#count spada

[count-lucio]

a series of ramblings on what Lucio's life looked like after losing his arm

all headcanon, of course. i wanted to touch on what Lucio's life looked like between losing his arm and commissioning his current prosthetic, as it's never directly touched on what he did with himself during that period. enjoy!

- i'd like to preface this by saying that it infuriates me how this is never touched on in the game because god! i cannot even articulate what a devastating blow that was to him

- i mean, quite literally, obviously, because he was injured to the point of needing amputation, but in a much deeper sense- Lucio turned to mercenary work after being chased away from his clan and homelands by his mother with nothing but the clothes on his back and a sword still stained with his father's blood the only skill he could really implore to, you know, survive, was what he had been trained to do his entire life, fight - and kill.

- so facing a substantial amount of healing time in which he would be heavily incapacitated, and knowing that even after that he would be incapable of returning to the only life he knew, he was nothing short of devastated. this was the second time in an incredibly short period where he was losing everything all over again and would have to claw his way back to a semi-comfortable life

- however, this time Lucio wasn't quite as alone. for the past few months Lucio had been employed under the previous count of Vesuvia- count Spada. Spada had taken a liking to Lucio, impressed by his skills in battle and charismatic personality- even moreso impressed at Lucio's dedication to his work, especially after seeing him lose an arm because he was too headstrong (or perhaps too arrogant) to desert the battlefield even when most of the men fighting alongside him had already been defeated.

- Lucio's first few weeks after his amputation were spent at camp, healing under the care of Nazali and Julian. however, no mercenary band stays stationary for more than a few weeks at a time, and Lucio was forced to admit he wasn't fit to fight - or travel anymore. as he was packing his things, Spada came to speak with Lucio, and asked Lucio to accompany him back to Vesuvia, offering him a place to stay at the palace for the foreseeable future. Lucio, equally fond of Spada, accepted immediately.

- Lucio healed quickly once in Vesuvia, becoming more and more invested in Spada's work and the comings and goings of the city as he did. Spada took quick notice of this and wasted no time in taking Lucio under his wing- he was an older man, with no heir or close family in Vesuvia, and admired Lucio's capability to be both ruthless and charismatic- traits he himself shared that made him an effective and respected leader.

- however, despite his fascination with Vesuvia, Lucio was still heavily impacted by the loss of his arm and was clearly not the same confident, boisterous man Spada had once hired. his newfound disability had taken a noticeable hit on his confidence and autonomy, and both out of concern for his friend and out of a desire to shape Lucio into someone fit to rule Vesuvia after his death, he took it upon himself to commission a prosthetic for Lucio.

- this arm was incredibly different than Lucio's current golden prosthetic- it was fashioned in a way that closer resembled his appearance during his mercenary days, made of a darker, more bronze-tinted gold and leather, with a much more practical design. additionally, Spada knew no magicians as powerful as Asra's parents, so Lucio didn't have nearly as much control over this prosthetic as his current- although it was still crafted with a few small enchantments that allowed for basic movements and crude fine motor skills.

- with this new prosthetic Lucio regained much of his confidence; and although he still struggled with many delicate tasks, he was no longer quite as defenseless. he was, of course, endlessly grateful to Spada- the two of them growing incredibly close, very nearly like father and son. it took little time for Spada to propose that Lucio inherit rule of Vesuvia after his death and Lucio, ever in search of power, gladly accepted. Spada took it upon himself to spend the next few years training Lucio, teaching him everything he knew in the hope that Lucio would one day become as powerful of a ruler as Spada was.

- eventually, Spada did pass, as his age and declining health caught up to him. in his death, he left full control of Vesuvia to Lucio, naming him his sole heir and entrusting him to rule the city. shortly after becoming count, Lucio commissioned himself a new arm- his current ornate golden one. Lucio felt both as if he needed a more powerful prosthetic to be an effective leader, and that he deserved such now that he was the count. however, his old prosthetic has remained safely in his room ever since, a small reminder of his friendship with the previous count. (Lucio could still wear it if he chose to, and perhaps even would if he needed to disguise himself! it certainly stands out much less than his golden one does)

[spectralquartzstudios]

The chronically overdressed person and his chronically underdressed best friend, as they should be.

