Arc

"Another orphan raised by Topapa, and Luneth's best friend. Unlike Luneth, he prefers reading over gamboling in the wild. His studies endow him with great knowledge that more than makes up for his shyness." -Final Fantasy III instruction manual
(For more game-canon information, see: [Fantasy Wiki: Arc])
One of the four main, and playable, protagonists of Final Fantasy III, the DS remake, Arc is called, alongside Luneth, Refia, and Ingus, by the Wind Crystal to become one of the Warriors of Light, and to restore the balance between Light and Dark.
==Headcanon for the Game==
Although shy, and often quiet, Arc is still motivated to help others, and when called by the Crystals, he overcomes his nerves - not completely, but enough to function and to go on - in order to do what he can to answer that call. Luneth's presence helps along the way, as Luneth has been one of the few people that Arc has been close with, and has fully trusted, since childhood. As the four travel together, Arc also comes to be closer to the other two, as well, finding some of Refia's rebukes of Luneth humorous, and enjoying the quiet and almost respectful non-judgement that Ingus offers. He also respects both for their courage, dedication, and skill as they, too, find Job Classes that best suit them, and the time spend together allows him to gradually become less nervous around both of them.
As the group faces challenges together, and tragedies, as well, Arc also comes to find a sense of himself, and a courage of his own, that he could not have developed while still just a bullied orphan in Ur, and he begins to find connections with others outside of the group of four, as well. This includes Princess Sara, whom he respects as much as he respects Ingus, though he never comes to know her very well, and Aria/Elia Benett, the Priestess of the Water Temple, whose simple devotion and almost mystical powers he finds fascinating. Arc also gets along with Desch, whom he finds easy-going and humorous, similar to Luneth, although at first a little intimidating with his sudden appearance, obvious skills as a fighter, and openness of speech. Of all those that the group encounters -- perhaps aside from Aria -- however, Prince Alus may be the one Arc gets along with the most. For, despite being two years younger and a Prince, Alus faces suffering related, in a way, to bullying, as did Arc, and the fight that the group faces on Alus's behalf solidifies the connection with the young now-king.
By the end of the events covered in the game, after all that he has witnessed alongside the others -- from the civil war in Alus's land, and Aria's death in place of Luneth, to the death of their mentors Doga and Unei at their own hands, and finally the fights agains Xande and the Cloud of Darkness, and the visible evidence of what human greed can do -- Arc has grown, somewhat in battles skills and magic, but also to a maturity (in some areas) beyond that of his years. He still maintains his shyness, and he yet lacks in confidence in some areas, but he has acquired somewhat of a distaste for wars and for fighting, although his interest in traveling -- in seeing what he has only before read in books -- has increased.
==FFTumblr Canon: Important Events==
Over the months that Arc has been at FFTumblr-town, a great many relationships have been formed, and so a great many things have happened. Here are a few of the larger events that stand out:
*Adoptions: Arc has been caught up in several adoptions, and although he cared for his adoptive parents (and adoptive families) -- there still rests a good-bye Ask from his first adoptive mother in his Ask box -- he has now been put-off official adoptions by the fact that each of those parents shortly left FFTumblr-town: he harbors half a notion that it's some sort of curse...
*Trips: After the events of FFIII, Arc picked up an enjoyment of travel, and he has been able to take several trips during his time here, including a well-remembered voyage to Bhujerba with Ingus (which included apple pie, a favorite of both of them) and several trips to cities of the FFIX world with Mikoto
*Tiamat the Homewrecker: After witnessing an injured Shelinda, in dragon form, returning from her desperate fight with Tiamat, Arc followed followed her in hopes of being of help as a healer, and instead was called upon to Summon Bahamut as the dragon sought to escape Shelinda (out of guilt and for her safety). The act of Summoning, after he was made to see it from the perspective of a Summon, has caused him somewhat of a moral dilemma, and he still believes Bahamut may be angry with him for his actions that day.
*The Ajora Plot: Final Fantasy Tactics: A month or so after this, Arc's friendship with another FFTumblr-towner, Mustadio, again briefly pulled him into a cycle of greater events. In his daily travels through Ivalice, Arc almost literally stumbled across the severely injured Mustadio, and after a Pheonix Down and several healing spells and potions, the man was restored to a somewhat stable state. During his period of recovery, Mustadio told a brief version of the tale of the Lucavi demons and their return (and attack on him), before the Holy Knight Agrias appeared to aid Mustadio in further recovery. At this point, Arc left the loop of these struggles, aside from one brief discussion with the Saint Ajora, and another with Sir Beowulf (and, unexpectedly, a later invitation from Lord Dycedarg to join the man in his own plotting, supposedly to aid in the protection of Ivalice)
==Current Occupations at FFTumblr!==
Arc resides with Penelo and Basch (and now with the baby Lysander) as their ward, alongside Filo, and the various pets of the household, at their new house on the Phon Coast in Ivalice. Now that Luneth has returned, he spends much of his time in FFTumblr-town with his best friend, as well as with his girlfriend Mikoto.
