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iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia · 27 days

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Is it ever explained in the game why the Mc doesn't have their memories post-resurrection?

Like they get the Fool’s body and the fool is like new beginnings and stuff ( I ASSMUE, Tell me if I'm wrong) , but is an actual explanation in the game? Like did they also have to give something up even though the didn't make the deal? Is it because they don't have their original body?

Spoil it for me idc I just wanna know

The Arcana Brainrot Essays: MC's Memories

Hi anon friend! I hope you don't mind the ramble that's about to proceed -

Not only is the magic system of the Arcana pretty vague, when it comes to MC inhabiting the Fool's body, we have six different canon routes and twelve different canon endings, all with different implications.

With MC not being present for the ritual that gets their body back, it's fairly safe to assume that MC is not bound by any deals at the time of the prologue (though there is plenty of space to argue otherwise, given how vague the details are). Many of the routes include other characters reckoning with the deals they made at the time, but MC's reckoning has more to do with the truth than anything else. The best explanation, and to my knowledge, the canon explanation we get across routes for MC's missing memories is "because of the resurrection." That's it.

Here's where I jump from canon stuff to the implications I picked up through the different routes, focusing on the how aspect:

Similar to what other creators have pointed out in the past, MC's amnesia bears a lot of similarities to amnesia caused by traumatic brain injuries or (in my opinion) trauma in general. Based off of the occasions where MC is able to recover their own memory of dying, it seems like in at least some routes, the memories are still in there. They're just suppressed by a mysterious something. Given how the memory loss is associated with strong headaches, how said headaches are triggered by attempts to remember or vivid references to the past, and how attempting to forcibly remember something has led to further damage in the past, MC does seem to be in the middle of a nonlinear healing journey. As several of the routes progress, we can even see MC being able to succeed at mental tasks with lower levels of difficulty when previously it would have resulted in a debilitating headache.

My personal conclusion from all of that is that MC's amnesia is the result of the sheer trauma of dying and then coming back. It's a mind boggling experience simply to process the facts of what happened - let alone the physical and emotional experience. The story picks up with MC having physically recovered enough to live independently, and continues with MC's mental and emotional growth into fully growing into themself (in the upright endings). In some routes, they're able to recall a memory of their own as the story progresses, in other routes, any knowledge MC receives of the past is from other perspectives. Which leads to one of the biggest questions: can MC get them all back?

Some of our best clues outside of MC's personal narrative are the two other characters involved with returning missing memories: Muriel and Julian. (Asra, we know, forgot the details of the ritual itself, but otherwise has all memories intact. Nadia's missing all memories since entering Vesuvia for the first time, but it's never clear how much she gets back.) Julian recovers his memories when he reverses his deal with the Hanged Man, choosing to live as a normal person again with MC so that he can piece together the answer to the Plague. In his case, all the memories come back at once, fully intact.

Muriel's situation is different. He doesn't have any memories missing, he just has the capacity to take away the memories of the people around him. At first, the method for returning those memories is a sensory trigger (myrrh), but as time goes on and the deal loses its effect, the memories seem to slowly return to the people around him. It's different from Julian suddenly having access to the full breadth of his memories again, but the overall effect is the same: the lack of memory is resolved to the point that "normal" functioning can resume.

So, what does that say about MC's case? In short - anything. It really is up to how you imagine your MC, their past, the specific dynamic they have with their specific LI, how their future progresses post canon, etc. There's canon examples of characters regaining their memories gradually over time, getting them all back at once as the result of a deal, or simply learning to move forward and embrace the chance to start anew. And these are just examples of the default apprentice - there are plenty of MCs with gorgeously fleshed out backgrounds whose stories are their own twist on canon, where none of this really applies!

In short, how MC interacts with their missing memories is largely dependent on who your MC is. As to why they're missing - it's written as being because of MC dying and coming back. Whether that's due to the nature of it being trauma/a traumatic brain injury, or whatever other reason you can think of, is up to you ^.^

Cheers friend!

brainrot

#ask arcana brainrot #the arcana #the arcana game #the arcana headcanons #the arcana hc

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paperstarwriters · 3 months

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When Things Go Wrong (Feat. Inanna)

I know the larger trend is to lean comedy, but I couldn't help myself lmao. Also oof, the fic ended up with a lot less focus on things going wrong and a lot more focus on repair. Whoops lmao Pairing: Inanna & Reader (Platonic; familial), Muriel & Reader (Platonic, though could also be viewed as romantic)

Warnings: slight angst, hurt/comfort, Reader deals with feelings of inadequacy, Inanna acts a lot like Muriel.

Summary: Inanna had lost her pack once before, but here, she found a new pack with you and Muriel. It's small, but it's hers, and she will do what she can to protect every member of this little pack. So, when things go wrong, she has to fix it.

Vesuvia Weekly Prompt | Masterlists | The Arcana Masterlist Word Count: 4,085

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"And? When it all goes wrong, what will you do?"

When Inanna was a pup, she would have flashed her teeth in a terrifying snarl, gnash her jaws and howled her answer: "Fight! I would fight, I will fight!" But that is the bark of a child, of a pup, though she knows many grown wolves who would yowl the same sentiment.

Perhaps she shouldn't treat this as if she was somehow wiser. After all, it is wise for a wolf to solve problems with their fellows in a wolfish manner. The predicament occurs when you're dealing with a not-wolf-pack. Two strange magicians with one that too often loves to leave the pack and explore like an overeager puppy, while the other stumbles around occasionally like a newborn. Of course, then there was the snake, mischievous in the same way their wandering puppy magician was, and yet somehow much worse from their small intimidating size, and ability to slip behind and between and into things, without other people knowing. It's terrifying sometimes to see a snake and fear for your life only to realize it's your friend, covered in mud, intent on scaring you to death.

There were others as well, the tall slim bird-man. who sometimes had the face of a bird with cold unblinking eyes which he could somehow remove and leave on a wall, with his own raven friend who freaked out at the slightest inconvenience. There was the soft one, with her tiny little cat, who blinked and "meep!"ed at random intervals and fascinated Inanna to no end, unless she got angry which made her far more terrifying.

There was the wispy one, dressed in spiderwebs with an owl by her side. Inanna liked the owl, for their conversations, but she could never get around the sight of it turning it's head all the way around to stare her down. She's tried it before, it's very very hard to do, and yet the owl can do it without even blinking. Not to mention how irritatingly silent she can be sometimes as she flies around them.

Ah, but in short, they were an eclectic bunch, and though they didn't stay as closely together as a typical pack would, they were close enough, visiting often and being kind to each other. Especially her familiar, and the stumbling magician-ling. Muriel rolled his eyes at the title she gave you. Magician-ling, as if you were a newborn magician. She knew that wasn't true, but she thought it was a fonder title than, the undead. Muriel certainly seemed to prefer it.

Muriel certainly seemed to prefer you.

She remembers the delight in watching the two of you grow close, how you seemed to open the floodgates of connection and re-established his ability to find solace in a pack, to have friends, to have fellows he could rely on. Perhaps not fellow wolves, but someone at least. After he grew close to you, suddenly he was eating with others, suddenly he wasn't so alone anymore. And neither was she. She loves you for that, for giving her a pack to be with again, even if it was more spread out, and even if there were sometimes where they'd end up alone again, it was a little pack she found herself a part of all over again. Her pack. Her home.

And as you spent more and more time sleeping in their den, sharing Muriel's warmth, and cuddling up with her, she found her delight as a member of a pack of three. Muriel was happier with you to, so, so happy as his face grew soft, and his smiles grew wide, and when he did his chores, or wandered through the forest, you would sometimes jump up and delight her in a game, in a chance to chase, and jump and throw and catch, and sometimes, Muriel would join in too, and like a pair of wolves chasing after an agile deer, she would hunt you alongside Muriel peppering your face with kisses instead of bites when they inevitably found and caught you.

It was fun. It was happy. Small as you may be the three of you were a pack, which was why she had to fix this.

She knows why it happened, why you left so suddenly, and she's ashamed to know she had a paw in your sorrow large and clumsy as she was, she had knocked over your inkwell onto your book. You had been working on that so intently, staying up so late... too late in her and Muriel's opinion. It was the source of so many of your disagreements, and when you found it soaked in ink, all you did was cry.

She didn't mean to. She really didn't mean to. Her tail hit the bottle when she saw you finally taking a break and it just spilled all over the pages. And in that moment, you didn't dare to even look at her.

"Don't follow me," you had told Muriel with a frightening look in your eyes. You didn't say the same to her, though Muriel tried to argue for her to follow regardless.

"They don't want to be bothered," he insisted. "I... I think they just need to take a breather."

She could tell, in the way that familiars could, that more than anything, he wanted to defy that request. Instead, with his dexterous hands, he tries to salvage your work, to clean up the mess that she made, that she's helpless to fix, that she would only ever worsen if she even dared lay a paw upon it.

Still, she had to do something.

Muriel doesn't call after her when she slips out the door. The sound of wood creaking open, the sound of it slamming shut after was unmistakable, but he says nothing, despite that deep connection that would have allowed her to hear him despite the distance. He's silent, and though her chest pangs at the thought of leaving him in that state, she knows finding you, and fixing her mistake would surely bring you back, would surely fix his mood. So she tracks you down, the agile deer she's caught many times before, following your familiar scent, the familiar prints you leave in the forest around you, and finds you far far far away, crying, and gasping, panicking in that way she's seen Muriel do so many times before.

And in that way she's done to Muriel so many times before, she curls around you, lets you rest your head against her pelt, and quietly speaks, though she knows you can't hear.

"I'm sorry," she whispers. "I didn't mean to."

You lean into her touch, sob into her fur, and don't accept her apology, unable to understand a word she speaks. Her distress, is visible, is audible and you try to sniffle and pat her but you're too caught up in your own distress to try and console her. He licks at your tears, wiping them away like she's seen Muriel do with his hands, and you giggle at the feeling. She doesn't intend to make you giggle, but she keeps licking over and over again, if only to hear you laugh instead of cry.

"Inanna!" You bat her away, as gently as you can manage, and it pains her to be unable to tell you the same things Muriel does. You sound so sweet when you laugh, so why must you cry? Why cling to the sorrow she's given you when all she wants is to make you smile?

She wishes you could understand when she says how sorry she is.

Still, she curls around you, tucks her head atop your lap, and tries to keep you warm, to keep you company as you struggle to terms with the mistake she's made in you. At the very least, you sweep the tears from her eyes, and you fix her with a sad and tired look, like a puppy denied her mother. A pup denied her home.

