#like not only do we have monsters choosing not to be evil

[nightlark100]

Alpha Pack Vs Hale Pack: Further adventures of Stiles Stilinski and Kevin the Demon Wolf 🐺

Derek: I thought Stiles was cooking tonight?

Peter: huh? Oh yes, he was supposed to. But he got kidnapped.

Derek: What?!

Isaac: Alpha pack took him

Derek: And the two of you are... waiting for a ransom demand?

Peter: We were actually waiting for Deucalion to call us begging for us to pick up our human. He'll probably be back in time for dinner but we might want to order pizzas just in case

Isaac: We have bets on how long it'll take. Boyd says it'll be max a few hours before they flee the town to get away from him.

Derek: Boyd knows too? Where is he?

Isaac: He went to the movies. He wanted to avoid Stiles tagging along, figured now was the best time.

Derek: He went to the movies while his pack mate was kidnapped

Isaac: Uh huh.

Peter: In fairness Nephew, the boy does get kidnapped at least once every few months. Even I kidnapped him!

*Derek pinches the bridge of his nose and resists the urge to bang his head against the wall*

--------------------------------------------------

*Stiles wakes handcuffed to a chair*

Stiles: Eurgh just once I'd like to wake up on a tropical vacation. Why do people keep doing this... is there some kind of yelp reviews for kidnapping victims and I'm just getting super high ratings? Ahh well... KEVIN GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE, I KNOW THIS IS YOU

Deucalion: Perhaps you should remember that you are in a position of vulnerability here, Mr Stilinski, and refrain from your usual level of sass

Stiles: oh that was me being restrained. And I would hardly call this a position of vulnerability

Deucalion: You're tied to a chair in an abandoned building with five alpha werewolves

Stiles: I choose to view it as five alpha werewolves are trapped in an abandoned building with me. What is with the abandoned building obsession anyway? Like, with Derek I get it. He was being broody Mcbrooderson and needed somewhere derelict from which to glare dramatically at passersby. But you? I expected better. I mean, if you're going to commit to this whole being a villain, you need to go all in. I don't see a single mounted skull of an enemy or even a dramatic chair for you to sit in and monologue from. Hell, the only piece of furniture in here is this chair and it's... Honestly, it's kinda comfy. Hmm.

Deucalion: I-

Stiles: Oh and by the way? You really should cut your losses and try again somewhere else. Derek is never going to buy into your whole GRR I AM ALPHA HEAR ME ROAR nonsense. I mean, you guys should get an image consultant or some kind of PR cause the whole offer sucks. And I get that you're embracing the idea of 'you catch more flies with manure than honey' with the grade A bullshit you're shoveling but it's such a weak pitch. Actually, maybe you should skip the rebrand and look at why you feel the need to pretend to be a monster.

Deucalion: wh... pretend?!

Stiles: Seriously. Peter didn't lean this hard into villainy and he was, by all accounts, an asshole before he went feral. Which is actually a shame cause he would have had an awesome evil lair. Ahh well, next time, next time. Anyway I'm getting distracted. My point was, you were apparently quite chill as an alpha before everything. You wanted peace and love and rainbows and fluffy kittens. I don't know what Brawny and the chiropodists nightmare had going on but I do know no one does a complete 180 on their personality without deeper issues. And I do get that you were in a horrible position, you'd just lost your vision, quite a few pack members and one betrayed you. That's enough to mess anyone up. But you still had some pack left, you had people you cared about and you just...

Deucalion: You're not a wolf. You couldn't understand the power that comes from killing your betas.

Stiles: I know Derek is much stronger with us than without us. No magical cure all power boost needed for him, just 100% pure alpha. Wait... is that it? Jeeze... I should have realised! It's nothing to be ashamed of, it is completely natural for a man your age to feel the need to... Compensate.

Deucalion: 😳

Stiles: But you need to take your midlife crisis out of my town. It was mildly amusing at first but now you're just getting obnoxious. We have exams coming up, can't be dealing with your nonsense. Just count yourself lucky that I'm too busy studying and not booting you out myself.

*Stiles sighs and pulls his hands free of the handcuffs he'd undone while talking, getting to his feet*

Stiles: But in all seriousness, you don't need more power, you never did. What you need is therapy. Just... All the therapy. And maybe a hug.

[aroaceleovaldez]

i think the thing that gets me the most about the plot of Court of the Dead as announced so far is, like TSATS it... has no reason to be the plot? Except even less so this time. Cause TSATS was at least slightly different from the plot point it was repeating ("Tartarus Adventure™", but CotD is entirely centered on... a fact of the franchise that has existed at least as early as Sea of Monsters.

"Some monsters are choosing not to be evil!" You mean. the entire central plot of Sea of Monsters? That one? That Tyson is not evil and not all monsters are out to kill demigods and Annabeth needed to get over her internalized ableism prejudice against cyclopes and Percy help Tyson to be accepted at CHB? A theme that is repeated throughout the series ad nauseam? The absolute plethora of allied monsters? The camp harpies? The Party Ponies? Mrs. O'Leary? Briares? All of Percy's cyclops half-siblings who live with Poseidon? Ella? The literal entire peaceful monster population of Camp Jupiter explicitly established since the first time we saw Camp Jupiter? And that Rick clearly did not forget about, cause he referenced it throughout the entirety of HoO and then also prominently in Tyrant's Tomb, including establishing that as being part of why Tyson and Ella live there now!!!!

Heck, that's even also half the plot of TSATS. What do you MEAN "Omg monsters are choosing to be good now!" like it's news??? That's the ENTIRE FRANCHISE...

