The Arcana Valdemar - Tumblr Posts

I love 1 creepy eldritch horror doctor that looks like discount maleficient <3

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! ♡

Posting them again (this time in better quality)

I was inspired by the official description of their true form.

Is this right?

Valdemar: *exists*

Valdemar Stans: Get in these guts bay-bee!!

Julian: Who needs a plague doctor if there’s no plague? :(

Valdemar: We can fix it

Julian: NO

A chat took place on a discord server, and this happened :)

@miserytheapprentice drew the Vulgora beetle and I drew Val :D

How do you do, fellow humans?

Hello there.

"Tonight I could be with you

Or waiting in the Wings

Lift your heart with soaring song

Cut down the puppet strings."

– Bauhaus "Spirit"

We are the Arcana art-fanteam. We're make our own arts, texts, headcanons and so on. Main themes: the Courtiers; M6: Julian, Nadia, Portia are faves. With love to the Renaissance, classic arts, goth music, BDSM, medicine and just for fun.

Let us introduce ourselves:

Artists: ChilledoutBeast /she/, Wasteofplace /she/

Translator: Sabinasabapplebutt /she/ (all over 20 y.o.)

Editor: ApostleJay /them/he/ (34 y.o.)

and Master: LunaticSun /he/them/ (30 y.o.)

This blog is keeping by each member of team, but mainly by Lunatic Sun. You can ask us any question.

And let there be Mayhem!

art by: Lunatic Sun

Nota Bene: in this blog Valdemar and Vulgora are strictly non-binary and any attempt to make them /f/ or /m/ characters is not allowed.

Nota Bene 2: In every headcanon on this blog, every art and every story Quaestor Valdemar is still AroAce.

Nota Bene 3: As a neurodivergent person, who know all these things from insides I (Lunatic Sun) ask you to note this remarks carefully.

"We love our audience". ©

The role of music in «Nec Deus Intersit»

Our story begins with a scene of the concert, held by a mysterious unnamed singer. I — the author of the story, Lunatic Sun — have decided to leave this character nameless. The music is the most important thing here. But the singer has two very specific, well-defined prototypes, and the music isn't fictional either. Let me tell you a story about it.

There was a 2.000 word limitation for each story, so I needed to cut all the classical melodies descriptions short. I imagined that during the concert the singer would start with some lyrics at first, and then the orchestra would join him.

The first chapter of «Nec Deus Intersit» is dedicated to the memory of Klaus Nomi. I also added special thanks for the inspiration and gratitude to Jakub Józef Orliński. You may guess that these two personas and their voices are interwoven in the image of the fictional singer. I’ve wanted to pay tribute to the talents of both of them for a long time.

Klaus Nomi is noted to have a very tragic story and a huge talent. I'd love to think that in a world of the Arcana he would be perceived as a magnificent mysterious man, just like he was in his real life. I believe his talent was beloved even by such a demanding and old creature with an excellent taste in arts as Valdemar.

N.B.: I'm absolutely sure that Valdemar is completely charmed by the music. There is a mention of them singing as they leave the Dungeons in the Julian’s route.

If you'd like to learn more about Klaus Nomi's recordings and learn his story, you can visit his official channel or watch the documentary «The Nomi Song» (2004) by Andrew Horn.

Jakub Józef Orliński (Polish opera singer, countertenor) amazes with his vocal skills. Just like Klaus Nomi, he has a strong part of drama in his singing. You can find his official YouTube channel here.

***

And now let’s have a look at the music mentioned in the scenes, in the order of its appearance.

N.B.: I believe that Julian (looking to the Heartsong festival as a canon) with all his love for the opera wouldn't be able to stay untouched by this music.

Vivaldi: Il Giustino, RV 717, Act 1: "Vedrò con mio diletto" (Anastasis)

In my humble opinion, this particular performance of this Vivaldi’s aria is truly unsurpassed. Jakub Józef Orliński has a really strong emotional voice, and even if you are not familiar with the Italian language, there would be no language barrier at all. This is what I call a fabulous drama.

Vivaldi: Le quattro stagioni, Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297, "Winter" (L'inverno): Allegro non molto

The second piece is «Allegro non molto» from Vivaldi’s group of violin concertos «Four seasons». Surely it has been performed numerous times before, but my heart belongs to Anne-Sophie Mutter due to her energy and agility. In her version you can feel all the expressiveness Vivaldi put into his work. In my perception of the «Nec Deus Intersit» story this masterpiece should sound just like that.

