I love the Arcana! (nsfw art and text on blog)

I reblog it all, I will follow your blog, and yes I'm in love with your apprentice too

[sounddrive]

Why is the moon/which phase of the moon it’s in so important?

Warning: Spoilers for the new Tale in The Arcana–A Mystic Romance by Nix Hydra are under the cut.

This is a mixture of analysis, fan theory, and personal head canons.

I will be the first to say this is written from when I was still excited from the update, so bare with me if parts of it seem disorganized.

NOW THEN-

Keep reading

[irrelevant-ruins]

Asra states in his route that Lucio never laid a finger on him. In fact, we see multiple times that while Lucio would threaten Asra, he would never follow through on those threats. So, while Muriel and Julian’s concerns about Asra’s making Lucio upset leading to unsavory outcomes were well founded given the Count’s history, Asra’s knew he would be fine. He knew Lucio couldn’t hurt him (physically, anyways), otherwise, he already would have.

I whole heartedly believe that this is NOT due to Lucio being a good and merciful person. Not one bit. It’s because of Aisha and Salim’s deals with the Devil. They go to the magic realms, and Asra is kept safe. The Devil was bound to that deal, and with Lucio wanting to become the Devil and being the Devil’s patron, he would have been bound by that deal as well. The Devil, according to the deal, could not allow Lucio to hurt Asra. Otherwise, Lucio would have done so much more to the magician, and maybe even to Faust too. It is because of his parents and their love for him that Asra was not tortured physically by Lucio

[faust-the-danger-noodle]

Asra would not have known that Lucio couldn't physically hurt him though, because he doesn’t find out about the deal Aisha and Salim made until you meet them in his route. So saying that Asra knew he would be fine when Julian and Muriel were worrying about him isn't true.

[irrelevant-ruins]

Ahh, did I word that strangely? I meant that Asra knew he would be fine because Lucio had yet to try anything he’d threatened. If he could have, he already would have, is what I was trying to say.

[faust-the-danger-noodle]

Oh, okay, I see what you're saying now!

I think that that's why Lucio seemed to focus more on hurting Asra emotionally, too. Lucio couldn't physically harm him, but he could lie to him and tell him that he had his parents executed. He could threaten to hurt Muriel if Asra didn't do what he told him to (all while he lying to Muriel and saying that he'll hurt Asra if Muriel doesn't do what he says).

Man, Lucio is such a good villain. I hate his guts, but he's everything I love in a villain.

[incorrectarcana]

I used Shoost on Asra cause I knew it would look beautiful on Arcana assets and I was right and I am beside myself because HOW IS ASRA SO PRETTY

[nabesthetics]

i’m pretty new to the arcana fandom and i was wondering if you had any blog recs or other ways i could befriend some people who like it too?

Ahhh I'm probably not the best person to ask this, as I mostly sit in my little corner and moderate the heck out of my dash. Also I prioritize Lucio content a lot so keep that in mind haha

I think the only still-active Arcana blogs I follow are @arsenicxarcana (for that sweet sweet goat content) and @epoch-smog (OC content + the lore conspiracy board). Also greatly enjoying a lot of work/posts from @helpiminhell / @sketchyabyss

As for befriending, I feel like most people moved into Discord for that these days. I mostly keep to my private servers and this one because it's chill, but there should be more public servers floating around. Highly recommend to stay clear of the "official" Arcana server though.

[helpiminabyss]

Thanks for the rec :0

[tsaritza-mika]

The Main 6 as Roommates

Asra 

Gladly grabs the mail on his way back, but will defs just leave it all piled on the nearest countertop. This will pile up over time, even when he actually goes through it. Like, he’ll take all the important stuff, but then leave the junk there to ‘take care of later’. Later never comes though XDDD

Apologizes for mixing colors in the laundry, but is all too happy to point out how cool everything looks now! Easiest tie-dye ever am I right?

We already know he’s a good cook, but his version of cleaning up after usually involves just leaving all the dirty dishes in the sink until there’s like, a spoon or something all the way at the bottom of the sink, then it’s time to clean everything in there

Gladly helps to fold the laundry, but will also totally goof off by doing some clothing origami XDDD your favorite sweater looks even better when folded to look like a swan

There’s always either some scented candles or incense burning somewhere. This is non-negotiable, and he brought it up before you guys even signed the lease

There is somehow always glitter somewhere!! You’ve asked a million times, checked every room, but neither of you have ever bought any, and yet… somehow he’s always lightly sprinkled in it!!! Sure, it makes him look like literal magic, but why can’t Instagram filters be enough!?

