#nadia route spoilers

[fox-daddy]

Kyle's route update;

I have come to a few conclusions.

1. I need to rework Kyle's route entirely from start to finish.

2. I'm throwing away the idea of him having four endings in favor of him having EIGHT?!

3. If I ever make one for Hunter that MF will have TWELVE ENDINGS AHHHHHHHHH!!!!

4. The point of giving my Mcs their own route is less because I can and more to give each M6's reversed routes a chance to become upright and each upright ending to become reversed. So double reverse is going to be like, Asra loses both his freinds and family and eventually loses Mc to themselves. Something even the Devil can't protect them from.

The basic routes for Kyle would be;

After Asra's upright ending - a person from Kyle's past forces him to have to reconnect to it; giving him the chance to either grow or have his future consumed by it.

After Asra's reversed ending - Being in the magic realm for so long slowly erodeds at who they are leaving them at a crossroads. Bend to the devils magic or become something new at the risk of losing themselves.

Nadia's upright - the sme as Asra's upright but with more of a focus on responsiblity and power of authority, who should rule and why. While Asra's focuses more on familial bounds.

Nadia's reversed - having spent so long in the magic realm Kyle has started to disconnect from who he is. An issue that doesn't go away once they've returned to Vesuvia. As he struggles to draw lines between the fool and who he really is. If he even knew who he was after the Lazaret.

If I were to fully write out the routes would you want me to try and make a tumblr game out of it?

If yes I'll do another poll for each of the route options. Dpensing on if it's used like a game or fanfic.

[dabiscrispypp]

In case we die...

Muriel x Fem Reader

(Official art)

MINORS DNI

Warning Muriel Arcana route spoilers!

You and Muriel have finally gotten back from the portal only to find out you've been gone for a week? After the most exhausting fight you finally have a night alone after Muriel tells you he loves you, with one night left before war you make the most of each other's company...

Cw: creampie, fingering, fluffy nervous first time sex, honestly this one's real vanilla but if you've read his route you know he probably wouldn't be super kinky, especially in this scene. But it is heavily implied that if you choose the right option yall fuck. The fiction also starts with the first part of the "undress him" option in hold the line.

..........

"I know how to undress myself" the man in front of you blushes deeply at the proposition you had given him "really cause it seems like you were going to go to bed with all your clothes on" You smile warmly at him laughing lightly, unbuttoning his heavy cloak and setting it at the end of the bed. The events of the past few days weigh heavy on your mind, yet he sits still, not protesting any of your advancements to take his clothes off... in fact, his pupils are a little blown, blush on his face, and he's looking at you more intently than he ever has. Just last night, he confessed his love to you, and this was the first time since then that you've got some time alone. You move to take his shoes off before looking down at his shirt. He's staring at your lips intently, though you move to kiss him first, straddling his lap and taking advantage of his surprise by popping the first button on his shirt. "That's cheating," he teases when he pulls away. "I was distracted..." He pouts jokingly as you continue to unbutton his shirt, pressing light kisses to his now exposed collarbone. With each button, you expose more and more of his skin, and despite the fact that half the time you have been together, this giant man has been shirtless... you can't help but feel that seeing him in this way is so much more intimate, and that makes you nervous. Soon, you're down to the last button, hands shakily fumbling to undo it and help him out of the form-fitting shirt.

And suddenly, there's only one item of clothing left... Now it's your turn to blush and stutter. It's not like you haven't been around him in WAY less. Hell, you took a bath together weeks ago. Yet now you feel his gaze on you, and for once, it makes you nervous. Now you know how he's been feeling the whole time he's been with you. Taking advantage of your newfound shyness, he does something you would've never expected HIM to do. He takes your face in one hand, kissing you... and unzips the back of your dress with the other. "Muriel!" You gasp surprised against him. "I'm not the only one that was about to sleep in my clothes" he points out, grinning at you, proud of his sudden boldness, which you had to admit was pretty hot, yet you blush a bit more realizing however that the only undergarment you were wearing was a pair of dainty purple lacey panties that Nadia had hidden for you in your costume box... just in case. It's no surprise she left them there. You weren't the only one encouraging your attempts to get Muriel out of his shell. Why you grabbed them, you weren't entirely sure... they were awfully sexy for something you would choose though, and now you felt a bit self conscious, hoping he didn't think you were EXPECTING anything from him. The dress had built-in padding, so you didn't really need to wear anything else, and you didn't want a bra strap to ruin the look that Nadia perfectly crafted you for the Masquerade. He runs his hand down your bare back, snapping you out of your constant overthinking, taking in the softness of your now exposed skin before realizing your predicament. You laugh nervously. "With everything that's happened, I never really thought to get something else to wear to bed..." Your face is bright red.

"I don't mind... anything if it's with you..." Anything... oh. OH. Is he insinuating what you think he is? "I don't mind either" your words come out confidently but your heart is practically beating out of your chest as he pulls you closer and slowly moves to take the rest of your dress off, almost as if he's giving you time to change your mind, to protest and say "nevermind goodnight!" But you don't. Instead, you let him, nervous as you are, you let him. Because he loves you, and you love him too. This grumpy, ornery, sweet mountain of a man really truly loves you, and for the first time, you can tell from the way he looks at you. Soon, you're in nothing but those lacey panties, and for the first time (that you've noticed), he stares at you in awe, taking a moment to gather his words. "I've never said this to you... a-and I'm not just saying it because we may die tomorrow... I don't always know how to say what I want..." he huffs again, still trying to find the right words, and you wait patiently, fighting the urge to cover your now exposed breasts, slightly self-conscious with how exposed you now are to him. Finally, he cups your cheek and looks directly into your eyes. "You are the most beautiful woman in the world." And when he says it, he says it with such certainty, like it's a fact and not his opinion. A deep blush sets upon your cheeks. You've always been attracted to him. You've always known how you feel about him, and as much as he has let you know that he loves you, he's never commented on his attraction towards you. "You think I'm beautiful?" The question leaves your lips, and you're not sure if it's to tease him... or to simply hear him say it again. "You are so beautiful." This time, there's no hesitation in his words, no uncertainty in his tone, just pure adoration and love, and you can't help but think of last night... when he held out those flowers to you and told you he loved you. When you teased him, telling him to tell you over and over because you would never tire of hearing him say it. When you got so excited that he said it, that you forgot to say it back until later that night. Blushing, you snap back to the present moment, more smitten than you've ever been around him. "Well, if we want to..." You stammer out the next words, "then we need to talk a couple more layers off of you..." You tug on his belt loops, signaling that you want nothing more than to get rid of his pants. Not being able to take them off with him sitting, he lays you on the makeshift bed of furs, kissing your neck... then your collarbone... then the valley between your breasts... going lower and lower until he stops, kissing your thighs and standing up to take his pants off. You're almost disappointed in him wearing underwear but flustered at the boldness of the kisses he just gave you. "How are you not nervous??" You blush deeply self-conscious about your own nerves, covering your face. "Of course I am... you have no idea how nervous I am right now... but I love you, and you haven't stopped me yet or given me any sign that this isn't what you want." He takes your hand and presses it to his chest lightly so you can feel how fast his heart is beating... and it matches yours. "I don't want to hurt you... you're so much smaller than me, but... I know you'll protest at that too, saying I need to trust you more and that you'll tell me if something is wrong. So I'm trusting you and giving myself the chance to be a little bolder." You smile finally, giving yourself a chance to be more comfortable. If Muriel himself, the mountain of anxiety and nerves, can find a way to be more confident for you, so can you.

