Apologies for the delay but I am happy to announce that Asra Week 2021 is a go! The event tag is #asraweek2021 and you can tag @sweetalnazar too
🦊 THEMES
DAY 1 (June 7): Celebration
DAY 2 (June 8): Touch
DAY 3 (June 9): Journey
DAY 4 (June 10): Bonds
DAY 5 (June 11): Memories
DAY 6 (June 12): Promise
DAY 7 (June 13): Free Day! Do what you want in celebration of our fave magician!
🦊 FAQ
Who can participate?
Do you love Asra? Do you want to join? Congrats, you are 100% eligible for this event!
What content is allowed?
Just about anything really. Fanart, fanfiction, fan edits, mood boards, whatever you want! The rule is to have fun and enjoy yourself
Mature content too?
Spicy/adult content and content with dark or otherwise heavy themes are certainly allowed! Don’t forget to put warnings, and the reblogs will be tagged appropriately too.
However, if it’s not allowable within Tumblr guidelines, please provide a sneak peek post for reblogging purposes and include an offsite link to the full content
Can my content include Asra interacting with my apprentice? With other characters?
Yes and yes! You can have Asra interacting with any number of the Arcana cast or your own OCs in your works.
Just don’t forget any trigger warnings if they’re applicable
Can I still participate if I’m late/do themes on different days?
Of course! The themes and dates are more of a suggestion to help spark inspiration. Don’t feel restricted by them, and definitely no worries on being late.
I’ll still continue to reblog and share Asra Week content even after the event is over
Will there be a specific event hashtag?
Yes! The hashtag is #asraweek2021, which I’ll be tracking and sharing all content in there on my blog. You can also @ me ( @sweetalnazar) , in case I miss it
I’m still confused/ I still have more questions!
Please direct any other questions to @sweetalnazar for further clarification. Anon is open, so don’t be shy :)
Day 5 of #asraweek2021! Today’s prompt is memories. Ooh boy, this one was a challenge. Simply cause of how many characters were in this piece, and that I actually struggle to draw children. But, as mentioned before, to get ideas for this week I replayed Asra’s route, but also the tale when he and Muriel met, and in the premium scene, Asra says how he doesn’t want to forget his parents. How many nights do you think he grasped onto those previous memories, wishing that when he wakes up, his homelessness, empty stomach and their disappearance was all a nightmare?
Also Aisha and Salim deserve more credit. They were both willing to give themselves up for the sake of their lover and child. They were trapped in the Arcana realms for at least over a decade, never knowing what became of Asra. And whatever you do, don’t imagine Aisha and Salim coming across one another for the first time after making their deals, falling into one another’s arms in relief. Only for it hit them. Asra is now completely alone.
It of a rant there, but I want this family to be happy. And I wanted to draw my interpretation of this family being happy before they were torn apart.
Please check out the hashtag or @sweetalnazar to see how other people are participating!
[ASRA WEEK 2021] 6 days ~~~
Promt by @sweetalnazar
Day 1: Celebration
Day 2: Touch
Day 3: Journey
Day 4: Bonds
Day 5: Memories
Day 6: Promise
Day 7: Tonight will post :)))
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I draw them in 1 DAY OMG 😂😂😂 the last one will post tonight ❤
1k words. Written for day 1 of Asra Week, 2021: “Celebration”. In which Milenko is a fool in love.
This is set 8 years before the game, so Milenko is in his very early 20s.
You can find the rest of Asra’s and Milenko’s pre-game canon, ‘Like Thirst Holds Water’, here.
No cws apply.
Come spring, Vesuvia dressed herself with music and colours to celebrate the end of winter. September came with blooming flowers and cool breezes, the streets lighting up with lanterns and music. Milenko watched Asra dance with Anatole, a forlorn smile on his face. His cousin and his friend were hand in hand, spinning and turning and laughing.
Milenko never felt left behind by Anatole per se, ever. Thinking it alone would be a disservice to his cousin and, perhaps, one of the few people who understood him when no one else seemed to be able to. He had always thought Anatole touched the lives of people around him with more ease than he gave himself credit for, and Asra was an example of that. Anatole wanted to know the world so he could master his own life, Asra was always curious and learning new things and hobbies, finding ways to occupy the hours. It was a good combination: Anatole tapped into Asra’s potential but Milenko saw Asra’s loneliness, clear as a stream that runs from the melted ice of the mountains.
