#I will keep observing and test this theory with the future chapters...we shall see...

[soo-won]

Suwon's character analysis: From being shown to showing

Suwon is really a character all about being watched and scrutinized, isn't he?

Of course he's not self aware he's a fictional character but his position as a King and in relation to Yona ironically put him in a position that gives him a similar awareness that if he did. Suwon is judged and analyzed by everyone, in and outside the story. He knows that when he shows himself (and appears in the story) he has to perform a certain way. He has a role to follow and perform until the end. The way he speaks, the way he stands, the way he moves...being King means controlling and being aware of all of it. The moments we see through this costume are moments where he's taken by surprise and becomes "out of character" for this role. Moments where he's literally called out by characters around him for it, making him fall in his expected role more and more. He has to behave a specific way, he has to wear specific attires, he is very aware he is the object of many gazes around him. When he performs his role perfectly he is judged but in ways he expects because it's others' roles as well. When he breaks out of this role, he is judged anyways for losing himself. No matter what Suwon does or says, others will judge him or love him and expect things from him. It is true in the narrative and outside of it.

The South Kai arc with chapter 221 and 224 has him desperatly try to stick to his role that is slipping through his fingers, he has to position himself in contrast and opposition to Yona, he has to be the King his father wanted until the very end, etc. Yet, Yona and Hak kept breaking these roles as well. Hak, in full armor from Kai, the enemy, arrives and gives the senjusou to Suwon, in full King attire at this moment. Hak enters the stage like a blast when the curtains were about to fall and turns all formalities and rules of distance and what is allowed or not to dust. He breaks the role he carried until now as the character that should hate Suwon forever and try to kill him, and saves him instead. The fact that Suwon is King then doesn't really matter, Hak did this as his former friend.

In chapter 243, Suwon wants to speak to Hak privately but is well aware that if he comes out and does that, he will be seen and judged, confirmed by the shadows in chapter 251. He is not allowed to be himself without any costume freely, hence the cloak and hood on. He is not allowed this one private moment, eyes are on him and not only Hak's that he very much expects as well. That's why Suwon's tone the whole chapter is so...ambiguous. At the beginning, he speaks matter of factly, maybe not as "Hak's King" but at least in a unpersonal way, like an anonymous messager. He tells him information. That's why he calls Yona "Princess Yona" too I think. It is Suwon trusting Hak and relying on him personally, yet he is not totally open yet, Suwon still has a role to play. The more it goes, the more the tone shifts subtlely, now calling Yona by her name, his hood falling when Hak hits the wall, and talking more personally. What he shares then is what he is resigned to do and accept given his position and role that he can't just give up on now, what is the most reasonable within the range of his actions from then on. What he conveys to Hak is that he will not break character and stop performing his role as King, the one thing changing being only how he passes it down to Yona.

However, there is one final thing that the manga makes perceptible for absolutely no one but Hak, that even the shadows can't hear and understand. Suwon's last word(s) to Hak is not digitally typeset like every other text inside speech bubbles, but handwritten so small it looks like muttering that we can't for sure confirm the full forms of. Since chapter 243 came out, I did try for a long time to decipher it, and many concluded it could be a "sayonara" or "arigatou", and it was also translated and typesetted in the official English translation as "Farewell".

But honestly, now I think it is something we should not and are not supposed to decipher. In my eyes, it was Suwon's attempt to have just one thing, one word that would not be scrutinized and broken down to pieces by the people that watch him with no regard to his agency. The only thing we break down is the unintelligible form of it. I'm sure that we are not wrong to think it was something along the lines of a "Farewell", but I can't help but feel like it's not right to take even that from them now. This page is also the trigger that makes Hak understands that their entire convo was in itself a performance that Suwon directed from the start and aimed at people looking at them (the shadows and the audience), and the real message that he conveys only to Hak and not the shadows is that he is giving him and Yona a chance to escape and never return, despite the fact it goes directly against what he told him clearly in their conversation. I think this is what breaks Hak's heart too then, and why Hak realizes that he indeed can't dream of walking on the same path as Suwon anymore. Because Suwon will keep performing a role that will constrain him this way and make him hurt Yona and Hak. That this is maybe the path awaiting them too. The best way is to escape from it when it's not too late. It is too late at this point for Suwon though, or so he thinks. Suwon is self-aware that he can't discard them by this point, so to me this is him trying to negociate these feelings of his (by leaving them one chance to leave) with his role and constraints as a King in this complicated, indirect way.

It's very telling afterwards how the moment from chapter 243 Hak remembers is Suwon's final word that we can't read, whereas for the shadows it is the moment he tells Hak he will make Yona the next ruler. The unreadableness of the former and the enhanced size of the text in the latter...yeah. Suwon's words removed from their full context often are enhanced like that, aren't they?

Suwon is at the same time forced and not allowed to change. He is at the intersection of clashing expectations. It is bad whether Suwon follows his role perfectly or whether he breaks out of it a little and tries something different. Suwon is cruel to Yona and Hak and should die for his actions, or Suwon is too nice and submitting to Yona and Hak (and the larger narrative). No matter what Suwon says and does, it will cause discourses after discourses from both those supporting him and those against him. It is cruel, because people around him are changing and looking him differently than before, whether it's good or bad. In chapter 242, he acts out perfectly as the determined and pragmatic King he is as always, yet now even Geuntae doesn't seem satisfied. Suwon, because of Yona's influence on the people and world around them, has also no other choice but to adapt to these changes in some ways, yet characters like the shadows that refuse any change from 10 years ago stand against it. Again, then chapter 243 to me is Suwon's way to still perform his role as expected from others by negociating with all these sides in some ways. But it's really so complicated, isn't it? And in the end, a chapter like 243 was painful and upsetting for everyone.

I read many people say that Suwon was not here enough in the castle arc and it was annoying that Keishuk was so much present instead, and I remember very well how desperate I was to see him more by then, but it makes sense too, no? After all, Suwon didn't want to be seen. By showing himself as little as possible only in the moments he knows he can perform well, he was still somewhat in control of what people saw of him. The illness made it that Suwon could just not perform more than he did. He didn't want anyone and especially not Yona and Hak to try to see him beyond the performance, yet they kept getting closer and closer, pushing Suwon to hide himself away more and more too.

Suwon knew very well that the second he came out in the open he was closely looked at, by Shin-ah of course, but Shin-ah is only the best example of this general feeling of being watched and judged I think. This is Suwon's interpretation of Shinah's gaze, and I'm sure there is part of truth in it but I think it is also heavily influenced by Suwon's own feelings. Suwon was judged and followed for isolating Yona when she learned of the illness and for imprisoning Hak, but those were things he was only /indirectly/ the cause of. Of course, Suwon didn't do anything to go against them and it was his responsibility this way, he knew and had the authority to decide different, but what I mean is it portrays very well how Suwon is aware, /feels/ the way others scrutinize him ever since he killed Il for every single negative (direct and indirect) consequences of all he does and is. He will never be free from it. People will never let go, even when Yona and Hak do. I think the wound on his shoulder or the pain of his illness he doesn't act on enough are also symbols of that. His present shoulder wound is the literal trace and scar of Shinah's gaze on him in chapter 249, and Suwon is okay with carrying it.

It's not like the story has never let us enter Suwon's mind before recently, after all the narrative doesn't strictly follow only Yona's POV, but Suwon from the beginning was still generally a character seen from the outside by others rather than followed from inside. All these iconic scenes of characters looking at him, whether it's only his back or in the eyes are very much about that. These scenes serve to show how Yona (and Hak) is the subject of the story and will always watch him and what he does, the way Suwon watched Il for 10 years. It also serves to confirm to him that they hate him and wants him to die, etc...

