#i love nazali

[crabofthewoods]

ok but julians route!!

“yours, yes, i understand.” BDNSJFNRDCJ!!!

arcana, muriel ch19 sketch. the idea that nazali and julian knew muriel loved mc before mc did is really funny to me

[asmo-cosmetics]

it just bewilders me that anyone could write a character as perfect as julian and then so obviously begin to hate him. it's so weird how much open unabashed contempt these writers have for the character their game is basically about.

i've said this before but i think that the prologue was written for a different version of the game, before the team decided to make julian the heel to asra's face and the butt of every joke. "a gift from a witch who fears commitment" was so obviously meant to be foreshadowing for a major plot point, but they just hand-wave it away in the story with like two lines of dialogue and a prayer.

"no, no, that was a red herring!!" no it wasn't. julian himself is already the red herring, making his implied backstory another red herring is the definition of a hat on a hat. asra and julian were clearly written for asra to be the bad guy in the asrian divorce, but then someone (everyone? i don't know) vetoed it because god fucking forbid we make asra look like an asshole even once.

asra is the writers' favorite and it's extremely obvious. he basically has no flaws, to the point of legit cliche. oh mc my only flaw is loving you TOO much. so even though julian is already written with a very clear archetype of "guy who hates magic because he got his heart broken by a witch" that comes through in basically everything about him, they have to paper over it in the story because we can't make asra look mean!

so they just make up for their shitty coverup writing by being like haha isn't julian silly? he was wrong about everything and he doesn't like magic hehe haha. leeches! meanwhile the bones of the characters they actually wrote are in asra too, because it's clear he's meant to have his "villain moments," he's meant to have sharper edges and even be scary, but someone decided that he has to be an uwu softboy and ruined him in the process.

as always i am not looking for a debate, i will block you.

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

WAIT, idea time, what if everyone did th heare put cake challenge, that would be extremely funny

The Arcana HCs: The "Hear Me Out" Cake

~ inspired by you, anon friend, and written for @vesuviaweekly's prompt "spilling tea". Hope you enjoy the messy crackfic friend! ~

Julian

Puts you on the cake with 0 shame, promptly gets sprayed in the face by Portia because "that's not a 'hear me out' answer"

Did bring a stick with Asra's face on it. Ditched it on second thought before putting it on the cake

Did bring sticks with Muriel, Nadia, and Lucio on them and place them on the cake. Muriel refused to sit next to him afterwards. The whole group stared at him in disbelief when he revealed Lucio's face. Nadia said she was better than a "hear me out"

Julian's last faces were Nazali and Barth. It was increasingly clear by the end that he didn't fully understand the concept of a "hear me out" cake and that he had just gone with all the people he knew and found somewhat attractive

Asra

Half of the items they place on the cake aren't images, they're items representing concepts/beings with no faces

Most notable was a small slip with the words "The Patriarchy" on it. When pressed for an explanation, he explains that he "always has time to f*** the patriarchy." Portia is impressed

Others include all kinds of political and social norms they just wanted an excuse to make sassy, cutting remarks about

The other half of his items are intelligent beings whose existence were either rumored or up to debate entirely

This includes merpeople, goblins, dragons, spirits, and of course, several patrons including The Magician themself. You don't know how they feel about that one but Asra claims to have told them

Nadia

Doesn't have a lot of "hear me out"s to contribute, mainly because she got into her own head about listing anybody she might have a power dynamic over as the Countess

Does list Selasi and refuses to elaborate, regardless of how many comments everyone has to make on that one

Also not totally sure how the concept of a "hear me out" cake works, so most of her items aren't people - they're situations

Specifically intimate situations

Cue everyone in the room turning more and more red as she graphically describes every creative scene she could think of

Lucio's jaw drops further the longer she speaks and complains at one point about not getting any of this when they were married

Muriel

Didn't have any "hear me out"s so he brought a list of "I will not hear this out"s instead

It starts with obvious categories, at first - animals, anything or anyone unable to fully consent, family members -

And then continues with oddly specific descriptions clearly aimed at all the other people in the room. Exes, age gaps, reckless marriages to leave family/gain more power, transactional situationships to enable concerning behavior, saying "I love you" on the first date, saying "oopsie" instead of "I'm sorry" ...

His final item is a quickly-done (read: stick figure) doodle of himself with a big red X over it, which he makes on the fly after seeing his own face added to the cake

Portia

The whole thing was her idea and she is way too excited/invested in seeing what everybody brings

Has equipped herself with a little spray bottle that she uses on anybody whose answers are not satisfactory to her

Talks up her own items only for most of them to be fictional characters that nobody else in the group has heard of. Cue frantic lore dumping as she explains 1) why this character is usually considered a bad choice and 2) why she'd do them anyways

Is the person who made and brought the cake and gets particular (with Julian specifically) about adding items without ruining it

Adds Valerius, acts surprised when Lucio mentions sleeping with him, and uses it as an opening to interrogate him for juicy details

Lucio

Proudly adds all his exes to the cake and then all of the members of your group. Promptly gets into a loud back-and-forth with Portia while Nadia looks disapproving and Asra looks disgusted. Julian is too surprised to comment. Muriel begins work on his final item

Continues to add controversial figures to the cake, including all of the courtiers, the Devil, and his rendition of the slimy worm horrors known to lurk around Vlastomil's estate

Clearly enjoys every shocked/outraged/concerned reaction way more than he should because he's getting so much attention

Does go out of his way at the end of the gathering to clearly established that the vast majority of his items were jokes

Asks to cut the cake afterwards so he can secure a huge piece

[melosliving]

can you write meeting parents — for aaron 🫶🏾🫶🏾

sorry for the absence this week babies but college is already kicking my ass 💀 I made reader congolese bc my people need representation 😩 I really hope you’ll like it boo ❤️

FREE 🇨🇩

aaron pierre x african!reader

meeting your parents for the first time !

