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l4mplight · 2 months

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Miquella and Trina; A Tragedy

Hey Tumblr. I have a lot of thoughts about Shadow of the Erdtree, and these ones... let's just say I don't think they'd do well on Reddit. It's not often that I feel particularly impacted by a particular fictional character. Usually I connect more with narrative arcs and themes, which is why I think I'm so drawn to the ephemeral, vibes based storytelling of Fromsoft's games. Playing through SOTE, though, I found Miquella (and St Trina) to be extremely emotionally compelling and relatable, and I wasn't sure exactly why. I think I've put my finger on it now though. First of all, know that I am writing from the perspective that Miquella is a sympathetic character. I know that it's not uncommon to read him as a manipulative Machiavellian villain, but I think that's both a misreading of the text as well as just plain boring. Like, he's not a Griffith clone you guys, give From some credit. Anyway, here we go.

"You have no understanding. Of Miquella the Kind. Of St. Trina's Love.

Content Warning: I'll be discussing themes of depression, and the implication of suicidal ideation.

So, a classic Fromsoftware theme is despair, and the ways we cope with a world full of it. It shows up twice in Shadow of the Erdtree; with Midra and the Frenzied Flame, where despair leads to a selfish nihilism that asks us to burn everything down, and with Thiollier and St Trina, who offer sleep as a comfort to the weary. Running a small errand for Thiollier has him say the following.

"If you find yourself… weary of the weight of this life, then just give me the word. Sleep is a balm, and eternal sleep… is an elixir."

Drinking the elixir he offers will, of course, result in an instant death. This is our first encounter with the idea of "Eternal Sleep," a more potent form of the sleep status effect that only appears here in the Shadowlands, after St Trina has been abandoned. The Velvet Sword of St. Trina tells us as much: "Silver sword of St. Trina, now stained the color of velvet. Inflicts eternal sleep. When St. Trina was abandoned, the faint, light-purple mists coalesced into an intoxicating deep-purple cloud." In order to ascend to godhood, Miquella abandons first his physical body, and then the more abstract aspects of himself. As we begin to descend down the fissure where we'll find Trina, a cross marks the spot as the place where Miquella abandoned his love. This connects Trina, "the discarded half" as Thiollier puts it, with Miquella's love. Leda confirms this in her own dialogue:

"St. Trina's love for Kind Miquella is boundless. She is, after all, his other half. Or perhaps her feelings go beyond even that. Even if she was left behind, I doubt her heart would waver."

Keep that in mind, it'll be relevant later.

Near the cross, a spirit offers up some of the most heartbreaking dialogue I've come across so far. The spirit gives us a bigger picture of Miquella's goals:

"Kindly Miquella... I see you've thrown away... something you should not have. Under any circumstances. How will you salvation offer... to those who cannot be saved? When you could not even save your other self?"

I teared up at this. The emotional impacted was aided by the fact that I ran into the spirit right after telling Moore to put his past behind him, leading him to rededicate himself to Miquella. He says:

"Hm. Maybe that’s Kindly Miquella’s love. Love for all the unloved. Love, to banish the pain."

Note here that Moore suggest Miquella's love will "banish the pain." This is also essentially what Trina's sleep does. It's a comfort to those in need. Anyway, between these two instances, we end up with a pretty good picture of the sort of god Miquella wants to become. He was already sympathetic to the outcasts of The Lands Between in the basegame, where he built Elphael and the Haligtree as a haven for those rejected by the Golden Order, such as the Albinaurics and Misbegotten we find there. In the Shadowlands, he has gone a step further. Hornsent tells us that he has committed himself, in essence, to righting Marika's wrongs.

"Miquella has said as much himself – he wishes now to throw it all away. He says the act – though undoubtedly painful – will sear clean the Erdtree’s wanton sin. The truth of his claim can be found at each cross. 'Tis evidence enough to earn my belief."

Of all of Marika's children, Miquella is the only one to see the serious flaws in her empire. Ymir points this out to us as well.

"No matter our efforts, if the roots are rotten, then we have little recourse. Ever-Young Miquella saw things for what they were. He knew his bloodline was tainted, his roots mired in madness. A tragedy if there ever was one. That he would feel compelled to renounce everything when the blame lay squarely with the mother."

My thinking here is aligned with Mother Ymir. You really have to feel for Miquella; he has essentially taken on, alone, the responsibility of making up for centuries of Golden Order imperialism. That's a massive burden to bear, especially for Miquella, cursed with eternal childhood.

(It's easy to miss, but Miquella actually ages up significantly when we see him in god-form. Until he steps back through the Divine Gate, he would have looked and sounded like he does in the introductory art and in ending memory scene. Compare those with how he appears in the boss fight, and it's clear godhood at least helped him reach puberty lol) So we've established that Miquella is the child of Imperial Rome on Steroids, is cursed with eternal childhood, and is an empathetic prodigy with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Surely his mental state is perfectly healthy, right? Right??

Final warning, this is where things get quite sad. Here is where I will try to tie Miquella's arc together with Thiollier and St Trina, and the comforting oblivion and relief from despair that sleep represents for them.

As we search for St Trina, we descend down into the Stone Coffin Fissure. This is a place of death, with massive coffins built into the fissure walls, and Gravebirds, Bloodfiends and Putrescent enemies everywhere. St Trina is found at the deepest possible pit of this fissure, in a swamp of putrescence that has since blossomed into a garden of deep velvet lilies because of her influence. Trina offers us nectar of "eternal sleep," as Thiollier did previously, and as established then, "eternal sleep" is essentially nothing more than a peaceful death. Trina seems to fit in quite well in this place of ancient dead things, with some of the ancient remains even being compelled to fight for her in exchange for eternal rest, becoming the Putrescent Knight.

(Side note for levity because we're about to get sad again; I love this guy. It's a knight made out of the skeleton of a horse, riding on that same horse's decaying flesh goop body. Like, ugh. Beautiful. Plus, it may even have taken that shape because of Trina sharing Miquella's memories of Radahn, who was never far from his horse Leonard...)

We meet St Trina in her garden, and when we imbibe her nectar, we eventually begin to hear her voice in our death-dreams. She seems to pity him. Mourn for him, almost.

"Make Miquella stop... Don't turn the poor thing into a god..."

Trina appears to be in a bad state after her fall. She can only manage to get a few words across to us at once. Just as Leda predicted, her heart hasn't wavered. She is only concerned with Miquella's well-being.

"Godhood would be Miquella's prison. A caged divinity... is beyond saving."

Trina's most pressing concern is that godhood will be a prison for Miquella. Now, this could in theory be because gods are subject to manipulation from the Fingers and the Greater Will or a similar reason, but given that she calls him a "poor thing," I think there is likely a more emotional reason behind Trina's plea. I think that Trina is speaking as the embodiment of Miquella's love, but especially his ability to love and care for himself...

"You must kill Miquella... Grant him forgiveness."

...and she asks us to kill him.

In excising Trina from his being, I think Miquella also expelled the part of himself that was able to recognize how miserable divinity would be for him, and how miserable he was. The part of him that was tired of carrying the responsibilities that his compassion demanded of him. The part of him that was exhausted, despairing and desperate from having failed to cure Malenia, failed to save Godwyn, failed to perfect the Haligtree. St Trina is the part of Miquella that wanted to be stopped, to rest, to sleep, to die. In abandoning her as he does, Miquella is essentially repressing those thoughts and feelings, replacing them with more "selfless" ones; self-sacrifice, suffering on behalf of others, his martyrdom and apotheosis. I don't want to forget about "grant him forgiveness" either. She might mean forgiveness for failing to become a god, for not being good enough to succeed Marika and right her wrings. Maybe forgiveness for failing Malenia and Godwyn, or for leaving the Haligtree behind. Maybe even for abandoning her. But on the road to godhood, Miquella can't afford to indulge in this sort of self-pity. A child craves forgiveness and approval, a god must cast these things out.

"I'm feeling rather lost. Haunted by memories. Of St. Trina. Her visage. Her scent. The lure of velvety sleep. Would Kindly Miquella chasten me? For falling for St. Trina, while knowing that she was the discarded half? The problem is… I simply cannot help it. I would sacrifice everything, just to gaze upon her, one last time."

I want to mention Thiollier one more time here too. His primary visual motif is the long white braids that he wears on his clothes, reminiscent of Miquella and Trina's own signature braids (remember, she looked like an older feminine Miquella before her fall and injury). Thiollier is obsessed with Trina, pursuing her to hear her voice and fade into the comfort of her velvet sleep, though this doesn't kill him like it does us. I don't think Thiollier is connected to Miquella in any textual way, but I think he does serve as a reflection of the sorts of thoughts Miquella may have been surpressing. The self-pity, the need for approval and love, the feelings of weakness and uselessness. These are the things that lead Thiollier to pursue endless slumber.

Thiollier doesn't give in to that despair, however. Though he initially takes St. Trina's words... poorly, he eventually realizes what must be done, and dedicates himself to his new purpose: carrying out her final wish.

"I am here to serve St. Trina evermore. I am deeply sorry. For doubting you. I am here only to grant St. Trina's singular wish. I will stop Miquella the kind. He will never become a god."

This post is already quite long, but I also want to mention the obvious gender stuff going on here. There are a number of moments that make it seem as though St. Trina might actually be more than just "half" of Miquella. Firstly, as she is shown falling in the story trailer, Leda is describing how Miquella abandoned his fate, as if Trina had a vital role to play in Miquella's future. It also seems as though Trina isn't cursed in the same way that Miquella is; her voice and size indicate that she is at least more substantial than his "infant form," and she is depicted in "adult form, somewhat unnervingly" on the Torch of St. Trina. Furthermore, her "adult form" has a third eye in the middle of her forehead. The third eye is a symbol of enlightenment in both Hinduism and Buddhism; it seems that Trina has achieved some level of wholeness in this depiction. Meanwhile, when Miquella achieves godhood, his eyes remain permanently shut. He also appears to have only one physical arm. He holds Radahn with two incorporeal arms while casting with his real right arm, but his left arm appears to fade away to nothing before the elbow, as if unfinished. Miquella's blindness and asymmetry here, I think, reflect how unbalanced and incomplete his divinity is without Trina.

One more hint towards St Trina being a part of Miquella's future lies way back at the Haligtree. In Malenia's bossroom, just above where Miquella's cocoon was once embedded into the tree, the branches and roots appear to form a silhouette. This could be Miquella, Trina, or both, but I do see a certain resemblance to Trina's depiction on the torch in the way the "hair" covers the eyes. Given that Miquella's body appears to have grown a decent amount inside of the cocoon when we see in at Mohg's palace, it's possible that the cocoon situation was his original attempt to cure himself of his own curse, or perhaps become a part of the Haligtree itself. In the Shaman Village, Marika's home, there is a similar scene. A woman's body that resembles Marika seemingly mummified within the hollow of a tree. I honestly have no idea what to make of that just yet, but I thought it worth a mention.

So, with all that in mind, abandoning Trina seems to be even more significant. Not only has Miquella divested himself of his love and his fate, but maybe even his future, too. Being eternally nascent, he is always in a state of potential, after all. Am I suggesting that Miquella is a transfeminine character? That he was meant to grow up to become a goddess in the aspect of St. Trina, or maybe even more like Marika than he already is? Well, maybe. If you find it compelling, then absolutely. Fromsoftware's storytelling is always ambiguous, and is always design to leave us some room to read and interpret, to really play in the space we are given. Personally, I do find it compelling in a horribly tragic sort of way, fitting for the setting. It's also entirely possible that I have rather self-indulgently projected some of my own angst onto these character. I likely have, to be perfectly honest. It's rare that I really connect with a set of characters or a story like I have with this lot, and I hope that maybe some of you reading this will feel similarly. If you have read this far, thanks <3

#elden ring #shadow of the erdtree #miquella #st trina #elden ring dlc #miquella the unalloyed #thiollier #elden ring sote #elden ring spoilers #elden ring lore

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venussaidso · 7 months

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𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧-𝐑𝐚𝐡𝐮-𝐊𝐞𝐭𝐮: 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦

the prominent themes of vampirism such as desire, hunger, mystery and illusions tie so perfectly with the moon and its nodes. it wasn't surprising to find the nodes dominating this genre the most, along with the luminaries (moon & sun nakshatras, but more fittingly the moon). i will not be touching on the few sun nakshatras playing vampires, as the moon makes far more sense symbolizing true vampiric nature.

So many vampire movie posters have this luminous glow to them, likely done consciously because of these creatures' affinity for nighttime, and generally being nocturnal as they're extremely sensitive to any type of sunlight.

I've once briefly mentioned, in my "Moon Dominant Themes" post, that lunar natives can operate very secretly, such as 'working in the shadows'. And the whole lore of vampires always emphasizes their ability to hide themselves while still living among humans.

Vampires undergoing periods of dormancy and resurgence is interesting as that can also be linked back to the moon's cycles of waxing & maning. The influence that the moon has on vampires, in some legends, is during certain lunar phases in which they become more active. A full moon could literally mean that their strength has enhanced, whilst a moonless night could mean their desire for blood is heightened.

Rohini Sun Colin Farrell

Claire Nakti explored, in her "TOP 3 Most Magical & Mystical Astrology Signs | Cults, Divination, & Occultism | Part 2 (Nakshatras)" documentary, on the ability of Moon nakshatra natives to brainwash/mind control/hypnotize.

daniel kaluuya is a hasta moon, not rohini.

As these natives are often cult leaders, their ability to influence the mind goes back to their lunar-rulership. The Moon rules over the mind, emotions and subconscious. A vampire's ability to hypnotize humans and other lesser beings is in parallel to the Moon's influence over the psyche and subconscious.

This illusory nature found in vampires can be connected to the shadow planet, Rahu. As Rahu is illusions, desire, hunger. Rahu is very seductive and tempting; this could tie back to some legends in which vampires lure their prey giving them promises of pleasure.

Ardra Sun Tom Cruise.

In "Interview with the Vampire", Tom Cruise plays Lestat who is an overindulgent, greedy vampire. Rahu governs desires and the pursuit of worldly pleasures. It's related to insatiable cravings that lead to greed. The lustful nature of Rahu is seen in Lestat's intense bloodlust and the chaos it brings.

Rahu's associations with eclipses relates to their ability of being hidden in the shadows. Another hint is in Rahu being a Shadow planet itself, just like Ketu is which is also related to vampires.

The story about Rahu's head getting decapitated by Vishnu for trying to get a drink out of the nectar of immortality can be brilliantly paralleled with vampirism. Due to Rahu's consumption of the drop of the nectar, he became the infamous dismembered immortal. His dismemberment a symbol of the detachment from humanity to vampirism.

Rahu is considered an entity of darkness and malevolence, preying upon cosmic forces and defying the natural order of things (such as vampirism which does defy nature itself, ie. the dead becoming undead) in pursuit for immortality. Vampires are literal parasites, and Rahu is also parasitical. Vampires feed on humans without providing any benefit in the ecosystem in return, a one-sided relationship which resembles one between a parasite and its host. Rahu is depicted as insatiable and consuming, feeding and draining one's energy. It creates a cycle of thirsting for more without any fulfillment, a predicament vampires find themselves in.

