Arno Victor Dorian : Character Study. TIME.
⠀ ⠀⠀⠀
⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🦢⠀.⠀ ݁ ⠀، ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ╱ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ character stu͟d͟y͟ .
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⚜︎ ⠀ ⠀ . ⠀ ⠀ ݁ ⠀ ଼ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀
∙ ⠀ caption format by colette / taratellr ⠀
∙ ⠀ word count 1166.
∙ ⠀ Assassin’s Creed Unity
⠀⠀ 🕯 ⠀⁄ ⠀ ⠀ ݁ ⠀،، ⠀arno victor do͟r͟i͟an && t𝘪͜𝘮͜𝘦͜ .
“i still have your pocket watch ,
my dear father . like me ,
it is broken , but stubborn ,
and still keeps going .” —Arno
To his father in the Abstergo Entertainment Employee Handbook.
∙ Arno’s pocket watch is composed of workings both outer and inner. From the red velvet protecting the glass to the gears that continue to shift and make the clock tick. In letters to his father, Arno refers to himself as the watch, using words like “broken” and “stubborn.” After it had fallen from his hands in the Palace of Versailles, it continued to function. This mirrors a human experience of a traumatic event: still operational but damaged.
To better understand Arno and his struggle with time, let's break down the pieces of a pocket w𝘢̼𝘵̼𝘤̼𝘩̼.
Dial: The dial, also known as the face, is where the time is displayed. It typically includes hour markers, minute markers, and sometimes additional complications such as a date window or a small seconds sub-dial. Hands: The hands are the moving indicators on the dial that points to the current time. There are usually three hands: an hour hand, a minute hand, and a seconds hand. Crystal: The crystal is a transparent cover that protects the dial and hands. It can be made of various materials such as mineral glass, synthetic sapphire, or acrylic. Case: The case is the outer shell of the pocket watch that houses all the internal components. It is typically made of metal, such as gold, silver, or stainless steel, and can have various designs and finishes. Movement: The movement is the heart of the pocket watch. It consists of the mechanical mechanism that drives the hands and keeps time. There are different types of movements, including manual wind, automatic, and quartz. Crown: The crown is a small knob on the side of the case that is used to set the time and wind the watch. It is typically located at the 3 o’clock position. Bezel: The bezel is the ring that surrounds the dial and holds the crystal in place. It can be fixed or rotating, depending on the design of the pocket watch. Chain: The chain is a decorative accessory that is attached to the pocket watch and is used to secure it to a garment or belt loop. It can be made of various materials, such as metal or leather.
The components of Arno can be likened to the parts of a watch—not as mechanical pieces, but as representations of his psyche, emotions, and actions. Arno refers to himself as the watch, so examining him in this context helps us understand his character.
For the dial, we’ll consider Arno as the ticking time bomb when he is intoxicated. (I love him, but I’m going to be a little mean.) - His movements (seconds) are usually quick. He joins the Assassins’ cause with only two thoughts in mind: avenging François De La Serre and cutting to the chase. The hands represent Élise (hour), François (minute), and himself (seconds). - As the hands revolve around the dial, so do Élise and François, who are pivotal to Arno’s development and growth. These two people occupy his mind continuously, counting down the seconds of Arno’s life. He helps Élise (hour) in her quest to avenge her father (minutes). The crystal represents Arno’s heart. - When it first broke, it shattered in the Palace of Versailles, clattering to the ground. The watch remains broken even through François’ passing and is only repaired after Élise’s death. His heartache begins to mend with the crystal, even if it takes centuries. The case is represented by Charles Dorian, François De La Serre, and Pierre Bellec, as well as Arno’s metaphorical shell. - The case bears the emblem of the Creed. Each father figure or mentor in Arno’s life is protective. Charles is his biological father, François is his surrogate father, and Bellec is his mentor. All wish to protect Arno. Arno’s metaphorical casing represents his tendency to shut down emotionally, retreating into himself to drink away his sorrows and distancing himself from those he has hurt—whether physically or mentally, intentionally or otherwise.
Movement is linked to Élise and Arno’s heart (motives and intentions). - Arno’s focus on avenging De La Serre, is deeply driven by his feelings for Élise. From childhood, he has been awestruck by and devoted to both of them, using them as his motivation to find Germain. The Crown. The Creed and Templar Order. The Templar order set the stage for the hands to move around the dial. It was already predestined that Elise would follow in her father's footsteps. Similarly, since Arno’s father was an assassin, it was expected that he too would continue the legacy left for him. The Bezel is Elise. Elise has grown up with Arno and has seen his hardships firsthand - being the only person able to pull him back from his casing and hold him together. In losing Elise, his new Bezel is her final written words, still keeping him up and attentive. The chain is Arno himself. After enduring each hardship and loss, Arno is the only one who can hold and care for himself. The entirety of the pocket watch represents both those around him and himself; when they are no longer present, their memories keep time moving forward and help him continue for their sake. He achieves this by repairing the crystal.
∙ Arno's watch remains a treasured gift from his father. While waiting for Charles’ return, Arno glances at the watch, hearing its ticking in response. As he approaches his lifeless body, the watch falls from his hand as he freezes in shock — it continues to click, but to Arno, it sounds like a piano underwater. For him, time has also stopped.
∙ As time continues to pass, we see Arno again, older and still playfully clinging to his watch. He recklessly gambles it away and loses it, his loss of self when intoxicated.
∙ At the end of the main game, Arno's watch is repaired, symbolizing his acceptance that time is short and that he cannot hold onto it forever. He was mending his heart just like the glass. Slowly from the grief that surrounds him.
∙ In "Dead Kings," the watch shows no signs of wear as it remains tucked away in his pocket, sheltered from the temperamental aggressors. Time seems to move faster now as Arno's journey to Egypt is hurried — there is no room to savor memories, such as those of Elise, whose ghost serves as a constant reminder. Not until Leon becomes a bezel for him, the same as Elise.
