#Odelia the Artificer

[thearcanaartificer]

Here is more for the 25 Arcana OC and LI Lore Asks. I have actually finished them all and will be releasing them a little at a time. It was such fun to write and I hope other people enjoy learning more about Odelia.

IV.) How did your MC and their LI first profess their feelings for one another? Was it a slow burn? Love at first sight?

There was a definite pull when Odelia (re)met Julian three years after she woke up with amnesia. She might not remember people, but her heart still has ties to people. She knows a friend from her past life when she sees one but with Julian it wasn’t just that friendly endearment or immediate respect and warmth or sibling fondness. It was like a hot fire at the hearth and that feeling of coming home at last after a long day out. The comforts of home and the feeling of belonging. She knew that he was special to her and the more she got to know him, the more her heart was endeared to him, flaws and all.

I’m not entirely sure when its all spelled out exactly- that they have feelings for each other- but its not something she’ll just keep to herself if it will help her get through to him (and she tends to be honest in that regard about how she feels about people). Or even make him understand he can’t do foolish things and think no body will have a problem with it.

V.) What would your MC do for their LI after they come home from a long/bad/hard day? What would their LI do for them?

Odelia’s giving love languages is gift giving and physical touch. So, really, what wouldn’t she do for Julian? If he comes home from a bad day, she’ll start subtle- because she can usually spot a change in his mood quickly if her head’s not up in the clouds on some project she’s working- and start by helping him disrobe his coat and other unneeded outwear now that he is home. Depending on how bad a day, she’ll either progressively baby him more and more as the night goes on or immediately get to coddling him- but she has to read his mood right. Sometimes, if she goes too fast into things, he’ll startle, still very unused to being loved so freely.

Long days are a bit differently because his mood is still good, he’s just emotionally and physically exhausted, but not to the point of breaking. She’ll still coddle him but she’s more willing to be a little rough with him if he outright asks for it.

Other than pampering, she will use sex as a means of helping him unwind from bad or hard days- but she has to gauge that he’s in the right headspace. If he’s not in a good mental space, she’ll outright avoid sex and instead pamper him with honeyed words and reaffirm he’s well treasured and loved.

If Odelia’s the one having a long (or bad) day, what she wants most is attention. Asra use to take off all the time and she was left alone and she hates being alone. It’s why she has so many animals and seeks out her friends for attention. Now that she has Julian it’s a lot easier to get attention when she’s had a bad day. He will often let her vent out her frustrations before pulling her in for some cuddling. Because she’s so much smaller than him, some nights he’ll just heft her up and carry her around with him if she’s being especially clingy. He also knows when its time to go get her some comfort food- like treats from Sesali’s bakery- and will bend over backwards to make her feel better. Hugs, kisses, foot massage, offers to read, needed affirmations, and all the attention she wants.

[ao3feed-thearcana]

by Enchanters Nightshade (Abstract_Apotheosis)

The Artificer. The first master of magical engineering. There were stories about the being that was said to have mastered all forms of magic and even some fields of science. Some said that the Artificer had resurrected three years ago from the ashes of Lazaret, like a blazing phoenix; some say that the Artificer could breath life into inanimate objects, making things move with just the slightest of will from the user; while some, those that really knew the Artificer, told the rest that she's the tiny little hellion over there with the fox perched on her head, squealing and dancing childishly over the fresh hot pumpkin bread the baker was giving her. All while arguing with birds. Yep. That's her.

After taking three years to rebuild her life from nothing, Odelia finds herself thrown into the wildest investigation surrounding the mystery of the Count's death. With the help of unlikely new acquaintances, one of which she finds herself falling hard for, and some of her dearest friends, she's about to uncover more than anyone was expecting.

Words: 2777, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: The Arcana (Visual Novel)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: Multi

Characters: Apprentice (The Arcana), Julian Devorak, Portia Devorak, Nadia (The Arcana), Nazali Satrinava, Asra (The Arcana)

Relationships: Apprentice/Julian Devorak, Portia Devorak/Nadia

Additional Tags: Adventure & Romance, all the feelings, Some Canon Stuff, but Odelia diverts a lot, Trying to mesh all the facts from different LI stories into one, Key word Trying, fluffy stuff, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Cuddling, Romantic Fluff, Strong Friendships, Mental Health Issues, Swearing, I'll add more as I think of them?, Attempt at Humor

[thearcanaartificer]

1 15 19 28 29 for Odelia!

@vikinglumberjack Thank you so much for the ask! Here are the answers to those questions! I had a wonderful time thinking them out and it made my night.

1. Do they sleep with a stuffed animal? If they have multiple, who’s the favorite?

She has a few. She made a lot of stuffed animals when she was regaining a lot of her motor skills as a way to practice her stitching and pattern making, though most she donated to the local orphanage for the children there and a few have been given to her pets as toys. She likes making stylized bunnies, dogs, cats, birds, and teddy bears. Asra had to hide most of her old ones she had from their childhood- even the ones she had made for him when he was ten or so.

Her most prized one is actually one that she found that Asra didn’t hide very well. A black bunny with mismatched button eyes. She calls it Pumpkin (Yes, she had just bitten into some of Sesali’s pumpkin bread when she named the thing). It’s not well put together and the type of stitching that was used is the wrong choice- like a surgeon had sewn it together like they would a laceration- and messy, but the thing is worn and obviously well loved. She felt attached to it from the first moment she discovered it.

She use to chew on its ears a lot when she was first recovering from her amnesia as a form of comfort. She’s stopped since then, and now she takes the best care of it since its the only part of her past that she seems to be able to hold on to without headaches.

15. What would they consider a waste of time– other than school or work?

Oddly enough, she finds sitting down to do her hair or having to apply make up or even more complicated outfits a waste of time. She’s very utilitarian in that regard. A ponytail will keep her hair out of her face so why spend hours learning how to do complicated braids simply because they look pretty?

Don’t be mistaken though. If Portia or Nadia or Julian want to do her hair or make up or dress her up- the time is no longer wasted. They enjoy doing those sorts of things and letting them enjoy themselves, despite how much she doesn’t understand why its enjoyable to them, means the time is well spent.

On her own though, nah. She’d rather do anything else- just throw on some clothes, toss her hair into a pony tail, and get going.