Ashwini Sun Luke Evans

Rahu and Ketu represent the lunar nodes, respectively depicted as the head and tail of the celestial serpent. Their energetic interaction can be likened to the endless chase between a vampire and a vampire hunter, villain and hero, the friction between unlikely lovers. It's obvious in how Rahu embodies the insatiable hunger for experiences and the craving for fulfillment that it can be the vampiric force in such a dynamic. Like a vampire, Rahu relentlessly pursues its desires, often leading to greed and excess. And then you have Ketu, on the other hand, which embodies detachment, spirituality, and liberation from worldly attachments. It quite literally symbolizes the renunciation of desires and the quest for enlightenment, opposing Rahu's restlessness for more. Ketu is a cutting force, and like a determined vampire hunter, is skilled in tracking down illusions and breaking free from temptations.

Although it sounds like a more fitting interplay between Rahu as the evil force and Ketu as the hunter, it's actually more seen in the other way around.

It is more so that Rahuvians are the vampire hunters, which I found so intriguing; showcasing how Rahu is both the parasitical (illusory), and also the one to be rid of parasites (disillusionment). And I have explored this particular theme in my Rahu post -- how Rahu natives experience a lot of disillusionment from their reality, wanting to cast away the illusions that drain the life force.

The reversal of roles showcases the fluidity of the nodes; their roles almost always expected to reverse, illustrating just how Rahu and Ketu are deeply intertwined with the concept of karma, representing the push-&-pull between cosmic forces of destiny.

More nodal-vampire movies, and other examples in which Rahu & Ketu find themselves on opposite sides of the same spectrum in which they are both vampires, similar to the friction seen between Louis (Ketu) and Lestat (Rahu) in "Interview with the Vampire".

In the film "Fright Night", the one who has to kill the villainous vampire is an Ashwini native. It is also interesting how in "Queen of the Damned" (above, right), the villain is a Magha native who must be stopped by her Mula lover -- both being vampires.

As mentioned in the figure image about the film "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter", where a nodal-ruled native is paired up with someone who is lunar-ruled, this is a type of pairing seen a lot in these supernatural stories.

Similarly to "Twilight", as Edward was the one to turn Bella into a vampire, we see the planetary reversal of this in which the lunar-native is the one who turns the nodal-native.

Or the film "Vamps" in which Hasta Sun, Shatabhisha Moon native Alicia Silverstone turns Mula Sun, Magha Moon native Krysten Ritter into a vampire.

It isn't a surprise that the moon and its nodes are related to the extremities of the mind. These energies can cause isolation due to how polarizing they come off in regular society (furthermore validating its relation to vampirism), so they become attracted to one another -- especially the nodal natives to the moon natives, because of how much they feel magnetized by them, and vice versa.

The presence of some Sun nakshatras in vampire stories is present and that could tie to the Sun's influence over the Moon despite the fact that solar symbolisms regarding vampirism don't exist, and vampires are far too sensitive to the Sun so much so that they get sunburn during the full moon where the sun's light reflects (interesting to think about). The whole point of a vampire is to lurk in the shadows or during nighttime, so the strict avoidance of the Sun could make sense in there being solar-natives in vampiric roles. It makes for an interesting contradiction, certainly.

Ketu is the body of the severed demon Rahu following the consumption of the elixir. Much like Rahu, Ketu is also associated to darkness and illusions. But it symbolizes the darker, unseen aspects of reality -- all the hidden forces and energies as I've touched on in my Ketu exploration. Ketu and Rahu are two sides of the same coin, it isn't surprising to see them share many vampiric roles/stories.

Ketu is about spiritual liberation, detachment (in this context, becoming a vampire means a harsh detachment from normality/the old life), transcendence; these existential themes are found in vampirism.

The character Louis in "Interview with the Vampire" played by Mula Sun Brad Pitt describes his existential crisis as a vampire to a Magha Sun human who interviews him.

The enhanced strength, agility, speed, hearing and all these abilities are gained after the painful transformation process, going from human to vampire. This process is seen in the film "Interview with the Vampire", Mula Sun Brad Pitt's character going through excruciating pain when turning. My mind immediately takes me to Claire Nakti's first Mula nakshatra exploration, in which she touched on the interconnection of pain and evolution for access to more powers.

robert pattinson is an ardra moon, not sun. and i accidentally used jk rowling's face as l.j smith, ugh! 💔

Vampires are caught between worlds, trapped in a liminal space between life & death. Ketu can cause feelings of entrapment. The yearning for release from their eternal existence is a common theme, as Ketu wants to escape its body. Louis de Pointe du Lac is the best character as example of rejecting one's own nature and wanting to cease to exist.

Mula Sun Brad Pitt

nodals being so emo jfc

notes: colin farrell's birthtime accuracy is botched, he's definitely a mula ascendant. tom hiddleston stays a possible ashwini moon until he's not (until his birthtime is available and accurate).

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dailyadventureprompts · 8 months

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Dm Tip: Playing the Villain/ Guidelines for "Evil" Campaigns

I've never liked the idea of running an evil game, despite how often I've had people in my inbox asking how I'd go about it. I'm all about that zero-to-hero heroic fantasy not only because I'm a goodie twoshoes IRL but because the narrative-gameplay premise that d&d is built around falls apart if the party is a bunch of killhappy murder hobos. Not only would I get bored narrating such a game and indulging the sort of players who demands the freedom to kill and torture at will (I've had those before and they don't get invited back to my table), but the whole conceit of a party falls through when the obviously villainous player characters face their first real decision point and attempt to kill eachother because cooperation is a thing that goodguys do.

Then I realized I was going about it all wrong.

The problem was I had started out playing d&d with assholes, those "murder and torture" clowns who wanted to play grand-theft-auto in the worlds I'd created and ignore the story in favour of seeing how much unchallenged chaos they could create. They set my expectations for what an evil campaign was, and I spent the rest of my time developing as a dungeonmaster thinking " I Don't want any part of that"

But what would an evil campaign look like for my playgroup of emotionally healthy friends who understand character nuance? What would I need to change about the fundamental conceit of d&d adventures to refocus the game on the badguys while still following a similar enough narrative-gameplay premise to a hero game? How do we make that sort of game relatable? What sort of power/play fantasy can we indulge in without going off the deepend?

TLDR: In an evil campaign your players aren't playing the villains, they're the MINIONS, they're mooks, henchmen, goons, lackeys. They're the disposable underlings of uncaring overseers who have nothing but ill intent towards them and the world at large.

Where as in a hero game the party is given the freedom to challenge and overthrow corrupt systems, in an evil game the party is suck as part of that corrupt system, forced to bend and compromise and sacrifice in order to survive. The fantasy is one of escaping that corrupt system, of biding your time just long enough to find an opening, find the right leverage, then tossing a molitov behind you on the way out.

Fundamentally it's the fantasy of escaping a shitty job by bringing the whole company down and punching your asshole boss in the face for good measure.

Below the cut I'm going to get into more nuance about how to build these kinds of narratives, also feel free to check out my evil party tag for campaigns and adventures that fit with the theme.

Designing a campaign made to be played from the perspective of the badguys requires you to take a different angle on quest and narrative design. It’s not so simple as swapping out the traditionally good team for the traditionally bad team and vis versa, having your party cut through a dungeon filled with against angel worshiping holyfolk in place of demon worshipping cultists etc.

Instead, the primary villain of the first arc of the campaign should be your party’s boss. Not their direct overseer mind you, more CEO compared to the middle managers your party will be dealing with for the first leg of their journey. We should know a bit about that boss villain’s goals and a few hints at their motivation, enough for the party to understand that their actions are directly contributing to that inevitable doom.

“Gee, everyone knows lord Heldred swore revenge after being banished from the king’s council for dabbling in dark magic. I don’t know WHY he has us searching for these buried ancient tablets, but I bet it’s not good”

Next, you need a manager, someone who’s a part of the evil organization that the party directly interfaces with. The manager should have something over the party, whether it be threats of force, blackmail, economic dependency… anything that keeps the antiheroes on the manager’s leash. Whether you make your manager an obvious asshole or manipulative charmer, its important to maintain this power imbalance: The party arn’t going to be rewarded when the boss-villain’s plan goes off, the manager is, but the manager’s usefulness to the boss-villain is contingent on the work they’re getting the party to do. This tension puts us on a collison course to our first big narrative beat: do the party get tired of the manager’s abuse and run away? Do they kill the manager and get the attention of the upper ranks of the villainous organization? Do they work really hard at their jobs despite the obvious warning signs and outlive their usefulness? Do they upstage their manager and end up getting promoted, becoming rivals for the boss-villain’s favor?

Building this tension up and then seeing how it breaks makes for a great first arc, as it lets your party determine among themselves when enough is enough, and set their goals for what bettering the situation looks like.

As for designing those adventures, you’ll doubtlessly realize that since the party arn’t playing heroes you’ll need to change how the setup, conflict, and payoff work. They’re still protagonists, we want them to succeed after all, but we want to hammer home that they’re doing bad things without expecting them to jump directly to warcrimes.

Up to no good: The basic building block of any evil campaign, our party need to do something skullduggerous without alerting the authorities. This of course is going to be easier said than done, especially when the task spins out of control or proves far more daunting than first expected. The best the party can hope for is to make a distraction and then escape in the chaos, but it will very likely end with them being pursued in some manner (bounties, hunters, vengeful npcs and the like). Use this setup early in a campaign so you have an external force gunning for your party during the remainder of their adventures.

Dog eat dog: It’s sort of cheating to excuse your party’s villainous actions by having them go up against another villain who happens to be worse than they are. The trick is that we’re not going after this secondary group of outlaws because they’re bad, we’re doing it because they’ve either got something the boss wants, or they’re edging in on the boss’s turf. This sort of plotline sees the party disrupting or taking advantage of a rival’s operation, then taking over that operation and risking becoming just as villainous as that rival happened to be. This can also be combined with an “Up to no good” plot where both groups of miscreants need to step carefully without alerting an outside threat.

The lesser evil: This kind of plot sees your party sent out to deal with an antagonistic force that’s a threat not only to the boss’s plans but to everyone in general. In doing so they might end up fighting alongside some heroes, or accidentally doing good in the long run. This not only gives your party a taste of heroism, but gives them something in their back pocket that could be used to challenge the boss-villain in the future.

The double cross: In order to get what they want, the party need to “play along” with a traditional heroic narrative long enough to get their goal and then ditch. You have them play along specifically so they can get a taste of what life would be like if they weren't bastards, as well as to make friends with the NPCs inevitably going to betray. This is to make it hurt when you have the manager yank the leash and force the party to decide between finishing the job , or risk striking out on their own and playing hero in the short term while having just made a long term enemy. This is sort of plot is best used an adventure or two into the campaign, as the party will have already committed some villainous deeds that one good act can’t blot out.

Next, lets talk about the sort of scenarios you should be looking to avoid when writing an evil campaign:

Around the time I started playing d&d there was this trend of obtusely binary morality systems in videogames which claimed to offer choice but really only existed to let the player chose between the power fantasy of being traditionally virtuous or the power fantasy of being an edgy rebel. Early examples included:

Do you want to steal food from disaster victims? in Infamous

Do you as a space cop assault a reporter who’s being kind of annoying to you? in Mass Effect

Do you blow up an entire town of innocent people for the lols? in Fallout (no seriously check out hbomberguy’s teardowm on fallout 3’s morality system and how critics at the time ate it up)

I think these games, along with the generational backwash of 90s “edge” and 00s “grit” coloured a lot of people's expectations ( including mine) about what a "villain as protagonist" sort of narrative might look like. They're childish exaggerations, devoid of substance, made even worse by how blithely their narratives treat them.

Burn down an inn full of people is not a good quest objective for an evil party, because it forces the characters to reach cartoonish levels of villainy which dissociates them from their players. Force all the villagers into the inn so we can lock them inside and do our job uninterrupted lets the party be bad, but in a way that the players can see the reason behind it and stay synced up with their characters. The latter option also provides a great setup for when the party's actually monstrous overseer sets the inn on fire to get rid of any witnesses after the job is done. Now the party (and their players) are faced with a moral quandary, will they let themselves be accessories to a massacre or risk incurring their manager's wrath? Rather than jumping face first into cackling cruelty, these sorts of quandaries have them dance along the knife's edge between grim practicality and dangerous uncertainly; It brings the player and character closer together.

Finally, lets talk about ending the villain arc:

I don't think you can play a whole evil campaign. Both because the escalation required is narratively unsustainable, but also because the most interesting aspect of playing badguys is the breaking point. Just like heroes inevitably having doubts about whether or not they're doing the right thing, there's only so long that a group of antiheroes can go along KNOWING they're doing the wrong thing before they put their feet down and say "I'm out". I think you plan a evil campaign up until a specific "there's no coming back from this" storybeat, IE letting the Inn burn... whether or not the party allows it to happen, it's the lowest point the narrative will allow them to reach before they either fight back or allow themselves to be subsumed. If they rebel, you play out the rest of the arc dismantling the machine they helped to build, taking joy in its righteous destruction. If they keep going along, show them what they get for being cogs: inevitably betrayed, sacrificed, or used as canon fodder when the real heroes step in to do their jobs for them.

Art

#dm tip #dm tips #writing advice #evil party #drafting the adventure #dnd #d&d #dungeons and dragons #blades in the dark #ttprg #pathfinder

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zombie-eats-world · 1 year

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Luffy's Linage and the Connections to God's Valley

I think we all know that the history of God's Valley is going to be very important to the story and to our protagonist, Luffy. But I think I've realized why it will be the biggest reveal in the story and intertwined intimately with Luffy's creation and destiny. This might sound crazy but I believe wholeheartedly that:

Luffy is the grandchild of Rocks D. Xebec.

Luffy is the child of Crocodile.

Crocodile's mysterious history is interlinked with every important character in the Grandline. Now, let me explain.

Let's first lay out what we know about the God's Valley incident. We know the Celestial Dragons were on the island, which prompted a young Garp to trust a young Gol D. Roger with an alliance to fight against the Rocks Pirates. Together they won, the incident was covered up, the island disappeared, and Roger found a baby Shanks in a treasure chest as he sailed away.

There is so much about that incident that we don't know, but we do understand just how much it has impacted the world of One Piece. And that goes double for the relationships born from the incident.

Whitebeard and Roger's friendly rivalry, Big Mom's vitriol for Roger, but by far the most interesting thing to come out of the incident is Roger and Garp's mutual respect. Roger respected Garp so much that he trusted the marine with knowledge of his child who was about to be born.