The late afternoon sun was beginning to sink below the horizon as Aaron pulled the car to a stop in front of your childhood home. The house looked exactly as you’d described it—modest but full of life, with vibrant flowers blooming along the walkway and the faint sound of Congolese rumba spilling from the windows. The smell of chicken maboke drifted through the air, and children’s laughter echoed from the backyard.

Aaron exhaled slowly, his hands resting on the steering wheel as he took it all in. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” he asked, turning to you with a soft smile that didn’t quite mask the nerves in his eyes.

You reached over, lacing your fingers with his. “baby, my mom already loves you, and you haven’t even met her yet. Trust me. You’ve got this.”

He let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah you’re right.” You stepped out of the car, brushing the dust off your pretty dress as Aaron followed, carrying the bouquet of lilies he’d picked out earlier that morning. Before you could even knock on the door, it swung open to reveal your mother, dressed in a bright pagne dress that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. Her sharp eyes swept over Aaron, assessing him in an instant.

“Mama, that’s aaron,” you said, your voice light but steady.

Aaron stepped forward, his deep voice warm and careful. “Mama, nazali na esengo mingi ya kokutana na bino.”

Your mother’s brows lifted in surprise, her lips curving into a smile. “Eh, boye ! You speak Lingala ?”

Aaron gave a modest shrug, glancing at you. “𖤓 been teaching me.”

“She’s teaching you well,” your mother said, stepping aside to let you both in. “Landà ngai ! Come in.”

The inside of the house was exactly as Aaron had imagined—cozy and full of life, with framed photos on every wall and the scent of freshly fried mikate wafting from the kitchen. Your younger cousin peeked out from behind the doorframe, giggling as they sized him up.

“Are you taller than Uncle Robert ?” One of your little cousins asked, his head tilted back to look up at Aaron. He crouched slightly, his smile kind. “I don’t know. How tall is Uncle Robert ?”

“Very tall,” your cousin declared, spreading his arms wide.

Aaron chuckled, glancing at you. “Then I guess I’ll have to meet him to find out.”

Your mother reappeared with a tray of warm mikate and a small bowl of peanut sauce, setting it down on the low wooden table in front of Aaron. “Try this, my son,” she said, watching him expectantly.

Aaron didn’t hesitate, picking up one of the golden, soft pieces and dipping it into the sauce. He took a bite, his eyes widening slightly as the flavors hit his tongue. “This is incredible,” he said sincerely, looking at your mom.

Your mom nodded, clearly pleased, but her tone turned serious as she settled into the chair across from him. “So, Aaron, what are your intentions with my daughter?”

You groaned softly, covering your face with your hands. “Mama, vraiment ?”

Aaron didn’t miss a beat. He met your mother’s gaze, his voice steady. “My intentions are serious, Mama. I care deeply for 𖤓. She’s… everything to me.” Your mother studied him for a long moment before her face softened. “Eh, tala ye. We’ll see,” she said, reaching for a piece of mikate herself.

The tension eased as the evening wore on. At one point, your mom pulled Aaron into the kitchen under the pretense of needing help with the pondu. You stayed in the living room, laughing with your siblings, but your ears were trained on their conversation.

“So, you love my daughter?” your mom asked, her voice light but pointed. “Yes mama, I really do,” Aaron replied without hesitation, his smile never leaving his face.

“Then you must learn more Lingala !” she said. “What will you say to the aunties ? To the elders ?”

Aaron’s laughter was soft and genuine. “Then you’ll have to teach me, Mama.” When your mother laughed in return—a rare sound that filled the house with warmth—you knew he had passed her test.

Later in the evening, after the meal had been shared and stories exchanged, the living room came alive with music. Your cousins moved the chairs aside to create space, and someone turned up the volume on a familiar mutuashi song.

You tried to resist when your aunt tugged you to the center, trying to put a pagne on your hips, but it was no use. Laughter bubbled from your lips as the rhythm of the drums filled your chest. You let the music take over, your hips swaying in perfect time, your movements fluid and full of joy.

Aaron watched from the couch, his eyes fixed on you, captivated. You looked radiant, surrounded by your family’s laughter and applause, your smile wide and uninhibited. In that moment, you were home—completely in your element—and he couldn’t take his eyes off you.

One of your sister noticed his expression and nudged him. “She’s beautiful, eh?”

Aaron didn’t even look away as he answered, his voice soft. “She’s incredible.”

When the song ended, you returned to his side, your cheeks flushed and your breath quick. “What ?” you asked when you saw the way he was looking at you.

He shook his head, his smile tender. “Nothing. Just… you.”

