YMMV / The Arcana

• Base-Breaking Character:
  • Lucio is probably the biggest contender for this title. While many fans agree that the characters around him deserve an apology or three, exactly how redeemable he is varies depending on who you're talking to. Some fans believe that his upbringing excuses his violent and controlling behavior, and that provided with the proper incentive to change he could be forgiven, which so far has been supported by his current romance route. Other fans, however, point out that some of his actions (such as forcing Muriel to be his personal executioner, neglecting Vesuvia in the middle of a plague in favor of partying, imprisoning Asra's parents after forcing them to make his golden arm, and and force feeding Julian a plague beetle as incentive to work on a cure) cross the Moral Event Horizon and keep sprinting, and that he's rejected any attempt to improve himself before this. And of course, some fans ignore all the horrible things he's done in favor of portraying him as a victim of his past.
  • Morga . Dear Lord, Morga. While no one is lining up to give her a "Parent of the Year" award, just how responsible she is for Lucio's current situation is a surefire way to start a fight or two.
• Captain Obvious Reveal: If you hadn't already figured out that Portia is Julian's sister, by the time it's revealed, you'll probably find yourself slapping yourself for not picking up on how obvious it was.
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • Nadia's middle sister Nahara had enough fans that she was given a Romance Tale.
  • Valdemar, surprisingly, has drawn a lot of interest from the fandom, with some (perhaps jokingly) entertaining the idea of giving them a romance route.
• Love to Hate: For as awful as Lucio is, plenty of the fanbase seems to like him for how thoroughly and amusingly loathsome he is. Many are also excited to see him get his own route.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • Due to some of Faust's interactions in the Heart Hunter minigame with other characters, like trying to push Lucio into the water, saying that she's doing crimes when asked, suggesting that Portia steal a boat, or strangling Julian as a show of affection, she's often portrayed as an adorable criminal.
  • Lucio has mommy issues. ^Explanation Due to Morga's badass attitude, combined with the generally accepted headcanon of Nadia as a dominant in the bedroom, many like to joke around that Lucio married Nadia for this reason.
• Wangst: Lucio was and is infamous for whining about his problems, despite being not only being powerful and privilidged, but also being the one responsible for said problems. And those of many, many others besides.
• The Woobie: LOTS.
  • Standard Woobie: Asra, Julian and the Apprentice: All three of them went through the wringer thanks to The Plague. The Apprentice chose to stay in Vesuvia to help its people, but died alone, for nothing; coming Back from the Dead only brought its own problems. Asra, meanwhile, had to live with the guilt of knowing his beloved died while he was safe outside Vesuvia, digging until his fingers bled to find their last remains. Julian (for all his theatrics) couldn't cure the plague despite all his efforts, didn't know his Apprentice had died back in his clinic until he saw the certificate, and blames himself for every person he didn't save.
  • Asra also is solely included in this because of his past since in his Past Tale, just like Muriel's, it is show that he's an orphan. But, unlike him, he wasn't abandonned by his parents, being that they never returned and it's said that they're long dead. Later on, in Asra's route, it is show that his parents were never dead, but trapped in the Magical Realms after Lucio gave them to the Devil himself, taking for granted his orders, and deceiving little Asra to think they're gone. This is much more heartwrenching if you stop to think that this only happens in his arc, showing that in the others routes he'll forever think his parents are dead. Slightly Subverted in Lucio's Route when Asra, Morga, and The Apprentice have to go to the Magical Realm the second time to rescue Lucio when The Devil kidnapped him during the first trip after Lucio and The Apprentice are separated from Asra. Long story short, Asra was NOT happy and made sure Lucio knew it.
  • Iron Woobie: Nadia, appropriately. You find out that her marriage to Lucio was a dismal failure since he was a jerk and she didn't even love him; Her foresight plagues her with drastic visions she can only vaguely interpret and give her horrendous headaches; She's Surrounded by Idiots in court; Has to somehow revitalize a plague-ridden city that's been falling apart for years in Lucio's reins; She also has forgotten all five years of her marriage with the Count; and has been in a magical sleep for the past three years, being awake now for only three months.
  • Stoic Woobie: Muriel. As seen in his Past Tale, he was an orphan together with Asra, having been abandoned (and also has been implied that he had been sold to Vesuvia) by his parents. Later on, he became Lucio's "slave" (read: personal executioner on the Coliseum, being demanded to kill everyone just for Lucio's funs and giggles). Between the ensuing PTSD and his innate social anxiety, Muriel became a Heroic Neutral Hermit who relishes in his power to erase himself from peoples' memories and not to suffer from the memories of his tragic past.In his own route, we learn that he has lived his whole life blaming himself for his abandonment, when in reality he was not abandoned, but sent away to save his life when his people were massacred by Morga's tribe. He became Lucio's executioner because Lucio threatened to hurt Asra, the only friend Muriel ever had, if he refused, and now he is haunted by the guilt of all the people he killed and sees himself as a monster. At Lucio's ritual, he traded his fear to the Hermit for the ability to be forgotten by everyone.
  • Jerkass Woobie: Volta. As a demon and a member of the Court, she knowingly allowed Vesuvia to crumble, and allowed the people to starve while her own manor was filled with food. Yet we discover later in Nadia's route that, unlike the rest of the Courtiers, The Devil coerced her into a deal, approaching her while she was starving to death with a promise of a better life and the ability to eat whatever she wanted, and never starve again. He did not, however, promise her satisfaction, meaning she continued to starve forever no matter how much she ate. That's one hell of a Freudian Excuse for her Villainous Glutton tendencies. She is also the only Courtier who shows reluctance to enact the Devil's plans. The other Courtiers don't treat her well, especially Vulgora, who yells at her. In Muriel's route, she is happy to join Nadia in fighting against Lucio and give her information about Lucio and the other Courtiers.