"We both need to lose one more layer..." You sit up and pull him down towards you, whispering in his ear before kissing his neck and bringing your hand to the waistband of his underwear. He tenses but doesn't protest as you slowly start to slide them down. You try your best not to ogle how big he is, but you blush as he is now fully exposed to you. The man was big, in general. He was 6'10 and was going to have a fairly big dick to you either way he was built. Noticing you staring a bit, he starts getting a bit shy again. "You are so handsome, Muriel... don't shy away from me now..." You take his hand in yours, pulling him toward you on the bed, laying down for him. He follows your gesture and joins you, taking some time to pull up a blanket over the both of you, not wanting anyone to come in and see what you are about to be doing. It's not like being in a tent gives you the best privacy, and even with wards up, it still feels open. One layer stands between you two. One lacey pair of panties. And instead of pulling them off quickly, like you were anticipating, he stares at them before kissing your thighs once again. "These are... fancy... pretty." He blushes. "Did you wear these for me?" "Kind of... I mean, I wasn't expecting this to happen, but Nadia left them in the costume box, and I put them on and... I don't know. I got flustered at the possibility of you seeing them..." You trail off feeling suddenly shy again. "I thought they were pretty, and I guess I was hoping you would find them pretty too." He kisses on top where they rest snugly on your hips. "They're pretty... but you could wear nothing, and I would still find you pretty" blushing deeply he realizes what he said, and then laughs lightly remembering he was about to take the only thing off of you leaving you covered. "I just mean that I think you're pretty wearing anything... or nothing, " and with that, he slowly slides them down your legs, marveling at the sight before him. You, completely naked, blush on your cheeks as you wait for him in eager anticipation.

"You sure this is okay? I'm not... I'm not bad for wanting this as badly as I do..." "If you're bad for wanting this, then I'm a God damn heathen Muriel... You have no idea how badly I want you right now" You breathe heavily as he takes his sweet time savoring the feeling of your thighs underneath his rough hands. "I-I might need some guidance..." he admits rather embarrassed. It makes sense to you now that he's never done this. The man hasn't so much as he talked to a person besides asra until you came along. "We can arrange that love." You smile gently at him as you wrap your arms around his neck and pull him down to kiss you. Your hearts are still pounding against your chest as you press yourself against him. Plush breasts against his chest, soft lips on his. Hands wandering each other's bodies as you enjoy what could be your last night together. His hands rest on your hips gripping them softly and pressing himself down on you, his hard cock all too present between your thighs, he moves to kiss your neck as you run your fingers through his silky hair. You breathe heavily as he starts to move his hand up to your breast, finger running lightly over your lightly hardened nipple, grinding down on you ever so lightly, brushing against your clit and stealing a light moan from your lips. You gasp and cover your mouth embarrassed, but he looks back down on you, moving his hand to pin your wrists up, not squeezing too tightly, both wrists fitting in his hand perfectly. He blushes before touching his other hand to the side of the tent, green energy pooling out of his fingers and seeping into the fabric before disappearing again. "Wha-" "Soundproof... I want to hear you make that sound again." His pupils are blown out as the candle in your tent burns out, moonlight remaining your only light outside, silver lighting illuminating the both of you. He keeps your hands pinned up as he goes back down to kissing you, letting the other hand go back to wandering your body, nervously stopping as he gets lower. "Go ahead Muri~ your doing amazing" you blush as he moves his hand down further, fingers brushing against your clit. You let out an involuntary whimper as his fingers brush your clit, pulling against him to cover your mouth, and getting stopped by his soft but firm grip on your wrists. And if Muriel is anything, he is perceptive, sharpened senses from living out in the woods for so long. He notices that was a good spot and presses slightly harder with his thumb, rubbing sweet circles on the sensitive spot, causing you to squirm lightly beneath him, breathing heavily as he makes you feel so good.

You feel a soft magic chord wrap itself around your wrists as Muriel moves to use his other hand. "Let me know if you want out of those..." he blushes nervously and holds your hips down with his now free hand as he uses his other to dip a finger into you, keeping a steady pace on your clit. This illicates a much louder moan from you, back arching "Fuck! That feels good, Muri~ You don't even need guidance." You aren't lying to him. He's doing everything right. Maybe a little practice could make it better, but that didn't even matter because you still felt good. "Muriel~" You moan out his name as a form of praise, something you're noticing he likes. The encouragement reassures him, a stark contrast from how he reacts to normal compliments. Normally, you would cover your mouth with your hands embarrassed about being noisy... but that was not an option as your hands were bound in spirals of green magic, and honestly? You didn't feel the need to get out of them anytime soon, and it felt good not to have to silence yourself. He moves his finger inside you, slowly pulling in and out, watching in awe as your face contorts into one of pure pleasure. "Mu- Muri... feels so good..." You whisper praises into his ear before you kiss his jawline, peppering his neck with light kisses before reaching his collarbone. That's when you have the mischievous idea to deepen the kiss, sucking lightly on his neck to leave a mark, blushing at the low sound in his throat as he tries to muffle his own sounds. You grin and leave a few more before he distracts you by catching your lips on his. You can feel his lips curl into a small smile as he slowly adds another finger to your pleasure, savoring the gasps and moans you make as he rocks your hips against his fingers. "Muri... I-I'm close..." Your voice comes out in a whimper as the pleasure building in your core starts to become overwhelming. He hooks his fingers lightly and gives you a few matching love marks to add to the growing collection of the night, and like a dam breaking your orgasm comes crashing down... right on his fingers, breathing heavily small tears forming in your eyes as you cum. Feeling you start to calm down a bit, he slowly pulls his fingers out of you and releases your hands from their magic binding, checking on you before continuing.

"Y-your crying... did I do something wrong?" He whipes your tears, panicked look crossing his face as you catch your breath. "No, Muri, you didn't do anything wrong... that felt so amazing... I just love you so much that I can't help but get a bit emotional. " You smile reassuringly at him, pulling him back down for a kiss, wrapping your arms around him in a tight hug. "I love you so so much Muri you could never do anything to hurt me or scare me" you cup his face gently letting his fears melt away as you kiss him again, this time pulling him to lay down himself. "You made me feel so good muri, it's my turn to return the favor..." You push him lightly to the bed so that he's in the spot you were in, laying on his back. "Let me know if you want me to stop love..." You straddle him once again, yet this time there's no fabric to stop yourself from lining his cock up to you. Muriel can't do anything but stare at your silhouette illuminated by the moonlight, cock growing harder at the sight. You were red-faced, hair disheveled, and beautiful in the silvery light. "You're gorgeous..." he whispers in awe as you lower yourself onto him. Intently watching your reactions as his cock slides into you almost effortlessly, though it takes a bit for you to get use to him, he is big. You watch Muriel just as mindfully, taking note of his reactions as well. The first note is that he is breathing HARD, face redder than you've ever seen before as he watches you lower yourself onto him with ease. He's also trying his damn hardest not to moan and be as loud as you were, low guttural notes caught in his vocal chords as you struggle to take him all at once. It was a challenge, and it is slow at first, but eventually, you fit him all the way in, moaning as any small movement sends a shiver of pleasure up your spine. You lean down and pull the now fallen blanket back up over you two, as to say that this display of affection and intimacy was for the two of you only, adding another level of comfort to both of your growing anxieties about this being the infamous first time. "Muriel, you soundproofed this tent for a reason... I wanna hear you, too." You tease, grinning as you start to rock your hips, stealing a low gasp from the big man. "F-fuck feels... really good." Surprising you, he's never sworn in front of you before, brows furrowing as he grips your hips tightly, moving you slowly on him. Unfortunately, the height difference between you and the big man stays apparent as you struggle to keep up with the pace he's setting. Noticing this, he stops, bunching up a pillow behind him and sitting up, helping you with the position. "You're so small, I forget sometimes that I have to help you out with things. Guess this is one of them, " he teases lovingly as he breaths harder, hitting all of the deepest and best spots inside of you with this new position. "Muri~" You whimper at the new position, feeling so full. "Sh- shut up, you..." Your lack of comeback endearing to him as you both start having troubles staying quiet. It was smart to soundproof the tent. While his moans were low and breathy, almost guttural gasps for air... Yours were way louder, and once again, he is not allowing you to cover them up. "Why would you want to cover up such beautiful noises... tells me you're having a good time." He murmurs against your neck, kissing and sucking small trails of love marks down your skin.

