#i am the type of person to write things about the Arcana's Devil!Lucio

[oxavane]

BIG TITTIED ELDRITCH SOMETHINGS SORCERERS (??) IN YOUR AREA!!! THE SPICE IS AVAILABLE HERE: vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv https://www.patreon.com/posts/leander-82983566

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

Hello! A fellow arcana writer here - ( this is from my main account, the account where I post my arcana content is @thefishermansharbor ) just wondering, do you have an tips or tricks with writing for Lucio? I feel like I always make him too agitating, and I want to make him seem a little more human. Anyways, great work so far and answer this whenever! <3

Yes, I've read your stuff! I've really enjoyed it too!

I can't tell you how honored I am to be asked for tips like this, so there will a whole (very long and detailed) Lucio character analysis under the cut if you desire to read it ^.^ (spoiler warning, of course)

There's two things I like to keep in mind when I'm writing Lucio: who and what he is, and where he is on what he does with that. Lucio as a human being, for example, is an extrovert who loves parties and attention. What he used to do with that, on the other hand, was focus all of his attention on throwing lavish parties when there were more pressing matters that he chose not to address (pre-prologue).

So who or what is Lucio? You could start with his MBTI personality type (ESTP), or his sign (Capricorn), or how he presents himself. This is the person the reader gets to know in his route, and when I write headcanons, this is the person I pay more attention to. He's extroverted, he loves attention and excitement, he likes to act first and think later, he's an adventure seeker, he's loud and expressive and an open book, he likes to be happy, and he likes people to be happy with him. As person, that's who Lucio is, and that's who MC falls in love with in his route.

But that's not who we see in the rest of the story, whether it be the prologue, the "Dawn of the Grub" tale, or the other character's routes. That's because in those stories, we're meeting Lucio through the eyes of the characters we're with, and they see him for what he's done and continues to do. Julian's route shows us a self-centered tyrant, Nadia's shows a petulant teenager playing at royalty, Asra's shows him as useless scum, Muriel's as a terrifying demon turned clown, and Portia's doesn't even address him at all. This is all in line with the things those characters experienced (or didn't experience) because of him. Asra lost his parents and MC, Julian was locked in a dungeon and force-fed a plague beetle, Nadia was married to someone out of desperation who dimmed her spark, Muriel was enslaved and coerced into murdering hundreds of innocents, and Portia didn't even know who he was until she showed up in Vesuvia.

So how does all of this play into MC and Lucio's relationship? Assuming that we're working with the upright ending, most of this depends on how much time has passed since defeating the Devil. The game leaves off with MC and Lucio becoming journeymen, or traveling adventurers, deciding their future one new commission at a time. Because Lucio's relationship with MC is what transforms him from being himself with only himself in mind to being himself with the wellbeing of others in mind, the longer he's had the chance to practice that, the more of a good person he has practice being.

If it's been a few months, he is probably still rude to strangers out of habit and regularly puts himself before other people (including MC half the time) because he's still learning how to think of others when he makes decisions and how to say "I was wrong" after making a big mistake. He's probably still settling into the fact that someone loves him for him, and that if he asks for forgiveness there's a chance he'll receive it.

~ from here on out is much more speculative. some fans like Lucio for his more "villainous" traits, like his tendency to prioritize himself or his willingness to forget about people in the pursuit of his own pleasure. what I'm about to describe is a continued trajectory from his route and upright ending, where Lucio is committed to continuing to better himself and build a healthy future, and MC is playing an active role in reconciling and connecting him to the people around him ~

If it's been closer to a year, he's more likely to have learned how to make friends with new people out of his extroversion instead of trying to dominate them out of his need for attention. He's still working on his manners, but he's better at acknowledging his oopsies. This is most likely the point where he gets into the deeper work - his own trauma from growing up in a "hunt or be hunted" family, his addiction to deal making, his time on the battlefield, dying of the plague, spending three years as a tortured, incorporeal form while the world continues without him, etc.

This is also when the weight of all the things he's done wrong really starts to sink in. He'll likely go from "yeah, that was a thing I did and it was bad," to "oh, I'm directly responsible for thousands of deaths and immeasurable suffering, and nothing I do can change that." He'll be more love-hungry than he's ever been, and every day will be a struggle of living with the nuances of trauma and forgiveness and generational cycles of violence and death, all with a brain that doesn't like nuance or deep thinking at all.