As the evening wound down, your mom pulled you aside while Aaron helped your siblings clean up. “He’s a good man,” she said simply, her tone carrying the weight of her approval.

“I know,” you said, smiling.

When it was time to leave, your mom handed Aaron a container of leftovers and patted his arm. “Come back soon my son,” she said. “I will, Mama !” he promised, his voice warm and sincere.

As the two of you drove away, the house fading in the rearview mirror, Aaron reached over to take your hand. “Your family is amazing,” he said softly.

“They really like you,” you replied, leaning into his shoulder.

“I’m glad,” he said, his thumb brushing over your knuckles. “Because I’m planning on being part of it.”

And in that moment, with the warmth of your family still lingering in the air, you knew he already was.

melo’s vocab !

mama, nazali na esengo mingi ya kokutana na bino — mom, I’m really happy to meet you

boye — like that

mama vraiment ? — mom really ?

Tala ye — look at him

Landà ngai — follow me

@ melosliving 2025

[grapecaseschoices]

Describe your OC as memes!

Pick four ten twelve or however many!

thank you to the lovely @agentnatesewell for the tag! :-D

tagging [no pressure and if i forgot to tag you, do it and tag me bc i want to see!]: @pinayelf @thelittlestspider @thedeadthree @laufire @aylaaescar @mt07131 @bansheeheart @quaxorascal @ava-du-mortain @ambrosykim @sunshineandviolets @wayhavenots @brightaxe @euelios @risingsh0t @cigarettesandinevitablebetrayal @nightingalesighs @hexmaturgy @nazali @brother-genitivi @katsigian @lizzybeth1986 @impossible-rat-babies @gildedlover @carnivorousguilt @magebastard

[aezyrraesh]

; oc deep dive

i was tagged by @deadrlngers, ty sm rena <33 tagging @sapphicaeris @ecofear @nazali @rosenfey @mercymaker @leviiackrman @thedeadthree @lucaanis @florbelles @mojaves @faarkas & anyone else who wants to do this!

What common/uncommon fear do they have?

Being helpless. Unable to do anything in times of danger, when something threatens her or her loved ones. She's been in a situation where she could do nothing but watch as everything she's worked for (and herself by extension) was destroyed. Luna sweared to never let it happen again, but she is scared it might.

Heights. Get her down, now. Luna doesn't like being high up, she hates being scared because of it, she's annoyed when someone can see her discomfort, you get the picture. She'll whine that it's not necessary to be this high up. So what if the view is nice? It's also decent enough from the ground, thank you ever so much.

Commitment. Luna doesn't want to get attached, because if there's anything at all she'd learned from her mistakes is that every good thing can be taken away when you least expect it. Better to avoid being tied down in the first place. Which is funny because she's married, now. Clown behaviour, I love her.

Do they have any pet peeves?

When someone says "I said so" or something along those lines. She is ready to punch the next person who says that.

Interrupting her when she is speaking. Now, she does this a lot, bc she thinks her point is better, but when the roles are reversed? Luna is annoyed.

Meetings. Any important meetings- political, military, whatever. It bores her to death, and she shows it.

What are three items you can find in their bedroom?

Daggers. Everywhere. Under her pillow, in the nightstand. She is paranoid someone will atack her when she is most vulnerable, better to be ready.

Mirrors. Luna needs to control her appearance, she was taught that good looks can get you far enough. She wants to look presentable and respectable.

Scrolls. Luna is not a wizard, but she enjoys learning new spells. It makes her feel safer, so the more the merrier. But she also simply enjoys the process of learning something new.

What do they notice first in a person?

Status, if it makes sense. Luna will analyze the person's clothes, how they carry themselves, how thet talk, how they move. After that, she can adjust her behaviour accordingly like a chameleon.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance?

Physically: Hmm, I'd say around 5.5-6. She's not a stranger when it comes to physical pain, but she'd do her best to avoid it if possible. Luna's been through enough to handle pain well enough, but she's also a noble, so she was well protected for the majority of her life. If her pain can be avoided, she'll gladly take that route. Others though? That's a different question.

Mentally: A solid 9. Luna simply doesn't give a fuck most of the time. Say some shit about her? Okay, who are you, again? Throw challenges at her? She'll make sure to come on top. Luna has spent a long time crafting herself into a strong person, her experiences at various noble parties and courts, where everything is a snake in disguise solidified that. Luna was a wreck once, she'll die before she lets it happen again.

Emotionally: Visibly? 8. Her face is a solid mask, almost nothing can break that. She was trained to give away nothing, and Luna lets no weakness to show. Internally? 6. Despite anything she says, she's emotional deep down. She's prone to rage. Anger is her immediate reaction towards almost anything that upsets her. After that comes hurt and sadness. She won't show it, but she's an emotional person.

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure? (Or freeze or fawn?)

Fight. She's not going down easy, and if that's inevitable she'll take everyone with her. Luna is ready to fight claw and teeth for her success and power, she is not fleeing again.

What animal represents them best?

Snake. Or the stereotypical description of one when it comes to a person. Cunning, persuasive, dangerous. She can charm people easily, making them sympathize with her or adore her. But Luna always has a motive of her own, sometimes it's hidden, somethimes she carries it openly.

How would a stranger likely describe them?