It is very interesting too that the majority of flashbacks we have of him (outside of the one in chapter 11 and some bits of ch1/185) are never from Suwon's POV, but from others and how they perceived Suwon and felt about him then. Hak in particular. Even the diary arc is not from his POV. It is always about the conflict between the characters' first impressions of him and other sides of him revealed to them later on. Suwon to characters and to readers alike is like a puzzle we try to resolve, picking him up piece by piece. Each POV about Suwon is important because he is seen differently by each character, they all see different parts of him and reveal new things about him in reaction.

But this is precisely where we differ from the characters individually and what makes the larger narrative not solely about Yona's subjectivity. As readers we can assemble each piece in a way characters, even Yona, cannot. Moreover, we are also shown some bits from his own POV that no one else inside the story get to see. That's why honestly...I don't see Suwon as a puzzle to piece together since a long time. Of course we don't know and maybe don't understand everything about him, but the characters' struggle to understand him is quite different from readers' position when they judge him one way or the other, in my eyes. The only way I can make sense of why the story would go out of its way to narrate things about Suwon only to us when he is a character all about being shown and seen, is that at the end of the day the larger narrative is and was never against Suwon, its scope includes him too, we are made to feel for him as well. It is only so hard with Suwon because he himself doesn't let us and has circumstances that doesn't allow him that. Akatsuki no Yona is very much about Yona's subjectivity above all, but not fully and totally either and it cares about other characters as well (whether it does it well or not is another topic), and the existence of a character like Suwon we are shown glimpses of the interiority of from the very first volumes highlights this well, I think.

Despite this, the characters' struggle didn't end. And that's where the nuance between what the larger narrative of Akatsuki no Yona tells us about him and what Suwon as a character-narrator shows and tells us is meaningful. Suwon is a fictional character that depends on a bigger narrator and author of course, but there are several layers of narration in comics art, some which embrace the mind and subjectivity of one chosen character and making them "independant", agent of what they show and tell.

When we are shown what Suwon thinks in chapter 217 or in chapter 221 for example, I don't think it was that Suwon as a character wanted to be seen, but only that he was breaking and vulnerable in a way that made these bits showable to us. The fact we see Suwon's thoughts is a representation of Suwon's emotional state. It's not something Suwon has agency over at his own level. He is not a narrator in those moments, but a character being shown.

More precisely, Suwon did try to resist the narrative in chapter 217. Inner monologues in comics and especially in shoujo manga can be represented in different ways and have different functions. In chapter 217, there is a visual contrast between the thoughts that "float" on the pages, his personal lingering feelings for hurting Yona, and the thoughts in the black boxes, that have him rationalize the situation. Generally, monologues in text boxes are said to be a more objective level of narration (I get this from the "How to draw shoujo manga" book by Shigeki Suzuki, a former editor for Dessert's magazine).

Obviously, Suwon is not objective here, but it represents his attempt to affirm his authority on what is told and narrated, his control on feelings he doesn't want to acknowledge and to get out in the open. He tries to be a narrator. The metaphor of a box that opens against his will is then perfectly fitting. There are the words typed in text boxes, and the words out of these boxes. In the very next page, the boundary between panels and text boxes is blurred thanks the magic of shoujo manga composition. The first two vertical panels could very much be text boxes on their own, and what he says in them is still him being pragmatic and rationalizing what he has to do. Yet, as we see, Hak is now in these boxes as well. It breaks the illusion of Suwon as a character-narrator here (which was already hinted at by the choice to make the bg of the text boxes so dark). He can't control his thoughts from going towards Yona and Hak, he is not showing that willingly.

What we see inside Suwon is him still performing the best he can. It's him trying to convince himself and push himself to fulfill his duties with no hesitation. It's still not all of him, there are still things that he tries desperately to hide and keep deep deep inside of discarded boxes. Inside and outside, he has to be the perfect pragmatic King his role ask, so all that is shown has to be that. He can't allow himself to be anything else, he has to shut off and erase any trace of different voices in his heart. Yona, by being a person that expresses and voices out her feelings more, brings these feelings Suwon doesn't want to show on the page, she shows them to us. Seen like that, Yona can maybe thematically be a representation of Suwon's repressed feelings.

(A bit differently but similarly, it is a similar process in chapter 221 where this time Suwon can't barely try in any effective way to narrate what he's thinking, what we see as panels and text boxes make no difference anymore, until it blows up for good when he has this flashback of Hak and Yona from chapter 11 and realizes he can't discard them. )

So, Suwon is a character that is shown to us in several ways. One, there is how he is seen from the outside, the way characters perceive what he shows to them or what is shown about him to them. This is the layer Suwon has the most control on in a way (even if not totally), as his position in the story makes him very conscious of his obligation to perform because people are watching him. He shows his full control and flexibility of his image in the ways he willingly pretends to be more naive and weaker than he really is to Geuntae, Soojin and Li Hazara for example. He plays with others' expectations and perception of him. Outside, Suwon is already full aware of how he is supposed to present himself, he already knows what is going to be shown or not for the most part. He allows himself to break out of character when he knows no one else watches him, which are the rare moments the narrative can show him when he's not performing. As the story advances however, these moments become much rarer as he is watched closely by more and more characters in his privacy.

On the other hand, there is how the higher narrative tries to show us his emotional state, his point of view and feelings. It is inherently something he as a character is very against of ever since he became King. Even then, what is shown to us at several occasions is Suwon's failure in showing us what he wants to show, instead having taken from/out of him what he doesn't want to reveal. The Crimson Illness is an interesting metaphor for it I think. It can easily be interpreted as a visible manifestation of Suwon's already existing struggles, after all. The Crimson illness makes all that is hidden visible to others. It gives it physical symptoms. Again and again, his illness and bloodline are revealed to others against his will. The illness is the crack to the performance Suwon tries to maintain as a strong King. It makes him vulnerable, forcing him to depend more on others. It breaks his role and how he wants others to see him. He wants to be seen as strong and independant and in control, but he can't control his episodes and when he is shown in a frail condition. It brings out what is inside, it makes his repressed thoughts visible to us readers as well, it's the reason why the narrative shows us his inner struggles more closely.

Suwon can only somewhat control and influence what is shown outside, which why I think he showed himself so little in the castle arc as an attempt to show himself only when he's in an "acceptable" state for it. In the end, he still pushes himself more than necessary when he has no other choice (and because he doesn't want to rely more on the people around him). However, after the South Kai arc Suwon knows important development. From then, Suwon has no choice but to face things for real : His is sick, heavily weakened and disabled by it, and is going to die soon. In parallel, he also acknowledges he can't discard Yona-Hak, and that he can and has to rely on them for Kouka's sake.

Chapter 243 is the very first time (Minsu aside I imagine, but we are not shown that) that Suwon himself tells someone directly about his bloodline and his illness. As said before, chapter 243 is an entire performance, but it's one where he got to choose the person he wanted to say these things to. However there is still a gap between what Suwon wants to show to Hak and what he doesn't want to show to others. The chapter is still framed not from Suwon's POV at all. Suwon has no privacy, even in a scene initially presented to be only between the two of them. The idea that at this point Suwon is allowed any privacy is unreliable framing influenced by Hak's flawed POV. Hak by then is not yet really aware of the existence and purpose of Suwon's personal bodyguards in detail. Suwon can convey messages undirectly, but because he still has to show himself a certain way to characters like the shadows he's not allowed to show things explicitely. He can only be seen through others' eyes, forced to rely neither on the images nor the text typed and shared by the narrator(s), but instead on the subtext and unintelligible scribblings. Suwon is still bound by the vow the Shadows made to themselves 10 years ago, but freed at the end by the vow bounding Hak to him. To Hak alone he can share his truth : that he can't and won't respond to his expectations, nor that he is only what he shows as King to others. No one else might understand, but he trusts Hak can get the message.