Several years down the line, he has the potential to be one of the most intentionally healthy characters after the astronomical amount of work he'll need to do to build and maintain a good life with MC. While nobody becomes perfect, we'd see him fully become the person that MC fell in love with (an energetic, excited, creative adventurer who loves people and animals and who loves to be loved). At this point, he's also started to make his own reputation as the fighter who travels with a magician and takes odd jobs for a decent commission, and not the ex-count of Vesuvia. The people who meet him now will see the same person MC saw all along, and they'll most likely find him endearing and want to be friends with him. He'll have good connections that he's made on his own merit.

It's unlikely that he'll ever be fully welcome in Vesuvia. While he's changed and grown and likely addressed what he's done to the best of his ability, he can't undo the past. For the rest of his lifetime, memories of the plague will be fresh in that city's memory, with not a single citizen who hasn't suffered from it. It's very likely that he'll still stop by with MC a few times to catch up, but that's it. The city won't want him back after knowing the truth. And Lucio doesn't like living with his mistakes - he'd much prefer to move on and do better. As much as he's learned to apologize and do better, he'll do anything to avoid wallowing in his own suffering.

To write him, then, I like to start with who MC knows he is, figure out how long he's had to grow, and work from there. If I'm working with an MC-related prompt (an MC who likes to draw, or who uses a cane, for example), then Lucio will first encounter that quality as the person he is when he first meets MC in his route (ghostly mr goatman). It's also fun to track how his behavior is likely to change over time as he grows as a person.

If it's a future situation for an established relationship, like getting married, or having kids, or daily routines and domestic habits, then I write for the Lucio we see developing at the end of the Upright ending.

The two often play into each other, of course. If MC has PTSD, and Lucio's come far enough to help them with that, it also means that he's drawing from all of his own trauma. If we see him being petty about something, we have examples of how he would have reacted, and how he reacts instead.

That's the fun of being human, after all. We are the amalgamation of all the versions of ourselves we've ever been, and growth is the product of acknowledging every one of those and aiming for goodness in whoever we become next.

Hope that helped, @thefishermansharbor! Happy writing, and cheers!

brainrot

[samwisethewitch]

a real witch reviews the arcana (aka that phone game based on tarot cards that keeps showing up on your explore page)

I’ve been seeing The Arcana all over Tumblr and Instagram for several months now, and since I am a Genuine Real Life Witch™️ and have been reading tarot for several years now, I thought it would be fun to play the game and review it both from a gamer perspective and a witch/tarot reader perspective. 

Spoiler: I really, really like it.

Please note that I have done virtually no research into the developer or development history of this game. This review is based purely on my experience from my playthroughs. 

So what is The Arcana?

The Arcana is a fantasy/romance visual novel created by Nix Hydra Games. A visual novel is an interactive, text-based story with static visuals, so it’s almost more like an interactive graphic novel than a video game. Honestly, visual novels remind me of those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books that were really popular in the 1980s and 1990s more than anything else. 

(Note: I recently learned that a visual novel is NOT the same thing as a dating sim, although the two genres are similar and do sometimes overlap. Dating sims... simulate dating. That’s really all there is to them. Visual novels typically have a more plot-focused story, and may have other stuff going on besides the romance.)

The story of The Arcana follows the player character, a magician’s apprentice living in the fictional city-state of Vesuvia, who is enlisted to track down a suspected murderer. Where the story goes from there depends on which route you choose to play. There are currently six routes, each with a different love interest. Each route has its own unique story, although obviously there are some overlapping elements.

Sam the Gamer’s Review

Like I mentioned, The Arcana is essentially an interactive novel, so I’m reviewing it the way I’d review a book. So, let’s just run down some of the typical book review questions, shall we?

Is the content good? Yes. It has gotta be difficult to juggle six parallel storylines and make all of them equally compelling, but this game pulls it off. There were parts that genuinely had me in suspense, other parts that had me giggling at my phone, and some parts that were (intentionally) frustrating. I’m really impressed with how each route is totally different from the others -- not just in content, but even in tone. For example, Portia’s route comes across as much more lighthearted and fluffy, whereas Julian and Muriel both have a lot of angst in their respective stories. It’s really well done.

