#oof i rambled

[sunflowerhazel]

If someone ever tried to make tv show out of The Arcana I think the best solution would be playing with time line paradox thingy. Like Spiderverse or Everything Everywhere At Once style . Just my opinion because I can't choose it in the poll.

Ok I've been thinking about this a lot so thank you for giving me an excuse to speak on it lol.

Before we start, I have only read through Nadia, Asra, Julian, and half of Muriel's routes, but I still think that's enough to make a timeline.

I agree: Although there is still the same throughline in each of the routes, they all work as their own universe. For example, in Muriel's route, Lucio makes deals with the courtiers, gaining a physical (albeit goat-shaped) body that way. In Asra's route, you successfully take back your body from Lucio and the courtiers eat what remains of his spirit. In Nadia's ending, both you and Lucio regain your bodies, but Lucio is banished from the lands.

I guess one of the first questions we should ask ourselves, as theoretical showrunners, is what ending do we want to give Lucio? Is he alive? dead? Does he end the show still swimming in the in-between, with no way of returning to the physical world?

Secondly, we need to establish what kind of story we want to tell. In the prologue, we are told by Nadia that Julian killed Lucio, and she needs our help to track him down and bring him to justice. Because of this, it makes the most sense to me if we bring a large focus to Julian; through his route, we learn about the Red Plague, the MC's death and resurrection, and all of the atrocities committed by Valdemar. This is also where his plan to be hung to talk to the Hanged Man gets explained the most. However, if we only follow Julian, we never learn of Asra's past with their missing parents, or his childhood growing up orphaned with Muriel. We won't learn of Nadia's rocky relationship with her parents, or much of anyone else's backstory, for that matter.

Therefore, I propose to you this mish-mash:

The A plot mostly follows Julian and Asra's routes. That first night, you talk to Asra through the fountain and confide in them about the investigation. The next day, you talk to Portia at her cottage, and she admits that Julian is her brother. You tell her you'll keep her secret, and Portia is happy. As you leave her cottage, you see a red stream and follow it, where you find Julian. He tells you the stream is no longer contagious, and he wistfully tells you there's no need for a plague doctor without a plague. You hear Malak scream, and as you try to run away you slip and fall into the stream, being bitten by an eel. Julian pulls you to safety, and once you're away from the guards he tends to your wounds. He shows you his mark, claiming it's a curse from Asra. You go back to the palace, where Asra is meeting with Nadia for the first time. He hugs you and asks if they can take you out for the day. You agree and they take you to their personal oasis and talk about the realms of the Arcana.

As the A plot unfolds, I think the B plot should be roughly Nadia's route, with Portia taking the place of the MC. Portia admits to knowing how to read and write after Nadia's sister shows up at Vlastomil's mansion.

Finally, the C plot should be Muriel and Morga hunting Lucio's ghost together. Here we learn about Muriel's past and his ties to Morga. They reconcile after one last fight against Lucio.

Everyone reconvenes in time for the hearing. During Muriel's route, Nadia tells you that they found Valdemar's secret lab. This should be where Julian regains his memories of his past, and where you, Asra, and Julian go to the Lazaret to learn once and for all about your death. Asra and Julian fight once more, Asra telling Julian he should have done more to protect you from the Plague. Julian runs away, turning himself in to Nadia. You talk to him behind bars, and he reveals his plan to talk to the Hanged Man. I also think that Valerius should accuse Nadia of conspiring with Julian here.

Nadia and Julian both take a stand. Julian gets pronounced guilty, with Nadia successfully proving her innocence and embarrassing Valerius. After the hanging, you, Portia, and Asra go to stay with Julian's body while Nadia gets the palace ready for the masquerade. Julian jolts alive, telling you of his meeting with the Hanged Man, and of Lucio's return with the plague.

Eventually, the Devil tracks you down and steals your body. You and Asra meet in the realms of the Arcana as Muriel and Nadia try to find out where the ritual took place. Asra finds his parent's prison, and you free Aisha and Salim as well as their familiars. As you let them leave, you are approached by the different courtiers. You unbind them from the Devil. Lucio shows up and begs to be unbound. You do so, regaining your body. You go back to the physical world where Nadia has imprisoned Lucio. You go to the Devil's feast where Faust and Asra secretly put your blood in the wine. Everyone drinks, but the merging of worlds does not happen. The Devil goes back to his domain where you follow with all your friends, binding him once and for all.