Then Suwon is attacked by Shinah, and at first we were not shown at all what Suwon was thinking and feeling. The second he wakes up in chapter 256, he leaves that behind him and thinks as a King again. However something important changed, obviously he still has people around him he has to act a certain way for, but the shadows are no more. The people left around him are more flexible and actually rejoice that Suwon decides to retreat. They don't know it was partly motivated by lingering feelings for Yona and Hak, but they're still more flexible and allows Suwon more privacy and agency.

So it brings us again to chapter chapter 261/262, which are to me the very first occurence of Suwon being allowed to be a character-narrator where he gets to truly show and tells his own story. Showing instead of being shown. Showing the experience and feelings of being seen. Chapter 262 doesn't only highlight the importance of gaze in Suwon's character, but is meaningful by making Suwon himself show it to Hak, and to us readers by proxy. This is what makes Suwon and Hak's interactions in this chapter so so important. Suwon, as already established, is still resolved to perform his duties as King until the very end. That's why he still doesn't show himself bare in front of the people of Kuuto, Mundok or Lili. He still has to be a strong King that inspires confidence and reassurance to them. He can't show that he is actually chronically ill and severely wounded. What citizens expect from the King is to be strong enough to withstand, resist, and win against all the disasters they face.

But when it's only Hak and Suwon alone next, Hak is of course annoyed. There is no one on the rooftop of the collapsing palace to watch and judge them. Suwon doesn't have to keep his armor, his King costume, and keep performing in front of him, acting like his wound doesn't hurt him this much and that he's perfectly collected. The shadows are no more, they're isolated from the city. Hak as we can see with chapter 200 or 224 is annoyed by all these roles and formalities and always go against them. This is what makes Hak free. Hak goes wherever he wants to be, will play any role needed to get there and let go of them when they get on his way. Hak says he sucks at letting go, but in a way he is much better at letting go of these things than Suwon is, even when he doesn't have to keep them.

Something interesting in this scene, as already pointed out by others, is the intent behind making Hak order Suwon to undress. Despite his tone, he still doesn't undress Suwon forcibly to then show him to all of us against his will, but encourages Suwon to act upon it himself. He is frustrated by Suwon's own passivity in regard to himself. Suwon has to ask for Hak's help, but it is still triggered by Suwon's own will. Hak forces Suwon to ask for the support he needs in order to have agency. Showing himself is difficult for Suwon, both literally because of his wound and emotionally because he is not used to it, so Hak helps him for it. Of course, the act of removing his armor and letting go of his father's sword is also when Suwon at long last can stop just performing as the King character he is supposed to be. Finally, through his trust in Hak, he can truly and openly show something different to us readers too.

Then Suwon talks about himself. Not just facts and objective information like he did in chapter 243, but how he feels and what /he/ sees. Finally, Suwon tells and shows.

This spread is one of my favorite of all times I think, because it just encapsulates everything I'm trying to explain with this post. Suwon is undeniably a character-narrator in this scene because of how he shows willingly and literally to someone else what he saw and felt, making this moment surreal. After all, it should be impossible for Hak to see that. The text in this spread is typeset like is any inner monologue and is not in speech bubbles. Hak, by the rules of narratology in comics is not supposed to hear any of it. They are thoughts inside of Suwon. However the last panel showing the bottom part of Hak's face seems to imply that Hak very much sees and hears it all. Hak here is in our exact position as reader, able to see, read, feel what Suwon is sharing inside of him. It's not something brought to the outside taken from him for it to be broken down, scrutinized and judged by others. Instead, Suwon makes us come to him inside. It is something incredibly private and intimate Suwon shows in full spread to Hak and us alone. It is precious. Suwon's narration transcends narrative layers to reach Hak's senses and ours at the same time. It represents how Shinah in dragon form is watching him, but by doing so he is very much the one to show himself and Shin-ah. It is not a first person narration where we would see things through his eyes, but a third person one, above. As a character-narrator, Suwon is obviously not at the top of the narrative hierarchy and Kusanagi is the one making all these narrative and laying out choices, but here, she lets Suwon carry the role of teller and shower. In chapter 249, she decided against showing that to us directly like she showed how he felt in chapter 221. She willingly gave Suwon the time and space to do it himself when he was ready to, to the person of his choice alone.

As Hak says at the end of chapter 262, Suwon can choose another path instead of repeating the same complicated one. As we've seen, his role as King indeed puts him in an overcomplicated and messy position where he has to jungle between clashing expectations and duties and his own feelings, making everyone and him first hurt in the end. From then on, Suwon can try another path for real.

In that same chapter before he removes his armor, Suwon also tells Mundok that he can't possibly influence the Heavens. So here, I have a final interpretation about this:

Aren't the Heavens the representation for a higher narrative layer? They're the ones making the "final" judgment and punishing characters or not, they're the ones making (one layer of) the narrative of the story through the prophecy. They can't be touched and reached for, they're in another world above the characters. Suwon is well aware that he is only a character with a defined role in the narrative, so to him, there is only so much he can do and it's pointless to fight against it. In chapter 268, Suwon says again that there's nothing he can do since they're not people. The Gods are the ones seeing and showing everything.

It is perfectly illustrated in chapter 268 with Yona. Yona didn't want to make it about Hak at all, she doesn't want to involve him in any of this, and doesn't openly mention and express her feelings for him inside the chalice because it is not her focus and priority then. Yet the Gods show everything against Yona's will and to her despair. They bring out and show her and us a majority of moments Yona shared with Hak, many that were supposed to be only with the two of them. But like the Shadows with Suwon, the Gods were always watching. Yona was able to make her own decision and was resolved to leave the chalice with the dragons before they brought this up in chapter 267. It is something shown about her and against her, they take from her any agency she had, she is trapped. Similarly to Suwon in chapter 221, she is forced to face feelings she underestimated the paralyzing power of.

However, I'd argue that Yona still managed to bring the Gods closer to us, at least from the invisible higher layer they were on the narrator hierarchy of the story to a layer inside the narrative. Again, she brought them on the page, she made them real, she made them characters and more "human". They're still entities with the power to show, but also visible characters that can be changed and talked with: they literally can be moved and influenced. Yona and Zeno showed them to us, in the sense of making them visible and revealing them to us readers. Maybe the way they treat Yona is their reaction against it, unconsciously. After all, bringing them on the pages of the story forced them to face their contradictions, it is threatening them. Unfortunately, by chapter 268 it still didn't strip them of their powers and ability to control the other characters' narrative.

But I think Suwon perfectly understood all of this. Suwon now has the power to show his perspective. Even if the Gods aren't people, he is free to choose the way he frames how he is seen and watched with his own subjectivity. He is now a subjective character, not only an objective (in the sense of being object) one. That's why his plan depends on getting the Gods' full attention on him. This page is so similar from Shinah looking at him in chapter 262 for a reason. Suwon now gets more control and freedom in what he can show and tell. Suwon literally brought the Gods down to us and showed them. It's not like Yona climbing up to them. Suwon has the power to influence the Heavens and the narrative, because Suwon is not only his static character role, but a character that can change and who we can openly feel for. He won't submit to the Dragon Gods' narrative like he was resigned to before. He is the narrative too. Like Yona or Hak or any other character we ever followed is. Akatsuki no Yona is a story about characters and their feelings, and Suwon can now fully embrace his power in it.