Are the characters well-rounded and realistic? Again, yes. Okay, “realistic” may be a bit of a stretch in some cases Vlastomil but all six of the main romanceable characters have fleshed out personalities that feel natural within the story world. The side characters in this game are also really interesting, although I do wish some of them had bigger roles in the story.

What about the technical stuff (dialogue, grammar, etc.)? For the most part, it’s pretty good. The dialogue flows naturally, and different characters have different speaking styles, which is a little thing that makes SUCH a big difference. I noticed a couple of typos, but nothing too crazy.

The gameplay was pretty good. The only real mechanic is choosing one of two or three dialogue options at certain points in the game. There are a couple of places in each route where these choices are timed, but other than that it’s a very stress-free gaming experience.

Another thing that impresses me from both a writing and a gameplay angle is the multiple ending mechanic. Your choices matter in this game. Each of the routes has an “upright” ending and a “reversed” ending. I’m not exactly sure which choices affect the ending you get, but I’ve only managed to get “upright” endings so far, and I didn’t have to do anything special to unlock them.

Sam the Witch/Tarot Reader’s Review

Honestly, I did not expect this game to be as accurate with its depiction of magick and the Tarot as it was. 

Each character is based on one of the Major Arcana, and I feel like they did a really good job of matching their personalities to their cards. Nadia is based on the High Priestess so she’s very intuitive and intelligent but tends to be distant and hard to read, Julian is based on the Hanged Man so he feels the need to sacrifice himself for others (with lots of gallows humor along the way), Lucio is based on the Devil so he’s a fucking bitch all about power and excess, etc. 

I reeeeaaalllyy like the use of “upright” and “reversed” endings instead of the typical good vs. bad endings -- based on upright vs. reversed meanings of Tarot cards, of course. I also really love that the reversed endings aren’t 100% negative, just like how reversed cards in readings aren’t necessarily negative.

I don’t wanna spoil anything, but I also really like how the upright endings deal with the upright traits of that character’s Major Arcana card, while the reversed endings deal with the reversed traits of that card.

This game also includes some pretty realistic depictions of witchcraft and magick. Obviously because it’s a fantasy world there is fantasy magic involved, but astral travel is a major theme in pretty much every route, and the way it’s depicted in the game is very similar to my real life experiences with it. 

There’s one character who is a kitchen witch and makes homemade enchanted food with magickal herbs, which made me feel warm and fuzzy because it reminded me of all the times I’ve used kitchen magick to make charmed food for myself and my loved ones.

Tarot readings are obviously a big deal within the story world, but there’s also a character who uses runestones! Which I think is neat!!

They mention some real-life magickal plants. Myrrh being used for protection comes up a lot, which, in case anyone was curious, is actually one of the common uses for myrrh in spellcraft.

They clearly did their research and honestly I’m thrilled.

Other Cool Stuff About This Game

It’s probably the most queer-inclusive video game I’ve ever played. Right off the bat, you’re given the choice to choose between he/him, she/her, or they/them pronouns for your character. The pronouns you pick do not affect the story in any way.

All six love interests are romanceable no matter what gender you play as. Which means this is canonically a universe in which everyone is queer. Hell yeah.

Two of the six current romanceable characters are women, and one is nonbinary. The routes for these characters are just as well written and romantic, with just as many wink-wink-nudge-nudge innuendos, as the men’s. There are also multiple nonbinary side characters.

Also! Racial and ethnic diversity in the main cast! And the main characters all have different body types, which is another nice touch.

This is nerdy as hell but I love how the different cultures and ethnic groups in the game are based on real-life cultures? It’s just one of those little things that makes my heart happy.

The art style is pretty as fuck.

In conclusion: I feel like this review is overwhelmingly positive but I just genuinely can’t think of any major criticisms of this game. It’s fun, it’s free, there was clearly a lot of thought put into it. I was really pleasantly surprised. Everybody go download it and play it. You’ll have a good time, and afterwards you’ll understand all the memes.

P.S. I know people are gonna ask so: I chose Julian for my first playthrough because he’s tall and goth and has messy hair and that’s honestly all I look for in a man. Now that I’ve played all six routes, Portia’s is probably my favorite because it’s so cute and wholesome and I just really want a soft bookworm girlfriend, please. Lucio’s route is a close second because after seeing him as an antagonist in everyone else’s routes it’s actually really interesting to see his story told from a sympathetic angle! But like I said, I’ve played all six routes.