No wonder he clung to Anatole like he was the sun.
Milenko sighed. He could write epics about the light dancing in Asra’s amethyst eyes, like the colour of a dry wine which gathered friends around the table. How his hair curling like the ripples in the water, after Milenko was finally dropped into it, letting the water engulf him.
He could, but he won’t. Even if it was a little disappointing to not have his attention.
He didn’t notice the magician sitting down beside him, flushed cheeks and all.
“Where’s Toly?”
“I’ve never seen you sit alone,” Asra said instead, “are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah, yeah I am. I was just watching you dance.”
“Oh,” Asra said, the flush on his cheeks now expanding to his ears. “Uh, Nana went to grab some water, I think.”
Asra was lying, not that Milenko could tell. Anatole had caught Asra looking at Milenko out of the corner of his eye, had smacked his head, rolled his eyes and had sent the magician to talk to him. Asra thought he was being subtle, but Anatole was hard to fool. Asra had no idea what Anatole set off for, but admitting the truth as it was, was a little embarrassing.
They fell into conversation, Milenko leaving Asra’s question unanswered without meaning to. They were in their own bubble as they tuned out everything but their voices, the background noise like falling snow around them.
Asra repeated his question catching Milenko by surprise.
“I always thought you liked to dance,” Asra said.
“I do! I love dancing!” Milenko was more enthusiastic than he intended, his own nerves bubbling past his lips. “I was watching you, that’s all.”
Asra looked like he was about to vomit his own internal organs, his voice barely a whisper when he spoke.
“Watching me?”
Milenko had one leg crossed over the other, his ankle resting on his opposite knee. He wrapped his hand around his own calf, his fingers squeezing what little fabric was there to squeeze, given the tightness of his pants. “Yeah… you. You move like water, it’s very hard not to stare. I’ve heard people say water finds the path of less resistance, but I don’t think that’s true. I think water finds a way.”
Asra moved his hand to rest it over Milenko’s knee, but Milenko spoke again, and he stopped. “Like light. Light and water are good compliments.”
The silence was heavy between them, the background noise that before was almost imperceptible, now loud and present around them. Milenko was holding his breath as Asra stared at him blankly, his eyes moving around, scanning for nothing in particular as he tried to piece his thoughts together, not understanding what Milenko was trying to tell him.
When the aspiring poet felt the silence to be oppressive he spoke again, blurting his words out.
“I mean it’s okay if you don’t feel that way about me, I mean it. No hard feelings, Anatole is a very fine person to have feelings for, and he deserves to have someone as good as you wanting to give him their attention.”
“Milenko…” Asra said, wincing a little and with concern etched all over his face.
“Asra, I mean it—”
Instead of letting him finish, the magician took Milenko’s hands in his, prying them away from the place they rested, squeezing them between his hands as he looked at Milenko with an intensity that made him swallow his words.
“Milan, I do have feelings for Nana: feelings of friendship and gratitude, but it’s not, it’s not like that, and I need you to know it’s not like that.”
Now Milenko was the one who looked at him unable to understand.
“What I’m trying to say is I like you too.”
Asra spoke fast, nervous, with urgency, consumed by the fear that Milenko would get the wrong idea and slip away from him. It was fine if he did, there was a flowing freedom to Milenko that made him enchanting and easy to be around; his joy was liberating, contagious. It made Asra want to open his heart so Milenko might live there and never inhabit another.
Admitting his feelings was terrifying, but it was less terrifying than Milenko walking away because Asra didn’t even try. However, now that Milenko was the one looking at loss and falling silent, Asra began thinking he must have misunderstood his words. Had he been brave for no reason? Perhaps he had to stop listening to Anatole and his also contagious hope that bordered spite. Perhaps he shouldn’t have had this conversation in the middle of a festivity. Perhaps—
Perhaps it didn’t matter. Perhaps it would all be okay because Milenko leaned into Asra’s space softly, giving him the opportunity to stop him if he needed. He took his face in his hands with the same gentleness someone cupped a wildflower that was precious to them, or fresh water amid a journey. To Asra’s growing surprise, Milenko kissed both of his eyelids, before resting his forehead against Asra’s and guiding his hand over his heart.
It was easy to find it, Milenko didn’t know what buttoning his shirts was, so Asra found himself curling his fingers over Milenko’s warm skin, his heart beating frantically inside his chest and against his palm. After asking for permission, Milenko kissed his lips.