Henry Purcell: King Arthur, Act 3, Scene 2. "What Power Art Thou?" (The Cold Song)

Let’s have a look at the piece that sounded after the intermission and that excited Julian so much.

It's «The Cold Song» from the semi-opera «King Arthur» by Henry Purcell. The Cold Genius sings this aria when his eternal peace is disturbed by Cupid.

It was Klaus Nomi who made this song — originally performed by basso voices — so popular with the countertenors. Countertenors, in my humble opinion, added more drama to this song. Moreover, it made it possible to rethink the image of the Cold incarnation itself — instead of the ancient elder, as it was in the opera, there is an ancient, immortal and sexless being who rejects this world and prefers eternal sleep in the ice.

Here you can find a revolutionary performance by Klaus Nomi (particularly dramatic if you know his story).

And here is a performance by Jakub Józef Orliński.

Hasse: Oratorio Sacro in Due Parti: Sanctus Petrus et Sancta Maria Magdalena. "Mea tormenta, properate"

Furthermore, in the next chapter Valdemar mentions the aria «Mea tormenta, properate» from the oratorio "Sanctus Petrus et Sancta Maria Magdalena" by Johann Adolph Hasse. Here again — a performance by Jakub Józef Orliński.

Valdemar pointed out that the message of this aria suits Julian perfectly. This is not accidental, if you have a look at the text:

Mea tormenta, properate,

Ubi sunt flagella et caedes, ubi sunt flagella et caedes?

Crucem quaero, crucem date

Volo mori, o Deus in te, volo mori, o Deus in te, o Deus in te…

(Translation)

My torments, hurry,

Where are the scourges and their lacerating teeth?

I want to be crucified, crucify me,

I want to die; oh God, in you I want to die.

How would the entire concert sound? Every time I imagine it a little bit differently, especially if I hear the perfect (in my humble opinion) performance of some classical pieces. The concert may include "Adagio from concerto №3 in D minor, BWV 974" and "Sarabande" by George Frederick Handel, "From beyond" and "Death" by Klaus Nomi, "Music for a while" by Henry Purcell. But the works mentioned above are quite special and essential to this story. It was the music which was the main source of inspiration in some ways. So, if someone decides to listen to them, most likely, they will not regret.

I still pay my respects to Klaus Nomi and Jakub Józef Orliński.

art: Chilledoutbeast/LunaticSun (main line/back+colour)

"Weißer, weißer, weißer als weiß.

Weiter, weiter durch's ewige Eis.

Heller, heller, weißer als weiß.

Weiter, weiter durch's ewige Eis." ©

Art: Lunatic Sun /traditional artwork/

"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/

This piece could be a cover for "Nec Deus intersit", but oh, so mature content. :D

Background: original the Arcana background for the Dungeons

Sketch/line: Chilledoutbeast

Colour: Lunatic Sun

This sketch is old, but gold. 2021, traditional art and I was mesmerized by the idea of this masochistic boy going slightly mad. Or, maybe, becoming more sane and… mature?)

This dynamic is quite specific. Surely, it goes far beyond the conventional frame. And, to be honest, I'm a near perfectionist and I find it difficult to please me in fanart and fanfiction content — few people share my vision, so I decided to create content by myself. And sometimes I feel like I'm up against the most part of the fandom in my vision. :D

I enjoy the thought the fact that Valdemar are scientist — anyway they are still scientist, no matter how strong their sadistic side is — affects their mindset a lot. The scientific approach makes one see things as they are. Valdemar are not free from some sorts of obsessions or affections, but at least they are totally aware of them.

I like the idea of a specific form of interest between Valdemar and Julian in a rather sadomasochistic way.

This is a form of complete, true acceptance without romantic emotional overtone — at least, from Valdemar’s side. And a mature understanding of the entire process as it is from Julian's side — 'cause he knows how they treat him, and accepts that.

With the inevitable — oh, dear audience, believe my humble experience — attraction between the sadistic and masochistic nature.

"Nur ein Herz aus Eis

lässt dich weitergehen.

Nur ein Herz aus Eis

lässt dich wiederstehen.

Weißer, weißer, weißer als weiß.

Weiter, weiter durch's ewige Eis."

/art: Lunatic Sun/

There once was a doctor…

Have you ever tried to write Arcana-inspired limericks?

Join us, it's fun!