[demigoddessqueens]

Arcana MC: Persephone

Credit goes to the lovely @nezb1tty for such a pretty drawing of my MC. Looking pretty and fierce 🔥

Meaning of the name - “Bringer of Destruction”, “Pure”

Family - Adriane (mother), Zafer (father), Callista, Phillipa, and Massimo (younger twin sisters brother), Safiya and Franciscus (maternal grandparents), Valentina and Vincenzo (paternal grandparents)

Nicknames - Sunshine (her family), Angel (Julian), Love (Asra), Sweet (Lucio), Sunflower (Muriel), Minx/Goddess (Valerius), Perse (Portia, Nadia, the Courtiers minus Valerius)

Favorite dish/cuisine - dolmathes, quiches, and tons of desserts (major sweet tooth) 

Favorite drink - equivalent of a margarita or pina colada in the Arcana universe. Also loves red wine

Favorite flower - Ocean Lavendar

Birthday - mid July

Age - 25

Gender - Female

Zodiac - Cancer Sun, Leo Moon, Gemini Venus, Taurus Rising

Personality - ESFP (”The Entertainer”) 

Patron Arcana - Queen of Cups

Upright: She is nurturing, caring, compassionate, and sensitive. She is the embodiment of the “nurturing mother” energy. 

Reversed: She will draw inwards and focus on her own emotional well-being before helping others. She will be set firm in her boundaries and not take on the emotional baggage of others. 

Appearance:

- She is about 5′7″ - 5′8″, with dark hair that has natural highlights when displayed under light. She has brown eyes with flecks of hazel that appear lighter in brightly lit areas. Her hair has to be brushed constantly wet as it can be naturally wavy. 

- Smells like lavendar, since she has the plants all around the shop, and has soft skin from using shea butter to moisturize. 

- She has a scar on her knee from an accident when she was two years old. She is also naturally athletic and flexible due to fencing, horseback riding, dancing, and hiking. Has some miraculous upper body strength as well. 

- Pink, plump lips; slim black eyebrows, and some angular features that are emphasized when she is mad or when she is happy or sad. 

- She has slender hands and fingers, which she sometimes likes to accessorize. 

Languages spoken - the common Vesuvian dialect, Latin, Italian, and Old World Greek dialect (think Sophocles’ Greek)

Hobbies - 

- Aside from her athleticism, she has been known to sing around the shop. Those who wandered by her shop would hear her and make requests. Occasionally, she has sung for the theater group that Julian is a part of, which is how he met her. 

- She is an avid reader, and always has the shelves in her shop stacked. 

- Given that she also has a sweet tooth, she’ll always be trying new recipes for desserts she’s curious about 

Powers and abilities - Elemental magic of Water 💦 and Earth 🌎 , Telekinesis, and Healing

- The magic in her family is matrilineal, as her mother had some abilities with fire. Her grandmother had used air to their advantage as well.  

- Her family are merchants, so she traveled a lot during childhood. In doing so, she was able to encounter others who had similar abilities to hers. Her family encouraged her talents, finding some of the best teachers and healers to help her sharpen her skills. She has used her Earth and Water abilities to grow herbs for concocting remedies. 

- Her telekinetic abilities are more in tuned with her emotions. For example, she was agitated and afraid in a scuffle with a stranger, as was looking for a weapon to defend herself. In her state of mind, she managed to trap him in the Earth by throwing a piece of metal at him with her mind. Another time, she saved her younger brother from drowning by drawing water away from him and forming a dry path for his escape. 

Given that she had been trained since childhood, the Devil sees Persephone as a powerful weapon for his potential use. 

Love Interests - I am thinking of possibly pairing her with either Asra, Julian, Lucio, Muriel, or Valerius. 

She’s best buds with Portia and Nadia, and some of the Courtiers, but is wary of Valdemar. 

Backstory

She was born near the Aegean Sea, along the chain of islands. Her family is a mix of the Mediterranean region. Given that her family traveled frequently as merchants, Persephone always saw the world as her oyster and wanted to seek more in life. On her 18th birthday, she was gifted the shop from a distant aunt that she saw very little of. Her family encouraged her to see more of the world, but not without writing often. 