At the end, Nadia and Portia get together (obviously), maybe Asra and Julian reconcile, or the MC gets with one of them depending on the specifics of the story lol. Morga takes Lucio away, presumably to punish him on her own terms, or maybe to reconcile. Muriel, no longer bound by his chains, is happy :) maybe he and Asra kiss idk

Ok this was really long and I am fully aware it's a jumbled mess, but it's really hard to put something cohesive together when each of the different routes have such good storylines. At the end of the day, I really like the end of Julian's route where everyone comes together to help you bind the Devil. I think it's quite cinematic, albeit cliche. I also like the part of Nadia's story where you unbind the courtiers one by one (the little Volta creature has my whole heart). And of course, we can't forget about Asra saving their parents. I'm not too sure about an ending where Lucio is unbound-- I think the way Asra's route deals with Lucio is really cool. At the end of the day, I think the easiest way to do this is to figure out what you want from Lucio and work backwards from there.

Ok this is the end I promise thank you for listening to me talk about my new hyperfixation :)

[seoafin]

do you think megumi and tsumiki aren't close siblings in the manga? otherwise, wouldn't megumi have noted that his sister was acting out of sorts in the latest chapters? i read a meta recently that talked about how the one interaction we see of them is when she throws milk at him and doesn't seem apologetic. do you think that was deliberate in the sense that gege was trying to subvert the woman in fridge trope? anyway, how does this affect your canon understanding of megumi's personality? can't wait for the new fic!!

also, personal question since i'm obsessed with him, how do think gojo would be like in a relationship post kfc breakup in canon? also, in your family au, when do reader and gojo get married?

they are close! while they may not be the type of siblings that tell each other other their innermost secrets, they obviously care about each other. even as children, i'm sure having no parents in the household brought them together as they only could rely on the other. megumi's first thought when gojo approached him was how being a jujutsu sorcerer would affect tsumiki, and even as a six year old her happiness is one of his biggest priorities!! they might not be best friends, but they have a familial bond and they care for each other

keep in mind i haven't read the latest chapters more than i've skimmed over them, but i think it's stated in the chapter that the cursed user inhabiting tsumiki has access to all her memories, and based off that could nearly perfectly replicate her mannerisms and personality, which is what fooled megumi. i think megumi was just so relieved and happy to have found her, it blinded him, and he momentarily forgot about the possibility that it wasn't actually her. once the initial euphoria wore off, it is a possibility that he would've eventually realized it wasn't her! upon realizing tsumiki wasn't tsumiki, he was so devastated that sukuna used that moment to invade his body.

as for your second question i'm not sure i completely understand? to my knowledge, i don't think the fridging women trope necessarily applies because tsumiki is still alive! if tsumiki does end up dying (all to further megumi's character arc) then akutami would definitely be guilty lol ESPECIALLY since nobara died for yuuji's AND he killed off tsukumo yuki 😭

as for that scene, i think it was more to show their contrasting ideologies in how they approach life and see other people. i think tsumiki was very rightfully fed up with megumi's (admittedly immature) way of treating people and obviously as his big sister it falls on her to straighten him up!!! i feel like he was also just Mentally not in a very good place in middle school and full of bitterness and resentment towards everyone. he does undergo a character change from middle school to high school, which the readers can assume is because tsumiki fell victim to a curse. it's the reason why he's trying so hard at being a jujutsu sorcerer, all to help her.

i personally really really like megumi's current character arc as much as i dislike the culling games. his resolved has hardened and he knows what he has to do. there's no more room for doubt, only survival. furthermore, he's growing at an exponential rate, and at this point in the manga the sky's the limit since the mental barrier he's imposed on himself is gone and i really can't wait for him to develop more although the events in the manga are.....yeah 😭 i also think the events of the manga so far have shown us that megumi is indeed ready to put the people he cares about over the greater good. god i hope he and yuuji and tsumiki make it out of the culling games alive!!!!

personal opinion: i don't think gojo is ready for a relationship immediate post-kfc breakup although i can see him rushing into one as a result of it haha

uhhhh i think rip!mc and gojo get married arounddddd 22????? sorry rip!mc that's so unfeminist of me 😫😫😫😫

[dootznbootz]

Penelope is also Athena's pet/blorbo/special little mortal/etc. and if you think otherwise you're straight up wrong.

You're also wrong if you think Athena only likes Penelope because of Odysseus and/or Telemachus. As if Athena didn't see a young Penelope pull some shit and immediately think "Oh! Another mind to mold! C'mere you! Let's do some riddles and weaving!". Athena was happy that two of her favorite pets have met and fell in love!

[theoldkyokodied]

You know which scene I am basing this on. Also (kisses all the fanfic writers on the mouth) thank you for your service

Bonus:

Edit: DISCLAIMER: Before you decide to watch Re-Animator, make sure to check for content warnings, there is a scene that a lot of people choose to skip!