Inanna knows she is giving you the same stare.

"I'm sorry Nana," you mumble perhaps in reply to her own sorrow, and she presses her face further against you, agonized at the idea that she has made you sorry. That you feel the need to apologize at all. Was it not her mistake that made you cry? Was it not her mistake that sent you running?

You lean in, and bask in the feel of her fluffy pelt, rubbing your hands against her fur, in that soothing manner that all you humans so loved to do. She basks in the feeling, the soft and tender feeling, and presses herself further into you, as if it would grant her more. It's greedy perhaps, but it seems to soothe you as much as it does her, as tears slowly dribble, then drip to a halt.

And you look to the forest your soul somewhere far away. And you look the spitting image of Muriel before you came into his life.

And she wonders what happened to you, when you made their life better...had... had they been making your life worse?

She nudges her face into your stomach, hoping and praying that you would get the message. She is curious, she wants to hear your thoughts. She does not want you to be alone in whatever suffering she and Muriel had left you to endure alone.

You look down at her, and as if by some miracle you smile and hear her silent plea.

"Do you ever feel like you're not what you're supposed to be?"

And Inanna curses the fates, the heavens and the moon who guides her. Curses that she was given such a wonderful pack to be a part of an eclectic mix of creatures big and small who all share that connection of affection with each other, who, though not often can sit at the same table and eat their shared catch together, and share whatever meal they've caught in their hunts. She curses that she's been given such a tiny intimate loving pack amidst the larger one, and that she is powerless to protect either when she cannot bear her teeth at the problem.

She wishes, again, begs and pleas to the very moon she just cursed that you could understand her once more.

"I do not understand," she would whisper in sad sorry sound "I am what I am and you are what you are, what is incorrect of our existence?"

And you look down at her, and twist that smile into a pitying thing. With a hand on her jaw you rub at your cheek and chuckle as she allows you this minor cruelty, forcing one eye shut, as she stares with the other.

"You're so tame Inanna, so kind. People say wolves should be fiercer, scarier than this. You seem almost more like a dog sometimes."

It's another cruelty that she must allow. If you could hear her, she would bear her teeth, scold you for thinking such cruel terms, as if others' thoughts could make her any less the wolf she is. But you would not hear her words, and you would not know her anger was not at you. Her jaws remain shut, though she could open them to remind you of her nature. And she leans further into your touch, to inform you of the rest of her.

She can be scarier, she can be fiercer, to her prey and any threat, but only a foolish wolf would bear her fangs at a pack-member in need.

"Inanna, did you know me when I was alive?"

She stares once more, eyes turning up to observe you from where she rests in your lap. She knows you now, and you are alive now. Is that not enough?

Again that sorrow pools in your eyes, sags over your shoulders and brings pains to your fingertips as you clutch at her fur. She wants to whimper to whine in pain but her silence is her gift to you, and an urge to listen to more.

She is here to fix, perhaps this is more than her mistake, but she has caused you pain and she wishes to know how to fix it—if she could fix it. The job seems grander and grander with every word that falls from your lips, every twist of your expression in pain and sorrow, and she is left helpless at her inability to talk to you as she so wishes.

"I knew more magic then, right?"

She tries to nod. It's true, before your death you knew far more than you knew now, but then you had seemed so unhappy as well. Wouldn't you be pleased to let go of such sorrows?

"I wish I still knew all that magic."

It clicks then, and she wants to speak. She begs for the ability to speak.

"Asra mentions it sometimes, how I used to be smarter, stronger, more capable."

"I wish I knew more magic too," she wants to say. "I wish I knew how to tell you that you're enough."

"Does Muriel ever mention it? How it would be nice if he didn't have to cover for my clumsiness all the time?"

"I wish I could tell you how much we love you."

Inanna does what she can. She shakes her head furiously, as she's seen you and Muriel do many times before, and she bears the brunt of dizziness that the movement brings. She wants to tell you that you're wrong, she wants to tell you that you are loved, she wants to tell you that to her, newborn as you are, you are just as powerful as the you of that past, that you had magic that your old self never could have reached. You had the ability to bring people together, to make a pack from a crowd of such different animals.

You had the magic to give her a pack again.

A pack of her, you, and—

"Are you okay?"

Muriel! Inanna leaps up, and she wonders at how she hadn't thought of it before. In a manner reminiscent of the day she first truly got to know you, she rushes behind Muriel, forgoing telling him what he needs to do in favour of telling him all that you were suffering alone. Muriel, she knew was clever. He'd know what to tell you, and he could speak for her too.

And yet when they turn to look at you, when she drags Muriel by his clothes yanked from between her teeth, she catches sight of your eyes growing wide, of your brows drawing down and your own body retreating from the both of them.

"Ah, sorry," Muriel tries to say. "I know you said not to follow you, but Inanna sounded distressed and—"

And you looked at her as if she had betrayed you. Hot tears building up on your face as you look away and try to hide, to hide from the both of them, of course, but to hide from yourself, she thinks as well.

"I'm fine. We're—Inanna and I were fine," you speak, around a mouthful of your own flesh and clothes. She can hear the shudder of your throat the warble in your tone, and she knows it is not merely from her keen ears that the sound carries through.

Muriel fixes her with a look, concern worry and curiosity, but when he whispers to her, in a voice only the two of them can hear, he asks her not to tell him. Not right away at least. She knows. She accepts, she never would have even if he didn't ask.

"Nana... Inanna wasn't fine."

You go still for a moment, back straightening, as if you're about to turn, before you burry your face deeper into your lap an attempt to hide more shame. Still the source of your sorrow, Inanna curls up beside Muriel, intent on doing the same.

"I'm sorry," and you sound so, so small.

Was this what he meant? When Muriel once fussed over his towering size. You sound so small, smaller than a bunny, smaller than a squirrel, you sound as if you could be held between her jaws and locked behind her teeth, and if she held you like she held a pup, she would have to take extra care not to bring you any harm.

It sounded like even before starting, she had already failed.

"It's not you," Muriel clarifies, shuffling close to lean against you. He starts with a hand on your shoulder, gives you ample time to shrug it off before he comes in with the rest of himself, pulling you into his embrace, into his affection and care.

And Inanna watches as you relax, suddenly wishing she was more like you.

She is a member of an eclectic pack of many different animals, but one mostly made of humans. Maybe she could take better care of you all if she traded her fangs for a form like yours. If she traded her fur for your skin.

She curls up beside you, trying to amend her inadequacy, and your hand finds her fur, stroking once more, calming even more.

If she can soothe you like this, then perhaps it isn't so bad.

"Inanna wanted to talk to you, but you can't understand what she says."

You say nothing, but you look away from the both of them, and Inanna understands. You still long for that magic so far out of your reach, you still long for the spells that you once had before your demise. She's sorry that she had stood between you and your goal, sorry that she had ruined your hard work to achieving it.

"She says she's sorry," Muriel says, and you sigh, shoulders sagging, as your hand returns to her fur.

"Its okay Nana, it was an accident I know."

"no, no, not only for that," she whispers.

"Not only for that," Muriel says.

"I'm sorry you think that you are lesser now than you were before"

"She says she's sorry that you think you're lesser now than you were before."

"I'm sorry that you think you are inadequate"

"She's sorry that you think you're inadequate."

"I'm sorry that you think we don't love you so much as you are now."

"She's sorry—" and Muriel falters, words dying on his tongue. "Do... do you not think we love you as you are now? Do you think we'd love the you from before... more?"

"It's not.... I know you didn't even really know me then" you try to argue back, but your voice warbles and cracks and though you try to deny it, it's clear the feeling was there. "But I... I was such a skilled magician before. Asra tries not to mention it but.... but I hear it sometimes. In the way that they speak.... they look so sad, so disappointed, as if they're upset that I'm not like that anymore—and I know that they're probably more upset that I've forgotten them," you're hiccuping now, gasping for air, that your lungs deprive yourself of a self harm that mirrors your words, cruel bitter things, where you pretend as if it's foolish for you not to be so hurt. "It's just that... I... I ... It'd be nicer wouldn't it? If I wasn't so clumsy, and if I knew all those spells. I'm sure I knew a spell to understand familiars once, I could've talked to her—I could have talked to you Inanna. And I just... I thought that maybe if I studied a little more I could do it again. That you know, maybe I could do other things too, and you wouldn't need to help me so often.

"I just feel like there's just so many things I can't do anymore. So many things I don't remember how to do, that would be so, so helpful."

And Muriel speaks exactly what Inanna thinks, without a word of encouragement from her side. "Do you think you aren't really helpful right now? Even if you aren't helpful, it doesn't make you any less...wonderful."

With his dexterous hands, Muriel slips your cheek into his palm, cradling your face, as he shuffles around you to make it easier for you to turn to him, to make it easier for him to wipe away your tears, to make it easier for him to tug you into his chest, let you sob into his shirt as he holds you tight. Inanna nuzzles up beside you, rubs her cheek against your shuddering ribs, and though it's hardly the same as the affection Muriel gives you, she hopes you can feel it too.

"You've done so much for me. For Inanna too. You remember how you told me that my past doesn't define me? The same applies to you, you know. You're amazing now, what does it matter how skilled you were before?"

"I don't know," you sob. "But... gods, it still makes me feel like I've somehow failed. Like I've grown worse over time instead of getting better. I should be getting better, shouldn't I?"

Muriel opens his mouth to say something, but grimaces at the thought. Inanna knows. Inanna knows full well what he's thinking, and she speaks for him, before he chooses silence.

"I... um... oh... Inanna says that.... no pup learns how to walk without stumbling, and.... and that no hunt future hunt will be better if the current one is successful. And.... and she says that even if she fails to catch her food, she is no less a wolf. And... and that applies to the both of us."

Muriel's face turns a little pink at the mention, and you turn to look up at him, your own hand coming up to mirror his own, cradled on his cheek. As you ask with your heart of concern, "You think you're not good enough?"

His brows dip though that pink colour doesn't go away. "I should be saying that to you, you know. You already know so much magic..."

"And you know so much about the forest, about life."

Muriel scoffs, eyes growing dark. "I know a lot about ending it."

"And a lot about healing it. Even without magic, you know how to mend wounds so well."

"And even without as much knowledge as before, you know how to do so much." You scoff at his retort, and Inanna buts her head against you, something Muriel is eager to translate. "Inanna agrees."