Nadia

Let’s be real here, Nadia doesn’t need a roommate, she just wants to help out a dear friend to save some money. She never makes you pay for much, but if you insist she won’t argue

Not nearly as clean as people would assume, but it’s not a literal tornado of chaos either. There’s little daily messes that show someone lives there, but the weekly maid service helps to keep things in order

She tried making the two of you dinner… once. There may have been some fire, and a contractual agreement that she would never again approach the kitchen with intent to anything more complex than either coffee or a salad… You guys eat out or have meals delivered a lot. For safety

There’s  specific slots for all the mail. There’s one for junk mail, your mail, her mail, the slot for the old man who lives two levels down but the post office constantly keeps getting the mailboxes wrong.. There’s also hooks near the front door for all of the keys, so it’s always a no-brainer when you need to find them

Because of her job, sometimes has to have either fellow business people over for dinner parties so she can do some networking. You’re always welcome to join in if you like, but she wouldn’t force you to. Also gives you as much notice as possible because it would be rude otherwise

Can sometimes literally disappear into her bathroom all damn day for some mandatory self care. Hair clipped up in a hot towel, bubble bath, shades drawn, wine in hand, light snacks nearby, and spa music playing. She’ll put up a small ‘Do Not Disturb’ plaque outside her door, but she’s never too upset if you need to come in and speak to her about something

Julian

For the first few months after signing the lease together, aside from his shit being in there, you weren’t really sure he ever actually moved in. Yeah, Malak was there, and it was obvious he was getting fed and attention, but like… the ‘how’ was the freaky part

Quickly learns how you take your coffee and makes sure to do it perfectly every time. “You take two spoonfuls of sugar with 2/3 cup cream? Well then you’ll need a larger mug to accommodate; here, I get most of mine from this website. You can even ask them about custom designs on any size!”

Will get the mail on the way back from his shift at the hospital, but is likely to forget it as soon as he sets it on the nearest counter. His mind just goes off in too many directions, so you’ll have to remind him a few times if he got anything important

He’s more than happy to help with the prep work for meals, just don’t ask him to actually cook anything. If it’s more complicated than instant ramen, he’s just never been that great at it. However… he very much knows how to prepare instant ramen in at least sixteen different ways!! THANK YOU COLLEGE!!

Everything is clean, but it’s like almost pulling teeth to get more out of him than that. Yeah, the laundry is done, but it’ll stay in the bin until he needs to do another load. Then it’s just dumping the last of the clean stuff on the bed (which at that point is honestly like, three shirts, a few pairs of socks, and two pairs of boxers), loading up the dirty clothes, then maybe shoving the stuff on the bed over to the side he doesn’t use much so he can try taking a power nap

It’s a bit of a hazard when you come home to find he’s got his headphones on XDDD yeah, he’s a really good dancer when he wants to be, but when he doesn’t care and it’s just about havin’ some fun, it’s like trying to avoid falling missiles on an active battlefield

Portia

Ok, let’s be real here, nobody is going hungry living with Portia Devorak. Absolute best chef out of everyone, and is totally cool with doing the food shopping and meal planning. It’s like living with a fuckin’ five-star chef when you live with her! …just make sure she remembered to put her hair up before she gets going, or you might find a long, curly, red hair in your food

Tries to keep up with brushing Pepi, but it honestly tends to get away from her sometimes in the summer. Hope you don’t mind having cat hair on everything, cause it’s gonna be there no matter how attentive she is XDDD

Plants everywhere!! Roses on the dining table! Daisies by the front window! Begonias in the bathrooms! Carnations on the dressers! And succulents too! Get some of those adorable prickly boys and put them in some super cute hanging planters!!

Just about everything that’s hers has offensive cross-stitch on it (I will die on this hill XDDD)

Not super clean, but it’s not bad either. Like, she’ll still make sure it’s all clean, but she may go around another 2-3 weeks before feeling like it needs to be done all over again. It’s a lot of extra work on top of her job, so it’s gotta feel worth the loss of a perfectly good lazy day!