[morganmnemonic]

I can't stop thinking about the relationship between Jon and Helen as perhaps one of the most important ones in the entire show. They are narrative parallels for each other, and they both know it. They've both known it from the very start!

Helen walks into the Archives, paranoid, unsure of who to trust, and Jon sees himself in her. And he thinks "If i can help her, maybe there's hope for me too." Then he can't save her. The next time they meet, she's a monster. They're both monsters. There was never any other way their stories could have gone, their fates entwined from the very start.

And Helen answers his original thought with one of her own: "Maybe if we can help each other, there's hope for us both." But Jon looks at her and sees everything that he fears becoming, and so he turns her away, and refuses to accept that their stories are still one and the same.

Helen went to the last person who was ever kind to her, the only person who both knew her as a human and had the context to understand what she'd become, and he hated her. He hated her because he liked Helen, and told her that she couldn't be Helen.

So she stopped trying to be Helen, and embraced being a monster. Reveled in it even. Then Jon wakes up from a six month coma, more monster than person, and tries so hard to cling to the things that mattered to him when he was human. Even with no support, even with the entire archives staff against him, he chooses humanity and compassion over and over again.

And this is a direct threat to Helen's world view. Their stories are entwined. If Jon can continue to be a person even after everything he's been through, then she could have clung to her humanity too, if only she'd tried a little harder. And that terrifies her! She wants to conceptualize herself as someone who was completely overwhelmed by forces beyond her control, who never had a choice but to become a monster. She want's to be an innocent victim. But Jon argues with his actions that they'd both had choices.

And, Jon, in turn, holds out hope that she might make better choices until the very end.

This is the conflict between them for all of season 4 and 5. Jon wants to prove that they can both be decent people, and Helen wants to prove that they were never going to be anything but monsters. This is why she's so devoted to trying to goad Jon into enjoying his newfound godhood. She knows that they are the same, and wants that to mean that he has a spark of evil inside of him, and not that she was always capable of doing good.

When Jon kills her, she loses her life, but wins the argument. Helen is nothing but a dangerous monster who needs to be killed for the good of everyone, and in the moment he decides that, Jon dooms himself to the same fate. Their stories are one and the same. "If i can help her, maybe there's hope for me too." he thought. But he couldn't help her, refused to, even, in the one moment when it actually mattered. And thus, there was never hope for him.

[dokidokitsuna]

GameSwap!AU #2

Thank @earthykinous for this idea; I saw it in the tags of the first GameSwap and immediately knew I had to give it a try ^^

-Taranza seems like a very ‘devoted’ character, the kind who very easily latches on to personal influences…so as part of the HWC, I think he would be just as involved with the Mother Computer as Haltmann, maybe even more so, just to be able to share something with him. Just in general, he’d be agonized about his father not recognizing him anymore, and desperate to prove his worth despite it, trying to replace familial love with company loyalty in a VERY toxic-positive way. ^^ And besides, if he uses that control helmet often enough, maybe he’ll lose all his painful memories too… And in this scenario…maybe the reason Haltmann dies is because he sacrifices himself to Star Dream to save Taranza somehow, finally recognizing his son when he realizes he’s about to lose him again. OR, maybe he just feels like Taranza is too important to lose without knowing why, leaving only Taranza to bear the true emotional weight of that sacrifice.

-I think Susie is a more mature character than Taranza– despite her sad backstory, she seems to handle her situation well during the game, and doesn’t even seem that affected by Haltmann’s death post-game. If it’s not maturity, at the very least it’s a much lower level of emotional attachment.

So how would she go about dealing with her crush mutating into a tyrannical insect queen? I think she would actually just lose respect for her, and end up turning on her.

Despite staying by her side and aiding in her conquest, she would secretly be plotting her downfall: praising and obeying Sectonia to her face, while trying to undermine her in the background…keep your friends close and your enemies closer, as they say. Rather than mistakenly capturing the wrong ‘Hero of the Lower World’, Susie would’ve picked Dedede on purpose, knowing that Kirby was the ‘real’ hero who would come to save him AND defeat Sectonia. She’d then pretend to oppose him throughout the game, throwing challenging bosses his way to prepare him to face the Queen…and finally, she’d reveal her true motivations once Dedede has been freed.

But maybe, just to bring back the stakes and drama…maybe Sectonia overhears this reveal, and enters the scene. Through the ensuing argument, we could learn a bit about how Sectonia became evil in the actual game, and have Susie basically call her out, admitting to her treachery and daring her Queen to do something about it. To throw away the last shred of their former friendship, once and for all.

Which Sectonia does, of course, and from there the rest of the game could proceed like normal. Only, I think Susie’s characterization as a tough-yet-caring friend and a twist-hero would make her return with the Miracle Fruit a lot more satisfying. Rather than failing to see how evil Sectonia had become until it personally affected her, she knew exactly how far-gone she was, and put her life on the line to try and wake Sectonia up.  And despite losing that gamble, despite witnessing her friend choose to become a monster in more ways than one, she survived and came back to help us end the battle. ^^ I think that would be really heartwarming~

[witch1nghour]

𝜗𝜚 ⠀𝗕𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗙 𝗠𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗨𝗠𝗕   ﹔   various  sentence  starters   (   platonic/romantic/antagonistic/etc   )  from   JEKYLL AND HYDE: THE MUSICAL   (   1990   )   .  please   , like   or  reblog if   you   plan   on   using   .   don’t   claim   as   your   own   .   content   warning   :   tw murder, violence, religion  .   

in  each  of  us  there  are  two  natures.

he's  beyond  help.

he  stil  has  a  soul  -  as  pure  and  good  as  yours  or  mine.

madness  is  the  cruelest  of  all  prisons.

there  must  be  a  way  to  help  him.

my  theories  convince  me  there  is  a  better  solution.

use  your  gifts  wisely.

once  there  was  morning,  now  endless  night.

if  I  could  reach  you  I'd  guide  you  and  teach  you  to  walk  from  the  darkness  back  into  the  light.

please  try  to  hear  me.