You roll your eyes, at their shared agreement, and smile. Muriel smiles in turn seemingly satisfied with this outcome, but Inanna is not convinced.

She speaks through Muriel, wagging her tail as she squirms into the space between the both of you, hoping to curl up around both of you and emphasize her points.

"Nanna!" you yelp

"Pfft." Muriel swats at her tail, likely stuck in his face. She doesn't regret a thing, only that it makes him slower to speak. "Inanna, oof, Nanna says that she loves you by the way."

"Both of you. I love both of you."

Muriel stubbornly refuses to voice the latter part. She swats her tail against his face again. "Hey! Okay, okay, both of us she says."

"You are my pack."

"She says we're her pack," and Muriel further translates. "She says we're her family."

"Inanna..." You open your arms, and let her into her lap, showering her with affection and cuddles, hands scratching and petting and fluffing and rubbing. "I love you too Nanna!"

From the side Muriel watches with a small smile on his lips as Inanna peppers you with slobbery kisses, and before he dares lapse into any feelings of isolation, Inanna twists, intent on pulling him into this pile of affection and play, as for the first time in a long time, she shows her love for her family the way a wolf does best.

So perhaps she cannot fix her pack's problems by bearing her teeth. She can fix them with play and affection with kisses, and with help. She's not alone anymore. And neither are either of you.

#familiars screwed up #but she also fixed it in the end lmao #x reader #reader insert #Muriel x reader #Muriel the arcana #Muriel #the arcana muriel #the arcana muriel x reader #the arcana #Muriel the mountain man #Muriel the hermit #muriel of the kokkhuri #muriel arcana #muriel the hermit #Inanna #Inanna the arcana #the arcana Inanna #Inanna the wolf

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saintunhinged · 5 months

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Hi I hope your doing ok and your day has been great!❤️

I was wondering if you could write a Muriel x florist reader where when Muriel is making his once in awhile trip into vesuvia he goes past the readers shop and she gives him tulips because he looks sad and he takes them but after he's gone they forget him obv but the next time he comes into town it happens again and again until he finally gives the reader myrrh and then they remember all those times and get really embarrassed

Muriel was a solitary man who rarely ventured into the bustling city of Vesuvia. He preferred the quiet solitude of the forest, where he could be alone with his thoughts. But every once in a while, he would make the journey into the city, where he would inevitably pass by the small florist shop on the corner.

You were kind and gentle soul and noticed when Muriel walked by. He had a somber look on his face, as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

As the robust man walked past the shop, you stepped out and handed him a bright red tulip — one that you intended to decorate the shop with, but you felt much happier giving it away to the man who looked like his spirit could be lifted.

“For you.” You simply said, a soft and gentle smile painting your face.

Muriel was surprised, looking between you and the flower as he came to a stop in front of you. “..Why?” He hesitantly asked, confused as to why you were giving him a flower. It wasn’t like he asked for it.

His question didn’t change your mind, and you contined to hold the flower out for him to take. “I just wanted to.”

Muriel huffed, cautiously accepting the gift with a quiet mumble of thanks. He continued on his way, but he couldn’t help but feel a little lighter with the flower in his hand.

The next time Muriel came into town, you were messing around with another bouquet of flowers. Not that you were looking to give them away so soon, but the towering man looked like he could use something to lift his spirits. “You look like you could use these.” You cheerfully say to the man. This time, it was a colorful mix of daffodils and sunflowers. Muriel accepted the gift with a small smile, and he walked away feeling a little less lonely.

This pattern continued every time Muriel made his way into Vesuvia. You would always have another flower to give him, and Muriel would always accept them, everyday more gratefully — even if you forgot about your interaction with him as soon as he pareted ways.

He even began wondering if his appearances in the town were filled with hope of receiving another flower from you.

One day, Muriel returned to your shop with a small pouch of myrrh in his hand. He avoided making eye contact with you, his cheeks burning red. “Here.” He bashfully offered you the pouch.

Curiosity got the best of you as reached for it. It was strange for someone to give you something, especially a person whose body language hinted at him not wanting to interact with you too much.

Holding the pouch of myrrh in your hand, you slowly came to remember how the man wasn’t as unfamiliar to you as you thought. Memories that you were buried in the dark were now coming to light.

You feel your face heat up, embarrassed that you had forgotten him each time he came into town, and each time you had given him a new flower.

Muriel cleared his throat, his gaze fixed on the floor. “It’s myrrh. Helps you remember things,” he mumbled, the words barely audible.

You carefully opened the pouch, revealing the delicate myrrh blooms within. “Remember things? Like what?” you asked, oblivious to the fact that the answer was already unfolding in your mind.

Muriel shifted uncomfortably, his green eyes avoiding contact with yours. “Memories. Stuff that you forgot,” he replied, his voice a low rumble.

As the scent of myrrh filled the air, a flood of forgotten encounters with Muriel rushed back into your consciousness. Your eyes widened in realization, and you felt your face heat up.

“Oh,” you mumbled, a mix of embarrassment and apology in your voice. “I... I gave you flowers before, didn’t I?”

Muriel nodded, sparing a quick glance in your direction. “Yeah. Every time I came to town."

Your cheeks burned hotter. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to forget. I just... didn’t remember.”

“Don’t worry,” Muriel reassured, though his discomfort was palpable. “You weren’t supposed to.” his deep voice was low, barely able to be heard. “The myrrh is supposed to help with that.”

You fidgeted with the pouch in your hands, feeling a mix of gratitude and sheepishness. “Thank you for helping me remember. I feel... really embarrassed."

Muriel scratched the back of his head, a gesture that betrayed his own unease. “Don’t be. I just thought... maybe it’d be better if you remembered.”

You nodded, appreciating his sincerity. “I just wish I hadn’t forgotten all those times I gave you flowers."

Muriel’s lips faintly turned into a smile, practically invisible, but he said notthing more.

“Why didn't you stop me before?” you curiously asked the tall man, your eyes reflecting genuine curiosity and a touch of embarrassment.

He simply shrugged, his dark hair falling in front of his scarred face. “Didn’t think it was worth it. It’s easier this way,” he replied, his tone etched with uncertainty, and a hint of awkwardness. “It’s fine. Flowers helped, myrrh just... sealed the deal, I guess.”

You nodded, understanding dawning on you. "I appreciate it, Muriel. Next time, if there’s a next time, just give me a nudge or something."

He chuckled, a rare sound that warmed the conversation. “I’ll keep that in mind. You seem to like flowers, so...”

You laughed, breaking any lingering tension. “Yeah, I do. And now I won’t forget you, or the flowers I gave you.”

“...That’s a start.”

You were relieved and decided to lighten the mood. “I hope to see you around more now that I know who you are. Flowers or not, it’d be nice.”

Muriel’s eyes softened and his cheeks flushed red, a hint of something akin to happiness flickering in them. But, he found it challenging to express himself verbally. Instead, he nodded, the acknowledgment of your words etched in his quiet demeanor.

You smiled warmly, appreciating the unspoken understanding. “Take care, Muriel. See you around, hopefully.”

And with that, Muriel nodded again, his gaze lingering for a moment before he quickly turned to leave. As you watched him walk away, there was a subtle shift in the air. The cycle of forgotten encounters had been broken, and the prospect of future interactions brought a quiet contentment to your heart.

#the arcana #the arcana x reader #the arcana x mc #the arcana x you #muriel the arcana #the arcana fic #muriel the hermit #muriel of the kokhuri #muriel the mountain man #muriel x reader #the arcana muriel #muriel #muriel x apprentice #muriel x mc

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ghoulfriendfangs · 1 year

Text

✧ APPRENTICEMBER ✧

I wanted to do something big for the Arcana community, something to bring us together! And why not make an event focusing on my favorite part of this community, our ocs and fan apprentices!

To participate, all you need to do is answer the daily question and tag your post with #apprenticember! There’s no pressure, no minimum word count, and you can skip days if you like!

Introduce your apprentice! Just their name, personality, appearance, and likes/dislikes for now! If you have pictures of them, post them today!

Who is their LI? What’s their relationship like?

Give a short summary of their relationship to the other main characters!

What about the couriers? Have they met them? What do they think of them?

Do they have any other friends outside of canon? What about the minor characters?

Now, do they have any rivals? Maybe even a WORST ENEMY!? Spill the deets now!

Second week! Let’s go back to their physical description, but go even deeper! Do they have tattoos, piercings, scars, etc? What sort of clothes do they like?

Now let’s give their familiar the spotlight! Tell us all about them!

Do they have a patron arcana? Who is it? What’s their relationship like?

What is their relationship to the other arcana like?

Do they have a gateway? What does it look like? If they don’t have one, describe their ideal spot instead.

What does their home look like? Their room?

Can they cook? What’s their favorite meal?

What does their magic look/feel like?

What are they proudest of?

What’s their deepest insecurity?

Do they have any family, living or non living? List their family tree!

What were they like as a child?

If your mc fights, what is their fighting style? If they don’t, why not?

Remember the Valentines Day event where you could pick between 3 gifts to give the LI? What 3 gifts would you write for your mc?

Now what kind of gifts are they most likely to give?

What does your mc do to show their love?

What parts of Vesuvia is your mc most likely to be at?

Does your mc like parties, festivals, and masquerades? What do they do at them?

What’s your favorite thing about your mc?

How has your mc changed since you first made them?

Has your mc ever KILLED anybody? What are their thoughts on MURDER?

Are they afraid to die?

What is a fact about your mc others would never guess?

Is there anything else you’d like us to know?

Name another mc you read about and enjoyed! Shout out your favorite mc!

#apprenticember #the arcana #Apprentice #fan apprentice #fan appreciation #asra alnazar #asra #julian devorak #julian #nadia satrivana #nadia #portia devorak #portia #muriel kokhuri #muriel of the kokhuri #muriel #count lucio #lucio morgasson #Lucio

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sxftkxssxs · 8 months

Note

Hiiii

Wanted to ask if you could do main 6 reaction to a siren mc with like siren ears, neck gills and double eyelids (like crocodiles)

M6 w/a Siren MC

Asra

He’s known MC a long time, but he will never get over their siren-like features

They’re known to trace around MC’s neck playfully.

He just thinks these features make MC, well, MC.

They’ve asked MC about how their body works before the plague. Their curiosity has already been answered.

However, If the MC were to want him to ask how their body works or if they learned something new about themselves, he’s glad to listen.

