#vulgora the arcana

[lucent-blade]

I am going crazed, insane, wild, animalistic.

VALDEMAR COULD GET A SURPRISE. VOLTA MIGHT GET A SURPRISE. VULGORA WILL MAYBE GET A SURPRISE.

[redbirb-of-fandoms]

An average meeting with The Devil:

[flekh]

Pontifex Vulgora

because The Arcana deserves creepy illustrations

[inquisitor13]

Hi. I haven't been writing headcanons for a long time, but now I have some ideas in my head that I've been trying to refine for a long time. At the moment, I'm working on some fanfiction for which I need inspiration, and in order for me to have it, I decided to revive my small column with headcanons on The Arcana.

Quaestor Valdemar x Pontifex Vulgora headcanons

I am more than sure that Vulgora occupies the "main" position in this relationship. They initiate many key moments, starting with dates and ending with kisses with other more intimate things. But this is not because Valdemar are passive or they are not interested in this relationship. More about this in the next paragraph.

Valdemar is not the kind of being who is well or even moderately versed in romance and in building a loving relationship with anyone. They are not passive, but they are also not inclined to take the first steps too often, however, if Valdemar still decide to take the initiative, then this exceeds all expectations, at least in relation to those with whom they are close. And this place in their heart in this case is occupied only by Vulgora. For their sake, Valdemar is more than capable of learning to understand the essence of building a romantic relationship, but it still won't look the way people do it. Valdemar have their own language of love, which they learn to show towards Vulgora, learning more and more about it.

However, Vulgora is also loved in its own way. And that's what makes these two look like each other. Both are immortal beings, whose age is either approaching a thousand, or has long crossed this boundary. But to be more precise, in my head Vulgora is younger than Valdemar, but not by much, to call it an impressive age difference.

Valdemar is by no means a passive partner in this relationship, despite having less initiative. With the development of these relationships, their dominant personality side is quite capable of revealing itself in some moments. It's not as fervent and passionate as Vulgora's, but more harsh and cold-blooded, but since Valdemar knows the measure and knows how to try on this quality when it's appropriate, it drives the younger demon crazy.

And the first thing Valdemar does after one of the nights together is hear something like this from Vulgora in the early morning: "DAMN IT, WHY DID YOU HIDE IT BEFORE?! IT WAS FUCKING AWESOME!"

Vulgora is definitely the defender in this relationship most of the time, and Valdemar are the ones who are protected. Vulgora are ready to literally gut with their bare hands anyone who dares to look at Valdemar the wrong way or leave a comment. For the latter, by the way, Vulgora will not hesitate to rip out this unfortunate person's tongue.

However, when it comes to really serious things, rather than simple showdowns with people, Valdemar stands up. Their defense techniques are more subtle and sophisticated. And this is applied only in the most extreme cases. They know that Vulgora will fight to the last for the chance to protect both themselves and their partner, so Valdemar will not take away this chance from them if there is no real danger on the horizon, because of which Vulgora can theoretically suffer due to their own inattention or overconfidence. Valdemar will simply turn a creature that dared to cause trouble for Vulgora into a pile of dismembered minced meat and a mug of blood.

Of course, there are a lot of rumors about the relationship between these two at court, because neither Valdemar nor Vulgora see any point in following universal rules and declaring each other partners in front of everyone. This becomes obvious over time and no one in the couple tries to hide it, just as they advertise it. They just most often appear together at common events or somewhere else, sometimes holding hands and showing signs of attention towards each other. However, Vulgora is more prone to publicity than Valdemar and at the first time of a love relationship, they do not hesitate to yell at someone who will allow themselves to stare at Valdemar. It would be something like, "WHERE ARE YOU LOOKING, YOU MISERABLE PEASANT?! TURN YOUR EYES AWAY, IT'S MINE!"

Valdemar, as a rule, react very calmly to the manifestation of Vulgora's possessive nature and accept it without trying to change them. They are more than satisfied with this, because they still have no goal to build a close relationship with someone else.