19. Do they study before tests? Practice before job interviews?

Odelia is the rare hardworking genius. She doesn’t have tests she has to take (and she’s never had to do a job interview), but she holds herself to a high standard and studies and practices a verity of different skillsets- from medicine to sewing to metalwork to magic and much more. She may not be the master of any one trade, but she can do a huge menagerie of things at a high skill level. Her personal motto is the old saying ‘A jack of all trades and a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one’.

28. Would they date a fixer-upper?

Out of all the LIs, Odelia loves Julian. So yes, technically people would say she’d date a fixer-upper. However, she’s not out to ‘fix’ who he is (because fundamentally he is sweet, affectionate, altruistic, funny, smart, thoughtful, delightfully dramatic, charismatic, and loyal), but she does try to promote good mental health decisions and tries to good care of him (because he is also anxious, so touch-starved he gets scared and tries to flee when he thinks things are too good to be true, self-loathing, self-deprecating, sometimes depressed, and drinks too much when he gets trapped in his own head). She loves him for who he is and merely helps encourage him to make wise choices when he’s having a bad day, like not drinking himself stupid or that its more than okay to ask for help rather than shoulder the whole burden himself or even that he doesn’t have to earn love. That her love isn’t something that’s going to fade away (though she isn’t perfect and will sometimes get frustrated with him and not always rightfully so because she has bad days too) and will weather the bad days (hers and his) just fine. She knows everyone has negative traits (she has plenty herself) and that’s not something that can necessarily be ‘fixed’, but good choices can be made in regards to them.

29. What recurring dreams do they have?

Odelia doesn’t necessarily have reoccurring dreams. If she is stuck on a project, her mind will try to find a solution while she sleeps, so sometimes, on more tricky problems, she will have dreams about how to solve said conundrum. Though there are most reoccurring themes in her dreams. Most are in a scape with an abundance of foliage and overstuffed bookshelves. Turns out there is a lot of overgrowth of vegetation (and bookshelves with tons of books) in her own personal gate.

[thearcanaartificer]

Still working through the fun questions of 25 Arcana OC and LI Lore Asks. They are very fun and it takes time to think through some of the questions I’ve never really given thought about.

IV.) How did your MC and their LI first profess their feelings for one another? Was it a slow burn? Love at first sight?

There was a definite pull when Odelia (re)met Julian three years after she woke up with amnesia. She might not remember people, but her heart still has ties to people. She instinctively knows a friend from her past life when she sees one, but, with Julian, it wasn’t a feeling of friendly endearment or immediate respect and warmth or sibling fondness. It was like a crackling, hot fire burning in the hearth of a home. That wonderful feeling of coming back to the comforts of home, at last, after a long day out and the feeling of belonging. She knew that he was special to her and the more she got to know him, the more her heart was endeared to him, (constantly overstated) flaws and all.

I’m not entirely sure when its all spelled out exactly- that they have feelings for each other- but its not something she’ll just keep to herself if it will help her get through to him (and she tends to be honest in that regard about how she feels about people). Or even make him understand he can’t do foolish things and think no body will have a problem with it.

V.) What would your MC do for their LI after they come home from a long/bad/hard day? What would their LI do for them?

Odelia’s giving love languages is gift giving and physical touch. So, really, what wouldn’t she do for Julian? If he comes home from a bad day, she’ll start subtle- because she can usually spot a change in his mood quickly if she’s not stuck in her own head over some project she’s working- and start by helping him disrobe his coat and other unneeded outwear now that he is home. Depending on how bad a day, she’ll either progressively baby him more and more as the night goes on or immediately get to coddling him- but she has to read his mood right. Sometimes, if she goes too fast into things, he’ll startle, still very unused to being loved unconditionally.

Long days are a bit different because his mood can be still good, he’s just emotionally and physically exhausted, but not to the point of breaking. She’ll still coddle him but she’s more willing to be a little rough with him if he outright asks for it.

Other than doting on him, she will use sex as a means of helping him unwind from bad or hard days- but she has to gauge that he’s in the right headspace. If he’s not in a good place mentally, she’ll outright avoid sex and instead pamper him with tender touches, honeyed words, and reaffirm he’s well treasured and loved.

If Odelia’s the one having a long (or bad) day, what she wants most is attention. Asra use to take off all the time after she was rehabilitated and she was left alone. She hates being alone. It’s why she has so many animals and seeks out her friends for attention. Or buries her head into her work so not to think about how lonely she feels. Now that she has Julian, it’s a lot easier to get attention when she’s had a bad day. He will often let her vent out her frustrations before pulling her in for some cuddling. Because she’s so much smaller than him, some nights he’ll just heft her up into his arms and carry her around with him if she’s being especially clingy (or she’ll piggy back). He also knows when it’s time to go get her some comfort food- like treats from Sesali’s bakery- and will bend over backwards to make her feel better. Hugs, kisses, foot massage, offers to read aloud to her, tell her wild tales, give her needed love affirmations, and all the attention she wants.

VI.) Is your MC combat proficient? Where or whom did they learn from?

Yes! She’s very combat proficient. She’s always had a wonderful sense of balance and is incredible flexible and that’s really helped her. Though she also has physical triggers that cause her to instinctively attack. When her fight or flight is triggered, however innocently it is, she’s prone to attacking first, asking awkward questions later. Odelia’s learned from a multitude of ways- including outright bar brawling alongside Portia. Asra taught her the basics of using magic as a form of defense, though not as a means of offense. She quickly figured out how to utilize different spells offensively with how wide her abilities range.

However, she has become more combat proficient because the (interim) Court Physician- Glory, she nicknamed the grouchy, old Vopel woman- wanted a sparring partner. She taught her Prakran swordplay, archery, marksmanship, and the basics of hand to hand. Odelia has never actually won against Glory at any of it. But Glory keeps demanding her assistance, regardless of if she’s a challenge or not. Odelia suspects the point of the whole affair is, in a backwards manner, to teach her how to defend herself, because Pontifex Volgura has attempted to challenge her and Glory outright sniffed dismissively at their blatant demands.

[thearcanaartificer]

Nobody asked for any, but I’m going to answer then regardless because I am proud of my character and I love her. I’ll be doing three at a time so not to overwhelm myself or others.

I.) How did your MC and their LI first meet?

