Sorry, But. ApostleJay On The Line.

Sorry, but. ApostleJay on the line.

As a masochist, I would say that this thing works quite the opposite.

Yes, masochist can assotiate pleasure with pain - and it could be a coping mechanism. But it forms right into your brain and couldn't be turned back. Actually, it could be the other way - masochist may open up in healthy relationship and finally be themselves) There are different forms of masochism: some people enjoy degradation, some of them don't, some prefer the sensation of pain, others like to obey - it's not always about sex.

So I would insist that Julian is definitely a masochist and submissive as fuck :))

(UPD: Also short addition, because I, Lunatic Sun, have my own description in the quote.

BDSM is like a snake. Can you dislike snakes? Yes, you can. But don't say things like "all snakes are venomous" and kill poor reptiles. Not all snakes are venomous, and most likely the snake on your path wants to go away, not attack you. But if you killed every snake you saw and spread your opinion, you'd be harming the environment.

You can have your own opinion, but not your own fact. It's not enough: "a few articles from the first page of Google" for having your own opinion. But "BDSM is not my cup of tea and I exclude this line from my description of the relationship between my MC and Julian" would be more than enough. I may not like Asrian, but I don't scream "this is not canon because I don't like it and I think their relationships are kinda abusive". Asrian is a fact of the Arcana canon. "Julian is a masochist" is another such fact. That's all.)

Tyra Kleen, La Fontaine de Sang (Les Fleurs du Mal), 1903

Quaestor Valdemar/Dr. Julian Devorak from The Arcana

What's a few more bleeding out a little early, in pursuit of a cure? Necessary sacrifices.

"The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved." ©

Song of Songs 7:13

You definitely don't want to know the symbolism of this mandrake.

/© Lunatic Sun/

I came and brought some headcanons.

Since I don't like making headcanons about MCs, and the whole concept is not for me, I'm doing... a side character based on my favorite musicians instead. Who, in my opinion, fit into the Arcana world.

And I'm sure: "Blackmore's Night" is one of them (my beg pardon, I'm an old fan). Since I feel the same aesthetic and the same atmosphere, let's go.

1. This is where I feel the STRONGEST "Girl Power" vibes. What about, say, the "Nadia/MC" route? Portia can be here too (I mean, girl party in a storm on a cliff overlooking the ocean? YEAAH!).

2. I don't know why, but here I feel "Asra/MC" (suddenly!) vibes more than anything else. So, why not?

2.1. "Asra/MC" (or just Azra themselve), so-why-not-2:

So: "The Rowdy Raven". It's easy to imagine R. Blackmore and K. Night as musicians playing in the tavern. Maybe their patron arcana in the Arcana world are also "The Lovers", like Aisha and Salim. I don't think the patron arcana can choose the only person (or couple like "the Lovers" do). I guess "being chosen by the Arcana personification" is not an exclusive offer. It's rare? Well, yes. But I think it's much rarer to be exclusive. It depends, I guess.

Anyway, this is my own headcanon about side characters, which is just giving me a special ambiance as I see it. I like such non-binding vignettes, say:

1. Dancing in the "Rowdy Raven" to this song. Maybe this is a bit of an anachronism ("Lorelei" is a poem by Heinrich Heine, 1824 or even Clemens Brentano's poem "Lore Lay" on 1801) for the "Renaissance" setting of the game, but as long as there is tango (as the most obvious anachronism) in the game itself, this is allowed too.

(Imagine all those old sailors dancing under Mazelinka's leadership. She's sure to have many stories to tell about beautiful sea maidens: she was married to one of them. But with a happy ending. 🖤)

2. Oh, well, it's pretty simple. I think it was one of Julian's favorite songs. Especially for the "sentimental mood" ('cause he is a sweet sentimental boy, you know).

3. This is so obvious that I won't say any more.

I've been listening to them for over 15 years. It's kind of a "band of my youth" and maybe someone will discover "Blackmore's Night" for themselves, idk. Just say something if you want. I always appreciate little vignettes about the whole world (not the "MC with /put your LI here/…" type), but such content is rarely seen here.

Finally, my favorite:

/Lunatic Sun/

A big thank you to my beloved Brian for getting me into this ship, their dynamic has so much comedic potential :D

(Spoiler: they said no. This time, at least)