More and more, however, Arc has been caught up in his continued studies of magic, and has now been attending a School for Magicks for several months. For the most part, he is focusing on extending his White Magic skills, prioritizing these over Black Magic. He also hopes to learn to use magic more effectively, and to learn something of the systems of magic that he has glimpsed from those he has met who come from different worlds (this includes trying to learn about the license system used in Ivalice).
==Friends, Family-figures, and Close Acquaintances==
Queen Ashe: Appointed as Arc's Godmother by his first adoptive mother, Ashe has been there as a source of support, when he needs it, throughout his time in FFTumblr-town. She has taught him about tea (alongside Sir Braska and Queen Hilda) and about cats, and although she did not adopt him, as that would make him a prince -- something which would not have been good for him or for Rabanastre -- she is a source of strength to him.
Penelo: Arc and Penelo (and Basch) first met due to Penelo's role as Ingus's mother, and after Ingus returned to Sasune, and Arc again became officially parentless, the group became closer as Penelo provided comfort and support for Arc. She and Basch invited Arc to live with them in their home in Rabanastre, and he still resides with the family, now on the Phon Coast. Although neither officially acknowledges the other as family -- due to the past bad luck of each with official family leaving FFTumblr-town -- Arc has come to see Penelo and Basch, and Filo, as just this, and relies on them more than they know for advice and for comfort. He now looks forward to seeing little baby Lysander begin to grow (and may or may not half expect him to end up looking exactly like either Basch, which would make sense, or Ingus, which would not)!
Basch: Even prior to moving in with the family, Arc found that he enjoyed speaking with Sir Basch, and that the man always seemed to have a practical solution to any problem, and something interesting to say if no problem was under discussion. Like with Penelo, Arc almost immediately began to feel comfortable with Basch, in part due to their original role as Ingus's parents, but largely due just to their own selves, and their way of dealing with him. Basch gifted Arc an Oak Staff, which he taught the boy the rudimentaries of how to use, and later, for his birthday, added to this a pair of wolf-hide gloves and a book of fables (for they share an enjoyment of adventure tales).
Shelinda: One of the first people to greet Arc upon his arrival to FFTumblr-town, Miss Shelinda has long been another of the adult support/friend figures in Arc's life. She has always had a kind word to say, whether in a time of sadness or in a time of happiness, and her baked goods defy description in their delectable quality (especially her apple pie)! After summoning Bahamut, however, Arc became slightly uneasy with Shelinda, fearing that she might have disliked the action he took, but recent contact and conversation has reassured him that Shelinda is still as kind to him as ever!
Bahamut: The great King of Summons initially intimidated Arc a great deal, and he yet does, with his immense strength and his status as the powerful dragon Summon. But, Arc's nervousness toward the dragon-turned-man has always been tempered with respect, and after a brief stint of residing in the same home as Bahamut, the boy came to know the Summon better, and to relax more in his presence. Bahamut is also one of the first to insist explicitly that Arc watch his stutters and hesitations of speech, and Arc is slowly learning to be more confident in his speech, and conversation in general, thanks to Sir Bahamut.
Ingus: Although during their initial time traveling together (in game), Arc had found it somewhat difficult to get to know the dedicated and noble young knight, since finding him again at FFTumblr, he came to view Ingus as a closer friend. The two began to talk more, discovered a mutual love of apple pie as a dessert, and later, missing the travels of their past, went together to Bhujerba, the floating island of the Ivalician world. Shortly after, Ingus returned to Sasune to continue his duties as knight, but Arc hopes, yet, to see him again soon.
Luneth: Always Arc's closest friend, Luneth again quickly disarmed any anxiety of Arc's at meeting his old friend again upon his recent arrival to FFTumblr-town. Although Arc is often hesitant in his conversation with others, this shyness largely evaporates with Luneth, and the two talk both of the adventuring that Luneth loves, and of the studies of Magic that Arc prefers, without reservation. Arc is glad to see his old friend again, for many reasons, one of which is this ability to freely speak his mind, and to listen and be listened to.
Mikoto: When Arc first met Mikoto, he did not know what to make of her, except to recognize that she listened to him, sharing in his interests, as few but his oldest friend had done. Across several small trips, to areas in her own home world and within FFTumblr-town, Arc came to know Mikoto better, and to consider her a good friend. When Mikoto later asked him on a date, his initial reaction was panic, but he recognized, too, that he did truly like her. Thus, since that day, the two have been on several official dates, and simply spent time together, reading, conversing, and drinking tea, on many more occassions! Arc has come to truly trust Mikoto, and though he can become flustered around her, he very much enjoys the conversations they have had, and the time that they have had together.