So I find the resonance between Suwon's developing agency in the narrative and the way readers engage with him really interesting. I guess Kusanagi didn't expect Suwon to be controversial the way he is to this day when she started the story and created him, but I like how she discusses it in the story and tied it so beautifully with his character arc. I said about chapter 243 that we shouldn't try to decipher Suwon's message, but actually I don't think that's true. I don't think Kusanagi is that pessimist about her readers. Sure, we see as much as the Shadows or as the Dragon Gods do but we're not them either. The characters share so much with us too, like seen in chapter 262. I think the story simply wants to encourage us to question how we engage with the characters and what we expect from them by representing caricatures of extreme fandom opinions (that can be pretty prevalent and very vocal unfortunately). Suwon himself was always a character we were encouraged to decipher, I think. Otherwise it would mean not trying to understand him at all because he played the role of an antagonist (or whatever he can be called) anyways, which is incredibly sad. I think we were always encouraged to resist against that and try to understand him despite his own resistance. Suwon needed to learn that it's okay to be vulnerable and show us, and that it won't make him less loved and cared for.

Suwon will probably always be a character that is scrutinized and judged in and outside the story, it keeps being so despite all recent developments. But today I am convinced that nor Suwon on his level as a character, nor the narrative will keep making him a character that is forever only seen by others anymore. Now we will see what Suwon sees and feels what he feels, he will show us. He will influence the Heavens and shake the narrative itself I'm sure, he will bring them all down to us.

I love you Suwon <3

[keeroo92]