I'll  never  desert  you  -  I  promise  you  this  till  the  day  that  I  die.

I  need  to  know  the  nature  of  the  demons  that  possess  man's  soul

why  does  he  revel  in  murder  and  madness?

I  need  to  find  a  way  to  get  inside.

I  need  to  try  to  separate  the  good  and  evil  -  if  I  can.

give  me  courage  to  go  where  no  angel  will  go.

there's  a  face  that  he  hide  till  the  nighttime  appears.

man's  a  master  of  deceit.

what  is  his  sinister  secret?

if  we  could  extract  all  of  the  evil  from  each  of  us  think  of  the  world  we  could  create!

what  makes  you  think  you  have  the  right  to  play  god?

my  fate  is  yours  to  choose.

I  did  try  to  warn  you.

you  should  exercise  greater  caution.

you  have  come  this  far,  remember  what  you  have  at  stake.

comments  on  style,  madam,  should  never  be  made  by  those  who  have  none.

you'll  get  what  you  want  in  the  end,  you  always  do.

the  only  thing  to  fear  is  the  unknown.

we  knew  there'd  be  a  price  to  pay.

look  in  my  eyes  -  who  do  you  see  there?

love  is  the  only  danger.

we'll  make  our  one  dream  come  true.

you  know  who  I  am...take  me  as  I  am.

give  me  you  hand  -  give  me  your  heart.

swear  to  me  we'll  never  part!

goodnight,  my  angel.

goodnight,  my  devil.

if  we  want  our  love  to  grow,  we  musn't  be  afraid  of  letting  go.

you  are  playing  a  very  dangerous  game.

a  little  touch  of  sin  -  why  wait  another  minute?

why  should  tonight  be  different?

here's  to  the  night!

if  you  only  knew  the  games  we  could  play.

you're  not  up  to  the  chase.

you  have  got  a  lot  to  lose  ...  think  of  the  consequences.

for  all  these  years,  I've  faced  the  world  alone.

I  have  started  this  alone  ...  and  I  must  finish  it  alone.

I  have  a  thirst  that  I  cannot  deprive.

tonight  I'll  take  from  all  mankind,  conquer  all  the  gods.

I  see  the  pain  in  your  eyes.

have  I  become  my  work  and  nothing  more?

what  kind  of  monster  would  do  such  a  thing?

I  am  in  love  with  the  things  that  I  see.

if  someone  like  you  found  someone  like  me  then  suddenly,  nothing  would  ever  be  the  same.

I'd  feel  so  alive  if  someone  like  you  loved  me.

it  warms  my  heart  to  know  that  romance  still  blossoms.

how  dare  you  speak  to  me  like  that?

you  don't  seem  like  yourself.

I've  been  better,  name  ...  I've  been  better.

I  did  everything  I  could  to  save  the  others.

I  am  dangerous.  more  dangerous  than  any  wild  animal  stalking  its  prey  ...

my  love,  what's  happened  to  you?

I  must  be  left  alone  to  finish  what  I've  started.

yu  never  promised  me  the  journey  would  be  easy  -  only  that  we  would  take  it  together.

you  were  heaven-sent  to  me,  was  it  never  meant  to  be?

don't  abandon  me  now,  name.

if  you  need  me  you  know  where  I'll  be.

did  you  really  think  that  I  would  ever  let  you  go?

do  you  think  I'd  ever  set  you  free?

you  will  never  get  away  from  me!

this  is  not  a  dream,  my  friend,  and  it  will  never  end!

no  matter  what  you  may  pretend.

I'll  rejoice  as  you  breathe  your  final  breath.

there's  a  beast  at  the  door,  and  he's  wild  and  free.

[perfectlyoongi]

DAD!YOONGI who banish the monsters from your child's room. under the bed, inside the wardrobe or behind the curtain, Yoongi searched intensely around your kid's room looking for some monster that wanted to eat them while they slept; with a flashlight in his hand, cap pulled back and a badge your kid gave him saying “monsters out”, Yoongi made a point of going through every corner of the room, shouting at the monster behind the curtain and fighting with the one in the closet, and always leaving the room free of monsters. “don’t worry, little Min. the monster detective is going to search your room and kick all the greenies out.”

DAD!YOONGI who played basketball with your child on lazy sunday afternoons. Yoongi taught your child everything: how to shoot, how to do a trick, how to jump, all the basics were explored and memorized by your little kid; so, every sunday, Yoongi threw himself on the ground, threw the ball above the basket, ran slowly, all that just so he could hear the sweet laugh of the one he loved most. “mister referee, it was a foul! little Min threw me to the ground. they are evil!”

DAD!YOONGI who picks strawberries and pumpkins with your child. when the season invited him so excitedly to spend an afternoon digging in the dirt with his little child, Yoongi couldn't say no; since they were little, your kid went with Yoongi to greenhouses and farms, always choosing the biggest strawberries and the roundest pumpkins and arriving at home almost as dirty as their father. “when we get home, we’ll ask your dami to make strawberry jam for you to eat with your toast.”