Charming. Luna seems open, relaxed, someone you can talk to and trust. She had a good education, and can have a conversation on various topics. Her politeness and good manners is also something of notice, but it's marely a habbit, not a sign that she respects or likes the person she's talking to.

But you also can't help but notice that she's not entirely there during a conversation. Like she's taking the all too familiar steps in a now boring game. She asks a lot, says a lot without reveavling much.

Appearance wise.. she's a dhampir which can make people wary, but Luna is also a Svetocher. She's inherited much of the unnatural charm and beauty of her vampiric ancestors, but it's a bit unnerving. She looks good, but there's something lurking in her eyes and behind her sharp smile.

Do they have any hobbies?

Partying, and everything that comes with it. Drinking, card games, ballads. She enjoys the atmosphere, and it never gets old for her.

Magic. Luna loves learning and uncovering something new.

Painting. She's not a master of arts by any means, but it relaxes her. It's the time when she can empty her mind and let her hands guide her and create.

[arcanavoid]

About Julian

In my post About Dorian I mentioned how people in the fandom typically reduce the M6 into one or two personality traits. I’ll be talking about Julian today and the fandom's treatment of him!

I'm going to try and keep this factual and not opinionated, nothing like “he should only be like this” and more like “this is what he is in game, but people show him like this” 

It's gonna be a long post so if you don't want to get into the topic, or don't feel like reading something long then go ahead and scroll by! I don't mind! 

And if you want to make this a civilized discussion then i don't mind talking and hearing others points out either!

So let's go!

Julian is a Doctor who went to Parka to learn medicine and got most of his experience on battle fields while he apprenticed under Nazali. He started up his own clinic in Vesuvia and ended up being hired by the palace to work on the red plague cure, eventually treating Lucio himself. 

After the apprentice died he was stricken with grief, eventually he had an affair with Asra but it didn’t exactly last. He soon found a cure in the form of killing Lucio through sickly hallucinations of the hanged man. 

Julian is a smart man, who often blames himself for things that were not his fault, even putting himself at risk with no evidence simply to save others or because he feels guilty. He loves people with his whole being and yet doesn't trust himself to be around them as he thinks he’ll hurt them with again no evidence. 

So tell me why most of the Arcana fandom will portray him as, for lack of a better word, idiotic and whoreish. 

I know Nyx Hydra poked fun at Julian a few times, mentioning that he likes to use leeches or make him kinky, but that is simply not his whole personality.

Yes, he can be flustered easily, and easy to arouse, and a masochist. But he is also lovey dovey, and soft and mushy and loves with his whole heart not just his dick.

And he literally went to school, i know its a big joke that he simply doesn't know what a medical school is but he literally went to one… and even if he didnt and there's no evidence of that he was at least mentored by Nazali who definitely did go to school. 

Now again i'm not saying he can't be horny, oh on the contrary he is horny, for someone he loves, not just a stranger. And by all means he's not the smartest man in the world, he actively struggles to comprehend magic and the Arcana realms but that's because he is smart with science and medicine! 

And yes you can write porn without plot with him, he doesn't have to show off his undying love in every single thing he's in. and yes you can make him marvel and question magic and still show his smarts in reality. He literally tries to use logic in the tower's realm and figures out that the realm is looped by testing out his hypothesis. 

All I'm saying is that a lot of people reduce his character when he really is rich in personality, and hopefully this will help bring some light as to what his character might look like more fleshed out. 

Another point I want to touch, is Julian as a background or side character. I’ve written a fanfic that was focused on my Mc, Asra, my friends Mc, and Julian. But my friends Mc and julian were supporting cast, so Julian wasn’t as fleshed out as Asra, but i didn’t reduce him to only horny or kinda dumb whenever he was “on screen” his traits just didn’t show as much as it would if he was a main character.

So what should we take away from this? 

Well, Julian can be horny and isn't the smartest man in the world, but he is much more than that! He's loving and cares so much about the people close to him, he's smart and doesn’t know much about magic but is willing to try and figure it out with the knowledge he has. He gives his whole self to someone, his heart and body. And he does not need to constantly show these traits in depth especially if he's mostly a side character in someone's story. 

Julian is a lovely character, and I would love to do an analysis of him after I re-do his route, but I think this is good enough for now.

Of course you can all do what you'd like with him, but when it becomes prevalent that the fandom is mostly thinking of him in a reduced state it becomes a little saddening, and it's good to remind ourselves that he's not all horny and unknowing! 

Feel free to give your reasoning for making him more horny, since i’ll be honest i don't think as many people think they’re dumbing him down. If anything I think Lucio might be dumbed down more, but I definitely notice the dumbing down of Julian too.

[k-0re]

Nadia's non-binary older sibling Nazali

Call them Naan-Binary

I love you

[the-razzdazzler]

Atlas Tera and his relationship to each of The Arcana's cast

figured i should do this at some point lol

gonna reblog it to @alchemist-atlas to give any RPers a general idea of who they're interacting with and how they know each other <3 (i am only listing characters that Atlas knows and/or knows of)

MAIN SIX

Asra- Atlas' oldest friend. They lived together for 8 years, but it feels like less time to Atlas because Asra was gone a lot.

Nadia- Atlas does not like or trust her. He knows she came looking for Asra instead on the night he got hired to the palace and it's a bit of a sore spot for him. They do not understand her social cues and will never get why she thought it was a good idea to make him court magician.