Art: original Nix Hydra team concept art Limericks: ApostleJay *** There was a vesuvian questor Who liked to torement and to fester With ironical smile They dissect with a style That creepy vesuvian questor

*** There once was a priest called Vulgora Who questioned the law and the moral They raged and they killed And were pleasently thrilled That priest in the robes of blood coral *** There once was a doctor delirious Who was kinda self-deleterious He was strangely pleased To be bound and teased That silly young doctor delirious ***

I should post more often, but I am depressive slop. :D

But yesterday I saw such a beautiful tweet, and couldn’t handle it.

You can consider the screen from PSL Tale as an Easter egg, if you know what I mean. ;}

/Lunatic Sun/

/up: The Arcana game (PSL Tale)

below: art by Lunatic Sun

Text by: mars_adler on Twitter (now known as X)/

Such an old piece. Something 'bout mortido.

Sorry not sorry. :D

🔻🔻🔻

🔻TW: slight gore & decapitation

/© Lunatic Sun. 2022/

I want to show these silly pictures because I can. :D

/© Lunatic Sun/

"The night – tho' clear – shall frown –

And the stars shall look not down,

From their high trones in the heaven,

With light like Hope to mortals given –

But their red orbs, without beam,

To thy weariness shall seem

As a burning and a fever

Which would cling to thee for ever."

© E. A. Poe

Has Death paid you enough attention, young man?

/© Lunatic Sun/

reference 🔻🔻🔻

The Kiss of Death is a marble sculpture created in 1930, located in Poblenou Cemetery in Barcelona.

Artist: Jaume Barba

"Words, words… It's in human nature – to talk less, hide the details. This is usually quite annoying, but now is rather confusing. "You're so beautiful…" – what could they think he mean in these words? It seems Valdemar haven't ever heard them this way before. Could a hanged man tell it to his gallows? Could he feel love to the rope, which ties around his neck? Could he whisper with his bloodless lips "thank you for all", while he take the last breath of air?

Valdemar could swear on their longstanding bonds with Devil: there was no man like him. It doesn't matter what faith any other person has. There's no martyr in history who is able to match such experience, no matter how strong religious exaltation they sensed in their agony.

Doctor №069 - Julian Devorak, isn't it? - the man was perfectly insane, but so much beauty was held in this insanity."

De profundis clamavi ad te domine,

Exaudi vocem meam,

Quia ventus est vita mea,

Nec aspiciat me visus hominis.

/art/text (except Psalm 129): Lunatic Sun/

The old sketch of human (or not?) Valdemar.

Because of their antiquity, I came up a headcanon about their origin. So, what about a country near the great river and with the great pyramids? Many lands of the Arcana world have references from India, Arabic region or Mongolia – so, Ancient Egypt? Why not? I can't decide, maybe this is ancient Zadith? There is nothing about Zadith in the canon, just a note in the ArcanaWiki:

"The homeland of Asra's parents, Zadith lies across the Malvent Strait from Vesuvia. This is a country where both science and magic are highly respected. Those who combine both disciplines are known as alchemists."

I think this short description is suitable for the heritage of such civilization as Egyptian.

I’m sad that the history of the world is so poorly developed, but I still love the lore so much. And I’d be happy to read (only from the original writers), say, a brief history of the world. But since there's no any history, I'm taking the liberty (and, a bit, my history degree) to assume: Zadith is the inheritor of some ancient civilization like the Ancient Egypt.

I'm not good at naming, so I will provisionally call it "Deshret" – Egyptian word for "red land, desert". Valdemar spoke about "millennia of existence", describing their antiquity, so I'm pretty sure: they have been born as a human in the ancient kingdom, like the Ancient Egypt. Also, note that red beetle brooch at the neck: similar motives were common in the Ancient Egypt. And, I think, Valdemar had this beetle brooch long before the Plague.

Okay, maybe developers in Portia's route (flashback scene with Prospero and foundation of Vesuvia) just showed Valdemar to us as we know them, because of developing another (kinda "more ancient") sprite and costume for the short scene is not viable. But anyway: we have what we have. What if we imagine that "red beetle brooch" of the Courtiers is rooted not only in the Red Plague? What about a, merely my headcanon, the Egyptian "scarab" motif?

So, there's the old traditional sketch I have. When I drew this pic, I imagined Valdemar just after their first deals with the Devil. Just look at their eyes.🫀

And – of course, they are in the tomb. Maybe as a priest? Who knows, fellow humans.