DAD!YOONGI who lets his child play with his hair. it was already customary for Yoongi to sit on the floor and let his child's little hands create small hairstyles that had little precision and beauty; full of hair clips or pigtails, pulled back or with gel creating mountains, Yoongi never said no, even making suggestions, always laughing when you showed up with the camera ready to record those moments forever. “admit it. our baby made me the best hairstyle in the world. i’m going to use it on the next tour, what do you think?”

DAD!YOONGI who has your child's drawings in his studio. one of the walls of Yoongi's studio was like a gallery for your kid's most colorful and creative drawings; your family portrayed in a rainbow, Yoongi singing on the moon, you collecting shells on a beach, the drawings were immense, every one carrying a memory with them, always making Yoongi more relaxed every time his work became more frustrating. “is it me and your dami holding hands under that big heart? but where are you? our heart is only full with you between us.”

DAD!YOONGI who takes your child to lunch at their favorite fast food restaurant every now and then. hand in hand with your kid, Yoongi entered the restaurant with a very wide smile, already knowing what your child's order was, always asking for an extra one to give you at work so the three of you could eat as a family. “let’s do a surprise to your dami and show up at work so all of us can have lunch together?”

DAD!YOONGI who writes a new song for every birthday of your child and compiles it into an album to give to them when they turn 18. Yoongi only told you; every night on your baby's birthday, Yoongi would lean against you in bed, his head would rest gently on your chest as your hand repeatedly ran through Yoongi's silky hair and, wrapped in that love that he knew was eternal, Yoongi would focus in a new song for your child, always asking your opinion or suggestions. “i hope that when i give them the album, our angel realizes how much they mean to me and i hope they know i will always love them unconditionally.”

[dadsbongos]

do u think u could write some of ur own personal headcanons for laios? i love the way u write him, it seems almost canon!

anon you dont know what fire youre messing with

also thank yew hehe :>

general headcanons:

Laios likes babysitting but does NOT want to be a real papa, he adores the idea of being the Cool And Strange Uncle but just imagining having to raise a whole person from scratch terrifies him

Usually conks out as soon as his head hits the pillow and he’s a damn heavy sleeper, he strikes me as someone that gets the dad snore when he’s a bit older

Likes doing physical activity in the moment, maintaining his stamina/strength n whatnot. But HAAATES the aftermath, he will not stop bitching about how gross he feels when sweaty

People scare him but I think men specifically scare him more than women because he mainly associates “men” with his old boarding school and military peers and his dad. Meanwhile the most callous woman he’s personally dealt with is like. his mom… who wasn’t particularly menacing and he doesn’t seem to resent her as much as he does his father

Most definitely called Chilchuck “chil” in their early days together and got his nuts sacked for the unintentional disrespect

Doesn’t drink often because the taste bugs him but when he does decide to, he drinks to get drunk. So it has to be a special occasion

The type of older brother to tell Falin food fills up your body from your feet to your head and when you’re full to your head you die

modern headcanons:

Definitely the type to unironically use little emoticons like :) or :] but his favorites are the cute ones like :3 , ^.^ , and :0

Would’ve played barbies with Falin as a kid and enjoyed it more than Falin did lol

If he were out with the group (marcille would have to threaten his life though, he would HATE “going out”) and Marcille or Falin deferred to him to deal with creepy men he’d feel like a superhero about it

Borderline mandated to have a high impact phone case by Falin because he’s GOT to be dropping that shit all the time. I just know it (projecting)

Would probably dislike resident evil as a series but thinks the premises are cool

Bouncing off that: he’s a big Undertale and Deltarune fan (definitely had a thing for Toriel at some point and probably thought sans was kind of overrated). Has ambivalent feelings towards fear & hunger, likes the atmosphere and item preservation and monsters but the assault scenes and overt brutalism ick him out from recommending it

Would go his whole life without an autism diagnosis until eventually held at metaphorical gunpoint by his friends, just for his parents to go “oh yeah we had you tested as a kid but didn’t want you using it as a crutch”

If monsters weren’t real he’d be cryptid autistic just so everyone’s on the same page

Cryptids major and ocean creatures minor type autism

I don’t think he’s straight by any measure but before he has the Realization, he’s the epitome of the girls gays and coleman meme

Segue omg: he has no desire to think more about his sexuality or gender than “i feel x” or “i choose y”. I think he identifies as Man(TM) but in a “its harder to explain i want to be a bog” way. If you referred to him with feminine pronouns or called him “girl” he seriously wouldn’t give a shit 

nsfw(?) headcanons:

Could never do casual, you would have to be committed or only know each other VERY distantly and only do it once. His ass wouldn’t know how to read your relationship if you were trying to do friends with benefits (he’s also very concerned with hurting people’s feelings so just the notion of accidentally doing that to someone he’s intimate with would kill him)

May seem strange coming from a bitch always talkin about fucking him, but I think Laios would actually have kind of a lower sex drive. Like he maybe doesn’t get needy very often but also isn’t NOT in the mood, so if you proposition him and he’s into you he’ll be like “okie :3”

That being said, when he does feel needy he’s NEEDY. It’s debilitating, he genuinely can’t do or think of anything else until his poor wee is taken care of :( poor guy aww

I can see him being a virgin until his early-mid 20s and having no shame about it (good for him go king, virginity is nothing to be ashamed of it literally doesn’t matter)

Also by virgin i mean rice purity test score of like 97

Swears he doesn’t like having his cock worshipped (says its weird and embarrassing) but he’s so flustered n drooly and babbles the whole time

Biter 

[anim-ttrpgs]

Eureka is an absolute masterpiece of a ttrpg with so much thought and care put into it. I really can't say enough good things about it. I do want to know if you have made/plan to make any other ttrpgs? I would love to see more genres besides supernatural urban mystery from you because of how quality your work is (but it's completely understandable if you have no plans to do other things).