[bumfuzzled-bee]

Just some lil guys getting ready for the day.

[scarrletmoon]

izzy hands is a pageant mom who’s stopped seeing her eldest daughter (ed) as a person

in this essay, i will

[symeona]

Can u tell I'm a fan of Yoshitaka Amano's art... Can u tell he had a chokehold on my childhood like no other artist pffff

[megalomari]

i watched the hobbit !! it was… an experience…

[crazymecjc]

✨daniil dankovsky’s fun steppe vacation✨

[windwenn]

I finally updated my helen design yippee🎉🎉 i put my notes and ramblings under the cut

(I've been waiting for ages to be able to talk about my distortion designs and the distortion in general so sorry if this gets a bit long.)

The distortion really interests me because of all the fears with prominent avatars, helen and michael appear to be (imo) the most inhuman, being reduced to mostly abstract concept but also somewhat devoid of free will, much like an animal. So when i draw them i try to emulate animal characteristics - the yellow eyes match the door but are also similar to cats or owls for instance (The kubrick stare i tend to give them does the same thing lol). The way the distortion feeds itself reminds me of a venus flytrap or a pitcher plant and i associate it very closely with naturalistic elements because of this, because of the fact that technically the distortion as a fear is thousands if not millions of years old, and because i like the contrast of something urban like a door surrounded by wildlife. Its curious and tempting and it doesnt make sense, which reflects the nature of the distortion itself. In the same way i like to give them facial features typically considered enticing or friendly - round faces, resting smiles, dimples, smaller eyebrows etc, but i always try to place them in the uncanny valley by extending the smile slightly too far and keeping the eyes wide open.

I liked this hairstyle for helen in particular because it feels almost like a halo and i like the comparison of certain fear avatars to deities. In general i draw helen happier than michael because she always seemed to revel in her nature (once she got past the initial feelings) more than michael did, but thats just a vibes thing.

[cutieacefuck]

hbomberguy is SO fucking good at making me hate people ive literally never heard of

[coffiicorgii]

… He’s right behind me isn’t he?

[dootznbootz]

that WHO in no longer u oh my GOD

YESSSS

Like, yeah, Odysseus is like "Yandere" (joking but also not) because kills all who even go near Penelope and Telemachus and he's very protective of them AND jealous.

But I think this "WHO?!" is also a desperate plea as to who is this dangerous man who is near his wife? A warlord? A conquerer? A man who would not even care about Penelope for who she is and mistreats her?

Because even in the Odyssey, Odysseus asks about Penelope to his mother.

Tell me of the wife I married. What are her thoughts and plans? Is she still there with our son, keeping watch on everything? Or has she been married                            to the finest of Achaeans?

(Book 11, Johnston)

There's not even much resentment in his question. There could be but Narrator does not say. The use of "the finest of Achaeans" almost is a "Did she at least marry the best man? Did she at least marry a GOOD man?"

In "No Longer You", when he hears of this dangerous man NEAR his wife, he is SCARED. It could be jealousy but I feel it's more of concern. As it is in the Odyssey.

"I understand if she would remarry, it pains me but I did tell her that when Telemachus finally grows his beard, she could. I will love her always but is she at least happy? Is she safe?"

And she's not safe. She's not happy. He is terrified.

Psst. The reason why My Odysseus takes a long time to grow his beard is because of that line. He's hoping that his son will take after him and take forever to grow a beard like he did (as he doesn't really have one even when he first leaves for Troy) because he would try forever to get home. Penelope even teases him that he still doesn't have one so that's a silly request and that's the point. "I will never stop trying to come back to you. He and I will likely remain beardless forever." (it's a little funky for him when he finally grows one by the end of Troy. He's thinking "...Shit. Telemachus, stay baby-faced for your dad please.")

ANYWAYS.

I mean we all know that these two are obsessed with each other in the Odyssey and in Epic. They are likeminded and are so integral to who they are. They mean everything to one another. I think Odysseus genuinely does want Penelope happy. As even in the Odyssey with him simply asking for another bed, shows how much he loves and respects her. He could've been like "get in it" even though she had rejected him at first but he LISTENS BECAUSE HE LOVES HER. Only breaking down into a sobbing mess when he believes she destroyed their bed.

"Heaven made you as you are, but for sheer obstinacy you put all the rest of your sex in the shade. No other wife could have steeled herself to keep so long out of the arms of a husband she had just got back after nineteen years of misadventure. Well, nurse, make a bed for me to sleep alone in. For my wife's heart is just about as hard as iron."