When she came to Vesuvia, Asra quickly noticed her given her compassionate nature. She saw some orphans ransacking a fruit cart, and decided to pay for the stolen food to placate the angry owner. Given his abandonment as a child, Asra saw her as a type of kind soul. 

She met Julian when she decided to start singing for the community theater. He liked her singing voice and her friendly nature, since it always got them encores for performances. It was through Julian, Persephone met Portia and Portia would invite her to the palace at times. Nadia saw Persephone as a kind soul to lend a listening ear to every now and then. 

Of course Lucio and the Courtiers saw her as someone naive, but was taken aback given easily she never fell for their facades and such. Unfortunately, such a kind soul lost her life to the plague at the age of 24. She was coming back from the market, excited to try a new recipe, until she collapsed at the front of her door. The only think Asra found was her glove left behind, but by the time he figured things out, it was too late. 

When she was resurrected, she just remembered that she was coming back from the market and her family. The faces of Vesuvia had become a blur to her. She felt more anxious than normal because some recognized her, but she couldn’t do the same, and she didn’t know if she was being stalked or why something felt as if it was missing. For an extrovert like herself, she felt closed off and cut off inside her heart. 

The other picture down below is another style of her by the sweet @artbyfarouche-eclaire​ 

This would be the type of dress she would wear to the Vesuvia Ball scene. It may also be the same one for Asra, Julian, Muriel, and Valerius (or at least some variation of it). 

[juliandev0rak]

From the get to know my character questionnaire, 1 for all of them (bc I know you named stella after alcohol but i wanna know about the rest lmao), and 7 and 27... also for all of them? i just love them all, hit me with the lore. —leila-of-ravens

ahh thank you for asking about all of them I have way too much fun writing character lore 💗💗💗 @leila-of-ravens

from these asks

these will inevitably get long so I’m putting the answers under the cut!

01. What does your character’s name mean? Did you pick it for the symbolism, or did you just like the way it sounded?

Beatrice

Beatrice started off as a self insert character so I gave her my name and started playing the Arcana as “Bea”, but I soon decided I wanted to make her much cooler than I am lol, so I changed a lot of her personality and named her the longer version of Bea, Beatrice. I also love the name because it reminds me of Beatrice, Dante’s muse in Dante’s Inferno. He travelled through all of the levels of hell to rescue her and it just seemed to fit with the story of the Arcana. Long story short, I sort of named her after me lol.

I chose her last name Viano from googling “Italian last names” and choosing the one I liked the sound of best lol, there’s no deep meaning for that. 

Freya

I named her Freya because I love the name, but after looking up its meaning I felt it fit her really well. It’s a name from Norse origins and means “a noble woman”, and Freya’s whole aesthetic was built off of her being very dignified and elegant. She’s the type of person you’d expect to be nobility, even if she isn’t.

Aster

I googled “space names” because I wanted her to be star inspired and found the name “Astra” which means “of the stars” in Latin. I decided to go for Aster instead because I love the way it sounds. I also like how similar it sounds to Asra, I just think it’s cute that they have similar names lol. 

I decided not to give her a last name because I couldn’t find one I liked, and because I thought it would be an interesting part of her background. She doesn’t remember her family at all, and that includes not even knowing her own last name. 

Cam

I chose the name Camellia because I had the idea of all of Cam’s siblings being named after plants because they grew up on a farm. Camellias are one of my favorite flowers, and I like the way it can be shortened to Cam. Cam is nonbinary and basically defines their gender as “whatever feels right in the moment” lol, so having a name that can be less overtly feminine, like Cam, was important to me. I think both their full name and their nickname really suit them!  

Their last name is Giardini which means “gardens” in Italian, I chose it because it goes along with the gardening / farming theme of their background.

Stella

I know I’ve explained this before but here’s the full story: It was a Friday evening in August, I poured myself a glass of Stella Rosa Black, my favorite red wine, and started playing Lucio’s route for the first time. I knew I wanted to make a new oc for his route because Beatrice would really hate Lucio, so the idea of Stella was born. I just thought it would be funny to have a character based off of alcohol, who lived at a vineyard, and I think the name Stella is very pretty. 

