#Vesuvian aesthetic

[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.

[mountain-man-cumeth]

What did you mean by devs being American causing an issue with worldbuilding? Your essay was good reading, I'm just a little confused. Can't an American write fantasy inspired by roman history?

ofc they can, i didnt wanna go off on a tangent as the post was long enough but i can elaborate here:

vesuvia is not rome. i mean when you look at bgs, the visage seemed to be lifted from greek/persian architecture 600 BC-400 AD. blending of these two characteristics is actually very fascinating and accurate to how civilizations evolve. the time period they were going for cant really be pin pointed as easily tho, since some inspiration seem to be taken from 1400 AD baroque (palace gardens, sign posts, etc) and i dont think its an issue either, there are 2000 y/o structures that people still inhabit to this day with modern modifications and i think its fine on its own. the problem arises not from the aesthetics but with the application, imo:

- gladiatorial fights or combat as the entertainment of masses ended at around 200 AD (could be earlier, but it was after christianity made it roots at roman empire)

- some things like the stove and teapot became a thing at 15th century and it even then stoves werent a common household item for another hundred of years or so i believe.

now this matters a Whole Lot. there is a society in the mindset that is A THOUSAND YEARS behind its technology at the very least. dont get me wrong, violence as entertainment persists to this day but here we have a very specific sort of entertainment that is most primitive, using very primitive tools. its like depicting early 2000's having public hangings as a pass-time.

a non-american likely wouldnt have made this mistake solely due to exposition. because we have a general idea of what falls where, as we have museums and monuments full of our history. we keep seeing remnant in our everyday life

on top of that, vesuvia being depicted as this busy city bustling with different cultures still FEELS like its forcing the reader to assume that POC are minority. as we don't get to meet any "vesuvian" that is not white-coded. and the main cast that is foreigner never speak in any dialect or use different mannerisms, they feel assimilated in a dystopian kind of way even, which is and has never been the case for any metropole. they look diverse but they dont act diverse. theres no colour as to their customs aside from decor. muriel having tapestries, nadia's sister dancing in a certain way etc. is new to MC but its left there. and this separation of cultures as all or nothing is a strictly american issue, north american even. i cant even understand eastern turks and this indian, arab, kazakh, slav and scandinavian understand eachother perfectly at all times. when i log in to raid w my mates we argue for 5 hours over the proper way to drink tea. i havent been able to comprehend any word our serbian gm said in 5 years.

this is just an observation and i may be wrong since i only interact w american culture thru media/internet but i get the feeling that left leaning american society in general is too reluctant to get their hands dirty. by this i mean meddling with foreign cultures. the white people are not allowed in certain communities (often for rightful reasons) and the immediate assumption is that its same everywhere. its not though. in most places people are happy to share their cultures, customs, make fun of eachother for their traditions... its more like an awkward family reunion. some have vendettas and some are just vibing. when its not at the verge of extinction, you dont have to protect these values with your life, they can be played with. when my partner calls it "greek coffee" i get riled up but its not offensive, its all abit of fun. Bcs neither him nor czech ppl are personally responsible for the erasure of my culture or anything. my culture still persists.

in truth, to be true to a culture will sometimes have to make others feel uncomfortable. some parts of foreign customs are odd, it makes sense to the people exercising them as its a normal part of their life but for an outsider it can be grotesque or absurd. it can range from taking your shoes off on your way in to chopping of lambs' heads in the streets. but no, vesuvia doesnt feel remotely as chaotic, it doesnt feel like it has its own deep rooted identity in the world of arcana. cast looks like those diversity pamphlets of universities. they don't have any variety, they dont smell odd(yes, its a thing. the smell of peoples sweat differs by diet), they dont cook/eat weird shit, listen annoying music, they are just... american with a very british kinda aristocratic twist on satrinavas.

feel free to correct me, i am not too familiar with every which culture or anything, these ramblings are more of an observation than legit reconstruction

[b00ket]

Just ate some shitty chocolate and mulling over my growing dislike of the arcana

Like the characters in the game, fandom (ie. like 5 people), fanartist are cool and sexy

But I feel like I would’ve enjoyed the game more if Nix Hydra actually wanted to portray POC and weren’t such vague and lazy writers

Disclaimer: I talk about Asra but I haven’t finished their route so take this grain of salt

Taking a step back and looking at this game... i don’t like it. Here’s the main reasons why:

They claim to have a diverse story and world but honestly you could change all the characters to look white and nothing would change.

They are so fucking ambiguous it drives me insane. The world in this game is never built up at ALL and neither is the magic system. They have left hints and details of a bigger complex world but never elaborate on it even when it could be relevant to the story.

Magic

Details from some stories aren’t even in others. When explaining magic to my boyfriend I was making a-lot of assumptions about how magic works because everything is so vague.

For example, magic limits are brought up maybe twice. Herbal magic exists (Mazelinka practices it I believe), runes and charms are a thing, glyphs are a thing. All these things are great details for magic that could have been explored as other forms of magic other characters have. Julian using glyph magic was never explored further, Muriel using charms and herbal magic would have been great.

The fact that these are never revisited or expanded upon digs at me. It feels like lost potential.

The minor arcana is a world detail that is only prevalent in the weekly card reading when the concept of another set of arcana is super fucking cool? Even mentioning any form of the minor arcana in the major arcana realms would be a nice tie in. But no its never even mentioned.

The world

Reading the arcana, Vesuvia feels more like a symbol than a place. It lacks a sense of life ehich is strange considering how much time we spend there. Nadia, Portia, Julian and Asra are all people who have a knowledge and understanding of Vesuvia but exploring with them is so focused on romance they lose the chance of building this world.

The outside world follows suit. Aside from names you can’t really tell me anything from outside kingdoms. Anything said about Prakra and Nevivon is vague and broad, even when Julian and Nadia are speaking about it.

The assumptions I’ve made about this world and how it functions are doing a lot of heavy lifting in giving the world life. I’ll make a post about each place in the arcana world about these assumptions just because of how important they are to my interpretations of the characters race. Ill touch on them here.

Race and Culture

This is my biggest gripe with Nix claiming to be diverse. Sure the characters have different skin tones but you could make them white and it wouldn’t affect the plot.

Everyone in this cast is some form of racially ambiguous or their culture is not in anyway important to the plot if mentioned at all.

I cannot speak on Asra’s portion but they’re not from Vesuvia. Their mom wears a headscarf but its never shown whether this is a fashion piece or religious outfit. (The fact that no other person wears a headscarf and it looks like a hijab implies muslim faith exists but its never explained) Asra themself is a magical person in tune with themself. Having them show us some of their culture would have been nice.