Among other things, Valdemar is not at all worried about the physical manifestations of affection on the part of Vulgora. These are, of course, love bites, and everywhere, wherever their sharp greedy teeth can reach. Despite the fact that Valdemar's body is always hidden under clothes, Vulgora find a way to mark them so that absolutely everyone can see it. For example, hickeys on the cheeks, sometimes very bright.

In bed, Valdemar often puts power in the hands of Vulgora, allowing them to act in the main role. But it's not that simple. Valdemar can take the role of a hidden leader, allowing Vulgora to think that they are in charge of the process. They just like to see their beloved red beetle having fun in full.

Valdemar, taking a position "from below", can easily turn Vulgora into a trembling puddle of tenderness, just by telling them the right words. And they know how to get to the very heart of Vulgora. It works flawlessly.

That's all for today. But I know for sure that I will soon write the second part of the headcanons with this amazing couple. I just need to formulate the rest of my thoughts on this topic. And I do not exclude that I will even write headcanons related to NSFW in more detail. If that happens, it will be my favorite part.

[rabidferretnightmares]

The Arcana's Demons and Gender (mostly focused on the Courtiers)

A/N: Friendly heads-up that this is not meant to discredit or invalidate anyone's gender identity - If it comes across as such, I am very sorry!

These are just the musings of a dozen brainrot-ridden magpies in a trench coat who get a quite frankly offending amount of serotonin bashed into their tiny brains by just looking at a porta potty.

Are we good? Cool.

You may continue now.

Figuring out for how long any of the Courtiers have been demons or what their strength levels are can be difficult at best, highly confusing at worst - But that's my personal opinion after having had a superficial glance at this can of... literal... worms. Sometimes I feel like some of the vague information we get fed about the Courtiers while playing slightly differs depending on the route. From Nadia mentioning that the Vlastomil she met first was different to the one today to Vlastomil himself saying that he has been roaming the living realms far longer than even our grandparents (I believe?) can remember.

But I believe it is still possible to at least make a somewhat accurate ranking of all the Courtiers from most to least powerful (Since the amount of deals they have made with the Devil coincides with how powerful they are, it's only logical that the oldest demons are also the more powerful ones... Since they simply had more time to make deals with the Devil than the others).

So my ranking of the Courtiers from most to least powerful is as follows:

- Valdemar (they/them)

- Vulgora (they/them)

- Vlastomil (he/him)

- Volta (she/her)

I am about to go on a little tangent, but we'll come back to my ranking later.

(The next part will exclude Lucio and Valerius, who have made deals with the Devil but don't really count as demons as far I am concerned, but will include Tasya.)

Something that strikes me as very intriguing are the Courtiers designs. I believe those are another way of roughly knowing for how long each one has been a demon. Especially when looking at the time the MC broke Volta and Vlastomil's chains and they turned back into humans.

Valdemar and Vulgora look... Ageless in their human forms. I couldn't tell if they are in their mid-twenties or mid-fourties to be honest. Or somewhere completely different on the age scale.

Meanwhile both Vlastomil and Volta showed visible changes in their human form character sprites when the MC turned them back. Especially Vlastomil, who went from looking uncanny valley human with his skin tone and ears to actually looking human again. Volta on the other hand only lost her head accessory as well as her ruffled collar, I believe. I assume that the longer you are a demon, the more your human form will lose recognizable aspects of mortality and humanity until you look like Vulgora or Valdemar - An ageless figure, that always seems slightly off and disturbing to the observer, even though they might not be able to exactly pinpoint why.

Tasya is another great example of that - She wasn't a demon for long and I didn't notice any changes in her human form sprite when she turned back into a human.

It is however interesting to me that both of the oldest demons, Valdemar and Vulgora, go by they/them. That might just be a coincidence, but let's assume that it is not for a second.

Both of the strongest demons identify as non-binary (I am in no way implying that demons can't identify as within the binary!), posing the question if the transition from mortal human to immortal demon may have played a role in their chosen pronouns.