This is the million-dollar question, why would Roger entrust his child's (and at this time, Rouge's) life to this marine who could have become a massively different person in the years since they last met. For all Roger knew Garp was now corrupted by the marines and agreed that Roger's bloodline needed to be eradicated. Well, I believe Roger trusted Garp because he witnessed Garp save a child before against the World Government's wishes; I believe Garp saved Rock's child.

We all understand by now that one of the overarching themes of the story is 'history repeating itself', which is why I think the hunt for Roger's child happened once before with the God's Valley incident. The WG would obviously want to completely erase Rocks from existence (they basically have to with how little we know about him), which would include any children he had fathered to carry on his bloodline. As the fight on God's Valley raged a group of marines, or possibly Cipher Pol, would arrive with the orders to kill anyone with even a passing relation to Rocks. The survivors of this being Rocks top members (Whitebeard, Big Mom, etc.) AND his child; who I am willing to bet real money on was Crocodile.

Crocodile is one of the most interesting characters in the story by far. And while that might be a lot of bias from me, I still think the evidence speaks for itself.

Crocodile is one of the only major villain's that we lack a backstory for, we know more about Warpol's backstory than we do the very first Warlord we ever fought and defeated in story. The man has a strange relationship with animals that is never once explained. Lizard mail runners that we never see utilized by anyone else? Yep, Crocodile's got them. A trained otter and condor being given more trust than the humans in his secret organization? Yes, Crocodile did allow that. Gigantic reptiles that are known to attack Sea Kings? Crocodile kept them as pets and had them so well trained Robin was able to casually pet one! (This doesn't really add to the theory beyond showcasing an odd character trait giving to Crocodile of all people and without any explanation. No one even thought we'd see him again before impel down!)

We also know that Crocodile's inspiration was Roger, from the cover on chapter 408 we learn that Crocodile dreams of being Roger. (very similar to Yamato's dream of being Odin, just more history repeating itself.)

I'm not understating this, Crocodile as a character is so weird. He's got connections to everyone, (Whitebeard, the Revolutionaries, Ivankov, Mihawk, etc.) and yet we've never got any explanation for any of this. We know from how intertwined Crocodile is with the Grandline that he's been a pirate a very long time yet no one in the story seems to know anything about him outside of his Warlord status. In fact, Crocodile seems to be comfortable with the secrets, even being alright with Buggy taking the credit for Cross Guild.

This mans strange relationships with powerful characters like Whitebeard is the reason for the prevalent theory that Crocodile is Whitebeard's only biological child instead of Rocks.... but what if it was both?

No matter how I think about it I've never been able to get over the strangeness of Crocodile and Whitebeard's dynamic in Marineford. Whitebeard definitely doesn't treat Crocodile like someone he cares about, less so like a child that would automatically count in the family that was HIS DREAM. But there is a familiarity in how they address each other, like their history goes back far further than the battle we know they had when Crocodile was a young pirate.

So I propose this:

Crocodile was Rocks child, witnessed Roger take his own father down after standing up to him. This is the reason for Crocodile's dream seemingly being to be Roger. And this would eventually be mirrored in the relationship between Kaido, Yamato, and Oden.

Garp impressed Roger by helping Crocodile to safety instead of following orders and killing him. This would stick with Roger over the years and be why while sitting in prison waiting for execution he decided to put his child's life in Garp's hands.

The safety Crocodile was brought to was Whitebeard. Crocodile was 8 when God's Valley happened, so Whitebeard raised the boy for a few years before Crocodile either ran away or was sent away. We don't know why Crocodile and Whitebeard's relationship turned sour but whatever it was caused Crocodile to see him as an opponent he dreamed of defeating.

This all spurs Crocodile to go to East Blue to witness Roger's end and motivates his desire to defeat Whitebeard as he is now the father figure he must overcome in order to be like Roger. (Kinda like Ace's original desire to defeat Whitebeard huh? Again more history repeating itself.)

Now onto what this means for Luffy, and the story as a whole.

I've already outlined all the evidence for the Trans! Crocodile and Crocodad/Dadodile in many, many, many posts. So I'm not doing that here, you can find my main posts on it here and here. In this post, I want to discuss the ramifications of Crocodile being Rock's child and Luffy's birth parent if this theory proved true.

First of all, this would mean the person that literally gave birth to the dawn and the future sun god Nika/Joyboy incarnate had their life undeniably changed at GOD'S VALLEY. I don't think I need to explain the almost heavy-handed symbolism with that entire naming scheme.

It would also mean that almost everyone who had an impact on Luffy's life was at God's Valley. The person who gave birth to him (Crocodile), the person who inspired his dream (Shanks and Roger), the person to raised him and trained him (Garp), and the person to validated his dream to the world (Whitebeard). All that is missing is Dragon, but for all we know he was there too!

Also I simply love the symbolize that revolves around this entire theory. Luffy would be born from the son of the man who was push into the spot light after God's Valley, praised as a hero. And came from the child of the man who was wiped from history, his family memory thrown to the darkness. Its a clash of opposites, light and dark, a total contradiction, also could be described as a dawn. Not even mentioning the beautiful irony of Joyboy being born from someone taking the name of a predator known for its menacing smile.

If this proved to be true, Crocodile would be centered and primed to possibly be the link between the crew and Gods Valley. Maybe the last Road Poneglyph is there!

But what do others think? I'd love to have a discussion about this if anyone finds counter evidence, or finds evidence that gives more credence to this theory!

Here's an additional link to a great post about this topic I found while looking for evidence.

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demonic0angel · 6 months

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More Jazz Forms (click for clarity)

TW: disturbing content, body horror

1) Head only Jazz

+ She is a head that walks on a bunch of mysterious tentacles. She’s inspired by a CN novel called “Let the Villain Go” in a chapter where a demon pops up and is described as a head that walks on tentacles (I may be delulu and remembered it wrong).

+ Around 900 feet tall. Most of the height is her tentacles, but her head is still around 100 feet tall.

+ Jason is a little obsessed with how huge she is. When he is away, she stays standing over his apartment like a creepy water storage tank. Nobody can see her except liminals and ghosts, so she remains undetected by Jason’s side.

+ She is generally peaceful and doesn’t move much. She is a relatively quiet being with no explicit ability to defend herself or attack. I imagine her to be very dreamy, despite her piercing stare.

2) Celestial Object Jazz

+ She is a quasi-stellar radio source, AKA a quasar :)

+ Impossibly large and infinite. She is so big that her gravitational pull is pulling apart a piece of the universe. Jason thinks that she’s beautiful, and he looks for her every night. He uses special technology to see her on Earth and when he can, he sneaks onto the Watchtower to look at her.

+ The mass of the black hole that she is made of is around 150 billion solar masses. She is located extremely far from the Milky Way within the largest galaxy of the universe. Since she is technically both the black hole and the gas that surrounds it, she won’t be fading for awhile.

+ Her origin is unknown in this idea (but is related to her siblings, who have all become celestial objects themselves). Her existence is extremely old and that is partially Clockwork’s fault.

3) Corrupted Jazz

+ She has become corrupted from years of ectoplasm, death, and generally instability. The tentacles that come from her stomach is actually just pieces of her soul that are trying to reach for others. She calls for help, but no one but Jason has been reaching out.

+ She cannot be around people for too long, or she causes insanity, violent mood swings, headaches, auditory and visual hallucinations, paranoia, nosebleeds, and general weakness, even if they cannot see her. Jason is somewhat resistant to her, but she heavily restrains herself so the effects of her existence won’t hurt him.

+ She tries to stay away from Jason, but bc she’s so clingy, she watches him from a distance. Her presence brings shadows and darkness, so he’s also been getting a reputation of scaring criminals to pissing themselves whenever he comes by.

+ Her body is covered in shadows, but she glows a little from the ectoplasm, so her silhouette can be vaguely seen.

4) Monochrome Jazz

+ Inspired by Lady Dimitrescu and Hachishakusama

+ She dresses in all black and her skin is pale as well. A hat and face mask cover all available skin on her face. Any skin below the neck is also covered.

+ She is around 9 feet tall. She stalks Jason whenever she can and always follows him around. She is extremely hostile and dangerous and does not hesitate to attack when she feels even the slightest bit threatened. She is also completely mute.

+ She is both a ghost and an urban legend, hence why she looks like that. Underneath her mask is a mouth of razor sharp teeth like a moray eel.

5) Wolf Jazz

+ Inspired by Jason’s Red Hood motif that is similar to Little Red Riding Hood. That’s also why I associate Jazz with so many canine themes :)

+ Black fur, several pairs of eyes, and two sets of deformed ears. I am debating whether or not she also has 3 pairs of legs.

+ She follows Jason around like a dog, but does not behave like a pet. As such, he can’t order her around unless she wants to listen to him. Thankfully, she likes cooperating with him and the two of them terrorize the criminals of Crime Alley.

+ She is around 5 feet tall when standing on all fours, but when she stands up on her hind legs, she is around 9 feet tall. She is very fluffy.

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feartoxinjelloshot · 9 months

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clipsverse SWAP AU! for fun! character elaboration under the cut because it gets kind of wordy:

selina's deal is pretty straightforward: she has the typical “saw parents die as a child" backstory, but she’s obviously not a millionare so she’s operating out of some kind of condemned underground parking lot... somewhere. authentic gotham grunge i guess. she’s a functioning alcoholic and i am obsessed with her. she's a hardboiled detective like batman, but tends to be a bit more cynical - sort of like if rorschach from watchmen was a normal person and also didn't hate sex. firefly is her "guy in the chair" similar to what alfred is to batman in canon, minus the surrogate parent part, obviously. public opinion is pretty split on if the bat is a man or a woman under there. i don't really have swap ideas for the robins ironed out, but i'm thinking that cass and stephanie are her robin and red hood equivalents (cass being dick, stephanie being jason). cass would have an allblack bird theme going on, so she might be "crow" or "blackbird" instead of robin. dunno what stephanie's red hood rendition is like. purple hood? i'll figure it out eventually.

bruce’s parents are alive, but he has a terrible relationship with them and with his own wealth so he mitigates the guilt complex by dressing up as a cat to steal and redistribute resources to people who actually need it. he could probably do that in daylight but there is something very wrong with him. i don't think his dumb slutty playboy persona is entirely genuine even without his parents' deaths, but he does lean into it more and incorporate parts of it into his vigilante persona over time. i think this version of bruce is just generally very lonely under the surface. he tries to be normal in his daytime life and he's very bad at it - theft aside, in a certain sense being the cat(man? woman?) is his own break for freedom; he felt a need to plunge himself far into the deep end of what normal society calls a 'freak'. ...writing it out like this, we're probably lucky he didn't start killing people. fortunately batman isn't really that kind of guy in any universe.

meanwhile on the other side of the rails: ivy! her deal is slightly unformed right now due to the fact that the hatter and the joker also swap places in this au - so the hatter is a dangerous, evil mastermind intent on controlling gotham to suit their whims, and the joker is... just a harmless silly little guy. yeah. i don't have swap-hatter's exact personality ironed out yet, so detailing his and ivy's dynamic would be difficult, but i can say that while she is his loyal second-in-command at his table of advisors, she is also plotting against him. ivy is a consistent loner in both mainline cv and here, and while she doesn't have the same tumultuous, antagonistic, emotional relationship with him as harley does with the joker, she is also frankly not interested in being his number one until the end of time. she wants to do it herself and she wants to do it right. this is an ivy who, in lieu of her own world-altering gift, is scraping tooth and nail to successfully supersede the most powerful entity she can her her hands on. the hatter is blissfully unaware of this - we can't all be perfect.

harley, for her part, is very tame in comparison. she mirrors ivy's canonical backstory pretty closely: an esteemed scientist studying stem cell relations who was denied funding, mocked, and forced to experiment on herself to prove a point, unwittingly connecting herself to a worldwide hive-mind of plantlife. this version of harley, while still dressed as a scientist, is far more surface-level emotionally volatile than mainline ivy, more impulsive and irrational, and probably willing to lean much farther into the classic poison ivy reputation as a villainous seductress, to varying degrees of honesty and success. it takes ivy an incredible degree of patience and control to maintain the mental and physical balance she strikes with the green, and this version of harley has far less of both. she lets it use her body as a conduit of earthly rage and she lets the poison infect her skin and organs until mottled and decaying. she's not unhappy, but she's not exactly stable, either.

jonathan is a mysterious, faux-sleazy lounge singer who lost his left arm to a snake bite infection as a child and thereafter became obsessed with the symbolism of the balance of life via games, tricks and questions - winning and losing, birth and death, etc. the ouroboros is a common symbol in his theatrics. he possesses a certain degree of social confidence that the mainline jonathan has never quite been capable of - while he doesn't have the same fervent need for attention as edward, he takes a compulsory delight in the mental influence he achieves on small crowds and will employ many avenues to get ahold of it. he's certainly not outgoing: he keeps almost entirely to himself offstage, uninterested in fame outside of his show persona. unlike mainline jonathan who views the scarecrow as a genuine self-inflicted diety, this jon sees his persona as more of a mantle or responsibility that he must take on in order to discover new truths about the world. like his canon counterpart he is asexual and uninterested in sex, but i imagine that he has less qualms about leading people on as an act to get what he wants from them. he's not terribly famous in his singing career, but he's become a bit of an underground legend for his resolute 1920s-inspired style and occasional genuine debonair charm.

edward in comparison is not nearly as ritualistically compelled as mainline scarecrow, but he’s far less cagey about his own machinations and his mental relationship to them: he lives in a tricked-out barn somewhere on the far outskirts of gotham, and he spends his time as a propmaster creating elaborate saw-trap-esque haunted houses and escape rooms to invoke panic in his “guests”. he wanders the halls of his own houses along with the guests, repairing and tinkering, or just scaring the shit out of them. he also makes a genuine living by making and selling cosplay props and other related objects online; he's developed a bit of an internet presence through this channel, though he's not as fixated on it as the mainline riddler would be. he still craves spectacle and attention, but he's more of a "quality over quantity" guy according to his own standards and is rarely happy with the work he creates, hence the endless roundabout of creation and reinvention.

#that got long mamma mia #edit: fixed some typos. my personal hell #scribbles #clipsverse #swap au #batman rogues #batman #catwoman #poison ivy #harley quinn #jonathan crane #edward nygma #cvswap

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sabrinbrin · 4 months

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To no one's surprise the theme park nerd whose favourite character is the little purple mascot has fallen in love with the video game about a theme park with a little purple mascot. In addition to watching playthroughs and secrets videos about Indigo Park I also rewatched the character introduction video and noticed a few things: (spoilers for chapter 1 below!)

In Mollie's intro, UniqueGeese says that she's "a loyal bird who would do anything to protect her friends." This may be why she's the first one to face us, but also why she waits to take us down until after we fend off Lloyd. (While we technically don't see her head on until after then, she does show up multiple times on the train ride, including very close behind us in Lloyd's section, and probably could have killed us sooner if she wanted.) We weren't seen as a threat until our critter cuff causes Lloyd to flee in the theatre, and from there she may have decided to target us to try and protect everyone.