Julian and Odelia have met several times in the past, however, I will skip over those for now (I am reworking the story I’m writing and don’t want to spoil too much of it). They met about a month before the whole event in the shop where she bashed his skull in with a priceless glass bottle she had been given as a gift. She had been at the Rowdy Raven to do Barth’s books (she’s good with numbers) and he had passed out after a drinking binge. With no place safe for him to stay like this around there, Barth let her take him somewhere safe and away from the eyes of the palace.

II.) What was your MC’s first impression of their LI? What about their LI’s first impression of them? Was it accurate or did them getting to know one another change how they saw each other?

Julian’s reputation had proceeded him when Odelia had first met him. More tall tales than truths, but she knew for a fact that he was an unlicensed doctor and wanted for the Count’s murder- everything else was here-say. Her first impression of him was that he had definitely had hit a low spot emotionally, especially if he had returned here, and that she doubted he had received any sort of care for a long while. He was still quite a handsome man, though he looked bedraggled and possibly had lice. “Poor baby” was one of the things she had declared after checking him over for Barth to make sure he hadn’t dropped dead from intoxication.

Julian’s first impression of her was that she had to be some sort of saint. He had thrown up at least twice when he first woke up, cried, and all she did was soothe him back to sleep. He thought she was one of Barth’s barmaids though. Then when he woke again- barely remembering anything of that night- in a small overstuffed library that had an alcove bed, he wasn’t sure what to expect (she was a wild sort of beauty and those freckles of hers were everywhere!). But he kept his first impression that she had to be some sort of saint because she fed him, let him get washed up, cleaned his clothes, and gave him a key to this workshop to use as a place to stay while he concluded his business here in Vesuvia.

Odelia was accurate that Julian was touch and attention starved and she loved to lavish him with all the things he was deprived of. She finds that she wasn’t expecting him to be so fun to flirt with. She had heard he was a bit of a rogue and scoundrel in that department, so watching him fluster and melt when she outrageously flirts with him is a favorite pass time. He’s also funnier and smarter than ANYONE gave him credit for. She doesn’t find a lot of people who can keep up with her brain, but he can (though it takes a few tries sometimes) and she was not expecting that. Julian comes to find that, while Odelia has a big heart, she’s not a saint. She’s adventurous, curious, and way too smart for anyone’s own good. She’ll break rules she finds beneath her or outright stupid. Once she’s decided on something, she’s more stubborn than he is about it. And one thing she decided was that she was going to keep him, regardless of how flawed of an idea he still finds that to be.

III.) Where in the Arcana world map does your MC come from? What was their life like there?

Odelia doesn’t remember, all she knows is her brand of alchemy magic is exclusive to her people- mostly just her really-, but there are other women from her island that happily warn her. 

She’s from a very closed door policy tropical island above Praka. Her people basically live in the most toxic jungle in the world called the Mimsy Wilds and survive it. They are highly immune to their environment’s poisons- this is where the Deadly Starstrand comes from. The canopy is so thick its a dark place and so most of the plants are bio-luminescent. The inhabitants are deeply in tune with magic and it helps them thrive in such an unlivable, deadly place. However, they are not a kind people. Its completely patriarchal, regardless of if there are more females than male in ratio, and the women are poorly treated. 

To keep women underfoot, they will every few years cull the excess (or those that do not cower properly) by casting them into a gauntlet to die. Wild beasts, hidden traps, and even hunters out to kill, most women die in the gauntlet. If they can escape the gauntlet reward is their life. There is a strange phenomena at the time of the culling where the tides pull back and they can escape the bounds of their jungle island and where Prakan doctors have tents temporarily set up to give assistance before porting them off to give the asylum in Praka. 

Most women are missing a limb or more or have to have one amputated, but their resolve to live is strong, so they pull through. All denizens of the Mimsy Wilds are born with black hair and black eyes and white skin that lights up with markings when they drink their poisonous bio-luminescent plants. But when they finally feel peace after this ordeal (days, weeks, months, or years later), their magic triggers a physical metamorphic change to represent their mental change. Their skin darkens, their hair turns white, and their black eyes take on a vibrant hue. They renamed themselves Vopals after this change and never look back to their Mimsy lives.

[thearcanaartificer]

i am curious about numbers 14, 17 and 18

Sorry this took a while, I meant to write this earlier today but I had to come to some hard decisions (which “paid scene” to describe since I am writing a story on AO3 about these two).

14. Describe a “paid scene” with your character and their LI

This was hard to choose. Especially since I am writing my own version of Julian’s route and anything I write here might be prone to changing. But I will choose something.

It was the first time Odelia had ever seen or experienced snow. Vesuvia has a warm climate year round, only slightly cooling during the winter months with how short the days could get. She had read about snow, but to see it, to feel it, to experience it. 

It was marvelous. 

She was still marveling at how it blanketed the woods around them when it happened

Bam!

A flurry of cold white exploded a part upon impact

She shrieked in surprise, leapt a bit into the air as she spun about

Were they being attacked?!

Julian’s laughter warmed her heart as her eyes landed on him and then his smile made her insides do flips.

That unadulterated smile. That adorable laugh!

She wanted to see it everyday for the rest of their lives

Then it struck her that he had thrown that orb of snow

Oho ho? So he wanted to play? Two could play this game.

In fact, he challenged her to a snowball (snowball- that’s what it’s called) fight, winner gets a wish granted

He was on.

Odelia is competitive and Julian quickly finds out that he’d have to get serious if he didn’t want to lose right out of the gate.

Shenanigans ensue

A few stunts are pulled that are dubbed as ‘cheating’ by the victim

A dramatic death scene plays out after Odelia throws a magic infused snowball to create the perfect curve shot right to Julian’s face

Odelia, in return, laments the death of her darling man

Pounces on him while he’s too busy guffawing on the ground at the delivery of her monologue to protect himself

Squeals and writhes when she shoves snow down his shirt

In fact, just outright scoops the snow from around them on top of him

Grabs her arms to keep her from burying him any further

“Serves you right for unbuttoning your shirt all the time!”

“But I hate how stuffy it gets! Let me be free to choose a life of unbuttoned shirts, nah, a life without buttons at all!” He dramatically drapes an arm over his face. So Dramatic. She loves it.

“Seems like my darling man likes his tiddies on display at all times. Foul tempter. How dare you, hmmm, tease me- distract me- so.”

Sits on his lap and kisses him stupid

After a good long while, she concedes to letting him up, only because he’s starting to shiver from the snow

Climbs onto his back, pronounces him her steed as her boon, and, with a squeeze, beckons him forwards

“Come my majestic steed! Go forth! To reclaim my magic realm!”