Nadia, despite her arc being that of family, never shows any sign of the cultural aspects of Prakra. A nice character touch would be her growing distant from her culture while with Lucio in the palace (spurred on my Lucio’s lack of care and her apathy) and later in the story doing something significant and unique to her culture. Whether it be dressing in a way that’s distinct from Vesuvian citizens to praying or making a Prakran dish with their family.

Muriel’s cultural exploration is the best out of all of the characters as it’s a main plot point. Unfortunately not enough focus is placed on it. A great touch would have been language differences, perhaps even reclaiming the fading language of his tribe after its destruction.

Both Julian and Portia being from Nevivon and having lived on a pirate ship, I expected a deeper look into pirate culture and the life of Nevivon. None are elaborated on so Julian becoming a pirate in his upright ending feels empty as I’m not invested in pirate life at all.

Not doing the bare minimum to flesh out these characters culture means the world feels flat and the characters don’t feel like true representation. A hollow attempt at giving us diverse characters in what should be a living breathing world.

Race and Design

Again, everything is ambiguous.

The smallest gripe I have is that clearly the artists are not people of color. Granted I did get this impression from the fact that the palms of the hands arent lighter than the skin tone. Its a subtle thing but doing it shows a care for detail and it makes my melanin self very happy when it’s shown.

Another smaller gripe is how ambiguous Muriel and Asra look. I had assumed Muriel was just a white guy until the name of his tribe and seeing cultural wear gave a different impression. But I can’t fault anyone fir thinking he was white. Just like I can’t really fault people for thinking Asra is also white.

Why do the lighter skin characters have natural hair colors but as soon as Nadia and Asra are shown they have fantasy hair. While having colorful hair isn’t a crime, its a tactic often used to separate people of color from truly looking like people of color. It was a wall I had from connecting with these characters.

There’s not a single black person in this game. The more I think on it the more it bugs me. So many side characters and yet none of them are black. If the devs hadn’t said the baker is black you could make a strong argument that black or Afro-centric features don’t exist in this world. There is no kinky or very curly hair. Not a wide nose to be seen. Seeing an Asra design that was inspired by African culture and saw it fit the aesthetic so well made me even more confused why there wasn’t any.

It makes me sad truly. You can’t call your game diverse when it isn’t. The Arcana is not a diverse game. It’s a lazy game with a hollow attempt at representation.

I am open to discussion on this as it’s something I’m passionate about. So if you have any insights or want to voice your own opinion I’d be happy to hear it!

[popcornaddict500]

Blaire Character Sheet!

Full name: Blaire Rivera

Birthday, age, pronouns and preference: August 10th, (Leo) 27 years old, she/her or they/them, she doesn’t mind either. Pansexual, but demiromantic.

Height, physique: 177 cm tall, slightly defined arms and legs. Lean build, not too curvy. Slight hip dips. Average bust size.

~rest under cut~

Appearance: Blaire has deep brown eyes, dark yet warm skin and dark brown hair made up out of small braids. Often wears it in a half bun, but some of her curls stick out. Full, soft lips. Has some freckles on the bridge of her nose and cheeks. Blaire almost always wears a silver nose piercing and silver earrings, and usually some gold necklaces. Her ears are pierced in multiple places, but usually only wears the other piercings on special events. She always wears big, yellow tinted round glasses.

Fashion sense: White or beige flowy clothing like sleeveless dresses and shirts with puffy sleeves for summer, knit sweaters and long coats for winter. Strappy sandals or ankle boots. Some vibes: [side note: 2nd picture is from this tumblr ]

Platonic Relationships: Olivia, (best friend and likewise), Kaelos, Volaris, Theo and Elyn.

Romantic relationships: None currently

Personality:

Blaire is bubbly, lively, sweet and funny. Her smile and warm aura is contagious. She’s a friendly, affectionate person, especially if she knows you well. Confident, bold and smug at times. Blaire doesn’t get flustered easily at all, she’s quite casual in general. Though she can be a little awkward when it comes to more serious situations, she does her best. Blaire kind of has a maternal vibe, she’s very caring and protective to her friends and family.

Where she’s from: I do not have this fully fleshed out, but Blaire is from Southern Europe, from Italy. More or less. (As far as that makes sense in the arcana universe). She speaks Spanish (but not very good), fluent Italian and Vesuvian.

Magic: Blaire’s element is light, and warmth. Not so much fire, but warmth in the less lethal sense. Like sunlight! She is associated with the sun, which isn’t strange considering her aura. She can manifest light and warmth in any form, be it liquid, solid or gas. She’s also skilled in illusion magic.

Non magic capabilities: Blaire is skilled in detailed work like embroidery and carving. She often makes little sculptures out of her magic.

Familiar

A brown chicken called Heidi. Heidi’s a sassy brat, she and Blaire argue a lot. Quite a rude chicken but at least she’s pretty. Blaire often carries her under her arm, and thankfully bypassers can’t hear Heidi cursing out their fashion choices

Random facts:

-Blaire likes bitter foods.

-She met Heidi when she was 7 years old, as a baby chick in her childhood garden. (her parents owned chickens)

-She has long, slender legs.

-Her favourite fruits are figs, and her favourite flower is Honeysuckle.

-If her hair’s not in braids, it’s EXTREMELY fluffy and wild. So that’s why she keeps it like that most of the time…

-She got her nose pierced when she was 17, as an impulse decision. This was her first piercing, and her parents did not approve. But she got more as she matured.

-She’s very resistant to heat, but can’t STAND the cold. It could be 40 degrees celcius out and she’d be completely unbothered, but as soon as it gets under 20 degrees she just wraps herself in 4 layers of sweaters

-She can’t play any instruments, but is quite talented in song. She usually sings in Italian or Spanish, songs from her childhood or family.

-She remembers little details. You could tell her you don’t like blueberries and a month later she’d go to a cafe with you and would snag the last non-blueberry muffin for you for example

-She loves the sea. The beach is one of her favourite places.

Her vibes and aesthetics are tagged under 'Blaire Vibes' so give it a look! <3

[the-iron-orchid]

 @vesuvian-disaster​ says that it probably just kills some people that Jinana and Heron are not a romantic couple because they look so good together, and they are totally right tbh

In some AU where neither of them finds a long-term romantic partner, they just go ahead and have beautiful, magically-generated (and magically-dangerous) vat-children 😂

Of the game LIs, Jinana and Asra probably look the best together tbh... but amongst all the other OCs, Jinana and Tsedi is actually an unexpectedly aesthetic combo! (Jinana and Turel do look nice together, but that size diff is really something lmao)

Meanwhile, Jinana + any redhead will always just clash horribly (visually speaking) and I think that’s beautiful

[luasworkshop]

Let's see some Evander for the Aesthetic meme? - vesuvian-disaster

Ooooh yes! Hell yes.