In the cast intro video UniqueGeese also speaks about how Mollie's his favourite, which makes it surprising that she's the first to die and makes me think that we're not done with her quite yet (though he did say on a recent livestream that we wouldn't be seeing her for the next few chapters, so this is just my speculation).

In Lloyd's intro, it states that he "struts across the stage with an air of arrogance that could rival any monarch. He's friends with the main cast, but he's really starting to push it." I think this may be why Rambley doesn't like him, and I wouldn't be surprised if we learn that other members of the cast dislike him too.

For some reason, Finley's intro censors that he collects sea shells. While it's understandable that some info aside from his name and image would be censored to preserve some mystery prior to the game's release, it strikes me as odd because it seems like a small and innocuous detail when stated in chapter 1. As well, Salem, a character who we are shown a lot less of and is still shrouded in mystery, has no extra details censored from their intro.

Not lore related but Salem uses they/them pronouns! Just wanted to add it because I've seen people online asking about their gender.

Speaking of Salem, their intro says that they're "quick, cunning, but try to hide it with their 'punk' exterior." Being quick and cunning don't strike me as things to be hidden with a punk exterior, and while I may just be looking deeper where I shouldn't, this leads me to think that Salem may have a softer side we haven't seen yet. This combined with the later note that they "can use countless inventions to get out of a sticky situation" makes me think that they may actually help us later on, despite their actions in the arcade game showcasing them as a villain.

My only note for Rambley is that his intro states he can get "a bit too excited, [but he's] always there for his friends" which fits what we've seen so far. I think he's trustworthy and just happy to see someone back in the park, and that if he does turn on us it will be against his will (though this is my own speculation and not from the intro).

Not from the character intros, but in another video (specifically the one about the knockoff merch), UniqueGeese says that we receive an item from Rambley in chapter 1 that will be used a lot more later on in the game. I think it's safe to say that's the critter cuff (as it's the only item we get from Rambley directly), and I'm curious to see what more it can do – so far, we know it can get us into various areas, fend off attacking mascots with a specific frequency (from Lloyd's encounter), and will eventually be able to resuscitate us (possibly being a checkoff's gun to be used later).

#indigo park #indigo park spoilers #if I had a nickel for every light purple theme park mascot I loved with all my heart...#but yeah if anything happens to Rambley I will kill everyone in this room and then myself #and I love that from what we've seen he feels the same way about us

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jangofettjamz · 8 months

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Happy Halloween

Jenna Ortega x Autistic!Male!Reader

Summary: You and Jenna attend your sister Emma Myers' halloween party to try and boost your social confidence.

Words: 2400

TW: Sexual Harassment.

Set in the same timeline as "Confessions"

Jenna POV

October has finally rolled around, tis halloween season; my favourite season. Y/N and I are going to a Halloween party that his twin, Emma Myers, is hosting.

Not only is this Y/Ns first Halloween party, but it's his first party in general. I told him that he didn't have to go if he didn't want to, but he insisted. He's been trying to improve his social abilities for the last year and he believes that going to this party might help him gain that much needed boost I'm confidence. I'm so proud of him for trying.

We've decided that we're gonna be dressed as superheroes this year; his choice. Normally I'd go for something much more "macabre", but it's his first Halloween with me so I let him choose the theme of our costumes.

Originally we were going to go as Wednesday and Xavier, though we decided against it as, one: it was unoriginal and two: it hadn't been announced that Y/N was replacing Percy as Xavier for Wednesday Season two, so we wanted to keep it on the down low.

I'm going as a female version of Spider-Man, we'll I guess it would be "Spider-Women" in my case. It's a generic choice I know, but who doesn't like anything Spider-Man related, especially after that masterpiece of a movie "Across The Spider-verse." My costume is a rwd and blue Spidey suit; classic style.

Y/N however, he chose an outfit that I dunno if it constitutes as a "superhero" costume. Mainly because that this character is downright evil. He is going as one of the best TV villains ever: Homelander.

Jack Quaid, who worked on The Boys and scream 5 with me, managed to get in contact with the producers and procured one of the costumes they used for Antony Starr. It pays being a celebrity sometimes. The suit was a perfect fit for Y/N, he absolutely loves The Boys, so you imagine how happy he was when Jack managed to source this suit for us.

Dying his hair to match Homelander's was a bit nerve wracking for him as he'd never dyed his hair before, but I eventually convinced him after a while and he definitely looks the part.

The party is going hold around 50 people, all at the Myers' house. Atleast the party is at a familer location making it easier for Y/N. Though, I admit I'm still a little nervous that he'll become to overstimulated from all the music, lights and people. I take pride in making sure that everything is adjusted for Y/N comfort and accessibility, but this is completely out of my hands and I hate that.

He assures me that he'll be fine, that he can manage on his own and that he'll be fine if anything goes wrong. Still, I can't help but worry about him, he is my everything after all. I do get a bit motherly over Y/N sometimes.

- 3 hours later - Myers Residence.

We just pulled up the Myers House. Many different coloured lights gleamed put the windows, loud music invaded our ear drums even from inside the car. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all" Y/N said nervously; the kind of of nervous you'd hear from someone when they know something bads going to happen.

"Do you wanna go back home, bubs?" He looked at me, then back at the house, contemplating his choices. "Honey, I won't be mad if you wanna go back home, we both knew that this would be difficult for you. There's no shame in wanting to go home, baby." I said with a smile to let him know my words are genuine.

"I wanna go in" He finally said.

"Are you sure?" I said, needing firm confirmation that he wanted this. He nodded and I smiled. "I'll be right beside you, if at any point you get uncomfortable, you tell me right away." He nodded again and we made our way to the front door, the sound of loud music increasing with each step we take.

Pumpkins lit with candles were displayed on the door step, clearly Emma has a talent for carving pumpkins I see. Y/N walks behind, I can practically feel his eyes staring at my ass. I turn around and he immediately turns his head, making me smile widely.

"Were you staring at my ass, Y/N L/N?" He didn't answer me and kept his eyes to the ground, confirming my suspicions. I kiss him on the lips "It's okay, I don't mind" He smiles and reaches for the doorbell.

Y/N rang the doorbell with an unsteady hand, his foot nervously bouncing up and down against the pavement as we wait for someone to answer the door. The door eventually swings open revealing Emma. She's dressed as Enid in her black cat outfit.

"Oh my god, Y/N, you're here!" She says pulling him into a tight death grip of a hug. He laughs while returning the hug with an equal amount of pressure.

"Good to see you too, sis. I should've known you would've went as Enid for Halloween" he says playfully, she nudges his arm in response at his cheeky little comment.

She turns to me and gives me a bug hug. It's been a while since I've seen her, so it was nice to catch up after all this time. "Your costumes look amazing guys, that Homelander suit looks so authentic!" Little did Emma know, it was very authentic.

She leads inside to the living room, the sound of music was turned down a bit now that Y/N was here much to some peoples dismay, but no one objected, at least not verbally anyway.

"How's your Halloween going so far sis?" Y/N asked his sister.

"Oh it's going great dude, we have a lot of candy for all the trick or treaters that knock kn our door." She takes a seat on the couch in the living and so do we, my hand interlocks with Y/N to keep him close.

"I'm surprised you came here, Y/N/N. I know you don't like the party scene all that much. I'm proud ofnyou for coming though, bro." She says pridefully, bunping her fist against his shoulder affectionately. He smiles at her, besides me and his parents, Emma is his number one supporter.

Suddenly a girl appears out of nowhere, intruding on our conversation. "Oh my god! Jenna Ortega!" At first I thought it was only an innocent fan wanting a picture so I spoke to her at first.

"Hi there, very nice to meet you" I say politely.

She looks over to Y/N with a smirk and a lick on the lips. "Well hi there handsome, nice costume" she says with a sultry tone. "Wanna ditch this party, I know a place where we can hang out, if you know what I mean" she says with a wink, she actually winked.

Y/N looked back at me looking extremely uncomfortable, his eyes just screamed "help me, Jenna." His grip on my hand tightened, indicating his stress and anxiety.

Before Y/N could so anything I set her straight. She went to touch him but grabbed her wrist tightly, earning a squeal from the bitch "He doesnt want to go anywhere with you, he's with me. I think you should go"

she leaves with a pout etched onto her bitchy face. "I'm not no expert on social interaction, but I'm 100% sure that she was flirting with me" he says, still shocked from what happened.

Emma spoke up "You okay, Y/N?"

He nods, still clearly uncomfortable with what just went down. I hug him tightly, keeping my arms securely around him. "I'm sorry she did that, bubs. I promise I won't let that happen again." He nodded at my words, my hands working my way under his cape to rub his back. Something tells me that bitch will make another move.

-2 hours later

The party is a lot more lively than we first got here, around 55 people for sure. I haven't had any alcohol since I didn't wanna get drunk, I've gotta drive home. I've been talking with Emma's friends, getting to know them a little.

Y/N sat next to me, though he struggled to talk with them and kept silent more often then not. He tapped my shoulder "I'm gonna go get a drink, I'll be back in a minute." I nodded, though admittedly I kinda wanted to go with him, but he's his own person and can handle himself. Like I said, I can't help but worry about him.

I keep my eye on him from afar, just in case anything were to happen. "So what's been going on with you and Y/N then, Jenna. Has my brother been behaving himself?" She jokes

I laugh and respond to her "He's great; both of us are. He's been trying to improve on his social skills lately, he thought coming here would help with that" I say, eyes quickly glancing to Y/N every once and awhile. I turned back to Emma and continued "Though, I think he's been struggling tonight, lots of people new people, not to mention all the lights and music."

Emma sighs, knowing her brother's struggles with socialising. "It'll take time to build his confidence. It seems like everytime he makes progress there's always something bad that happens, like what happened with Percy." Emma says that part with disgust.

I look over to Y/N who's still choosing what drink he wants, he's very indecisive, like me. "You're staring, Jenna" Emma catches me staring at him. I point my gaze back to her.

"Sorry I'm just worried about him, y'know." She nods at my words.

"Yeah I get it. I worry about him all the time." She admits with a sigh.

Suddenly I hear Y/N start to plead for someone to leave him alone. "Hey please leave me alone! I have a girlfriend!" He shouts, the girl from earlier had come back to harass.

"She doesn't deserve you, baby. Let me show you a good time" he shakes his head erratically, he looks like he's about to go into shock. I make my way over to save him from this psycho bitch.

She suddenly starts kissing him, causing him to whimper from disgust. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her off immediately out of pure desperation. "LOOK LADY I DONT WANNA GO OUT WITH YOU! PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE!" All eyes were on them, his hands shook violently.

He looked at me, desperately wanting escape this situation. I dragged the girl up off the floor by her hair and slammed against the fridge. "You ever sexually harass my Y/N again, you're fucking dead" she nods and runs out the front door. Emma hugs Y/N, who's still a bit shaky after all that.

"You okay, baby boy?" I ask worriedly, cupping his cheek at the time. He nodded while releasing his grip on Emma and began wrapping me in a hug. There were no tears, he was still in shock from the whole thing his eyes were erratically darting across the room, noticing all the people that watched waht had happened.

He needs a quiet space "Emma is there a place where Y/N can calm down?"

"His old room is upstairs, that's his quiet place" I immediately take him upstairs, pushing past all the people who were in the way.

I opened the door to his room and sat him on the bed, still holding tightly in my arms. His frame was shaky but his breathing was less erratic now that he had less people watching him. Only a few sniffles were let out. "It's okay, baby boy. She's gone now."

"I didn't mean to, Jenna! She just kissed me without consent! I didn't kiss back I swear!" He pleads with me.

"Shh shh I'm not mad. I know it's not you're fault, she should never have done that. I'm so so sorry baby." I keep his head tucked into my shoulder.

I really don't think he should be at a party right now. He was just sexually harassed and is extremely stressed, far too stressed to socialise with anyone right now.

"Baby let's go home. You're way too stressed right now. We'll have our own little party, just me and you. We'll watch a couple scary movies together, make some popcorn and eat lots of candy. Whaddya say, sweetheart?" He nods and takes my hand.

We head back downstairs to tell Emma we're leaving. She's in the kitchen talking with her parents on the phone, absolutely fuming at what had just happened. I go up to her "Hey Emma we're gonna go. Y/N is really stressed out right now."

"That's okay, Jenna. Y/N I'm sorry this happened. If you ever need to talk to me, just call. Okay?" He nods at her comforting words and pulls her into a gentle embrace. "I love you both. Drive safe." We nod and head out the house.

- 45 minutes later

Me and Y/N are sitting on the couch, out costumes off and into our pyjamas. We've got popcorn, candy, chips and other snacks at the ready for our horror movie marathon, starting with "Candyman" then after that "Halloween".

Y/N moves his head to my chest. My hand made its way through his hair. "Thanks for getting me out of there, Jenna. Any longer and I think I may of had a nervous breakdown." He chuckles.

"It's alright baby. You're safe now and we're gonna have lots of fun. Just you and me." He smiles, eyes staring at my lips. I lean forward and kiss him tenderly and gently, my hand cupping his cheek as I did.

It was definitely worth leaving that party. The time I get to spend with him is better than any party.

#jenna ortega x y/n #jenna ortega x reader #jenna ortega x you #wednesday x reader #wednesday x you #wednesday x y/n #tara carpenter x reader #tara carpenter x y/n #tara carpenter x you #male reader

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maxwell-grant · 1 month

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do you have any favorite batman henchmen?

I put a lot of stock into how a Batman work tackles the resident henchmen and assistants and organization surrounding any specific Batrogue and how those intersect with each other so yes, absolutely I have Bat-henchman opinions, and favorites per villain. I'm gonna about pick about one or two among my favorites and name a few honorable mentions, with one exception and that's Rhino, Scarface's muscle. I know he's sort of a package deal with Mugsy, and Mugsy's pretty good too, but Rhino's the one I love.

I have a huge amount of fondness for Rhino and Rhino specifically because of his showing in "Read my Lips", as one of my favorite musical pieces for the series is the leitmotif that plays specifically for Rhino's moments in the opening heist and his brawl with Batman in the climax, and frankly he earns a top spot for me solely on the basis that he has his own theme and it's a banger on top of that. Scarface is exactly the kind of Bat-villain you want funny stereotypical cartoon gangsters attached to, and the big dumb grunt archetype is always more fun when paired with a proportionally much smaller partner or boss. And in Rhino's case, not only is he a titanically strong wall of muscle taking orders from a hand-held puppet dressed like a gangster, but cowering in fear when said puppet gets angry at him and relieved when reminded that he's too stupid to betray da boss. They made a lot with very little out of a bit character and it makes me love the episode so much more, and again, he has his own theme song and it opens the episode even, pretty hard to top that.

