The Arcana Ilya - Tumblr Posts

Messed up Arcana sketches because c'mon I'm late just for a few years.

Well maybe five, whatever

today’s nugget of julian canon: afwaid of spidews

julian and portia’s sibling rivalry gives me life

and then there’s mazelinka, wholly unamused, ready to whack them with her wooden spoon at a moment’s notice

this dialogue is essentially the julian equivalent of

mc, gently lecturing julian after he (once again) unthinkingly throws himself in harm’s way to protect them:

... you mean to tell me that julian walks around his day to day life with secret knives concealed on his person?

... hot

WAIT A MINUTE

how could I forget?

the FIRST time we discover a hidden knife is actually in the “pat him down” paid scene in front of the shop:

which begs the question, how many more are there???

... you mean to tell me that julian walks around his day to day life with secret knives concealed on his person?

... hot

can’t believe that for the winter ball they put this man in khakis

julian:

subtle details of julian’s two desks in the palace;

in the library

seen in the prologue, IV: The Emperor

the desk is made from a rich reddish wood, which looks newer, polished, no rough edges or risk of splinters

his items are arranged by pure organized chaos, not exactly neat and tidy but julian knows exactly where to find what he needs

bookmarks holding his place in the books, as opposed to his usual habit of dog-earing the pages (I wonder if he was less respectful of asra’s spellbook on purpose)

a brand new quill (it looks like one of malak’s feathers!)

legible, thoughtful, unrushed script on his papers, accompanied by full-color illustrations — he has canonically abysmal handwriting and art skills, so this was clearly a space where he was intellectually stimulated and could pace himself while writing

soft lighting spilling in from the elegant stained-glass windows, daylight could actually reach him here, making it easier to tell the passage of time

in the dungeon

seen in XI: Justice, ch. 2: “Pursuit of Knowledge”

I imagine this desk was salvaged from some other part of the palace, maybe lucio’s wing, as it looks older and more weathered

a state of disarray, books and other items tossed haphazardly wherever they land

loose scrolls and an overturned inkwell, indicating that the last time he was in here he left in a hurry, or that someone’s been in here snooping (*cough* *cough* valdemar)

encroaching lab equipment and jars — his library desk looks like a space strictly dedicated to researching, reading, and writing, whereas his dungeon space suggests he was multi-tasking, running experiments and recording results simultaneously during the height of the plague, running out of time to find the cure

a frayed quill that’s seen better days, likely another one of malak’s feathers (which I find kind of funny given julian’s hot-and-cold relationship with his familiar — julian probably thinks “he grows hundreds of these I can always make him give me a new one”)

frenzied writing, larger letters than his more tempered handwriting from the library, crossed-out sections where perhaps an experiment failed or his frustration outgrew his ability to put thoughts into words

no windows or sunlight, meaning no sense of day or night, or how long julian was glued to his work. he would have to rely on candlelight to keep him awake through the long restless nights, the collection of wax on the bird’s skull suggesting that he’s fallen asleep at this desk before (thankfully he didn’t burn the place down, but perhaps julian didn’t care whether he went up in flames...)

there’s not a ton of source material from these two illustrations, but I think there’s enough to go off of that we can make inferences based on the context of julian’s route. if you enjoyed this please let me know! ♡

[mc catches the red plague on purpose to get closer to julian]

[he turns to face them, a jar of shiny, writhing leeches in his hands]

mc:

the best main character in the world. stupid as shit. not a single good or even decent decision in sight. absolute trainwreck of a man.

happy birthday weekend, bisexual jewish king

🎂🎈

can’t believe that for the winter ball they put this man in khakis

I spent way too long on this lmao

It's just an old picture I decided to finish

Julian 100% gives off Flynn Rider vibes and you can't change my mind

MC: *looking out the window with Portia, holding popcorn*

Julian:... What are the two of you doing?

MC: The TV broke

Portia: So we're watching a couple break up across the street

[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

"It is thy mouth that I desire, Iokanaan. Thy mouth is like a band of scarlet on a tower of ivory. It is like a pomegranate cut in twain with a knife of ivory. The pomegranate flowers that blossom in the gardens of Tyre, and are redder than roses, are not so red. The red blasts of trumpets that herald the approach of kings, and make afraid the enemy, are not so red. Thy mouth is redder than the feet of those who tread the wine in the wine-press. It is redder than the feet of the doves who inhabit the temples and are fed by the priests. It is redder than the feet of him who cometh from a forest where he hath slain a lion, and seen gilded tigers. Thy Mouth is like a branch of coral that fishers have found in the twilight of the sea, the coral that they keep for the kings!.. It is like the vermilion that the Moahites find in the mines of Moab, the vermilion that the kings take from them. It is like the bow of the King of the Persians, that is painted with vermilion, and is tipped with coral. There is nothing in the world so red as thy mouth…

Suffer me to kiss thy mouth."

© Oscar Wilde, "Salomé"

/art: Lunatic Sun/

Maybe… some WIP? :D

somebody take the Aubrey Beardsley artbook away from me

I feel like I've been using the tablet for so long that I've forgotten how to draw in a sketchbook. But drawing patterns is new to me. I am pleased with the results of my experiment.

Something wicked this way comes~

/L.S./

I came and brought some headcanons.

Since I don't like making headcanons about MCs, and the whole concept is not for me, I'm doing... a side character based on my favorite musicians instead. Who, in my opinion, fit into the Arcana world.

And I'm sure: "Blackmore's Night" is one of them (my beg pardon, I'm an old fan). Since I feel the same aesthetic and the same atmosphere, let's go.

1. This is where I feel the STRONGEST "Girl Power" vibes. What about, say, the "Nadia/MC" route? Portia can be here too (I mean, girl party in a storm on a cliff overlooking the ocean? YEAAH!).

2. I don't know why, but here I feel "Asra/MC" (suddenly!) vibes more than anything else. So, why not?

2.1. "Asra/MC" (or just Azra themselve), so-why-not-2:

So: "The Rowdy Raven". It's easy to imagine R. Blackmore and K. Night as musicians playing in the tavern. Maybe their patron arcana in the Arcana world are also "The Lovers", like Aisha and Salim. I don't think the patron arcana can choose the only person (or couple like "the Lovers" do). I guess "being chosen by the Arcana personification" is not an exclusive offer. It's rare? Well, yes. But I think it's much rarer to be exclusive. It depends, I guess.

Anyway, this is my own headcanon about side characters, which is just giving me a special ambiance as I see it. I like such non-binding vignettes, say:

1. Dancing in the "Rowdy Raven" to this song. Maybe this is a bit of an anachronism ("Lorelei" is a poem by Heinrich Heine, 1824 or even Clemens Brentano's poem "Lore Lay" on 1801) for the "Renaissance" setting of the game, but as long as there is tango (as the most obvious anachronism) in the game itself, this is allowed too.

(Imagine all those old sailors dancing under Mazelinka's leadership. She's sure to have many stories to tell about beautiful sea maidens: she was married to one of them. But with a happy ending. 🖤)

2. Oh, well, it's pretty simple. I think it was one of Julian's favorite songs. Especially for the "sentimental mood" ('cause he is a sweet sentimental boy, you know).

3. This is so obvious that I won't say any more.

I've been listening to them for over 15 years. It's kind of a "band of my youth" and maybe someone will discover "Blackmore's Night" for themselves, idk. Just say something if you want. I always appreciate little vignettes about the whole world (not the "MC with /put your LI here/…" type), but such content is rarely seen here.

Finally, my favorite:

/Lunatic Sun/