenary quite well, too. I'd also argue that the more violent aspects of his personality have to do with his line of work. This tweet confirms the majority of Pavia's tattoos and what they say - the one on his arm is "La Cosa Nuova", the sicilian mafia for those who didn't know. I won't go in-depth about the real life actions of such group, but it's clear that Pavia is or has been part of it within the world of Reverse: 1999.

Entering headcanon territory.

The two bullet points from before were mostly just analysis on how I read Pavia based on all evidence in-game, but now I get to talk about personal headcanons I have about him <3

I've explained pretty much everything I wanted to say about Pavia for now, so these are just gonna be rapid fire headcanons.

First of all, Pavia is a light sleeper.

The lightest sleeper you'll ever meet, even a soft whisper could wake him up - but this isn't because of some hidden fear of waking up back in his aunt's basement. Because he had nothing to focus on but the sounds within that basement, he greatly developed his hearing and his Insight II development further heightened his senses. Pavia is used to dark, silent spaces, so any unknown noise will put him on edge and wake him up. Sometimes, he pretends to sleep to get out of doing work.

Contrary to popular belief, he doesn't move at ALL when sleeping and tends to stay in the same position throughout the night.

This is something he learned, rather than something that comes naturally, because he tends to sleep with the pack and there's little space to move without accidentally kicking Andrea or Leon in the face.

Next. Pavia doesn't know that he resembles his mother a lot.

As for his mother, there are two possibilities: One, she's truly dead and he doesn't know, based on his 02 Story where his aunt confirms that Pavia's mother died a few years later, as well as Pavia's dialogue in which he talks about his mother as if she were alive. Two, she was alive the whole time and Pavia found out years later that she was committed to an asylum and his dialogue about his parents is correct.

Regardless, I like to think that he never saw her again once he was taken into his aunt's care, and that she never told him that the reason she put him in that basement was because he looks so similar to her "deceased" sister. Since they weren't there to raise him and he didn't hear anything about them from his aunt, Pavia holds no resentment and no love towards his parents, because they're total strangers to him.

Next. His wolves' names are interchangeable.

Pavia cares for his pack, and the wolves care for him in return - they were created for that very reason after all. Their dynamic and relationship is a mystery to everyone and it's much too complex to even put into words, but because they're still magical constructs he creates, their behaviour and individuality relies heavily on Pavia's skills as an Arcanist.

There are days in which it's very easy to confuse them, and there are days when it's very obvious how to tell them apart. He's had years to perfect them, to "raise" them if you will.

While the pack might not be around 24/7, they're always in the back of his mind. He can also communicate with them because of it. They don't mind if Pavia confuses them, but if someone else does it? Prepare to get bitten to death, I guess!

#reverse 1999 #reverse: 1999 #r1999 #r1999 headcanons #reverse 1999 pavia #pavia #its me yes i love him yes #i lied i didnt talk about everything i think of pavia #i specifically wanna ramble about the loss of humanity but i have no idea how to implement it here in a way i like #but im pretty content with this post!

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hopefulpeacestudent · 2 years

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New Winter outfits.

#Videogames and Animations #Atlus #shigenori soejima #Ann Takamaki #Ren Amamiya #Ryuji Sakamoto #The Lovers arcanum #The Chariot arcanum #The fool Arcanum #The Phantom Thieves #Persona 5 Royal #2nd years #Teen Model #Max Mittleman #Erika Harlatcher-Stone #Erika Harlatcher #Nana Mizuki #Xander Mobus #Jun Fukuyama

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raayllum · 8 months

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Thoughts about Callum's magic use in s4/s5 that aren't a proper meta but series of parallels/lil connections

First off is Callum casting aspiro frigis, one of my favourite spells we've seen before, but we've never seen him cast it before! I'm also intrigued by the size difference between his and Viren's casting of it, since while we've seen Viren make smaller (3x08, 3x09) they're both assisted by primal stones (the one in Callum's sky staff, the OG primal stone for Viren) so Callum's not being big enough to completely encompass the banther didn't make sense to me? However, given that Viren is aided by the primal stone and the relic staff (which is absolutely juiced with something wild), that difference would make more sense.

