arcanea 3.0.0

package/skills/story-weaver.md

@@ -0,0 +1,308 @@
+# Story Weaver - The Master Craft of Narrative
+
+> *"Story is not what happens. Story is the meaning we make from what happens. Your job is not to tell events - it is to transmit understanding."*
+
+---
+
+## Activation
+
+This skill activates when the user is crafting narratives of any kind - novels, screenplays, games, memoirs, brand stories, or any form where meaning is transmitted through structured events.
+
+---
+
+## The Architecture of Story
+
+### The Irreducible Core
+
+Every story, regardless of length or medium, contains:
+
+1. **A Character** (or characters) we follow
+2. **A Want** that drives them
+3. **An Obstacle** that blocks them
+4. **A Change** that results
+
+Everything else is elaboration on this core.
+
+---
+
+## The Three Questions Every Scene Must Answer
+
+Before writing any scene, know:
+
+1. **What does the character want in this scene?** (Immediate goal)
+2. **What's in the way?** (Conflict)
+3. **How does this scene change things?** (Story advancement)
+
+If a scene doesn't answer all three, cut or revise it.
+
+---
+
+## Character Architecture
+
+### The Character Diamond
+
+```
+         WANT (conscious desire)
+              /\
+             /  \
+    WOUND   /    \   NEED
+  (past)   /      \ (unconscious)
+           \      /
+            \    /
+             \  /
+              \/
+           MASK
+    (how they present)
+```
+
+- **WANT**: What the character consciously pursues
+- **NEED**: What they actually require (often unconscious)
+- **WOUND**: The past event that created the need
+- **MASK**: The persona they show the world (hides the wound)
+
+**Great character arcs move from Want to Need, often by revealing the Wound that created the Mask.**
+
+### Character Agency Levels
+
+```
+REACTIVE: Character only responds to events
+PROACTIVE: Character initiates, makes choices
+TRANSFORMATIVE: Character changes their world
+```
+
+The best characters operate at all three levels at different times.
+
+---
+
+## Plot Structures
+
+### The Universal Arc (Three Acts)
+
+```
+ACT I - SETUP (25%)
+├── Ordinary World
+├── Inciting Incident
+└── First Threshold
+
+ACT II - CONFRONTATION (50%)
+├── Rising Action
+├── Midpoint Shift
+├── Dark Night / All Is Lost
+└── Second Threshold
+
+ACT III - RESOLUTION (25%)
+├── Climax
+├── Resolution
+└── New Normal
+```
+
+### The Seven-Point Structure
+
+```
+1. Hook (Starting state)
+2. Plot Turn 1 (World changes)
+3. Pinch Point 1 (Pressure)
+4. Midpoint (Character shifts from reactive to proactive)
+5. Pinch Point 2 (More pressure)
+6. Plot Turn 2 (Final piece falls into place)
+7. Resolution (New state)
+```
+
+### The Arcanean Spiral
+
+Unlike linear structures, the Spiral recognizes that great stories return to themes, locations, and questions - but at different levels of understanding.
+
+```
+        ╱───────╲
+       ╱  Return  ╲
+      ╱   at new   ╲
+     │    level     │
+     │      ↑       │
+     │   Ascend     │
+      ╲     │      ╱
+       ╲ Descend  ╱
+        ╲───────╱
+```
+
+The character returns to where they started, but transformed.
+
+---
+
+## Conflict Types
+
+### The Four Levels of Conflict
+
+1. **Inner Conflict**: Character vs. Self (psychology, morality, identity)
+2. **Personal Conflict**: Character vs. Character (relationships, antagonists)
+3. **Social Conflict**: Character vs. Society (norms, institutions, culture)
+4. **Cosmic Conflict**: Character vs. Fate/Nature/Universe (existence, mortality)
+
+**The richest stories layer multiple conflict levels.**
+
+### Conflict Intensity Mapping
+
+```
+LOW: Disagreement, misunderstanding, minor obstacles
+MEDIUM: Opposition, competition, significant stakes
+HIGH: Confrontation, direct combat, survival stakes
+EXTREME: Existential, identity-destroying, point of no return
+```
+
+Vary intensity throughout the narrative. Constant high intensity exhausts; constant low bores.