Julian- They've interacted a few times, mostly awkward moments back when Julian was... visiting... Asra regularly. Atlas sees him at the Rowdy Raven alot and wants to be better friends but never seems to work up the nerve to talk to him.

Muriel- Lowkey kinda hates Atlas, but the poor guy is oblivious. It's cause Muriel is extremely suspicious of Atlas' shapeshifting since his main other form is a fox and those don't mix well with chickens.

Portia- Atlas is eternally grateful for her. They're not super close, but she helped him out so much when he was first getting settled in the palace.

Lucio- They've never met but Atlas fucking hates him. He survived and lived through the Red Plague and that turned him a little sour to the ruling class as a whole. Lucio was the easiest to blame and he did exactly that, both during and after the Plague. They have somewhat similar personalities though, and might have been friends in another universe.

COURTIERS

Valerius- The love of his life. He would kill or die for this man. Okay sure Val hated him at first but it was a completely one-sided rivalry that was gradually replaced with affection and admiration after a lot of time they had to spend together.

Vlastomil- They infodump to each other about their respective bug special interests. Vlastomil's being worms, Atlas' being moths. They go looking for worms together when it rains and neither one will ever shut the fuck up about bugs.

Vulgora- High-energy besties. Make extremely stupid jokes together and generally annoy everyone around them. Vulgora's always trying to get Atlas to show off any of its magic, the more destructive the better.

Volta- Atlas is ridiculously protective of her. Would probably maim anyone who says anything mean to Volta. They crochet together and Atlas always bakes her cookies or makes her soup or whatever else.

Valdemar- Did Atlas' top surgery when he was around 16. Atlas has a ton of respect for them and considers them close despite barely talking to each other. The time they spend together is like, parallel play except one is doing dissections and the other is brewing potions in a cauldron.

SATRINAVAS

Namar- Met once at a dinner party, only talked for a moment because Valerius was talking to him first. Atlas likes him but has nothing to talk to him about.

Nazali- Atlas vaguely knows them through being mentioned by Julian in the few times they've spoken. Probably would have done Atlas' top surgery but was not in the area at the time and Atlas needed those things gone PRONTO.

Navra- They don't meet often but when they do they're insufferable together. Two rays of sunshine causing so much annoyance and chaos.

ANIMALS

Faust- Atlas can't not love Asra's familiar. Faust's sneater (snake sweater) collection is stupidly massive now thanks to Atlas' crochet ones piling onto Asra's knitted ones.

Malak- Gets fed by Atlas often, who has no idea this is Julian's familiar. Atlas likes him but rarely takes his crow form around Malak simply because the bird is insufferable to have to listen to when you understand what he's saying (see Portia's route).

Mercedes and Melchior- Atlas likes to say he stole them from Lucio (already dead when Atlas met them). It always has treats for them. Atlas loves these dogs with all his heart.

Shriek- Atlas' familiar, a Death's Head Hawk Moth. Was part of a generation of caterpillars he was raising and outlived the rest, then became able to communicate with Atlas.

OTHER (side characters and other MCs)

Selasi- Basically Atlas' adoptive father. They don't meet as much as they used to, but they're still very close and will tell the other everything.

Mazelinka- They'd meet later on, most likely after Atlas opens his own potion shop. They'd probably have so many long conversations about kitchen magic. <3

Castor (a friend's MC)- They're close good friends (insert that one vine) with Atlas. Hates their friend's choice of partner and terrorizes Valerius every chance they get, but that doesn't put any sort of damper on his and Atlas' friendship.

BTW if we're friends and you want to be added to the list of MCs Atlas knows, just let me know :)

(this is a repost cause the first one posted strangely and isn't showing up on my dash or any searches)

[theintrovertbean]

Hello! I saw some of your stuff, and I just wanted to ask if you are willing to do MC knowing one of Nadia's sisters? Not like an ex lover, they are just friends, I can imagine MC meeting them while Nadia's sisters were visiting nadia after she fell into a coma.

Hi Anon! I chose Nazali for this because I feel like they're the most approachable one and since they don't exactly live the most royal life, I think canon MC was more likely to meet them than the others. I hope I didn't twist things too much from your idea.

I suppose I could write different versions with Nadia's other siblings while giving MC a different background. Like, a foreign noble in Natiqa's case, an artist in Navra's, etc. Actually, I started writing that for each sibling, but got a bit overwhelmed, so maybe I'll just make a few more parts later if that's something people would like. We'll see, I'm open to the idea.

Thanks for the request, I hope you'll like it!

Nadia x MC who knew Nazali before meeting Nadia

When MC met Nazali during Nadia's coma, the royal doctor seemed quite devastated about their sister's condition. They explained that Nadia and her siblings have drifted away, but they still cared deeply about her and wished that things were different.

Never in their life MC expect to meet not one but two Prakran royals (and then the entire family.)

Nazali seemed like friendly person and MC really had no reason to complain about them, so Nadia's feelings toward her siblings seemed a bit off. It is off anyway, but with MC actually knowing one of said siblings, it's even worse.

Nadia was literally like 👁👄👁 when MC met Nazali and they acted like best buddies. Like what do you mean MC and Nazali had a drinking competition during a foreign noble's wedding? And who won?

