#The arcana game headcanons

[pandemoniclucio]

MC: [Moving In To Give Muriel A Hug] Muriel: [Flinches] MC: Why'd you move? Muriel: I thought you were gonna hit me. MC: I was going to hug you. Muriel: Why would you hug me? MC: WHY WOULD I HIT YOU?!

[starblasterr]

Drew something for @arcanacononline come by my virtual aa table and say hiiiiiii

I really wanted to draw Asra in Decora Kei fashion. It just fits them so much.

Asra Kei :3

[macabremayhem]

Ahem. How can I start the conversation? OK, I'll try. How do you do, fellow humans?

Tonight I would like to talk about the setting of the Arcana game. Or, more specifically, its atmosphere, about background illustrations that people usually don't notice and/or don't usually talk about.

I love the Arcana background CGs so much. To be honest, those CGs are what got me into the game.

A little story: 4 or 5 years ago I saw an advertisement of the Arcana for the first time. And when I saw those ads on Instagram, it was so horrible and tasteless, imho. These cringe ads rather repelled me instead of attracting me. I saw it and forgot about it, but then…

Some time later, I started looking for background references for my text-based roleplay and found some beautiful illustrations. I didn't use these illustrations for my text roleplay. Besides, I soon forgot about my roleplay. :D and, in Google, I looked at the descriptions under the illustrations I found: "the Arcana game". I was intrigued. Then I downloaded the game. A few moments later I remembered those stupid ads, but I decided to take a chance.

And then, after the Prologue, I was absolutely fascinated. It had nothing in common with those commercials. The game itself was more beautiful than I'd ever imagined. And here I am :D and here we are.

Back to the background graphics. I am personally humbled and grateful to the original artists for these backgrounds. We love the characters – there's no doubt about that. But this setting and atmosphere wouldn’t be what it is without these illustrations.

I usually refer to photos that I think have "the same vibe" or "this place fits the world of Arcana" when I want to expand the world of the game on my own. Like headcanons, fanfiction, et cetera, you know.

Next I would like to show my selection of such photos. All photos from Instagram, not the Pinterest, as this is the most convenient method of attribution.

And all of these images, you know, I am NOT using for any commercial purposes. Crediting is in the order of the images.

⏬

Okay, let's go. It's not that I'm HCing any specific locations. I can only give a very rough idea of the "location area". You'll see the notes, I hope. Credits and links below. Credits are clickable.

graciousopulence (the main source)

1. clivenichols

2. nationaltrust*

3. bonvoyagecleo

4. gamma_f

5. rcmccloskey

6. designboom*

7. amarosanchezdemoya

8. curly.beard

There are some images that conjure up more specific associations for me.

© devonchurchland*

To be honest, this photo became the indirect reason for this post.

I saw this today and the theme song from the game immediately started playing in my head (can you guess which one?). At the same time, I remembered some of the scenes that take place in our storyline. A lot of the action takes place in the Temple District. Just because… why not? especially when you and your co-author are historians obsessed with religion, lol.

I imagined this picture very vividly:

One of the churches in the Temple District. Silence. Julian sitting in an empty church, deep in thought. Watching how the strip of light from the stained glass window slowly creeping across the floor and the benches, then how the flames of the candles flickering.

He reflects and looks away, shyly, from the instruments of passions and the images of martyrs.

No, he is not religious at all. Just... impressionable. He is only impressionable in that he probably thinks most of the time that he has not yet been struck by lightning because of his impure intentions. Poor boy… 🫀

Ahem. Sorry. I think I got carried away. :D Just look at this last item.

© dumbartonoaks*

Leave your comments and share your thoughts, requests, etc. Ask is open.

[valentine-writes]

1am with swollen eyes . . .

[ tws + notes: hurt + comfort, a bit of an angsty start, implied depression/depressive episode, very self indulgent hcs, desperately trying to claw my way out of hiatus (not working), unedited as usual ]

↳ ft. asra and muriel

「 gn! reader, can be platonic or romantic <3 」

author's note: reader cries. asra. muriel. r there 2 help. this is vv self indulgent but shhh... consider this a late bday post 4 myself.... ^_^

you have been hurting for far too long. at first, it was a dull, yet ever present ache. the feeling was easy to ignore or push aside, letting it dwell in your subconcious rather than in the forefront of your mind. you could live as normal, letting it lurk if it meant it never had to consume you.

these emotions grew unsatisfied with your denial. ravenous, they festered and grew, until they finally had become large enough to start chewing away at you. it felt like your pains would swallow you whole.

one particularly dreary morning, you found yourself laying in bed. stuck. you hadn't slept the entire night, too busy crying to even rest. these days, crying was prefered over the usual apathy you felt over your situation at hand. so there you lay, tangled in your bedsheets. there were no reasons coming to mind which gave you any urgency to get up at this time- still, you sit up, pulling your knees to your chest with no intention to leave. glancing at the small alarm clock on your bedside, you check the time.