If MC were to start gaining a negative attitude towards their features, Asra would be right beside them telling them otherwise.

They’re the type of person to plant a teasing kiss on MC’s ear for no other reason than they wanted to.

Julian

He’s so madly infatuated with MC.

He’ll mindlessly ramble on and on about how gorgeous they are to anybody who will or won’t listen.

His family in Nevivion adore MC, they especially love watching them swim or being near water.

Julian makes a habit of taking them to the hot springs when they do visit Nevivion.

He finds the double eyelids a little freaky but very interesting, desperately wants to know if it has any effects on your vision and isn't shy about trying to find out.

He compliments MC incredibly often, using their features to his advantage. Yes, he’s cheesy and corny with his compliments.

Nadia

She doesn’t think she’s ever met anyone more attractive.

MC just looks so, sharp edged and confident in themselves.

She loves to have jewelry and clothing made for them that brings out their features. She'll try out anything she thinks will look good on them (with permission).

She's infatuated once she sees MC in the palace bath, seeing them so relaxed and vulnerable around her is something she's rarely had since coming to Vesuvia.

Sly compliments about their appearance is a given. She'll make sure MC knows just how attractive she finds them.

Muriel

He won't outright say anything but he likes their siren features.

It almost makes him feel a little more inclined to speak to them, almost.

This is still Muriel, he might want to ask but won’t incase he touches a nerve with it.

Once their relationship with him is closer he asks about their features.

If MC has a positive attitude about them he’s thrilled to hear what they say.

If Mc has a negative attitude about them, he’ll stray away from the topic as not to offend them. But they will catch him mumbling about how pretty they are and staring at them

Portia

She's just as interested as her brother, if not more.

She’s less focused on how it all works and more focused on how it all looks

She constantly has eyes on MC, just watching them doing domestic tasks has her making heart eyes.

Portia loves to watch MC being relaxed the most. Seeing them be so at ease and just downright ridiculously gorgeous has her on the floor.

She’s down to go in the water with MC! Just let her regain her composure a little yeah?

Lucio

He's such a talker, he'll talk anyone's ear off about MC

They can catch him staring extremely often.

He'll try to have clothing and jewelry made for them...it doesn't turn out the greatest.

He prefers to be in water with them instead of just admiring them.

Lucio traces their features very often, and if it affects their actual eye color or pupil shape he’s staring at them.

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apriltearsbringmayfears · 2 years

Note

M6 dreaming about MC after their death asking "Did you love me?"

The Arcana- MC is dead and appears in M6’s Dreams, asking “Did you love me?”

~Angst~

// I had so much fun writing this, never written angst before//

Asra:

For a minute, Asra assumes he’s awake

He’s in the shop, with you next to his side, shoulders touching

It’s like you never died (again)

But he can tell somethings wrong, somethings off

He turns and tries to speak to you but he’s unable to say anything

The “you” in his dream, turns to him, “Did you love me?”

He still can’t say anything, desperately trying to form words

He couldn’t save you a second time…

Wakes in a cold sweat, hands shaking

Faust has to calm him down

Nadia:

She’s on the balcony of the palace, looking out at the night sky

At first she thinks she’s alone but she hears footsteps from behind

Turning around, she sees you

Wind blowing, the air has become chilly

“MC….are you feeling well, darling?”

“Did you love me, Nadia?”

“Of- of-course I did? I still do, why would you quest-”

She’s awaken by Chandra’s hooting

She ends up journaling her experience, trying to find comfort

Julian:

He’s out on the sea, looking at the ocean with you by his side

The salty air feels so genuine

He thinks maybe for once, he’s not having a nightmare

“Oh MC, what a wonderful day for an adventure!”

He smiles and puts a hand on your shoulder

But you feel cold

“MC?”, there’s fear in his voice

“Did you love me, Ilya?”

His face drops, his eyes feeling heavy

Not again please, not another nightmare

Before he can answer he wakes up, cold and out of breath

He won’t be sleeping again for a long while

Muriel:

The sun is beating down on him, slight humidity in the air, he’s at the coliseum

He knows this is a dream, he’s often alone in them

But this time its different, he hears footsteps in the distance

He spots you walking through the halls of the Coliseum, his heart begins to race

“MC? MC!!” He begins walking towards you but can’t seem to catch up

He feels lost and trapped, he can’t seem to pin you down

He feels a tap on his back, making his entire body tense

He turns around and sees you

“Muriel, did you love me?”

His face goes red, he doesn’t say anything, doesn’t find the point in it-

He’s awoken by Inanna, poking her nose in his face and whimpering

His entire day is silent

Portia:

She often has work related dreams, she assumes this one is the same

She’s running around the palace, but she’s stops in her tracks

You’re standing at the end of hall, no one else is around

“MC?”, the hall echoes

She begins walking towards you, the walls of the hallway begin closing in

“Portia, did you love me?”

There’s tears forming in her eyes

“W-what?” she sputters out

She begins running towards you, just to touch again

But she trips and falls, resulting in her waking up

Pepi doesn’t leave her side all day

She ends up telling Nadia she’s sick, taking the day off

Lucio:

He’s in his old room at the palace, where you two first met

The old air is almost too realistic for it to be a dream

He looks in the mirror, his old goat reflection staring back

In the corner of the mirror, he spots you

“MC? MC!!!”

For a second he thinks it was all just a bad dream

That maybe, just maybe…time is starting over so he can save you from death

“Lucio, did you love me?”

He turns around to face you but he’s no longer in his room and you’re no where in sight

He’s far from Vesuvia, deep in snow, being pulled under the white ground

He wakes up in a fit of tearful rage

He’ll make another deal if he has to

#the arcana #asra the magician #asra alzanar #nadia satrinava #countess nadia #the arcana lucio #julian devorak #the arcana muriel #portiathearcana #the arcana headcanons

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mermaidchan05 · 21 days

Text

Vesuvia Weekly: "How Did You Learn to Do That?"

“How did you learn to do that?”

“My master taught me.”

Whenever the question was posed, that was Chimalus’ response. It was almost instinctive at this point. Though Chimalus had graduated from “My master taught me” to “Asra taught me,” the meaning was still the same.

After all, Asra had taught them everything. He was the one responsible for bringing them back. He was the one who taught them how to be a person again. And after that, he hadn’t stopped. He’d taught them how to read. How to write. He’d taught them nearly everything they knew about magic.

So it was only natural that, when Nadia first led them to the palace stables and asked if they knew how to ride, their response was much the same.

“Asra taught me how, once.”

Nadia had smiled then, one of the first smiles that was meant just for Chimalus, a smile that made their heart skip a beat.

“My, you are full of surprises, aren’t you?” she’d said.

And in that moment, though they hadn’t fully understood why back then, Chimalus had wanted nothing more than to keep surprising her. To see that smile more and more often.

Which was exactly what they did, though it was hardly ever on purpose. Since the fateful day that Nadia had come to her shop, searching for help, Chimalus and Nadia had experienced more than their fair share of surprises. But they had gotten through everything the universe decided to throw at them. And now, at last, things had started to calm down. There was still much work to be done. Still so many things that needed to be fixed. But there was also enough time to steal away for an afternoon to have tea with friends.

Which was exactly what they were doing when the subject of riding came up.

“Did you ever ride, Asra?” Nadia asked. “I seem to remember hearing something of the sort...”

“No,” said Asra with his Magician smile. “Well... not horses, at least.”

Chimalus didn’t hear how Nadia replied, or if she even replied at all. Their hand shook as they put their teacup down. The realization crashed over them like a wave, leaving them stunned, breathless.

Asra didn’t know how to ride.

There was no possible way he could have taught them.

So how did they know? How did they remember?

In any other circumstance, they would chalk it up to simple muscle memory. But that didn’t make sense in this case. Not when their muscles carried so few memories in the first place.

And if Asra hadn’t taught them to ride... who had?

Such questions were dangerous. Chimalus and Nadia had been working towards unlocking the secrets of Chimalus’ past. Of the life they had lost. And while Asra had done his best to help, he admitted that there were some things that even he didn’t know. Chimalus hadn’t shared every detail of their past with him. There were some things, Asra explained, that had apparently been too painful or upsetting to share.

Which meant those memories may have been lost forever. Chimalus had, unwittingly, hidden their own history.

How much else had they lost? And if it was so painful, so heavy that it was a burden not even Asra could bear, did they even want to reclaim it?

But the question pestered them. Demanded answers. And they had no answers to give.

All they knew was that Nadia would remain by their side. Whatever the past held, the two of them would face the future together. And they had more than just Nadia. There was Portia, of course, as stalwart a partner as anyone could ask for. They had Asra, who had always supported them. They had Julian, who had a knack for running into and out of trouble, which may have been exactly what they needed in this case. They had friends. They had family.

Perhaps that was all they needed, whether or not they ever found the life they had left behind.

#vesuvia weekly #where did you learn that #the arcana #the arcana game #ficlet #my stuff #my writing #apprentice chimalus #nadia satrinava #the arcana nadia #also spoilers for nadia's route and for the heart hunter stuff I guess?#tiny spoilers but hey #and welcome back to post-resurrection angst town lol

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elenagoeslightly · 3 months

Text

The sun is slowly disappearing from view, the sky a soft orange surrounded by blue.

He regrets leaving.

He regrets leaving, and this is why he’s coming back to Vesuvia, tail between his legs and flowers in his hands.

You see, this is the first time he saw this kind of flowers and their uniqueness made him think of you.

He hides his face in them, blushing.

The pumpkin bread is still hot in his bag, he knows how much you like it when it’s still warm.

Oh, how much he misses you and how he hates fighting with you.

Especially when you are right, and you are.

He admires your courage, your will to be there for the less fortunate, he adores your strength, he-

Asra cannot bear the thought of something happening to you.

He cannot bear it, but he can’t stop you either, so he ran.

You screamed at him that it is what he does best, and how could he blame you?

That’s what he always did, every time his feelings were going to spill out of him, his heart too small to contain them, he ran away.

Faust snuzzle his cheek, and he lightly scratches her chin.

She misses you, too.

He wanted to tell you, he did, but he could never find the right moment; he used to fantasize, to imagine the two of you on an endless stream of adventure, but then-

What if you didn’t want him?

What if you cared for him as a friend, when he-

When he loves you so much.

But this, this was going to end now.