He had to lean against a tree to prevent himself from falling over as he just lost it. It took him a while to recover from all the laughing, but Odelia didn’t mind the time lost. It was nice to see him so happy and carefree.

She promised herself that she’d make sure there would be more days like this after all was said and done.

17. Describe the wedding

Ahaha, this is a loaded ask. To be honest, they can’t describe the original wedding to anyone. Not because they wouldn’t like to, but, uh, they, um… can’t remember. They may have been sorta, kinda, very, extremely inebriated. Like, woke up in their inn with wedding bands on after a drinking binge while on a trip to Praka to get their licenses (His doctor’s licenses finally and the various licenses that Nadia told her she now needed to have to run her various businesses). At first, Julian panicked because, honestly, this was not how he had wanted to ask her. Besides that, they had only been courting for two-three months by this point. He knows he’s prone to leaping over a ton of important steps (breaking up with people he’s not even dating), but this? This was not how he wanted to do it. 

It took Odelia a good while to calm him down from his hysterics. However, when Julian suggested going to get the marriage annulled- Odelia shot him down with a ‘Why? Then I’ll just have to get my name changed on all my licenses when we do get married again. No thanks.’ His heart just about melted at the word ‘again’. Besides that, if they got married in Vesuvia, Odelia was a hundred percent certain that everything would be overtaken by the others. It would be expensive and stressful for one dumb day where they had a huge party that they would never be allow to properly participate in because they would be on display and expected to behave a certain way. He agreed that didn’t sound fun. Later, though, he comes to find out that the rings they were wearing were made by Odelia and she had been waiting for him to ask shortly after he moved in, already certain that she wasn’t going to change her mind about him.

Sweet, yes? Well, these two knew they come back married that there was going to be hell on earth with their family. Portia especially would be angry because there was no wedding and she didn’t get to be a part of it at all. Also, they really didn’t want to hear about making such a big decision drunk (’typical Julian’ they could hear almost everyone say and Odelia wasn’t really up to hearing it either since she said yes, thankyouverymuch), so they just didn’t tell anyone that they got married… for three years. It came out on accident. In fact, it was after Nadia and Portia had gotten married and signatures for a land purchase had to be written in their legal names and… well… busted.

So their vow renewal that they were forced into was loud, excessive, stressful and completely planned by Nadia and Portia and the two of them were merely dragged around, like Odelia had foreseen. Julian did like her dress though and loved taking the garter off, but for the most part would have rather just had a wild celebration at the Rowdy Raven with the scoundrels there. Odelia would have preferred to just keep going like they had been, but she will admit, Nadia has an excellent eye for men’s lingerie.

18. Any babies?

For the longest time, when people asked these two about if they were going to have a baby, Odelia would look at them and tell them ‘Julian’s the baby’. And, to be fair, when people asked Julian, he had no shame telling them ‘I’m the baby’. Or they would just defer to their multitude of pets as their ‘babies’. No intention of actually having children. However, because Odelia’s tribe are a close knit community, when a baby girl was born with some serious health issues that the mother couldn’t keep up with due to her own weakened state after the birth; it was the Devoraks to the rescue. The two of them were there for that baby’s every need until her mother was capable of taking care of her again.

The whole thing changed their thoughts on their current lifestyle. Without getting too into it, the two of them decided that if they had a baby, then they had a baby. They weren’t going to try for it, but they happy if it happened. They ended up with two boys pretty close together and got a huge surprise way down the line with a little girl. Dimitri, Nikolai, and Odette. 

Though the two of them have taken other children, plucked out of the streets usually by Julian, into their homes and called them their own. And fostered a few children too. There were also a few newborns they adopted from Odelia’s tribe when the mothers died from complications in child birth. Julian loves babies, so even years down the line, when Odelia and him are too old to be having or raising an infant, he goes and helps babysit babies when their parents need some rest.

[thearcanaartificer]

Okay! These are not the next ones I had, but I crunched through this ask list faster. Here is the original post. I will be cutting off my post a bit because I will only be doing half here and half in another post.

Thank you to those that are reading this and enjoying it. If you ever want to chat, I love talking.

OC asks that reveal more than you think.

1. Do they sleep with a stuffed animal? If they have multiple, who’s the favorite?

She has a few. She made a lot of stuffed animals when she was regaining a lot of her motor skills as a way to practice stitching and pattern making, though most she donated to the local orphanage for the children there and a few have been given to her pets. She likes making stylized bunnies, dogs, cats, birds, and teddy bears. Asra had to hide most of her old ones she had from their childhood- even the ones she had made him when he was ten.

Her most prized one is actually one that she found that Asra didn’t hide very well. A black bunny with mismatched button eyes. She calls it Pumpkin (Yes, she had just bitten into some of Sesali’s pumpkin bread when she named the thing). It’s not well put together and the type of stitching that was used is the wrong choice- like a surgeon had sewn it together like they would a laceration- and messy, but the thing is worn and obviously well loved. She felt attached to it from the first moment she discovered it.

She use to chew on its ears a lot when she was first recovering from her amnesia as a from of comfort. She’s stopped since then, but she takes the best care of it since its the only part of her past that she seems to be able to hold on to without headaches.

2. Can they take care of a plant? What about a pet? What about a child?

Yes to all three! Though she is a bit of a scatterbrain when she’s in the middle of a big thought or job, she’s actually very good at taking care of things. Plants are easy enough, just water them and make sure they are maintained and make sure they get the right amount of sunlight. Boom. Done.

Pets, she has a multitude and some of them are exotic, so she has a few rescues scattered around Vesuvia to keep them properly cared for and has actually hired other Vopels to keep them for her. But she has at least five at home that are hers to care for and she takes very good care of them. Her dog is almost always by her side, her cat is intelligent enough to find her when he wants her company, and her familiar is a bird, so he comes and goes but she always has bones ready for him if he doesn’t want to have to scavenge.

3. Ask them to describe their love interest.

Big dumb, leggy bird of a man.

Okay, she knows he’s not dumb. He’s honestly one of the smartest men she knows- but he does dumb things when left unsupervised! So when she’s trying to describe him in a way that doesn’t give away the fact that he’s Julian Devorak- the wanted ‘murderer’ of the Count- she calls him that.

