#nix hydra

[magdahlia]

— asra alnazar

the magician

(commissions open!)

[saltybitterss]

lucio's route really be like this

[rpgchoices]

Remembering The Arcana

I suddenly remembered how much I enjoyed The Arcana (that phone app), so I reinstalled it and found out it was sold to another company.

It is so disappointing. I remember it was created by a small company called Nix Hydra. They also have/had an itch io account, and they started a very successful kickstarter campaign to create a visual novel dating sim videogame.

(link)

The game was successfully funded, and some of the rewards for the pledges were:

An artbook

A PC VERSION OF THE ACTUAL GAME

For a while the company was ignoring the pledgers regarding the artbook:

They later replied that they were working on sending the artbook, so I think that was finally shipped but not everyone seemingly received it.

And of course, the pc version...

The pledgers got a discount code for certain routes only.

The game was supposed to be a steam/gog/pc game, a full on visual novel. But unfortunately greed won:

You can see here a bit more about how much more they ended up earning with predatory mobile app practices.

Basically, they knew they had a hit, and locked all the romance content behind pay for play. When you play the game on mobile (mind you: this is a romance game, a dating sim), you will be able to play a non romance scene for free, and a romance scene only by using a coins/keys that you can win (with high difficulty) or purchase with real money.

Nix Hydra was mainly owned by:

Nikolai Ladizinsky, Dana Rune... the rest of the employees at Nix Hydra seem pretty hard to find.

It looks like a lot of people (EDIT: three of the people) went to work at Red Spring Studio just to open a new kickstarter for a new videogame.

The kickstarter is from 2023, with an "estimated delivery" set to 2023 (EDIT: apparently the release date for the game is 2025, but none of the backers saw chapter 1 till now... 2026...). The owner and workers at the company all use first names (EDIT: shortened names/names that are hard to search, but this is not important because I missed that the people who worked for mix hydra had written in the bio, so it's only three people, none of them used to be in decisional roles for nix hydra if I understand correctly) so it is hard to know who they are, but they do credit "The Arcana" among their successes, in their website.

Funnily enough one of the rewards is an artbook and the comments are...uhm... very familiar.

Luckily, this time there is a steam entry for the game but the game is still "to be announced" three years later, which is not promising. And after three years what is currently available is still Chapter 1, which can only be played on Patreon. Updates of the game are also locked behind paywall (for patreon and backers).

EDIT: The Co-director of the game is also from Nix Hydra but not The Arcana. They are the first person listed in credits and worked for the Nix Hydra mobile game Last Legacy. Two of the writers also worked for Nix Hydra (Last Legacy and The Arcana).

And what happened to The Arcana, in the meantime?

In 2022, as soon as it stopped making money (I suppose) it was sold to some predatory mobile app called Dorian, which follows the same rules of having a dating sim/romance story where the romance scenes can only be unlocked through payment of difficult to earn coins. Dorian allows fans to create their games, using AI art etc.

So yeah, pretty sad story and a very disappointing ending. Especially because The Arcana had a solid plot and quite interesting diverging romance interests. It could have gone down as one of the most popular dating sim (with queer romance) of the past years, and instead it will probably one day disappear into a blip as soon as this mess of a company called Dorian sink into the sea.

[bigproblemsfunnylife]

Hi!

Could you write about how the M6 from The Arcana would react if MC got seriously wounded while protecting them?

(and btw, good job on all your arcana posts so far because it's frankly incredible how good you portray their personalities in each one :D)

Hey! Sorry for making this so late, I hope you like it. And thank you! ❤︎ @eternally-sleep-deprived

M6 x GN! MC who is seriously wounded after protecting them

Title: Headcanons

Characters: Asra Alzanar, Julian Devorak, Nadia Satrinava, Muriel, Portia Devorak and Lucio.

ASRA

—The moment it happens, Asra’s entire world stops breathing. One second you’re laughing, the next you’re between them and a blade, and then you’re on the ground with blood on your shirt and your smile flickering.

—They drop beside you instantly, trembling hands already glowing with healing light, voice breaking on your name: “No, no, no— stay with me, love, stay with me.”

—The rational part of their mind dissolves. They pour every ounce of magic they have into your wound, ignoring the burns crawling up their own arms, whispering frantic promises: “I can fix this. You’ll be okay. You always make it okay.”

—The guilt is suffocating. You protected them, them, the one who was supposed to protect you. They can’t comprehend it. Their whole being is wired for self-sacrifice; they never imagined you’d do the same.

—When you finally stabilize, Asra refuses to leave your side. They sleep sitting up, head against your shoulder, pulse pressed to yours just to make sure you’re still there.

—Later, when you joke about it (“Hey, at least I made a good shield”), Asra just stares at you with tear-bright eyes and whispers, “Don’t ever do that again. I’d rather be gone than see you fall for me.”

JULIAN

—For a heartbeat, he doesn’t even realize what’s happened. He was supposed to take that blow, it was his duel, his mistake… and then suddenly, it’s you lying there.

—The way he screams your name could wake the dead.

—He falls to his knees, blood smearing across his gloves as he tries to hold you together with shaking hands. His voice breaks on apologies, curses, prayers, all tangled into a frantic litany: “No no no no, please, gods, take me instead.”

—Every trauma, every failure floods back. You were his light, his one proof that he could do something right, and now you’re fading because of him.