Right off the bat, the first day she moved in, her first priority was when you guys could have a fun movie night! And it had to have just, everything! Big, fluffy blankets, popcorn and snacks, a pile of 3-5 movies to start, candles, and of course some choice drinks! Ooh, or maybe milkshakes! Milkshakes? MILKSHAKES!!!

Muriel

Like Julian, after signing the lease, it was hard to tell you even shared a space with someone at all. But after about a month you actually started seeing him around

The mail person has learned that they can just give your stuff to Inanna, and she’ll bring it back. Obviously it can sometimes have a bit of drool on it, but she’s such a good, considerate girl, and she doesn’t have opposable thumbs, so it’s okay!

Usually spends a lot of time in his room, but if his door is cracked, then it’s his way of saying you can come in for a while and talk if you want

Surprisingly decent cook! Nothing fancy, obviously, but usually whatever he decides to make is pretty good! Also always makes his own bread. It’s actually kind of hypnotic to watch… seeing him turn those ingredients to dough, all those muscles working it into the perfect consistency… WE WEREN’T STARING!! HONEST!! we were totally staring

The most chill roomie ever. There’s no crazy, sitcom antics when living with him, that’s for sure. At least, none that start with him… they usually end with him, but he’s almost never where they begin

You honestly can’t remember the last time you had to change a light bulb or replace a roll of toilet paper. It’s like anytime something like that may need to be done soon, it’s already taken care of! How he always knows is literally a mystery you don’t care about solving

Lucio 

You learned real quick that unless you do something drastic, like flushing the toilet in your bathroom, he’s gonna be using up all the hot water in those two-hour showers of his. Honestly it’s a shock he even has enough time in the day for anything when his whole morning routine can take almost all damn morning!!

Let’s be honest here, there’s almost nothing you could ever do to get Lucio Morgasson to take out the damn trash. Well… unless it’s after telling him you bet he couldn’t do it. Then it’s done loudly, and full of spite, with every action yelled so you know exactly when it happened. Don’t forget to make sure to cap it off with ‘well, you sure showed me’ when he gets back, or he might realize it actually wasn’t his idea

How does one person have so much makeup everywhere!? He doesn’t even use that color! Why is it almost gone and partially on the counter!? He has a combination of expensive soaps and Axe in his shower, but all you can ever smell is Axe!! DOES HE EVEN USE THE OTHER STUFF OR JUST BUY IT AND POUR SOME OUT!?

Always orders in for meals. At least it only took one near disaster for him to figure out he shouldn’t be cooking anything for anyone who doesn’t want to die

As cute as they are, he’s the only one who can’t stay mad at M&M when they chew up your shoes. Yup, even with those adorable faces and big, beautiful, mis-matched eyes of theirs. I mean, come on!! YOU CAN ONLY EXCUSE SO MANY PAIRS OF SHOES BECOMING CHEW TOYS!!!

Still doesn’t get why you were upset when he tried installing a stripper pole in the living room. It’s for fitness, obviously!! And yes!! He does all his exercising naked, and you should be grateful for the privilege!!

[helpiminabyss]

The Hike of DOOM

All new adventures! There is cake and cake, and chest and cake and sweat. Some hurting feet. Cake!

Text free under the cut

[epoch-smog]

Hey bros is it gaey to have a quicky in a hallway closet with your homie?

Anyway ...... Full image here, shows Jin and Julian slapping skin

Minors DNI and hi guys sorry for being "late" to gay sex Monday lol ᕕ(;;ᐛ )ᕗ

[the-iron-orchid]

Someone please draw 6-year-old Julian with a bonesaw like >:3 and Lucio like D: D: D:

[luasworkshop]

(Reminder that, canonically - Julian was YOUNG, yes, but he was old enough to be earning his medical credentials from Nazali, probably late teens or early twenties depending on how exactly you fit the timeline together.)

[apprenticevida]

[the-iron-orchid]

Someone please draw 6-year-old Julian with a bonesaw like >:3 and Lucio like D: D: D:

[arsenicxarcana]

nazali: i’m going to leave you in the capable hands of my assistant

the assistant:

[mountain-man-cumeth]

What Went Wrong: An In-Depth Analysis of Muriel's Route

*Youtuber voice*

Below are the opinions of an uneducated individual on what could’ve left the majority of The Arcana audience dissatisfied. I will explore the plot, tropes, themes and morals of the Muriel route and try to explain what may have gone wrong. I will be treating the game as a novel since it's advertised as one.