We also get to see more combat spells this season from Callum, which is exciting, as his previous one in S4 was just fulminus, so it's nice to see more variety (aspiro frigis, the angulus arrow spell, the lightning fist spell). Callum using the lightning spell with his bare hand given that if it didn't pan out / he got nicked even slightly he'd be corrupted is especially insane of him, but hey - you messed with his girl. Gotta pay the price.

I was also pleased/impressed with the misdirected Fulminus spell in 5x08, as it makes it clear Callum was aiming to kill Finnegrin with that bad boy, to be perfectly honest. Also fun to see him use primal magic without his staff for once, as his greatest asset is still that he can do magic without said external source like a primal stone or staff, relying here instead on his inner arcanum and the fierce storm raging around them. (And more sky magic during storms, please!)

It seems that Callum has prioritized memorizing combat spells as opposed to other kinds of spells, which makes sense - in a combat situation, you don't want to be pausing to check your spellbook. However, we still see him check his book to find spells, the same way he did in S4.

I think this is a very sweet sign of growth, as in arc 1 he didn't need to check as he only had around 4-5 spells he knew, but now there's so many he wants to verify / look for them when in doubt. (Probably smart, as messing up a spell or doing the rune the wrong way could have tricky consequences? Ficlets when). Not that he always knew his magic (or remembered his own words) perfectly, either ("She might've called me a fool" / "Who told you that?" "You did") bless his soul.

Can't wait to see what Ocean magic he gets to add to his repertoire next season, and how it'll be utilized in the future!

#tdp callum #mage boy #mini meta #analysis series #analysis #arc 2 #s4 #s5 #callum #tdp #the dragon prince #i wonder if he used pax partans during his almost meditative state in 5x08

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fishareglorious · 1 month

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Windsong: Mine is not a formal discipline... many people believe it lies too much on the observations of arcanists and the conclusions aren't as useful to the public. So it is best that you kids don't study it. A pursuit of passion, fit for only a very... stubborn fool like me.

the study of leylines being discipline mostly based in arcanum..... and therefore its worth in academic circles being almost worthless... ah.. im getting mor pankh flashbacks.

#1.8 spoilers

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figurative-critter · 2 years

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Ok so like I know we're all just starting to settle down again, but I just gotta say:

The calamity officially began the moment Vespin Chloris attempted the ritual. The betrayers had already been released from their prison by the time episode one began. The Lord of the Hells had already created his puppets and sent them throughout Exandria; it was only a matter of time.

We don't know what would have happened in a timeline where Laerynn didn't cast blight in an instinctual and desperate attempt to save the ones she loved. Or in a timeline where Zerxus wasn't fooled by the god of lies' honeyed words. We don't know what would have happened in a timeline where the ring of brass had decided to take the night off and look the other way, allowing the city to land normally, yet still dooming the world. But it's still very likely in all situations that once that ritual occurred, Calamity was inevitable.

The Calamity was the result of the Age of Arcanum, an age dedicated to a bunch of know-it-all wizards fucking around and finding out, certain they could avoid consequence. If not Vespin, Aeor had already begun creating weapons intended to kill gods and Avalir had created their response in the form of the taxmen. That much wizard hubris was going to cause a catastrophic event at some point or another.

So, in this context, none of the PC's mistakes mattered. Laerynn blighting the tree of names meant nothing except expediency, same as Zerxus.

What did matter, however, was their other choices. Cerrit's choice to walk away, to ensure his children's safety. Nydas choosing to make sure that the skyships were available to the populace, to save the children at the sorcerer's university. Patia's choice to use her teleport to preserve not herself, but her knowledge, in the hopes that the new generation could do with it what she could not. Loquatius' decision to stay behind on the material plane, with the woman he loved, to protect her with all he had, down to his last healing word. Zerxus' choice to stick with his beliefs and redeem Vespin for but a moment, a moment enough to give them all the time they needed to see things through. And Laerynn's choice to ensure a future for Exandria, by using her life's work to do not what she intended it for, but for what it needed to do in that moment.

