Nonbinary Moment

nonbinary moment 💅

"Weißer, weißer, weißer als weiß.

Weiter, weiter durch's ewige Eis.

Heller, heller, weißer als weiß.

Weiter, weiter durch's ewige Eis." ©

Art: Lunatic Sun /traditional artwork/

About Asra and Julian’s Relationship

I’ve seen a few things about Julian and Asra’s relationship. And I’m really weirded out why people paint Asrian in a positive light. Yeah, I know, there’s probably some thirsty ‘ooh yaoi!’ people. But personally, Asrian makes me genuinely angry and horrified. At Asra. And yes, I can already hear people coming to defend Asra:

“Julian was in the wrong too!”, “He couldn’t take no for an answer!” “You’re just biased as a Julian stan”

Look, I’m not saying that Julian was perfectly innocent in the situation (is he perfectly innocent in any situation, really?). He couldn’t take no for an answer. He was pushy. And I’m not saying that Asra is a horrible person and should be burnt at the stake. I love Asra; he can be very kind, very loving, and is wonderful at making the MC confident in themselves.

But look at the scene we get in Asra’s route. Asra’s attitude towards Julian is sensual. He plays off of Julian’s masochistic tendencies. He -despite he himself saying OUT LOUD that he can’t give Julian a relationship, which he knew full well was what Julian was really after- still proceeds with a physical encounter (i.e. they fuck). He uses Julian as spell ingredients.

He used Julian as spell ingredients.

And I have to wonder how many times this happened. How many times did Julian come to see Asra, seeking affection, and what did he give in return? More blood? Hair? Flesh? We just don’t know. How far could it have gone?

In the end, Asra was just stringing Julian along to get what he needed, and to have a little fun on the side. He could have given a hard ‘no, Julian, we can’t be together’. Certainly not have pursued a physical relationship. Maybe he could’ve gotten assistance from Julian in the form of spell ingredients (by just asking), maybe not. But at least he wouldn’t have been using Julian. Because that’s really what it was. He was just using Julian. For a distraction from MC, for spell ingredients, for assistance, etc. And it makes my freakin skin crawl. Sweet, kind, supportive Asra was using someone.

Anyway, that’s my two cents. Just a reminder: I don’t hate Asra, I’m just really disgusted at the way he handled Julian’s unrequited affection.

[A boy with the flowers]

So, let's introduce to the honorable public our artists.

All these arts were create in our local 'Draw This In Your Style' challenge. Any artist have their own advantages, and today our specimen to prove this, is... Julian Devorak.

art by: Lunatic Sun

2. art by: Wasteofplace

3. art by: ChilledOutBeast

This reference were included in our Dorian's story "Nec Deus Intersit" which you can find on... (unexpected move, lol) Dorian!

Nota Bene: the flowers in his hands is 'Aconitum napellus' or Wolfsbane, or Aconytes. Aconite is a poisonous flower which is canonically Julian's favourite. There's no mentions in the plot of the Arcana Game, but in the our story this plant plays a pretty big role.

Due to its properties (as known as "the Queen of Poisons" ), wolfsbane was associated with the darkest pages of human history and mythology.

Citation from vineyardgazette.com:

"Ancient mythology suggested that Hecate, goddess of magic and spells, invented wolfsbane for her witchcraft. An alternate story insists that the poison came from the slobbering of three-headed Cerberus, the dog protector of the underworld.

Wherever wolfsbane came from, it was much used. Athena reportedly employed it to transform Arachne into a spider, and it was Medea’s poison of choice to knock off Theseus.

Shakespeare called wolfsbane a “venom of suggestion” to break up relationships. More recently, in Game of Thrones, it was complicit in an assassination. Romans favored the herb as a method of execution and Greeks forced senile seniors to use it for involuntary euthanasia. Both Socrates and Alexander the Great might have been victims of this plant’s poison; forget what you heard about hemlock. A very dark history indeed.

The association of wolfsbane with the underworld goes deeper. It is believed to protect against Dracula and werewolves when worn around the neck or kept in the home. Usage can also lead to lycanthropy. the belief that one can turn into an animal and, more specifically, a wolf or werewolf. This shape-shifting theory is one accounting for the name wolfsbane, as is the thought that it can kill both of those creatures.

Biologically, wolfsbane works as a neuro- and cardiotoxin. Its effects resemble those of rabies and it doesn’t take much, or long, to prove fatal. For this reason, wolfsbane has been used not only on people but also for hunting, by treating arrow tips with the plant material such as its sap or powdered root."

"Ilya lowered his eyes. He felt stupid and ridiculous, looking at the flowers in his hands. All determination seemed to dissipate, his heart was beating somewhere in his throat.

– Death has looked at me and turned away so many times that I feel like I’m not even worthy of her.

– And that’s why you went up to the sacrifice, like a lamb to the slaughter? You are persistent. So, you smell of incense. Have you been to the temple?

– Yes, Quaestor.

– With your martyr eyes, this suits you well, Doctor №069."

© "Nec Deus intersit"

Art by: Wasteofplace/Chilledoutbeast