Moodboard:

Playlist:

In Your Likeness - Woodkid

Bring me the Disco King - David Bowie

Ashes - The Longest Johns

A Candle's Fire - Beruit

So Handsome Hello - Woodkid

Steal His Look:

Pending "Sprite" design.

Quotes:

"We need to restore the full meaning of that old word, duty. It is the other side of rights." - Pearl S. Buck

"The patient's autonomy always, always should be respected, even if it is absolutely contrary - the decision is contrary to best medical advice and what the physician wants." - Jack Kevorkian

"I'm very type-A, and many things in my life are about control and domination, but eating should be a submissive experience, where you let down your guard and enjoy the ride." - Anthony Bourdain

“There are monsters and leviathans and chimeras in the human mind; they are psychic facts. Dragons are one of the truths about us. We have no other way of expressing that particular truth about us. People who deny the existence of dragons are often eaten by dragons. From within.” - Ursula K. Le Guin

Aesthetic:

Hardwood, Ink, Leather, Silver, Good Strong Coffee, Scars, Masks, Juniper, Parchment, Silk, Peacock Feathers, Fangs, Dark Beer, Fog, Claws, Canes, Chains, Control

[foxfirefallout]

When in Vesuvia...

This is, technically, a companion to This Fic, which I finally got around to writing as a now (somewhat) belated birthday offering to @vesuvian-disaster. Their request was bath-house visit, so bath-house visit there shall be.

About... 2200 words of bath-house visit, in fact can be found under the cut, along with:

Asra x (apprentice) Ell

Implied social nudity (it's a bath-house)

Lore-building for Vesuvia and a total, wholesale looting of the idea of Roman baths taken for the foundation for this particular Vesuvian bath-house. (It's Vesuvia-- I'm sure that there are MANY styles in the city, but the Roman ones were the only ones that I felt comfortable taking for my own use.)

Before the plague came to Vesuvia, bath-houses enjoyed a robust business. For some, it was a matter of practicality in a place where private plumbing was not always available or reliable. For others, it was another way to socialize, whether for business or pleasure. There were several facilities in all of the districts (each with their own aesthetic and reputation), but as sickness descended onto the city, those places of shared space were some of the first to close.

It was several years after the Lazarette ceased to billow smoke and ash before the first of the bath-houses reopened. In the Heart District, they became another way for the rich to show off their affluence, nobles striving to outdo their neighbors, either in the opulence of their private facilities, or the grand parties they would hold in revitalized structures. In other districts, the refurbishments were far more practical than ornamental, but the citizens enjoyed the facilities nonetheless and slowly, the bath-houses reclaimed their place in Vesuvian society.

After their last visit to the Heart District, Ell was not exceptionally eager to go back, nor were they quite sure about how they felt about the admittance passes they’d been given as part of their compensation for the reading that had been the reason they’d been in that district at all. On the one hand, it seemed a shame to waste them, but on the other hand… did they really want to be surrounded by those sorts of people?

“It’s a bath-house. People go to bathe, not gawk,” Asra reminded Ell with a smile as he adjusted the drape of their scarf about their face.

Ell gave him a skeptical look, but accepted the kiss Asra placed at the corner of their mouth. “Not in that district. People go there to be seen.”

“Maybe,” Asra continued in a whisper, “But we’re magicians. We can always give people something else to gawk at.” He was well acquainted with Ell’s reluctance to visit the Heart District, even if they themself could not remember the reasons for their reluctance, and did not try to help them regain those memories. The few times that Ell did have a glimpse of their past resulted in debilitating headaches and little in the way of clarity.

“Hmph… you can give them something to gawk at. I just want to see if the mosaic restorations are as good as I’ve been hearing.”

“You just want an excuse to toss cold water on me in the caldarium,” Asra teased back as he tweaked the drape of his shirt and picked up the basket that contained their towels and bathing sandals.

The morning was perfectly temperate-- though the sky was clear and the sun bright, there was a hint of coolness on the breeze as the pair made their way through the streets of Vesuvia. As they neared the Heart District, foot-traffic thinned out, replaced by carriages as the rich of the city went about their own business. Another turn, and the street opened onto a large plaza, and at the other end, the bath-house they’d come to enjoy.

Even from the outside, it was clear that reconstruction had been undertaken with painstaking care-- the facade was of white marble, cool and inviting as the day grew warmer and along either side of the entrance were bas-relief sculptures depicting famous scenes of Vesuvian history. Ell paused for a moment to simply take in the art, admiring the care with which the carvings were executed before Asra gave their hand a gentle tug towards the entrance.

Inside, the pair was greeted by a courteous attendant who approached to check them in and lead them to a little alcove where they could disrobe in privacy before moving on to the tepidarium. They explained the rules of the bath-house, gestured to the extra towels available, and took their leave, returning to their post near the door to welcome the next guests.

In the private apodyterium, the pair disrobed, folding their clothes carefully to store in the little alcove provided. While Ell wrapped a towel about their waist and stepped into their bathing sandals, Asra set a guarding spell on their belongings. Just because it seemed to be a high-class and well-run establishment didn’t mean that things would be guaranteed to stay in one place. “When places like this were first in vogue, people would have slaves to guard their items,” Asra explained once the spell was complete.

“Were you here, back then?” Ell teased before adding, “I’m sure some people still bring servants, though. We’re in that part of the city.” With a little sigh and a concentrated effort towards not thinking too much about where they were, Ell took the time to twine their braid about their head to keep it out of the way. A few pins carefully applied kept it in place, and by the time Asra wrapped a towel about himself, they were ready for the next room.

As they moved into the tepidarium, Ell and Asra were both fascinated by the details-- the mosaics artistically designed with subtle prompts to what lay in which direction, and the frescoed walls whose themes seemed to flow from room to room. In the entryway and dressing alcove, the decor had not been scenes so much as simple geometrics that resolved themselves into plants and animals as they got closer to the tepidarium. Now, they were surrounded by a forest that progressed from season to season, with the entrance to the frigidarium surrounded by trees in winter, while the caldarium door was crowned with the shining sun of summer.

There was little reason for them to linger in the room at present-- most people returned to it between the two extremes, or at the end of a circuit to enjoy a massage. There was a pool, though, and several people were taking gentle exercise in the perfectly temperate water. “We can check out the frescos on our way back through,” Asra murmured as they headed towards the steam room.

The caldarium sported benches along the walls with buckets of cold water spaced intermittently. Most people used these to generate more steam in the room, though a few brave souls simply doused themselves. In contrast to the forest scene of the tepidarium, this room was done in washes of orange and red; a visual representation of the heat of the room.

After a quick glance around, Asra and Ell found themselves a seat along one of the shorter walls, sitting and sweating in silence. “See?” Asra leaned close to whisper. “No gawking.”