Even in the darkest of ages, when catastrophic failure seemed to be the cause of all of that pain and suffering and loss, it was not, in fact, failure that defined those people's lives. It was their decision to continue on despite their failure and despite their odds that gave the world it's last bit of hope.

Calamity was inevitable. But the choices made in those moments saved the future, far more than their mistakes had doomed them.

#critical role #exu #cr exu #exu calamity #cr spoilers #laerryn coramar seelie #loquatius seelie #zerxus ilerez #exu zerxus #nydas okiro #patia por'co #cerrit agrupnin #meta #long post #cr meta

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essektheylyss · 2 years

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I feel like a major factor in understanding the gods in Exandria is that trying to apply some kind of mortally relative moral framework to them is a fool's errand, because they are only and always representative of their domains.

The gods of Exandria are not individuals, and they have entirely different perspectives. You can see that in the discussion this week of the differences between the Raven Queen as a mortal mage ascending, and the Raven Queen as an ascended god—her motives and concerns have changed. In fact, those attempting to follow her are actively ignorant of that difference, to their peril.

The Raven Queen realized upon ascension that she had already caused some destabilization within the pantheon, and how disastrous another occurrence of that would be, even though she herself believed in the legitimacy of her own ascension—Purvan spoke about the death of the god of death as something almost fated, cementing the Matron's domain. However, for all future circumstances, her followers attempt to dissuade such attempts at her behest, and she with the pantheon hopes to keep the knowledge of that ritual unknown.

The mages of the Age of Arcanum, however, continue to attempt these ascensions, because they are mortals, and they do not have that kind of perspective.

But while they are operating within the bounds of moral framework, relative to what that means in their time and society, the pantheon is operating under a broader framework, one that is essentially amoral—which is very different from moral greyness. In fact, it's a framework that is outside of moral relativity at all. As such, I would argue that if we assume that morality is relative to the society that spawns it, the gods cannot fundamentally be said to be moral beings, because they owe no worldview or allegiance to any one society of Exandria.

So Asmodeus can lie and manipulate, and this is not inherently something that draws moral judgment—because this is his domain. It's in his nature to do so, because subversion and manipulation exist, both passively and actively in the world. A mortal following in his footsteps is subject to ethical and moral questioning, because mortals are moral beings. There is a longer interlude here on free will, but for simplicity's sake, what this essentially means is that the gods act within certain bounds, while mortals have more freedom. The trade-off between them for this restriction or freedom is power. When the Raven Queen ascended, she gave up some manner of her mortal nature for a divine one, and in doing so took power with, for lack of a less loaded term, free will as payment.

(I have to wonder if the mages who seek to follow her understand this. I doubt it.)

This isn't to say that the gods cannot err—they are well aware of their own failings, which is the entire reason that they are, in modern Exandria, cut off behind the Divine Gate, an exile they willingly chose and created—and there are, to an extent, some outcomes that are so universally Bad as to transcend that relativity as well, for instance the inevitable destruction of all life on the planet, which spurred their exile. But beyond those few universals, the gods act in alignment with their domains, and by extension their natures, because they are less changeable, and more cognizant of the longer arc of time.

#exu spoilers #cr meta #also for the record this is operating under a relativist framework but imo Exandria as a setting also operates under a relativist framework #so like. don't @ me. I'm not writing a thesis so I'm not fucking delineating that argument sorry #like it really feels sometimes like people approach everything as 'is x character Good or Evil and if evil how soon do we kill them'#and like. y'all should not be doing that with characters but ESPECIALLY not with gods. it's literally a different category altogether.#they're forces not people #anyway also don't @ me about playing fast and loose with the term free will I'm not getting into that discussion.#I've thought about it a Lot and if you try to approach me with simple answers about its existence or lack thereof I will not engage.#long post #exu calamity

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