After over a year, I finally drew Arne! Pronouns are he/him. He’s bi like everyone else, but leans toward ace

Arne is one of Count Spada’s best friends since childhood. They’ve been through everything together.

Spada art by Rosie, Arne art by me.

[rhazberriquartz]

I can now share these in full! This is @spectralgalaxii and I's take on Count Spada.

We aren't given too much information about him. So, he was basically a blank slate. We do have plans to make more content of him, but for now please enjoy these CGs and covers.

The bottom two were sketched by spectralgalaxii and I lined and colored them. The top three were drawn and colored by me.

[endupherefic]

Chapters: 14/? Fandom: The Arcana (Visual Novel) Rating: Mature Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Apprentice/Julian Devorak, Apprentice/Lucio (The Arcana), Julian Devorak/Lucio (The Arcana), Apprentice/Julian Devorak/Lucio (The Arcana), Nadia (The Arcana)/Original Female Character(s), Lucio/Nadia (The Arcana) Characters: Julian Devorak, Lucio (The Arcana), Lucio Morgasson, Montag Morgasson - Character, Apprentice (The Arcana), Nazali Satrinava, Nadia Satrinava, Nadia (The Arcana), Original Female Character(s), Valdemar (The Arcana), Volta (The Arcana), Vulgora (The Arcana), Vlastomil (The Arcana), The Devil | Lucio's Patron (The Arcana), Count Spada, Asra (The Arcana), Salim Alnazar, Aisha Alnazar Additional Tags: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Friends to Enemies, Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Polyamory, Blood, Injury, Mild Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Romance, Slow Burn, Gender-Neutral Apprentice (The Arcana), Julian's POV, Lucio's POV, mentions of amputation, Sexual Tension, Sexual Content, Alcohol, Plague, Pre-Red Plague (The Arcana), Red Plague (The Arcana), Collar play, Threesome, Character Death, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Grief/Mourning, Depression, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism Chapter Summary:  Lucio extends his right arm out, basking in the glory of an entire city shouting his name. “LUCIO! LUCIO! LUCIO!” rings through the palace grounds, booming enthusiastically out into the heavens. The sun, golden and bright, shines on him like a spotlight. The whole continent looks upon Lucio now. “Vesuvia!” he cries out with a beam that would rival the very brightness of the morning itself, “I am Lucio Morgasson, your new Count! And I am here to deliver you from darkness!” Screams and cries of joy echo in Lucio’s ears, the sheer excitement filling his chest with warmth and pride. As he gazes out over his subjects, Lucio thinks to himself, "Eat your heart out, Mama. I’ve made it further than you ever thought I could."

Chapter 6, The Past: Light of Vesuvia

Lucio is in a foul mood and the grim weather does nothing to help. As he skirts through curtains of rain, he scowls.

This damned storm. Ruining my hair. Ruining my shoes. This leather was damn expensive, he grumbles to himself, attempting to shield his face from the big, fat droplets that seem to rocket out of the sky. His arm does little to block the sideways-blowing rain (Maybe if I had two I’d be better protected, he rages to himself), but Lucio’s quick steps carry him swiftly to the shelter of the tent.

As he enters the warmly lit tent, Lucio smooths out his damp hair, eyes darting around the room to see who all has been invited to this bleak affair. The entire court is present (of course) and a number of nobles he recognizes from parties that the late-Count Spada had thrown over the last year. They’re all standing solemnly around the white marble gravestone. Some dab their eyes with little black handkerchiefs. Others bow their heads in quiet mourning. Lucio isn’t quite sure what he should be doing, so he silently sidles up to the small crowd and hangs his head in an attempt to look sorrowful...

Continue Reading on AO3

[ace--of--swords]

King of swords. But upright.

Constantine meeting Lucio for first time and Lucio is like:

Oh, you are my blorbo from the paintings.

M

[drustvar]

wait so if spada is forsythia's dad does that mean rosie would alssoo have claim to the title of countess? :O

Not technically. Forsythia and Poppy-Anne (Rosie's Mom) have different dads, so going by hereditary bloodline + I'm assuming Vesuvia is for the most part patriarchal in terms of government since its heavily based off of Rome and Italy, Forsythia would be the only one considered an acceptable heir. That's of course not counting Brahms, Forsythia's younger brother. He had a different dad too from either of his sisters.