1. Consistency. If you are unfamiliar with the chekhov's gun; it's a story writing principle that dictates each element you introduce should come into play (foreshadowing). Now let's start with a few story beats that were later abandoned or concluded in an underwhelming manner:

Muriel's blanket

Muriel's magic mark (on his back)

Forest spirit (spirits in general)

Lucio's upbringing

Circumstances of MC's death

Figurines/whittling/charms

Muriel's blanket is teased to be a tapestry, which would tie in with his later fascination with them later on, as it had been the only thing he had left from his past. MC neither sees nor comments on the blanket, we only know it exists thanks to other playthroughs and short stories.

Magic marks are an important point in the game. Every main route emphasises on how it affects the chosen LI. It's reveal is important in a way that it serves as a passage to a new act where the reader explores magic and Arcana pantheon as they are a monumental part of the overall worldbuilding. This exact point applies to the Heart of the Forest and how spirits interact with the world around them as well.

Whittling and Charm making are the only hobbies we get from Muriel's isolated life, their introduction helps the reader humanise the character by giving us a crumb of his everyday life. It's never mentioned again after the scene where MC asks him what he does. He doesn't idly whittle during their journey and charms only come to play in an offhanded reference during reversed ending.

The other two are also ignored but I will touch on Lucio later on.

Why do these matter? A few abandoned plot points don't make or break the story but on a grander level it hinders the audience investment. When we read, we like to think the details we notice will come to play eventually, we like recognizing references that were introduced earlier. I'm sure I don't need to give examples on this one, I don't think anyone will disagree.

2. Themes. Thematic influences this story utilized are all over the place, and it seems to me like it stems from the improper application of certain tropes;

The Hero's Journey

Home Sweet Home

Shell-Shocked Vet

Last of His Kind

etc.

Some of these tropes tackle themes such as;

Slavery

PTSD

Survivor's Guilt

Genocide

I'm not going to try to explain How to Write any of these topics. I'm not remotely qualified. I think it's better if I just give examples from popular media because whether you know how to write it or not, you can still understand when it's written well;

AtLA deals with genocide and survivor's guilt. It's in the name; The Last Airbender. Aang is the sole survivor of a culture he'd only had an opportunity to engage in for a handful of years. He left them with a childish tantrum and now they're gone forever. I can't think of another mainstream series that shows the gruesome reality of war and genocide better than this one.

When Muriel realizes his true heritage and loses Khamgalai is the point of the story where Luke sees his family's farm burned down, Aang goes back to the air temple, Treebeard walks in on the demolished part of the forest. (The inciting incident)

(Could also have been forest spirit’s death but it was too early in the story so I don’t consider it a missed opportunity.)

Up until this point the hero has their doubts, they're going through the motions but they are either underestimating the enemy or they're a passive protagonist. Either way, this is the point where the hero has to take the reins of the story. What purpose does this serve in Muriel's route instead? It simply validates Muriel's beliefs. He's useless, he isn't strong enough. We as the reader need a point to see where the hero takes a step to drive the story forward or whoever takes that step will steal the spotlight, it will be their story. As it is, this is the point where it ceases to be Muriel’s story.

PTSD got the worst end of the deal. Since Dragon Age fandom has a huge overlap with the Arcana I will use Fenris as an example; for those who are unfamiliar with the character, Fenris is an escaped slave. After the sex scene he vividly describes an experience that most people can easily identify as a flashback. The game never tells us that he was abused, it doesn’t show us him having a panic attack but it shows us that whatever transpired between him and the player character clearly triggered an unpleasant memory.

Arcana tries and initially succeeds to do something similar. We see that the character is untrustworthy, sensitive to touch, easily agitated, can’t sleep outside of his perceived safe environment… It introduces us the cause later on and the story has two options, each will drastically change the moral of the story:

Remember these as they will be important later on

Portray Muriel fighting as a bad thing; You can’t fight violence with violence angle or the fact that the villain’s forcing him into a situation where he’ll have to fight again makes the villain all the more intimidating.