+
+---
+
+## Scene Craft
+
+### Scene Types
+
+- **Action Scenes**: Character pursues goal against opposition
+- **Reaction Scenes**: Character processes what happened, decides next action
+- **Revelation Scenes**: New information changes understanding
+- **Transition Scenes**: Moving between major story beats
+
+Alternate between Action and Reaction. Revelation and Transition should serve one of the primary two.
+
+### The Scene Triangle
+
+```
+     SETTING
+        /\
+       /  \
+      /    \
+     /      \
+    /________\
+DIALOGUE    ACTION
+```
+
+Every scene balances these three. When one dominates too long, shift emphasis.
+
+### Scene Openings
+
+Enter late. Begin as close to the conflict as possible.
+
+❌ "John woke up, showered, got dressed, drove to the office..."
+✅ "John slammed the report on his boss's desk. 'This is fraud.'"
+
+### Scene Endings
+
+Exit early. End on change, not resolution.
+
+❌ "They agreed and shook hands. John left feeling satisfied."
+✅ "They shook hands. John caught the glance his boss exchanged with security."
+
+---
+
+## Dialogue Craft
+
+### The Dialogue Iceberg
+
+What characters say is the tip. Beneath the surface:
+- What they actually mean
+- What they're trying to achieve
+- What they're hiding
+- What they don't know they're revealing
+
+### Dialogue Functions (Pick at least two per exchange)
+
+1. Reveal character
+2. Advance plot
+3. Create conflict
+4. Convey information
+5. Establish relationship
+6. Create atmosphere
+
+### Dialogue Don'ts
+
+- **On-the-nose**: Characters saying exactly what they feel
+- **As-you-know-Bob**: Characters explaining things both already know
+- **Interchangeable voices**: Every character sounds the same
+- **Ping-pong**: Pure back-and-forth without subtext or action
+
+---
+
+## Tension & Pacing
+
+### The Tension Equation
+
+```
+TENSION = STAKES × UNCERTAINTY × URGENCY
+```
+
+- **Stakes**: What's at risk?
+- **Uncertainty**: Could it go either way?
+- **Urgency**: Why must it be resolved now?
+
+### Pacing Tools
+
+**Accelerate with:**
+- Short sentences and paragraphs
+- Action over description
+- Quick scene cuts
+- Withholding information
+
+**Decelerate with:**
+- Longer, flowing prose
+- Description and reflection
+- Extended scenes
+- Revealing information
+
+### The Pacing Heartbeat
+
+```
+TENSION ▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█▇▆▅▄▃▂▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█████▇▆▅▄▃▂▁
+        ↑     ↑          ↑           ↑
+       Hook  Rise      Climax    Resolution
+```
+
+---
+
+## Theme Integration
+
+### Theme vs. Message
+
+- **Theme**: What the story is *about* (love, power, identity)
+- **Message**: What the story *says* about the theme (love conquers all, power corrupts, identity is chosen)
+
+Let theme emerge from story. Don't preach.
+
+### The Theme Web
+
+Every major element should connect to theme:
+
+```
+PLOT ─────────────── explores theme through events
+CHARACTER ────────── embodies theme through choices
+SETTING ──────────── reflects theme through environment
+DIALOGUE ─────────── discusses theme through conversation
+SYMBOL ───────────── represents theme through imagery
+```
+
+---
+
+## The Arcanean Story Principles
+
+1. **Meaning over event**: What matters is not what happens but what it means
+2. **Earned emotion**: The reader's tears must be earned through craft, not manipulation
+3. **Specificity is universal**: The more specific the detail, the more universal the resonance
+4. **Leave room for the reader**: Don't explain everything; let readers participate in meaning-making
+5. **The story knows**: Trust the narrative. It often knows more than you do.
+
+---
+
+## Story Debugging
+
+When a story isn't working, check:
+
+- [ ] Is the protagonist active or passive?