[arsenicxarcana]

had a thought of doing this w lucio but im not sure if it should be spada's favorite boy recovering from his arm being cut off or freshly minted count lucio having trouble adjusting to the new life

(also not sure if i want to change "jersey" to "the south" bc while accurate i can only think about Southern US)

[pedanther]

The Calendar of Monte Cristo: Chapter 18

25 April 1498: Cesare Spada writes a secret message telling where he hid his wealth to prevent it being stolen by Pope Alexander VI. [E]

December 1807: Death of Count Spada, last of his line; he leaves his books and family papers to his secretary, Abbé Faria. [E]

25 December 1807: Abbé Faria discovers the secret of the hidden Spada treasure. [E]

January 1808: Abbé Faria is arrested. [E]

c.1824: Abbé Faria tells Edmond the story of the hidden Spada treasure. [R]

[haruhar-u]

OKAY MY AU

so lucio takes the place of the player/apprentice obvi while im the count

my character was born in a swamp but instead of running away, they made a deal with a demon to help get rid of their parents. it somewhat worked, they were able to kill their dad, but they failed when trying to kill their mom so then they ran away

did a bunch of odd jobs like in their actual backstory and became like a wandering musician/artist (they dont use magic btw). they came across the former count of vesuvia and were like "whoa bro you should let me follow you guys as you wage war and stuff i got some cool music and doodles" then ended up being a good war strategist resulting in count spada choosing them to be the next count when he died. during one battle they got shot by an arrow and had to get their arm amputated (they were upset about that one since a lot of their hobbies required two arms lol)

anyway then they become count. theyre a pretty good count, but most of their decisions were either to just please the citizens or save face (literally throws parties just to use the masquerade aspect to hide from said parties) and a lot of their actions were very passive, favoring public opinion over individuals

then the plague happened. everyone including them panicked. a lot of poor decisions were made. then they got the plague and then they doubled down and freaked out even more. made some deals, did a little ritual, then DIED had a little oopsie. now haunts the castle as a...goat? cat? idk i havent decided yet

AND THIS IS JUST THE BACKSTORY. i should come up with how the route would go

rat…haunt the castle as a rat /lh

OHH IF ASRA IS STILL LUCIO’S MENTOR WITH APPRENTICE LUCIO I WONDER HOW THEIR DYNAMIC WOULD CHANGE LIKE WOULD ASRA STILL DISLIKE LUCIO???

[count-lucio]

lucio headcanons because i can't help myself. just a warning that these are rather canon divergent, so keep that in mind while reading! anyway, with no further ado-

my objectively correct lucio 'headcanons' (i am normal)

- he has chronic nerve pain from the constant pain + stress his body was under while he had the plague - even after he comes back. he walks with a cane most days, and claims it's for 'fashion' (it very clearly isn't)

- the whole "missing an entire arm" business is a MUCH bigger deal than the way the game shows it- it's a genuine disability, not just a fun character trait. i'm begging you all to consider lucio needing (and wanting) to spend time with his prosthetic off. lucio phantom limb syndrome and phantom pains. lucio struggling to do things that require both hands on occasion and having to relearn everything after getting his prosthetic. lucio being too rough/too strong/etc with his left arm because he can't feel what he's doing. as much as he loves the gold he can't help but feel terribly insecure and incapable because of it sometimes.

- lucio is not even a tenth as stupid as the writers make him out to be for funny haha villain points. he's actually incredibly intelligent and a big fan of studying + reading "just because." he's very literate and articulate, just overexcitable (and maybe slightly over-emotional) and doesn't always express his intelligence in the best way (or stop and think before doing things). he's also fairly talented, and rather proficient in writing and playing piano - the grand piano in the foyer belongs to both him and nadia!!

- same thing goes for what an incompetent leader he's portrayed to be in the game... it's absolutely nonsensical that he alone was in charge of vesuvia for multiple years and that entire time knew nothing and learned nothing about being an effective ruler. perhaps he's not the most responsible leader at all moments and maaaybe he can be a bit. harsh. but i can't see military-tactical, hand-selected-to-rule-vesuvia-lucio being an INCOMPETENT leader.