Be My Nightmare Ch2

Of Charcoal and Lust

Warnings for references to self-harm, mental illness and blood kink. Spicy at the end.

~~~Previous Chapter~~~

Word count - 4,048

____________________

---Reader---

You spent the rest of the week with your other patients, but you couldn’t keep your thoughts away from V. He was an enigma, the kind of case you’d been waiting for. A killer, but with brains. Capable of planning, and trickery. He’d be a tough man to work with, a stark contrast to the boring tedium of the masses.

“Dr. Waras, are you listening?”

Speaking of…

You tapped your pen against your lips and met the eyes of your current patient, Ken Sinclair. Guilty of animal abuse but he blamed it on visions of the future. He also had a lovely tendency to believe every conspiracy theory known to man.

“Of course I am. Please, continue,” you replied.

He shifted his weight and stared at the floor. Evasion. You made a note.

“I… so the cat next door, he was going to start a revolution. I saw it.”

“What sort of revolution? How was the cat going to begin?”

Ken fidgeted, his fingers betraying his anxiety. Due to his enjoyment of conspiracies, the man was extremely slow to trust. You internally rolled your eyes.

“I’m truly curious. I have a cat myself, did you know that?”

A lie, but a harmless one. Ken smiled, his fingers relaxing at the reassuring tone of your voice. Child’s play.

“He was going to start with his owner, the guy worked for the CIA.”

You widened your eyes and made a note. It was possible the neighbor actually did work for the CIA, but most likely it was yet another delusion. Poor Ken had trouble telling the difference. He had potential, though. If he made enough progress he might someday get to go home.

But it was doubtful.

By the end of the session, you had heard enough quackery to last until next time. You waved to Ken as Aaron led him back to his room and checked your schedule to see which patient was next, even though you already knew. You’d been looking forward to this for days.

V.

After your first meeting with him, his file proved a fascinating read. An art student from a prestigious university, he’d suddenly dropped out last year and vanished. His family searched for months but found no trace of the gifted artist. His whereabouts between then and the murders were hazy at best, only unconfirmed rumors or hearsay.

And the murders themselves were truly obscene. Details were sketchy on how he chose the family, but the scene was thoroughly documented. Blood so deep the cops wore galoshes, a mixture of his victims and several cows. The walls were painted with the crimson fluid, the wet dribbles still trailing to the kick molding. He’d used a nailgun to affix lengths of ropy intestines to his artwork as a frame, spearing a kidney and part of the child’s liver as focal points.

The bodies themselves were arranged in a gruesome tableau. The mother and father were stripped naked, splayed out for all to see on the couch. He hadn’t bothered trying to disguise where his blades had left their marks, choosing instead to draw attention to the young child strung up above her parents on the chandelier. The child had died first, her blood dripping into the heartbroken faces of her parents as he carved them up.

He didn’t gag them. The neighbors heard the keening wails but by the time the police arrived, he was licking the gristle from his fingertips and humming a piece of classical music. He’d welcomed the officers, offering bags for them to vomit into even as the man with the strongest stomach cuffed him.

The case never even made it to trial. He pled guilty with a smile, and the judge was all too happy to ship him off to an asylum based off his lawyer’s recommendation.

And now here he was, being led into your office by Kevin with a lidded gaze and a suggestive smirk. The orderly affixed the cuffs to the wall with a length of nylon rope, making sure V couldn’t reach you if you stayed at the desk. The young man saluted you and took his leave, and you were alone with the crazed murderer.

“How lovely to see you again, Y/N,” he purred. Even knowing his crimes, you couldn’t deny his voice held great allure. Again, you were struck by the waste of a life before you. He had so much potential, only to fall into madness.

“Hello again, V. How are you feeling today?”

You made it a point not to acknowledge the way he addressed you. To insist on him using your title would only show weakness, that his opinion of you held value. He could call you whatever he liked; you were the one in control here.

He smirked and pulled up his legs, sitting cross legged on the couch. “I’m well. Quite a treat to stretch my legs today. It’s almost a shame how close your office is.”

He’s reminding me of when I stretched his leg. Trying to set me off my game.

You smiled and made a note.

“True, maybe Kevin can take you for a walk after we’re finished.”

Asserting your control, telling him you held his fate in your hands. What fun he was already; the mind games alone were worth the wait.

“That would be nice.”

His eyes gleamed. He knew exactly what you were trying to do. Damn.

“Let’s get started.”

V licked his lips and gazed at you, his meaning clear. “Do let’s.”

You continued without missing a beat. “Here at Mundus Psychiatric, we have a three-pronged system to rehabilitate violent offenders. First off is medication. Dr. Malphas has you on Seroquel, and he’ll be in charge of your prescriptions based on my notes. He’ll meet with you personally once a month.”

You paused to give him a chance to ask any questions, but he only stared at you. On to the next section, then.

“Next, you’ll meet with me on a daily basis to work through any trauma or psychological issues. My job is to help you reach a healthy state of mind and to do that I need you to work with me.”

You paused again, giving the man a meaningful look. He licked his lips.

Right. On to the last one.

“The third approach involves creative catharsis. I imagine this will be of particular interest to you due to your background, but if you display signs of aggression or self-harm, this privilege will be revoked.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Art.”

His hands twitched and he inhaled sharply, his excitement clear. As you’d thought; this would be the way to reach him. You couldn’t help but be curious what he would create, especially without human remains to use as materials. Watching him at work could grant you insights otherwise hidden from view, and you slid open the lower drawer of your desk to pull out supplies with excitement.

---V---

The dull stub of charcoal was the most beautiful thing he’d seen in months. His mouth watered, his fingers twitching to outline the images in his mind. He could almost hear the scratching of the dark substance against paper. He couldn’t look away.

It occurred to him that this was a test, some menial attempt to gain new insights into his character. Yet he didn’t care. The urge was too strong and he didn’t hesitate as you arranged a sheet of paper on a clipboard and offered it to him with the nub of charcoal.

What to draw, that was the question. His first work in months, it had to be sublime. Something to celebrate the occasion.

Draw her, idiot.

He bit his lip to remain silent. It wouldn’t do to reveal Vergil to you, not yet. It was too early to introduce you to such thoughts. Still, he had a point.

Nothing inappropriate, mind you. A portrait. No blood or tears.

He sighed internally. How boring. The image of your face twisted in pain and pleasure, like Bernini’s Saint Teresa in Ecstasy was oh so tempting. He’d imagined it many times already, it would be lovely to bring the image to life.

Don’t be a fool.

He drew the first line. The shape of your face was simple, but how to arrange your features? What did your smile look like? Did your eyes crinkle?

His focused gaze shifted to meet yours. You were watching his every move, intent curiosity on every feature. Vergil had been right, you were paying far too much attention for him to indulge. Damn him.

“What’s her name?” you asked.

The truth was too risky, yet you’d have to be blind to not make the connection by the time he was finished. He had to avoid answering, then.

“Would you mind smiling for me? It’s been a long time since I saw happiness.”

You leaned back in your chair and made a note. He clenched his jaw, hating the reminder of the situation. How he craved the chance to connect without the framework of your profession. To do so was essential to your growth.

A warning growl sounded in his head, Shadow reminding him of his goals. Truly, she was the best of them all. He schooled his features into an expression of raw vulnerability, furrowing his brow and angling his head so the light reflected from his eyes. You tapped your pen against your lips and empathy bloomed in your stare.

Victory was sweet.

“I suppose it couldn’t hurt. Let’s keep talking while you work, too.”

He nodded and added another line, glancing between the paper and your face. Though you did smile, it seemed false. Forced. It gave him what he needed to add lips, but to get the eyes right he needed to see you laugh.

“What shall we talk about?”

You hummed and he added the shadow cast by your nose.

“Let’s start with what happened between you leaving school and the murders.”

He smirked. Could you have given him a better opening? Doubtful.

“Oh, is that all?” he replied, injecting his voice with all the sarcasm he could muster. You tried to hide it, but you were amused. He saw the glint of humor in your eyes as you fought to restrain a chuckle. Perfect, just what he needed. He began outlining your eyes.

“Unless you’d rather tell me more about Griffon.”

He hummed and pondered his choices. It was always an option to remain silent, but that would do nothing to further his goals. He chose the safer of the two subjects and tilted his head, comparing the sketch with reality. Sufficient, considering the circumstances.

“I spent a great deal of time wandering, observing humanity in action. Planning my masterpiece.”

You made a note. He added a few lines to your brows, darkening them to his liking.

“So you knew in advance what you were going to do?”

He smirked and ran a thumb over the brows to smudge them. Perfection. “Only vaguely.”

Another note. It was becoming distracting. He held the clipboard higher, blocking his line of sight to focus.

“Tell me more about your masterpiece.”

Careful.

He could speak on it for hours, but he needed to be cautious. How to frame his thoughts so they didn’t seem too outlandish? He wasn’t unaware of how far from the norm his reality was; far from it. But it wasn’t his fault the world was blind.

“It was meant to be a statement on humanity’s focus on innocence and virtue, and how foolish it is. Naivete should not be praised, it should be excised. It is weakness to intentionally keep blinders on and block out the pain of reality.”

You chuckled. He’d never heard the sound before and closed his eyes to memorize it. It would sound all the more lovely if you were by his side, blade in hand.

“You have a point, though your methods seem extreme. Why not try something less drastic first?”

“The gentler the approach, the fewer people it reaches and the duller its impact. I had to be drastic to make my message clear.”

He shaded the strands of your hair. Such a beautiful color, it would be divine in red.

“I think I understand. You had to be bold to be heard.”

His lips twisted into a smirk. You really did show great promise. He should reward you. Another morsel, just a taste of what he had to offer.

“Exactly. Think of all the great artists. They were great for many reasons but chief among them was nerve. Have you studied art history?”

You shook your head and remained silent, waiting for him to elaborate. He allowed himself a moment of self-satisfaction – so far, he had played this perfectly.

“Write this down and do some research. Rubens’ Massacre of the Innocents. Rembrandt’s Blinding of Samson. Caravaggio’s Judith Beheading Holofernes. Titian’s Flaying of Marsyas. Art is full of examples of violence and the macabre. Several artists have even used human remains as subjects.”

He paused, letting you finish taking down his referrals. It was difficult to limit his choices to only the few, but there would be time to show you more. First, you must see his perspective. He added the final touches to the portrait of you and added a dark V to the bottom right corner with a smile.

“Why do you think that is? That some artists paint such darkness while others don’t.”

He scoffed. “Those whose art reflects traditional beauty are skilled, I cannot deny that. But they are limited. Only through pain and suffering do we grow, only through torment do we reach truth. They are distracted by worldly appeals and though their work is pleasing, it offers no deeper meaning. The purpose of art is to guide the viewer to a better understanding of reality. How can that happen if the viewer is subjected only to pleasantness?”

You pursed your lips. Had he gone too far? Perhaps an example would help you see. A contrast. He wiped the dust from his hands, leaving black stains on his plain linens.

“May I have another piece of paper?”

Within moments, his hand was flying across a fresh sheet. Powerful strokes left dark lines behind as he furiously sketched, using his own face so as not to alarm you. He added tear tracks and small drops of fluid oozing from thin lines. The eyes showed fear and rage, a tempest of emotion in black and white. A few careful smudges and the drawing was complete. He held out both to you and waited.

“These are incredible… You have true talent, V.”

Your eyes were wide, lips parted in awe at his meager efforts. He could do so much better. How would you react to a piece created with more intent, more thought behind it? Images of you flooded his mind, worshipful and obedient to his whims. He shifted his weight to ease the ache in his cock at the thought of sketching your lips covering his length, blood leaking from your mouth to drip on his thighs.

Focus. Be patient.

He pulled at the nylon cord anchoring him to the wall, taking all the slack available to rest his hands in his lap and subtly rub himself. It sent him reeling to be able to touch himself at last. He bit his cheek to withhold a moan as his thumb caressed the ridge of his head, the fabric sticking to his slit from his arousal.

Your eyes lifted and he forced his hands to lie still. Such torture, to have relief so near and yet so far. He licked his lips.

“Do you see now? Do you understand?”

You sighed and set the drawings aside. He didn’t miss the way your eyes lingered on the page featuring his own face twisted in agony. Something soft tinted your face and you cleared your throat before turning to face him once more. He shifted his hips again.

“I understand your perspective, though I’m not sure I agree with it. Art serves many purposes to many people. Who am I to judge what its true role is?”

A safe answer. She begins to see but refuses to admit it.

It was enough. For now. He leaned back and relaxed his posture, wondering what you would ask next. With the progress so far, perhaps he could be more cooperative with his answer.

“When did Griffon first speak to you?”

---Reader---

His art was remarkable. The raw emotion in the charcoal astounded you and you struggled to refocus. Watching him work gave you a new appreciation for his looks, too. The focus and intensity of his eyes as he added line after line, the intimacy of the way he asked for a smile, the movements of his lithe fingers… it was beautiful to behold.

It was a testament to your training and professionalism that you didn’t react when he started fondling himself. He wasn’t the first patient to indulge sexual desires in your office, but he was by far the most attractive. You pursed your lips and adjusted your legs, trying to ignore the heat pooling in your belly. It made you feel unclean to have such a strong reaction and yet it refused to diminish.

This man will be the end of me if I’m not careful.

So, you steered the conversation into safer waters, back to something that was less likely to arouse his passions. He clenched his jaw and his fingers twitched as if to rub his length again, and you hastily looked elsewhere as he answered.

“Early May, just under a year ago.”

You made a note. “Does Griffon speak to anyone else?”

He smirked and his eyes gleamed. It sent a tremor of anticipation through you to see the hunger in his gaze.

“Not yet.”

Yet? That’s unusual.

You made a note just as a gentle tap sounded from the door. Kevin was back to take V to his room. The time had passed so quickly you hadn’t noticed. You mentally shook yourself and gave V a smile.

“Looks like we’re out of time for today.”

“May I make a request?”

You paused. From the way he still gripped the charcoal, you had a guess as to what he wanted. It wasn’t unreasonable to allow him to keep the nub and send him off with a few sheets of paper, but it was decidedly against protocol. Regardless, you had to hear him out.

“Of course.”

He held up the charcoal. “May I take this with me, and some paper? It’s dreadfully boring to sit in that room with nothing to do.”

Another gentle tap and the door opened. Kevin walked over with a smile, waiting for the go-ahead to release the artist. You sighed. If only it were up to you.

“I’ll talk to Dr. Malphas about it on your behalf. We’ll see,” you replied, reaching out to take the charcoal away. He didn’t fight you, but the sadness in his eyes almost stopped you in your tracks. There was one thing you could grant him. Hopefully it would bridge the gap.

“Kevin, take him for a lap around the building to stretch his legs. You won’t be difficult, will you V?”

He shook his head and smirked. Kevin shrugged and untied the nylon cord, leading V away. The moment the door closed, you let out a deep sigh, slumping in your chair.

As far as first sessions normally went, this had been a home run. You’d gained more information than you expected, seen a facet of the man you knew was integral to his recovery. Maintained the balance of power and given him a reward. You’d done your job.

So why did you feel so conflicted?

---V---

The walk was a blessed gift and he savored every step. He also made it a point to note the security gates and location of the stairwell, creating a map in his mind for future use. As Kevin led him back toward his room, he requested a pit stop. His room didn’t have a toilet, due to concerns of self-harm.

As Kevin retreated behind the transparent panel, giving him the barest semblance of privacy, he grinned. It was all too easy to conjure images to fuel his need and within a few pumps he was fully hard. He angled his body to hide his activity and let himself imagine it was your slim hand wrapped around him.

He closed his eyes and wondered how tight you were, whether you’d gasp as he sank inside you. The couch in your office was the perfect size, was it bolted to the floor or could he make it move? He bit his lip to keep from groaning, mind full of all the ways he’d decorate your flesh with bruises and bite marks. You’d be ethereal with a few tasteful splashes of blood and his cum leaking from your lips.

His hand quickened along with his panting as he thought about claiming you as his own, leaving this accursed place behind and finding somewhere to hone his craft and teach you all he knew. He would set you free and share his every creation with you. If you desired it, he’d use the bodies of his chosen to show you how he’d fuck you until you bled. His hands would stifle any cries so as not to spoil the mood as he held your sweet gaze and pounded into another. Would you touch yourself? Would you want a turn?

He couldn’t suppress his drawn out whine as he exploded. Hot ropes of white spewed from his tip as he quivered his release, hand coaxing every last drop into open air. His hips rolled forward, smacking against his palm in a poor approximation of his plans for you.

After a moment to catch his breath, he opened his eyes to judge his work. Evidence of his release coated the wall behind the toilet, crossing over the porcelain into the urinal. It was a shame he had to leave it behind, but he’d have other chances. He hummed and licked his fingers clean, another surge of lust pulsing inside him as he imagined your tongue on his flesh. Would you enjoy the salty flavor?

He had faith.

“Almost done?” Kevin called out. He’d forgotten the simpleton was watching.

“Almost.”

He relieved himself quickly, knowing he wouldn’t get another chance for a while. A hasty wash of his hands and he rejoined the orderly with a satisfied smile.

The man escorted him to his room in silence, hooking his wrists and ankles into the bed once more without meeting his eyes. It was easy to figure out why – he must have seen V’s gratuitous self-indulgence. The artist smirked as Kevin turned to leave, but he paused at the door.

“Next time you do that, can you keep the mess contained? I have to go clean it now.”

V bared his teeth in a grin. “Apologies.”

Kevin shuffled his feet. “I don’t care if you need to do it, just… you know.”

Oh for heaven’s sake, have mercy on the fool.

“Hush, Vergil! I’ll be more mindful next time.”

“Thanks,” Kevin replied, and finally left him in peace.

He replayed every frame of his session with you, analyzing your reactions. It was a promising start, but he still needed to tread carefully. He couldn’t afford to show his hand too early or all would be lost. Your curiosity and logic would be points in his favor, but you had a long way to go before you were his equal.

And Kevin… the man might turn out to be an ally. The dolt had limited usefulness, but he wasn’t so arrogant as to ignore possible assets. He had plenty to offer, just not intelligence.

Hours passed and his mind grew restless. It truly was infuriating to be restrained like this, with nothing to occupy his thoughts except his current predicament. He tugged at the leather periodically, but he lacked the strength to break free. When he saw you next he could bring it up, but that was ages away. How to pass the time?

He shifted his weight and smirked. A few delicious ideas came to mind.