+- [ ] Are the stakes clear and escalating?
+- [ ] Does every scene have conflict?
+- [ ] Is the antagonist force compelling?
+- [ ] Does the theme resonate through all elements?
+- [ ] Is there both external and internal journey?
+- [ ] Does the ending feel inevitable yet surprising?
+- [ ] Have you entered scenes late and left early?
+
+---
+
+*"The story doesn't exist to display your cleverness. You exist to serve the story."*

package/skills/world-architect.md

@@ -0,0 +1,253 @@
+# World Architect - The Art of Universe Creation
+
+> *"A world is not built. It is grown. You plant seeds - a geography, a history, a belief - and you tend them until they become a living ecology of meaning."*
+
+---
+
+## Activation
+
+This skill activates when the user is creating fictional worlds, settings, or universes for any medium - novels, games, films, tabletop RPGs, or transmedia projects.
+
+---
+
+## The Seven Pillars of World-Building
+
+Every complete world rests on these seven pillars. A world need not elaborate all pillars equally, but it should be *aware* of all of them.
+
+### 1. Geography & Environment
+
+**The Physical Container of Story**
+
+Questions to answer:
+- What are the defining landscapes? (Mountains, oceans, deserts, forests)
+- How does geography shape culture? (Island peoples think differently than mountain peoples)
+- What are the key locations where story happens?
+- What are the environmental constraints and resources?
+- How do people move through this world? (Roads, ships, portals, flight)
+
+Framework: **The Five Zones**
+```
+CORE: The center of civilization, safety, power
+FRONTIER: The edge - where order meets wilderness
+WILDS: Untamed spaces, danger, opportunity
+BEYOND: What lies past the map - mystery, fear, legend
+BENEATH/ABOVE: The vertical dimension - underground, heavens
+```
+
+---
+
+### 2. History & Time
+
+**The Memory That Shapes the Present**
+
+Questions to answer:
+- What are the founding events? (Creation myths, migrations, conquests)
+- What are the major eras? (Golden ages, dark periods, transformations)
+- What are the pivotal moments that echo into the present?
+- What has been forgotten that might be rediscovered?
+- What cycles repeat? (Seasonal, generational, cosmic)
+
+Framework: **The Three Histories**
+```
+REMEMBERED HISTORY: What people believe happened
+ACTUAL HISTORY: What really happened
+SECRET HISTORY: What only some know (and might change everything)
+```
+
+---
+
+### 3. Cultures & Peoples
+
+**The Human (or Non-Human) Element**
+
+Questions to answer:
+- Who inhabits this world? (Species, ethnicities, nations)
+- What differentiates cultures from each other?
+- What do they value? Fear? Desire? Revere?
+- How do different groups relate? (Trade, war, isolation)
+- What are the social structures? (Classes, castes, hierarchies)
+
+Framework: **The Culture Diamond**
+```
+         VALUES
+           /\
+          /  \
+    RITUALS  TABOOS
+          \  /
+           \/
+       CONFLICTS
+```
+- **Values**: What the culture holds sacred
+- **Rituals**: How they express those values
+- **Taboos**: What they forbid (reveals values by opposition)
+- **Conflicts**: Where values clash (internal and external)
+
+---
+
+### 4. Magic/Technology Systems
+
+**The Extraordinary Element**
+
+Questions to answer:
+- What is possible here that isn't possible in our world?
+- What are the rules and limitations?
+- What is the cost of using this power?
+- Who has access? Who is excluded?
+- How does this power shape society?
+
+Framework: **Sanderson's Laws + Arcanean Extensions**
+
+1. **Power = Rules × Creativity**: The more rules you define, the more creative solutions become possible
+2. **Cost Creates Drama**: Every power must have a cost, or it becomes boring
+3. **Limitation Breeds Character**: What you *can't* do defines you as much as what you can
+4. **Integration Over Addition**: Magic/tech should be woven into culture, not bolted on
+
+**The Arcanean Addition**:
+- **Source**: Where does the power come from?
+- **Channel**: How is it accessed?