She demands an explanation. Right. Now.

Nadia feels a little left out. How come Nazali already knew MC but not her and why did they keep such a cutie from her?

And also why is MC saying that Nadia's siblings are not all that bad?

"I beg your pardon, MC?" (It's Nadia's way of saying what the fuck)

Okay, but maybe, just maybe MC is right, but Nadia needs a moment to process that.

She's a bit jealous because Nazali knows MC better than she does, but MC is her partner and not her sibling's, so Nadia feels accomplished.

Now MC only has to meet the rest of her family. Sigh.

Nadia may or may not pull Nazali aside for some love advice regarding MC.

Nazali wholeheartedly approves of the relationship and has been secretly hoping that Nadia and MC would end up together since day one.

Eventually, Nadia learns to appreciate the bond between MC and Nazali. It's nice to see her partner get along so well with her sibling.

[sapphickatpoet]

Arcana Characters as D&D Classes

I saw @courtmajulian make a post about this, and I wanna post my thoughts on it too!

✨Love Interests✨

Asra: Wizard

Nadia: Investigator/Artificer

Julian: Cleric (healing domain)/Rogue

Muriel: Druid (ex fighter)

Portia: Barbarian (multiclasses as a wizard later on)

Lucio: Fighter/Warlock

✨Courtiers✨

(They’re all warlocks, so here’s there other classes)

Valerius: Vigilante

Vulgora: Barbarian

Vlastomil: Summoner

Volta: Witch

Valdemar: Cleric (death domain)

✨Side Characters✨

Tasya: Warlock

Mazelinka: Fighter/Druid

Aisha: Alchemist

Salim: Alchemist

Morga: Blood Hunter

Khamagalai: Druid

Nasrin: Investigator

Namar: Artificer

Nafizah: Cavalier

Nazali: Druid

Navra: Bard

Nahara: Fighter

Nasmira: Druid

Natiqa: Bard

✨The Apprentice✨

Seraphine: Bard/Warlock

[asmo-cosmetics]

i still can't believe how mad that person got that i use he/him pronouns for nazali because i hc him as a trans man when basically the entire fandom misgenders asra every day . like. lmao. lol even

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

The Arcana HCs: What M6 get from their parents

~ for the Vesuvia Weekly prompt, "I see where you got it from"! ~

Julian

For someone who's never claimed to be a sailor, he sure spends a lot of time at sea and dreaming about future boats

It's much less surprising when he starts talking about the few hazy memories he has of being the oldest son of merchant parents. His early childhood was spent playing above and below decks

Which explains his specific brand of wanderlust pretty well. Instead of it being a boredom with the mundane or a fear of commitment, it's this deep sense of himself as a global citizen

He's happiest in marketplaces and finding his family among odd groups of people from all over the world, what can he say??

Not to mention his "if I can't find what I need here, maybe I just need to try somewhere else" mentality when it comes to problem solving. Need more education? Time to visit a new country!

It would make sense for his natural aptitude with learning new languages, forming quick connections, and creating collaborations to have come from fairly successful merchant parents as well

Whether that's also where he got his godawful cooking skills from, or whether that's just a "him" thing, remains up for debate

Asra

You learned it pretty quickly after meeting them - you know exactly where that constant, almost insatiable curiosity comes from

That, and the tendency to have a new thought, forget the current conversation, and trail off into disjointed mumbles as said thought gets rapidly unpacked and explored from several angles

If Salim is who Asra gets his brain from, Aisha is where he got his spirit. That stubborn hope and determined dedication to care for who he loves? He got that from the women who looked the Devil dead in the eye and told him to leave her child alone or else

You can also see a lot of the way Asra relates to you in the way their parents relate to each other. It's that easy, intuitive comfort of shedding pretenses from the get go and embracing uniqueness

Why bother trying to show off what you're good at, when you could try something new together instead? Sure they could give you a tour of their gate - or Salim could give his experimental magic a test run now that you're around to help out!

Not to mention how all three of them seem to know healing magic

And they all love a good cup of tea

Nadia

She could spend hours telling you exactly how unlike her sisters and parents she is, but let's be real. Satrinava genes are strong and you could pick one out of a crowd any day

The intelligence levels she couldn't hide if she tried? Check

The absolute perfection of her fashion choices? Check

The habit she can't turn off of looking not just at you but through you with a kind of perceptive, piercing gaze that has no intention of telling you what she's figuring out about you? Also check

(Seriously, every member of her family does it nonstop and at this point you're wondering if you should just give up all your secrets)

The tendency to approach any problem or conflict by openly stating her own opinion/perspective first? Check

The down-to-earth openmindedness that you have to actually talk to her to discover? Check. Nazali seems to be the one exception, but you're pretty sure that's after years of traveling around

The immediate need to take responsibility for whatever's going on, or more accurately, going wrong? Check

Somehow always smells nice? Check

Muriel

There was a lot about Muriel that you thought was "just Muriel" until you made that trip South together and saw all the subtle ways he became more grounded in himself

Nobody's concerned about taking up too much space in vast tundra. No wonder he always seemed to feel cramped

It also seemed a bit counterintuitive for such a minimalist furnace of a man to own a veritable pile of furs until you walked into Khamgalai's hut. He might not remember it, but he probably spent his first few years wrapped and dressed in them