- also, the previous count, count spada, took lucio in and taught him everything he knew - the game hardly touches on this and it's an absolute crime because i think the two of them had such a close (dare i say father-son) relationship and spada effectively took lucio under his wing and gave him the necessary training to be an effective leader before naming him his heir. the two of them were very... my parents hate me and i don't know what parental love feels like x i never married or had children and i regret it immensely, yknow ?

- his relationship with morga is much more strained than what's portrayed in canon - both her and his father were rather abusive throughout his childhood and he hides in the palace every time she visits vesuvia and makes nadia deal with her for him (i use 'makes' loosely - nadia would do it even if lucio didn't ask. she's not very fond of morga either and is sympathetic to lucio's fear of her).

- speaking of nadia, the two of them really don't hate eachother all that much. their relationship is much more complicated than what's shown in the game (everyone's is, really, it's all a lot more blurry and queerplatonic than what was written to make it work as a romance game) and while they most definitely butt heads quite often, she by no means hates him and they do, actually, get along a fair amount of the time. they have quite a bit in common and work well together. most of the time.

- contrary to popular belief, mercedes and melchior are not unruly and untrained- they're both trained impeccably, just in lucio's native language, making him the only person capable of controlling them. however when it is him in charge, the three of them are a force to be reckoned with (especially when out hunting) and mercedes and melchior move flawlessly alongside him, nearly predicting what he wants without him even having to speak it aloud. they're impeccably behaved- just for him and him alone.

- on the topic of languages- lucio was raised speaking something different than what is spoken throughout the game. there is no direct real-world equivalent but it's... scandinavian in nature. he has the faintest hint of an accent (and no, it isn't a jersey accent) but he's been speaking other languages for so long it's not quite as noticeable as it was during his mercenary days - although it is quite a bit more noticeable when he's drunk, and he's very prone to cursing in his native language.

[spectralquartzstudios]

Update! Right Hand Man

Chapter 2 is up! Right Hand Man on AO3

I'm having a wonderful time building up Spada's character some more, as well as Arne. I love them both dearly and I'm excited to continue building them up in this world.

[rhazberriquartz]

My partner @spectralgalaxii and I have been working on this fanfic. We can't wait to post it.

You get to meet the former Count and watch Lucio's rise to power.

[stariisoda]

[Kade's Arcana Swap!AU Idea dump]

Yo I had a dumb idea for an Arcana AU maybe it's been done before but I've seen similar role swap AUs. (Also none of the designs are finalized they are just silly doodles off the top of my head with no references)

(More under the cut if you're interested in the explanation)

So, this is a Swap AU. What's different? I only have 2 characters with more fleshed out ideas, which are Lucio and Julian.

In this AU, Lucio and Julian actually swap with each other.

Lucio Morgasson

Lucio Morgasson is an ex-mercenary and currently fugitive on the run for the murder of Count Julian Devorak. (Lucio in this AU is also a doctor, but only because after the war he could no longer fight due to the loss of his left arm. So he learned to be a doctor instead)

He was still raised in Morga's war tribe, but never made a deal with Vlastomil. He still wanted to be leader, so he challenged his mother to a duel to the death for leadership. He was in the end, cowardly and backed down. He retains a long scar down his chest from this fight. He ran, tail between his legs, away forever, exiled from his tribe. He changed his name from Montag to Lucio and that was when he came to Vesuvia.

