#asra tale

[what-do-you-mean-theyre-evil]

The worst part about the Dorian Asra tale is the fact that it's not even good.

Like if it was actually good then maybe I could get over it but it's so bad, ooc, and it constantly grasps onto the little fandom in jokes and turns them up to 11 to drive the story rather than maybe learning about their character in order to write them properly.

[alpinechamomile]

new tale art really said *tilts head at you adorably* 💙💜💖 (all cgs by Gabriella Rossetti)

cgs were gathered and posted by @ask-count-lulu 🫶

[thetreeturnedoff]

heyyy, so i may or may not have compiled the entire new asra tale into a google drive for people to see for those of y'all who don't want to give dorian any downloads or money. if there's anything missing or that you think needs to be changed, or if something isn't opening (i have to set my phone browser to desktop mode to open some folders and i'm still trying to figure out why), just lmk and i'll take a look!

[fifthpilot]

So About the New Asra Tale by Dorian...

The plot was, not great. It was pretty boring, but it did touch up on a few interesting points from Asra's main story; like how much of his memory did he loose, his past before MC's death, and what extremes he had to go through because of MC's death like erasing his own memories of certain spells, which in my opinion is a very interesting scenario. Things did seem rushed considering the fact that the story had two endings depending on whether you chose to use the spell or not; and how the supposedly "bad ending" kind of implied that you and Asra somehow may have brought back the plague? or Lucio i.e the plague? It was left up to interpretation. The writing was, not good. I think they did try their best to stay true to Asra's tone even if it was a bit too on the nose at times and a little overbaord. But it was mainly the MC and the Magician that felt most off note to me.

That all being said, I like many others don't consider this a part of canon, it does ultimately give off a very wattpad feel. But in all honesty so did some of the main content after probably halfway through the main 3's routes. I think many people forgot just how erratic and disorganized the Nix Hydra Team was and how many people who came up with the original storyline had left the company before the end of the M3 routes. But a lot of people don't seem to notice that because all the content was in one place, the arcana app. Which brings me to my next point.

I think a good portion of the hate Dorian is getting is mainly due to the fact that their app is terrible. The UI is confusing, the app lags a lot and it's very slow. The game looks different on the dorian app, the font is wrong, there's no music, the character sprite animation is messed up, and the LI never says your name. And a lot of people have demanded that Dorian uploads the new conent to the Arcana app. But after thinking about it I personally think it's a good thing that the Dorian content and the "original" content stay physically seperated, so we know where one starts from where one ends. And I know a lot of people would disagree because using the Dorian app is a hassle, but like I mentioned before. Dorian is making fanfiction (but worse). They're using whatever's left of the arcana fandom to make some cash. This whole thing with Dorian creating new routes and new content is just another marvel-like tactic of beating a dead horse with a stick. And, they're even using the same Nix Hydra trick of placing the best content behind a paywall.

I'm personally not even upset at how terrible the app is, or how rushed and boring and generally just bad the tale was, I think I'm more upset that we won't put the Arcana Game to rest. And instead we have to watch as corporation after corporation uses the story for whatever means it wants to make money. I'm more upset that things can't just end and be celebrated for being. And how the way we engage with media has mutated into something more greedy and gluttonous.

What I'm saying is, we had a beginning and ending, we had prologues and epilogues and hidden scenes. We had plenty. We don't need more. Sometimes enough is enough.

[chaotic-kitty]

Sooooo I’ve screen recorded the new tale on dorian (besides the paid scenes because babes I’m broke and my coins mean nothing here…😎🥲)

It’s through Google drive because of the file size. You’re all free to grab screenshots and share it and everything. This is so all you guys don’t have to download the app. Enjoy XD (yes. That’s sarcasm. Nothing really to enjoy here…🥲)

My Thoughts: (Slight Spoilers)

Gonna start off with saying it’s not as bad as I had expected, but also not great. Not for what it is.

The writing feels lacking and dry.

The characters feel very OOC- especially Asra. Very cold and rude and just not him.

The MC is just written as kinda dumb again.

The storyline is confusing and kind of hard to follow. Like I actually do not understand why this sequence of events happened.

It feels like it’s rushed, yet also spends an ungodly amount of time on filler scenes.

The lack of music makes a difference. And makes it less redeemable or even enjoyable.

THEY MISGENDERED THE MAGICIAN FOR THE WHOLE THING!

The whole thing is anticlimactic for what it was.

The ending was unclear.

The normally free CG (for tales) was behind a paywall.

And apparently all the scenes you unlock, you only unlock once and have to re unlock every time you play.

The game was still a little slow (technologically speaking). And as you can see, some characters sprites weren’t even fully there.