Thank you! It’s taken us years to refine Eureka’s rules to this level of polish, and I do think it shows! A warning to all other aspiring TTRPG designers, though, don’t make your first project something this big! Keep it short! Not “one page rules” type of short, but don’t be like us and make your first real project a full-on trad TTRPG with this many different moving parts.

If you have aspirations to make something as crunchy and fleshed-out as Eureka, maybe try to execute the concept in a more simpler “OSR” style, and then after you’ve gotten more experience under your belt, maybe made some money and/or gotten a team together, then maybe try that concept again with more crunch. Call it “Advanced [Your Earlier Game Title]”

As for the future of A.N.I.M., we are planning to continually release adventure modules for Eureka, and probably also add-ons like extra Traits, Monster Traits, etc. I would love to include some playable monsters from cultures outside “the west” too, but I wouldn’t want to half-ass them, I’d want to give them as much research, attention detail and themes, etc. that I’ve given to all the other monsters. That’s just a lot harder when the best sources aren’t always in English.

Speaking of shorter games, I already wrote a little tiny game on the side called Edge Hedge Arena.

This is a game where you google “[Your Name] the Hedgehog”, choose one of the many Sonic OCs that are likely to come up, then give them stats and battle them against those of other players using the rules provided.

Since I basically have no more rules to write for Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy and I’m mostly just waiting for other members of the team to finish working on their parts, I’ve partially moved on to working on A.N.I.M.’s next big game, too!

We’ve learned our lesson, it’s not going to be anywhere near the page count or crunch level of Eureka, even though you know I love crunchy games. Well, actually, it’s probably only slightly less crunchy than Eureka, but it’s about much more specific scenarios, so it’ll still overall have less mechanics. The scope is much smaller.

This is a dark comedy/satire game that kind of takes the Forgotten Realms “evil sexy matriarchal bdsm slavery society ruled by warriors who fight in lingerie” dark elf concept and asks the question of “What kind of society and circumstances would actually produce this?” (Though it doesn’t actually take place in Forgotten Realms or any other D&D setting)

And then makes the comparison to 20th and 21st century American capitalism. “No, these aren’t slaves, they aren’t chained up and are allowed to leave any time they want. But they only get food so long as they keep working, and if they disobey then can get beaten.” It started out as a joke, but we are probably going to add "media literacy" to the list of requirements alongside dice and stuff hahaha, like, the ability to understand that the world of this game is not supposed to represent the author's idea of a perfect society. We might add that to Eureka too.

Silk&Dagger is about class, gender roles, different ways that forced labor can manifest in a society, and most importantly surviving all of those things.

Going forward to understand what I’m saying you have to know that in this setting, “Drow” is a title, referring to the ruling warrior caste. Most Drow are dark elves, but not all dark elves are Drow. This society is structured a bit like ancient Sparta, with a very small ruling caste of warriors, and a very large servant caste. Social mobility between these castes is possible, but rather than getting into it in detail and making this post super long, let’s just say that many servants consider themselves temporarily embarrassed Drow.

A typical “party” in Silk&Dagger is will consist of one Drow PC and any number of servant PCs working for her. There are regular chores that need to be done around the palace, which provide challenges, but scenarios will also throw major issues into the mix.

A Drow’s Reputation is everything, if the Drow PC’s Reputation stat reaches 0, that is the failure state for the entire party, because it basically means no more food. (Even the servants, for lore reasons that I also won’t get into)

So a typical scenario will be like “Somebody very important is coming to visit, but the lower floor of the palace is starting to flood for an unknown reason.” We’re going to have multi-part tables where you can randomly generate these, but we will also have more in-depth adventure modules for it in the future.

We ran a playtest the other day basically based on this scenario. The intended comedy of the game really came out as we kept switching perspectives, with the Drow upstairs having to constantly come up with new ways to impress her guests and explain away that splashing sound while the servant worked down below trying to find and plug the leak.

So, the PCs will have to deal with all that while also making sure that all the chores get done, and the kicker is, they can’t easily communicate with each other. The massive gulf between the two castes is the real enemy here, along with the behavioral expectations placed on each.

They could’ve gotten a head start on dealing with the flooding if the servant had had permission to speak earlier and could’ve told the Drow that the lower floor is flooding, but

There’s a big list of behaviors that a servant has to fulfill when interacting with a Drow, which are basically designed to be impossible to follow and just get them in trouble, and a Drow who doesn’t strictly enforce this etiquette risks losing Reputation for it.

On the other side, Drow also have to constantly embody a list of six features, which basically means acting as evil as possible, their Reputation depends on it.

One other unique feature of Silk&Dagger is that it is a two-GM game. One GM does most of the normal GM stuff, while the other GM represents the ever-present societal expectations weighing on all the characters, subtracting Reputation points and important things every time the PCs do something that makes them look bad in the eyes of this society.

There may come times where PCs will just have to take the hit to get things done, or find clever ways to make it look like they’re upholding the status quo while secretly treating each other like equals when nobody’s looking.

You can expect, like, an alpha or beta version of this game to come to the patreon in probably January or February, and maybe even itchio if it is far along enough by then. It was actually supposed to be out on the patreon in December, but some personal issues and illnesses really held it up. I am really going to try and make it less than 200 pages.

I'll end the post with one of my favorite little bits from the setting/lore. One of the reasons that Drow dress like that is because it helps them identify each other by thermal vision in the pitch black tunnels. Unique patterns of covered and uncovered skin serve as a sort of personal heraldry.