You were hoping to make him feel good, and you are, but in all honestly he's doing most of the work rocking you back and forth on him at a comfortable pace, savoring how lost in the pleasure he's making you. You grip at his biceps desperately, trying to ground yourself from the overstimulation, yet still wanting more... "F-faster..." You mumble weakly, and he obliges, picking up the pace, a feat that was all too easy for the muscular man, who was now losing his composure, losing himself to the pleasure himself, speeding up the pace without even realizing. "Muri! Fuck!" You moan, digging your nails into his biceps as you feel your own pleasure building up again. Both of you lost in each other's embrace as you turn into a whimpering mess, practically drunk on the way his cock was pounding into you. Crashing down on you again you cum a second time, urging him to keep going for his own release. "Wh-where should I?" "Inside. Muriel, please... cum inside me." You grip his arms more as he pushes you down one last time, doing as you said and cumming inside you. "F- fuck Muriel... you grip onto him panting as you blink away a few more tears, overstimulation causing your legs to shake around him lightly. You both sit there panting and trying to catch your breath, enjoying the warmth of each other, both sharing a few tears at this point. "I love you so much..." he murmurs to you as he holds you tightly before pulling him out of you slowly. "Wh- what if you get pr-" "I'll use magic honey." He melts at the newfound pet names you've given him and wraps his arms around you. "That was amazing... " You reassure him to let him know he didn't do anything wrong. However, when you stand to grab any spare cloth to clean up with your legs, give out, sore from the previous activities. He catches you quickly and puts you back on the bed. "I'll be better tomorrow, don't worry." You laugh a bit embarrassed at falling, legs shaking from all the overstimulation. He grabs whatever cloth he could find to help clean you up, helping you before coming back to bed, pulling you close to curl up in his arms. "I love you... good luck to us tomorrow, I would hate for that to be the only time we can do that." He jokes, only half teasingly, nerves about the oncoming war setting in a bit more, "w-we will be good, right?" You nod and press a kiss to his chest "we're gonna kick Lucio's ass tomorrow don't you worry" You grin and eventually fall asleep, waking up the next day to Asra's voice. Ignoring the incredulous stares at both you and Muriel until Julian points out your necks to each other. "Have fun last night?" He laughs eying the both of you, confusing you until you look at each other, noticing the remnants of the night before on your necks and collarbone. You swore you both could've died of embarrassment before even stepping to the battlefield.

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

There's something I don't understand in Julian's route SPOILER ALERT

When Julian was force fed a plague beetle and got locked in the dungeon to find a cure. Why did he have asra's magic book with him? He doesn't belive in magic and he didn't get visions of the hanged man until he was almost dying. How did he know asra's book had information about the visions he saw before he even got them? I might have misunderstood the whole thing but if not I really would like to read ur opinion of this!

Hi friend! Here's my main guess, and a disclaimer XD

When it comes to the Arcana timeline and lore, truthfully, there's so many inconsistencies and revisions that it's not exactly the kind of plot I'd try to hold any water with. That's without the added complication of six different routes with two endings each, giving us 12 different canons for one story, and a main character written so vaguely that they could be almost any reader. Personally, I find it charming, but for people who like a watertight plot and intricate world building, it can get (understandably!) very frustrating.

To answer your question though, Julian having a magic book in his office starts to make a little more sense in the context of two key parts of his character journey: 1, the Julian we meet in the prologue is also missing memories, and 2, Julian's prejudice against magic doesn't go as far as claiming it isn't real, rather, he belittles it in an attempt to be less afraid of it.

Julian doesn't yet remember the events leading up to the masquerade when the magic book is found in his office - which means he also doesn't necessarily remember the extent to which he was involved with Asra and their search to bring MC back. The book itself, with the mark of magic on it, is implied to have information on it about Patron deals. Asra would have used to it come up with their plan to bring MC back, which means Julian likely wouldn't have been able to take it until Asra was done with it.

This also means that Julian would have been around Asra for some time at that point (long enough to form the close friendship between them and Nadia) and would have seen enough of Asra's magic research to know that it was real, powerful, and effective - and maybe an approach to curing the plague that he'd been avoiding. With source of the plague being Lucio's deals with the Devil (and others), Julian already had many of the puzzle pieces he needed to solve it and both the intelligence and drive to push through.

While the early-route Julian without his memories wouldn't go near magic and would call it silly, late-route Julian with his memories would absolutely borrow a magic book if he had reason to believe it held answers about the plague. Personally, I think that if he'd had the time to do so, Julian would have figured it out eventually on his own without contracting the plague and the near-death experience that let him interact with the Hanged Man. Being infected and confined accelerated the process by removing any other priorities he would've had and opening him to receiving help from a Patron.

The question it leaves me asking, though, is why Lucio felt the need to forcefully infect and imprison his top doctor when he already had everything in place to get a new body. Is it a testament to how cruel and twisted he could get pre-ghost form? Or was it at someone else's request, much like Aisha and Salim's imprisonment seventeen years earlier?

[trashcatgallade]

The fact that Muriel and Asra are canon in Nadia's route is my favorite thing ever actually I'm so happy about it. I like Asra and Julian as much as the next person but if I were to hypothetically die in a freak accident and leave Muriel behind I'd want Asra to take care of him for me so I'm thrilled by this information

[screenshot spoilers for Nadia's route beneath the cut]

YIPPEE I LIKE THEM!!

[goldenteaset]

The Purgatory and Salvation of Lucas Proust (Part 1)

I got my copy of Virche Evermore: EpiC LycoriS yesterday and finished Lucas' post-Salvation ending, and I have to say...for anyone afraid he's going to be "done dirty again", don't be. The devs didn't put "epic" in the title for nothing.

Spoilers for both Lucas' route in Virche Evermore and some of his post-Salvation ending in E:L ahead!

Rarely if ever do otome devs look you dead in the eye and say, over and over, "You can't save this one. All the others are salvageable: you can find their happy ending if you work for it, dig into their psyches and come out the other side with a changed man. But not him. We wanted to write a Tragedy and we did."

I have to say, I'm glad they did, and gladder still of what they came up for the fandisc! But to get into that I need to lay some groundwork, mostly from Lucas' route in the first game.

Here's the thing with capital-T Tragedies: they feel satisfying when they rely on what might happen. Not "will", might. Because Tragedy isn't relying on realism, it's relying on consequences.

Lucas' life is a series of incredibly specific events and actions (being born in Arpechelee, his inborn strength, his Reliver parents' disdain for his sister Nadia, the doctors considering her illness a lost cause, meeting Ceres, the only person offering help being an anti-Reliver cult leader, his inevitable death at twenty-three), and the consequences are born from Lucas' responses to them. In a Drama, which works best with what should happen, Lucas would come out of these events changed but ultimately for the better, especially if his rigid beliefs brushed further against his desire for Nadia's happiness and bent even a little. (This seems to be where his Encore route is heading, but that's a different post.)

Since Lucas' route is a Tragedy, though, his past has instead shaped him into someone who can't bend his ideals, even in the face of love, until the very end of his Salvation route. Most importantly, he doesn't think he deserves to be saved, and feels unable to change. That to me is the most important part, and why the other LI's have such a different "Maybe it can work out" tone to them: they are willing to change.

That said, Lucas' route in the first game has its hiccups. Coincidence is a Tragedy staple, and there's a hefty helping in here, especially with the cult stuff. Lucas sits in this awkward position of being both a grown man who's fully aware of his actions, and a victim of conditioning and drug abuse, which muddies the waters a lot. Not even his sense of time is his own anymore. Yes, what he's done is morally wrong, but how cognizant is he of his own actions? And the narrative moves at such a fast pace sometimes, it feels like suffering is being heaped on him faster than we can take it in. There's less sense of catharsis by the end, that surreal relief from feelings like sadness or despair when experienced by a fictional character.