Not to mention his tendency to fill his space with earthy, herbal smells to the point of carrying pouches of it with him. There were dried foraged plants all over the rafters there

What eventually came to be one of his strongest ties, though, was his craftsmanship. How someone who disliked frivolous things did so much detail was beyond you, until you saw those tapestries

And, of course, the remnants of years of nomadic movement in his need to spend hours at a time outside every day, keeping a steady pace through the forest to assure himself that all is well

Portia

This didn't spring out at you from her the way it did from her brother, but Portia has a capacity for dramatics that she does a deviously excellent job of downplaying

Sure, she seems considerably better adjusted and grounded than he does, and sure, her tendency to compensate for the unique needs of her loved ones shows up in being hypercompetent

But you're certain at this point that at least one of her parents was a hell of an actor/dramatist. You've watched how easily she can put on whatever face she needs to accomplish what she wants

Not to mention the love of stories and art of storytelling. You know you're at a Devorak gathering when both you and half the other people in the area are totally drawn in to a fond memory retelling

You can also see the makings of traveling merchants in her job as Vesuvia's ambassador. It's almost scary how easily she makes herself at home spending months at sea, going place to place

And both scary and awe-inspiring when she finds herself locked in negotiations. Whether with a marketplace stall owner, or a stubborn noble with an import she wants, she's indomitable

Lucio

Honestly, beyond their physical similarities, it's pretty hard at first to see all the ways in which Lucio takes after his mother

They're both such strong products of their environment. Morga is stern, stonefaced, and (to put it bluntly) stingy, but she takes accountability beyond her means and always faces hard choices

Lucio is the opposite. Loud, expressive, flamboyant, unconcerned with discipline or rules, terrified of hard choices or accountability, and (when he's not under duress) generous to a fault

The first place you saw it? Their dismissiveness, unfortunately

As soon as it's not something they understand or relate to, they both lose interest in talking about it and tend to be quick to brush it aside, often without pausing to consider other's feelings first

Not to mention how quickly both of them jump to using aggression to express themselves. You can tell it's got a whole lot more to do with how intensely they feel things than any bad intentions

But the trait you learn they share most is what you take the longest to notice: quiet, unassuming protection as a subconscious love language. They'll always keep watch when you're vulnerable

[snobgoblin]

okay ill bite (/affectionate) whats the arcana about !!

!!! YES <- hook up a generator to him he is stimming- ok so I have answered this in another ask BUT I'll go into detail in this one theres the spoiler free one, this one will be 100% spoiler

OK so.... oh my god where do I even start. there's so much I do not expect you to read this LMAO but thank you for the opportunity to talk about this

ok so it's a visual novel. and you can play six different versions of the same story (volume 1 being Asra, Nadia, and Julian, with volume 2 being Muriel, Portia, and Lucio) and honestly, volume 1 is the strongest imo THATS NOT TO SAY VOLUME 2 ISNT GOOD I just love volume 1 because it's GENUINELY just the same exact story from different perspectives whereas volume 2 takes creative liberties (especially Portias route which is sad because I love Portia as a character but her route is so disconnected from the others that I don't like it that much) ANYWAY ANYWAY enough opinions let's get into the lore (actually while I'm on the topic, based on the plot of each route? honestly the best way to play would be Nadia->Julian->Asra->Muriel->Lucio <- Portia's story is disconnected from the rest so it doesn't fit into this? (which makes sense considering she hasn't been in town as long as the others so she isn't involved in their stuff) but you kind of do need to play Julian's route beforehand if for no other reason than to get a feel for Mazelinka's character and Portia's backstory)

as far as lore. I guess I will start at the beginning, Montag Morgasson (better known as Count Lucio now) is part of a tribe known as the Scourge of the South, and his mom was the leader so he was kind of entitled, he felt like he would have power handed to him when he turned 18 but that didn't happen! his mom just cut him off. so Lucio gets mad and tries to bargain with the wyrm Vlagnagog, only to mistakenly summon demon Vlastomil as Vlagnagog has been shriveled up for a while now from not getting any sacrifices. anyway Vlastomil promises to help Lucio weaken his parents via Pestilence in exchange for their hearts. Lucios dad is bedridden and Lucio kills him, but he cannot kill Morga as she's not so easily defeated. she decides to spoil him one last time by letting him free in combat, as she cannot bear to kill her own son

AND SIDE NOTE I absolutely love seeing the naming convention of The Scourge of the South like Morga gave birth to Lucio so he is Lucio Morgasson (Morga's Son) and Morga also occasionally introduces herself as Morga Eirsdottir, assuming one of her parents was Eirs, probably her mother

ANYWAY because the deal is not fulfilled, red beetles start following Lucio around (he has a complicated relationship with beetles but I won't get into that rn) and with them, the red plague. Lucio starts doing mercenary work so all over the world this plague is happening, but Lucio doesn't seem to realize it's his fault, the beetles are following him. he just keeps making deals and not fulfilling them because he doesn't understand, when you don't uphold your end of a magical bargain, it has a way of punishing you. this will come back to bite him later and he develops a huge fear of death when he realizes he'll never be able to pay off his debt, later leading him to bargain with The Devil, but we're not there yet

where were we! Mercenary work! ok so at some point Julian left Nevivon for Prakra to study under Nazali, and he ends up on the battlefield with Lucio, as a doctor. he amputates Lucios arm. during this battle, the count of Vesuvia who he's fighting for sees this sacrifice and resolves to make him the new count iirc. so that's how he rose to power (I'll go into other character backstories here in a minute)