Portray Muriel fighting as a good thing; He has the means to defeat the villain and he just needs encouragement. With great power comes great responsibility. By not fighting he willingly condemns everyone to an awful fate and that he is selfish.

I’d like to take a second to explore the 1. Option, I feel like the game may have intended to implement that idea but failed because of the implementation of Morga and choices presented for the player character: Morga is an Old-Soldier, these characters are often push the hero out of their comfort zone in an aggressive way towards complacency, they are a narrative foil to the mentor. For the first option to work the story had to show Khamgalai acting as a mentor and having the protagonists challenge Morga’s teachings(see Ozai-Iroh). As it is, Morga’s actions are never put under scrutiny (narratively) and her death feels hollow as a result. She didn’t sacrifice herself for the heroes due to her guilt, she died because she felt a moment of sympathy for her son which wasn’t explored before, she showed no intention to change nor any doubt.

It is clear the game choose 2. Option, it is a controversial choice given Muriel’s mental condition and the game is acutely aware of this, which is likely why Muriel’s PTSD will get carefully scraped from the story from here on out. (I won’t address other instances where his trauma wasn’t taken into account, I feel like this explanation should cover them as well.)

3. Morals. Every story, whether the author intends it or not, has a moral. The Villain most often acts against that moral and in turn can change the hero's perspective. Morals are not ideals; the morality of Killmonger isn’t that marginalised people should fight for their rights, it is that vengeance is just. Whether it’s right or wrong can be debated but what makes an ideal the moral of the story is in the portrayal. How the narrator depicts the events, how people around the heroes react... all are a part of portrayal.

The story choosing “Muriel fighting is a good thing” earlier puts in the foundation of a moral. The story tells us Muriel has to fight, it’s the right thing to do. He has to be brave for the people he loves.

This choice affects how his past actions will be perceived; now, him escaping the arena to save himself is cowardly, abandoning Morga is cowardly.

The story tells us it wasn’t, but shows us that it was. This is the end of the midpoint of the story, at this point we need to have a good grasp on what we should perceive as wrong or right for us to feel invested. If we zig-zag between the morals we won’t know which actions we should root for. But more than that, the conclusion will not feel cathartic as it will inevitably demonstrate the opposing ideals clashing at its climax.

Villain doesn't necessarily have to be sympathetic and Muriel's route makes no effort to make him as such, but they need to be understandable. What danger does Lucio pose to the status quo, what makes him a compelling villain? Whether he conquers Vesuvia or not doesn’t drastically affect Muriel’s way of life, he’s been in hiding for years. He doesn’t threaten to steal MC’s body, Muriel is not compelled to pick up arms to save his beloved. He wants to protect the people from going through what he’s been through, right? That is what the story wants us to think. But what has he been through? Fighting was his choice, Lucio tricked him into it. Lucio later tricked Morga, his own mother, to save his own hide. This tells us that Lucio is a manipulator, but he doesn’t manipulate his way into Vesuvia, he barges in with deus ex machina monsters. He doesn’t demonstrate his skills as a tactician by making deals with neighbouring kingdoms to get their armies. We don’t know his strengths therefore we don’t know his weaknesses. If he seems to be losing he can just conjure a giant dragon to burn everything down, we just can’t know. That is why the application of deus ex machina is highly taboo, the victories don’t feel earned and defeats feel unfair.

4. Tone. Playing with the genre is not uncommon and a game such as Arcana has many opportunities to do so. It is a romance story, everything else is the back-drop. The tone works best when its overall consistent but tonal changes act as shock for the audience to keep them engaged and keeping one tone indefinitely gets us desensitized. We can’t feel constant misery if we are not made to feel tinges of hope in between. Good examples of dramatic tonal change (that I can think of): Mulan - arriving at the decimated village, La Vita e Bella - the father’s death, M*A*S*H - death of Hawkeye’s friend. Two of these examples are mostly comedy which is why this tonal shift affects us so, it was all fun and games until we are slapped in the face with the war going on. There are no one liners in those scenes, the story takes a moment to show appropriate respect to the dead, it gives its characters time to digest and come to terms with loss. Bad examples are the majority of Marvel movies.