So I want to say upfront, that if the devs had decided to commit to the bit and write more of Ceres grieving Lucas' passing, I wouldn't have minded. I was expecting it, even! "Haha, his post-Salvation ending will probably be the shortest one, but at least there will be time to grieve," I half-joked to myself.

And then Ceres literally went to Hades to find him.

This is why I brought up Tragedy VS Drama earlier, because the writers made a pretty bold move. In sending Ceres after Lucas, we get to experience that catharsis at last. Besides Nadia, she's someone he considers "free of sin", and yet here she is, willing to drag him to Heaven if she has to. Why? He can't help but be curious and seek answers. And with Ceres here, he has no "excuse" to wallow in his own misery. It's up to him to escort her back to the gates of Hades, whatever it takes.

Consequently, if Lucas feels so deeply that he "deserves punishment", he now has a reason to both experience that punishment and accept himself.

For Lucas, it's one thing to know killing is wrong. It's another thing to accept his reason for killing is wrong. As long as he felt justified in doing so ("I'm purifying the demons/I'm sparing innocents", really both sides of the same awful coin), he'd never fully know why he felt guilty in the first place. So when he and Ceres are being butchered and resurrected by shadows of himself over and over and he cries out in anguish "How is this purification?! It's a massacre", it feels morbidly right. This is the answer he couldn't reach in life.

Ceres is also a crucial part of this realization, by the way. She's the Beatrice to his Dante, as it were, and she gets to experience the ritualistic massacre firsthand. Lucas would probably be able to accept his own countless deaths--he "deserves" it--but to see Ceres endure the same? Impossible.

Ceres could never "save him" (read: reassure him of his own actions) because she wasn't him, if that makes sense. Lucas had to acknowledge his own beliefs as flawed, and also acknowledge that he didn't know they were flawed until he saw his own heart beating before his eyes. He's accepting/forgiving his younger self as much as he is his present self.

But that's not the end of his journey. There are more trials he and Ceres have to face together, and Hades' dark fields stretch far and don't always look foul. But they move on hand in hand, a bit more willing to try again.

And I had so much to say about it I needed to separate this into two parts, whoops. ^^;

[defectivevillain]

deliver me not

pairing: The Devil/Reader

reader's race and gender are ambiguous; no pronouns or physical descriptors are used.

summary:

“I’m not sure if a Major Arcana can die,” Asra had said. “After all, they’re ideas. Concepts. And an idea can’t truly die.” In the months following your confrontation, The Devil whispers to you.

word count: 2k | ao3 version

warnings: spoilers to the main storyline of the game & Julian’s upright route. chains and temporary imprisonment; suggestive remarks.

The seven of you—Mazelinka, Nadia, Nazali, Portia, Julian, Asra, and you—defeated The Devil and eradicated the plague. Vesuvia is returning to its former glory, with beautiful crystalline waters flowing through the canals and bright-eyed, healthy citizens ambling about the streets. Everyone is peaceful and happy.

… But you’re still uneasy. 

You toss and turn at night, frequently dreaming of the ominous crimson skies from The Devil’s realm. You often wake up in the morning to a sweltering hot bedroom and scratches along your arms, as if something is clawing at you during your slumber. And those scarlet eyes, that haunting, sharp-toothed grin… They follow you into your waking life. You start to see The Devil everywhere: between vendors of the Red Market, standing outside the window of your shop, lurking in the dark corners of the palace.

Eventually, you grow restless enough to consult your cards. Taking a slow breath, you shuffle the deck and pick one card… only to find The Devil upright. He almost seems to leer at you from the card. You blink and the two humans beneath him disappear, replaced with a solitary figure. Your own face stares back at you, a length of chain around your shoulders inextricably connecting you back to The Devil. 

Your heart races in your chest as you’re drawn back to what Asra told you all those months ago. “I’m not sure if a Major Arcana can die,” he had said. “After all, they’re ideas. Concepts. And an idea can’t truly die.”  

Unnerved and unsettled, you put away your cards and spend the rest of the day fighting off your spiraling thoughts. By the time night falls, you’ve already closed the shop. You’re inexplicably exhausted, despite the fact that you haven’t done any strenuous physical activity today. You eventually decide to stop thinking about it and get ready for bed. Sleep comes easily that night, especially with your desperation for an escape from reality. 

But you don’t get to rest, because you soon open your eyes to find yourself in the Devil’s realm once more. And he isn’t like you left him. He’s not a frozen statue; instead, he sits on his throne and looks down at you with a bored expression. 

Foreboding sends goosebumps across your skin. You shouldn’t be here. Did he manage to summon you? You thought you had successfully contained him during your last battle. The thought of having to fight for the city and your friends again is enough to send a renewed wave of exhaustion through you. You stare up at The Devil. “What did you do?” You demand tiredly, the words falling from your lips before you can stop them.  

“Me?” The Devil asks innocently. He’s staring at you as if you’re a particularly meddlesome pest. “I’ve done nothing.” The mere implication almost seems to offend him. 

“I see you everywhere,” you say before you can stop yourself. “I keep returning to your realm. And whenever I try to do a reading for myself, I get your card.” 

Something makes The Devil’s glittering eyes snap towards you with frightening speed. Then he laughs and laughs. The air almost seems to vibrate with malice, as a truly dangerous grin rises on his lips and his eyes flash with interest. “You have no idea what you just admitted to.” 

“What?” You choke out. The smug expression on his face is deeply unsettling. 

“You’re straying from your path, Fool,” he remarks cryptically. His ambiguity is perplexing. At your confusion, The Devil only sighs impatiently. “Your patron Arcana whispers to you,” he continues. 

Suddenly you understand exactly what he’s insinuating. The Devil is claiming to be your patron Arcana—claiming that you resemble him. “No, that’s-” You argue. “That’s not true. I’m not like you.” You’re not sure who you’re trying to convince; The Devil seems to recognize this, if the twisted smirk on his face is any indication. The very thought of being similar to him is enough to make you nauseous. 

“Oh, but it is true,” he grins. His composure is only making you more angry. The Devil is infuriatingly calm and unbothered. “There’s darkness within you. And greed. You’re unsatisfied because you want more.” 

You shake your head silently, entirely speechless. 

“Besides, there’s no need for pretense here,” the Devil says casually, gesturing to the crimson skies around him. Indeed, it is only the two of you in this realm, this moment. “You reject your mortal companions. You’re growing restless, impatient.” 

You grit your teeth and ignore his baseless accusations. “We defeated you,” you remind him. It wasn’t all that long ago, either. 

“Temporarily,” The Devil shrugs. He taps his fingers against the arm of his throne with a casual impatience. You feel that familiar fury rising in your chest once more as you stare at him, entirely unaffected by your hateful glare. Instead, he only looks more intrigued. 

It happens in slow motion. One moment, you’re watching him warily; the next, chains are surrounding you—wrapping around your arms and legs, slowly pulling you closer to The Devil and his throne. You try to summon your magic, but you can’t reach it—as if there’s an impenetrable darkness blocking you. The chains continue to drag you forward relentlessly, until you’re far too close to The Devil. You try to fight back, but the manacles only grip you even tighter. Your writhing is subdued, until you’re left standing before him like a pinned butterfly. 

The Devil scrutinizes you with an appraising eye. “Not a bad look for you, magician,” he grins. Equal sentiments of anger and something uncomfortably close to embarrassment fight for prominence. You try to keep your composure, despite every bone in your body screaming at you to escape somehow, someway. The chains almost seem to writhe and crawl along your skin, and their movements only reinforce the strength of their grip. You can hear your heart roaring in your ears. 

“You’re afraid of me,” he states clinically. You don’t bother arguing—the rapidity of your breaths and the swift thrumming of your pulse only further prove his point. The Devil hums. “Yet you do not cower. You don’t try to wager. You still fight.”