~~~Next Chapter~~~

[3wisellamas]

Because there still aren't enough Deltarune theories: Fun Facts About Cards

So, I was thinking a lot about @pirenja's older post on Jevil and Seam as The Fool and The Magician, the first (or first and last, depending on who you ask) cards of the Tarot major arcana and which usually map to the Jokers in a standard playing card deck.  

There's also the MINOR arcana, though -- the plain numbers and suits that make up the rest of a Tarot deck, and look a LOT like a typical 52-card deck.  I knew about those, but didn't know those, so I got curious and spent a couple days looking into it, just for funsies.

So, uh...holy shit.  The card-based Darkners aren't just playing cards, they're TAROT cards.  The characters we know fit almost ridiculously well to their cards, and there were a couple parallels I found particularly interesting.  Allow me to infodump, and add in a few extra fun little things that also came up in some card research, and which might have some...interesting implications on the rest of Deltarune.  A lot of this is gonna come from Wikipedia, as well as this site.

Just a heads-up, this post is gonna include a lot of theories (some of which may or may not be pure crack) and will be LONG, and much of it will look like this:

...But in a fun way, I promise.  ~^

First, let's go over some REALLY brief info about some of the cards we've seen so far in Deltarune.  The ties between these guys and Tarot are pretty damn obvious, especially when you look at the four suits:

Diamonds:  In Tarot, their equivalent is Pentacles or Coins.  These are associated with wealth, business, and physical possessions.

Sounds a lot like the Rudinns and the King of Diamonds, right?  I mean, they're so obsessed with their treasure that they sold their beds to have more of it!

Hearts:  The Tarot equivalent is the Cups.  Associated with emotions and bettering oneself.  

Hathys are pretty big on emotion -- they're the ones you keep flirting with in encounters, after all, and the proceeds for Hathy's bake sale go towards their health.

Clubs:  The Tarot equivalent is the Wands.  This one I had to work a bit to figure out, but it seems to be more associated with social things, passion, and desire/drive.

Clover is definitely a social one, seeing as how they're throwing their birthday party in the castle when you arrive.  And they're also VERY passionate about three specific topics, which actually plays into pacifying them!

Spades:  Now for some fun.  In Tarot, these are Swords, and are most associated with...take a wild guess.  Ambition, power, violence, and the military.

Yep.  Shall we look a bit closer at the actual cards in the Spades suit, then?  