It feels like they just tried to shove things together and call it a story. It didn’t feel planned out at all. It felt like reading fan fiction. Not that fanfic is wrong, but you can often feel each authors own spin on thing. And it just generally lacks the arcana vibes. Now yes, it’s only one? original Arcana writer doing this with others, but still. It’s not that great. Definitely a bit above the other stuff on dorian, but nowhere near the level of the arcana or fictif.

That’s my general thoughts on it, but I’m bound to have more.

[malithiae]

hi hi! sorry to bother, i need your help 🥹 I have a lot of content a little unpopular and I don't know what to post first... what would you prefer?

[apprentice-alwyn]

So I read the new Asra Tale “The Lost Spell” on Dorian and uh....that was...Not Great.

There were a lot of issues and I ended up thinking about what I would have done differently/how I would change the story while still trying to stick to more or less the core concept of it, and I figured I would share those musings here.

First things first, I would have made this story a more...personal one for Asra and MC involving Asra’s past and his parents. A story where Asra and MC are trying to retrieve something that was lost to his parents...I would have made this story not about a missing spell, but instead about lost alchemical research. Alchemy being the field of expertise for Asra’s parents, blending science and magic, and a field that Asra himself is most likely more unfamiliar with. (You could still make reference to this material/lost alchemical research being relevant to the current efforts to fix Vesuvia’s water system with a mention of how it could have been helpful I dunno)

This ends up being what leads Asra and MC to seek out The Magician for help  after digging for information in the palace records and library havent turned up anything and Asra’s attempts to track via magic havent been fruitful. Thus leading to the hint that what they seek can be found in Asra’s memories.

Instead of skipping straight to being told where to go to find the information, it could have been fun to have Asra and MC searching through the pools in Asra’s gate to find the right memory, giving us fragmentary moments from Asra’s past to witness as a result. Perhaps moments from, for example, when Asra and MC first met, a memory of Asra’s time on the streets with Muriel, the argument Asra and MC had during the plague, etc...until eventually they come across the memory they are looking for...one that is so old as to have been long forgotten by Asra, something a little raw and bittersweet...a memory from when Asra was a small child before he was separated from his parents. In this memory they find the alchemical research they had been searching for in the Alnazar home.

I dunno something along those lines could have been nice, while sticking to the idea of searching for some lost knowledge/magic.

[hallowmoon-art]

Decided to at least give the new Asra tale a try and my heart has plummeted to the center of the fucking earth.

Overall, the concept of the tale was decent, but it felt rushed. Some of Asra's interactions with MC was on point while most were far off. The way some of the scenes where described didn't fit with the original way.

The app is still glitchy and the transition between characters appearing on screen is harsh.

THERE WAS NO MUSIC THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE THING.

Some of the sprites are still cut off.

The words are still bold and eye searing like in the prologue.

Nothing has been fixed.

They have released something that looks like its a quarter of the way through development.

I read through some of the comments and if you unlock a premium choice and decide to replay the tale, YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR IT AGAIN. What in the 9 FUCKS

Idk if there's new CG art bc I couldn't afford the premium scenes without spending money. And I'm not paying for the crap I just described.

I just don't fucking know anymore.

[boowoomuu]

Asra: We don't want to draw attention

Also Asra:

[arcanablogbcimissthem]

meh first ever post about this topic..! its just me brainrotting about how the proposal and wedding with the first three LIs would go LOL not gonna share everything ive written so far but yea!!! :DDD i want this to be a real thing!! it’s just post-canon tooth-rotting fluff because mentally i am unwell and i need it <3 HAHAHA

Kinda want it to have the option to propose or wait to be proposed to like in Our Life!!!!! Except.. Dia had already proposed first lol. So instead it’ll go like, 

Dia - you give her her own ring

 Asra -  you both propose at the same time

Julian - you propose because umm! He is a dumbass. Waiting for ilya to propose first would be like waiting for rain in the desert. JOKE I LOVE HIM I PROMMY

[rubyfunkey]

every time i re-read any arcana route i comprehend the horrors a little more

[knight-engale]

When life was simpler, and things were better

It's Morgan, but six years old! Well, nearly six. Oh, and also her lovely, lovely parents ❤ Drawing this sparked so much joy

[thetreeturnedoff]

to everyone who followed me for the tales (and anyone else who sees this who's interested), i should have nadia's tale complete in the drive thursday or friday

[gingerschnaps]

look at how they massacred my magician...

[agender-wolfie]

Oh look, they did it again. 🙃 And I saw in the comments someone wanted a Lucio and Julian tale. 🤡 It’s all unraveling, Vesuvia has succumb to the toxicity of the Dorian plague.

[warlordfelwinter]

warm up doodle before i attempt to draw our dnd party. the dm approved celeste eventually getting a displacer cub as a familiar and i just can't imagine it as anything but asmodeus' next attempt in his on-going effort to find out what sort of gifts celeste will accept since the usual devil strats of riches and immortality aren't working like

"i got you a kitten" [pulls out a six legged tentacled jaguar cub]