But if she’s asked to describe her love the right way? He’s a handsome man with the prettiest wild russet red curls of hair, strong nose, and a charismatic energy that will just pull you in. He wears mostly dark colors with at least one flashy bright one for dramatic flair and stands above the rest of the crowd with his height. He may be wearing his eye patch- no he doesn’t need it, its for the aesthetics, thankyouverymuch. He’s brilliant and kind and despite his towering, threatening looking frame, would rather cling tightly to her hand and draw courage from her presence. But he’s brave with or without her. He’s tender and altruistic and plays the part of being confident, but can get nervous and anxious if left alone in his head too long.

4. Do they look good in red?

She thinks she looks good in anything that isn’t predominately white or pastel. So red? Throw in some black or dark greys and yeah, she could work it.

She’d prefer orange though…

5. Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Will they give one, and what about?

Yes, she’d give you one. No, you don’t want her too. Hers are a bit complicated and unending and always to the wrong audience. One minute she’s giving some normal speech about whatever the occasion is and next, she’s trying to teach a bunch of drunks the nonlinear properties of the magic realms and how to navigate their way through time lapses, its like the folds of fabric with how they intermingle and touch from one time to another, and the different realms can be tricky based on their patterns and-hey Juli put me down! I’m trying to give a speech about- why are we leaving?!

6. Who will they take advice from, no matter what it is? Who won’t they take advice from, no matter what it is?

Old Glory, surprisingly. She’ll take most advice from other Vopel women and even Asra, but she’ll toss out a lot of their sillier ones- like don’t date Ilya (Asra’s). But anything Glory tells her tends to be very good advice (she’s never given her bum advice) and she’s far better with reading people than Odelia and so she’ll just default listen to her on a lot of topics.

She has a long list of who she won’t take advice from, but, to no one’s surprise, she’ll instantly tune out Valdemar’s advice. They rub her wrong and even if the advice is solid, she’ll ignore it because why would she ever want or take their advice?

7. Describe them in three words. Now let them describe themself in three words.

Smol chaotic neutral.

Controlled, chaotic exuberance.

8. Do complex puzzles intrigue or frustrate them?

The more complicated the puzzle, the more interested Odelia is. She has a deep love for whodunit novels because she loves a good mystery to piece together. Her mind loves puzzles of any sort. Magic and science both have the allure of being a puzzle, especially when she’s working on projects that require them to work in tandem (hence her unique brand of magical artificery). Asra use to bring her little puzzles to fidget with as she reclaimed the dexterity of her fingers and she’d just sit there playing with them- before she could even properly speak again- and figure out how solve them by herself.

9. Do they empathize with non-sentient things (dolls, plants, books…)?

She talks to them. A lot. Her plants are her babies and she’ll baby talk them. Her dolls have ‘personalities’ based on weird things they’ve done (like refused to stay in a particular spot so its persnickety about where its to sit or has fragile stitching so it’s an old lady stuffed toy). And books- she’ll talk to them about their condition or if they fall and land funny. A ‘there you are you sneaky thing’ to books that had eluded her.

But Odelia is a talker and it does help her focus on the here and now (rather than get lost in her thoughts) by talking out loud- even to inanimate objects.

10. What age do they most want to be right now?

The age she is now? She’s not one to daydream about her age or whatnot. She’s in her very early thirties and the world is her oyster. She’s fit and capable and her age is just an unimportant number to her. (especially since she doesn’t remember the previous years before ‘waking up’ anyhow.)

11. They’ve won the lottery. Spend, or save?

Haha, she’s already well off, so hurray more money? She’ll just invest the money responsibly as she did the money she had prior to that.

12. Do they like romance in the books they read (or in the book they’re in)?

Oh she’s a sucker for a good romance. If she likes the two characters, she’s in their corner rooting for them. She likes the wittier ones that banter more than anything. But she does get annoyed by impractical drama. Excitement! Danger! Ah YES! ‘Oh no who do I pick? I’m stuck between two choices!’ Grow up and outright pick. Let the one you don’t choose have a chance to get over you and move on with their life and find happiness (or pick both of them if that is a possibility! Just pick!). Because nothing is worse to her than pulling on the heartstrings of someone you aren’t going to pick.

13. Name one thing their parents taught them.

She doesn’t remember her birthparents. They were never a part of her life. Her birthmother briefly, but, when her magic’s rare classification came to light, she was taken into the care of another to raise and train her in the ways of their magic style. But she has had parents in her life. The most current ‘parent figure’ she has (one she remembers) is Old Glory (a nickname she gave the older woman and uses regardless of if the woman is present or not. A bad habit.).

She taught her through her actions that kindness isn’t reflected out outer beauty. Though most think she looks scary, as gnarled and scarred as she is (has a very mean resting bitch face), her heart is kind and compassionate. She tends to children with the utmost of patience, though tolerates no blatant disrespect. She remembers the names of everyone she’s been introduced to and what was last told to her about their day or life. Volunteers her free time to visiting the less fortunate and charging them no fee for her services. Hard shell, ooey, gooey insides.

14. Would they agree with the term ‘guilty pleasure’? Do they have any?

Oh she has guilty pleasures. A lot of the sweets she buys at Sesali’s bakery are guilty pleasures of her because she buys them by the dozens. Also mystery novels. She will re-read mystery novels she’s already read because she still likes the narrative and the build up to the big reveal. And theater. It’s fun, no matter how obvious the plot is sometimes.

15. What would they consider a waste of time– other than school or work?

Oddly enough, she finds sitting down to do her hair or having to apply make up or even more complicated outfits a waste of time. She’s very utilitarian in that regard. A ponytail will keep her hair out of her face so why spend hours learning how to do complicated braids simply because they look pretty?

Don’t be mistaken though. If Portia or Nadia or Julian want to do her hair or make up or dress her up- the time is no longer wasted. They enjoy doing those sorts of things and letting them enjoy themselves, despite how much she doesn’t understand why its enjoyable to them, means the time is well spent.

On her own though, nah. She’d rather do anything else- just throw on some clothes, toss her hair into a pony tail, and get going.

[thearcanaartificer]

Here is more for the 25 Arcana OC and LI Lore Asks. Almost to the end. Thanks for sticking with me on these asks!

XVII.) What Tarot Card do you think best represents your MC?