In Muriel’s route there’s never such a thing, Muriel has a panic attack and MC kisses him. This unintentionally tells us, the genre being romance, that the panic attack only served to further MC’s advances. It tells us that he’s never had the control of his life and it’s yet again stripped from him by the decisions of player character. This is not the only instance this happens. The story shoe-horns in multiple cuddle sessions between important plot beats. And it does the exact opposite during a moment where he is having a heart-to-heart with the person he loves by having the ghost of Morga appear to give an ominous warning/advice.

When he runs off during masquerade it’s built up to be an important plot point. Muriel will finally face his past, he’s been running away from it all along, and he will have an opportunity to be accepted back in. MC is supportive but ultimately, it’s meant to be Muriel's moment. But as I mentioned above this is not his story anymore so he’s not given any time to address his problems, instead a ghost appears to tell him what he needs to do, again. Because we need to wrap the story up, we don’t have time.

Remember how I said the 2 Options will be important later on, well here we are at the very end. Upright and reversed.

“Portray Muriel fighting as a bad thing”

This suggests that the triumph of Muriel won’t be through violence. Maybe he will outsmart Lucio in a different way, he won’t play his games anymore. This option suggests that Lucio will not be beaten by his own terms.

“Portray Muriel fighting as a good thing”

This option concludes with Muriel finally overcoming his reservations on violence and doing what's right to save the people he loves. And bringing justice to people who Lucio hurt.

If you are wondering why the upright ending feels random, this is likely why. The ending plays out as if the story was building on the 1st option while we spent chapters upon chapters playing out the 2nd one. It is unearned.

(The reversed ending, being reversed, also uses Option 1 path but in which Muriel can’t achieve his narrative conclusion)

The Coliseum is filled with people who are on their side against Lucio’s shadow goons. Because we can’t have people being on Lucio’s side without addressing the duality of human nature, even though it’s an important part of Muriel’s story. The people who watched and enjoyed Lucio’s bloodsport are no more, they are all new and enlightened offscreen. We completely skipped the part where Vesuvia comes to terms with its own complacency and Muriel simply feels at ease because the crowd is cheering on him now. This is what happens when you give the character a chance to challenge those who have been complicit in his abuse (masquerade scene) and completely skip it to move the story along.

Muriel doesn't get justice, ever. The people only love him now because he's fighting for them instead of his own survival. Morga or her clan doesn't answer for the massacre of Kokhuri, Vesuvia doesn't answer for the sick entertainment they indulged in and Lucio doesn't answer for Muriel's enslavement. It is not even acknowledged, nowhere in the story (except the very end of reversed ending, and even then it almost gets him killed so its clearly the wrong thing to do on his part) is a choice presented where Muriel has an opportunity to get any sort of compensation where he instead chooses to move on.

I don’t intend to straw man anyone but this is a sentiment I’ve seen a lot; “It’s a short story, a dating-sim, what do you expect?”

I expect nothing, I’m simply explaining why some people feel how they feel. It is a short dating-sim but it seems to me like it was aiming to be something more by borrowing elements that were clearly far above their weight range to tease something more and under deliver. It is okay to feel content with the story, and it’s okay to feel let down. If we had a unanimous decision on literature we would never be inclined to write our own stories.

[aria-i-adagio]

Yes to all of MB’s narrative critique!

I’m going to jump in on the question of trauma from a counseling and psychology standpoint. Five of the six LIs have significant trauma histories. (If Nadia does, it isn’t clearly presented. She has family dynamics issues and needs to be assigned to an Adlerian therapist or an LMFT, in my humble opinion. Portia doesn’t seem nearly as affected as Julian by nearly drowning and losing parents at a young age. I’m going to set her aside as resilient for the moment.) That leaves Julian, Lucio, Asra, and Muriel.

Fair warning. I’ve spent too much time working with my own headcanons, so chime in if I’ve confused those with canon, but I think my argument will stand.

The implied backstory of the game appears to set up the question of trauma and processing trauma as a major theme. The MC didn’t just experience an event in which they thought their life was threatened - they actually died! Julian - in addition to the shipwreck, military experience and the trauma of being a healthcare provider during an epidemic - has a death/near death experience prior to the beginning of the story. The extent to which Lucio experienced childhood trauma is debatable based on the information that we have, but he has a history of traumatic amputation of a limb. Asra and Muriel both lost their parents at very young ages, and then were left to fend for themselves.