Asra squares his shoulders, moves his hair out of his eyes; he will tell you, he will tell you that he loves you, tell you that he will be there for you even if you don't love him back, his heart is big enough for the both of you and if he has to look as you find your happiness elsewhere, with somebody else, he will.

He grips the flowers when the shop enters his vision, but suddenly-

His stomach drops as he walks faster, twist the knob to enter and you aren’t there.

He breathes, calms himself.

Surely you are at the palace, helping Julian find a cure, ever so selfless.

So he keeps on walking, ignores the way his skin is covered in goosebumps, the way his throat is dry, no matter how many times he tries to swallow.

Of course, everyone at the palace knows who he is, so he enters quickly, his breathing labored.

He sees a dark figure with red hair bent over a desk and his knuckles hurt, the flowers bending.

“Julian, long time no see.” He says, wills his face to smile.

“I was searching for-”

“Don’t.” Julian answers, covering his face in his hands.

“Don’t?” he repeats, his heart running in his chest, eyes wide; he doesn't recognize the uncontrolled edge in his own voice.

“I am sorry, you know that I am sorry! I’d do anything Asra, anything!”

The flowers hit the ground the moment Asra’s hands grip Julian’s clothes, their faces inches apart.

“What are you saying?” he demands, he pleas, and Julian tries to hide his face again.

“The boat went to the Lazaret a week ago. It’s too late.”

No.

No,no,no,no,no,no-

Julian’s body hits the ground while Asra runs, runs down the stairs, runs and keeps running even as his knees hit the ground, time and time again.

This isn't happening, you aren't gone because he would have known, he would have felt it deep inside his chest and his bones and his lungs, he just needs to find you and you will be there, waiting for him with that smile that makes him want to live and stay and be back for dinner because you are his home, his family, the only thing that makes sense to him.

He runs to the first boat he sees and begs the driver to take him to the Lazaret, begs him and gives him everything that he has, empties his pockets of all his little trinkets, begs until his voice is hoarse.

The boast goes on slowly and Asra grips the wood with all his might and the moment he knows that the water is shallow enough he jumps and he can sense you, you are here, in this gloomy place, you hate places like this, you hate them and you shouldn’t be here and once when he finds he’ll take you away, he’ll bring you home and he will never go away again, to without you, he will promise you this, he will kiss and cry and promise and he will-

Asra takes a step back, and then another, his head shaking violently because how can he feel like you are right in front of him when you aren’t there-

He drops to his knees.

His fingers hit the sand before he can think about it, he digs and digs and digs and his eyes are so full of tears that he can barely see, the sand moves with shades of red until he finds something, something white and curved and the sand is darker and its almost grey and the smell of burned flesh fills his lungs and the taste of acid covers his tongue as he folds, his face in the ashes of what he loves the most.

He didn't even notice how he kept screaming your name, now barely a whisper.

Asra looks at his hands, at the blood and the ash and the bones-

This will not end here.

His hands close around the ashes, around the sand, trying to hold you to his chest.

This isn’t the end; his eyes are wide open.

He will bring you back.

#the arcana #asra alanzar #asra/mc #i haven't written anything in a hot minute so beware #but id like feedback bc of that and this is why i am terrible #elena writes #asra route #asra the magician #asra alnazar #asra the arcana #it's on ao3 too but the html fucked everything up #also ayyy for me

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angeledeggs · 9 months

Note

I might just spontaneously combust if you answer but may I please request a Soulmate Au with our favorite incomprehensible Horror, Valdemar?

Of course! Valdemar has always been my favorite character from the arcana, after all, I love them so much. I decided to write with the red string soulmate au, since it's a classic and one of my favorite soulmate AUs. Oh, also, slight warning for mentions of death, plague, angst, etc.! Thanks for the request :)

You hated being around people.

It's not as though you were a horribly anxious person or extremely antisocial or anything (though you weren't quite extroverted, either). But going to a court meeting? It honestly sounded horrible to sit around the courtiers and more importantly, the Countess. She had requested your presence after your in depth and accurate reading of her as well as your headaches.

Now you waited nervously in the kitchen, pacing with nothing to do but wait for your carriage to come. You didn't even have your mentor Asra around to consult with your worries. Absentmindedly you pulled and twisted with the red string upon ring finger as you pace around the kitchen. And suddenly, a sharp knock on the front door. Hesitantly, you walk to he front door and peer out the blinds discreetly. You pull back immediately once you catch sight of the palace guard at your door and take a deep, slow breath in attempt to calm yourself. It couldn't go… too bad. So with one last deep breath and a hurried straightening to your outfit, you step outside to the carriage that awaits you.

The palace is… Enormous, to say the least. It stretches out wider than even the churches and the synagogues and mosques you've seen Vesuvia, which were big enough on their own. But the palace topped it all. Stepping into it made you feel nervous as you walked through the exquisite, marble halls. But it only grew as you glanced down at your string of fate across your finger. It trailed across the palace floor. Your soulmate was in the palace with you.

You walk faster.

When you enter the meeting room, conversation falls silent. You slowly continue through the room and nervously glance to the countess, just barely. She offers you the softest hint of a smile that makes you feel just a bit more at ease, so you take a seat at the empty chair at her side as conversation slowly starts back up. You look hesitantly up to Countess Nadia once more, but right as you are to speak, the meeting room doors open. Conversation falls silent immediately once more and you glance to the person entering. And suddenly, your heart sinks. The first thing you notice of them— before the horns, before the red eyes, before the layers of bandages— is their hands. Your string of fate connects to them.

Your soulmate.

Your eyes stay shakily locked on them as they take a seat directly across from you, seemingly bored. They catch your eye. A rush of something primal runs through you and you snap your gaze away, breath shallowing at simply their cool gaze. “Quaestor Valdemar, is there any reason why you have decided to show up late?” Countess Nadia says sternly to the figure. Quaestor Valdemar responds casually and sounds, frankly, unimpressed even by the Countess. “No, not in particular. I was… doing things.” They hum. Your hands dig into the fabric against your legs as you hear their voice, vaguely twinged with something vaguely European. “What sort of things?” Inquires Countess Nadia. You manage to flicker your gaze up to Quaestor Valdemar, who looks idley at the Countess. “…Work.” They drawl.

Their eyes are such a bright red, like blood. Their skin rather than being any sort of natural shade is instead green, though you can only see the skin of their face, the rest of their body covered by a uniform. Strangely enough you can barely even see their skin, as a white mask covers their mouth and nose. They must be not only the court treasurer, but a doctor of some sorts. Their hair and head is covered by some sort of bandaged contraption, but before you can examine the suspiciously horn shaped bandages, they look at you once more. You tilt your gaze to your lap and feel the red softness of your string feel like fire.You can barely pay attention to the meeting at all before you hurriedly rush out at the first instance you hear the Countess’ dismissal.

But you are barely 10 seconds out of the door before you hear heavy, quick footsteps following your own.

You need not even turn to know who it is.

You hurriedly begin to rush but they are faster and with no warning, Quaestor Valdemar suddenly snatches your wrist and yanks you into a more secluded hallway. You practically gape up at them, your eyes locking. Their touch is like fire on your wrists even though they are like ice to the touch. And when they lean closer, they whisper soft and harsh words. They hiss slowly. You can barely make out the imprint of sharp teeth through their face mask. Your gaze can't focus. It goes from their mask to their eyes. Mask, eyes, mask, eyes— “As far as I am concerned—” they choke out, sounding strangely worked up. You notice that they are not even looking at you. Their gaze is focused on your hand, on the red string that connects you both. “You— We— this will be nothing” they say hurriedly, angrily. You're speechless, shocked, really. Where did all of this come from? You hadn't even told them your name and here they are, cornering you and hissing hateful words through their mask. “I… what— what?” You manage to sputter, feeling a bit numb to this entire thing. Valdemar's eyes narrow upon your hand, though they still don't even look at you. They're much taller than you, much stronger.

“Listen to me carefully.” They whisper as they lean closer.

You can manage to see the imprint of a wide grin upon their face against their face mask, something much too big for a human face. Something primal stiffens the muscles around your spine, your hands. “We will be… Nothing. You hear me? Nothing.” You can't even respond to that, only stare at them in shock. And when they pull away and leave, you find yourself frozen for quite some time.

The ride back home seems longer than normal. When you enter, you feel the immediate and strong aura of your Master, Asra. He scurries towards you quickly, happily, but his face falls at your own expression. “Hey—” they say quickly. Your Master hurries over to you and grasps at your hand. “What is it? What's—” they look down at your hand. Your aura must have changed from the meeting. Asra’s eyes flicker with emotion. “Oh.” They murmur. He takes a deep breath and squeezes your hand with a gentle, comforting grip. “there's something… I need to tell you. Something about.. What happened. What happened before the plague. Before you…” You wince, feeling your soul practically shudder at the thought. “Before I died of the plague” Asra nods tearfully. “Yes..That.”

You're...dizzy.

Very dizzy.

Asra's words still echo in your mind. Before the plague. You had met your soulmate. Before your death. And you're on your way to the palace before you can even fully comprehend this, running and rushing past guards and servants, hurrying. You don't even know where you're going. But you feel it. Something's pulling you somewhere and you end up in the library. The library? You spread your hands around the air, looking across the deserted room. There's a pull… somewhere. There! You hurry towards the pull you feel and tap around the shelves. Something clicks into place and suddenly the shelf slides out of its place. “Oh.” You mumble. How.. Convenient. You definitely shouldn't follow the dark staircase behind it. But you do, anyways.

You end up after a five minute walk, at a barred door. You considered knocking at it, but instead you attempt to jiggle it. It slides with ease and you step into the dungeons. It's illuminated in red and smells of blood, of death, of plague. Of something dangerously non-human.

”You shouldn't be here”

Their voice is whispered this time. You whirl around and face your soulmate in the flesh, your breath shakey. They don't look at you. “you—” and barely, can you even speak in their presence. The string connects you two with a sea of red, making your fates all too real. “You knew me before?” You choke out, your accusation stumbling into a question.

Your eyes are teary, wide, drinking the Quaestor in. They're so… Familiar. They look familiar. As if you knew them for years. Hell, you might've. But you rushed out of the shop as soon as Asra explained the situation to you. Explained that your soulmate was the one who watched you die. “Who told you?” They murmur harshly, coldly. It somehow, feels… fake. Their gaze is cold, and their voice is colder. But it strikes you as… not genuine. They don't mean this, you suddenly realize. You two had been together. They must still care for you. In some way. In some sort of way that this non human noble might be able to.