You don’t know what to say. It’s hard enough to breathe past the iron-knuckled grip of his chains—let alone find the right words to utter. You can only hope your contempt gleams in your eyes; and, it must, because The Devil smiles. 

He motions languidly and the chains drag you a step closer. “Aren’t you tired of fighting?” The Devil questions. His voice is deep and entrancing. “This is nothing more than a petty feud to me. But that pesky resolve of yours… could very well make this span your entire lifetime.”

The chains tug you down, as if trying to make you kneel. You stumble into an awkward genuflect, your hand hitting the ground as you try to push yourself back up. You will never bow to The Devil. You repeat that promise like a mantra in the back of your mind, until you manage to get yourself to stand up again. 

A vicious grin is practically painted on The Devil’s face, and you start to come to a hopeless realization. Whatever you do will intrigue him. Regardless of how you attempt to oppose him, he will find glee and entertainment in it. He enjoys this twisted game of cat-and-mouse—enjoys forcing you to acknowledge his presence and go along with his plans. “Is this how you wish to spend the years you have left: fighting for the ungrateful?” 

That statement cuts deep. You think of Nadia and Portia smiling at one another; to Asra and his parents, residing within the palace; to Muriel, finally free from his curse; and to Julian, who can roam the streets as an innocent man. They have all moved on. They… left you behind. Your friends left you to the wreckage of their own actions—the consequences of their decisions. 

You immediately berate yourself for even considering a deal with The Devil. He makes things sound too good to be true—that’s what he does. You know better than to be taken in with his false promises. The air is stiff and oppressive, manufacturing an urgent irritation and envy within you. 

The chains suddenly yank you forward again, allowing The Devil to reach out to you. You instinctively lean backwards, but there’s nowhere for you to go. Instead, you’re left breathing hard as his fingers travel up your throat mockingly. Surely he must feel the rapidity of your pulse beneath his fingertips. But he only scrutinizes you quietly, his gaze intense enough to send shivers down your spine. Then his hand rises to cradle your jaw and he tilts your head to the side. There’s a strangely focused expression on his face, as if he’s looking for something. You can only hope he doesn’t find it. 

Then, without explanation, The Devil tilts your head to the other side. Quick as lightning, his other hand is extended—and he drags a long, clawed finger down your cheek. It’s enough to puncture your skin and draw blood, pulling a pained hiss from your lips. After an immeasurable time spent in quiet appraisal, The Devil makes an assenting noise and his hand finally falls from your face. You wince at the feeling of blood dripping down your cheek. 

“I won’t make a deal with you.” You promise with all the conviction you can muster. 

“You will,” The Devil says smoothly. There’s no heat in his argument—only a cool rationality, as if he knows exactly what will happen. “Don’t fear: I can wait. I have all the time in the world, after all.” You don’t goes unsaid, but you hear it anyway. He’s right—your mortal life is all you have. And while a few decades is nothing more than the blink of an eye for The Devil, it’s a good chunk of your lifetime. Can you really live like this for that long? Can you keep fighting tirelessly—pushing away that relentless exhaustion that only draws closer on your heels? 

You try to get out of the chains once more, surprised to notice a faint trace of your magic returning. With The Devil distracted, you channel your energy into breaking the chains—and they slowly begin to snap around you, leaving you just enough room to escape them. 

“I see you’re growing impatient,” The Devil’s voice cuts through the static in your mind. You blink and the chains around you disappear, leaving only a persistent ache in your muscles as a reminder. Before you can even begin to speak, your vision is fading to black as the Devil leaves you with one last parting remark. “Very well. We will meet again soon.” The crimson skies around you morph into a starless night sky, submerging you in darkness. 

You wake up in a cold sweat, tangled in your sheets and sprawled across your bed. Groaning, you push yourself up and head to the bathroom, wanting to cool yourself off. You reach down and pour some water into your hands, before rinsing off your face. A stinging sensation on the left side of your face makes you pause; you wince and squint at your reflection in the mirror, only to find a jagged cut tearing through your cheek: right where The Devil ran his clawed finger along your skin mere moments ago. 

You take a shuddering breath, trying to come to terms with the physical evidence of the reality you just unwittingly transported yourself to. As you stare at yourself in the mirror, you realize there are bruises crawling up and down your forearms—from where the chains had been. That was no mere dream. You visited The Devil’s realm—and he let you leave. Willingly. 

The certainty in his voice still haunts you. Is your descent into darkness really as inevitable as he makes it seem? It takes concentrated effort for you to calm yourself down enough to return to bed. And even when you do, The Devil’s smooth voice follows you into your nightmares—imploring you to take your place at his side.

thanks for reading! <3

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[totally-not-here-for-the-smut]

The more you play The Arcana, the more you realize how Nadia is obviously the only adult in the room. It's no mistery how her route is about convincing her that she doesn't have to do everything herself, given that the mess of Vesuvia is caused by:

Asra slacking off and not giving a damn thing about anything ("Oh great magician, my DESERT VILLAGE is out of water please help us" "I dunno, I got plans. waddaya say MC?")

Julian being a massive-I-ll-do-myself drama queen ("I'm involved in *magic stuff* even though I'm no magician and GOD FORBID I ask the f#$@%ing magician I'm f#$@%ing and their MASTER MAGICIAN FOR HELP")

Lucio... well. Lucio. (We're talking about■SPOILER AHEAD■

I-SET-MYSELF-ON-FIRE-LUCIO

[gothiqueedgelordedevorak]

This is like chapter one or two of Nadia’s route so not a spoiler. I forgot how QUICKLY things escalate with her 😂

[leastdatablebracket]

ROUND 1, MATCH 64

Propaganda under the cut!

Lucio Morgasson

He's the villain in everyone else's route, and even in his own he's STILL kind of a dick. Like, everything bad he did before the game begins happens exactly the same, and it's only when he begins that he gets better (as in he regrets his actions and tries to fix it (it being a plague. He caused a plague because he wanted more power. (Spoilers: the plague killed the MC))). All the other romanceable characters still hate him tho so that's good. The one thing he's got going for him is that in one ending, he stepped down from being the count (idk about the other)

He literally caused a plague that kills thousands of people including THE PLAYER 😭 LIKE HE LITERALLY KILLS YOU DAWG

He is simply the worst. I'm pretty sure he purposefully infected his kingdom with the plague. He made a deal with the devil maybe. Gonna be real with you I haven't finished his storyline.

imagine a guy who is both incredibly pathetic and willing to screw over absolutely everyone for fun. lots of fun as a character, absolute dogwater as a partner

He has directly tortured or somehow harmed all the other romancable characters and every other route tries to kill the mc to take over their body, is also responsible for a plague that killed a large portion of his kingdom and *spoiler* killed the MC

I'll admit I haven't played his route but that's cause he's such a pathetic icky man that I don't think I actually can. And I pride myself in completing every route. I know people like their pathetic meow meows but I want to hit him with a brick

He acts as a manchild who needs someone to guide him through life and show him the difference between right and wrong when I'm pretty sure he's in his forties or fifties. He also abuses his power to do horrible things to people he's not in a romantic relationship with, which should tell you a lot about him.

He’s a selfish asshole who is the villain in every other route and he’s a punk ass bitch I wanna kick his ass so hard his skeleton disintegrates as he fucking deserves��

Dude, he SUCKS. He's the villain in every other route. He's a horrible husband, he forced Muriel to fight for his entertainment, he makes deals that he can't pay for. He threatens and pouts and is obsessed with people loving him. I've been with the Arcana since the very beginning and he wasn't meant to be a romance option, but the writers basically went with it because there was such a demand. So embarrassing to see Lucio fans being like Lucio did nothing wrong ever. Falling all over themselves to blame his mom or Nadia or Asra or anyone else for Lucio's selfishness and shitty behavior. It was peak uwu he's A BABY fan dementia that excuses all his shitty actions because nothing was his fault. The only sane Lucio fans are the ones that are like "he sucks so much <3 I can make him worse."