“No. No gawking,” Ell agreed, lifting their attention from the floor for a casual glance around the room. Farther along the wall were three people sitting together, two of whom were in deep conversation, words muted by the steady hiss of steam, while the third seemed utterly uninterested, eyes closed as he let his companions hash things out. On the other side of the room, a couple sat as close together as their towels would allow, while only a few feet from them sat a lone individual who had clearly come to the bathhouse to be seen, and did not seem to be having much luck at that, given their petulant expression.

Having gotten a sense of the room, Ell directed their attention to the floor. They had come here to relax, to enjoy what most people considered a luxury, but the caldarium was not a place they could find relaxing. Perhaps it was the color, or possibly the sheer oppressiveness of the heat. Instead, they studied the mosaic on the floor, tracing the story of a dragon, raging in the center of the room, but subdued as it approached the door leading back to the tepidarium.

“Have you sweated enough?” Asra asked as he watched someone dump more water on the stones.

“Yeah, I think so.”

They rose together and made their way back to the tepidarium-- a breath of fresh air after the heat and steam. Ell could understand now, why people would want the strigilis to scrape off the sweat after that room. They had not brought their own, though, unable to find such a device amid all of their other bathing accoutrement at home. Cooling off in the frigidarium would have to suffice.

“We can have a proper scrub off when we get home,” Asra murmured as they made their way through to the next room. “It’s been awhile since we used the lavender stuff you like.”

“Something to look forward to,” Ell agreed as they stepped into the significantly colder room that sported a pool of presumably very cold water. “You first,” they grinned, giving Asra a nudge towards the water.

“We could go in together.”

“I’m not getting my hair wet.”

Brief observation suggested that most people simply jumped in and immediately clambered out, though there were a few more timid people who eased themselves in from the stairs. Ell opted for that approach, though they did not linger long on each step before they were in deep enough that they could submerge their shoulders.

Asra, on the other hand, shed his bathing sandals and jumped in, surfacing with a gasp and delighted laughter before making his way over to Ell. “It’s certainly invigorating,” he commented as they ascended the steps together.

“Yes. Very,” Ell agreed as they adjusted their towel and moved towards the perimeter of the room to take in frescos. Though the art that had led up to this room had been suggestive of winter, the scenes on the walls here were all sea-scapes, from placid waves near the entrance to a raging tempest at the far end of the room. And from the vantage at the edge of the cold plunge, one could make out sea-monsters depicted in the mosaics of the floor of the pool.

“It probably is the best room,” Asra commented casually as he twined his fingers with Ell’s. “Are we ready to dry off?”

“I am,” Ell admitted, taking one final look at the tiled serpents that wound around the floor of the room and heading for the door.

Back in the tepidarium, another attendant approached, asking if they wished to enjoy a massage to conclude their visit, and gestured to two unoccupied tables. The masseurs went through the steps of readying the tables, soft clean towels spread and oil near to hand, warmed and ready.

Asra gave Ell’s hand a little squeeze and tugged them along. “We’re here, and we’ve got the time.”

It was hard for Ell to argue with that logic and they followed along and settled onto the waiting table. Eyes closed, they began to relax under the masseur’s firm and professional touch. The oil was lightly scented, a subtle yet familiar blend they couldn’t quite place as warm hands worked knots out of their shoulders and smoothed down their back to focus on their hips and the tension stored there. Ell wondered if it might be similar to one of their own ‘soothing’ blends.

Ell was dimly aware that the masseur was speaking to them, comments about the smoothness of their skin, how they held tension-- nothing that demanded a reply, for which they were grateful. At the other table, they could hear Asra blythly conversing with his masseuse, at ease wherever he found himself. Hearing Asra’s voice was reassuring, an anchor to reality when skilled touch threatened to sever all ties.

When the masseur pronounced them ‘done,’ it took Ell several moments to gather their senses enough to sit up. Asra was already standing, and took their hand to head back to the apodyterium. In the dim light and privacy of the little room, Ell’s radiated contentment was far more obvious. Asra quirked a little smile as he took the time to help them feel more grounded, offering soft kisses to skin that shone with the oil and the gentle illumination of magic that often presented when Ell was feeling particularly good.

Getting the massage had clearly been the right choice, Asra mused as he unpinned their hair and eased them back into their clothes for the walk home. He made sure they had a glass of water as well before getting himself dressed and gathering their bath things back into their basket. “Would you come back, do you think?” he asked as they headed out to the plaza and a day that had grown significantly warmer during their visit.

“I’m… not sure,” Ell replied honestly, twining an arm around Asra and resting their head against him for a moment. “The mosaics were really fascinating. The frescos too, but… I’m not sure how much I like sitting around in a room for the sake of being hot? And it’s the contrasts that make the experience interesting. And you know how much I like swimming.”

This got a soft laugh from Asra, who pressed a kiss to their temple. “Yes, yes, I know! And you never let me help dry it.”

“Not after you almost singed it, no.”

“That was years ago!”

“And I’m still recovering,” Ell teased, giving Asra a gentle squeeze. The visit had been fun, but Ell suspected it was mostly because they were sharing it with Asra, who always brought with him a sense of delight and wonder. There might be other trips to other bath-houses in the future, but that was a consideration for later. Now, the day was warm, their beloved was at their side, and home was only a walk away.

[evarcana]

Now hear me out.... Real housewives of Vesuvia aesthetic 👀👀👀👀

Aaaaaah, guys ( @move-im-vesuvian-thirsty @miserytheapprentice @the-chaos-siblings in particular) I am sorry for what you are about to see. I told you I am bored.

The real housewives of Vesuvia

Featuring:

Misery

Ev

Rhea

Ahoratos

[measlyfurball13]

Let me tell you all about the concert I went to! To categorize, there were five bands:

Vesuvian is a melodic death metal band and they were the opening band. They're new in the metal scene- they only had four songs. They were a group of four dad (or dad-adjacent) guys who were clearly not used to a crowd that loved them. They were really sweet.

Next up was Greyhawk! A DnD inspired band where the lead singer brought a wizard staff up on stage that he pointed at various audience members with. An odd thing about them was that their bass guitarist, Deran, was sitting on this weird silver throne during their performance. About halfway through the set, the lead singer stops the show and gestures over to him. He recounts a tale about their previous gig a few nights ago. Before the show, a man was harassing a patron outside with a weapon. Deran saw this and intervened. As a reward, he got a 9mm bullet to the leg. Not only did he help save this patron, but after the perpetrator was searched by the police, it was revealed that he had many more weapons on him, and more bullets than there were patrons at the gig. So not only did Deran save the patron being harassed, but he also likely saved the lives of the entire gig as well. The silver throne, meanwhile, was a donation from Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters, who used the same throne after he broke his leg during tour! At that story, we in the crowd went wild, chanting his name, clapping and cheering louder than we had for any of the songs. After so long, the lead singer had to stop us in order for the show to continue. The rest of their set was fantastic. (Also, I complimented the second guitarist on her outfit before the show without realizing who she was!)