You step forward. The Quaestor’s eyes widen and flicker towards yours before they look away. They make no move forward or back. You take another step forward. And another. And more until you two are merely inches apart. The Quaestor finally meets your eyes. And they look… Hurt. Human.

The sight makes your expression break.

Hurriedly, Valdemar reaches out, pressing a cold and gloved hand against your face. “Don't.” They whisper. You shudder against their touch. It feels so familiar. And dangerous, and evil. But something deep in you kept you there, telling you that they wouldn't hurt you. Their thumb idley strokes the curve of your face and they tilt your chin up, meeting your eyes once more with their own red ones. With their other hand, Valdemar pulls their mask down revealing their nose and mouth. They let out a soft, breathless noise.

“You…” they sigh and take a deep breath.“I had thought you were a demon of my own making.” They whisper, holding your gaze. It feels as though you can't even focus on anything but then now, nothing but their eyes.

“I..” Valdemar shudders, the action so human on their demonic body. “I had assumed you were fake. A demon.” Their grip on you tightens. “A demon like me” they hiss. “My own soulmate, back to haunt me.” They whisper. Your gaze flickers and wavers on their own, filled with tears, emotions that you don't know how to name, emotions that have been buried beneath layers of amnesia, twisting and bubbling in your chest. Your hand reaches up quickly to their wrist, holding onto it tightly. “You still think that?” You sputter, your voice feeling hoarse and numb, even. Valdemar gazes at you, slow, long. They lean just the slightest bit forward.

“No.” They murmur softly.

You feel drawn in by their eyes, their voice, all of them. When they lean further, you also lean forward, just the slightest bit. “What… Why?” You manage to ask softly, chokedly. Valdemar tilts your chin up further, as if examining you. “Your eyes.” They whisper.

You blink hurriedly, feeling something fuzzy stir in your chest, your hands, your face. “W..Why?” You mumble softly. Valdemar says nothing for awhile. They merely lean closer, and closer, and closer still. You should feel afraid. And kind of, you still do. There's the slightest bit of tightness around your spine, the soft twinge if primal fear that lingers in your body. “You look at me like no one else does.” Valdemar whispers. “You look at me… Like I'm a person.” That makes you start in shock, in surprise. You knew that they were not human looking, but were you really the only one that looked at them as if they were deserving of respect?

”You are.” You say, feeling as though it is actually a bit obvious. Even with the horns.

Valdemar blinks. And with no warning, they kiss you. They kiss you as if they have been starved of any sort of affection, as if they are on her brink of death. Their lips are cold and yet, hot against yours, burning ice, making your body ice and fire all together and at the same time. And when they pull back, their eyes glimmer in something evil and joyous.

“There you are.” They whisper. A very slight, small giggle escapes them. "My Soulmate," they coo, hands slinking around your back, sharp, black nails very lightly pressing against your clothes. They soften, just slightly. “My dear. It's been.. Too long. And I have.. I have quite missed you, my love.”

❀

#valdemar the arcana #quaestor valdemar #valdemar #the arcana apprentice #the arcana fanfic #the arcana game #x reader #valdemar x mc #valdemar x reader #soulmates #soulmate au #red string of fate

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dolceaspidenera · 3 months

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Vesuvia Weekly: Apprentice and LI Dynamics

Decided to throw my hat in since I came up with so much material in my head about my apprentice, Venere, and then realized I never posted anything, poor girl has been sitting on the bench for so long like “Am I a joke to you?”

@iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia Thank you for coming up with these prompts, I had fun doing this!

(I also mixed a bit of poetry in these hcs because I love it so much. Unfortunately, I suck at it, so don't mind too much of what I call my wordy farts)

VENERE x JULIAN – In a nutshell? The overly flirty, bisexual disaster that we all know meets a very practical and unimpressed girl (also, tall lanky man x small menace). What could go wrong?

A whirlwind. She’s swept away by it. Masks and play, it’s easier that way. A feverish dance, a push and pull, like sea waves. Backtracking, pacing, restlessness. The mind never stops and thinks and thinks and thinks. Where do you see value? You should leave but you are under my skin. Chasing shadows, facing gallows He can only be a martyr, the guilt takes its toll as the bell tolls The rope is made of faults and the executioner is called love. Now there are more hurts, and another love turns into flaming anger. How can she make him see? Gentleness, understanding, calm. We are in this together. Always.

Julian enters her life like a hurricane and turns it upside down. She is swept off her feet by his energy, but she is also sharp enough to see through him.

They have a rocky start. Julian is kind of intimidated, kind of intrigued, obviously his answer is to double down on the flirting.

Venere is… You guessed it: unimpressed. Don’t be fooled though, she is actually quite charmed, she likes Julian, but she needs her time to feel comfortable around new people. In the meantime, she has one of the biggest resting bitch faces ever.

Most of their early interactions involve Julian aggressively flirting and Venere blushing internally while exteriorly maintaining a deadpan expression.

Julian inevitably starts to question everything; does she find him so ugly? Does she find him annoying? Should he hide in the hole and never come up again? The poor man doesn’t know what to do.

Once they clear the air and Venere feels more comfortable, is when her true character starts to shine. She is passionate and has a fiery temper, which is good most of the time, but also means she tends to react with anger to upsetting situations. Julian is much better and practiced at controlling his anger and is a good counterweight to Venere.

This is also when the table turns and Venere starts shamelessly flirting with Julian. The poor doctor is a blushing mess.

She is ready to give him an earful whenever he is acting foolish, and she is not afraid of calling him out on his bullshit, but she also learns to be very patient with him. She is determined to make him understand that he is loved, and she is always there to remind him of what an incredible, beautiful man he is.

He teases her about her magic jargon, calling it her whimsical gibberish, she teases him for his medical fancy terms and most of all his unreadable writing.

When it comes to their respective work fields, they had to learn to communicate effectively; Julian is more comfortable with tangible and concrete things, while Venere tends to think in more abstract ways. Over time they learned to come together and communicate clearly.

They are actually a very good team. Venere is trying to implement Julian’s extensive knowledge of medicine with her magic, making medicines more effective and trying to come up with spells that can accelerate the healing process.

She is much more introverted than him, so she is always happy to let him handle social situations and let her full glorious resting bitch face shine while he charms his way out.

Their differences in social battery also mean that Venere needs her moments of solitude to recharge. The first few times it happened Julian panicked; was it something he said? After a much-needed conversation, he understands. Now, when she needs time alone, he goes to the Rowdy Raven or stops by to see Portia and Mazelinka.

Venere loves singing and dancing and Julian often accompanies her with his vielle. There's always music in their home.

After a period of travel, they settle down in Vesuvia and adopt a dog. Venere takes over her magic shop and Julian opens his clinic.

Their favourite moment is in the evening when, after a day of work, it’s finally time for a long, relaxing cuddle session. Julian wraps his arms around Venere and gives her one of his all-encompassing hugs and they snuggle on the sofa. They always say they’ll go to bed early but end up falling asleep like this.

RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER CHARACTERS:

ASRA

Complicated. Abandonment. Hurt. Mistakes. Easier to run, easier to avoid. She doesn’t understand. He doesn’t know how to explain. The past is a heavy burden of memories forgotten and others that would have been best to let rest. Only a half of what once was whole, but what has been broken cannot be repaired, you learn to live with what remains. You learn to live again.

Her relationship with Asra is very complicated.

There were a lot of hurt and misunderstandings. He kept disappearing without explanation and she never understood.

But the truth runs way, way deeper.

After everything is out in the open, they have many conversations.

After clearing up everything they share one of those incredibly rare and deep friendships.

They are family. They will always be there for each other and always root for each other happiness.

NADIA

Loneliness. The princess is trapped at the top of the tower, but the dragon is in her head, the dragon is everywhere around her. Judging eyes, power struggles, impossible expectations, who can you trust? Elegance, perfectionism, strength, intuition. She is many things, but most of all she is Nadia. Most of all, she needs someone to see it.

Nadia is… Well, she is Nadia! She is awesome!

Venere’s first impression was of someone very lonely. Although a bit intimidated, she took a liking to her very quickly.

In time, they cultivate a very profound friendship.

They chat about magic, and Venere always knows who to ask for fashion tips.

Most of all she knows who to turn to when she needs sound advice.

She has deep admiration for Nadia, she doesn’t know how someone can always look so perfect and in control and make appear so easy everything she does. But she is also there to remind Nadia that it’s okay to slip occasionally, and letting go sometimes feels good!

MURIEL

Gentle, coy, reserved. Violent scars on a delicate soul. Does a tree make noise when it falls in the forest? It’s easier to forget but if everyone forgets, were you even ever there? Long silences can become deafening in loneliness. And yet, when you start to listen you realize there is so much more life around you. Small details you usually don’t catch. It’s always in the details.

Muriel and Venere have one of those friendships that don’t require many words. They are content to spend time together, enjoying each other company in a relaxed silence.

When Venere needs some reprieve, she knows she can accompany Muriel on his walks around the forest and she loves being immersed in nature.

Venere adores Inanna, she gives the best belly rubs to the best of girls.

They spend time enjoying the quiet of Muriel’s hut and he allows her to feed the chickens! One of Venere’s favourite activities.

If someone bothers Muriel, despite Venere being much, much smaller than him, she is the one to fly into a rage and put the offender in their place. Has anyone never told them not to provoke a magician?

Venere often comes to visit him and brings him lots of baked goods to taste. She is still learning to cook decently, so not everything comes out exactly as intended. He still eats everything without batting an eye, probably to be polite.

PORTIA

Bubbly energy. Movement, flow, a tidal wave. Hunger for adventure, but she is always left behind. There is worth in the work you do but sometimes the work becomes all you are worth. There is more under the surface, you are allowed to slow down. You always have value.

Portia is Venere’s adopted little sister. She loves her energy and positivity and is always happy to pass the ball when Julian needs a good kick in the shin.

They have a book club now. They take it very seriously and religiously make time each week to sit down together to discuss stories and characters.

To the delight of Julian, Venere teaches her magic. He has a small panic attack when she accidentally sets a tree on fire. Luckily, Portia is an eager student and recovers very quickly without further fiery incidents.

In return, Portia tries to teach Venere to bake, with varying degrees of success. She is trying, okay? Luckily, most of her culinary experiments are still appreciated by Julian, Asra and Muriel.

When Portia feels like going on an adventure, she always knows who to call for.