I originally designed her to be a lot like The Fool of whom she took the body from, but she’s also a lot like The Chariot

Upright card (keywords): A journey, Ambition, Confidence, Drive, Overcoming obstacles, Will power

Reversed card (keywords): Lack of direction, Scattered energy, Self doubt

XVIII.) What is your MC up to in the ‘present’ time of your canon? Do they have goals they’re trying to achieve?

Hahahaha, she’s everywhere. She has a ‘client’ that no one has ever met and she runs all the various businesses owned by her client. She does the books for a lot of places and decides their financial expenditures. A few places that she runs like that are The Rowdy Raven, Sesali’s Bakery, the Orphanage, and multiple other bars and apartments. She owns a few animal rescues and random workshops in different districts of the city. But she also takes commissions and does her special brand of alchemy and artificery. She’s super careful though, she doesn’t want to upset the economy, so she usually does near impossible jobs.

The biggest goal she is trying to achieve is to restore the economy of Vesuvia. After the Red Plague, shops were shutting down, some businesses where all but bankrupt, or the owners were dead. There was a lot of available real-estate because of all the death and more orphans than ever. And Odelia was always good at business- even as she was just barely recovering- and there was all this money tucked away in their home and Asra was terrible with money (and knew nothing about this horde of money being there) so she deduced it was hers and proceeded to use it to better the city. She's still working on it, but the economy has picked up because of her financial decisions.

XIX.) Does your MC have a familiar? How did they meet? How do they communicate?

Yes she does! Grima~! They met when Odelia was down in the Red Market, looking for animals to rescue (and keeping track of the businesses she needed to later cause to plummet) and that’s when she met him. He was scared and people treated him poorly because of his natural coloring. His species of bird- the Bearded Vulture- have red sclera naturally, but in Vesuvia it’s treated like a bad omen. But Odelia loves her big bird! He’s super sweet and thoughtful and oh so gentle. He’s just a big old softie.

She communicates with him mostly verbally, but she can understand him telepathically. She can actually understand all familiars- not just him- so she often strikes up conversations with other familiars. She has, actually, adopted a different familiar who’s human partner died, Sebastian the one-eyed, dark tortoiseshell cat. She figured out how to create a connection so he could draw from her magic and not fade away now that his partner is gone (a trait available only because of The Fool’s body unbeknownst to her at the time). However, her bond with Grima is special and stronger than any other bond she can forge. She can call to him when he’s far away and she always knows where he is and what he’s feeling.

XX.) What is your MC’s love language? What does their LI do that makes them feel loved? How do they reciprocate that with their LI’s love language?

Her receiving love language is Quality time and Physical touch. Her giving love language is Gift giving and Physical touch- but she’s also learned to give people words of affirmation due to a lot of her friends needing that.

Julian’s receiving love language is physical touch and words of affirmation while his giving love language is quality time and acts of service.

They both are quite good at giving each other what they need, especially since Julian is touch starved and craves skin contact. He loves spending time with Odelia, which is a big thing for her since she hates feeling alone, and he happily helps her with all the chores and he loves to dress her up and braid her hair. He’s let her walk all over him if he thought it’d make her happy.

[thearcanaartificer]

1, 3, and 8 for AA Conflict

The first one is definitely the one that kept me from posting. It was pretty hard, but the questions are so good! I enjoy them. I will eventually get around to doing all the questions, with or without asks because they are so vital to writing a realistic character and I enjoy talking about my characters.

1. What is something that your character regrets?

Odelia is not the type of person who regrets a lot. She’s learned not to. She can feel bad for her actions, but if she cannot make amends for that mistake, then she will work hard to never repeat the offense rather than wallow in regret. And not every thing she does that’s naughty does so regret doing either. She’ll unrepentantly cause mischief against people she dislikes. 

However, there are a few things she regrets doing, mostly scaring her loved ones by wandering off for a few days (never her intention, she just is really bad with time and when an idea hits her, she just drops everything to follow her muse). The first time she did it to Portia, the woman started crying in relief and shouting at her in rage about it. Got lectured for hours by her and Asra once Portia returned her home. The first time she accidentally pulled the stunt on Julian, he was a complete mess when Portia found her and brought her home and wouldn’t let her out of his sight for anything. That, she felt terrible about. She regrets it happened again, especially to Julian, but she made sure afterwards to have better contingencies in place so that if, by some chance she gets too distracted by her ideas and calculations, that Julian can locate her easily.

The only other thing she regrets is never recovering all her memories about her loved ones. She got a few back, but that was it. There are a lot of moments she will never recall that are important to the others, and had been to her as well once upon a time, but again, if she can’t fix it, she tries not to dwell on it. But its a little frustrating at times. Like who taught her how to shuffle? Asra says it was him, Julian argues he did, but it was Portia that retaught her. Small, precious memories like that she regrets losing. Years of physical and mental abuse in her adolescences? Nah, she’ll happily not remember that.

3. Have they ever committed an offense against someone else?

Committed an offense? She would argue that they were offensive first. But yes, technically she has committed offenses against others. She’s the type to ‘attack first, ask awkward questions later’. To be fair, Odelia mostly doles out what’s been asked for. She really only attacks if provoked because otherwise she doesn’t have the mental energy to care. She cares about Vesuvia and its people, yes, but is also indifferent to people she doesn’t know unless their need is urgent. There are a few instances where she’s pulled pranks on people she loves, but it’s on a friendly level, never violent or cruel.

However, she has lit the edges of Valdemar’s coat on fire on more than one occasion unprovoked... but in her defense, their face is offensive. And they have tried to do... unsavory things to her. Like the time they tried to kill her or the other time they tired to kill her or like the time they tried to kill her again and dissect her or the time they straight up skipped trying to kill her before attempting the dissection. So, excuse her if she tries to return the favors in kind.

8. Are they internal or external with their emotions?

Odelia is both. She usually is external with her emotions, but, when the time and place calls for it, she can bottle them all up and internalize them. For example, she has an excellent poker face that she’ll use to gain the upper hand in situations that she might be freaking out about. She uses it a lot with negative experiences. It’s easy for her to express herself externally with positive experiences, but most times, when she’s angry, she’ll do her best to internalize it because nothing good comes from lashing out at people in anger. Even with feeling sad, she’ll guard the emotions internally until she feels like she’s in a safe environment to express them externally.