Willa

I debated naming her Willow for a while because I wanted her to have a nature themed name, but I decided I like the sound of Willa better. It’s a sort of delicate sounding name which fits her. I chose her last name Clary because Willa is Irish-coded (because of course, there’s no Ireland in the game lol), and I thought it sounded good with her first name!

07. Is there a catchphrase or sound that they tend to make a lot (likely without being aware of it)?

Beatrice

“Oh dear” is basically her catch phrase, she doesn’t curse much so it’s kind of her go to “oh no” phrase if something goes wrong. 

Freya

She has a very particular sigh that basically means she’s annoyed, she tries to keep her composure in front of people at all times so her annoyed sigh is the only sign she actively hates whoever she’s talking to.

Aster

She curses pretty much constantly but she throws in all sort of non-curse words, for example while fighting the Devil she turned to Asra and said “Fucking gumdrops my dude, this sucks!” which, although confusing, did make sense in the moment. She also says “oh worm” a lot ever since she heard Vlastomil say it. 

Cam

They have a very distinctive laugh which usually turns into snorts if they’re laughing super hard, which is pretty much always. 

Stella

She rolls her eyes a lot and says things like “Oh sure..” in a sarcastic tone of voice under her breath. You can’t blame her, she is dating Lucio after all which means she has to deal with him, and the courtiers, more than any one person should have to. 

Willa

Willa prides herself on being an “active listener” which means that if you’re telling her something she’ll be nodding her head and saying “Uh hu” to let you know that she’s listening. She also calls everyone “sweetie”.

27. If your character was going to get arrested, what would be the most likely reason for it?

Beatrice

“I would probably be arrested for aiding and abetting fugitives. I’ve met a lot of people at the Rowdy Raven who are supposed to be behind bars- but I’ll never tell.” 

Freya

“Tax evasion, money laundering, insider stock trading.. these are just examples of crimes not ones I’ve committed. I refuse to discuss this more without a lawyer present.” 

Aster

“It would probably be for the time I let all of the palace horses loose in the city streets.. or maybe when I accidentally set a building on fire.. or maybe from the time I helped pirates smuggle in certain illegal goods.. well let’s just say it’s a good thing Nadia granted me immunity :) ”  

Cam

“Hmmmm.. I stole a book once when I was a teenager, it was way overpriced and the merchant was super rude so I just took it when he wasn’t looking. The guilt has haunted me ever since...”

Stella

“I broke into Valerius’ house last weekend. It was for a valid reason, he stole something from my brother and I needed to get it back. Valerius called the guards but I just portalled out of there, he knows it was me but he can’t prove anything...” 

Willa

“I smuggled all of the vampire eels out of the city, they weren’t happy living in the canals! They need open water to thrive, everyone knows that!” 

[apprentice-nylah]

My live thoughts as I read through Nadia’s new route. 

A general overview of the new book is... it’s really a full circle kind of story. It’s interesting and I want to know what happened in the real world when the apprentice was taking their journey. Also, the few new Nadia faces were great. I still stan my wife. Her petty behavior with Lucio was probably my favorite part. I really... dislike him as a character so I’ll take any chance I can to get back at him. (Note that while I really dislike Lucio, that’s a good thing for me. He’s supposed to be the antagonist, at least in Nadia’s route and the fact I hate him so much means his writing has been good). 

More detailed reactions and in-depth spoilers below the cut. 

- I’M NOT READYYYY (but I so am)

- The first thing in my face is Lucio. You can go like.. die again.

- Some people cheer? Ew. 

- DON’T YOU DARE APPROACH MY WIFE

- Petty as ever Nadia. First words to him is criticism of his outfit.

- LOL. She’s (rightly so) toying with him. 

- I am kind of surprised she didn’t attack him on sight, but then again I’m not. She is a countess and she’s in public. She’s not going to wail on her ex-husband over the apprentice at the moment. 

- Asra lol. No.

- Rip Lucio. Ignored by everyone.

- LOL even the apprentice dips.

- Also, he can see the apprentice? Is it just him or...

- Nadia!!! I just want to hug you. 

- Ok so she can’t see me, but maybe sense my presence?

- Oh, she can see me with her powers. That makes sense. 

- THE ANGST.