(Book 23, Rieu)

Please note that this is his attempt to insult her in a way and yet he still talks about her being from Heaven 👀 SIMP

But even though he's deeply hurt by her rejection (poor guy would've probably sobbed himself to sleep) He still asks for another bed. After sleeping on the floor and in the dirt since he's been on Ithaca, refusing beds unless it's his own marriage bed, he takes her 'no' because he values her happiness and comfort over his own. He takes a lesser bed so she can still sleep in their own luxurious one.

I mean we know how fucking awful the suitors are. Hold Them Down is a disturbing song. (as it should be. As they are not good men) He does not even know how bad these men are yet. If his future self could speak with his past self, he'd probably be like "Yeah, don't worry about the guy who kills a bunch of people, they had it coming. ;) " or something.

That "WHO?!" is a mix of jealousy AND fear.

[buckera]

on top of all the high blood pressure Oliver is causing me right now, I can't stop thinking about a platonic(ish) buddie slowdance in their ruined suits

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

A gift for you ole' wise one

you mentioned you finally saw the barbie movie, and imma be honest when I first stumbled upon your au, "What was I made for?" was playin on FULL blast lol -anywho I hope it's okay that I made you a lil fan doodle! I love your au so much!

brb adding What Was I Made For to the au playlist-

im staring So So Hard at this!! the boy!!! the guy!!! he looks so fluffy and tired!!! ough and the background... top tier lonely vibes <3

[sophsicle]

Regulus adjusts his position just so, looking out with practiced disinterest at the hall in front of him. His shoulders pulled back, head high. He doesn't quite fill out his brother's throne. The back just a little too tall, the legs a little too long, the soles of his boots only barely grazing the ground. He acts as though he notices none of this, of course. Acts as though the crown fits.

"You may rise," he says finally, to the man currently kneeling before him.

He's dressed in leathers, a blade and pistol hanging from his hip even though both are technically forbidden in the throne room. Sirius let him take too many liberties.

Regulus eyes him cooly, the man flashing him a grin, like this is all some big joke. Like Sirius isn't missing.

"My advisors tell me you think you know where my brother is?"

"I do."

Regulus waits, arching his brow. After several seconds of silence the man rolls his eyes.

"Your majesty."

Regulus tilts his head to the side, looking him up and down. He knows him, of course, his brother's lowborn drinking buddy. It's a good thing their father isn't alive to see the company the King has been keeping as of late.

"Tell me then," Regulus says finally, hoping his desperation isn't obvious. Tell me where he is. Tell me how to find him. Help me bring him home.

The man before him smiles again. "Why don't you just give me one of your pretty ships and I'll go fetch him myself, shall I?"

Regulus's eyes narrow. "You seem to think we are bargaining. We are not. You will tell me what you know. Now."

The man quirks his brow. "And if I don't?"

"Then I'll have you killed," Regulus says flatly. And he means it. Mostly.

The man's grin only grows, showing off his teeth, two of which, are golden. "Nah, I don't think you will."

"James--"

"Oh so you do know my name."

Regulus grimaces. "Do you think you could show just a little deference? I am your King."

"Prince."

"King until my brother returns. A process you are hindering with your insufferable..." he waves his hand in James's direction. "Insufferableness."

James laughs. "My insufferable insufferableness? Come now my Lord, surely your fancy tutors taught you a few more words than that?"

"Where is my brother!"

His voice rings out through the grand room. Guards and courtiers all turning their heads in his direction. Regulus resents the blush that instantly rushes up his neck. He knows how he sounds. Like a child. For all his winging about not wanting to be King, Sirius was always far better at this than him. Regulus was meant for a quiet life in a monastery somewhere, transcribing manuscripts, translating philosophical works. Not this. Not politics.

James seems to take pity on him, stepping slightly nearer. "He's okay Regulus," he says quietly.

"How can you know that?" he demands.

"He's Sirius. He's always okay."

And isn't that just the truth.

"Let me go get him back huh?"

Regulus gives him a petulant look before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. "I can't just give you a ship James. I barely know you."

"You don't trust me?"

Regulus drops his hand. Delivering him a flat look. "No."

James considers him for a moment, before that old familiar smirk returns to his lips. "Then come with me."

Regulus feels his eyes go wide. "What."

"Then come with me," he nods his head towards the doors. "Come on Regulus," he says, still talking quietly, as though that will stop people from hearing. Someone is always listening in this palace. "Leave the safety of the library for once huh? Come with me. We can get him together."

It's mad. Mad and impossible. He can't. For so many reasons he can't. And yet, somehow, the ridiculous man in front of him is making him think maybe he can.