First off, the King of Spades/Swords.  The card is LITERALLY called The Warlord, and is associated with force and discipline, ruthlessness, intelligence, and sometimes coldness and abuse in a negative reading.  Pretty damn accurate to the King, I gotta say.  Not a lot of room for interpretation here.

The other Spade we know of, though?  A...little less clear-cut, but still works.  Lancer is the Jack of Spades, meaning his Tarot equivalent is the Page/Knave of Swords -- same card, just an older name -- which is indeed all about youth and energy, as well as learning and observing, and keeping cool in danger.  However, the card is also called The Spy, and also has a meaning of concealing oneself and keeping secrets.

Hm.  Some of that really sounds like Lancer, some...doesn't?  Perhaps our boy has an arc and some more character development ahead of him.  Or...I'll get back to this.  Because there is some interesting theory fuel here once I bring in another point.

Now, for a Spade we DON'T know yet, but that we know very well is coming:  The Queen.  The Queen of Swords is associated with intelligence, strategy, independence, and...repressed sadness and divorce?  Hm.

HM.  If the King of Spades is meant to be a Dark World mirror of Asgore, could the Queen end up being a dark mirror of Toriel, out in self-exile?  Time will tell.  And when we do finally meet the Queen in future chapters, she will very likely be one hell of a big deal, if the Tarot theme holds, so keep the card description in mind for that!

But, we can't stop at the Queen; we're missing a big, major detail.  In Tarot decks, and in fact in historical playing card decks in general, there are FOUR face cards of each suit, not just the three we see in a typical deck.  At the top are the King and Queen, obviously.  At the bottom is the Page or the Knave, as I said up there the equivalent of the modern Jack.  And the last one, between the Page and the Queen?  The Knight.

No, really.  The Knight is a CARD.  But, I'm gonna go further than that:  We already know someone, specifically a card person, in the Dark World who fits the description of the Knight of Swords/Spades, quite well in fact:

Associated with major, drastic changes -- pretty appropriate for the person who's been jailing kings and opening up dark fountains, huh?

Impulsive, and constantly takes actions without much planning beforehand.

Fanatical and single-minded, obsessively loyal to one thing and one thing only at a time.

Confident, to the point of arrogance.  Basically, obsessed with themselves.

Articulate, good with words, and a sweet-talker, able to get what they want through speech and charm alone.  Ironically, not often associated with direct action, and can mean cowardice.

Also, a bald-faced liar -- their whole thing is trickery and deceit.  They also keep a LOT of secrets, like the Page.

Worth noting, the Knight often replaces the Queen entirely in older decks, and is considered the card right under the King of Spades, as his main servant or advisor.

Notably, according to that Tarot site up there, they are heavily associated with major career changes and promotions.

You figured it out yet?

.

.

.

Oh yeah.  Worm knight.  

Let's go through some points with both Rouxls Kaard and that card description in mind, if you don't believe me.  

Uh, hello?  Confident, impulsive, acts without thinking, fanatical, self-centered?  The card description may as well be the guy's Wikia bio.

Articulate...well, he tries.  Can't fault him for that.  (yes you can)

Honestly, aside from that "God.  Damn it." moment, can you give me one instance in which his manner of speaking WASN'T overly flowery and fancy, to the point of ridiculousness?  That's, like, his most defining trait.

He's a coward, never actually facing you himself until you reach the castle, and instead preferring to vandalize puzzle solutions and throw minions at you.

He seriously butters you up during the entire second shop conversation, and in fact almost constantly from the moment K.Round is defeated for the final time -- he says he's always on the winning side, which at the time is you, and does his best to claim he never truly opposed you at all, that everything was a test, he just wants to help you, etc.  The guy even tries to BRIBE you at the very end if you went pacifist, offering Susie a plate of worms for letting him lie about his involvement in your adventure, to boost his own ego.  

Did I forget to mention he's pretty much got a lot of the Rudinns and Clover (and a lot of fandom it seems) charmed with his looks and manner of speaking, and wrapped around his finger as well?  Because that.

Throughout the game, Rouxls really is nothing more than a big talker and a big liar.  Most obviously, the first time you talk to him in his shop he says quite a bit, but does a COMPLETE 180 on ALL OF IT after he's defeated for the final time, suddenly going from praising the King to hating his guts and claiming to be undermining him, from mocking the Fun/$!? Squad to praising them and offering assistance, and from complaining about Lancer to admitting he cares about the kid quite a bit.  

Also, consider:  His "ultimate puzzle", which he suspiciously refused to show us...

Even if it's not explicitly pointed out as such, Rouxls is King Spade's second in command, the guy serving directly under him in the castle in the absence of the Queen (or any other castle staff besides the guards, for that matter).  In very old decks before the Queen was a thing, Knights are in between the Page/Jack and the King and are considered the King's advisor/right hand guy.

Knights also have a lot of very close connections to Pages, both in card games as well as history.  A page is literally a knight's very young (age 7-14) apprentice and servant, and stick close to them and learn from them -- similar to Rouxls' lesser dad/son relationship with Lancer!  (Also, a thought:  medieval knights would often carry lances, supplied by said page!)

During battle, the King calls the Knight "My Knight".  This might confirm that the Knight is indeed a member of his own court, the Knight of Spades, and not of another suit.  However, from the tone and some of the other things he says throughout the battle, it’s clear that King Spade actually owes allegiance to the Knight, rather than the other way around.  Possibly even some fondness for him, from that particular tone.  And...I'm not gonna beat around the bush on this.  King Spade is totally Rouxls' sugar daddy.  The King just up and fires everyone in his castle, and gives this random unqualified prettyboy the next-highest position after himself out of absolutely nowhere?  Yeah.  No.  Even incompetent kings don't just do that.  There's something really weird going on there, something about their relationship that screams there’s some shady business going on behind the scenes.  Though, potentially, one could also flip the script, seeing the new job as repayment for putting King Spade in power...

One final point, getting a bit away from the card again.  In the game, The Knight is supposed to have a close connection with the Dark Fountains, able to “pull them from the Earth” and manipulate their power to bring darkness or whatever, right?  When using the Card Castle fountain to go home, Kris and Susie teleport in a massive column of white light, that looks like this:

(Sorry, screenshotting that particular moment is tough...)

Look a little familiar?

Yep, I'm gonna go there.  The same goddamn teleport animation.  Nowhere else in the game is that particular animation used, even when it kinda should -- for instance, Jevil’s scythes also teleport in vertical columns of light, but those look entirely different!

There's some other things about Rouxls that actually make me super suspicious of the guy, but one that does so even more now, that I really should bring up if I'm claiming him to be The Knight:  Remember that last battle against K.Round?  When Rouxls brings out his "Control Crowne"?  That lets him control anything “disc-shaped”, and (if we take Ralsei's word for it) looks incredibly painful?  

...What the actual living FUCK??!  Seriously, is no one else IMMENSELY ALARMED by the fact that not only is this crown a thing that exists, but for some goddamn reason it just happens to be in the puzzle guy's possession??

I'm bringing that point up for a pretty big reason, though:  Another name for the Diamonds/Pentacles suit is DISKS.  If Rouxls wasn't just bluffing (like he does on everything else, admittedly), there's a good chance he might be able to use that crown on Diamond cards as well.

And Rouxls DEFINITELY has a lot of interesting connections to Diamonds himself, beyond that.  Rudinns generally seem to be pretty enamored with the guy, and the whole suit is all about money and even represent the Merchant, or if you will, the shopkeeper class.  (And if you ask him why he’s selling things to you, he will admit he's raising money, for...some reason.)  In a four-color deck, Diamonds are usually represented by the color blue instead of red.  Also, Diamonds/Pentacles represent the Earth element, which is where one would find worms and insects.  So, he may very well have a close connection to Diamonds, as well as being the Knight of Spades...