Elegantly designed and thoroughly playtested, Eureka represents the culmination of three years of near-daily work from our team, as well as a lot of our own money. If you’re just now reading this and learning about Eureka for the first time, you missed the crowdfunding window unfortunately, but you can still check out the public beta on itch.io to learn more about what Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy actually is, as that is where we have all the fancy art assets, the animated trailer, links to video reviews by podcasts and youtubers, etc.!

You can also follow updates on our Kickstarter page where we post regular updates on the status of our progress finishing the game and getting it ready for final release.

Beta Copies through the Patreon

If you want more, you can download regularly updated playable beta versions of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy earlier, plus extra content such as adventure modules by subscribing to our Patreon at the $5 tier or higher. Subscribing to our patreon also grants you access to our patreon discord server where you can talk to us directly and offer valuable feedback on our progress and projects.

The A.N.I.M. TTRPG Book Club

If you would like to meet the A.N.I.M. team and even have a chance to play Eureka with us, you can join the A.N.I.M. TTRPG Book Club discord server. It’s also just a great place to talk and discuss TTRPGs, so there is no schedule obligation, but the main purpose of it is to nominate, vote on, then read, discuss, and play different indie TTRPGs. We put playgroups together based on scheduling compatibility, so it’s all extremely flexible. This is a free discord server, separate from our patreon exclusive one. https://discord.gg/7jdP8FBPes

Other Stuff

We also have a ko-fi and merchandise if you just wanna give us more money for any reason.

We hope to see you there, and that you will help our dreams come true and launch our careers as indie TTRPG developers with a bang by getting us to our base goal and blowing those stretch goals out of the water, and fight back against WotC's monopoly on the entire hobby. Wish us luck.

[cranberryjuice-posts]

I’m not 100% sure if requests are open but if they aren't pls disregard this!

Is it ok if I request a Clarisse x reader where their on a quest and there's only one bed (basic I know). Maybe there on a quest with some other people and they all know about the readers crush on Clarisse and vice versa so they make sure they get a room together?

And while their in the bed together it's super small so their squished close to one another and it’s just super cute!

- just one chance -

Pairings - Clarisse La rue x fem! Reader

An - i only have one more request to write 😭

“Really” is all clarisse had to say. She gave a dirty look to silena ignoring the fact that you both were supposed to sleep in the small room. It barley had enough space for you to walk in let alone sleep.

Stepping into the closet like space choosing to not pay attention to the growing argument outside. You started placing down the chairs to form a bed, adding the sheets, and making the bed itself. Once content you took a step back grabbing clarisses arm to gain her attention. “Look it forms a bed. You can take the room and I’ll find somewhere to sleep in the viewing hall”

“Like hell you are! You can take the room” her tone still agressive though softer when it came your way.

“—Or! You both could just share the room I mean the bed seems big enough” silena continued with an evil smile pressing the issue of you being together. You knew she knew, she was the daughter of love how couldn’t she.

Your crush on clarisse had been something you tried keeping under wraps, even if that meant denying it to even yourself. Silena had found out about your feelings early on— lucky for her she also knew about clarisse heart throb to.

Being put on this quest with you both was the perfect time for her to play match maker much to both of your dismay. Taking every chance she got to force you to together which now led to her ‘accidently’ loosing one of the room tickets.

“I don’t see the problem” silena kept her innocent act.

“The fucking Problem is—“ the only reason for her pause was due to you squeezing the girls bicep making her look down at you.

“Next time please don’t fuck up the room tickets ok..” you sighed.

“And we’re not done with this conversation got it!” Clarisse made sure she had the final word.

“Great! Happy we got this settled” Silena Just smiled happily as she skipped down the hall to check out the rest of the train. Leaving you both alone.. again.

——

Walking back to the rooms from the public shower hall both you and silena laughed over some silly memory from camp.

“Thank you again for letting me borrow a pajama set I really don’t know how mine got lost” you smiled at the brunette. Taking a look down you admired the red plaid pj shorts and the black tanktop— simple yet cute.

“Of course, you can keep them the plaid really clashes with my skin anyways” she giggled. Arriving at your rooms you waved goodbye to silena before opening your door.

You and clarisse looked at eachother with confusion as you had on matching pajamas only clarisses had long plaid sweats and a black wifebeater. “I’m going to kill her”

“It’s pajamas” You rolled your eyes climbing onto the bed and shutting the door.

“And she’s playing devils advocate” clarisse scorfed going back to her spear.

You admired the girls handiwork with her weapon. Not anyone could polish and keep a spear clean quiet like clarisse. Dragging yourself away from her form you had an idea. Leaning forward and grabbing your bag you pulled out your laptop

Kicking the bag aside before crawling under the covers you tried to make as much room on the tiny bed.. A minute later clarisse wrapped an arm around you just to make both of you more well comfortable. “What are you doing” she curiously asked. You however just ignored her, opening the laptop and quickly connecting to the Wi-Fi clarisse practically snatched your mac book away. “Are You Crazy?! You’ll attract monsters to us that I’ll have to kill”

“Calm down lise” you took the computer back. “I had the Hephaestus cabin Alter this so Monsters as a matter of fact can’t track us”

“Did they prove that?”

“Well.. no”

It amused you how she just rolled her eyes. After a few moments you had successfully pulled up an illegal website; typing into the browser you pulled up the movie ‘legally blonde’. Setting the computer on both of your laps as you were both squished together.

Moving around some both of you ended up cuddling, bodies tangled and heads closed to eachother; You Just listened to clarisses heartbeat.

“If a monster Does find us it’ll be worth it” clarisse sighed kissing the top of your head. You felt your whole body heat up, giving a flustered smile you sank more into the warmer girl. “What are You doing?” She chuckled.

