Iv: The Emperor - Tumblr Posts
what are y’all’s tarot birth cards?
mine are the tower and the chariot
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! ♡