For a person born a human, now slowly changing their human appearance, gaining new powers and being slowly reduced to a stereotype/one single character trait; these changes could very well be cause for someone to change their gender. I'm not saying that this happened to Valdemar or Vulgora, but I am also not implying that Vlastomil and Volta identify as in the binary either just because they go by he/him and she/her respectively.

I am very sure if he had to pick, Vlastomil would identify more as a worm connoisseur than a man. And Volta... Volta's gender is hungry and that's completely valid.

Would Tasya, Valerius or Lucio at some point have changed their pronouns? We shall never know.

All I am saying is that while certainly not mandatory or forced, I think the process of becoming a demon could very likely influence someone to identify outside of the binary.

drops mic

[murielsbottombitch]

nonbinary moment 💅

[perxyformerland]

Some interactions for Willow when she was young with the courtiers, this is quite... special.

Reblog if you want to be saved from this vaccine shot 💀💀

Bonus sketches under the ----

[snobgoblin]

courtiers <3

[bugpip]

do evil demons not deserve a beatiful masquerade outfit too? you COWARDS

"your dancing was terrible, vulgora. by far the worst partner ive ever had" - navra

[likealizardyousay]

humble meme offering

[kurjakani]

trying 2 remind myself that I can actually use colos from time to time (practicing them so i can work on proper commissions tbh) simple but some outfits comboed from historic stuff on Vulgora & brute

[lucent-blade]

MC vs The Courtiers in a physical / general fight

{ Warning: Possible spoilers, possible mischaracterization }

Headcanon List

Context:

You, MC, want nothing more to duel against the courtiers because it either piqued your curiosity, want to fight them out of justice or pure recklessness.

Quaestor Valdemar:

• You are not making it.

• I apologize but you are duelling against a quaestor who has tentacles and a form one can comprehend with sight alone.

• I suppose you would win if in the context of being through one of the routes and gaining the power and confidence that had beaten the Devil.

• They probably had accepted the duel out of curiosity of the outcome and how you would fight them.

• Might kill you if not stopped.

Pontifex Vulgora:

• Instantly agrees.

• Loves to battle and to fight so considering the fact you asked makes them ecstatic.

• Very violent, very aggressive and quite the opponent.

• Same with Valdemar, you could possibly win if gone through a route.

• Screaming about how they want your blood and how they shall crush your bones into a fine powder.

• Would kill you if not stopped by anyone.

Praetor Vlastomil:

• Not one prone to fight when asked.

• He is more keen on not touching your disgusting human body with his hands via a duel.

• If you however, do convince him to fight, maybe via threatening his worm collection, he will rise up to duel you, who had the audacity to do so.

• You could perhaps kill him.

• If you tell him that his worm collection will be fine, he will stop his wrath and show more relief over the slimy creatures then and then glare at you with disdain.

Procurator Volta:

• Easily intimidated.

• It would be quite hard to pick a fight against her considering she is one to actively avoid fights.

• The only time she wants to fight is with food.

• And oh, what is that? Is that a nice crab puff?

• Suddenly she is very irritated against you.

• Such a surprise!

• The best she could do is flail and yell at you but considering her eyes are only focused on the delectable item within you hands, she might hit you.

Consul Valerius:

• Why are you bothering him? And why do you want to waste his precious time?

• Does not care about fighting you, honestly, he sees no point in it.

• What are you doing to that wine bottle?

• No, put it down.

• What do you mean you will not comply?

• Now, see, look at the perfectly good wine bottle that had shatter on the floor. Are you mad?!

• Would probably slap you, crush his wine glass in the process and scold you.

[redbirb-of-fandoms]

I found cursed Lay's flavors, enjoy:

VALDEMAR

VULGORA

VOLTA

VLASTOMIL

VALERIUS

[totallyy-not-charlie]

I don’t even know man. I was bored

[inquisitor13]

Courtiers and MС who has psychological problems.