Penguin: My favorite overall has usually been Lark, specifically the version of her that was introduced in Tony Daniel's run. Like with Rhino and Scarface, the tiny funny-looking Oswald Cobblepot having a tall, intimidating lady chaffeur following him around makes for good contrast, and although I didn't like "Bullies" much at all, I really liked that scene of them being on friendly terms with each other, how much Penguin trusts her with his life and what he does. I like she is not abiding by any kind of formal dress code, like everyone else who tends to work at the Lounge, she's got almost like a punk thing that really contrasts with Oswald's own outfits and I always liked that, her individuality.

A more recent favorite would be Lili Kwan from Penguin: One Bad Day, someone who is far more marginalized than Oswald, and someone who was marginalized and pushed aside BY Oswald, but who joins up with him because he is the best lesser evil she is going to get and because they have enough in common that he can relate to her and respect her and ensure she is respected, but she pointedly does not mince words around him and does not entertain Oswald's delusions and self-loathing. She kinda demands Oswald to be the better class of criminal he paints himself as, to learn from his mistakes and earn having her by his side because "a king can't have illusions", and that's an incredibly interesting dynamic to me, this person with a vision of what Penguin and his empire should be like and in a position to have Penguin listen to her about it, not just muscle by his side but a voice in his ear pushing him to get his head in the game, be someone who deserves the loyalty he has from the underprivileged and the outcasts he claims to be a part of.

Honorable mentions would be the Red Triangle Gang from Batman Returns. I don't think they would really belong in any other version of the Penguin, and I have some very mixed feelings on Returns still, but I like the history they have with this Oswald and I like them in the movie proper, my favorite is the Poodle Lady for no real reason. I would also name the Kabuki Twins from The Batman cartoon, and Mr Decondor from The Batman Audio Adventures.

Joker: I gotta go with Bob the Goon, the Number One Guy. He is not even called Bob the Goon in the movie, he's just become so emblematic a figure for goons everywhere that he earns that name, Bob the Goon. See, I actually don't think the Joker should employ clowns in his gang, I think if you have more than one clown going around doing crimes, then they're not that special individually, I don't see the Joker surrounding himself with people who look or act even half as outlandish as himself, and that’s part of why Bob works for me, this comically ordinary schlub grunt who nevertheless endears himself to our sympathies for putting up with the Joker, being endlessly loyal to Napier before and after his accident. We like him in no small part because the Joker clearly likes this guy as much as he's capable of liking anyone on the planet, which is why it actually lands when the Joker guns him down just to vent. Rest in peace Bob, an example to low-lives everywhere.

If I had to name another favorite, and one I think works better on a reocurring basis, it would be Charlie Charleyhorse, from The Batman Audio Adventures. Charleyhorse has the mannerisms of a smooth-talking wise guy and is the guy who handles the day-to-day businesses of the Joker, sweet-talking recruits and negotiating deals and convincing rookies to eat poison and even hosting his broadcasts, and in contrast to the other villain sidekicks in the show who provide comedic contrast he is this very efficient, very charming and dangerous man, fully cognizant of the cruelty he's assisting and the man he works for. To me he feels like a very organic way of establishing how much more dangerous the Joker is compared to the other villains, that he runs his disorganized crime with the efficiency of a well-oiled machine, that behind all the chaos and mayhem there is an unfathomably brilliant mind at work and a smart, affable businessman to act as a conduit between that mind and the city, as if the Joker plucked the ghost of Jack Napier from his soul and found a sweet deal that lets them both happily exist.

Honorable mentions would be Prank, from The Batman cartoon. I think Joker gunning for his own Robin is an idea with legs (Harley never really counted in that regard), I really liked his design, a perfect combination of Robin aesthetics with a clown/jester motif, and I thought he had one of the more interesting set-ups for a "Joker corrupts people into extensions of him" story, definitely one of the better Joker episodes in that show. Other honorable mentions would be Jackanapes and Captain Clown from TAS, because the Joker getting unreasonably attached to a horrible giant clown android is a pretty funny concept to me.

Riddler: God, what a perfect character Miss Tuesday is. Pairing up the self-obsessed artist of crime with the harshest critic of all, the disinterested judgemental teenager, is such a perfect combo and it does so much to breathe new life into a very classic take on Riddler. The fact that she regularly stays in touch and coordinates stuff with other villain interns is amazing and part of the incredible worldbuilding The Batman Audio Adventures has in general. Miss Tuesday is this physical embodiment of ennui to deflate his cartwheeling histerics, manifesting every bit of self-awareness that the Riddler completely ignores, annoying him just as much as he annoys everyone else (her included).

It's punctuated by her being casually murderous to an extent that even surprises him, and the fact that she is just as smart as he is, so by the standards he lives his life by, he can't brush her off as another small-minded knuckle-dragging ignoramus like he does with everyone else, no, he can't tell himself that she simply doesn't understand what he is doing. She does understand him, she is just not that impressed by him, and Eddie will simply have to roll with the barbs and work harder if he is to prove himself. She is the closest The Riddler has to a conscience and thus her job is not to push him towards any kind of moral self-improvement or an approach to his work that doesn't involve murder and terrorism, but to dunk cold water on his head and call him cringe when he gets in too deep or for doing this instead of, like, making money off this crap or something.

The other candidate would be the Riddler's Followers from The Batman. They're not a concept I think would work for a more traditional version of The Riddler, but God they work SO well for that movie and that version of him, marking Eddie Nigma's transition from malajusted murderer into not just a supervillain with a city-destroying plot, not just the rise of supervillains as a thing Gotham is gonna have to deal with forever, but as a sickness aimed at the heart of the city, and a sickness that Batman is indirectly responsible for and that he must owe up to. I really like how The Riddler: Year One elaborates on them with "He doesn't trust people. But numbers never lie." His "henchmen" are numbers, numbers on a screen he never has to actually interact with, but can still send on to be proxies of him, embodiments of how much bigger this is than anything Batman could have imagined it being.

Honorable mentions would be the classic duo of Query and Echo, and much like Bob, we gotta bring up his henchgirl Molly from the Batman 66 pilot two-parter, who tragically died by falling into the Batcave's nuclear reactor. "What a way to go-go".

Two-Face: It's common for Two-Face to have twin sets of named thugs but I can't say any of them have ever been particularly memorable to me, but one that does stick out to me is Benny from Long Shadows. I'm of the opinion that if any Batman villain should be establishing a working relationship with a henchman/assistant, if any Batman villain really needs to be depicted putting in the work as far as convincing people to work for him, it should be Two-Face, the former widely-beloved District Attorney/politician turned crimelord who somehow stays a dominant player in the Gotham underworld despite everything stacked against him (his face, his reputation, his past being public record, the coin-based decisions, etc). I think Two-Face needs to be some degree of charismatic and conversational and convincing, he's someone with more tangential history in this world than the other villains and should be willing and able to engage with people at any level, even if, and especially if, he's going to betray or save them at the flip of a coin, and the closest anyone's ever come to capturing that for me has been Benny, this guy who's willing to question Two-Face's decisions and is smart and sensible and generally pleasant enough that Two-Face lets him do it (with some limits, of course) and lets him in on what he's planning. Being drawn by Mark Bagley, who can convey a lot of expression and personality on any character, is definitely a bonus.

Scarecrow: Not so much of a henchmen since this was technically a villain team-up, but Scream Queen as she was featured in that Brave and the Bold segment has literally nothing in common with comics Scream Queen as debuted in Scare Tactics to the point she is a new character in every way. I like comics Scream Queen quite a lot, and I wouldn't want her to be any kind of underling to Scarecrow, but BATB Scream Queen is a very cool design and concept and in general I think Scarecrow could stand to have some cool and inventive henchmen, I wouldn't be opposed to seeing BATB Scream Queen turn up again so long as she had a different name. I'm also extremely partial to the Strawmen and the idea of him employing former students and offering them teaching exercises mid-crime.

Bane: There's really only one form of Bane henchmen that matter and it's Bird, Zombie and Trogg, the Fabulous Five to his Doc Savage (I always felt like there could be two more members to actually make them five, I know it doesn't have to be an exact reference but). I like them as they are in regular canon but my favorite depiction of them so far has been in the Batman 66 comic by Jeff Parker, which retrofits Bane to fit the 66 aesthetic and tone by further emphasizing his lucha motif, and having his Fabulous Three all dress up in distinct masks of their own referencing existing iconic luchadore characters.

Black Mask: I think the False Face Society is one of the more interesting parts of Black Mask's concept and it really doesn't come up enough, and when it does it gets folded into just being a name for his gangster lackeys instead of the weird cult aspect it acquired when it was folded into his character, I'd like to see that stuff get folded back in.

Hugo Strange: Honestly I love all of Hugo's varied forms of henchmen over the years, all of them have their place in the grand tapestry of his designs (I'm not too big on Sanjay from Batman and the Monster Men, there is stuff to like about their dynamic but I don't think the pulp racial manservant is a thing deserving of the charming throwback treatment). The gangsters from his debut, the androids/mannequins, Night Scourge, the TYGER guards/troopers from Arkham City, the mind-controlled villains and inmates from his Deathstroke arc, and of course the Monster Men. I do prefer the horrific body horror kaijus from Night of the Monster Men, but I also like the mutated giants, especially when they dress up in oversized trenchcoats and slouch hats.

There are a few others but I'm lastly gonna say Mr.Freeze and his polar bears Notchka and Shaka, from Batman and Mr.Freeze: Subzero. I'm not opposed to Mr.Freeze having regular henchmen, or even ice-themed henchmen like in Batman and Robin, there are ways to have it make sense, but the polar bears I think have this sort of almost innocent fairytale logic to them that just fits Mr.Freeze and his imagery a lot better, abstract guardians of the concept of the arctic that Mr.Freeze claims dominion over. Even at their most benign, you can't extricate human henchmen from the inherent brutality of their profession, but when it's trained animals defending a master, it's easier to find innocence and sympathy, traits that fit well with Mr.Freeze. If there's anything in that movie I remember, it's the bittersweet ending where they walk off into a blizzard together, his sole two companions into this new life he's cursed with.

Does it really make any sense for Mr.Freeze's established skillset and character for him to have a duo of trained polar bears on call to do crimes with, the way Penguin and Catwoman have their own trained animals? No. Is it corny? Arguably yes. Do I think it's cool? Is it a cool image? Very much so, and when it comes to Batman, that tends to be the final word in things.

#replies tag #batman #comic books #superheroes #dc comics #dc #joker #penguin #the penguin #riddler #miss tuesday #mr freeze #two-face #scarecrow #hugo strange #bane

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kurishiri · 3 months

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on my way to start William’s route, but as for the other two…

official Ikemen Villains twitter posted templates and so I took used them, ehe. Minor route spoilers ahead, maybe, as I delve into some personal thoughts! You can click on the images for higher quality; I put content warnings for each route there too, though I may have missed a couple here and there.

Liam — key word: “tomorrow”

the themes in the story really add to the story’s poignancy, and I think it was interesting how they chose to make Liam an actor — as that part of his character played a significant role in the story and its themes.

I don’t have a very high sexy rating here relatively, and that’s not to say there aren’t sexy parts, but I think the presence of it feels a bit dampened by the fact I either didn’t purchase premium stories so it felt like the sexual scenes happened off screen in my personal experience or just that the story was overall so heavy with Liam’s mental struggles. Also, Liam was my first route, so I didn’t really have any other rating to compare it to. So I figured it was good to start somewhere in the middle and go on from there. Overall, I felt it was more romantic than sexy (especially if you look at, well… Alfons). To me, it’s not a bad thing! I’m just as alright with a story not having any sexual scenes as I am with one containing them.

honestly Liam’s route is probably the closest I’ll get to romancing Kate — because I related so much to Liam, he hit a bit too close to home sometimes lmao

Harrison — key phrase: “that doesn’t sound half bad.”

overall, I feel his story was solid. If you were to ask me between Liam and Harrison, whose route I enjoyed more, I would probably say Harrison. I enjoyed Liam as well for what it was, but I feel Harrison’s route is just more… fun.

to be completely honest he was really frustrating in the first few chapters. And the way the first sort of conflict ended between Kate and Harry still left me a bit frustrated. Even now, I sometimes wish it ended a bit differently, but I can understand as the story went on that Harry always had kind intentions toward Kate. He always had — since the beginning.

his romance definitely felt more subtle (and I loved that), since even if he has feelings for you, he always masks it with a half truth or a lie. And boy, is he good at lying 😂👌 at first they were really frustrating, but later there were a couple lies that are kinda funny that I can’t help but love him for his funny (and sweet) lies. Interpreting his half truth half lie words is like translating from another language lmao

reading Harrison’s route felt like reading a mystery and adventure novel at once. And I think if you want like to get a good taste of everyone else’s dynamics (without overshadowing Kate and Harry’s) in action and outside of it, it’s best to read Harry as opposed to Liam, in my opinion.

if you have any thoughts and opinions about the two, I’d love to hear!

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fallen-angel-adam-frankenstein · 1 year

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Thinking about how the Big Four of dark academia really feels like the Big Three of dark academia that a last-minute addition was added onto, not because it’s any less a part of and representative of the aesthetic but because its mood and message differs so greatly from the other three - that last-minute addition being Dead Poets Society. Hear me out as I rant about character types, classism, doing it for the aesthetic, themes, tones, and substance abuse (and, obviously, spoiler warnings for Dead Poets Society, The Secret History, If We Were Villains, and Kill Your Darlings):

Firstly, I want to draw comparisons between who I consider to be the protagonists of each story, focusing a lot on how I feel that each of them has a barrier between himself and another group of people within the story. Starting with the one that I relate to the most and progressing in no organisational order after that, we have from The Secret History Richard Papen, an English major who came from an impoverished old town in California to the lovely little college in Hampden, Vermont on account of loads and loads of scholarships. Fascinated and a bit infatuated with the Greek class, he is able through partly his own talent but mostly dumb luck to join their ranks, only to find out that the people he admired and romanticised are all a bunch of classist, selfish, rich addicts. Desperately wanting to be a part of this group, Richard has to break the financial barrier (as well as the seclusion engineered by Julian) between him and them in order to get in with the “cool kids.” However, this doesn’t work out for him at the end, as he doesn’t even get invited to their bacchanal or Bunny’s murder and yet has to suffer for the fallout of both events. It’s made clear that this is not the kind of life you want to live, and Richard even returns to California after the main body of the book concludes. Allen Ginsberg of Kill Your Darlings is confronted with a similar barrier, although his is less financial (he’s well-off enough to make it to college without scholarships) and more the sort of subcultural difference between the life he left at home and how Lu and his friends live. Just like Richard, he risks and loses it all to gain the affection of this new group, who, just like in TSH, leave him high and dry in the end. Oliver Marks also risks it all for his group in If We Were Villains, although they don’t necessarily abandon him in the same sense and really he alienates himself by taking the fall for Richard (Stirling)’s death. His barrier is also mainly financial, as he ends up having to pay for Dellecher through scholarships and a work-study deal, something which you can tell he is ashamed about (hmm classicism -_-) as he tries to hide it from the rest of the group, who can all afford the school on their own (or their families can). Since this story differs from the rest because it starts off with Oliver already a part of the tightly-knit group, you can’t really talk about him vying for approval as in TSH or Kill Your Darlings, but the sense of him being a part of a slightly different world is still there. Meanwhile, you don’t get this same sense in DPS. I maintain that Neil is the central figure in DPS, but for the sake of this let’s look at Todd, who does have to make his way into the group after it was already formed. Todd’s barrier is not financial but all in his own head: his social anxiety and awkwardness prevents him from initiating a relationship with any of the other Dead Poets. Because he has this different kind of barrier, it’s easier for him to overcome it, and it turns out well for him in the end, while it doesn’t for the protagonists of the other three stories.