1am. is that really how long you've been crying?

headcanons below

▸ the softness of ASRA's voice when he says your name is almost too soothing to be true. you watch him as he quietly approaches your bedside. his lilac eyes are fixed on you, with a concern you know all too well.

"i'm so, so sorry..." they whisper, quietly reaching out to cup your face with a warm hand. their thumb brushes over your cheek as you lean into the touch. "i should have checked up on you sooner."

tears prick at your eyes, threatening to fall at any minute. you take a sharp inhale, shaking your head.

"it's not your fault. you didn't know." your voice is trembling. your attempt to reassure him only makes him frown.

the touch of his hand on your cheek leaves you, just for a moment, as he sits on the edge of your bed, before pulling you into his arms.

their embrace is well known to you. it feels like home– the gentle yet protective feeling. the faint smell of vanilla. the warmth. you missed this all too much. you find yourself clinging to them, never wanting to leave their arms.

asra lets you rest your head on their chest. you can vent, you can cry, you can complain– you can even just choose to sit in the comfortable silence.

he'll stay by your side and make sure you're okay. he'd do anything for you.

▸ seeing you like this makes MURIEL's heart ache. you don't deserve all the suffering you've endured. at first, he's unsure of what to say. or if there's anything to be said at all.

"...hold on– i'll go get you some water." with that, he turns away to leave, but not before glancing over his shoulder to make sure if you're okay with being left alone.

you nod a little, sniffling, before mouthing a small "thank you." the corners of your mouth twitch up ever so slightly, to offer muriel a small smile.

he's back in less than a minute, not wanting to leave you for too long. he holds the glass of water to you, and you take a few sips before setting it down on the bedside table with a clink.

"do you need to talk about it?..." his voice is mild as ever. usually, he had trouble meeting your gaze. but now he looks into your eyes, needing to know that you'll be okay. he's slightly disheartened and considers shying away when there is no immediate answer. but ever patient with you, he waits in the soft silence.

he watches as you, pause– considering what he had said, before slowly move to sit to the edge of the bed, legs dangling off. "stay here with me?.."

he doesn't even hesitate. muriel sits by your side, quietly putting an arm around you and you lean your head on his shoulder. it feels safe with him. secure.

muriel won't force you to say a single word if you don't feel like talking about it. however, despite his usual hesitance to be vulnerable– he'll be so much more open to communication with you. he'll attempt to remind you in every way possible that he's here for you.

[clusterfuck0fteenagemelodrama]

Ngl I've been wanting to start writing hcs and that for the arcana and getting over my really irrational fear of writing fanfiction.

But im not sure if I should use my main blog (this one) or my writing side blog that I don't use too much?? I'm not sure what would be better so if you're interested pls decide for me

[blackered]

ever seen these people?

idk they seem familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it...

.

jokes aside I've been wanting to do this for a loooong time! I can't believe it's finally done.

below you will see the updated state headcanons that I reviewed with my friends from other states. 🇧🇷

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also sorry for the multiple watermarks, but that's just the way it is nowadays.

if you haven't seen it before, here is the whole list of headcanons I managed to write for this AU. they're probably mostly outdated but it might be a nice read. 🤠🇧🇷

[lordedlady]

who let the rat out 😔?

[taduki]

Fun-Sized HCs: M6 walking in on MC hugging a pillow in their sleep

Asra: “IT SHOULD’VE BEEN MEEEEEE”, sobbing at the doorway before promptly spooning you. Honestly, Azz probably does the same thing too. It just hits different seeing you do it now that they know you might be imagining it’s him. 💕

Julian: Flustered for a moment before clasping his hands and watching you. Debates whether to leave you to rest and pester you about it later or join you. Do this when he’s very deprived of sleep and he might just give in!

Portia: Zero hesitation to remove the pillow and replace it with herself. Does so very carefully, as excited as she is. She’s so warm, you might not notice even if you’re a light sleeper. Teases you about it later.

