#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

[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…

[fogfaerysblog]

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

Asra my beloved.

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

Hello! Could you please write full headcanons on the M6 getting home one day to find MC dead? They're not actually dead, their body is just vacant after a spell went horribly wrong, but M6 have no way of knowing that.

Thank you!

The Arcana HCs: When M6 think MC is dead

~ @arson-the-ace oh, this. this is going to hurt, isn't it. ~

CW for descriptions of panic attacks, bodies that seem dead, references to past trauma, and your beloved in lots of pain

-- to set the scene --

It was supposed to be an experiment, to see if it was possible to put your body in a preserved or frozen state when you left it behind to visit the magical realms. You did not expect the result to be your body looking and acting like a fresh corpse, or for the spell to have a three hour cooldown time before you could reinhabit it. Your incorporeal self sighs and sits next to your body, resigned to the boredom of waiting it out.

Until, minutes later, the door opens and your beloved walks in, and you have no way of telling them what happened.

Julian

Already fears the worst as soon as he sees you sprawled on the floor - his plague doctor experience with visiting the sick has his instincts fine-tuned for recognizing an unrecoverable patient

Trips over himself in his scramble to get to you and gets a nasty bump on his knee, but doesn't register a thing because he's finally reached for you and he's looking for a sign of life

A pulse. An exhale. The twitch of your eyes moving below your eyelids, anything, anything to tell him that you can be saved

He rolls you onto your back and tries to give you CPR, but he's breaking down too much already for any of it to be effective

Chest compressions turn into him ripping his gloves off, trying to find any of the warmth you've shared with him

Mouth-to-mouth turns into a choked sob against your cold cheek

He can't bring himself to keep going. Each failed attempt at reviving you gets his hopes up only to rip them to shreds again

He doesn't want to move forward. He doesn't want to go ahead with laying you to rest. He doesn't want to leave this drafty wooden floor, without a blanket or a pillow to keep you comfortable

And he can't stand up

He sits cross-legged on the floor, lifting your head onto his lap and laying his coat over you in lieu of a quilt

You watch him droop over your body, shivering in the drafty room without his layers, voice catching and breaking on quiet sobs as he sings you the lullaby his parents sang him before the shipwreck

By the time your eyes flutter open, his voice is gone

He's happy to see you - he's so, so happy to see you, but he keeps hovering over you like he never knows if you're about to collapse for good next time

If you love him, you'll wait a long, long time to do any more magic

Asra

They thought you were playing some kind of game, at first

He walked into the upstairs apartment to see you sprawled on the floor and teasingly called out your name, playfully asking what new mischief you were up to as he hung up his coat

And then you didn't answer them

As soon as he felt that old dread seize his stomach, he was hurrying across the room and asking you what was wrong

They can feel their own body growing cold as they touch your frozen one, pressing a trembling hand to your chest in search of the heartbeat they moved heaven and hell to give you

He's panicking, breaths coming quick and short. The motions of his arms trying to pull you closer to him are far too similar to his frantic digging in the ash filled sands of the Lazaret

They don't know what's worse - the images flashing across their eyes of your charred bone fragments splintering in their bleeding fingers, or your lifeless face lying heavy against their knees

His heart can't take it. The tears give way to an ongoing numb tremor. He places a preservation spell on your body as his last conscious thought before he lies down next to you on the floor

They put their arm under your limp neck and cuddle up to you like it's just another day's end, just another snuggle before sleep while they lay their head down on your icy, silent chest

You watch him hold your body in shock. He seems like he's caught between worlds, alternating between staring at your unmoving stomach while his shaky tears land and pool on your shirt

And reflexively whispering apologies as they mop up their tears with their sleeve, asking if they're squeezing you too tightly

He's quick to check your memories when you wake up, but no matter how healthy you are, he can't leave your side for a week

Nadia

Her intuition is telling her something is wrong as soon as she's approaching her chambers. Seeing you on the ground is her worst nightmare coming true

You're cold to the touch. You don't respond to her voice. You don't respond ... at all. She needs help, you need help, you need help now, she's going to get you everything you need, just hang on

She lifts you into her bed, and the chilly deadweight of your body is more than she can take. When she throws open the door and yells for a doctor, every servant in earshot hears her panicked sobs

She hasn't had a panic attack like this in years

Servants rush in and out in a blur, hurried murmurs and muffled exclamations fading into the background. She feels like she's been plunged underwater, unable to scream as her lungs fill with salt

She sits by your side with your hand in both of hers, clinging to the only part of you she's allowed to touch while the closest physician pokes and prods at your lifeless body. She can't see you anymore

And everyone else? They can't see their Countess at all

They see a broken-hearted woman holding steadfast to her lover's limp hand, breaths jagged and unpredictable as she wails through her teeth. Mercifully, her hair comes undone and hides her wrenched face and streaming tears behind a curtain of purple

You woke her, first from her dreams, then from her apathy, and finally from her loneliness. Watching you succumb to a sleep far stronger than the one that trapped her is wretched beyond words

