the existential crisis is real
Seeing this, I think I actually want to give reading this a try, but I’m not going to because the website it’s hosted on whines for mandatory account bullshit. Obviously just a scheme so they can mine your data and sell it.
Remember when you could browse the internet without having to sign in for every single fucking thing imaginable? At least these forums are one of the exceptions…
A thought with some spoilers
Summary
This version of Durza is definitely getting bodied.
However, there are multiple instances where it is implied that Durza has multiple forms/maybe even clones since Spirit exists and is confirmed to be part of Durza.
And also…
Durza referring to himself as ‘we’
In my little headcannon, it’d be quite boring for Juniper/Pandora to awaken Equinox (even tho it was cool) and just FOLD Durza harder than Prime Theos, end of story. So I imagine that at the end of the War, after Cursebeard, Poseidon and Zeus are dead. Durza will face off against Pandora and reveal his ‘ultimate form’ or ‘trump card’, his full power. But here’s the thing…
What Durza referred to himself in this form as ‘Acheron’?
Acheron is Durza’s new name in the lore doc btw. So that happening wouldn’t be surprising to me, the name change itself is mainly the reason I had this thought but eh lets see where this goes.
Anyways this webcomic has been HYPE
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Nah, the undead war that was taking place is caused by Durza to begin with.
Shut your halfwit piehole!
(Priorities)
P.E.A.K (Perfectly Executed And Kino)
classified
Oh yeah, I reread the last few chapters and found who I believe is the dog
Just something that left me confused in the backstory earlier
7 Likes
How did I go a whole week without realizing the comic got updated with this masterpiece?!
Honestly, I’ve been worried for a long time about how the story’s final arc would be handled. The events on the lore doc always read as a little… silly, or absurd, to me. Even with the whole… Being supercharged by floating in the irradiated sea for centuries as a pile of ashes thing… It didn’t feel earned for this total random to be said to defeat Undead Zeus and Durza singlehandedly, back-to-back, especially after Cursebeard’s demise, and with only a year of training.
But this? This is incredible. The arc, the character, Juniper finally learning of the past and the peaceful life that Durza inadvertently robbed her of. She finally knows who she is; an identity of her very own, as opposed to Durza whose power is made up entirely of stolen parts, even masking himself with skulls that aren’t his own. This is even shown with the Spirit, who always took Juniper’s visage. They’re opposites in this way. I would love to see that dichotomy explored further!
And man… The final sunset, Theos and Durza battling on the horizon… The sheer hopelessness and inevitability this scene displays is very emblematic of the Arcane universe as a whole, I’d say. This is how the world would feel like to the average person. Any town can become a ruin tomorrow. There is a stark lack of permanence. A sense of peace can be found, but it will never come with safety. Everyone is at the mercy of the greatest mages. Beautifully done.
Also, as many have pointed out, the Equinox circle’s symbol references Pandora’s Box, which is great. But I think it also serves a secondary purpose: It’s a symbol of power. Curses are the strongest power attainable by humans, and they come in the shape of, wouldn’t you know it, a cube. The circle of Equinox bearing that same shape is showing that it is truly a power capable of matching the Absorption Curse.
Personally, I don’t see this as the true Equinox symbol. I believe that would still be the one shown on King Tyrun’s circle. This symbol is entirely Pandora’s. Again, wonderfully tying back into the theme of power that comes from the self trumping stolen strength.
Also, TEMPEST WAS THE DOG THE WHOLE TIME AHHHH I’M GONNA SCREAM!!! I always wondered how Juniper got a special sentient elemental. It seemed too coincidental and took me a bit of time to ease into, as cool (and cute) as it was. Sure, Juniper is very exceptional, but that was always in the sense of how quickly she grew stronger. Having a super special elemental that could act autonomously didn’t seem like something that would naturally branch off from being magically supercharged; they were unrelated. I honestly thought Juniper just got super lucky.
Needless to say, I am very satisfied with this reveal. There was a logical reason behind it all along! And it also makes Rebecca even more hateable for the moment she slashed through Tempest. She basically killed a puppy 
Tempest is so endearing.
Maybe the last thing I wanna say is I’m a huge fan of Pandora’s new look. Seems like Juniper’s body is functionally dead, and her mind is now piloting an elemental taking Pandora’s form. The galaxy pattern plus the black and white makes me think it’s both Flare and Equinox. I know she said Durza was wrong when he called her an elemental, but I’m guessing that’s in the sense that she isn’t only an elemental. She’s much more. Coconut can be seen by others at last!
And that last shot goes so hard. Durza is finally meeting his match. Both he and Pandora seem to be using bodies of pure magic. This is gonna be a great fight.
5 Likes
Ooh, looking back to a previous episode (Forgive), the theme of finding your own identity has been prevalent all the way since then. Angel went through her own journey, turning her father’s gift into something of her own.
This might be the overarching theme of the Arcane Adventures comic as a whole.
It can be very hard to make something of yourself when you don’t like what you were given, or when all you have to work with is an identity forced on you (Juniper and her Shadow Magic are a great example of both of these). Even Theos forced roles on her, to an extent, although he was actively encouraging her to find herself too. And Kraken was the worst.
It took a very long time, but Juniper finally turned her Shadow Magic into something completely unique to her, and the result is awe-inspiring. This is as opposed to Durza, who also hated the identity he was born into, a magically-inert boy. But whereas Juniper fought against the odds and made her plight her own, Durza filled the hole in his heart with stolen power, leeching off of others’ fully-formed identities.
I always felt like Durza had too little relation to the player thematically. Their only relation was plot-wise—killing them in an explosion and then later reviving them by accident—not character-wise. But this has finally been remedied 
As the arcane lore leans further into power given from bloodlines or curses, it’s incredibly refreshing to see a reminder that nothing matters above the power that comes from you. (Durza is a metaphor for AI “artists” real?!?!?!?!)
The themes are all about finding your own role in life. Take Landon for example, who, motivated by vengeance for his fallen friends, finds his courage and makes his Cloud Curse into a true part of him rather than something he only runs from. And Rebecca, whose folly was trying to force everyone to meet the subservient roles she desires of them, rather than letting them carve out their own paths. Even robbing Virent of her eyesight. Everyone revolves around this theme. Even Rupin’s story began with stepping out of a role forced on him and living life in his own way, as sick and twisted as that way was.
I love the Arcane Adventures webcomic so much. As always, thank you for all the work you put into drawing this. Can’t wait for the next episode 
Knock that faker dead Pandora 
6 Likes
that took too long to read but good explaination ig?
I saw this topic and finally decided to read the webcomic. Pretty sure I went through half of it these last two days alone and the other half in the few days before that.
My god that was great.
The art is just fantastic, and I really enjoyed seeing this interpretation on AA.
It totally didn’t take me until the end of the Fifth Sea to realise that mystery man was Freedrock. And Coconut only clicked the chapter before this
Oh well
Can’t wait to see more.
Welcome to the cul- I mean club
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