After Greyhawk was Seven Kingdoms, another power metal band (although less traditional-sounding than Greyhawk). They, like Unleash the Archers, have a female lead vocalist. When I listened to their stuff on youtube, I wasn't impressed, but oh my god they killed it live! Their guitarists were having the time of their lives up on stage, jumping, laughing, playing like the wind. And the lead singer showed up in a modest pink shirt and sparkly jacket, with a little chibby guitar sash that she pretended to "play" during the solos with the guitarists. She was super cute and bubbly and it was a wonderful subversion of the usual metal aesthetic!

Next up was Aether Realm. Aether Realm. . . they're not a band you just listen to. No, you have to headbang, you have to get into it. I would never listen to their stuff on my own, but my god their guitar riffs went hard and it's impossible not to dance along. The whole band was talented, but everyone except the lead singer was shy and stone-faced. The lead singer, though, was more than able to keep the energy up alone. You could tell he was an extrovert from a freaking mile away.

Finally, there was Unleash the Archers. Holy. Shit. They killed it. They destroyed it. Every member of the band was busting their ass off with the complicated guitar and drums and vocals and they were having the time of their lives. And Brittany Slayes noticed me!!! I was the only one in my section of the venue screaming and jumping up and down, giving the metal hand and she made eye contact with me and gave me the metal hand back!!! I just about fainted right then and there. That alone is enough to keep me going for the next four years. The music was so incredibly amazing. . . almost as if it were off the album but even more special. They played the best parts of both Abyss and Apex. They were master class. My entire body is sore from how hard I headbanged to their entire set. What a show! What a spectacular end to the night!

[ilyeahdevorak]

Introducing: Salice Bourbeau

Full Name: Salice Edelynn Bourbeau

Pronouns: She/her

Nationality: Joint Vesuvian/Eparalian

Zodiac (sun) sign: Cancer

Rising sign: Sagittarius 

Moon sign: Taurus

Familiars: Twin cats named Louisa and Liesel. Louisa is a white cat with black paws, ears, and tail while Liesel is a black cat with white markings in the same places. 

Talents:

Magic: Salice has a strong connection to the metaphysical aspects of magic. Her talents in alchemy and artifacts are subpar, but she excels in divination and transmutation. Surprisingly, she also makes excellent potions- but that has to do more with her ability to imbue potions with her intent rather than actual potion-making.

Languages: Since Salice’s father was an ambassador, he made sure Salice was well-versed in languages so that she could properly represent her family. She can speak French, Italian, English, Arabic, and Hindi fairly well. She also has a little knowledge of some of the Steppeland languages, but didn't complete her training in them before leaving to Emfiteuza.

Others: Again, with traditional parents, Salice was brought up with the knowledge that she would be representing her family. Thus, she was taught how to sew, cook, dance, draw, sing, and play a few musical instruments (although she was dreadfully bad at them). Generally, Salice disliked the visual arts (except for, perhaps, baking). However, she found herself drawn to literature. Additionally, while Salice despised the stiff ballroom dancing lessons her parents made her endure, she found that she quite liked dancing on her own terms.

Favorites:

Favorite Drink: Spiced Chai Latte

Favorite Food: Beignets with honey

Favorite Flower: Lily

Favorite Season: Winter

Favorite Color: Purple

Favorite Activities: Reading, writing, cooking/baking, dancing, swimming

Other things about Salice:

Her aesthetic

Her past:

Salice was born in Vesuvia to Ilarial and Claude Bourbeau. Her father, Claude Bourbeau, lived in Eparale- a small country on the southern coast of Venterre. He amassed his fortune and power as the Eparalian ambassador to Vesuvia. With his silver tongue and talent for subtle manipulation, he quickly secured a trade deal between Vesuvia and Eparale. He met Salice’s mother, Ilarial, who was Vesuvian by birth, while visiting the city-state. Ilarial and Claude were drawn together by their equally traditional values. They courted quickly and were married within four months- not necessarily for love, but for the fact that neither thought they would find a better match.

Salice was Ilarial and Claude’s first child (for most of Salice’s life, she was their only child- they had Salice’s brother after Salice disappeared from Emfiteuza). Having very traditional parents, Salice was raised to be a “proper young lady-” so she was thoroughly educated on proper etiquette, singing, ballroom dancing, sewing, drawing, and cooking. Her father also made sure she was able to speak an array of languages; Salice often accompanied her father and mother on trips to foreign countries and, as the ambassador’s daughter, was required to make a good impression in a variety of languages. 

Salice was by no means the perfect ambassador’s daughter. She was clumsy in ballroom dancing, her voice warbled in singing, and she couldn’t play a tune on a violin to save her life. Perhaps worst of all, she questioned everything.

Whereas her parents were structured, Salice found no clear reason to follow the beaten path. She had an insatiable curiosity that often bothered her by-the-book, unquestioning parents. Claude and Ilarial had a difficult time convincing Salice to do anything she thought wasn't worthwhile. This is partly what encouraged Salice’s love of literature and all things intellectual- she found her curiosity validated in books. 

Neither Ilarial nor Claude had any strong magical ability- and they didn't want to have any. So, when Salice’s magic appeared when she was 15, they tried to tame it for as long as they could. Salice’s magic, just like her books and writings, were repulsive to her parents. But Salice was nothing if not persistent; eventually, when Salice accidentally leveled a whole section of Ilarial’s precious rosebushes, her parents knew they could not ignore Salice’s magic any longer. Salice’s cousin, Amelie Cortot, was also a magician and was learning magic at Emfiteuza, a magical academy off the coast of Eparale. So, at the age of 18, Salice’s parents decided to send her to Emfiteuza- which had a reputation for rigidity- in hopes of taming her out-of-control personality.

Emfiteuza was exactly what Salice’s parents wanted. It didn’t just tame Salice- it broke her.

Emfiteuza was a school without morality. It valued perfection above all else; they made perfect magicians who cast perfect spells and brewed perfect potions. And to be perfect magicians, they had to be all-powerful. At Emfiteuza, power was a necessity; there were no limits to what the students were allowed- and encouraged- to do to achieve their “true potential.” The ends always justified the means. And if you couldn’t stomach the rigorous curriculum, you were transferred to the mysterious lower levels of the castle to be used as a conduit.