LUCIO

Cold metal spikes all around. Hurt others before they can hurt him. Mistakes, regrets, there’s much to learn. Pride is always the mask shame wears, covering itself with sparkly meaningless.

Let’s say that she doesn’t take well of Lucio hurting her loved ones. When she discovers what he did to Julian she is furious.

In an alternative universe, she would be more than happy to be his friend. She believes in second chances and respects his willingness to be better.

Lucio ends up relying a lot on her when he makes an “Opsie” and needs someone to help him fix it.

With time, he gets better at handling his mistakes and learns how powerful accountability can be.

She isn’t one for big parties, but the rare times she needs some tips on the subject she can always count on Lucio.

When she needs to let out some steam, she knows he is the guy to go to. He has always a good monster on the list ready to chase, or some other adventure to go, Portia can come too!

#Definitely not my highest writing moment but I had fun and that's the point - no?#vesuvia weekly #MC/LI dynamics #the arcana #the arcana game #julian devorak #ilya devorak #asra alnazar #nadia satrinava #muriel of the kokhuri #portia devorak #lucio morgasson #OC: Venere #the arcana headcanons #my wordy farts #my writing

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iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia · 10 months

Note

Imagine that after defeating the devil (or Lucio) Mc gets a bit stronger physically and more powerful in magic how would the M6 react to Mc accidently breaking something without knowing their new strength?

Like for example: Mc was walking through the door and didn't let go of the handle quick and ripped it off its hinges. Cue both Mc and M6 staring in shock.

Or breaking a hard metal without struggle.

-🐙

The Arcana HCs: When MC is a little too strong

~ octopus friend, thanks for the prompt! I've actually already written a set of headcanons for something like this (I'll add it below) but the scene you described is so perfect I had to make a sequel XD Enjoy! - brainrot ~

Related: When MC is stronger than they look

Julian

The two of you were out and about in the South End Market, perusing the stalls when he let out a shout and pointed

There's an exceptionally icky man sliding through the crowd, lifting wallets from people's pockets left and right. Julian, being the hero he is, begins to give chase and calls for you to assist him

The street's too crowded, so you hustle through some back alleyways and pop back out further up the street

Your lover's indignant yelling has tipped off the pickpocketer and the scoundrel is running full speed right past your alleyway, your beloved trying and failing to give chase a good ten people away

In a last-ditch effort to stop him, you reach out and manage to grab the icky man's arm. You dig your heels in and yank

Only to watch him go sailing backwards, over several people's heads, bounce off of a pile of carpets, and land in the canal

Well. It seems you've gotten considerably stronger

Julian catches up to you quickly, initially concerned for your wellbeing and determined to ensure that you are unharmed

Once he does, you'll have to escort him home as quickly as possible, because he finds your strength too attractive to appropriately contain himself

Asra

There's a story behind how the two of you hitched a ride with the cabbage man during your post-Devil trip all over the continent

You had stopped in the capital city of a nearby country and the two of you were having a grand time wandering around, trying new foods, meeting new people, and finding new mischief

As you're passing through one of the major marketplaces, your attention is grabbed by an unusually large wash basin careening through the streets bearing a motley crew of teenagers

Asra's springing into action before you can, sending out waves of magic to move people out of the way and propel the seemingly jet-powered bathtub the rest of the way across the square

It's a cry of "my cabbages!" that pulls your attention to one unfortunate vendor who has left his cart parked directly in the path of the tin of troubled youths

You only mean to pull the obstacle out of the way (really!) but your tug sends the cabbage cart up over your head, on a short arc through the air until it lands safely on a surprisingly sturdy booth roof

When you turn back around, the crowd is watching you slack jawed, the cabbage man is in grateful ecstasy, and Asra is on the ground in tears, wheezing with uncontrollable laughter

Nadia

You had been doing some research in the library to assist with Nadia's "revive Vesuvia" project and stumbled on some old manuscripts detailing earlier blueprints of the city layout

As soon as you find it and the bundle of useful information it was stored with, you rush out to fetch your beloved Countess and show her your discovery

The two of you are walking back through the halls, her eyes resting on you fondly as you summarize what you've found so far

You're so caught up in conversation that you don't think twice about the library door when you approach it. It was unlocked on your way out minutes ago, it's safe to assume that it still is on your way back in

You face Nadia, groping behind you for the handle, about to ask her what the amused expression stealing across her face is for as you tug open the door

Your question is answered for you when the screech of bending and snapping metal grates across your ears, Nadia's face quickly going blank in shock

She steps forward slowly, inspecting the damage you caused when you ripped over twelve deadbolts out of the palace wall before turning back to you with a disbelieving laugh

... so it seems that the door wasn't unlocked, after all

Muriel

You're working in the clearing with him when you accidentally make yourself nature's greatest problem child

There's an annoying infestation of a certain type of plant recently that the chickens keep eating even though it isn't good for them

You're tired of your soft-hearted lover bringing vomiting poultry into the hut at all hours of the night to nurse them back to health, only for the foolish birds to go straight back out and eat it again

So you're spending your morning hunched over the grass, clearing the area section by section of the godforsaken herb

There's sweat trickling into your eyes, making it difficult to see, and when Muriel calls your name you don't look at the next thing you've grasped, only giving it an angry yank as you answer him

You're thrown off balance when the root you pull turns out to be way longer than the weeds you were dealing with earlier, landing on your back just in time to see the tree above you slowly rotate and crack

You barely have a second to process the situation before you hear a shout and feel yourself getting scooped up and out of the way, a whole section of that tree's root system still in your fist

Muriel spends the next half hour staring silently at the uprooted tree, deep in thought as the chickens huddle at his feet

Portia

Most of the time, being the partner of an ambassador is exciting in a fairly peaceful manner. Stressful days occur when the nobles Portia negotiates with don't cooperate or storms happen at sea

In today's case, though, it begins with sighting a pirate ship off in the distance. You thought at first that they would know better than to go up against a boat like yours, but it seems they don't

Soon enough the enemy is bearing down on you, cannons out, the crewmembers on deck visibly armed to the teeth

Portia's not one to take this lying down - she is Mazelinka's unofficial granddaughter, after all - and is bellowing orders to the sailors to ready your own ship for battle

"MC!" she shouts, "Get those cannonballs closer to the railing!"

You scramble to the pile of cannon fodder and snatch one up. It's way lighter than you expected, so you blindly hurl it in the direction of the cannons facing the enemy ship and bend down for the next

The deck becomes oddly quiet split seconds before you hear a distant crash and yell. You straighten up and turn around in time to see one of the enemy's masts shatter and fall into the waves

Portia's laughing into a shared kiss before you can ask her what's happened. "MC," she cackles, "MC, you fantastic fool."

Lucio

Today's job has been rewardingly difficult. It's not every day you go up against a stone giant, but this one was terrorizing an entire town for weeks on end before the two of you showed up

It hadn't been very promising at first, Lucio's sword being one of the first things to go, but then you were able to figure out that the loud growling was coming from its stomach and not its mouth

Once you negotiated its access to the local food supply the misunderstanding was quickly cleared up. You turn from the happy ending to see your darling Lucio cradling the now-wrinkly blade

He's distraught - this sword is one of the remaining relics from his countship and it's served him very well over the years

You take it from him before he discovers that it won't be able to slide so neatly into its sheath and take a look at it. It's not a total pretzel - it just needs to be stretched out

You give the two ends of it a tug, as if to affirm your assessment, and before your eyes the metal creaks and straightens. You accidentally leave a divot at the tip in the shape of your thumb

Lucio's too puffed up with pride and joy to question it - he's already waving it in the air and claiming all it needs now is a sharpening

But he is going to look into powering up his gauntlet, if possible

#ask arcana brainrot #the arcana #the arcana headcanons #the arcana hc #asra the arcana #julian the arcana #nadia the arcana #muriel the arcana #portia the arcana #lucio the arcana #the arcana game #the arcana shitpost #asra alnazar #julian devorak #nadia satrinava #muriel of the kokhuri #portia devorak #lucio morgasson #the arcana crack

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garden-of-omegas · 1 year

Text

⚜ FIRST MEETING [ARCANA - ROMANCEABLES] ⚜

┌── ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ••✎•• ──────────

characters: asra | nadia | julian | muriel | portia | lucio summary: the details of your first meeting with your future mate. warnings: none? i think. rating: sfw a/n: starting with the basics this time! don't worry about the missing writings, they're not completely gone and will be back sooner or later. i just realized i needed to revise a lot of stuff and i'd rather do that now rather than way later when they're half-lost under everything else.

~🎕

└── ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ••✎•• ──────────

≿━━━━༺❀ asra ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were a wandering magician, looking for a place to settle down with your familiar, an european badger named ursula. you'd recently arrived at vesuvia, where you were planning to stay for only a few days.

✿ asra was eighteen at the time, and had yet to start his travelling lifestyle. you, on the other hand, claimed to be around the same age though you never mentioned your exact age. however, you were apparently already tired of your travels.

✿ you met asra during a masquerade, the first time you'd ever come to vesuvia. he had set up a little fortune telling booth near the market, and you were wandering around taking in the sights. you happened upon his booth during your wandering, and showed him a few tips to fortune telling after having your own fortune read. asra immediately asked you to teach him more. [☘]

✿ you agreed to teach him a few tricks if he showed you around vesuvia, as you had yet to figure your way fully around. his enthusiasm made you fall in love with vesuvia (and him) and eventually you went on to buy the shop he'd set his booth at.

✿ asra admired you instantly upon meeting you, you were so knowledgeable and wise about magic and the world. spending some time with you let him even see a glimpse behind the gruff look on your face, and he thinks some part of him fell in love with you then. you found asra to be cute, his eternally curious disposition quickly breaking through your usually tough facade. it didn't take long for you to decide that spending more time with the cute omega wouldn't be too bad.

≿━━━━༺❀ nadia ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were a magician looking for something shown to you in a vision you'd had. you'd been on the road with your familiar, a jackdaw named camma, for several years at that point. vesuvia was originally just a stopping point for you on your journey.

✿ nadia was twenty at the time, recently engaged to lucio (sort of, anyways...). you were apparently around the same age, though with apparent wisdow beyond your years.

✿ you happened upon nadia in the town square of vesuvia, both of you rather new to the city-nation. she was just leaving her carriage when you'd stopped by to ask her about her clothes and carriage, ever curious about anything new. nadia gladly answered you, drawing you both into a conversation about her home country.

