Magician Kosmeros

A smile like that is more precious than gold.

MEET APPRENTICE ARSON

God!Au!?!?

Yes please!!!!

Feat. @danielle-the-apprentice

I had this terrible joke in my head about Sindre’s first day of rehabilitation for MONTHSSSSssss TT 7 TT

Obviously I don’t speak for everyone, but on my end? Yeah, no, I don’t agree with that 😂 

First of all, what is there for her to “get away” with? What did she...do? As I understand it, Nadia did make mistakes, and there are plenty more things she feels guilty for that she was barely, if at all, culpable in, but her route (just like Julian & Asra’s) is about acknowledging her mistakes and overcoming the bad habits that led her to them.

And the strength she finds in her route is very explicable - her lack of trust and compulsion to do everything herself was preventing her from accessing her inner strength and confidence. (Which is consistent with the High Priestess reversed - the inability to access your full potential because you aren’t following your intuition.) Maybe it’s tougher to see because it’s framed as “you had the potential the whole time” - you know, just like Julian always had the potential to care about his own well-being, but it takes his route for him to learn how to get out of his own way. 

Outside of the ~flirty~ scenes, too, she’s not even really that dominant; she’s firm, and she takes control, but she is, y’know, the sovereign ruler of Vesuvia, so she should probably be comfortable giving orders. If anything, by the end of her route, she’s a lot softer and less forceful because she’s more assured of her own abilities. If you ask me, it seems like the writers wanted to make a strong, smart woman who’s holding herself back because she’s afraid of letting people down, who learns to trust herself and the people around her in kind. 

Internally: Did Anon play the same route as me...? Is this Nadia from a different game...?

I mean. Also. The apprentice: *can shoot fire and ice and lightning out of their hands and spells can’t be used against them twice* totally normal. Nadia: *gains temporary true sight upon activation of a skill, allowing her to see through illusions* is somehow a mary sue.

Not sure what Super Saiyan Sephiroth Midgar Canon power you’re talking about there, anon, but it sounds like one of those false equivalencies of ‘female character being remotely competent, strong, having any sort of power (big or small) and agency over it, or independent somehow = mary sue’. 

Nadia struggles. A lot. She’s so caught up in her own need to prove herself that she even takes the care of her siblings to be them treating her like she’s fragile (when, clearly, they all just love her a lot). She did *everything* on her own before. Didn’t trust anyone. Didn’t open up to anyone. Didn’t allow herself to express her raw emotions in front of anyone. Just the same as she is the catalyst for you, the apprentice, leaving your corner of Vesuvia in the shop and adventuring out into the wider world, *you* are the catalyst to her coming out of her cocoon and learning that it’s not weak to rely on others and to feel openly and honestly. 

Before, when she was married to Lucio, she felt helpless to bring about change to Vesuvia. She had no controlling power over the city-state. He did. And no matter how many times she tried to convince him to do X, Y, or Z he refused. Was there more she could have done about it? Most likely. Which is why she carries that guilt forward into her story and uses it as her pivot point to make a change. She’s the ruler now. She’s the one in charge. She gets to make the decisions. And by god she’s gonna because she cares so damn much about her people that she wants to make up for all the time they suffered because of Lucio’s ego and, in part, from her inaction. 

Like....I’m honestly not sure what Nadia was supposed to be or do? I feel like if it was a man in her position, this conversation wouldn’t be happening. 

By the end of her route, Nadia is more open. She’s empathetic. She feels free. She’s no longer trying to prove herself because she realizes she doesn’t have anything to prove. All while being a cunning, intelligent, tactical woman and a great ruler to her people. She gave them hope. 

Nadia is a lovely, multifaceted character. But, I suppose a part of what makes her do unique is that it's subtle. She's a character who's very good at putting on a mask for the sake of appearances, good at hiding what she actually feels for the sake of her duty or for others. The moments where she confessed her true feelings and less-than-perfect thoughts are there, but it's subtle, and not glaringly obvious, and I like it because it aligns with who she is and a person

Nadia isn't the kind of person who cries a lot or gives dramatic confessions. She's linking your hands together, soft words that are somehow certain and hopeful at the same time, something tender and intimate and a little bit teasing that's just for her and the apprentice alone, if that makes sense?

Contrasting Julian who's all about dramatic confessions and horrible (or perhaps stellar xD) timing

Nadia is more private, and maybe that makes her character growth harder to see for some

But for people who understand her character, for people who've been in situations like hers, for people who take the time to read and learn her route, that softer, more self-assured shift in her philosophy is there and maybe not huge, per say, but no less prominent

After seeing @timmys-and-scribbles pride art, I felt inspired to draw my arcana oc Varenia, alongside @halorecoil 's beautiful apprentice Kosmeros~

What kind of magic would they have? If they already have magic, would they prefer another kind?

What’s their laugh like?

What’s their smile like? What makes them smile?

Are they afraid of bugs?

Are they outdoorsy?

What kind of chocolates do they avoid in a box of Russell Stovers?

What’s their least favorite kind of weather?

What Studio Ghibli movie are they?

What Disney song are they?

Do they have any scars or piercings?

Are they competitive?

What is their astrological sign?

What is their Hogwarts house?

Do they like spicy food? Do they like sweets?

Do they associate a certain food with a memory?

Likewise, do they associate a certain smell with a memory?

Are they a heavy sleeper?

What’s their sleep schedule like?

What’s their color palette?

Do they like other people playing with/touching their hair?

Would they swim with sharks?

Do they like the smell of gasoline?

What do they like more, sunrise or sunset?

Rooftop stargazing or meadow cloud watching?

Do they like being out in the rain?

How do they flirt?

What is their relationship like with their parents? Do they have any?

How do they feel about physical affection?

What is their love language?

What’s the quickest way to their heart?

Do they have any precious mementos or keepsakes? What are they?

Are they religious?

How healthy is their diet?

Where would they be at a frat party?

What kind of drunk are they?

Have they had a first kiss? What was it like?

Are they down to get pegged?

Can they fight?

Would they hide injuries?

What’s an experience they gloss over that is a matter of concern?

What were they like as a child?

What vine represents them?

Can they rip an apple apart with their bare hands?

Morning person or night owl?

Is there any one thing they would change about themselves?

What’s one thing that would shut them up?

Are they keeping secrets? What are they?

How would their friends tell them apart from a doppelganger?

Where do they fit on the lawful alignment chart?

What au do you put them in when their story gets a bit too dark?

Are they a pacer? What’s their body language like when agitated?

Are they a good babysitter? A bad one?

Are they prone to daydreaming?

What kind of dessert would they be?

Would they ever bingewatch a show? What is it?

How would they fare in the zombie apocalypse? 

What are their opinions on mushrooms?

The Devil and his Star

Nadia: "It seems we've the Palace to ourselves until the others return. Whatever shall we do to pass the time?"

Emrys: emrys.exe has stopped working

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Quarantine day 30.

Today’s commission is a gift for @cosmic.hermit from @halorecoil . She asked me to draw this for her friend and tag her for a sweet surprise. And I LOVE a sweet surprise!