He's literally described by the devs as flaming trash. He is literally only nice in his route and the main antagonist (or at the very least a jerk) in every other route. he was a very bad husband to ex-wife. he is literally - and with 0 exaggeration- a plague upon the country he ruled. he's also a grown man who calls his fuck ups "oopsies" and honestly, i love him but that gives me the ick.

Cullen Rutherford

stupid racist cop creep whose fans cry about how hes "changed" and "you can't judge him he was addicted to magic drugs" nah he still chose to be a racist cop and abuse his power over innocent people and i hate him. the writers making him romanceable in da:i after how blatantly horrible he was in da:o and da:2 is baffling but i guess they had to appeal to the part of their audience who watch those "mafia boyfriend" videos on tiktok or whatever

He's creepy in origins, though still 100% willing to kill the female mage pc he's crushing on, as well as all the other mages trapped in the circle with him. He's the second-in-command in an even worse circle in 2, listening to and defending the increasingly obviously insane meredith until literally the end. He's one of the people still pushing for the circle system by inquisition, and yes he's going through withdrawals and working through the traumas of previous games. And to be brutally honest his was the first romance i took and while i don't remember much from it, its not worth all the girls going absolutely nuts over knockoff terrible alistair.

He's basically a cop who thinks being born a certain way can revoke personhood and by Inquisition still thinks mages are monsters to be controlled, not people. He gets a fairy tale cutesy romance that focuses on his personal struggles with addiction while showing absolutely no regard to the atrocities he committed and still thinks were justified. He can be romanced BY A MAGE and his actions and beliefs are just glossed over. He believes mages are 'not people like you (Hawke) and me', but if the Warden was a female mage he canonically had a crush on her and would deliberately hang around her despite the fact that he was her *jailer*. If that Warden romanced Leliana, there is war table dialogue in which he pesters Leliana for news of his 'former' crush despite her repeated statement that she doesn't want to talk to him about her. All this shitty behavior and lack of introspection gets swept under the rug by the game, not even giving the PC the chance to really challenge his beliefs. Like damn even Fenris could apologize when he lashed out due to past trauma with mages, and if anyone has a reason to hate mages it's Fenris. If you want an ex Templar hottie Alistair is RIGHT THERE. Tbh I know Cullen is a popular romance and I'm not here to tell anyone what they can or can't do or like in a video game, I'm just saying I think he is deeply undateable

Spends the first two games as an antagonist, fervently devoted to the cause of subjugating mages, then a bunch of "character development" happens off screen and the games treat him like he's completely reformed. However he's actions make it clear he still sees mages as dangerous and lesser. Not to mention if you romance him with an elf he doesn't pay your culture more than lip service respect like most of the devout characters 

He was a total villain in the first two games who was violently prejudiced against mages and uses one single bad experience as an excuse for it (a bad experience that is pretty much exactly what he in his job subjected graduating apprentices to, mind you, but this is never brought up). Now he says he's changed, but his words and actions say otherwise. He still distrusts mages, sympathises with the rebel Templars trying to kill them, and he never owns up to the terrible stuff he did and helped others do in the past two games. He totally knew what Meredith was doing and says he doesn't, and he still tries to defend her intentions. And you have no option to call him out on it. If you romance him as a mage, he angsts about how he might have seen you as subhuman in the past but NOW you're one of the good ones, and when you ask him if he'll kill you if you get possessed, he dodges the question. And the PC is written as being almost sad that she's a mage? Like 'can you love me despite what I am??' Also if Leliana romanced a female mage PC in the first game who is still alive, he asks her creepy questions about their relationship. Fitting considering his original purpose was to be creepy to the female mage Warden. 

I hate him and want to cause chaos. Plus his VA is an asshole.

cop

[yomigaere]

I just finished Virche Evermore about a week ago, and because I loved it so much, I thought I'd do a personal ranking of the characters and throw down my thoughts on all of them.

To be honest, I'm partly inspired to do this because I heard Mathis is the least popular love interest to the point where he even got rated beneath a few side characters in the Japanese official popularity poll, which I think is absolutely criminal.

Needless to say, major spoilers for the entire game below the readmore!

Mathis became an instant fave for me as soon as he was first properly introduced in the common route. He's so, so cute. I pretty much lost my mind from sheer cuteness at the CG of him being flustered when Ceres walked in on him writing his novel. His romance is sweet and I feel like he and Ceres go well together. His actual situation is tragic. Since he was my first route, I was so glad when I unlocked the salvation ends and could finally get a happy ending (by Virche standards) for him; he deserves a million times better than the death of personality he suffered in his main bad end, and his salvation end, while bittersweet, was beautiful.

Lucas is my poor little meowmeow. I feel so sorry for him, even when he's at his worst, not least because he's been dealt such a shitty hand in life. His route might be the biggest pain train of them all, especially given that even his salvation end is tragic as all hell; he and Nadia and Ceres deserve so much better. (It sure was a narrative choice to have the branching point for his endings be after Nadia's turned into a monster and he's been drugged into going on a murderous rampage, though...) I was a little bit skeeved by his romance at first when it was initially revealed that he'd been in love with Ceres for years, but it became more understandable when the circumstances behind it came out (guy was 15 at the time and in a very bad place) and by the time Ceres got to see the full truth of Lucas's situation I'd become way more invested in their relationship. The "goodnight kiss" CG in his salvation end absolutely broke me.

Yves is very cute and very sweet and has the best romance with Ceres and deserves so much better than he's gotten from shitty randos. The scene with Ceres kissing his facial scars while he's crying is my favourite romantic moment in the whole game. I like that he cries a lot, even if it puts me through the emotional wringer as much as he goes through it in his route. (This game's great for crying vulnerable long-haired pretty boys. I swear this isn't me being a sadist.)

Ankou is evidently the top husbando in this game's fandom, and besides his looks and voice, Le Salut certainly let me see why. He has one of the cutest blushing sprites, and after 600+ years of misery I really think he deserves way more happiness than he can get in any of the canon routes; he's a big reason why I'm hoping the fandisc will get licensed for an English release. His death in Le Salut's salvation end is the other most heartrending moment in the game for me.

Ceres isn't my favourite otome heroine ever, but I do like her quite a bit. It's easy to feel for her when everything she's been through has taken such a toll on her self-esteem, yet I love how her resolve to be less resigned and more proactive gets reflected in most of the right choices in the common route. She has nice moments of strength beyond that, too; I particularly enjoyed how indignant she could get at Capucine, and her defiance in the face of Jean hoping to capture her despair on camera was metal coming from someone like her.

Hugo is my favourite side character, regardless of how controversial he apparently was with the Japanese fanbase when the game originally came out there. (Heaven forbid that a gay character exists in an otome game, amirite? Especially one who happens to have feelings for one of the love interests...) The "Resemblence" bad ending with him is my favourite game-over, heartwrenching though it may be. I do wish his death on Yves's route didn't come immediately after my favourite romantic moment, though; that was a bit too on-the-nose for my comfort. I liked what Le Salut did with him towards the end, including him deciding to join Yves on his journey to Japan and the possibility being left open that maybe, just maybe, if Yves doesn't remain stuck on Ceres forever, Hugo's feelings for him could have a chance of eventually being reciprocated. (Yes, I ship this too even though I love Yves/Ceres. I feel like the part of the fandom Hugo was so controversial with might tear me apart for this, but I don't even care.)

Nadia is the sweetest little cinnamon roll who's too good for this world, too pure, and she deserves only good things and no bad things... which is a major reason why Lucas's route is such a pain train. Still, I'm glad that at least in Le Salut's salvation end she and her brother get to live and be happy. ;.;

Adolphe's okay; I like him well enough. In fact, I don't think it makes a whole lot of sense for an Ankou fan to dislike Adolphe too much, considering that Ankou is Adolphe from another timeline, even if Ankou has been through more than enough of his own experiences that he 100% qualifies as his own person. I don't think his angst over being "normal" is that hard to get behind in the context of this kind of story; he's the one "normal" person in a place like Arpéchéle, which from their point of view would make him the oddity if they knew, so I can't blame him for being afraid of what might happen if the truth about him got out (with Ankou's backstory being proof of the possible consequences).