Thanks again for the ask! It’s always fun to think about! Sorry this took forever! I got stuck on the first one, but I also am a big gaming nerd and I powered through a few games (P5R, FF7R, RF4, AC:NH) and threw off my good habits. Working to get back on track though!

[thearcanaartificer]

Working on my art as I promised myself after getting a desk (not a desk, but counts). This is my Arcana Apprentice Odelia- though she’s really nobody’s apprentice. She’s a whopping 154 cm tall (A little taller than 5′ but not enough to be 5′ 1″). She’s extremely intelligent and very friendly, but a complete space case once she’s gotten too far into her own head and not everyone taste of eccentric. 

I’m working on a fan fiction on AO3 with her and Julian, but I also want to work on strengthening my drawing skills again.

[thearcanaartificer]

Hey, I would to like to know answers to questions 2, 3, and 7 please.

All excellent questions! Hard ones too, but I will do my best to answer them!

2. What things does your character love about their LI?

If she was musically inclined, she’d write sonnets about all the things she loves about this boy. Alas, she’s not. So she’ll more than happily write all the ways. The biggest thing she loved about Julian is his heart. He’s kind and caring and altruistic and charismatic. Ready to jump in to help others in need at the drop of a hat. Not only that, he’s adventurous and not afraid of getting rowdy. Yes, he can get really nervous and cowardly in elements he’s not confident about (i.e. ALL OF THE MAGIC REALMS) but, as long as Odelia’s there, he’s also brave despite going with knees shaking and proverbial tail tucked.

She loved his ability to talk too. Especially his stories. She never cares if he repeats them, because its a little different each time. Maybe a tidbit more detail in one spot than the last time or perhaps a bit more exaggerated in another detail. She doesn’t care if its a tall tale or an outright lie, he weaves the stories so well its engrossing to listen to- especially when he starts re-enacting the whole scene. She loved his grandeur, verbose vocabulary, and endless creativity.

And he’s so tender and thoughtful to her needs. But at the same time he doesn’t treat her like she’s fragile- simply someone he treasures. He never tells her that she can’t do something, always confident in her ability to succeed, even if others aren’t so certain. Being handicapped, that really means a lot to her. Yes, he still frets about her at times, but its never because of her handicap.

However, it has to be his intelligence that makes her heart pound and her face flush with passion. She’s a genius very smart woman, and, unfortunately, not a lot of people can keep up with her mentally. She finds it very hard to have a real conversation with others because she’s always having to mind that they won’t follow if she gets too far down a more advanced subject. But Julian? He perhaps struggles at a few subjects, but give him time, a few books on the subject, and something to take notes on and the man will come back much more acquainted with the topic- enough to understand what Odelia is telling him and offer useful insight.

3. What things about their LI annoy them?

Oh, for how much she loves him, there are still things about him that grate on her nerves, just like there are things about her that make Julian want to tear his hair out sometimes. Here are some of the bigger things though:

The biggest thing that annoys her is his tendency to drive himself into the ground trying to help or please other people. She loves that he wants to help others. She’s happy to support him in this mission, but when he’s driving himself to the point to of mental exhaustion, where he breaks down crying in frustration over simple things or tries to work through the night to make sure he’s got everything done or skips meals to push through- no, she’s annoyed. What’s worse is that he stubbornly refuses to see that he’s making it harder than it has to be or even accept her help. Everything turns into a minor fight when he’s like that and it takes her threatening him with a lockdown to get him to even concede that there might be a problem.

Another thing that annoys her is when he drinks too much. She doesn’t mind alcohol. She’s not super into drinking and only does so socially and never more than a glass or two, but Julian can and will drink like a fish when the good times are rolling- and she’s not had great interactions with drunk Julian. It’s not that he ever lays a hand on her. Goodness, he’d never mistreat her, but he can turn into a weepy, depressed drunk that verbally abuses himself in the worst ways. She can’t trust him to be by himself if he turns into that version of himself and he has scared her on several occasions, so no, she’s annoyed if he comes home drunk off his ass- because the only time he’s drunk anymore is when the friend he was entrusted to didn’t stop or encouraged the behavior. On a side note, there are friends that are blacklisted from drinking with Julian alone ever again- because he doesn’t like the fact that he goes blackout drunk and wakes to his wife being super distressed.

And the last super big thing that annoys Odelia is Julian’s perchance of being overbearingly protective and then not allow people to be remotely worried about him. If she’s not up to snuff, he’s right there fussing over her and making her rest in bed and ‘don’t you dare get up, my dear, doctors orders’. However, if he has a high fever or a grievous injury, he’s waving it off with some bullshit line like ‘I’m fine, I’m a doctor, I know my limits’. She’s tied him to the bed before because his stubborn ass wouldn’t rest despite how high his fever was or how much he was swaying. Also, on that note, she gets annoyed at how terrible he is at letting someone doctor him. He’ll happily let her fuss over small cuts and ‘boo-boos’ he wants her to kiss better, but she sometimes has to tackle him, hold him down, and do a body search to even know if he has a serious injury (and she usually only suspects him when he’s turning down sex to avoid being caught). And then forget about even treating it without him fighting every step of the way. Yes. Julian can piss her off at times with his more annoying habits.

7. What are some private jokes they share?

Haha, the biggest one is from when they first met. Well, more like, re-met. It was right before Asra had left on his journey and triggered the start of the whole nightmare called ‘Let’s not resurrect the Red Plague or, ya know, merge the dimensions, k, thanks, bye’. She ended up doing Barth a favor of getting him out of the Raven after he had passed out drunk by carrying him out princess style. The whole event ended up with him landing a rather embarrassing moniker (Pretty Princess Jules) at the Raven and no one let’s him forget it.

There are also a few jokes about Odelia’s habit of ‘attacking first, asking awkward questions after’ when spooked. She’s, uh, gotten Julian really good a few times when she had been badly startled- though the first time was the most embarrassing because she nearly did almost kill him.

Also there was an incident involving the mispronunciation of quiche. Odelia, Nadia, and Portia still laugh about it, though Asra and Julian definitely don’t.

Those are the main ones, at this moment, but I’m sure I’ll be thinking up more inside jokes as I keep writing.

If anyone else wants to ask me questions, please do! I fixed my blog site because I had made a mistake in a design choice that ended up with there being no button to ask questions. As you can see with this one, I have fixed that. Please feel free to ask me the April Apprentice Asks or just send me any free form questions you want to know!