“It’s cold out”

“It’s 75 degrees”

“Yeah Cold”

——

The movie came to an end faster than you wished. Placing the computer aside, and getting comfortable once more you decided to suck it up and finally confess. It was the perfect moment you had been waiting for— cuddling for the past hour, making jokes and even shy hands trailing each others body; if you hadn’t done it silena would of murdered you. Taking the chance you sat up, looking down at clarisse for a moment. Everything about her just amazed you.

Her brown eyes, her curly hair, the way she managed to stay strong and fierce while keeping her feminine side. You leaned down placing a kiss on her lips.

Immediately she placed her hands on your waist allowing her to deepen the kiss. Breaking away only for a second just to kiss you once again.

It moved faster that expected but that was fine. Grabbing her face into your hands you let out a soft moan trying to keep up with her desire.

Finally breaking free You panted with shot pupils. Clarisse looked the same as you. “I like you— like a lot, like more then a friend” you managed out.

“Thank the gods” she muttered before kissing you once again. Her hands traveled up your body until they found them self’s on the side of your neck. Pulling back clarisse moved you around on the bed so you could lay beside her.

Sitting in silence she gently rubbed your cheek, forcing your hair back so she could look at you and only you. “Can I be your girlfriend… please” she whispered.

It would of hard to of said no. Smiling wide you tangled your body with hers once more. “Yeah I think we can arrange for that”

Silena - you and yn are together— I wonder who could of set that up 😈

Clarisse - yeah thanks or whatever

Yn - dude

[mossheadmandy]

Things to remember and other unpopular opinions about Jonathan Byers:

1. He bites his nails when he's anxious.

2. He decides against wearing neckties because he doesn't know how to tie them. Lonnie was never around to teach him.

3. He was probably an accident.

4. He's too empathetic and patient to make objective decisions.

5. He's thought as a freak not in the same way Eddie is. He's calm, quiet and remains outcasted by choice because, like he told Nancy, he dislikes most people. Eddie, on the other hand, is outcasted against his will, but he likes to be surrounded by friends, he takes care of his sheep because he knows what it's like; he's whimsical and loud, while Jonathan prefers to keep a low profile.

6. Remember when Jonathan beat the shit out of Steve? He knows what people say about him and he doesn't care, but the very moment Steve started to mess with his family, that's when Jonathan reacted and beat his ass. What happened with the Nancy graffiti was probably part of it, but let's remember that he wanted to simply take her out of there peacefully until Steve started to poke at his nerves.

7. During the first season, that one scene where Eleven is in the improvised tank trying to locate Barb and Will, as soon as the lights start to blink, everyone looks up at the lights, but Jonathan keeps an eye on Eleven.

8. He had to become 'the man of the house' at a very young age with Lonnie's absence, and he had to parent both Will and Joyce, in a way.

9. Joyce mentioned that Jonathan was always independent and knew how to take care of himself. Eldest siblings, we know what this means, and please tell me that very statement doesn't break your heart.

10. Jonathan had to deal with a lot at the ripe age of sixteen. Not only did he witness the crumbling of his parents marriage, but also take care of his little brother not as a brother but as a father figure, work to help Joyce make ends meet, deal with the guilt of Will's disappearance because the very night he disappeared, he was out at work, deal with a funeral for his little brother and choose a coffin, and then hunt monsters and witness very gory things, and be constantly on edge due to the government keeping an eye on him and his family plus not knowing when the monsters and any other evils of the Upside-down would be back.

11. I'm sorry but Jonathan Byers is what Steve Harrington fans think Steve is.

12. He's very observant.

13. The OG mixtape maker.

14. He's very family-oriented and his priorities are clear.

15. He's always in disadvantage because of his socio-economic situation, so he has to work extra hard to demonstrate that he's worthy. Probably also, in a way, he felt like he had to clean the last name of the Byers while he was in Hawkins.

16. He's very genuine because he had never felt like he had to impress anybody. Quite the contrary, in fact, given that he dislikes most people, the least thing that he wanted was to have people approaching him.

17. Had not Jonathan seen Steve storming off the bathroom, he would probable have had a new friend. Or potentially a girlfriend. A goth girlfriend.

Remember Samantha, at Tina's party? Jonathan made her laugh. He wasn't used to talk to people, nor did he know how to keep a conversation going, but Samantha looked comfortable, probably found his awkwardness endearing, and they could have kept talking, but then Steve came out of the bathroom, visibly upset and Jonathan knew something was up, and went looking for Nancy.

18. Jonathan took Nancy home because it was the safe thing to do, and also because he likes her. But if you'd really understood the character, you'd know Jonathan would have taken Nancy home even if there was nothing between them because he had always taken care of other people. Jonathan takes care of Nancy because he's an older brother, and Steve never learned about taking other people's feelings into account nor to take care of other people because he's an only child, and didn't learn it from anyone else because in his own words, his father is a major a-hole, so he had no good examples on how to be a decent human being since he was a kid.

20. Jonathan probably lied for Steve's sake. The day after Tina's party, Nancy talked to him and asked him if Steve had asked Jonathan to take her home and he said yes. Then proceeded to reassure her that Steve was only being like that because he cared about her.

Steve didn't ask him to take Nancy home because for starters he was NOT OKAY with him taking her home. He was beyond pissed.

You see, Jonathan knows yet denies himself his own feelings for Nancy because he knows he can't have her, but also because he thinks she's happy with Steve, and her feelings are more important to him than acknowledge his own.