—He doesn’t stop talking while the healers work. He tells you stories, half-mad, to keep you anchored. Recounts the first time he saw you smile, the first time you scolded him, the first time he realized he was in love.

—When you finally wake up, he laughs and cries at once, clutching your face like you might vanish. “Don’t you ever do that again,” he says, voice hoarse. “If anyone’s going to make reckless, life-threatening decisions around here, it’s me.”

NADIA

—It happens too fast. You push her out of the way, take the hit meant for her, and in that instant, the Duchess disappears. Nadia the woman takes over.

—Her scream echoes through the marble halls like thunder. She drops to her knees, ripping a strip of her gown to staunch the bleeding with trembling hands that have never trembled before.

“Stay awake,” she orders, voice cracking. “That’s an order, do you hear me?” But there’s nothing commanding about it, only pleading.

—She calls for healers, for guards, for anyone. But she refuses to let go of you. Blood stains her sleeves, her rings, her hair. She doesn’t care.

—When you finally stir hours later, she’s still there with the eyes rimmed red and crown discarded somewhere on the floor. She takes your hand and presses her forehead to it.

“You fool,” she whispers, half-sobbing, half-laughing. “You absolute, magnificent fool. I should imprison you for terrifying me like that.”

MURIEL

—The world narrows to sound: the impact, your gasp and his own heart pounding. He doesn’t even think. He’s beside you in seconds, lifting you with the gentleness of someone holding the last fragile piece of his soul.

—His hands are huge and clumsy, slick with blood. He keeps whispering your name, over and over, like it’s a spell that might wake you.

—Muriel has faced beasts, curses and exile. But this kind of fear is new. He can’t fight it with strength. He can only hold you and hope you keep breathing.

—When Asra or Nadia arrives to heal you, he doesn’t move away. He just keeps your hand in his, jaw clenched so tight it aches.

—For days after, he barely speaks. The guilt eats at him, the idea that you were hurt because of him, because you thought his life was worth protecting. He can’t accept that.

—When you finally sit up, pale but smiling, he almost crumples. You reach for him, and he hesitates, afraid to touch you, afraid he’ll break you again, until you insist. Then he buries his face against your neck, silent tears soaking your skin.

PORTIA

—The moment you push her out of harm’s way, she doesn’t even process it. One blink, and suddenly you’re bleeding.

“No no no no, hey— hey— look at me!” She’s on the ground beside you, hands pressing against the wound even though she’s shaking. “You’re okay, you’re okay, I’m right here, we’re fine—” She’s not fine.

—When the healers come, they have to physically pull her back because she won’t stop talking to you, begging you to stay awake. She’ll pace the hallway for hours, blood still on her hands, refusing to rest.

—When you finally regain consciousness, she collapses beside your bed, head in her arms, sobbing with relief.

“You idiot,” she mumbles between hiccups. “You could’ve died, and then who would I annoy all day?”

—But later, when it’s just you and her in the candlelight, she gets quieter. Her hands tremble as she cups your face, voice small: “Don’t ever think I’m not worth saving, okay? But don’t you ever trade yourself for me again.”

LUCIO

—Lucio has always believed himself invincible…until you throw yourself in front of him. The sight of you taking the hit meant for him breaks something fundamental.

“No— no no no, don’t you dare—” He’s yelling before he even reaches you, his hands frantically trying to stop the bleeding, his voice raw.

—For once, he’s not thinking about image or pride, just you. “You weren’t supposed to do that! I can handle it, I always handle it—” His words crumble into panic.

—He carries you himself, shouting for healers, refusing to let anyone else touch you. His armor is streaked with your blood by the time you’re stable.

—When you wake, his eyes are red and his hair a mess. The proud Count reduced to a man who’s been sitting in the corner all night, head in his hands.

—The second you speak, he’s at your side, half laughing, half crying: “You absolute maniac. I was supposed to protect you! That’s my whole thing!”

—It shakes him. Not just the fear, but the realization that someone loves him enough to risk themselves. It makes him rethink everything he’s ever believed about strength.

[morgassonsheart]

Count Lucio

Oh Lucio I will forever love you, no matter how many years pass..

This years completes 7 years since i first played The Arcana! Julian and Lucio have always been my favorites, as well as Asra.

Lucio is a very important character to me, and the way he develops in his route (and his psychological profile in different routes) is one of my favorites things in the game.

I really miss the game's prime, and my dislike towards Dorian grows every time i open the game. I could go hours talking about it, but I don't think it's relevant to add it to my silly fanart post.

Here's an alt version without the bluish-grayish hue. (It doesn't match the rest of the piece, but I want to show the different way i tried rendering hair this time!)

At the end of the day, his biggest failures come from how he was treated thorough his life. A spoiled kid will always be entitled, I fear.

[m00nbani]

The magician's eye! I'm going back to my arcana obsession ✨️

[71125923v]

[gaybravado]

are you the person who designed the marking Felix got from the god? just wondering who to ask for permission as I would love to get it tattooed one day 🙂‍↕️

Hey, I did not design this or Felix's last outfit, but it was sort of a group effort so I don't think there's any one specific person to ask permission from. I went looking for a clearer image for you but if there was one, it's gone now.

If you'd like to get a tattoo of it, follow your heart. I don't want to answer more LL asks because it's been so long since I worked on it and I've moved on, plus I don't want to speak for anyone else. But have one last piece of very old art for the road. Please consider it fanart and unofficial.