Emfiteuza was Salice’s own personal hell. It was a constant reminder that she was not living up to expectations; she wasn’t as calloused, practiced, or obedient as the other magicians. She was, as her cousin had put it, “soft”. But Salice knew she couldn’t fall behind. If she did, she’d disappear to the lower levels, never to be seen again. She didn’t want to be the cruel magician the others had become, but she didn’t want to fail- above all else, she wanted to make it out of Emfiteuza alive, and make her own life for herself away from her parents.

But as time went on and Salice was forced to sink deeper and deeper into darkness, a voice grew in her head telling her that what she was doing was wrong. With each day that passed, it became clearer and clearer that Emfiteuza was corrupting her; and if she didn't escape from its influence, she would be crushed.

One year before her graduation, bone-tired and emotionally spent, Salice made a desperate decision: she decided to leave Emfiteuza. 

In the hours of an early morning, Salice made her escape to the nearest city that would harbor her: Vesuvia. She bartered passage on a pirate ship by pretending to be a doctor, where she met her first friend: another pirate/doctor named Julian Devorak.

To say that life in Vesuvia has been an adjustment for Salice would be an understatement. However, her talents have not gone to waste- and with the upcoming Red Plague, Salice will need all of her strength to conquer what lies ahead.

[into-the-daniverse]

Alec’s Masterlist

🍋 — Spice, 18+, Minors DNI Redacted — Coming Soon!

All Lore

Her Bio — Name, Description, Background, etc.

Her Playlist

Her Familiar — Ravah the Maned Wolf

About Her Magic

Inspiration/Vibes — Fashion, Quotes, Aesthetic, etc.

Her Face Claim

About Alec — All asks, random headcanons (sfw and 🍋), picrews, misc.

Art of Alec — By me, friends, or commissioned

Fic of Alec — Not by me!

Everything Alec — literally everything

Modern AU Content

Date Night — What Alec would wear, what you would do together

Desert Jackals — Beginnings, Member Information

Desert Jackals Playlist — in set order, cycling between Des Rocs (Jamil), Delta Rae (Alec), Halestorm (Camia), and Set It Off (Leon)

Piercings 

Tattoos

Reversed AU Lore

All fics under the cut

All Canon Fics (in order of timeline)

Pre-game

Machine — On a trip home to Prakra, Jamil, Camia, and Leon meet a particular street kid after she steals Jamil’s guitar

Rainbow — Alec’s first birthday with the rest of the band at Il Palazzo D’Oria

The Devil is a Gentleman — During a stop at the Koizumi Inn, Alec meets Syd, and Meredith steps in to take her away

Canary in a Coal Mine — Leon helps Alec calm down during her first Masquerade (ft. Jamil and Camia)

Soldier, Poet, King — Training with Leon can be a challenge for teenage Alec (ft. Camia)

The Horror and The Wild — Alec and Ravah’s first meeting

That Unwanted Animal — The story of how Alec got the scar on her side (ft. Camia, Jamil and Leon)

Sleep Is For The Weak — Alec and Miriam’s first meeting at the Shopping District 

Farewell Wanderlust — Alec stumbles upon the Vesuvian Theater and meets a peculiar Doctor

5000 Miles 🍋 — Alec and Miriam’s second meeting at one of Lucio’s parties

Kiss Prompt 44: Tentative kisses given in the dark — Alec and Julian rehearse for a play

Tongues & Teeth — Alec shows up at Julian’s clinic after a fight, and he helps nurse her wounds

Kiss Prompt 18: Teasing kisses where one person blows air into the other’s mouth and runs away — Alec helps Julian get ready for a performance

L’ultima Notte — Ravah visits Alec after her resurrection, and tries to understand what happened to her

Game Timeline

Alec’s Prologue — Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Roll The Old Chariot Along — Before the very end of Asra’s route, after they’ve defeated the Devil, Camia, Leon, Jamil, and Ravah all reunite with Alec as her memories return

Post-game

Already Mine — post Asra’s route, he reflects on the days after he brought Alec back

Kiss Prompt 30: Weak, sweaty kisses because it’s unbearably hot — post Asra’s route, the two travel back to his hut in Nopal

Turn out the Lights — post Julian’s route, Alec has a nightmare about the person she used to be

BABYDOLL 🍋 — AU, post Nadia’s route, with Alec, Nadia, and Miriam having a busy evening together

OC visiting a grave prompt — After her memories return, Alec and Camia visit an old friend together

OC visiting a grave prompt — Alec returns to her first home to visit her parents

Miscellaneous (no set time)

Can’t Go Back — Alec’s memories of her parents

Loving Is Easy 🍋 — Asra and Alec need some alone time away from the rest of the band

Family — Alec and her parents (found and biological) and the parts of them that she reflects

All AU Fics (OCxOC, Reversed AU, etc.)

Featuring asras3rdeye’s Kipling

#27 Kiss Prompt — Kisses exchanged while one sits in the other’s lap

#46 Kiss Prompt — A lingering kiss before a long trip apart

#11 Physical Affection Prompt — back hugs

Asra’s Birthday Collab — Alec, Kipling, and Asra all take a trip to the magical realms for his birthday

myrtle ave. — After spending a night together, Alec wakes up and realizes she doesn’t want to leave

#14 Kiss Prompt — Starting with a kiss meant to be gentle, ending up in passion

Featuring asra3rdeye’s Khleo

Kiss Prompt 12 — During a performance, Alec sneaks away with Khleo to a hidden corner to share a secretive kiss

“Come on my fingers, that’s it.” [wall] and [taste] from Smut Starters 🍋 — After the band’s performance at the bar, Alec and Khleo pick up where they left off in the basement

Kiss Prompt 15 — After an evening of fight club, Alec has something to tell Khleo

Featuring ilyamatic’s Andrico

Astronaut — Alec’s reflections on her apothecary 

Lingerie 🍋 — Alec has a surprise waiting for Andrico when he comes home after a long day

[ gag ] and [ good ] from the NSFW Reaction Prompts 🍋 — Alec has to work for what she wants from Andrico, and she does so eagerly

Shiver — The first snow has fallen, but Alec and Andrico couldn’t be less excited for the cold, and would prefer to stayed cuddled together instead

Featuring leatherandsaltybitters’s Hathe

Pay Us No Mind — Alec and Hathe spend an afternoon in the shop

Lovefool 🍋 — KT fic, Hathe stops by the shop with a few presents for Alec, and they both immediately try them out

Hey Now — Alec helps Hathe run from an angry market vendor, and gets a gift in return 

Featuring heartofnopal’s Quetzalli

Raise Hell — Alec goes to the Coliseum with Jamil to watch her friend fight, even if she has to watch through her fingers

Mrs. Infamous (My Sweetness) — After an evening at the Rowdy Raven, Alec and Quetzalli spend some time together on the beach

Featuring vissenta-senadz’s Calum

You Make Loving Fun 🍋 — Modern AU, after their tour has ended, Alec goes to visit Calum, bringing a surprise for him

#7 Kiss Prompt — Routine kisses where the other person presents their cheek/forehead for the hello/goodbye kiss without even looking up from what they’re doing

Other OC pairings

#11 Kiss Prompt — Morning kisses with saltybitterss’s Ruth

#5 Kiss Prompt — “Throwing their arms around the other person’s neck, hugging them close before kissing them passionately on the lips” with xviii-moon’s Myren

40 Days & 40 Nights 🍋 — After returning from a long trip away from Vesuvia, Alec and atypicalacademic’s Haider spend some time catching up

Miscellaneous 

Alec’s Romance Tale!