[thearcanaartificer]

Here is more for the 25 Arcana OC and LI Lore Asks. Yatta! We have made it to the end of these asks! I enjoyed writing it all and thinking about my OC. I think I will have a better time writing her in the future. Thanks for all your support and patience- now, on to the next Q & A~!

XXI.) Where do you see your MC and their LI in 10 years?

They are still in Vesuvia, though they’ve dialed back their responsibilities in Vesuvia by a lot. They actually live in Volgura’s old mansion (which in Nadia’s route was shown to be somewhere past the forest Muriel lives in) and, while Julian teaches youngsters medicine, he has mostly quit his practice due to mental health reasons. His first apprentice took over his old clinic and she does a fine job so he’s not worried and he teaches so well that most of his students are even better doctors than he is. Teaching is a joy to him, so he doesn’t mind the change. Odelia still does her work, but she does it at the mansion and makes day trips into Vesuvia to deliver her work or check up on a business and do their books while Julian is teaching.

They do have children (and a majority of them are adopted), but not for a long while. Julian had to work on taking care of himself first and Odelia wasn’t ready to share him more than she already felt she did. But by ten years in, they have their first two babies and a handful of children they’ve adopted.

XXII.) Will your MC and their LI ever get married? Who is in the wedding party?

Yes! They got married! They were drunk so its a bit of a blur, but they have a marriage certificate and had been married years before anyone found out and then forced them to ‘renew their vows’ and have a wedding party. Portia was the maid of honor and Nadia was the best woman. Asra was also a bridesmaid and a few of Julian’s colleges were his groomsmen (Muriel refused to come, but he sent them a chicken). The whole thing was overdone and outrageous and not in Odelia and Julian’s style- Portia and Nadia had taken over the planning because Portia was angry they never told any of them and they had been waiting years for this just to find out that they had a quick marriage while drunk and just rolled with it.

XXIII.) What is your MC’s theme song?

I’m Me by Us The Duo

She’s a weirdo and she knows it, but she OWNS it and celebrates it.

XXIV.) What is your MC and their LI’s romance theme song?

Share Your Address by Ben Platt.

It fits them. To a 'T'. It was basically the thoughts that ran through Odelia’s head when she realized how perfect he was for her.

XXV.) Freebie. What’s one piece of lore about your MC that you’d like to tell the world about?

She has a magical prosthetic left leg. She made it. It runs mid thigh to where her stump is. She’s always had this handicap since before she can remember (since she was about fifteen years old). While Asra told her that before her amnesia, she never took to a wooden prothetic and used a cane instead. However, Odelia found that rather dumb. She actually got into making prosthetics when she carved herself a wood one and realized how difficult it was and began to design herself one that utilized magic to move (she had heard that the belated count had a magical, metal prosthetic so that means it had to be doable) and that’s how she started learning and creating the magic style she calls artificery.

It was only after she made hers that she head Count Lucio had made it illegal to have a limb like his, so she hid it under long pants and skirts or thigh high heels and only began making other people ones like hers after Nadia redacted the law shortly after waking up from her coma as a boon for Odelia in becoming her Court Magician.

[thearcanaartificer]

Here is more for the 25 Arcana OC and LI Lore Asks. Here is the next batch. A few more since I didn’t write nine paragraphs for each answer.

VII.) What is your MC’s favored element to cast with?

Element or style of magic? If it is an element element than FIRE. It’s a great go to attack magic that will often cause people to second guess their intentions towards her. Also it has so many good uses!

But if it is style of magic we are talking about, her strength lies in artificery- transformative and transmutation alchemy mixed with engineering with a strong enchantment sigil programing system to run complex commands with low magic intake. She honestly loves all forms of magic and her magic is highly adaptable (as told to us in Asra’s route), so as long as she practices, she has no limit to what magic she can do.

VIII.) If your MC could take their LI anywhere in the Arcana world, where would they take them and why? What about in the real world?

The first place she’d want to take Julian is back to Nevivion. Zadith next, definitely, and then Prakra. They’ll eventual globe trot around a bit before settling back into Vesuvia. But mostly she wants Julian to be able to go home and see how his remaining Babushki are doing and know that he is loved. Maybe pay respects to Lilinka’s grave and thank her for raising the love of her life. But as long as Julian’s with her, she’ll go about anywhere.

In the real world? Oh boy. Hmmm. They’d probably tour all around Europe and go on some sort of food world tour with a few stops at some very nerd hotspots. Honestly, as long as Julian’s there, she wouldn’t care where they were as long as they were having fun.

IX.) Does your MC ‘borrow’ clothes from their LI or vice versa? If so, what is their favorite garment that they’ve ‘borrowed’ and won’t ever return?

Julian’s way too big for her to borrow much of his clothes, but she does nab his shirt from time to time because she knows it excites him. Honestly though, the thing she borrowed and won’t ever return is his braided leather cord that he tied around his sash at his waist. She liked to use it when she wore his shirts as a way to keep them closed and just never returned it. She made him a new one, but she likes how worn and used his was. It reminds her of him, so she keeps it close when they have to be apart.

X.) Does your character have any holidays that are important to them?

Nope! She is still getting use to birthdays (and anniversaries) because Asra never brought them up because she use to get headaches. Besides that, her culture really doesn’t have a day they celebrate, so she mostly just enjoys the changing of season events and those are her holidays.

XI.) If your MC or their LI was going to whisk the other off on a weekend away from their responsibilities, what would they do?

That Sloop Julian always dreams of buying? She’d get it for him if it meant they played a bit more of that Captain game they briefly played. Also, anything to get Julian away from normal responsibilities. Nadia probably has a least one tiny private island nearby that they can moor at and utilize. And if there’s no one around? Well, who’s to say that her clothes can’t be optional? (His are not optional. He must wear enough to clothes to prevent sunburn -hat included. He only gets to run around in his skivvies when below deck. Captain’s orders.)

[thearcanaartificer]

For those enjoying my (Mis)adventure series with Julian and my fan apprentice Odelia. Some of their inside jokes will come from this main series.

[thearcanaartificer]

Adding to my last post about the prologue. I will be taking some of the things I felt like worked in this new prologue (Like not having to do the readings except for Julian’s!! And the curtain line XD) and revising my first few chapters of The Artificer. I have a few better ideas now that I have Odelia more flushed out and have a few new ideas I want to be able to better integrate.