The devs created traumatized characters and a setup that makes the most sense when considered through a trauma-informed lense. Then instead of following through, they side-stepped. The MC never responds fully to learning that they’ve died. I might give that a pass based on the limitations of the medium, if it weren’t for how badly the question of trauma was handled in Julian and Asra’s routes. (I won’t even touch the hot mess of Lucio.)

Word of God turns Asra into a perfect, angelic sweetheart despite setting him up initially as a rather shady (and complex) character - the archetype of the Magician. Yet, I think Asra’s pre-game actions are best explained vis-a-vis childhood trauma and attachment disorders. He was powerless to save his parents. When the MC dies of the plague, he is no longer powerless to save one of the two people to whom we see him consistently portrayed as attached. Raising the dead is certainly tempting when you’ve lost someone you love, especially when you’ve lost so much. I’ve experienced times where if I had the magic Asra does, I would certainly be tempted. But that’s not the way someone who is mentally healthy grieves, and given the fall out, it wasn’t a selfless action. Yet, even in his route, he’s a fairly static character. He doesn’t grow or change in any significant way.

While Julian is more dynamic, his route devolves into the “power of friendship” trope that was ultimately unsatisfying to me. It’s an easy way out.

Muriel exhibits the most textbook symptoms of PTSD: hypervigilance, flashbacks, withdrawal, etc. (I think that Julian and Muriel are the only true good aligned characters in game.) The experience of profound powerlessness is one of the hallmarks of trauma, and Muri has experienced powerlessness as a child, and then later when Lucio forced him into acting as his executioner. I had high hopes for his route for the first several chapters - they seemed to be setting up scenarios wherein he would have choices and freedom to act, and a plot that would recapitulate the traumas of his childhood/young adulthood in such a way that he could reexperience them as the protagonist rather than as passive victim of circumstance. But, as MB notes, Muriel is never really allowed to take the reins in the story. If he isn’t exactly coerced into becoming a leader in the resistance, he’s still not the agent of that action; he’s the object of other’s adulation. He doesn’t find his own source of power. He’s just ‘saved’ by the MC’s love.

I appreciate bringing in Dragon Age, especially DA2. Despite the game’s flaws, the characters in the game are wonderfully crafted. Fenris and Anders (foils for each other) are both highly traumatized, coping in different ways, and their visions of the world are deeply limited by what they’ve experienced. I’ve played through twice, once romancing Anders and once romancing Fenris. (I haven’t read any of the media outside of the games.) Here’s a critical difference from the Arcana - Hawke’s love doesn’t save either of them. While Fenris’ arc isn’t the sheer tragedy of Anders’, he’s still conflicted and angry, and certainly not healed from what he suffered. Hawke’s love and support clearly helps, but Hawke can’t fix everything for Fenris, and the narrative doesn’t try to make that the case. The ending of DA2 is bleak. And I found it bizarrely satisfying in part for that reason.

The Arcana has, thus far, failed to accomplish that. Perhaps it’s punching above its weight. Perhaps it’s a matter of changing writing teams. Perhaps it’s a matter of not wanting to be “too dark” because there’s a loud section of fandom (general) that can’t seem to deal with dark things. I don’t know, but praise Jibbers for fanfics, etc.

This isn’t a thorough analysis, and I’m coming off a long shift at my internship, so if anyone else would like to chime in, please do.

[mountain-man-cumeth]

that, too, bothers me. trauma is miserable and sad, yes, but its also angry and bitter. muriels trauma is a little more than a set dressing, something to be discarded after it serves its purpose, aka gets some cheap sympathy points. not only is the player silent in the face of his trauma, we are made to participate in it. we are made to encourage him to commit an act hes vocally uncomfortable with. the equivalent of it would literally be hawke forcing themselves on fenris after he rejects them, even worse if that course of action was the only way to advance his romance.

i am not against interactive games allowing the players to do questionable stuff, its a controlled environment to test out different courses of action. but a game with a young audience such as this should be mindful of the message its delivering by telling its players, whom likely wouldnt have met a man suffering from trauma, that manipulating him into complacency is the way to earn his trust.

you cant heal trauma, period. you cant cuddle your way through it. love doesnt save the day. it helps, but its a slippery slope. i personally never got the impression from muriels general demeanour that unprompted physical contact would be desired, it seemed to me like those instances would agitate him further, but i can look past that since its more of a "feeling" rather than a concrete diagnosis. but i dont think combat being a trigger can be shrugged off that easily.