Besides that, the other characters also play a role in how DPS feels separate from the other three. All four dark academia stories are about rich kids at their core, but DPS is the only one that doesn’t feel like it’s about rich kids. Why is that? I think it’s because of how they chose to present the characters. In TSH, the whole main cast, essentially, sucks - Henry is full of it, Bunny has all sorts of problems, Charles is an abusive drunkard, not to mention his incestuous relationship with Camilla, and Francis knows about this relationship and is fine with it, even being fine to casually fuck Charles on top of it (and he’s classist as fuck, but that’s a discussion for a later date). You might think, “oh, but Richard isn’t too bad” - yeah, but he did let them all get away with not one but two murders and was only worried about Charles abusing and fucking Camilla because he felt attraction to Camilla himself, so. Anyway, my point is that everyone in the Greek class is either a rich asshole or wants to be like the rich assholes, so that’s not good. There’s a similar thing in Kill Your Darlings where they’re all addicts and alcoholics and people who generally don’t give a fuck about how other people react to their drama and fun times, and you can see how Lu even uses David and later Allen and then throws them both away casually. Yeah, they have a cool vision of revolutionising poetry, but they’re not really characters that one can necessarily relate to, because they’re all just too caught up in themselves. IWWV, too - you don’t see this as much, but it comes out a bit when Oliver hides in shame the fact that he has to work to pay for school. While IWWV has a cast of characters that I can relate to and like the most out of the three I’ve talked about so far, there’s still a little bit of disconnect, an unattainability about them, and it’s clear that they’re all deeply fucked: Richard, before he died, was an abusive asshole, James killed Richard and then not only started mirroring him a bit when he hurt Oliver but then let Oliver while away ten years of his life in prison for Richard’s death (and either killed himself or faked his death), Alexander got even worse into drugs and then presumably got clean but man did he have PTSD from that school year, Meredith is surrounded by men lusting after her and feels lonely, Wren also has PTSD from that school year, and Filippa . . . got into a relationship with her teacher and we don’t talk about this? So while they’re three-dimensional, engaging, and entertaining, they’re all still just plain messed up. However, the Dead Poets aren’t like this. Obviously, there’s Neil’s suicide, but that’s different - it’s not messed up because he was already messed up, it’s messed up because the authority figures in his life (excluding Keating) messed him up themselves, breaking his spirit with the pressure they put on him and with the criticism of his passion. But to the point, in the sense of the characterisation of the main cast, DPS feels different from the other three because the Dead Poets are three-dimensional, engaging, entertaining, and even likeable in a way that the characters from the other three are not. And they’re all rich enough to attend a very well-to-do private boarding school, but they’re not stuck-up and classist, in fact hardly ever bringing up matters of money and even making fun of the Danburrys a bit. They feel more accessible than any other group does, which is what I respect about them.

And last but not least, the message. As far as the moods/tones and themes of the Big Four go, DPS is the only one with any sort of hope at the ending, and the only one with a “true” aesthetic for the characters to chase. The three of the dark academia Big Four all focus on taking something too far and it going horribly wrong - the Greek class gets so into studying the Classics that they have a bacchanal and kill a man and then kill a man to prevent him from telling someone that they killed a man, which leads to yet another man dead and the rest of them unhappy; the Dellecher fourth-years get so into Shakespeare and the roles they play/their typecasts that Richard ends up dead, Oliver ends up in prison, James ends up either dead or faking his death, and everyone else suffers like I mentioned earlier; and in Kill Your Darlings, David ends up dead, Lu ends up in prison, and Allen ends up expelled. TSH has a very bleak epilogue - Richard is confused and yearning, Charles is still drunk and who-knows-where cut off from the rest of them, Camilla has her dying grandmother to worry about, Henry and Bunny are dead, and Francis is forcing himself to marry a woman he doesn’t even like as a person, let alone not being physically attracted to her whole-ass gender, because he would rather make himself miserable than be cut off from the financial support of his family. Donna Tartt leaves us with a depressing, unsatisfying ending - which is all part of the theme, but I’ll get to its relation to DPS later. All in all, TSH’s tone is a very dark one, and its message to not let yourself get so caught up in the aesthetic that you let yourself fall/sacrifice your morals (and also not to idolise rich assholes because they can and will use you and ruin your life), while relevant and important, is far from inspiring or uplifting. Similarly, they go too far in IWWV, pursuing Shakespeare until it fucks them all up, and it has a similar theme to TSH. Its ending, while I like it better than TSH’s, is still quite pessimistic; there’s a little glimmer of possibility there, but not really all that much, and you get the sense that things are never going to fix themselves. In Kill Your Darlings, too, Lu and Allen get so caught up in the New Vision that they let the rest of their lives fall apart around them, and the ending is a bit confused and “meh.” DPS, however, has a lot of hope in its ending. Yes, Neil’s death was sad, and so was Keating taking the fall for it, but despite that, Keating is able to walk out of that classroom with a smile on his face; the ending isn’t entirely sad, it’s bittersweet. DPS’s message is all about carpe diem, seize the day, make your lives extraordinary, and they all presumably go on to do that (except Neil, who died because he was unable to do that). While the aesthetic the characters chase in TSH sort of hinges on their rich assholery, the aesthetic the characters chase in IWWV more or less depends on their isolation and general fucked-up-ness, and the aesthetic the characters chase in Kill Your Darlings is pretty much based on substance abuse and not giving a fuck, all of which lead to their lives being ruined on varying levels, the aesthetic the characters chase in DPS not only doesn’t really ruin their lives and also seems to be much more attainable in a tangible way. While Keating loses his job, he’s able to walk out of the classroom with a smile on his face because he knows that he did what he came there to do - he inspired his students to live life to the fullest and think for/be true to themselves, which is actually a quite healthy aesthetic to strive for, especially compared to the other ones I’ve talked about. The ending of DPS isn’t entirely happy, but there’s so much hope in it, something which the other three lack, and because of that, it feels separate from them.

Anyway yeah. I’m not going to write a big ol’ conclusion because I’ve already taken up so much space, but yeah. Thanks for coming to my TEDTalk lol.

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sara-scribbles · 1 year

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Melting the Dragon King’s Heart (Part 2)

Fandom: Twisted Wonderland Malleus Draconia/F!Reader Summary: After falling down some stairs, you wake up in the body of a villain from one of Idia's cheesy romance books. Destined to die a fiery death, you have to figure out a way to change your fate. Word Count: 8,000 Notes: I decided to split this part into two. The original is about 11k words and counting. This way I can work on the final part but also provide everyone with something. Reader uses she/her pronouns Warnings: Physical abuse, emotional abuse

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

After revising the proposal and sending along the messengers, you spent a lot of time filling out paperwork. Malleus seemed to trust you to do more, so you found yourself given more work. Though you’re glad he trusts you more, you hate all the new work.

Because of all the work, you’re unable to do much besides hole up in the office. Thankfully Diablo is always there to bring snacks and remind you of the time. You often get lost in the paperwork and forget to do the basic necessities such as eating dinner. Malleus is always happy to answer any questions you have, and having his office across the way is very handy.

It’s a few weeks later that you notice the castle is abuzz with more activity than usual. You can hear everyone rushing back and forth while signing off on a few things. You can see staff rush by with vases, flowers and linen.

“Diablo, what’s going on?” you ask the butler, who places a new cup of tea down.

“The palace is preparing for his highness’s birthday,” he informs you. “It is a national holiday so Briar Valley throws a party for the citizens. There’s also a ball that is hosted in his honor where we invite the surrounding kingdoms. This year's theme is a masquerade.”

You had completely forgotten about his birthday. Setting aside your work, you lean forward on your elbow while strumming your fingers on the desk. “What should I get him as a gift?” you muse aloud.

Glancing over at the butler, he pretends to stare straight ahead. After a moment, he sighs before shaking his head. “I apologize, your highness, but I do not think I should tell you what to get his highness.”

“But I don’t really know what he likes…” That’s not completely true, but it would be nice to get something that you know Malleus will like.

“My advice is that as long as the gift has your thoughts and feelings, his majesty will like it.” Diablo bows slightly before leaving.

Letting out a deep sigh, you jot down a list of things you know Malleus likes and dislikes. From your previous conversations, you do know some things. He likes gargoyles, abandoned places, and cold treats. He dislikes whole cakes and gargoyles that serve no function.

“What to get him…” A maid gently raps on the door, disrupting your thoughts.

“I apologize for disturbing your highness, but a letter just arrived.” She hands you the cream colored envelope with a rose wax seal.

Once she leaves, you open the rather thick letter. Reading through it, your eyes slowly widen with each word. Excitement and trepidation fill every fiber in your body. Leaving your study, you make the very quick trip to Malleus’s office next door. Your sudden intrusion startles him from the paper he’s reading.

“He responded!” you exclaim, slapping the letter down on the desk.

He quizzically looks at you before taking the letter. You watch as he quickly scans the contents. “Riddle Rosehearts wants to meet about our proposal,” you explain. “It’s a good sign, right?”

He sets the letter down and nods. “It would seem he wants to iron out the details. I’m surprised he responded so quickly, since I’ve heard he’s the type not to make decisions without careful consideration.” He ponders, “Perhaps he’s been wanting to establish relations with us and this gives him a good excuse.”

“Right! So, when do you want to go?”

“You wish to do this soon?” he asks.

Nodding, you explain, “I think it would be ideal to do this sooner rather than later.”

“Hmm… I have a few meetings to attend with some diplomats from other countries. And then there’s the banquet…” He shifts through a notebook containing his day-to-day schedule. “Maybe we could go… no that won’t work.”

After a while of going through his schedule, he sighs deeply. Brows furrowing, a small frown appears on his lips. “It seems I will be busy for a few months. We may not be able to do this as quickly.”

There’s a pause before you throw out a suggestion. “What if I go and meet with him?”

“Alone?” His frown deepens.

“Yes. I believe I can work on this with him. We won’t sign anything, but it will at least iron out the details.” You want to do this. It’s something you worked on for a while, so it would be nice to be the one to close the deal. And you can’t say you’re not curious to see what the Queendom of Roses is like.

“I know you might be worried about my abilities, but I would like the opportunity to prove myself beyond paperwork and readings.”

Malleus regards you quietly. The frown has left his face but his brows are still creased. “I do not doubt your abilities. I just worry about you being in another country alone.”

A small laugh escapes your lips. His concern for your safety is endearing. “I can bring a guard or two with me, if that will ease your worries,” you quickly add.

That seems to alleviate some of his worry. “Yes, I think that will be fine. When would you like to leave?”

Taking the letter, you fold it back into the envelope. “His highness said he could meet starting next week. How about a week from now? It should give me enough time to send a response back and prepare for the trip.”

“So soon…” he mutters. Letting out a huff, he waves off whatever is concerning him “I will instruct Silver and Sebek to accompany you. Diablo will help you prepare everything else.”

You’re surprised he’s having his two closest knights go with you. “Are you sure? I could take someone else.”

He shakes his head. “These two are one of my most trusted knights, so it would be appropriate that they guard you on your journey.”

Seeing the firm set of his lips, you know not to argue. “Thank you. I will gather some material and start packing.”

Turning to leave, Malleus calls to you. “How are your parents doing?” he asks suddenly.

You halt, almost stumbling in your steps, before slowly turning toward him. “They’re fine. Why do you ask?”

“I was thinking we can send them an invitation for my birthday ball,” he explains. You can’t read his expression.

Every fiber in your being wants to scream ‘no’ and that you never want to see them. But you know you can’t. You have to keep up appearances for now. “If that’s what you would like, then please invite them,” you respond as calmly as you can.

He’s quiet as he studies you before nodding. “If there is anyone else you want to invite, please let Diablo know. The invitations will go out in about three weeks.” He returns to his papers.

You suddenly have an idea. “Is there anything you want for your birthday?” you inquire, walking over to stand in front of his desk.

“Nothing in particular,” he says, not looking up.

“Really? Nothing at all?” You’re hoping he’d give you some ideas. Buying birthday gifts for Idia was easy since he usually wanted something related to his games or anime.

Malleus finally looks up from his papers. “I’m sure whatever you decide, I will like.”

You resist the urge to groan. “Diablo said something similar, you know…” Placing both hands on his desk, you give him a stern look. “If I give you something you hate, let me know right away. Okay?”

He blinks twice. “I doubt you’d ever give me something I’d hate.” He pauses when he sees the slight turn of your lips. “...but I will let you know if that happens.”

“Great!” Turning on your heel, you leave his office. You miss the smile on his lips as he watches you go with a fond look.

---

The trip to the Queendom of Roses is an uneventful ride. Silver and Sebek do accompany you on horseback. Neither say much so you’re left going over things in your head. You’re not sure how this will go, but can only hope you don’t start a war.

The Queendom is lush and green with picturesque homes. Everything reminds you somewhat of images from the Victorian era. When you arrive at the castle, you’re greeted by the queen’s personal advisor, Trey Clover.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, your highness,” he greets with a deep bow.

Taking his offered hand, you step out of the carriage. “Thank you for having me, Mr. Clover.”

“Please call me Trey. If you’ll follow me, his majesty has prepared some tea.” Silver and Sebek follow a few paces behind as you’re led through the rose garden. Some of the roses, you notice, are white while others are red. And some of the red roses almost look to be dripping in paint.

When you arrive at the heart of the garden maze, you are greeted by the queen himself, Riddle Rosehearts. He’s dressed impeccably, though you wouldn’t expect less from someone who follows rules strictly. Though much shorter than Trey, there’s something about his presence that seems to tower over everyone.

He greets you with a bow. “It’s nice to meet you in person.” He’s polite but firm.

“Thank you for having me.” As you dip into a bow, you can’t help but marvel at his composure. For someone who’s around your age, he carries himself as if he’s much older and wiser.

“Trey, please place her highness across from me,” he orders. Silver and Sebek melt somewhere into the background without a word.

As you take the offered seat, you give him a tentative smile. “You can call me by my name. I’d like to think we’ll be good friends soon.”

He seems to sputter a bit before finding himself. “If you insist. Please just call me Riddle, then.”

As tea is served, you engage in small talk. Though you’re eager to get on to the topic of the proposal, etiquette dictates you share pleasantries. It would be considered rude since the tea and treats were specially prepared. The strawberry tarts are delicious so you don’t really mind.