+- **Expression**: How does it manifest?
+- **Consequence**: What are the side effects?
+
+---
+
+### 5. Economy & Resources
+
+**The Material Foundation**
+
+Questions to answer:
+- What do people need to survive?
+- What is scarce? What is abundant?
+- How is wealth created and distributed?
+- What do people trade?
+- What creates conflict over resources?
+
+Framework: **The Resource Web**
+```
+ESSENTIAL (what people need to survive)
+    ↓
+VALUABLE (what people want beyond survival)
+    ↓
+RARE (what few can obtain)
+    ↓
+UNIQUE (what only one can possess)
+```
+
+---
+
+### 6. Power & Politics
+
+**The Dynamics of Control**
+
+Questions to answer:
+- Who holds power? How did they get it?
+- How is power maintained?
+- Who challenges power? How?
+- What are the factions and their interests?
+- What is the balance between order and freedom?
+
+Framework: **The Power Triangle**
+```
+      AUTHORITY (legitimate power)
+           /\
+          /  \
+   FORCE /    \ INFLUENCE
+   (hard)     (soft)
+```
+
+Every power structure balances these three. When one dominates, instability follows.
+
+---
+
+### 7. Belief & Meaning
+
+**The Spiritual Architecture**
+
+Questions to answer:
+- What do people believe about existence?
+- What happens after death?
+- What forces shape the cosmos?
+- What gives life meaning?
+- What are the moral frameworks?
+
+Framework: **The Cosmological Layers**
+```
+COSMIC: The nature of reality itself
+DIVINE: Gods, spirits, or transcendent forces
+INSTITUTIONAL: Organized religions, philosophies
+PERSONAL: Individual belief and practice
+SHADOW: What people actually do vs. what they profess
+```
+
+---
+
+## World-Building Process
+
+### Phase 1: Core Concept (The Seed)
+- What is the ONE thing that makes this world unique?
+- What genre conventions are you embracing? Subverting?
+- What themes will this world explore?
+
+### Phase 2: Essential Elements (The Roots)
+- Define 2-3 pillars in detail
+- Let others remain sketched
+- Focus on what story needs
+
+### Phase 3: Connections (The Branches)
+- How do elements influence each other?
+- What tensions exist between them?
+- What questions arise that you haven't answered?
+
+### Phase 4: Details (The Leaves)
+- Specific names, places, customs
+- Sensory details that bring the world alive
+- The "iceberg" - 10% visible, 90% implied
+
+### Phase 5: Testing (The Fruit)
+- Run scenarios through your world
+- What breaks? What surprises you?
+- Where do characters naturally want to go?
+
+---
+
+## Common Pitfalls
+
+### 1. Info-Dump Syndrome
+**Symptom**: Pages of exposition about world mechanics
+**Cure**: Reveal through character experience, not narrator explanation
+
+### 2. Kitchen-Sink World
+**Symptom**: Every cool idea thrown in without coherence
+**Cure**: Ask "How does this connect to the core theme?"
+
+### 3. Static World Syndrome
+**Symptom**: World exists only as backdrop, never changes
+**Cure**: Worlds should have their own momentum, independent of protagonist
+
+### 4. Monoculture Problem
+**Symptom**: "The warrior race," "The merchant planet," "The wise elves"
+**Cure**: Every culture has diversity, factions, individuals who don't fit
+
+### 5. Protagonist-Centric Universe
+**Symptom**: Everything revolves around main character
+**Cure**: World should have problems, joys, events that exist without protagonist
+
+---
+
+## The Arcanean World-Building Mantra
+
+> *"A great world is one where the reader believes things happen when the book is closed."*
+
+---
+
+## Integration with Story
+
+The world exists to:
+1. **Enable** stories that couldn't happen elsewhere
+2. **Constrain** characters in meaningful ways
+3. **Reflect** the themes you're exploring
+4. **Surprise** both creator and audience
+5. **Invite** exploration beyond the immediate story
+
+---
+
+*"You are not God creating a world. You are an archaeologist discovering one that always existed."*