✿ nadia had to eventually leave for her duties, but she invited you over for discussions several times afterwards while you were still in the city. you eventually decided to stay, feeling like vesuvia was where you were meant to be and went on to open your own shop.

✿ nadia thought of you as an interesting person, your curiosity apparent and rather cute. she especially admired your intelligence and talents, making your constant talking far more tolerable than most other people she has to listen to. to you nadia was the most curious thing in the entirety of vesuvia, something about her drawing you to her instantly. you weren't sure if it was her scent, so exotic, or something more magical. regardless, you couldn't wait to get to know more about her.

≿━━━━༺❀ julian ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were a magic shop owner in vesuvia, having already settled down some time ago, though you still dreamed about your past of travelling. at least your familiar, an irish wolfhound named calum, was content with it all.

✿ you were both in your mid-twenties, supposedly. it was shortly after the plague started, after you were forced to close your shop and were looking for someway else to help the community.

✿ you ended up at julian's clinic's doorstep unexpectedly, looking to make use of your medicinal magic skills with the help of a real doctor. or, as close to one as you could get. julian opened the door expecting a patient, and instead got a stern looking magician asking to become his assistant. a few flustered stammers later he let you inside.

✿ julian gladly took you in as an apprentice after seeing your work, even with his apprehension towards magic. the two of you got close rather quickly, given how much time you were spending together prior to julian's call to the palace.

✿ after the initial surprise of seeing you on his doorstep, julian couldn't help but think of how pretty you were. a perfect alpha, though he'd never admit that that's what he thought. that, and he couldn't help but admire your talents with medicine. you mostly thought of julian as cute. stammery, dramatic, and extremely cute. a bit odd with his mannerisms, but his dedication to his craft is what really caught your attention. who wouldn't admire such passion for helping people?

≿━━━━༺❀ muriel ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were running a shop in vesuvia, working as a magician and trying to keep your rather new life intact. your familiar, a fallow deer named aldwyn, was especially taking your new city life badly.

✿ you were young adults at the time. your meeting was only shortly after you'd settled in vesuvia and asra started staying with you. not that asra was home at the time.

✿ you were out in the forest looking for herbs with aldwyn, who was leading you to all the best spots. he lead you to a small hut, with all kinds of helpful herbs growing around the area. then you got a faceful of wolf and had to be saved by a large omega smelling like all those herbs.

✿ muriel of course did his best to herd you away from his hut, but being the stubborn idiot that you are you kept returning back. it was the best place for herbs you'd found, and the cute omega was a delightful bonus of course.

✿ muriel mostly thought of you as weird. oh so weird. you were stubborn, oddly cheerful, and despite his gruff personality kept calling him cute. he was sure that inanna had knocked something lose in your head. at least your deer companion was cute. you were enamored with muriel immediately, almost sensing his gentle giant heart. and his grumpy pouts were far too cute to pass up on. so you decided immediately that you'd make it your life mission to bother him at his little hut as much as possible.

≿━━━━༺❀ portia ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were a travelling magician at the time, having only recently started your journey with your newly minted familiar, a ferret named leda. though really, you were just an apprenticing magician at the time. [☘]

✿ you were both so young, portia only a little over a decade and you in your early teens. julian had just left nevivon, and portia was still waiting for the day to go after him.

✿ you'd just arrived in nevivon, having heard about their salts and being interested in their possible magical properties. you were looking for someone to show you around when a bushy-haired little girl stepped onto your bath and offered to show you around. you of course took her offer, she was too cute to resist.

✿ portia showed you all around town, and eventually lead you to a place where you could purchase their famed salts. after a few tests, you got them to spark with magic, and it was over for you. portia spent the rest of your visit following you around in hopes of more magic.

✿ you were the most incredible thing portia had ever seen. your grand stories and magic tricks, oh she could just spend all her time listening to them! she was so sad to see you go when you had to leave to continue your journey. you thought portia was just the cutest thing ever, with her wild hair, boundless excitement and little button-nose. and so eager to see more of your magic! you'd never had someone so excited about something that felt so natural to you. you loved that feeling.

≿━━━━༺❀ lucio ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ when you truly first met lucio, you were incomprehensible and unknowning, but that's a memory lucio couldn't have and you lost. so, at the time of your actual first meeting you were a magician masquerading as a doctor.

✿ it was the start of the plague in vesuvia, you were in your mid-twenties and you had just started working at the palace to find a cure for the plague, one of the first to be called upon.

✿ you stepped into the count's bedroom, a few magical books with you and your familiar, a sphynx cat named primavera, hanging off your back. lucio spots you from his pet and calls you a servant, ordering you to bring him some water. he gets a surprise when you start laughing, and conjure a pitcher of magic for him.

✿ you spent most of lucio's early illness with him, taking care of him and trying to find ways to stop the plague from advancing. up until your eventual death you spent most of your waking-time by his side, looking after him and entertaining him.

✿ lucio was at first certain you were a hallucination made up by his illness, no way someone could be so perfect and beautiful. the moment your pissed off face broke into a melodious laughter he fell in love just a little bit. your soul knew he was it, this was it, but you yourself thought of him as a spoiled little brat. but primavera liked him immensely, so you decided that he was fine, and it didn't take that long for you to worm your way under his facade.

#⚜ garden walks #omegaverse #a/b/o #alpha!reader #x reader #the arcana #asra alnazar #omega!asra #nadia satrinava #omega!nadia #julian devorak #omega!julian #muriel #omega!muriel #portia devorak #omega!portia #lucio morgasson #omega!lucio #arcana - romanceables

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saintunhinged · 2 years

Text

Yandere Asra

content warning; possessiveness, manipulation, obsession if you squint.

“I’m doing this because I love you.”

if you’re being honest, you figured Asra was a little too protective of you.

everytime you asked to join him on a journey, he told you staying home was safer.

he started asking you to not leave the shop while he was away, sometimes going as far as to put a spell around the perimeter to make sure no one entered or left.

this time you’re more than a bit upset that he left you, AGAIN.

you were used to it, but it still hurt.

what did he expect you to do alone with no freedom?

when he returns home, he can’t wait to reunite with you.

he tells you, while persistently insisting you cuddle in bed with him, “I love you.” “I need you.” “I missed you.”

but you don’t feel like being bothered, especially not by him.

you roll over, escaping his embrace.

“Not right now,” you distantly say, “I’m tired.”

It doesn’t stop him from pulling you back against his chest. “Are you not happy to see me?” his hot breath tickles the flesh below your neck, then you feel his lips caress your skin, “I love you.” He says it again, but you aren’t so sure you believe him anymore. If he does love you, how come you feel like a hostage in this realtionship.

You abruptly sit up, and a flash of confusion washes across his face. “What’s wrong, where are you going?” Asra asks, as he watches you stumble over him to crawl out of bed.

“Out. Or do I need your permission first?” Your tone was admittedly harsh and you felt a bit bad for snapping at him, but you were growing tired of constantly being left behind, despite your protests. You took the steps to the main floor of the shop, and Asra was quick to follow. Taken aback by your harsh tone, he stands aside while you put on shoes.

Truthfully, he preferred you consulted with him if you wanted to step out. Wherever you go he must know. What if something happened to you while you were out and he couldn’t find you? He’d tear apart the whole of Vesuvia until he did.

He ignored the last part of your indirect assumption, if only you were aware of how much truth your sarcasm held. “Where?” He skeptically questioned.

You answered, irked with his constant questioning, “The Rowdy Raven.” You probably should have provided context. Asra’s mind flooded with the worst scenarios. Why? For what? You never went there unless Julian stopped by and invited the two of you for a night out! Were you going to see Julian??? You’re not cheating on him, are you?!

He planned to see what you were up to himself. “I’ll come with you.” He hastily states, but the idea of it didn’t excite you, nonetheless.

Asra felt you didn’t need to be anywhere he wasn’t. It would be okay as long as he tagged along. After all, he was only looking out for you.

You shake your head, ready to protest against it, “No.” You simply say.

He frowns, feeling his body tense.“No?” His tone gave away to mock irony. You weren’t supposed to tell him ‘no’. You were supposed to say ‘of course, you can come. I love you, Asra!’

You had to be cheating on him! Why couldn’t he go with you?! If you were, he’d deal with Julian, make an example of him. Then Asra would make you understand you only needed him. No one else deserved you like he did!!!

He didn’t take that word lightly. If you wished to leave without him, you weren’t leaving at all. While you were too busy looking for your satchel, he conjured a spell to ward the shop. Even as a magician, he doubted you could take it down on your own.

He had a plan to convince you to stay, the ward was just a backup in case you still weren’t in your right mind after he finished.

“You didn’t say it back.”

You turned to face him, your eyebrows coming together as you stared. “What?” You cluelessly inquired. Say what back?

He forced his eyes to water under you gaze. “I told you I love you,” Asra shifts closer to you, playing up his emotions. He really did love you more than anything, and he didn’t like not hearing you return his affection, “You didn’t say it back.” so he used it to his advantage.

You hesitated, the tears in his eyes were luring you in. You didn’t see him cry often, but when you did, you knew he wasn’t okay. “Asra, I—” your words faltered catching sight of a single tear roll down his cheek.

“You don’t love me anymore, do you?” His words broke the restraints holding you back. You rushed across the shop, cupping his face in your hands.

You used your thumb to wipe away the wet streams dripping down his chin. You brushed at a white curl falling in his face to search his purple eyes. “Of course, I love you, Asra. Please don’t doubt my love for you. I just..” you trailed off, you didn’t know how to tell him you needed to be away from him for awhile.

His arms tightened around you, your head flush against his chest as he inhaled a deep breath of your scent. He thought you smelled heavenly as he rested his head on top of yours, “Then stay here with me, don’t go.” His voice dripped with despair, it left you feeling guilty to know you were the reason behind it.

That’s what he wanted you to think.

He led you to believe you had the power to choose what happened next. You didn’t. You were going to stay with him, despite what you wanted. But if you didn’t try leaving, Asra wouldn’t have to deal with you being angry with him later on. You wouldn’t know he has you on lockdown.

You stalled, letting the silence linger between you before responding, “I’ll stay.”

A complacent smile threatened to grow on his lips. His eyes slipped close, hugging you tighter than you thought necessary. To him, it was the best thing having you in his arms like this. Satisfied with his performance, his tears stopped. You were meant to be with him forever. He acknowledged how wrong it was to exploit you like that, but he had to. He knew it was for your own good.

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