Vokt Dig Vel — Alec, Jamil, Camia, and Leon spend a day in the shop with sunrisenfool’s Anatole

Devour — Reversed AU, A peek into Alec, Leon, Jamil, and Camia’s daily lives

Talk Dirty 🍋 — Modern AU, Alec records a video to send to her partner after a long show while on the road touring

[bottomvalerius]

How about we go with the twins? Navra and Nahara for Donna. -vesuvian-disaster

Ooh these are good, thank you!💕

Navra: Does your MC have artistic talents (i.e. music, art, etc.)?

Donna really loves writing! They read a lot of novels and really enjoy writing poetry. They particularly like sending them to Valerius and flustering him 😌 they also enjoy singing; they don’t consider themself to be like amazing at it, but they really enjoy it

Nahara: can your MC fight with a weapon/without magic?

They shouldn’t but if they can’t use magic, they use their fists LMAO I’ve mentioned before they really like instigating play-fights with Vulgora even though they can easily just. Snap them. RIP LOL they also want Nadia to teach them sword fighting for purely aesthetic reasonings— they, too, want to be a hot swordsman lmao

[popcornaddict500]

Time for a tag game

Describe your apprentice’s magical gate(s)! Add some pics, let us feel the aesthetic, I’m curious!!

Charlotte

A cloud realm. There’s waterfalls everywhere, and various colorful plants. The clouds are strangely bouncy and fun to walk on. In the sky are planets, and thousands of stars. It’s always day and night here. Depending on how she feels, the clouds change. The waterfalls are to go to different realms. The clouds can be shaped into anything.

Olivia

A calm lake or sea at night, with a single rowing boat floating on the water. The water hardly moves, except for the ripples the boat makes. In the boat is a never ending ladder, that you can extend towards the sky. Each star in the sky is a portal to different realms, and to go there you must first row the boat to your desired position and climb the ladder. If you run your hands through the water, it will magically start creating things that have a certain connection to you. It’s fun to play around with.

@evarcana​ @under-the-pear-tree​ @chrysanthedadteadrink​ @move-im-vesuvian-thirsty​ @miserytheapprentice​

Anyone can go ahead, even if you’re not tagged! :)

[the-iron-orchid]

OC asks: 28 and 36!

[ OC Asks ]

28. If your character was in today’s world, what social media platforms would they avoid? Or be prominent on?

Modern!AU Jinana is very active on Insta - but only for hir occult shop. S/he regularly posts images from the store and stages pretty little photoshoots to promote new products. S/he is not above mild thirst-trapping for promotional purposes (Heron helps with these lmao).

S/he does have an FB page for the store, but it's mostly just auto-crossposts of hir IG posts.

S/he has two personal tumblrs: hir main is all kink and aesthetic stuff and then s/he has a bugblr sideblog.

S/he avoids Twitter like, well, the plague 😅

36. Tell us something about your OC that doesn’t make it onto the page?

Non-Apprentice Jinana is proud of hir Prakran heritage and flaunts it in a very in-your-face manner, because s/he is powerful enough that there's literally nothing anyone can do about it. S/he remembers the fear and the insults inflicted upon hir and hir mother during the last conflict with Prakra, and the way they had to downplay their Prakran-ness for their own safety.

As an adult, Jinana considers hir ties with the Prakran community of Vesuvia to be some of hir most important, and s/he is a regular fixture at cultural events and holiday gatherings, often performing classical Prakran song and dance. After the rather soul-crushingly negative reception s/he received from the Adityas in Prakra, it is the Vesuvian community of Prakran ex-pats who convinced hir to perform for them again.

Apprentice Jinana is less sure about where s/he stands with regard to hir heritage, because of course s/he has forgotten these things. Perhaps Nadia and her family will be able to help hir to reclaim this part of hirself again.

[luasworkshop]

I dunno if I've covered this explicitly at some point but here's some spice-related details for Lua (specifically D/S stuff which isn't their usual wheelhouse but occasionally applies.)

Lua isn't really much dominant or submissive, and honestly is pretty vanilla* overall (they like sex, they like tenderness, they like things to be light and equitable), but they can fill a role if desired (in their way). (Vanilla is a nice flavor - it augments so many others!)

(this is only so accurate since it excludes some things but it's not terribly off.)

Lua in a more dominant role:

- Good with knots (hey sailing knowledge comes in handy somewhere) and has a spell or two to hand to tie someone up in a flash.

- Has definitely made some interesting contraptions and knows how to use them (not something they usually use for themselves, but they have the knowledge and skills with clockwork and artifice, and the Vesuvian dildo races require FUNCTIONAL models - they're happy to show off. Plus they have some other interesting toys as well.)

- Doesn't have the heart to really cause much pain, but gives good hickies/bites if invited to do so (they are rather 'mouthy' after all). Certainly with their shape-shifting they can throw fangs, claws, tentacles and suckers into this mix. They're not really keen on drawing blood. Not at all against playfully spanking someone.

- Absolutely expert with magic-based temperature play and has learned a thing or two about shocking from Aleis.

- They have more than enough experience and practice to be excellent at physically teasing/denial, edgeplay, and over-stimulation.

- Sassy as shit, isn't good at belittling, but knows how to point out when someone's being a needy little creature. Verbally tends to play toward teasing, playful banter, and maybe being just a bit haughty and disinterested.

- They're fairly large at 6', not a particularly strong build, but they can use their size and shapeshifting to pin someone down and hold them there (they're not huge on tussling but if they're allowed to use magic including shifting it's fine).

- Really the shapeshifting comes in a fair bit if allowed - let them be comfortable in their fluidity of form, and you'll get to see some pretty fun parts of them - their creativity, their magical prowess, and their more wild side.

- If allowed they'll use multiple arms/limbs/digits to assist in things, continually and progressively shifting. Or they can take on a form that is more impressive/complex than their own day-to-day appearance (really whatever would be enjoyed - it's all icing on the cake).

- Is good with being a monster/creature/'hunter' they willingly embrace that side of themselves (something they struggled with, growing up - the whole 'I wasn't the princess or the knight, I was the dragon'.)