Salome turned out to be a very interesting and complex character, and she looks so lovely without her habit, though I also can't help feeling like her writing was a little bit untidy in places. That said, the fact she got rated the second-least-popular character on the official poll, even below Jean of all people, is criminal.

Scien is my least favourite love interest by a big margin, and his route was also my least favourite by far. I realise that this is an extremely unpopular opinion, given that he's one of this fandom's biggest darlings, so I can't say I'm not wary of potentially getting some backlash for this. =/ I'm not opposed to asshole characters in the slightest, and Scien has his enjoyable moments, but he just doesn't do it for me on the whole. Furthermore, I tend to dislike characters who come across as "creator's pets", and Scien definitely feels like one to me between the favouritism he gets from the narrative and how his route acts like he can do no wrong to the point of bordering on double standards. I'll spare anyone reading this too much more crankiness from me, but I do want to add that it was super satisfying when he got called out for a change in Yves's route.

Dahut gave me very mixed feelings in the end. On one hand, he's a pretty good "final boss" and I have no issue with how he's written. On the other hand, his hypocrisy drove me up a bloody wall and I wish he was more sorry for his role in screwing up the Proust siblings' lives. Good character, but too frustrating as a person for me to really enjoy.

Jean is a scumbag, and as a Mathis fan I feel no remorse in hating him for the lies and abuse and other bullshit he put my boy through. Also as a Mathis fan, I felt enormously frustrated by how Le Salut was way too forgiving towards him and basically gave him a slap on the wrist for everything he did, even to the point where it felt like Mathis was being made to pander to his abuser; it's my one big complaint about that route, which I otherwise enjoyed. I was much more okay with how Jean was handled in Mathis's own salvation end; it wasn't perfect, but at least he wasn't a karma houdini there.

Capucine is an even bigger scumbag and thoroughly deserves his place as the most hated character. I lost count of how many times I went "fuck you" at him for his treatment of Lucas and Nadia. Every death he can get, whether it's being blown up offscreen or being butchered by Lucas offscreen or being mauled by Nadia onscreen, is cathartic and very well-deserved.

[arcanarubinaito]

Short Story Taglist

I’ve been meaning to compile a list of content tags I will commonly use, and their meanings. This both gives me a handy reference to use when I’m finalizing everything to post—because honestly I blank out on how to tag it once I get to that point, lol—and I figure I’d post it as both a reference for my own readers and a potential resource for other minific authors here on Tumblr.

This list will be updated as needed; and if you have any tag you think should be added, please comment your suggestions!

I will not be adding tags for certain taboo subjects, as that content will never be on my blog and I’m sure those who write it already know how to properly tag it.

I will not be adding ship tags because frankly there are too many to add.

Please note that this list contains Content Warning tags.

Spoiler Warnings

Asra’s Route

Nadia’s Route

Julian’s Route

Muriel’s Route

Portia’s Route

Lucio’s Route

Tales (Insert Specific Tale Here)

Upright Ending

Neutral Ending

Content Warning Tags

Graphic Depictions of Violence

Gore

Suicidal Tendencies

Self-Harm

Torture

Sexually Explicit Content

Substance Abuse

Depictions of Alcohol

Mild/Mentioned Alcohol Use

Depictions of Drug Use

Mild/Mentioned Drug Use

General Content Tags

Platonic Relationship(s)

Romantic Relationship(s)

Comfort

Hurt/Comfort

Anxiety/Comfort

Hurt/No Comfort

Angst

Whump

Cuddles

Fluff

Major Character Death

Minor Character Death

Slow Burn

Series

Miscellaneous Tags

SFW (<18)

NSFW (18+)

[x] Words

Ask Box

Request

Commission

Gift

Character Tags

Reader/OC Tags

GN Reader

AFAB Reader

AMAB Reader

Nonbinary Reader

Female Reader

Male Reader

Transfem Reader

Transmasc Reader

Self Insert

Apprentice OC

Original Character(s)

Main Six

Asra Alnazar

Nadia Satrinava

Julian/Ilya Devorak

Muriel of the Kokhuri

Portia/Pasha Devorak

Lucio/Montag Morgasson

Familiars/Animals

Faust

Chandra

Malak

Inanna

Pepi

Mercedes & Melchior

Camio

Chimes & Flamel

Jaeger

Courtiers

Consul Valerius

Praetor Vlastomil

Procurator Volta

Pontifex Vulgora

Quaestor Valdemar

Side Characters

Aisha Alnazar

Salim Alnazar

Tasya/Anastasia Devorak

Lishka Devorak

Mazelinka

Halinka (A Warm Welcome)

Khamgalai of the Kokhuri

Morga Eirsdottir

The Satrinavas

Nasrin Satrinava

Namar Satrinava

Nafizah Satrinava

Nazali Satrinava

Navra Satrinava

Nahara Satrinava

Nasmira Satrinava

Natiqa Satrinava

Gavin (The Bazar Job)

Minor Characters

Chamberlain (One of the Palace servants. Unclear if ‘Chamberlain’ is his name or his title.)

Ludovico (Palace Guard)

Bludmila (Palace Guard)

Selasi (The Baker)

Saguaro (An acquaintance of Asra’s, from Nopal)

Tilde the Leech Monger (A leech merchant near Mazelinka’s house.)

Barth/Bartholomew (Bartender of The Rowdy Raven)

Aedile Velos (Once slept in the Palace’s haunted guest room.)

Major Arcana

The Fool (0)

The Magician (I)

The High Priestess (II)

The Empress (III)

The Emperor (IV)

The Hierophant (V)

The Lovers (VI)

The Chariot (VII)

Strength (VIII)

The Hermit (IX)

Wheel of Fortune (X)

Justice (XI)

The Hanged Man (XII)

Death (XIII)

Temperance (XIV)

The Devil (XV)

The Tower (XVI)

The Star (XVII)

The Moon (XVIII)

The Sun (XIX)

Judgment (XX)

The World (XXI)

[pageofsuns]

minor muriel route spoilers

some of the lines in muriel’s upright ending got me thinking. nadia asks them how their journey was and muriel mentions bandits, which MC then says they “took care of them” and it just implies this scene in my brain of like

this cute, unassuming cottagecore couple traveling through the woods, looking perfectly harmless and pure, being threatened by bandits for all of their belongings

just for said cottagecore couple to actually be fighters trained by a warrior queen and they absolutely rock the bandits’ shit

[protectmuriel]

Just your average angry rant on Muriel's route development.

Warning: it contains nothing but spoilers! And I probably missed some points and it's nothing that hasn't been said before and it's probably not very well written because English is not my native, but still.

So, I finished Muriel's route last night for the second time and it was going okay! I like the route, I loved learning about Muriel's past and his identity, I loved watching him grow and learning to trust others and himself. But then... The ending books. The freaking games? I think the first time I was too absorbed to actually stop and think, but... Are you for real?

The battle did have potential, at least a lot more potential than the final confrontation, and after all that training and Nadia's speeches I was so disappointed not to get more immersive scenes or descriptions of MurielxMC fighting together side by side beyond of a few lines like "we were like a whirlwind together" or something like that. I would have enjoyed to see Vesuvia's people fighting for more than 5 minutes, and not to have it all depend on Prakra's army. And by the way, you're telling me the /Devil/ reincarnated in Lucio –who was already depicted to be very good at battlefields– decided to build an army and it was so weak that it went down in ten minutes?