i like the trope of a non-violent character being challenged when their friends are in harms way and is forced to fight. i like when they have no other course of action, that they feel they must. but theres a reason that that trope is almost always portrayed as their low-point, rarely as a triumph. muriel doesnt improve when he picks up arms, hes worn down by MC and morga.

now, id be cross if muriel was coddled to no end too, for sure. that was one of my beefs with julians route. there are triggers that need to be worked on, like if you were attacked in an elevator and are afraid to take elevators, you would need to learn how to separate the specific environment from the affair but the way that muriels route was laid out was so on-the-nose that if it was applied to this example it would be like training yourself to get attacked until you get desensitized.

there are memoirs of war vets and ex-mob folk that document this specific trauma. they explain the feeling of being trapped, how they compartmentalize and normalize the violence and how they feel fear for so long that it solidifies. what i mean is its not a niche occurrence so i can only assume that it was a deliberate choice on the companys part.

it is saddening to see that the authors cant imagine a world where LIs get their happy endings without completely shedding their trauma. its discouraging to read through that. i liked DA2 because as honest and bleak as it was, it told its players that its not anyones personal failing to not find solace in love alone but that doesnt mean theres no value in a support system.

[arcanecadenza-deactivated202209]

I stand by everything I’ve ever said about Nix Hydra and the people who work for them—they are not your friends, they are not good people, and they enable all of the -isms and -phobias that you see in this fandom.

[icy-moons]

so, i haven't really been in this fandom for three years now, but this is worth saying

the Arcana presents a diverse cast with very strong cultural inspirations evident in its character designs. if you ever at any point followed the @/behindthearcana account on twitter you'd know that a lot of research goes into the design (and really only in the design. it's kind of shallow and research in the writing remains to be seen), what doesn't go into it is a single lick of sensitivity reading or forethought.

NH makes a decision that seems cool in theory and does not consider how messed up it will look in context. it's an absolute himbo of a game. pretty look at but dumb as rocks. and you cannot even try to point this out in front of NH because at best you will be ignored and at worst you will be "corrected" and at risk of being dogpiled.

but that's just their little oopsies god i fucking hate that they said that. NH also does messed up things on purpose. look at how they treated the Kickstarter backers, the very first fans of the Arcana. NH kept them in the dark for years, and then ripped them off, only giving them a pass after the main three routes were finished and then trashing the concept of a PC port they promised because, idk they probably can't stuff that one with microtransactions.

if i remember correctly, there was even an issue with the devs vagueposting about fans on their personal twitters, being actively antagonistic towards parts of their audience, and at one point even calling certain fans 'undeserving' of the content they provide.

they got their start here because of novelty shitposting and their extremely parasocial take on creator-fandom interaction. Nix Hydra is not your friend, no matter how much they pretend to be.

[allthearcanashit]

So, I generally over the years have just reblogged art, I only sometimes have gotten in the discourse. That said, while I agree with everything above, I'm against the personal attacks that happened to some of the people that were/are a part of that company. I just in general am against harassment.

Those dudes weren't very responsible and did a lot of fucked up shit. Let's not give them money, and also not dox them.

[arimesi]

illustration to manifest summer to come faster🤞🌞

[helpiminabyss]

Nadia has ideas

Mild spoilers for the new tale, this is not how it happens in there, but it is how it happened because I said so, if you get the idea.

Minors DNI

Under cut some spicy ideas she had.

Portia x Val

Lucio x Val

Portia x Lucio

tl,dr: I enjoy very flustered Val, and Portia wins the cleavage fight.

[calocera]

just found this while looking for smthn in discord, i don’t remember making it but i was right

[toss-a-coin-to-your-bard]

[nikniknikin]

[magicalgirlmindcrank]

[elsyrel]

As we would say in Spanish, Julian is a “Pecho Lobo”

[jurassicass-deactivated20241120]

I just read lost in Prakra and realized I haven’t drawn my apprentice and Nadia in forever!

Also bonus doodle of @linaisbluepancake apprentice Halla

[linaisbluepancake]

[nn-ee-zz]

An arstyle? In THIS economy?? (Masterpost of tiny sketches)