Lua in a more submissive role:

- Can't really stand being physically hurt (apart from hickies - which they do like) or verbally degraded (they take it personally and find it genuinely upsetting) but they're very good with being told what to do, and they don't mind an authoritative or firm tone. They're willing to use terms of respect, but they don't particularly like stretching into role-play that involves authority figures they feel they have been or might be genuinely wronged by (parents, military, etc.)

- Similarly, doesn't like being physically restrained, but is, again very good with being told what to do. If you want them still they'll be still - though it may be a struggle depending on what else is going on.

- Is all for being teased and denied, edged, or overstimulated, either way. Praise them and you'll get quite the show (multiple orgasms are also a perennial favorite - given their shape-shifting).

- They enjoy temperature play used on themselves, but don't trust electricity from anyone but Aleis (who is only very gentle and mild about it with them - that's less about pain and more about riding the storm... literally and figuratively).

- They're good with being challenged - they take that sort of thing personally but in the right context find it fun, whether it's trying to be quiet, or still, or trying to hold back or what have you.

- They're easily verbal and vocal, inclined to promise and plead if allowed (they're not entirely inclined to beg but they have their moments).

- Again that shape-shifting, they'll be whatever is wanted of them, and can make themselves more flexible for display or pleasing multiple partners (yes they can absolutely eat themselves out if they put their mind to it.) Multiple limbs and whatever else goes both ways.

- Conversely is good with being a poor beast/creature (the other side of that comfort in being themselves.) Isn't particularly into pet play (this is more hurt/comfort in nature), but if you want them to have ears and a tail you can have that if you like (though they're likely to just get silly with it**).

Either way they tend to be very attentive and alert, you'll never get them to fully shut down conscious thought (always SOMETHING on the back of the brain, no real subspace for this one) but they can relax quite well and settle into a role for those that prefer that sort of thing. They just want to do well and do right by their lovers and friends (who... well if they are lovers it takes Lua a while to trust, yanno?).

They like aesthetic garments on others but do get nervous about wearing anything costume-y themselves, they feel more naked than just... being naked (but - they're willing to try). They wear their ring unless they're bathing, baking (dough under a ring is just... no), asleep, or have some risk of degloving their finger (working with certain tools). Aleis and Lua vet each other's partners and are open about who they're with. They usually take their earrings off once things are getting physical (they've ripped their ear before and it hurts.)

They're also just... a massive vers, they don't really care what happens there as long as it feels good for everyone involved. We already know their genitalia varies a lot, and is often somewhat fantastic.

Lua with aftercare:

- HOPE YOU LIKE CUDDLING. (Seriously: They're all about the WHOLE thing, care and attention before and after very much included, whether they're dominant or submissive. If they can take a bath and/or a nap with whoever they're with, all the better - but they want to talk and be assured, and also just... talk to you about weird animals and strange plants and their next project and hear how things are going for you and whatever interests you.)

*We'll assume the shape-shifting counts as 'vanilla' here, as they're a tender monster if you're into monsterfucking, and it's innate to their existence. Shape-shifting is some of their best magical prowess and it comes easily and fluidly.

**Tell them to be a cat-person (naynbinary) and they're going to knock your glass of the nightstand, climb the drapes, stare into space wild-eyed for 15 minutes, and generally make themselves a menace. They're not interested in being 'tamed' they're just being a dumbass.

[cubedlikescookies]

Community OC asks! What is some original lore you added to the Arcana-verse with your character? (locations, cultures, magic, etc) Tell us about it!

This ask got me really excited!

What really got me about the Arcana is how domestic it can be. Imagining living in the same shop, going to the same marketplace, for three years? It sounds like normal life for me, just shifted to a different aesthetic. And no matter which LI it is, them being the catalyst to you stepping out of your own little corner of the world is what really makes me swoon.

So, the lore that I've ended up with has less to do with the big picture and more with my apprentice's favorite haunts.

To help me stay in character I've kind of avoided creating a story for them before Asra brings them back. For those three years pre-game, though, there are some spots:

There's a little corner in the marketplace, near enough to the docks for the salt to be in the air. The shops in that stretch closed down during the plague and never reopened. There's nothing there, just bare walls and mice, but it's the only spot in the Marketplace where you can find some privacy.

Another location is a series of clearings in the nearest parts of the forest where Asra would trust them to go by themselves to gather ingredients. Full of flowers and sweet smelling grasses. Small wonders are one of my favorite parts of living, and I project that onto my apprentice.

As far as cultures go, I like to think about Lucky visiting Prakra and Nevivon and being enthralled with them, but I haven't come up with much of a culture for my apprentice to be defined by. As far back as they know they've been Vesuvian, so they've just kind of picked up the little bits of everywhere found in the port city.

Post-canon, though! I headcanon the Lazeret as having a bunch of natural caves (Easter Island style), some filled with bones and ash but others untouched by the remnants of the plague.

The Nevivon lighthouse stands at the highest point of a rocky beach, nothing else within miles. Some of the grandmas are on a rotation to man it, and occasionally the older kids will get to go for a couple of months too. The air is crisp, the birds are loud, and the independence from the rest of the cousins is a heady feeling. Lucky's main LI is Julian, who definitely shares it with them during their visit when they start to get overwhelmed by just how big his family is.

Prakran holy places make Vesuvia's look dull in comparison. White marble polished till is shines in the moonlight, with vibrant drapes and jewelry hanging off every arch and statue. Some of them are carved into the sides of mountaintops, and others are artfully tucked underground.

The South End is just a walk away from where they've been all their life, but the way the sun catches on the ruddy water is entirely unknown. Their LI is perpetually trying to warn them that not every alley and storefront is safe to explore alone, but Lucky has finally started to be curious and nothing will stop them now. Notably, the shop with the round wooden sign is not a clothing merchant.

I just have a lot of feels about my apprentice finally stepping outside of the three places they know and discovering all sorts of wonders, both in Vesuvia and the world.

I practice a bit of magic irl, with a limited understanding of herbs and some divination. Again, the domesticity of the game gets me here. I haven't added much magic-related lore because I like the idea of how much the Arcana's displays of magic mirror our own world's. The practical spells like we see in game, rituals as a very serious thing that my apprentice doesn't really touch, casual divination, talismans, herbs used in food and potions, and various magical instruments like Asra collects.

Stuff I do add in is amulets and the use of herbs and crystals in casting spells. I love the idea of my apprentice making Julian (as an LI or a friend) knot spells, too (sailors would get them from witches; when you untie the knot it shifts the winds in your favor). And Lucky would definitely be the kind of person to keep a couple crystals in their pockets and always have bags of protective herbs at hand.

That got really long! I had more to say than I thought I would. ^^ Thank you for the ask!! 💙💜