Eventually, Lucio became a mercenary under the count at the time, Count Spada. Lucio knew he could win the count's favor so he could accend the throne himself. He meets Julian, who is an apprentice doctor, but also training as a merc. The two become friends. However, it won't last forever. Lucio eventually becomes severely injured while protecting Count Spada and is dying. Julian is the one who amputates Lucio's arm to save him. After this, Julian replaces Lucio and fights while he recovers. Eventually, the war is won. Julian actually saves the count from death in the battlefield and also tends to his injuries. Due to that, Julian wins Count Spada's favor and is named heir to the Vesuvian throne. After this, Lucio begins to fall out of favor with Julian. He is miserable because he likes fighting, but cannot. Also his sword arm was his left, so he's devastated and also too stubborn to relearn using is right. He decides to become a doctor. (Also, Lucio never gets his prosthetic arm since he never became Count and is just too poor to afford anything like one. So he hides his lack of arm by wearing a cape, since he's very insecure about it)

Count Julian Devorak

Julian Devorak was also a mercanary with Lucio (most of it written above). He became the heir of Count Spada after winning the war. But where did he come from? (This isn't super fleshed out if you want to help with ideas that would be awesome) He most likely made a deal to protect his family from danger, due to him and Portia (or should I say Pasha) not being rescued by the grandma's (maybe this happens maybe not) He does everything he can do to protect her, but doesn't think he's strong enough, so he wants a way to weaken any threats. But Julian doesn't trust many people, so most are a threat. He bargains his soul, but eventually runs away with his sister to Vesuvia, never completing his deal. The plague eventually follows him. He begins to lose bits of his soul over time, causing him to go mad. Julian gets more "evil" due to it, but he is still devoted to his sister, so much so that he becomes possessive over her. Pasha runs away and is found by Mazelinka. Julian is furious and heartbroken, but he becomes a merc and eventually the Count of Vesuvia.

A little bit about Portia

I'm going to sketch her soon, but Portia in the AU, I plan to swap her with Asra (although I'm not planning for Asra to have her role) So Portia will be with MC and going to investigate the Count's murder, although she's very unwilling, but that's because she hasn't mentioned the Count is her brother. I was thinking maybe she is a magician but maybe not and she just runs a normal shop with MC.

I was also thinking that Asra would swap with Nadia, Nadia would swap with Muriel and Muriel swaps with Portia.

Anyway, that's just an idea I had. If it sounds good let me know. And if you have any ideas, that would be cool too.

[saemi-the-writer]

XXII for all 3 of them!

Thank you for the ask!! 😊🤗💗

Just a little heads-up: all of this happens in my (wish-fulfilling/WIP) AU where all of the LIs got their own arc and healing/redemption at some point and at their own pace.

XXII.) Will your MC and their LI ever get married? Who is at the wedding party?

Niamh/Asra

They will, when is another question! I can easily imagine these two dorks going around the world and living the life of a married couple for years (or a while xD ) before someone in their family asks:

"Are you two planning to get married or not?"

And the two just stay blank for a moment as they realize "...oh shit, it's true, we're not legally married!"

Out of my three OCs, it's probably the "biggest" wedding as in they have the larger group of guests: all of the other LIs are invited, both Niamh's and Asra's close family of course, and some more.

Asra's parents are there, of course. Nadia and her family too, all of them were invited since it seemed rude to only invite the sisters he and Niamh were the closest to, but in the end, they're the ones who came along (Namira, Nahara, Navra and Natiqa). Nadia's parents, Nafizah and Nazali couldn't make it but they insisted on sending presents and their congratulations. Portia is Niamh's maid of honour (and proud of it!), naturally Julian and Mazelinka were in too. Muriel and Réamann - who are probably married or planning to - came together with Khamgalai (yes she's alive, I won't change my mind).

The two ants of Niamh come too, bringing more family from Izumi's side mostly, but also some of Lucina's friends who saw Niamh growing up.

Niamh also wished Erwin and Lucio to be there for their wedding but hesitated a bit, not wanting to create unnecessary tension for some guests. However, at this point, Muriel and Lucio can be in the same room without dampering the atmosphere and there would be enough people to interact so the two don't have to sit next to each other, even less discuss. Everything turned out fine, fortunately!

-------------------------------------------------------

Réamann/Muriel

I can see these two getting married! For a while, they might question if it was essential; but after long discussions and thinking, the two decide to tie the knot.

Muriel also saw this as an opportunity to come back to his roots by having a traditional Kokhuri ceremony, to Khamgalai's joy. But he knew that some Vesuvian traditions are important for Réa too, so they decided to make the wedding in two equal parts.