Valdemar

Do not expect too stormy support from them. The maximum they can do in this case is to invite you to their examination in order to better study this phenomenon and check your reaction to different things.

They will express their condolences in words, but you will not catch a drop of emotion in them – for Valdemar this is nothing more than a diagnosis, and they are not a psychologist to conduct conversations with you.

Valdemar likes it when receptions go smoothly. With your permission, they give you various kinds of herbs and decoctions as an experiment to see your reaction.

Some of these potions really work and Valdemar often gives you a small dose, recording your observations.

Despite the lack of emotional support, it becomes easier for you.

– Valdemar, how can your psyche remain so strong? Isn't anything bothering you?

– I am not a human being, unlike you, so problems of this kind are alien to me, MC.

In the end, you get an effective prescription sedative, selected specifically for your body after a series of consultations.

Vulgora

Looking at them, it is impossible to guess that there is at least a pinch of compassion in them.

Looking at them, you are not sure that such things are worth sharing with Vulgora, but eventually they will find out everything on their own.

You expect the worst, such as rude taunts, but the Pontifex just sighs and surprisingly calmly tells you what you should have told earlier.

Vulgora is far from an expert in the field of psychological assistance, but this does not prevent them from trying to support you when it is especially difficult.

Always remind you that you are not alone. No, don't expect a bunch of warm words from them. Their help is very peculiar: Vulgora will roughly pat you on the shoulder, saying: "Well, what the hell are you crying for? Pick up the snot, we will overcome it! "

Surprisingly, it works. The pontifex doesn't need to say too much to give you hope again.

To improve your condition, if you wish, they take you with them to training and hunting, where you quickly relax, because Vulgarities will not let you feel sad.

Volta

She innocently bats her eyes and asks quietly: "Is MC sick?". That's when you have to explain to her what this thing is.

"Volta is insanely sorry that you feel this way, how can Volta help you?"

She becomes more agitated and sensitive around you, sometimes shows excessive care and tries her best to entertain during difficult periods.

Volta can be too sentimental and then she hugs you tightly, not wanting to let go for a long time.

But when the hard periods are over, she will never remind you of them, so that you feel good.

Soon you will recognize that it is easier to go through difficult periods with her. Volta is always there and helps you overcome it.

Valerius

Yes, in most cases this person behaves just disgusting, but if you are in a close relationship, he seeks to learn absolutely everything about you: the best and the worst.

One day Valerius approached you with a question that you least expected: "Are you sick?"

When you didn't know what to say to that, the consul, not expecting a clear answer, timidly hugged you. This happened for the first time during your friendship.

Since then, he has promised to be there. Valerius has spared no money to hire you a quality psychologist and pay for a session for several months.

The consul reacted negatively to your awkward refusals and soon convinced you that this was the first necessity for you.

Every time Valerius never tired of asking how the progress was progressing. It's very important to him.

If necessary, he does not spare funds for prescribed medications.

His eyes sparkle when he sees that you are getting better thanks to his help and he does not require anything in return.

Vlastomil

Honestly, he's trying. Can't worms calm you down?

When he realizes that the worms are powerless here, he tries to deal with the problem in more in detail.

Having a rather weak empathy, Vlastomil shifts from one foot to the other and tells you: "This is terrible, MC, I would so like to help..."

As a result, he is looking for his own ways to help you. No, it's not worms. And not even red beetles. On the territory of his estate there is a lush blooming garden, where he often takes you for a walk. He doesn't like butterflies, but he admires them for you.

Never loses patience, even when you are in the deepest depression and do not react to anything. Vlastomil is sitting next to you and trying to take care of you in every possible way, like a parent taking care of a child.

Regularly talks to you about your well-being, asks a lot of questions. You should not be annoyed if they are too personal, because in this way Vlastomil wants to get to know you better and provide more effective support.

Frequent heart-to-heart conversations and tea parties. With Wiggler.

[the-razzdazzler]

there it is. the single funniest line in the entirety of The Arcana.