After enjoying the tea, Riddle wastes no time getting onto the business. “Your proposal is indeed interesting to us, however, I want to ask you something.”

“Go ahead.”

He leans forward, hands propped under his chin. “What would you do if we said no?”

There’s a pause. You hadn’t actually considered they would reject your proposal. After a moment, you carefully choose your words. “I would respect your decision. Ultimately, you do not need to accept the proposal. We are not the type of country to force our will on to another. Though, I do think it would be foolish not to take the deal.”

He gestures for you to explain. “Though the Queendom is rich in crops, you do lack magical resources. As you’re aware, Briar Valley is old and has many deposits of magic, which have been refined into its purest form. I’m sure trading between us would help increase the Queendom’s magical might.”

Riddle leans back as he mulls over your words. Your heart beats rapidly in your chest, wondering what is going through his head. After a few moments, he smiles. “Let us draft up an official agreement, then.”

“You accept?” you ask, a bit surprised considering how serious he had been looking. He almost looked like he was about to reject the offer.

“Yes. I’ve always thought it would be good to become allies with our neighboring countries,” he explains. “I realize we haven’t really interacted in the past, but I hope this will be the start to a good relationship between our kingdoms.”

Relief washes over you. “I agree. I think this will be beneficial to both of us in the long run.” There’s a loud commotion that causes you both to turn and look around. “Is…is everything okay?”

Riddle frowns. “There shouldn’t be any problems… Trey?” The green haired man from before does not appear, which causes Riddle’s frown to deepen.

Then, there’s a loud shout. “Get back here!”

A gray blur bursts through the bushes and makes a beeline toward you and Riddle. A redhead and a brunette follow suit, both looking disheveled. “You can’t be here, Grim!” the brunette shouts.

The gray blur stops short and you realize it’s a cat. A strange cat that can stand on two feet with blue flames coming from its ears. You can’t help but stare as you realize who this cat is. And just as you thought, another person comes through the maze, out of breath. Yūki, the protagonist of ‘Melting the Dragon King’s heart’ and the one who saves Malleus, stands before you.

“Grim! Trey said he’d feed you some tarts later!” Yūki shouts.

“Mrrrawh! I want a tart now!” Grim howls.

Riddle stands up, his chair falling to the ground. His face is bright red. “What do you think you’re doing! We have an important guest and you make a spectacle!”

“Uhh… uh oh!” The cat slinks back at the sudden anger rolling off in waves from Riddle.

The redhead manages to grab Grim by the scruff of his neck. “Gotcha!”

Trey steps in along with Silver and Sebek. “I apologize, Riddle. We weren’t able to catch him.”

You, however, can’t take your eyes off the protagonist. In the books Yūki is a magicless human in a world filled with magic. However, that never stops them from traveling to different places and having adventures with their friend, Grim. It’s during one of their trips that they happen to meet Malleus, and everything else falls into place.

You never thought much about where Yūki’s last adventure was before coming to Briar Valley since the story glossed over everything. But to see them before the start of the novel is strange, yet you’re curious.

Feeling your gaze, Yūki turns to you. Their eyes are bright and filled with wonder. “Hello, your highness.” They bow. “I apologize for interrupting your meeting.” They ignore the others who are still squabbling. Riddle doesn’t look ready to calm down any time soon either.

“It’s nice to meet you…?”

“Yūki! And that,” they point to the cat who’s munching on leftovers, “is Grim. We’re adventures.”

Though you’ve only spoken a few words, you can feel their warmth and sincerity. No wonder they’re able to break the magic on Malleus so easily. They’re like an early spring day coming to thaw the remaining coldness from winter. Ironic, you think.

“An adventure? Where else have you traveled?” you asked, genuinely curious.

“Well, we just came back from visiting the Island of Woe. But we’ve also seen the Shaftlands, Scalding Sands, Coral Sea, and the Sunset Savanna.” They tick off each location on their fingers.

From your memories, you’ve never been anywhere besides your home and then to Briar Valley. The Queendom of Roses is the first place you’ve ever visited. “That’s a lot of places! You must have a lot of fun.”

Yūki chuckles, rubbing the back of their neck. “Yeah… we always manage to get into some kind of trouble, so it’s not that great. I’ve heard Briar Valley is a nice, quaint place…”

“Yes, it’s quiet but the people there are wonderful. You should come visit someday.” The offer is genuine.

They smile, making their face light up. “We definitely will. I think right now Grim and I are going to rest a bit more here.”

“Is the food good there?” Grim suddenly butts in. There are crumbs all over his mouth, which Yūki begins wiping off with a napkin.

You nod thoughtfully. “I would say so. If you come to visit the castle, I’ll make sure to have our chefs whip up a wonderful meal.” You haven’t had much complaint about the food. Though there are some comfort meals you miss from home.

“Sweet! Let’s go there next, Yūki!” The cat’s eyes light up at the prospect.

They groan while crossing their arms. “I still need time to rest from our last adventure. Anyways, Riddle said we could stay as long as we wanted, which means you’ll have access to unlimited tarts.”

Grim huffs but doesn’t seem too bothered. “I guess you’re right…”

Riddle, having calmed down, sits back in his seat. “I do apologize for the abrupt intrusion from my knights.”

The two who had been trying to catch grim, kneel. “We apologize for intruding, your majesty,” they both say in unison

Trey shakes his head. “Honestly… this is Ace and Deuce. They’re newly appointed knights, so they’re still rough around the edges.”

“I don’t mind. You’re knights are a lively bunch.” The two have the decency to look embarrassed.

“A bit too lively,” Riddle mutters. Letting out a sigh, he gestures to Yūki and Grim. “These two are esteemed guests.”

“That’s right! Me and my henchhuman are super important!” Grim boasts, crossing his short arms while puffing out his chest.

Yūki glances at you with an apology in their eyes. “Don’t go getting a big head, Grim,” they warn jokingly.

“Too late! His head is already huge,” Ace teases.

“My head’s normal sized!”

You hear Riddle sigh once more as he rubs his temples. It seems any talk about the proposal is over, but you don’t mind. With how lively everyone else is, things are bound to never be boring.

Your gaze once more turns to Yūki. They’re different from what you expect. Seeing them laugh without a care in the world reminds you about something in the book. In the story, Yūki does lament the fact that they won’t be able to travel anymore once they marry Malleus. They put their adventures on hold. You don’t remember the story ever saying that Yūki laughed in such a carefree way.

Meeting your intense stare, they regard you curiously. “Is there something wrong, your highness?”

You wave them off. “No. It just seems like you’re really close with everyone here…”

They nod eagerly. “The thing about adventuring is that you meet people from different backgrounds and walks of life. I enjoy adventuring for that very reason. I guess I can’t imagine staying in one place for too long when there’s places I still haven’t seen.”

“So, would you want to adventure your whole life?”

“Yes, that’s the goal!” Their grin is infectious.

As Deuce and Ace draw their attention away, you find yourself thinking. Seeing an enthusiastic Yūki and Grim compared to the more subdued versions in the story is so jarring. It’s almost like once the events of the story happen, all of Yūki’s personal dreams and goals get pushed to the back.

By now you’ve accepted your life as the queen. And perhaps with you here, the story has changed. Perhaps you don’t have to follow the story in order to live. A very selfish part of you doesn’t want to leave Briar Valley like you had originally planned. And maybe that’s okay.

As you watch the two adventures talk animatedly, you make a decision. You’ll figure out how to stop your parents your own way.

---

Returning to Briar Valley after a few days away, something has changed. It seems like Malleus has started following you around more. The moment you stepped out of the carriage, Malleus was there to greet you, which you thought was sweet. However, he’s started coming into your office for nothing in particular. He’ll sit in one of your chairs pretending to read whatever papers or book he’s brought with him. You can often feel him hovering, gaze following your every move. It’s like he’s watching and waiting for something to happen.

It’s much like how your parents were always watching you, and if they couldn’t monitor you, they had one of the maids do it. Like a bug under the microscope, you never had peace to yourself until you slept. By then, you were too tired to do anything more than just sleep.

It’s starting to get on your nerves. When you ask him what he wants, he simply says he doesn’t want anything. But you can tell he wants something! But he won’t tell you!

SNAP!

You blink as you stare down at the now broken pen in your hands. Black ink oozes out and drips onto the paper you were working on. Malleus immediately perks up from his spot across from your desk.

“Is everything alright?”

Letting out a long breath through your nose, you summon some magic to clean up the mess on your hand. The broken pen is tossed in the trash. “I’m fine,” you mutter, not looking up.

There’s a pause though you can feel him staring once more. Finding your spare pen, you crumble up the ruined papers. “It seems you’re upset,” he muses. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No,” you reply curtly.

Perhaps your tone is a bit too icy because when you look up, you can see the hurt in his gaze. Sighing, you lean forward and cover your face. “I… I didn’t mean to be snappy with you, Malleus. …Why are you hovering so much?”

There’s silence before he answers, “I missed you. Lilia said that if I missed you, I should spend more time with you.”

Looking up once more, you’re not sure what to say. You let out a dry chuckle. “I see… If you want to spend time together, just let me know. I don’t mind spending time together, I just don’t like you hovering.”

“I didn’t realize. I’m sorry,” he apologizes sincerely.

“I’m sorry too for not communicating with you better about this.” You sit back, body suddenly feeling tired. “I’ve spent a lot of my life being watched, and it wasn’t pleasant. I want to spend more time with you, but not like this.”

You glance at him tiredly. There’s a harshness in his gaze but it vanishes too quickly for you to fully understand. “I apologize for making you uncomfortable. It was never my intention.” He lowers his head, his lips are pressed in a firm line.

“I know.” He would never do anything to intentionally hurt you.

“Do you want to take a walk in the gardens?” he asks suddenly.

A break would do you some good. Following Malleus to the gardens, you stroll through the roses. Though the Queendom had lovely roses, there’s something about these roses that you like more.

He leads you to the center of the garden where you sit. You lean against his side, eyes closed, enjoying the fresh air. Malleus traces patterns on the palm of your hand. You sit like that for a while before Malleus breaks the silence.

“While you were away, I walked into your office wanting to see you. It made me realize how little time we spend together outside of our work. I’d like to spend more time with you doing things like this,” he admits.

You hum in agreement. “I’m always open to spending time together.”

Malleus weaves your fingers together with his. “Even if we don’t do anything?”

“Yes. Sitting here and enjoying each others’ company is enough.” Opening your eyes, you smile back at him. “I prefer this over you hovering.”

He nods. “I will keep that in mind. Perhaps next time I should be more clear with Lilia on my question…”

“Or you could ask me. Why not go to the source?” you suggest. It’ll save you from any miscommunication.

“Alright. I’ll come to you if I have any questions or concerns.” He chuckles as he squeezes your hand.

There’s a pause before you ask a question that’s been plaguing your mind for a while. “Why did you marry me? I don’t come from a country that can offer much, so it’s not like Briar Valley gained anything.”

Pulling away slightly, his brows crease. “Did your parents not tell you of the deal?”

“No. They just told me it was an honor to be marrying you.” They had told you nothing beyond that you were to marry a complete stranger. The glee in their gazes as they concocted their scheme to take over Briar Valley remains fresh in your mind.

He mutters something under his breath before shaking his head. “One of your ancestors from long ago sought out my grandmother for a blessing. Apparently their land was on the verge of collapse and my grandmother offered to bless the land once more. In exchange, they or their descendants would have to marry off their first born to her grandson. I wasn’t born then, but it seems grandmother already knew I would be eventually.”

You slowly process the information. “So essentially, it was just timing that it happened to be me?”

“My grandmother never really explained but when the time came, she told me I’d be marrying you.” He runs his thumb over your knuckles. “But I am glad it was you that I married.”

Your face warms as he gazes at you sincerely. “I’m glad too,” you manage to sputter out. Sometimes Malleus can say the sappiest things with a straight face. Yet, you know he’s always true to his feelings. It never fails to make your heart flutter.

Your gaze drops to his lips and stays there for a bit longer than you mean. You haven’t kissed him, and now you’re wondering how it would feel. You wonder if he would be a gentle kisser or would he bite at your lips with his sharp fangs. You wouldn’t mind either way…

Feeling your face warm at the sudden thoughts, you realize that Malleus has shifted a bit closer. Peering back at him, he watches you with half-lidded eyes. His usual bright eyes are dark with swirling emotions.

“Malleus…?” Your voice is barely a whisper.

He reaches up to stroke the right side of your face. He traces the curve of your jaw before gently grasping your chin. There’s a fire burning in his gaze as he leans closer. You stay completely still, barely daring to breathe.

His lips are inches away from you before he asks, “Can I?” His gaze flickers to meet yours.

You nod wordlessly and he-

“KING MALLEUS!” The voice that echoes through the garden causes you to jerk back in surprise. You almost stumble off the bench if not for Malleus’s quick reflexes as he steady’s you with a hand to the small of your back.

“Sebek, I don’t think you need to yell so loudly,” another voice admonishes with little heat.

Nervously clearing your throat, you quickly stand up. “Looks like your knights are looking for you.”

Warily turning in the direction of where the voices are coming from, his eyes narrow. “It would seem so.” He hands clench and unclench a few times before he stands. “I should go see what they want…”

“Right… See you later!” You make haste to leave before he can say anything else. You rush past Silver and Sebek on your way out of the garden.

“Your highness?” Silver calls to you, but you’re too busy running away to stop.

Face still warm, you can’t get the image out of your head. The way Malleus looked at you was like he wished to devour you whole. And you wouldn’t have minded.

---

The birthday party is as lavish as you could have imagined. A full orchestra plays music while guests mingle, eat food and dance. As guests arrive, they each approach Malleus to wish him a happy birthday. Presents are left in a different room as they’ll be opened later. Standing beside Malleus, you can feel your mouth aching as you politely smile at everyone that comes over.

Speaking of the birthday boy, he’s dressed impeccably in black silk accented by silver thread embroidery. His black mask is much like your own except the gems match the color of your eyes. His hair is slicked back though there are still a few stubborn strands that refuse to stay put. You can understand why he’s the love interest with how beautiful he is. Your heart did a weird flip when you saw him before the party.

“Are you alright?” Malleus asks once another guest leaves.

Meeting his gaze, you give a tired nod. “I didn’t realize how strenuous just greeting people can be.” From what you could remember, no one ever approached. You spent most parties trying to melt into the wall.

His lips turn slightly down in a frown. “You may rest if you wish. I can handle the guests.”

Shaking your head, you chuckle. “I’ll be fine. It seems like there aren’t too many more people coming.”

“If you’re sure…” He trails off as another guest arrives. This time, you recognize the guest as none other than the ruler of the Queendom of Roses, Riddle Rosehearts.

“Happy birthday and thank you for inviting me,” Riddle says, inclining his head in greeting. You admire the vibrant red mask he has. The design incorporates a subtle rose pattern.

Malleus greets him just as politely. “Thank you for coming, Rosehearts. We are both glad you’re able to come.”