To no one surprise, they had a small committee wedding:

The family: their "parents": Khamgalai for Muriel, Lucina and Izumi for Réamann. Niamh, Réa's twin sister, and Linh (one of Izumi's "cousins", close to both Réa and Muriel).

Close friends: Asra, Julian, Nadia and Portia. Natiqa received a personal invitation too and is very flattered.

Depending on when they decide to marry, Erwin might get an invitation, but the latter doesn't want Lucio to feel like he's the only one excluded (Lucio gets along well with Réamann after all) so he stays for the main ceremonies but not the after-party. If Muriel and Réamann's wedding happens after Niamh and Asra's, Lucio is allowed to come, but he only stays long enough to congratulate them and gives them a gift.

-----------------------------------------

Erwin/Lucio

Probably the first couple to get married. They planned it soon after the game's events and the moment Lucio gets pardoned, they pick the day for the wedding.

Lucio regretted that the late Count Spada is dead, for he would have loved to have him at the wedding, as his "adoptive" father. He doesn't have any family he wanted to invite, yet he could swear he spotted Morga at some point, looking from afar.

From Erwin's side, Lucina and Izumi, the twins (Niamh and Réa) but also some of Erwin's aunts and cousins (his adoptive family) were there to celebrate. Erwin got teased mercilessly by his aunts, to Lucio's (and other people's) great amusement.

As for their friends: Julian, Portia, Mazelinka, Valerius, Volta and Nazali. Some of their friends from the mercenary's days also made it to their wedding, also celebrating "their return among them".

Nadia came as Portia's plus one, not that she wasn't wanted, but the two were not sure if it was sensible to invite Lucio's ex-wife... the two ended up having a lot of fun teasing each other despite everything.

Asra came too but didn't stay as long as Niamh did (which they had agreed on). Muriel helped with Réamann's gift and wrote a polite note, but he stayed home.

[ace--of--swords]

They are very tired of being hollowed out, rekindling the soul, being almost possesed by an ancient deity, losing their grandfather, than father, separated from their mother by folks who attempted to hollow them out and get possesed, see their friends die of plague, dying of plague, trying to pull monte christo on Lucio while dead, then taking a pity on the man, getting split into two, being ressurected, self ressurecting after another 3 years passing, enduring another apocalyptic event and ressurecting the goat (out of pity and spite towards powers to be), dealing with loudly bleating skelegoat, putting a furface on the said goat to hear him bleating louder and thats all before their coffee.

[krenenbaker]

so like its a role swap where lucio is the apprentice and im the count of vesuvia

i may or may not be uh planning out all the chapters for each book like its formatted in game uhhhhhh

ill copy and paste what i told haru vvv

OKAY MY AU

so lucio takes the place of the player/apprentice obvi while im the count

my character was born in a swamp but instead of running away, they made a deal with a demon to help get rid of their parents. it somewhat worked, they were able to kill their dad, but they failed when trying to kill their mom so then they ran away

did a bunch of odd jobs like in their actual backstory and became like a wandering musician/artist (they dont use magic btw). they came across the former count of vesuvia and were like "whoa bro you should let me follow you guys as you wage war and stuff i got some cool music and doodles" then ended up being a good war strategist resulting in count spada choosing them to be the next count when he died. during one battle they got shot by an arrow and had to get their arm amputated (they were upset about that one since a lot of their hobbies required two arms lol)

anyway then they become count. theyre a pretty good count, but most of their decisions were either to just please the citizens or save face (literally throws parties just to use the masquerade aspect to hide from said parties) and a lot of their actions were very passive, favoring public opinion over individuals

then the plague happened. everyone including them panicked. a lot of poor decisions were made. then they got the plague and then they doubled down and freaked out even more. made some deals, did a little ritual, then DIED had a little oopsie. now haunts the castle as a...goat? cat? idk i havent decided yet

AND THIS IS JUST THE BACKSTORY. i should come up with how the route would go

also my character's design as count (changed it a bit actually but close enough):

ill say more after you read all this lol

OKAY, YES!!! :D

just the backstory is SO DANG GOOD, MY GUY!!! ooh, I'm really liking the sounds of this, and it could lead some REALLY cool places!!!

and that character design?? Y E S

very very good, even just from that little bit so far!!