Nadia: She’s used to being out and about, so she opens the door to her chambers secretly hoping to see you like this every time. It warms her little romantic heart! Starts spritzing a bit of her perfume on the pillowcases when you aren’t looking.

Muriel: As if you weren’t already beaming with cuteness�� Fighting the urge to nap next to you in fear that he might wake you. He catches himself staring and goes to occupy himself until you’re awake. Is way more inclined to give you hugs now. 🥰

Lucio: Covers his mouth and hunches over the mantle, trying not to squeal. Gently gives you a kiss on the cheek either holds you or removes the pillow and snuggles into your arms. He claims he can’t do magic, but the pillow has disappeared after that…

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

The Arcana HCs: When M6 are forced to attack MC

-- to set the scene --

It was a nightmare.

Thick clouds of miasma hung over the city as you and your lover confronted the sorcerer in the fields outside its walls. Between a series of traps and some well-placed taunts, you had successfully cornered them, which meant that while victory was in sight your opponent was down to their last desperate measure.

The measure in question, it seemed, was for the most horrifying three minutes of your life as you watched your lover struggle against a vicious spell before suddenly turning on you. Their usual loving gaze was replaced with a cold glare and they didn't hesitate to lunge at you with the intent to kill. You ended up choosing to take the hits and focus your energy on dealing the last blow to the evil sorcerer instead, not wanting to waste time hurting the one you love.

As the dust settles, you're too relieved to see cognizance return to your darling's face to notice their horrified expression, or to feel your own blood soaking the ground below you.

Julian

Too busy focused on trying to keep you conscious and heal you to do anything else at first. He's already crying, tears leaking from under his eyepatch as he gives you frantic first aid

Can barely bring himself to look at you once you're safely tucked in at Mazelinka's and being tended to by visitor after visitor. You will need to remind him day after day that it's not his fault

And, yes, convince him not to leave you because of it

Still won't be able to find any peace with it until you tell him you've forgiven him, and even then struggles to believe he's worthy of it

Tends obsessively to your wounds, in a weird combination of torturing himself by constantly checking them and redeeming himself by being the one to help his uncontrolled actions heal

Is able to hold it against himself less the less he sees you suffering. Once you're fully recovered and back on your feet, it feels more like a distant nightmare

Has a new interest in learning magic, if only enough so he can protect himself against behind hijacked like that in the future

Asra

Completely numb and on autopilot. You're hurt. They're going to do whatever it takes to fix that. Just hold on, it'll be okay - it'll be okay

Refuses to leave your side or sleep for very long at a time while you're recovering. It's like his world has narrowed to your survival

Unusually quiet. As in, barely speaks unless you speak to them first, and yet hyper-observant to the point that they're bringing you what you need before you even realize that you need it

Neglects everything beyond his own basic self-maintenance in the process. It's easier to forget himself and save his own pain and guilt to be processed until after he knows you're safe

Itching to heal over any scars left over and terrified of suggesting it and seeming like they just want to brush the whole thing aside

Has to be pushed to talk about it and won't open up until after you're completely back to normal, at which point he breaks down and spends an afternoon hiccuping "I'm sorry"s into your chest

Regresses to a lot of their previous boundaries until you can tell them that you still feel safe with them physically and emotionally

Nadia

She has no doubts about you being a strong person. While she's horrified at what her body was used to do to you and the injuries you sustained, she's most upset at her losing control so easily

She feels guilty for you getting hurt, because she's convinced that she should have been able to withstand the sorcerer's spell

Surely, if she loved you as truly as you deserve to be loved, she would've been able to break free or stop it from working

Carries you back to the Palace herself and sees to it that you have everything you could possibly need, before effectively avoiding you for the next few days. She's convinced your relationship is over

Either because you're leaving her for not being able to protect you, or because you've lost your respect for her as a partner

It's also tapping into her own trauma of being trapped inside her body for a three year coma, which doesn't help the frustration

Genuinely unsure what to do with your forgiveness, understanding, and continued love and admiration for her

She doesn't know what she did to deserve you but she loves you

Muriel

The first count he holds against himself is that he hurt you. The second count is that he was so horrified and traumatized by what just happened that he froze while you were still bleeding out

Thankfully there were other people present to help you out, and you didn't have to find out what could've gone wrong

Refuses to touch you for days. If anybody else had caused the damage he sees on your body, he'd be wishing hell on them. Except not only was it his hands that did it -

He was controlled that easily. He's spent years reclaiming control and ownership of his body after being made a spectacle of in the Coliseum, and in a flash it was all taken away from him again

And it was used to hurt you. None of his nightmares adds up to the combination of violated, afraid, and horrified that he just felt

Relegates himself to being your bodyguard and keeping you provided for, but terrified that you're not safe around him until you're able to convince him otherwise

It's still a reoccurring nightmare for years to come

Portia

So angry at you for not fighting back

Already crying and scolding you while she's putting pressure on your wounds to stop the bleeding and helping you get back home

Did you think she couldn't take it? Did you think she wanted you to get hurt at her hands? Why didn't you fight her back if it would have spared you so much pain?