With how many times he’s said the same thing, you can repeat everything word for word. “Is Yūki and Grim here?” you ask.

He shakes his head. “They went to the Coral Sea for something. They should be back in a week or so.”

“Oh…” You did want to speak with Yūki a bit more. You wanted to hear more about their adventures.

Riddle pauses as if wanting to say more. He shakes his head. “This is a celebration, so I will not bring up business. But perhaps we can meet again sometime. I’ll be in Briar Valley for a few more days.”

Nodding, you gesture for Diablo, who stands a bit away. His sharp eyes never miss anything. “Diablo, please discuss with his majesty when we can meet.”

“Of course, your grace.” To Riddle, he bows. “Please let me know when you would like to discuss scheduling, your highness.”

The redhead nods. “I’ll have one of my men reach out.” He turns to you with a smile. “It’s nice to see you again.”

As Riddle leaves, Malleus shifts closer to you. “It seems that the agreement with the Queendom is going smoothly.”

“Yes. Riddle Rosehearts is fair but has a firm hand.” He has his eccentricities, but from your conversations, he’s a good ruler. From the rumors you heard while in the Queendom, he’s loosened up a bit from when he first ascended the throne.

“You should come next time we’re invited to the Queendom of Roses,” you continue. “It’s a lovely place and so vibrant.”

“Do you prefer the Queendom to Briar Valley?” Malleus asks. The way he’s looking at you, you can almost hear sad puppy dog whines.

Biting your cheek to keep from laughing, you shake your head. “Of course not. The Queendom is different from Briar Valley. But Briar Valley will always be home because the people I care about are here.” And that’s the truth. You’ve come to like the people in Briar Valley. And though you won’t admit it aloud, you’ve come to like Malleus a lot more.

Before he can say anything else, a voice that sends chills down your spine breaks in. “Happy birthday, our dear son-in-law.”

Malleus turns to greet your parents as you try to contain your fear. Though you’ve only experienced them through old memories, your body involuntarily stiffens as you try to hide your shaking hands by clasping them behind your back.

“Duke and Duchess Wynters, thank you for coming,” you hear Malleus say. However, his voice becomes muffled as those old memories try to resurface. To outsiders, they look like a sweet older couple.

However, you know the truth. Their eyes are too cold. Their smiles filled with malice. Their hands are covered in your blood and the blood of others. Their hearts are darker than any ink and colder than ice. You force the memories that are trying to surface and adopt a neutral expression. You’re glad for once that you have a good poker face.

When you meet your father’s eyes, you almost forget to breathe. “Dear?” The sickeningly sweet way your mother calls to you fills your mouth with bile.

You managed to force a smile. “Mother, father, I’m glad you could make it.” As much as you didn’t want to, it would look suspicious if they weren’t invited.

“How could we miss our dear son-in-law’s birthday?” she chortles. “And we miss having you home. You haven’t been home at all since you got married. Your father and I are starting to think you don’t want to see us anymore.” She feigns hurt, but you know the truth.

You bow your head slightly. “I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy with everything that I didn’t realize how much time has passed. I promise to visit soon.”

“You should come too, Malleus,” your father says. “We’d be all too happy to host you for a few days.”

Digging your nails into the palm of your hand, you gently touch Malleus’s arm. “I think I will check in with Diablo,” you murmur.

Malleus nods though there’s worry in his eyes. “Of course. I will see you later.”

“Father, mother, if you’ll excuse me.” You force yourself to walk even though every fiber of your being wants to run.

When you’re out of their line of sight, you head outside to the garden. More guests mingle in the rose garden. Floating lights illuminate the garden making everything seem almost dream-like. Feeling the cool night air on your skin, you let out a big breath. The anxiety is still there, but at least you no longer feel like throwing up.

You didn’t think you’d have such a reaction to meeting the parents. You had memories, so you knew about the vile things they did to their own child. Yet, you had thought since you hadn’t seen them in awhile, things would be fine. But the moment you heard their voices, you lost all control.

Wandering away from the guests, you find a secluded area of the gardens. It’s quiet though the music from inside drifts faintly by. Taking off the mask, you breathe deeply for a bit. If you can avoid them for the rest of the party, you should be fine.

After a few more minutes alone, you decide to return. However as you turn to go back, something catches your eye. In the low light, it looks to be a rope of sorts. You reach down to pick it up but when your hand brushes against the rope, it moves.

You let out a startled gasp as a voice from the bushes grumbles, “You’re either brave or a fool for trying to touch my tail.”

The bushes rustle before a figure sits up. You stare wide eyed at the sleepy-eyed guest. His cat-like ears twitch as he regards you with annoyance. “Are ya gonna just stare at me with that stupid look on your face or apologize?” He glares at you as he pulls himself up and out of the bushes. His mask is nowhere to be seen.

Finding your words, you raise an eyebrow. “Well if you didn’t just leave your tail hanging around, I wouldn’t have mistaken it for something else. Maybe don’t go napping in other people’s bushes,” you bite back.

His eyebrow twitches but you can see the way his emerald green eyes light up. “Heh… you’re a brave one to be speakin’ to me like this.”

Standing up straight, you regard him coolly. “You speak so freely for being one of my husband’s guests, Prince Leona.”

You remember him now as he came with King Falena of the Sunset Savanna. He barely gave Malleus a glance before stalking off, though his nephew immediately ran after him. You’re pretty sure he didn’t even notice you as he seemed to want to get away as quickly as possible. You had read about Beastmen in the books, but this is your first time meeting them.

Leona was decked out in brightly patterned material that showed off both his lean physique and the wealth of the nation. The deep reds and turquoise complemented the gold mask that hung at his hip.

He scratches his ear nonchalantly. “So, you’re the one married to the lizard. Huh… you’re not what I expected.”

“And what did you expect?” You tilt your head to the side. He has a few leaves still stuck in his hair. Your hand twitches but you resist the urge to remove them.

He smirks. “A weak little herbivore. But it seems you actually have a spine.”

You feel your own eye twitch and his smirk grows wider. “So, what were you doing in the bushes?” you ask, changing the subject before you decide to do something un-royalty like.

Yawning, Leona stretches. “I was trying to take a nap.” He notices you’re staring at him intensely. “What are you looking at?”

Pointing to your head, you gesture around. “You have some leaves stuck in your hair.” He lazily swipes at his head but it does absolutely nothing. “No, you missed! No, no, a little more to the left.”

Grunting, he gives up. “Why do you take them off for me, huh?” He leans closer with a wicked glint in his eyes.

“Honestly…” You know you shouldn’t since you’re a queen and all, but the leaves are bothering you. Reaching up, you gently pick the leaves out of his hair. His hair is surprisingly soft to the touch. “Done!”

Looking up, his face is much too close. “Thanks, herbivore.” Your cheeks suddenly feel warm as his gaze doesn’t leave your face. His eyes are hooded as he watched you like you’re some kind of prey.

“…”

“There you are.” Whatever spell Leona had you under breaks as Malleus steps forward. You move away to a more respectable distance from the second prince.

The look on Leona’s face could kill a man. He scowls as Malleus places his hands on your shoulder. “Kingscholar, it’s nice to see you again.”

Leona mutters, “Whatever. I’m heading back inside.” He walks off without another word. Seems he can’t stand being in Malleus’s presence for even a second.

“He left in a hurry,” Malleus muses.

Taking Malleus’s hand, you ask, “Did you need something?”

“I was just wondering where you wandered off to.” He glances at the direction Leona left. “You seemed to be very close to Kingscholar…”

“I found him napping in the bushes. He had some leaves in his hair, so I was just helping him get them out.” You chuckle when you notice the slight pout on his lips.

“Hmm… I see.” Sometimes he can be quite childish.

Deciding to distract him, you lead him to a back entrance to the palace. “I know it’s early, but I do have a birthday gift I wanted to give you.”

That perks him up. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Of course I have to. And since you weren’t much help in figuring out what to get you, I had to do a lot of thinking.” You lead him to the kitchen, which is empty. “Stay there.” Finding what you’re looking for, you bring over a plate that holds a miniature cake.

He stares at the cake. “...”

Slicing the cake in half, you hand him a fork. “Just try it.”

Malleus hesitantly takes a piece. You watch as his confused expression melts into shock. “Ice cream?!”

Grinning, you nod vigorously. “Yup! It’s an ice cream cake. The pastry chef helped me make it since I’ve never done it before. It took a few tries but we got it eventually. I used some ice magic to keep it from melting.”

He chuckles as he sets his fork down. “You know I don’t like whole cakes, but you played quite a trick on me.”

Taking a bite of your own slice, you’re surprised how tasty it actually is. “I thought a small one wouldn’t be so bad, and one filled with ice cream sounds even better. You don’t have to eat cake alone, Malleus.” You set the plate down on the table. “You have Lilia and your retainers. You have Diablo and the rest of the staff, who would love to share with you. And you have me.”

Reaching for his hand, you give it a gentle squeeze. He leans forward pressing his forehead against yours. “Thank you for the present. And thank you for being here with me.”

You recall your almost kiss in the gardens two weeks ago. Not quite brave enough, you gently grasp either side of his face. Moving back, you meet his tender gaze. You press a kiss to his forehead; his breath hitches. The scale markings on his forehead are cool to the touch. Pulling away, you watch as the apples of his cheeks slowly turn red. It spreads to his ears as he stands there frozen.

He doesn’t speak and you wonder if you broke him. “Malleus?”

Blinking a few times, the red has faded away. It’s honestly cute how the tips of his ears are still red. “Can I…can I kiss you?” he asks.

Heart thumping in your chest, you nod. No interruption this time.

You move your arms to drape around his shoulders as he grasps the side of your face. Leaning closer, you admire his long lashes. Closing your eyes, you feel his lips brush against your like a whisper. Then a little more firmly. His lips glide against yours in a sweet and hesitant kiss. He smells like magic, old parchment, and ink. He spends so much time working, you’re not surprised the smell has seeped into his very being.

He pulls away all too soon. He stares at you with the same look as in the gardens. He wants to swallow you whole. His hands have drifted to your waist as he hesitates to make another move.

You’re not quite done with him. “Come here,” you mumble before dragging him back for a better kiss.

You lead him in the kiss. It’s not hesitant as your mouth moves against his. You nibble at his lower lip before giving him a nice, sharp bite. He grunts before you soothe the sting with your tongue. His body shudders. You slip your tongue into his mouth causing his grip on your waist to tighten. Your fingers play the hair at the nape of his neck, twirling the strands around your finger and gently tugging. Your heart feels like it's going to beat out of your chest as your lungs beg for air.

Finally, you pull away with a gasp. Your face feels hot. He breathes heavily as he holds you flush against his body. Meeting his gaze, his pupils are blown wide. He licks his lips as he regards you. A pleasant shiver runs down your spine when you see his sharp canines glint in the light. You wonder again what it would feel like if he were to bite you.

He leans close again. “Can I have another?” he asks in a hoarse whisper. You’re all too eager to agree.

---

The party goes on long into the early mornings. After your alone time with Malleus, you both returned hand-in-hand. Thankfully it seems the guests are all too tipsy to even notice the birthday boy had disappeared. Only Sebek, Silver and Lilia notice. The green haired half-fae frets over where his master went. Lilia has a devilish smile on his lips while he gives you both a knowing look.

Malleus bids the guests goodnight, though the party continues. You’re about to follow when your parents stop you. Your grip on Malleus’s hand tightens for a second, but you quickly try to relax.

You smile as sweetly as possible. “Is there something you need?”

Duke Wynter picks off invisible lint on his jacket. “Your mother and I have something to discuss with you, dear.”

Glancing over at Malleus, you want to tell them to fuck off. However, you know you can’t. “Diablo, can you bring my parents to my study?”

“Of course, your majesty.”

As he leads them away, you turn to Malleus. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Of course.” He leans forward and kisses your forehead. Your face grows warm at the gesture. His eyes sparkle as he smiles, amused. “Goodnight.’’

Letting out a deep sigh, you head to your study. Diablo is there waiting at the door. “You may leave, Diablo.”

“Your grace…?”

“You don’t have to stay. I’m just having a chat with my parents.” You offer a too bright smile.

The old butler hesitates before giving a bow. “As you wish. Goodnight, your highness.”

Stepping into the study, you close the doors. Your parents are busy looking around. Walking over, you square your shoulders. “What did you want to talk about?”

Your body tenses before your brain can process the pain.

SMACK!

Your mask flies off and clatters to the ground. The force of the backhanded slap causes your ears to ring. The left side of your cheek throbs painfully and a metallic taste fills your mouth. You stare at the ground blankly.

“You idiot!” your father hisses. “What did you tell the king!?”

You count backwards in your head from five before answering, still keeping your eyes on the ground, “I don’t know what you mean, father.”

He scoffs. “The war with the Queendom of Roses! We were supposed to have a war with them!”

You had almost forgotten about that. “I thought that making a deal for resources would be more beneficial. The land would have been otherwise destroyed beyond repair if a war broke out. It would be useless to you, father.”

The man paces back and forth. “We could’ve expanded our territory…”

Your mother’s shoes come into view. She grabs your face, tilting your head up so she can stare into your eyes. She squeezes your cheeks together and digs her nails into your skin. Your cheek hurts even more. “Oh, our silly, dumb child,” she tuts, clicking her tongue. “You don’t need to think. Just do what we have instructed and leave the rest to us.”

Her cold, sharp eyes gaze at you with disgust. She releases her hold. “Come, dear, no need to be agitated. We can always start a war after everything is complete.”

Your father stops pacing and sighs. “You're right.” He glares at you. “Stick to the plan,” he orders. You recoil when his hand raises, but by some miracle he decides not to hit you again.

The two brush past you. “Make you sure you heal that unsightly face,” your mother calls. “We don’t want anyone to get the wrong impression, do we?”

The door to the study opens and then closes with a thud. Staring at the wall, you fall to your knees. Hand resting lightly on your cheek, you run on autopilot as you heal it. There are many memories of something similar to this happening. And each time you’re left to tend to yourself.

You can’t tell Malleus. Not yet. If you reveal your parents’ plans, they’ll make sure to bring you down with them. You’re not sure how Malleus would react if he finds out you were trying to control him. Anyone in their right mind would be upset if they found out the truth. He might be understanding, but you’re pretty sure Lilia and the others wouldn’t be.

And there’s still the issue of the weapon. In the story, your parents find a dagger that can kill anyone, including a being as strong as Malleus. Yūki is able to get their hands on the dagger before it can be used. Yet, the story never explains where or how your parents got this magical dagger. It also glossed over how Yūki was able to get it. You need to find out.

So even as your body shakes, you’re determined to take them down.

Tag list: @candlewitch-cryptic, @whatstheoccasion, @nimko, @yo4sblog, @mc-cos-charm, @mochiclouds, @41sh4

#twst imagines #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland imagines #malleus Draconia #twst malleus #malleus draconia x f!reader #malleus x f!reader #reader insert #scenario

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