- DON’T CRY. IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT

- Of course the Devil planned for it. What else did you think would happen??

- Send me to live with the Arcana for now. Sounds cool. 

- He treats her like a groupie, not his wife. Not cool dude. 

- TELL HIM OFF GURRRRL

- OH NO YOU DIDN’T JUST TELL HER THAT I’M “OUT OF THE WAY”

- Oh of course I’m getting my revenge in any way I can. 

- Also, fire magic. 

- Rip painting.

- Asra l0l. I’m loving everyone toying with Lucio and being super extra.

- Ugh, that’s smug Nadia face again. It’s probably my favorite one. 

- Oh yeah, Nadia finally standing up for the apprentice to Lucio’s face.

- Another new face?!?!

- I’ve been dreaming of letting him have it too Nadia.

- Into the unknownnn

- OH MY GOD. IS THAT A DOG DRESSED AS A TRAVELER

- “Who are you”

- “Follow the dog”

- Leap of faith much?

- The Lazaret... ok towers. 

- OMG ARE THESE NADIA’S LOST MEMORIES

- “I’m Nylah” (apprentice name)

- Even new Nadia thinks I’m cute c:

- So yeah, Nadia from the past. When she was asleep. Ok, makes sense. 

- I mean, Nadia even said her life before the apprentice was dark and at times, depressing. It probably was hard for her to accept things would get better at this point in her life. 

- “You’re going to meet someone special”

- THAT FACE AGAIN

- OH MY GOD. Did the apprentice actually set themselves up? Granted Nadia gets her dream after she wakes from the long sleep, but the apprentice seems to have planted that seed. 

- Top Nadia makes her appearance. I’m so down for it. 

- As far as my personal apprentice is concerned “She’s a stoic type” is the most accurate choice.

- ANOTHER NEW FACE

- Rip Lucio. Even ragging on him in sleep

- Again, based on my personal apprentice, “She can do magic!” is probably the best choice. She can dance, but magic defines her more. And she does support Nadia, but she also isn’t afraid to challenge her when necessary. 

- OH WHAT. Just thought, did the apprentice help Nadia wake up? Like, didn’t she just randomly wake up one day? 

- “Check the deck” The only choice.

 - Of course, it’s the Tower. 

- Not the Lazaret you say?

- Red Bettles smh.

- Yes, tell me what the Lazaret means to you

- Please don’t cry. 

- I see why she blames herself. It’s kind of a real-world argument about being complicit (seems relevant to a lot of fandom discourse...). But I still hate it because I love her. 

- I kind of wish I knew why she married Lucio in the first place. Was it arranged? Or... I think there have been some contextual clues, but we’ve never seen the actual reason explicitly stated. 

- “You tried to do it alone” As Nadia always does.

- NO DON’T CRY

- So the apprentice helped her talk through her mental barries and woke her up. God, I love. 

- High Priestess!!

- Not another decision...

- NADIAAAAA

- Is that like... a determined face?

- Ugh the end.

I like that it all came full circle. That even before Nadia and the Apprentice met in the real world, the apprentice was the one to help Nadia out of her sleep. And that this far in, we find out that it was the apprentice that really set the whole thing in motion. I appreciate time travel storylines like that. Kind of like Legends of Tomorrow or Dr. Who, when they set themselves up. Best example is Dr Who and Pompeii. Or the 50th-anniversary special. Dr Who fans will know what I’m talking about. That kind of storyline I like because it does take some advanced thought, which as a writer myself, I can appreciate. 

I’m living for Muriel, Asra and Nadia going after Lucio in the way they did. And I find it interesting that Lucio can see the apprentice, espeically when Nadia needs her magical sight to see them, and I think, Asra and Muriel can’t at all.  Sense the apprentice’s presense maybe, but Lucio can seem them clearly enough to try to strangle them, suggesting he has a clear sight of them. It also suggests that Lucio retained some powers from his deal with the Devil, or that there’s a deeper connection between him and the apprentice, perhaps because he stle and manipulated the apprentice’s body. Because everyone has said he sucks as magic, so he couldn’t do it on his own. I suspect the Devil will have a major role with this in the future. 

I’ve discussed the monetization of the recent books into the ground already, so I’ll leave that one. 

So, the Star is next?

Color me intrigued.