Arianna: Cursed with Character Development
Read some tags (can’t remember where from, sorry) about how unfair it is that Claire, Melina, Aurora, Rachel, and Kamilla Azan all just seem to willingly accept their deaths with a smile and a tearful goodbye to their loved ones. No fighting their fates. No crying about how unfair it all is. Just graceful acceptance…
I know you can make a positive case for any of these characters. So here we go:
Claire knew her death was inevitable—it had already happened— but rather than using her limited lifespan endorsing Dimitri’s time machine, sobbing, or screaming at Bill Hawks, she helped prevent Dimitri’s plan and to stopped/saved Clive when he tried to destroy London. In the end, Claire said goodbye to Hershel with a tearful smile before her body faded away.
Melina is dead from the start of Eternal Diva. The whole plot revolves around the plan to bring her back to life. As Janice, Melina did everything within her power— short of revealing herself— to derail her father’s plans. Melina realised that she can’t steal another person’s life to extend her own. In the end, Melina (the memory of her) tearfully said goodbye to everyone before she faded away for the last time.
When Aurora regained her memories, she was so horrified that she almost hurled herself off the highest tower in the Nest. She believed that if she were gone, the Azran Legacy wouldn’t be unleashed and her companions and their world would be safe. At the Azran sanctuary, Aurora’s worst fears were realised when she was forced into a coffin, her heart was pierced and the Azran Legacy was set loose. Her human companions (plus Bronev) sacrificed themselves to stop the Azran Legacy. Aurora begged the light of the Azran to bring them back to life. After this, Aurora revealed that the sanctuary— and the Azran emissary— had fulfilled their purpose. Her body would soon cease to function, and it glowed with a golden light. As the sanctuary fell apart around them, Aurora bid her friends to leave as she (Literally? Metaphorically?) faded away. When everyone escaped to safety, Aurora said goodbye and wished to be reborn as a human being.
Rachel was an archaeologist kidnapped by Targent, along with her husband. At some point, Rachel fell fatally ill. Before she died, she assured Leon their circumstance wasn’t his fault and he’d achieve his/their dream. Rachel sadly wished she could see her boys again, but she’d run out of time. Even though she was presumably in a lot of pain, Rachel peacefully passed away in hospital bed with a smile on her face.
Kamilla Azan gave birth on a sinking ship, with no doctors or medicine to help her— all she had was Luke. She lamented, “Why did this have to happen right now?” and apologised several times to her unborn child. (This is the funny detective girl anime.) After Kat was born, Luke found a lifeboat and tried to get them out. But Kamilla didn’t have the strength (understandable). Kamilla firmly asked Luke to take the baby and find her missing father with the help of Professor Layton. Then Kamilla drifted off with a smile on her face.
Loosha was severally injured fighting Descole’s machines and knocking down the dam. Then, Loosha knocked down ANOTHER DAM to reveal the Golden Garden, which would save Arianna’s life. Loosha succumbed to her injures and floated down the river with a smile on her face giant sea cows can smile, while Tony sobbed and Arianna tearfully watched and murmured, It’s not fair.
Okay, I’ve been nice and defended all of them. None of the above are by any means bad characters just because they willingly accepted their deaths. (One of my faves, Janice, is so determined to sacrifice herself so Melina can keep living through her.) There is, however, a pattern. But do you know who breaks the pattern?
Arianna— much like Melina and Rachel— has an unnamed illness. Despite this, Arianna seems happy in her flashback pictures/scene— she befriends Luke, complains that adult conversations are boring, stares at the stars, remembers not to take things too seriously, plays her flute, plays piano, hangs out with Loosha and Tony—
Then, her father dies falling off a cliff. Arianna sees his (covered) body. Hyperventilating, she hears people muttering about how he deserved it. She screams at them to STOP. In that moment, Luke is the only person who tries to comfort Arianna. And she snaps at him. She makes Luke cry. She shouts that she hates him— she hates everyone— and she wants to be left alone. So, she and Tony are left alone. Arianna shuts herself away in her nice safe mansion while the people of Misthallery suffer during the spectre attacks. (Later, we find out that Arianna wanted to stop Loosha from fighting the ‘spectre’, but can you really blame the townspeople for reviling the Barde family?)
Out of concern for Arianna, Layton and Co break into Barde Manor. Still, Arianna orders them all to leave and ‘Seamus’ kicks them out. Even when Layton reveals that ‘Seamus’ is actually Tony, Arianna insists that they want to be left alone. She refuses to reveal anything about the spectre’s flute. When Luke assures her that she doesn’t have to be afraid, Arianna retorts that he doesn’t know anything about her and orders them all to leave again.
Arianna is resigned to her fate as terminally ill child and a cursed witch. But there’s nothing serene or respectable about her, on the surface. She is cold and shrill and spoiled and spiteful, even to her best friend. Yes, she’s unwell and grieving after the death of her father and some of the townspeople worry about her, but many still fear or hate her.
Thankfully, Arianna does eventually reveal the flute - and Loosha - to Layton and Co. When Jakes captures Loosha and presents her as the monstrous spectre, Arianna tries to defend Loosha. Even THEN, Arianna ends up shouting at Loosha and throwing a rock at her, to stop Loosha from knocking down the dam. Arianna apologises to Loosha when they find the Golden Garden, but it’s too late. Loosha dies and Arianna laments about how unfair it is - that Loosha scarified herself so that Arianna could recover. When Luke assures her that Loosha was thankful for their time together, Arianna ends up full-on sobbing. She’s loud and unrestrained and it’s so GOOD — FINALLY. A female character from the series with flaws and a character arc on full display!
I knooooow, all the characters that came before Arianna had flaws and arcs too. But not like this. Flora’s loneliness and her insecurities - often overlooked or dismissed as a joke after CV - weren’t examined like this. Lady Dahlia (while bold and complex in her own right) didn’t get as much attention as this. CV was the first game in the series to be fair. Katia - avoiding conflict but quietly courageous - didn’t reveal her true intentions until the final chapter of PL2. Claire and Melina - though they had their reasons and acknowledged their own guilt - were a similar case.
Arianna doesn’t get to pass away surrounded by people who love her with a sad smile on her face. She doesn’t get to be someone’s driving motivation for enacting an evil plan. Her father dies. Tony’s tricks get revealed early on. Loosha dies. But then, Arianna goes through the stages of grief and she gets character growth. She has to reconcile with Luke, acknowledge that she shut herself away, and she has to open her heart to the world again. The Golden Garden can help cure her, but she still has to venture out and make connections. By the end of the game, she says goodbye to Luke, but she’s surrounded by all her other friends. She gets to LIVE.
