#oracle fun

No bingo - am I doing this right?

Like most of the canonical chars in the Arcana, I think Asra suffers from a lack of his traumas truly being addressed in his route. Out of all the LIs, I think his is the CLOSEST to the mark - his breakdown in the Death chapters, his Strength chapter, his Moon chapter - and his upright Judgment chapter are some of the strongest writing that NH has, imo. He was the route I referenced the most in writing the Oracle, and in a lot of ways, Iris was formed to work against the ways in which Asra sought desperately to gain control his life.

And yet!!

Where Asra gets really muddled (imo) is his interpretations in the fandom. A true Gemini, Asra has many moods and many modes, and he transitions between them so smoothly and so sweetly you’d miss it if you weren’t looking for it. Asra can be bubbly, can be silly, can be dark af, can be incredibly intense. I think the downfall of his characterization is when that fluidity is what’s ignored for more what I’ll call “tangible” traits - Asra is soft, Asra is controlling, Asra is childlike. Asra lives many lives in this fandom, and many of them can feel like half-truths to me. Especially those who are quick to judge the actions of incredibly broken people, or don’t dip in past that surface playfulness and sexuality (yes, like Julian, I think an unhealed Asra uses sexuality as a means of control and release).

When writing the Oracle, Asra was a straight up enigma to me. Julian was very easy for me to write, even as he changes on the path of the fool’s journey - but he doesn’t share the same flexible characterization as Asra. It took him a long, long time to open up - the same way it took me a long, long time to realize what I was writing about. In a lot of ways, my growth in the oracle mirrors Asra’s. For that reason, he is incredibly precious to me.

Partner: *chewing thoughtfully*

Me: *destroying ramen*

Partner: So if you cut Julian’s head off

Me: *stops mid-slurp* ?! 

Partner: Would a new head grow from his body

Me: ?!??!?!!

Partner: ...or would a new body grow from his head

Me: ?!!!!!?!?!??!?!??!??!?!?!?!!

Partner: ...

Me: ...................................??!?!?

Partner: ...or would there be two Julians?

Mmmm some good ones here, had me thinking <3 thank you for the ask, luv. 

Ghost: I think the obvious answer for Iris here is Vasalisa, whom she dotes on when she’s around (V comes and goes as she pleases); she’s very fond of Faust, Malak, and Innana, too, as well as Sitara when she was alive. Iris is also very drawn to Sphinxes - lions with women’s heads are hugely symbolic in Albyon, and there’s said to be an ancient coven of them that protect the island. 

Partner, whose only exposure to Lucio is the Oracle:

Pearl: What do you look for in a romantic partner?

Iris: I can’t say I’m ever really looking for anything. If there’s a spark, a physical attraction, I start there. Then I guess I’m really looking for someone I can talk to, someone who listens but also has interesting ideas and thoughts and makes me laugh. If we can’t carry a conversation, it’s a non-starter for me. Safety and comfort are important for me, too. Can I be myself around you? Are you judging me, expecting me to be perfect? Because you’re never going to get that from me.

Midnight: Are you a morning or a night person? 

Iris: Normally, I’m a morning person! I like getting up with the sun, meditating or doing yoga, cooking or getting chores done around the flat and the shop before opening. By the end of the day, I just drop into bed. I’m exhausted. 

But there are a lot of nights that I can’t sleep or that my dreams wake me, and then I have a really hard time getting back to sleep. …which might be how I got to be a morning person.

Eggplant: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten? 

Iris: Oh I’ve eaten some strange in my time.

Me: Yeah, kinda, but more emo, and red-headed.

Partner: ...

Me: ....

Partner: Julian’s redheaded?

Me: .....................babe

Partner: ...