Then Valdemar summons Muriel and MC to the Lazaret where Devil! Lucio asks them for a... Fight? Honestly, the goddamn DEVIL, with all the cleverness in its deals and plans it'd struck during the main routes, who yearns to be entertained BIG time... It settles for a fight two on one? A series of simple games? It seems very out of character, even if the Devil did merge with Lucio. And the Devil/ Lucio relation is not greatly explained either (or, at least, not to me.)

The games are treated so carelessly. There's a feast during them, like the entire future of a country was not at risk. Where did they even get all that food...? Vesuvia was in ruins and people were not even working since they were focusing on training like their lives depended on it, because, well, they did. Where did all that food come from? Prakra? It made little sense.

The games were not taken seriously, either. Where was the tension? The build up? In the other routes MC has to break the Devil's chains, they have to go through so many dangerous, weird, amazing stuff and in Muriel's route it's just... Archery! Wrestling! Racing! And then puff! Puff, Lucio's gone, route over!

And what really bothered me too was that Muriel and Lucio's fight wasn't even fully written!!! We just see Lucio saying something along the lines of "We all knew you were better at muscles than me" or something like that. This was THE MOMENT I was expecting to see. Muriel facing Lucio, facing his past, the past that tormented so, so much that led him to strike a deal to be forgotten by the rest of the world, and it was treated like nothing.

Why is Lucio and Muriel's past not discussed more in depth? Lucio kept talking about it, kept insulting him, and none of it was actually used as an opportunity to do explore it. Actually, before Lucio died/ disappeared at the end, Muriel says "I know you didn't mean it, but I know you won't change either". What are you saying? He didn't mean to force kids to work for him? He didn't mean to have you chained to a coliseum? Why would Muriel say that so casually? It felt very OOC. Honestly, it could have been good, Muriel could have gotten at least SOME closure.

We also get to see so little MC development... They learn little about their past/death and have little to none exploration of his true potential. And just... WHAT happened to Muriel's curse??? It just... Disappeared????? What?? So many plotholes.

All these things have been said before, it's nothing new, but I just HAD to rant about it because everyone in this route (everyone) deserved better.

[zukadiary]

Flügel / A Kaleidoscope of Life ~ Moon 2023

4.5-year awaited Grand Theater return on September 22 (before things) ft. my eyes dead from the unseasonable heat and yet another failed attempt to get my FLYING SAPA REFUND FROM 2020 THAT THEY STILL OWE ME.

This, unexpectedly, turned out to be the hands-down Takarazuka highlight of Tadaima ’23, and that’s… despite a play of extremely questionable content. Tsukigumi—Mugen Musou / Krung Thep—had the honor of being my last live Takarazuka before the shit hit the fan globally, and the troupe is such different vibes I felt like I stepped through a portal (not that Yukigumi isn’t, dear lord, but small theaters are always a little weird vibe-wise). I had a feeling this would be my first and last live top Tsukishiro Kanato, and she did indeed announce taidan days later. We have no shortage of 95th top stars, but, since I was a hardcore Yukigumi fan ten years ago, Reiko is the only one I’ve been closely following since her shinko days. She’s gotten so good, and every time I’ve watched her since the Romance Gekijou stream, I’ve seen in her movements and expressions that she's absolutely watched Komu on repeat in her moments of doubt. It makes my heart sing.

FLÜGEL SPOILERS (can’t believe I’m saying this again, but cw suicide, also nazis 🙄):

If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “Gee, you know whose take I’d love on the politics of a divided Germany? TAKARAZUKA’S,” well, maybe this show is for you! It’s the 1980s (although you wouldn’t know it till they bust a hole through the Wall… they really dropped the ball on costuming) and Jonas (Reiko) is a GDR officer who grew up thinking his mother (Shirayuki Sachika) was a nazi after she was arrested in his childhood for war crimes and they were separated on opposite sides of the partitioned country. After we open with a completely historically inaccurate scene from the Russian Afghan war (just SCREAMS Takarazuka, doesn’t it?), Jonas is put in charge of overseeing an East German concert featuring wildly popular West German idol Nadia (Umino Mitsuki), while other GDR officer Helmut (Houzuki An) is tasked with keeping an eye on them/preventing spying or something (idk, this plot doesn’t hold a ton of water to be honest). The general conflict is that Team Reiko is pro-unification, and Team Chinatsu is staunchly anti. Amidst a flurry of various activities that realistically would have gotten Jonas thrown in the gulag 1000 times over—including helping old war buddy?? Amashi Juri escape to West Germany via an underground route operated by Irodori Michiru and Haon Mika—Team Helmut attempts to dampen pro-unification sentiment by plotting a terrorist attack at the concert (in the form of an exploding microphone) and pinning it on a priest (Yumena Rune) and his band of peaceful student protestors. Thanks to Jonas and Luis Wagner (Kazama Yuno), who is Nadia’s manager and also secretly the best spy in the world or something, the mic is retrieved and the plan is thwarted. When Nadia returns to West Germany, she is moved to become a pro-unification activist thanks to the friends she made on the other side, and leads a protest that results in breaking the wall down. Helmut, unable to cope with the defeat of his ideology, takes his own life quite dramatically (so be aware of that). After travel is permitted between east and west, Jonas discovers that his mother (aging with dementia), while employed by the nazis, actually used her position to help Jews escape. Jonas and Nadia don’t fall in love, but they do look off into the sky together in hope and friendship.

I really did not care for this plot, yet somehow I also didn’t absolutely hate watching it. I think there were enough isolated highlights to make the experience worth it:

I! Love! Reiko! And I’m so happy I got to see her as top once! And her voice is fantastic lately!

Reiko and Chinatsu have an unexpectedly compelling chemistry

Chinatsu has an unexpected chemistry with me and my feelings

The final protest scene (set to a dramatic rendition of Ode to Joy) features Chinatsu repeatedly trying to hit Reiko, while Reiko just blocks all her punches and stares straight into her eyes. It’s a lot.

I had similar feelings watching Oda as I did watching Agachin; she wore those 4.5 years loud and proud. +1000 confidence, absolutely ready for her nibante era.

Nice little send off role for Ren Tsukasa, who is ABSOLUTELY BELOVED. People cheered the theater down for her, it was genuinely moving. No one in anything else I saw got that much applause except for maybe Kaiho Naoto.

KALEIDOSCOPE SPOILERS:

This, brainchild of Kurita-sensei making her revue debut, was the revue of the year, and probably the revue of all pandemic era for me. It was fresh, it had a theme, the music slapped, it actually called back a little to Ogita-sensei who I will miss in tkz until the end of time. LET WOMEN MAKE REVUES!!

The premise is a journey through different eras of Tokyo, triggered by the turn of a magic kaleidoscope. Each era’s scene is beautifully designed, and has a little self-contained plot. The transitions are seamless, and I loved the song choices (CITY! POP! CHUUZUME!). Tsukigumi as a whole is vocally outstanding right now, and the impact was awesome. Verbal descriptions don’t do it justice! If you’re tired of Fujii/Saitou/Nakamura B throwing all their old scenes into a tumble dyer and pulling them back out in a random order, watch Kaleidoscope, even if you aren’t a fan of Tsukigumi.

[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

[sparrowsupportgroup]

(minor spoilers for The Arcana)

I use to think that any bad ending for Leander will be similar to Asra’s Reversed Ending in The Arcana.

But the more I learn about him, I think his bad endings will be more like Nadia’s Reversed Ending, and that’s the most unsettling ending in my opinion.

Like the whole “devotion, sympathy, faith” keywords are so God coded, and his flower, white lilies, are associated with Jesus Christ and Christianity.

I feel like his flower reveal post implies that you’re supposed to give devotion, sympathy, and faith to HIM because he’s God, or else he’ll strike you down(probably by poisoning you). Like in Nadia’s Reversed Ending, MC is literally is forced by her to kneel at her feet instead of standing beside her, because now they’re no longer equals. This could be a factor in Leander’s route, if all our theories about Leander being a power-hungry cult leader trying to become a God is correct.

And I still think Leander’s fatal flaw might be a God/superiority complex.