Lucio throws a bunch of parties and bullies local homeless kids as count, two of those being Muriel and Asra. I'll explain their deal once I'm done explaining Lucio bc he truly is the central character here, he's where all the conflict comes from. just keep that in mind

he also marries Nadia, trapping her in a hopeless marriage while he has endless affairs with the other nobles. but she doesn't care bc she doesn't even wanna be married in the first place. she's just being treated as eye candy like she has her whole life and she's resigned to her fate (SAD)

so because he's staying in the same place. he catches the Red Plague. and he tries to do this whole ritual (it's really long to explain) to get a new body, but BOOM Asra sabatoged it! he put pomegranate juice in instead of Lucios blood so the ritual would fail (the ritual was to fuse Lucio with the Devil) but now he's just stuck as this ghost goat in between dimensions

the game starts three years after this takes place, and it is your job to solve the "murder" and I think that brings me to Julian because he's a pretty important piece there

so Julian, big brother of Portia, was born to a rich family, the Devoraks, but one day the ship crashed, killing his parents, and leaving salt seals to save he and Portia's life. later, pirate Mazelinka found them and took them to Nevivon to be raised by the grandmas, a loving community of elderly salt miners and here they spent their childhood. Julian was taught how to read and write by Mazelinka's girlfriend Lilinka, and Portia felt left out. she felt left out in a lot of ways, like this and then, she wasn't even old enough to remember their parents. she's just always felt left out. anyway adding salt to the wound Julian goes off to study medicine in Prakra, leaving Portia behind once again

Julian was also working during the Red Plague, under the palace head doctor Valdemar (ooooooh don't even get me started on the courtiers or ill never shut up) he was trying to find a cure, when his Apprentice succumbed to the illness. then he also caught it, and because of his near death experience, he was visited by the Hanged Man, who revealed to him the cure to the plague was to kill Lucio. so Julian escaped the dungeon where he had been locked in to focus on his cure, and he tried to kill Lucio, but by the time he got there the room was on fire. him being there, though, gave courtiers a reason to pin the blame on him later and the ritual made everyone lose their memories so he couldn't even dispute it

OK and then Asra's parents made Lucio a metal arm when he lost his, and he locked them up for it, leaving Asra homeless. here he met Muriel, who was also homeless due to his parents giving him away to save him from a raid by the Scourge of the South. their whole childhood they lived on the docks with Lucio harassing them. now, what they didn't know was that Asras parents? they made a deal with the Devil. Lucio physically could not hurt Asra. however, Lucio would threaten Muriel to do things by claiming he would hurt Asra if he did not comply. Lucio told Asra the same thing but for Muriel, using their love for each other to control them. Muriel def got the worst of this imo, he was forced to kill people and rabid animals in gladiator battle with the stage name being the name of the tribe who killed his whole family. Asra merely had to help Lucio with magical things. Muriel kept all this a secret from Asra bc he didn't want him to feel bad

God there is so much more and thats not even scratching the surface but my fingers hurt so bad from typing so I'll have to stop 😭 thank you this was fun

[mazarinecat]

Nine People to Get to Know Better

The lovely @moonxweave tagged me - so sweet, thank you!

Last Song I Listened to: Out In the Real World by Stream of Passion

Currently Watching: One Piece and American Horror Story

Sweet/Savory/Spicy?: Like them all equally, but if I had to choose it would be savory.

Relationship Status: In a relationship - been together for over 9 years now.

Current Obsession: Snacks and houseplants!

Last Thing I Googled: AFK Journey. Quite a few people have been talking about it lately.

Not sure who'd like to do this next, so I'll just tag a bunch at random. Apologies if you're not interested, or if you've already answered these! @adawong @blavikn @entreri @kelemvorr @minicactpot @nazali @rusya-pics @shadowsofrose @yennefre

[bakuliwrites]

Chapter four of EUH: Reworked goes up this weekend :) For now, here's a little peek at Julian and Bakuli's late night conversations at the Raven

“You’re in luck! I love to write Prakran poetry,” Bakuli admits, fidgeting with a loose string on her shirt.

“You’ll have to share some with me,” Julian speaks, and they switch to chattering in Prakran for a while.

“You speak well,” the magician compliments after a while, and Julian can’t help but notice the soft blush dusting her cheeks. Maybe it’s the drinks or the late hour. Or maybe, just maybe-

Can’t go down that path, old boy, Julian scolds himself, taking a deep breath and another swig of his Bitters, That’ll lead to all sorts of trouble.

“What’s Nevivon like?” Bakuli eventually asks and settles in to listen to tales of Julian’s childhood. He finds himself baring it all: the shipwreck, the death of his parents, Lilinka and Mazelinka taking him and Pasha in. Bakuli listens intently, head resting on her hand as Julian weaves her the story of his upbringing; the joy he found in Nevivon; and the itch he had to travel the world. He says nothing about Lucio as he describes his time apprenticing for Nazali but doesn’t spare any detail when it comes to recounting all the other adventures he’s had.