Why didn't you help her enforce what you knew were her own wishes, and at the cost of your safety and well-being too?

Simultaneously dedicating every fibre in her body to taking care of you. If you so much as breathe a little differently she's checking you over and bringing you whatever you need

Eventually able to find her own healing by being able to accept your love and by beating the absolute crap out of the sorcerer in question until she gets an "I was wrong" out of them

Determined to learn defense and protection magic to makes sure neither of you is left that vulnerable, ever again

Still cries when she sees the leftover scars, sometimes

Lucio

Pale from the shock of what's just happened and trying not to panic as he gives you all the first aid he's picked up through years of battlefield injuries and experience

Frantically muttering "don't leave, don't leave" through clenched teeth and pouring tears while he tries to get the bleeding to stop

Rushes you to the nearest doctor and won't leave your side

Convinced that you're not going to be able to love him after this

He knows he's done things worse than this in the past. He knows that you know that, but the thing that's made a better life possible has been his commitment to not being that person any more

And now he was that person. Event though it wasn't his choice and technically not his fault, he still did it. To you. You experienced it

Also worried that you won't understand that it wasn't his fault this time and wondering if maybe it was his fault, somehow

Able to accept your love and forgiveness pretty easily, but has a much harder time believing that he didn't lose all the progress he's made so far in making good use of his fresh start on life

[fogfaerysblog]

Asra sketch I’m working on + his sprite edited to fit my headcanons!!

Asra my beloved.

[pandemoniclucio]

MC: I love you. Lucio: Why do you sound so burdened? MC: I love you. Lucio: Am I hearing distress in your voice?

[starblasterr]

Hello everyone! Here’s another commission example. I finally started a new sketch. Really excited for what could happen.

I was inspired by the modern au charms. Lilith is wearing an outfit I put together on the sims 4

[macabremayhem]

The old sketch of human (or not?) Valdemar.

Because of their antiquity, I came up a headcanon about their origin. So, what about a country near the great river and with the great pyramids? Many lands of the Arcana world have references from India, Arabic region or Mongolia – so, Ancient Egypt? Why not? I can't decide, maybe this is ancient Zadith? There is nothing about Zadith in the canon, just a note in the ArcanaWiki:

"The homeland of Asra's parents, Zadith lies across the Malvent Strait from Vesuvia. This is a country where both science and magic are highly respected. Those who combine both disciplines are known as alchemists."

I think this short description is suitable for the heritage of such civilization as Egyptian.

I’m sad that the history of the world is so poorly developed, but I still love the lore so much. And I’d be happy to read (only from the original writers), say, a brief history of the world. But since there's no any history, I'm taking the liberty (and, a bit, my history degree) to assume: Zadith is the inheritor of some ancient civilization like the Ancient Egypt.

I'm not good at naming, so I will provisionally call it "Deshret" – Egyptian word for "red land, desert". Valdemar spoke about "millennia of existence", describing their antiquity, so I'm pretty sure: they have been born as a human in the ancient kingdom, like the Ancient Egypt. Also, note that red beetle brooch at the neck: similar motives were common in the Ancient Egypt. And, I think, Valdemar had this beetle brooch long before the Plague.

Okay, maybe developers in Portia's route (flashback scene with Prospero and foundation of Vesuvia) just showed Valdemar to us as we know them, because of developing another (kinda "more ancient") sprite and costume for the short scene is not viable. But anyway: we have what we have. What if we imagine that "red beetle brooch" of the Courtiers is rooted not only in the Red Plague? What about a, merely my headcanon, the Egyptian "scarab" motif?

So, there's the old traditional sketch I have. When I drew this pic, I imagined Valdemar just after their first deals with the Devil. Just look at their eyes.🫀

And – of course, they are in the tomb. Maybe as a priest? Who knows, fellow humans.

[kvtexee]

transfem Julian anyone?

[clusterfuck0fteenagemelodrama]

Hoarding some of the most head cannon ideas ever rn💪💪💪

👀