When you finally stir awake, she refuses to leave your side as the doctors work to ensure that your vitals are stable and to try to figure out what happened and if there are any repercussions

She's glad you're back, but she can't stop herself from waking you in the middle of the night to make sure you're just sleeping

Muriel

He's already convinced of the worst before he can prove it

He knows what a body collapsed in sudden death looks like. He's seen them countless times on the sand of the Coliseum floor, slaughtered at his own shackled hands, but now it's you

Now it's the only person he trusted to never leave his side

He can't register Inanna beginning to whine and pace, he can't register the sounds of the forest outside, he can't register the fire slowly burning down and out in the back of the hut

A lifetime of trained alertness, muted, because his subconscious has decided it can't take paying attention to a world that doesn't have you in it any more

He's finally able to move again when he takes his first shuddering breath in minutes, and he begins to walk and reach towards you in the vague hope that all is not as it seems

But that's when some small, sick part of his brain starts up its tiny chant that he deserves this, that this is the effect of giving in to your misguided desire for his touch, that this is somehow his doing

But the larger part of him, the part of him that loves you and aches for you and is dedicated to you, leans past the furious pain and lifts your head and shoulders off of the floor, enough so he can lower his head and listen for a heartbeat, feel for breath on his cheek

And there isn't any. Your body is as still and lifeless as his hope for something better, and he can't breathe. He can't breathe, and he's curled up in a ball with you in his arms, and he can't breathe

It takes a few hours before he can master his thoughts enough to think. This has happened before, and it was possible for you to come back. Asra, he has to bring you to Asra, he'll give anything

You wake up as he's carrying you through the woods, and it's the first time you've seen his body go so completely weak with relief

Portia

At first, she thinks you're feeling a little silly and sleeping on the floor just to mess with Pepi. Though the way you're lying, you almost look like you've collapsed. That can't be comfortable

It's when she crouches down to wake you up that she can tell something's wrong. Your shoulder is cold - way too cold

She's already got tears running down her face, but never in her life has she let her sadness stop her from caring for those she loves. She shakes you, back and forth, calling your name over and over

At some point she realizes that it's too late, there's nothing she can do, and that's when she starts wracking her brain for someone who can do something. Anything. She's not giving up on you

She's small, but she's strong and she's in pain. She lifts your body and begins to stumble through the Palace garden with you. She leans into the volume of her wails, using them to call for help

First through the gardens, then through the Palace halls, unable to recognize the blurry faces through her tears, but determinedly blubbering out what's happened and how she needs help for you

When someone who might have been the Countess informs her that the physician is out, she walks out the front gates of the Palace. Her ears are deaf to the offer of a carriage into town

Vesuvia still remembers its plague. It has never before heard cries as anguished as the ones Portia sent echoing down the canals as she ran and stumbled with your body to Mazelinka's house

Mazlinka will be there. Ilya will be there. They both know plenty about medicine, they should be able to help, just hang on. Hang on, she tells your cold body, hang on for me

You stir awake just as she crosses the threshold into the basement dwelling, and the emotions she feels are so overwhelming that she almost punches you for scaring her. She can't stop crying

Lucio

When he walks into the room in the inn after his trip to the outhouse, he avoids the sinking feeling in his gut by telling himself you're just napping. On the floor. Without moving

And then he can't take the way his conscience is nagging at him, so he snaps and (not unkindly, but brashly) tells you to get up and get moving already, we're wasting daylight!

But you don't move. You don't give him a disapproving look. You don't grumble when he shakes your shoulder, or open your eyes when he pats your cheek, or smile when you hear your name

He doesn't understand. You're brave, you're strong, you're loving, you're good, you're full of goodness and you're better than anything he ever deserved after what you suffered because of him

Because of ... him

This must be his fault. This must be his actions catching up with him. This must be the fallout of all those rash deals, some forgotten deity must have run out of patience and come to collect

Of course this would happen. It would take a hundred lifetimes to sift through the pile of selfish bargains, of course he missed one, of course he failed to make up for his past deeds, of course ...

Of course an oversight like that would cost him you

But he's not going to let this go. You deserve better. He hauls you into his arms, ignoring the way he chokes at your dangling limbs, and rushes out of the inn and into the deep, deep woods beyond

He screams and cries and yells and threatens and pleads and begs until his voice falls silent and he can taste blood in his throat

He calls out to any angry being listening to tell him, tell him what this is in payment for, tell him what he can put on the bargaining table that would pay back the debt that demanded your soul

You wake up before he can do anything rash, but he squeezes you in his sleep now, as if to challenge any more soul thieves

[kvtexee]

transfem Julian anyone?

[lordedlady]

who let the rat out 😔?

[pandemoniclucio]

Lucio: [Looking At The Menu] What should I get? MC: Order something you've never had. Lucio: [To The Waiter] I'll have the validation of my mother, please.

[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.

[elsyrel]

Julian asking for cheek kisses c: (separate images under the cut!!)

[clusterfuck0fteenagemelodrama]

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

👀