I'll get back to that one as well, though, because there's another point I wanna bring into this whole card mess that might complicate things.  Because while researching, I found a very, very interesting little bit of trivia about the Joker card...

Second half of this post and a LOT more fun cracktheories under the cut.  Yep, you heard me, I'm still only halfway done here!

So.  The Jokers, Fool and Magician, former members of the card court, before...something went wrong.  You know how Jevil (and presumably Seam, as his only equal) can apparently do anything?  Well, while researching Tarot, I also randomly looked into the Jokers and their functions in a couple of other card games, the biggest being Spades, because why not.

In Spades, the Joker card can attach itself to any non-Spade card in the deck to make it count as the equivalent Spade, though still inferior to the real Spade card.  In other words, Jokers can turn other cards into Spades.

No, I'm serious.  Look for yourself.

This idea I’m mostly just having some fun with here, but if this little bit of trivia happens to come into play in the next few Deltarune chapters, it might have some SERIOUS implications on what we know about the Spades court.  In particular, it means we might not be able to take...really, any of the Spades characters we meet at face value (pun not intended, but appropriate).

But you know what?  I think we should take a closer look at the Spades we already know, and see if that might already be the case.  

The King fits his card description very well, and we actually see the other three kings locked up in a cage, so none of them could have been converted into the King of Spades.  So, we can pretty much confirm he's who we think.

But, then there's Lancer.  So far, he's the only Jack we've seen -- I know the card characters were originally based on a set of playing card designs by @kanotynes, and that the Jacks in that deck included not only Lancer but also the various minor enemies we see:  Rudinn, Hathy, and Clover.  But, in the game, those three don't seem to have any royal ties at all, definitely not as princes!  So, I think we can confirm that they're not actually the Jacks of other suits in Deltarune.

So, I'm gonna go back to my first Tarot loose end -- the Page of Spades/Swords, Lancer.  Remember how I pointed out some pieces of the card's description didn't fully match the kid?  The secrets, the concealing of one's true nature?

What if Lancer's not the Jack of Spades at all, but rather another Jack that was converted into a Spade by one of the Jokers for whatever reason?  Let's take a quick look at the other Pages, and see if one fits Lancer a bit more, shall we?

The Page of Hearts/Cups:  A "sweet-natured child", immature, creative, naive, a bad childhood, and self-centeredness.  Not a bad fit for Lancer, gotta admit!

The Page of Diamonds/Pentacles:  Planning for and seizing future success and opportunities, loyalty, sometimes associated with fruit trees and harvests (”Delicious little apple” / "Sweet little peach"?), and most importantly, a student, constantly learning just like the Page of Swords.  Also not a bad fit, though maybe a little less than the Page of Cups.

Now for the really fun one.  The Page of Clubs/Wands:  Inspiration, optimism, also creativity and making plans, rushing into things without thinking (appropriate for the Knight's charge...), "a bit of a cheeky charmer or lovable rogue", impatience, laziness, and a big emphasis on "losing yourself".  Also, did I mention that Wands represent the fire element?

So, really all three other Pages have elements that fit this kid in different ways, but some of the things about that Page of Clubs are...striking, to say the least.  This possibility might be worth keeping in mind when chapter 2 ever gets released!

Now, then, there's also another Spade we know, even if unconfirmed, with no known equivalents in other suits to rule out.  Could Rouxls also have been another suit, and got converted into the Knight of Spades?  

Remember all those weird connections to the Diamonds suit I pointed out?  Well, let's talk about the Knight of Diamonds -- A Red Knight, if you will!

"A young man who is dark of complexion and features."  This is an actual quote from Wikipedia. 

Defensive -- focus on protecting home and family.

Hard worker, determined, stubborn, finishing what you start.

All about questioning one's work or home life, or where they stand on an issue.

An animal lover.

The "wish card", about making your wishes and dreams come true, via perseverance and ambition.

Also, a negative interpretation is a loser or laziness, expecting results but not putting in the effort.  

Not a PERFECT fit, but still an interesting comparison, no?  Especially those things about fulfilling your wish, but failing by not putting in the effort required, kinda like how Rouxls is quite proud of becoming the high-ranking and privileged "Duke of Puzzles", but doesn’t actually put together anything other than simple block-pushing puzzles.  Another thought that comes up:  The control crown(e).  If Rouxls was originally a high-ranking Diamond/Disk suit, that fucking thing suddenly makes WAY more sense.  (Also, it would make all the Blue Diamond comparisons really funny in hindsight.  Just saying.)

Yeah, I know, claiming that Rouxls is the Knight is a big enough deal, and this extra cracktheory about him being a Knight who switched suits  is one even I'm admitting it’s crazy, and over-analyzing is just what I do.  Who knows if all or any of this will still be plausible by chapter 2.  However, worth noting:  If Rouxls was originally another suit, and got converted into the "Lesser” Knight of Spades/Swords by one of the Jokers, then there is very likely ANOTHER Knight of Spades/Swords out there, a much more powerful one.  Hm...

...Naaaah.  Too obvious. And on the same note, if my cracktheory about Lancer being the “lesser” Jack of Spades up there ends up actually being somewhat accurate, then there's also an original one out there somewhere...

...Maybe?  If you look at that description up there again, it actually seems to fit Ralsei even better than it fits Lancer -- the things about concealing one's true nature, keeping secrets, intelligence, and analysis suddenly become quite fitting.  And didn't Ralsei's original concept art include a reversed spade instead of a heart on the front of his robe?

So, if these are the case, what card is Susie?  I'm...admittedly not sure.  ^^;  I bet someone else can find a card that fits her though, so I'll leave that one open.

Okay, okay, I'm done with the wild theories now.  Lastly, I just wanna mention a couple of other interesting, weird card things I found out while researching.  Won't go as in-depth with these, but including them because why not:

A lot of people have been theorizing about the idea of Darkners bleeding like humans, and unlike monsters.  What if I told you that "bleeding" is an actual card term?  When you bleed your cards, you're accidentally exposing your hand to other players out of turn.

Remember when Rouxls called the party "mine amigose"?  Kind of an odd line, especially coming from him, but it was actually another card game reference!  Also from Spades is the term "Three amigos":  A nickname for the Ace, Queen, and King of Spades.  Interestingly, the Ace of Swords is all about cutting through lies and exposing the truth.  (Maybe that could be a card for Susie in future chapters?)

Hell, there’s just a LOT of card references thrown all over the place.  A cute one is when Jevil says “piip piip” during his fight -- like the dots on dice, the individual symbols on number cards are called pips.

Want another fun Tarot card meaning?  Take a good look at the Nine of Swords.  It's generally considered the worst card you could get, even in a mostly positive reading -- It's literally called The Nightmare, and represents fear, stress, being overwhelmed, grief, doubts, cruelty, etc.  Basically, if it's bad, it's in this card, up to and including a complete breakdown.  Now, recall another line that seems totally benign at first, courtesy of Jevil:  "From now, a nightmare will awaken in your hearts.  In the shadow of the Knight's hand..."  If I were y'all, I'd make damn sure to WATCH THIS CARD.

Also, "The Knight's hand"...of cards, perhaps?  :P  Okay, bad joke.  

There's sometimes three Jokers in a deck -- a white one in addition to black and red.  Just sayin'.  Might wanna also keep your eyes open for a third Joker in chapter 2, maybe chilling out with the Queen wherever she is?