Filo: Since coming to live with Penelo and Basch, Arc has come to view Filo almost as a sister. And although he's not quite sure how one behaves with a younger sister - or any sibling, for that matter, he has fun speaking with her, and admires her more outgoing personality. He also has become curious about traps and about sky-boarding, due to conversations with her!
Porom: While Porom was still a child when Arc first met her, and now is closer to his own age, she has always been a source of conversation about magic - White Magic in particular. As Arc knows few others so interested in White Magic, and none here his own age, he enjoys discussing White Magic theories with her, and exchanging information about their studies and the magic of their own worlds. She is also exceptionally kind, which makes conversation both easier and more fun.
Cloud of Darkness: The Cloud of Darkness's appearance in FFTumblr-town set Arc on edge at first, and his first meeting with her was strained, as he did not know what to expect of the return of the embodiment of the Void, especially as her defeat had been partially by his own hand. Yet, once the Cloud of Darkness showed no desire to continue the destruction she once had begun, but revealed instead that she would make her own path, and expressed curiosity in humans, Arc began to relax around her, becoming curious about her curiosity. Her presence still causes him unease, which has intensified now that the Void is exerting a stronger control on her, yet he hopes still to maintain peace with her, and even harbors a wish to learn more of the Void. This same mix of curiosity, respect, and fear apply to his initial view toward the Empress of the Winds, Barbariccia.
Mustadio: Arc has most often encountered Mustadio in an injured state, and thus has acted in the capacity of a White Mage. But, from these initial interactions, a friendship has begun to form, although Arc has not yet fully recognized this. It was Mustadio that most fully informed Arc of the Lucavi and of the dangers that Ajora had once alluded to, and it is also Mustadio to whom he has turned with questions concerning the same. In exchange for his healing, although Arc expected no reward, Mustadio sent Arc a gun - a device that thoroughly confuses the boy, and which he has heard very little of.
Agrias: Although Arc has not often conversed with the Holy Knight, she has made an impression with her dedication and her strength in the few times that they have met. The two first truly spoke after Arc had seen to Mustadio's more grievous injuries, and since then Agrias has spoken some of her friends and travel-companions (once, while teaching him to use grass as a whistle), and of an Ivalice unknown to Arc. She has made him curious and, in some ways, reminds him a little of his friend Ingus. Arc now hopes for her safety as she faces the dangers of the Lucavi, and travels alone.
Ajora: Ajora, like Agrias, is someone who almost fascinates Arc, though they, too, have not often conversed. In the few times that they have met, Arc has glimpsed that Ajora is someone, perhaps, who could have been a good friend, with his interest in books and Magic similar to Arc's own. Yet, Ajora is taken up in something far larger, some sort of fate that draws him away, and Arc knows only now that Ajora has warned him away, with earnest words that worried the boy deeply.
Leviathan: This Summon, as did Bahamut, intimidated Arc upon their first meeting, despite his human form. Yet his kindness and insistence upon being treated more equally, though still with respect, helped to ease the boys nerves, as did his curiosity and his talk of times long past and worlds unknown to Arc.
===Pets --===
Shiroi: A female sheep once left to Arc by an Anonymous donor. Although very loveable, Shiroi tends to eat anything and everything, and can sometimes become just a little ornery when prevented from eating what she ought not to...
Erimentha (Renny): Renny is a kitten that Penelo gave to Arc several months ago, and as she has grown, despite a name and nickname that suggest qualities and strength and loyalty, she mostly just sleeps. Yet she is always there to be a comfort to Arc, and often curls up near to him as he studies and works, and her antics cannot fail to make him smile.
==Of Rolling Sheep and Other Things...==
(Some of the more crack-in-character doings of Arc on FFTumblr)
Rolling Sheep: Originally based on the Final Fantasy III soundtrack compilation song entitled "Roaming Sheep", and fueled by the -mun's love of the song, and Shelinda-mun's encouragement of this love, and her creation of a tiny rolling sheep image on MSN. This song is also the reason why Arc was left a sheep in his Ask-box, and occassionally may still appear...
'Mikoto's' Art: Spurred by an MSN conversation in which a 'Fahncy' birthday dinner for Mikoto was envisioned: Arc and Mikoto wore top hats and monocles, and drew mustaches on each other's faces!
Have You Seen My Yellow Neckerchief: Based on (what may have been a children's story called) 'Have You Seen My Hat?' Arc searched for his yellow neckerchief, eventually (and falsely) believing that Sir Beowulf Cadmus had come into possession of it (truly, though, it was only the man's own neckwear)...
SquishyWizard
Category:Characters
Category:Final Fantasy III