20. Jonathan is just quiet, asocial and introverted, and that's a personality too.

I'm tired of people thinking he's bland just because his personality isn't loud like Eddie's or Steve's, quirky like Robin's, or strong like Nancy's. He isn't that physically strong but he's always willing to fight and aid, and the fact that his support goes unnoticed because it's usually silent upsets me to no end.

21. He could probably see an escape to his old life in Hawkins as soon as he got to Lenora Hills because his last name had no reputation.

22. I coud never say his character got ruined by turning into a stoner because, even if though I'm not celebrating his consumption of weed, I don't condemn it. After everything he's gone through, finding a way to forget about it for a moment is the least thing Jonathan deserves. Which is also the reason I don't understand the Argyle hate. He's the first friend Jonathan has made because he sees him for who he is, and Argyle is wise, gives him good advice and he's always ready to lend a hand.

Jonathan Byers is an extremely underrated character and I'm sick of it.

[arcane-vagabond]

Call the Nightingale: Prologue

Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Reader

Summary: As princess of your kingdom, you have always been raised to do what is best for your people—trained in the art of diplomacy and how to make decisions. You see no reason why you cannot govern your kingdom on your own, but your father has decrees that you should take a husband. Suitors have been sent from the different kingdoms surrounding your own, but you have no intention of choosing any of them. You’ll let them think they have a chance, squabbling amongst each other for your hand, but you’ll show them all that you are a force to be reckoned with and taken seriously. (Medieval!Knight!AU)

Chapter CW: Death of a parent, World Building. Nothing too serious beyond that.

Word Count: 837

Main Masterlist || Series Masterlist || Blog Rules || Writing Rules

Once, you had believed the stories. You had been a little girl when your mother told you the story of how your kingdom came to be.

“The lands we rule, sweeting,” she had smiled, dimples creasing her cheeks, “were once the home of gods. Gods who ruled our people, and not too long after, they began to dwindle in numbers—marrying human spouses and producing children that little by little became just like the people they ruled. From these gods come the noble families of Maverick. The blood of the old gods still run through their veins.”

You listened with rapt attention as she wove stories into the air, just as she wove and embroidered the tapestries that hung the halls of the palace you called home. You watched as your mother, the queen, walked the halls with her head held high and each step taken in grace. You’d heard whispers from the courtesans and servants that your mother was a nymph from the sea past the cliffs who’d fallen in love with your father. She left her home in the sea to live by his side, a noble queen for a powerful kingdom.

Once, you had believed in love. You watched the soft gazes your mother gave your father, the way the crinkles around his eyes would smooth as his eyes landed on her, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips. You watched as they danced, laughter echoing the room as they gazed adoringly at each other, seemingly unaware of those around them. You dreamed of a love like that, of what your future love would look like. Would your husband be handsome? Strong? Would he look to you for guidance as your father did with your mother?

Once, you believed in happy endings. Your mother spoke of the great heroes who conquered the reigning evil, the monsters falling where the hero’s sword pierced their heart. She spoke of the women who aided the hero in his quest, reminding you that without the knowledge of women, the hero was doomed to fail.

“It’s their strength,” your mother had said one day, “that keeps a kingdom from falling apart during hard times and a people humble during the good.”

You stared at her with curious eyes, not quite understanding her meaning. She smiled at you, and you took a step towards her, stopping as the room began to spin. Your mother let out a shocked cry, lurching to catch you as you fell. Her hand felt cool as it cradled your face, and you let out a quiet whimper as she instructed her lady-in-waiting to fetch a doctor.

You don’t remember how long you were sick for, but it felt like years as the fever ravaged your tiny body, your muscles aching as your lungs struggled with each breath. Through it all, your mother never left your side, her worried eyes never letting you out of her sight as she held you in her arms. You vaguely remember your father coming and going, hushed whispers exchanged with your mother as his own worry seemed to age him. You awoke one day, fever having broken, to the rays of sun brushing against your face. Your sickness seemingly cured, your nursemaids called after you as you raced down the halls to find your mother, but it was too late. Your mother was buried only days later, on a hill overlooking the sea from which she had come.

Your father’s eyes seemed dull after that, often staring at nothing as he lost himself in thought. It was a while before he smiled again, and even then it never quite met his eyes. You did your best as his only child, throwing yourself into your studies once you were old enough to understand what was expected—no, needed—of you. You learned the art of diplomacy, studied law and battle strategy, all while learning how to conduct yourself as a proper lady within court. Your father’s courtiers and advisors insisted you reside yourself to playing the part of the helpless princess, doomed to be married off to the highest bidder or whomever would make the most advantageous match.

“You must think of the man that will replace you, my king,” Aldred, one of the oldest advisors, had murmured to him one day. You had been walking past the throne room when you heard their conversation, and it had made your blood boil. Why should a man sit upon your father’s throne? You were his blood, his only child and heir. You were more than capable of ruling the kingdom as his daughter. It wasn’t right, and you would make them see that. You didn’t need to sell yourself to the nearest man in order for the kingdom to remain great and prosperous, no.

Once, you had believed the stories. Once, you had believed in love. Once, you had believed in happy endings. Now, you were grown, and you would carve your own path. One that did not require you to submit.

A/N: Well, we're off! Friendly reminder that I don't do taglists (please quit asking). You can, however, follow my sideblog: @arcanevagabond-library and turn on post notifications to be alerted about when I update! You can also find my fics cross posted on AO3 under arcane_vagabond.

[gremlingottoosilly]

The Horror and the Wild [Emperor!Konig x fem!Reader]

It's time for the wedding - and the wedding night. Emperor is going to make sure you will bear his offsprings by the end of the night. Tags and TW: Dub-con, aphrodisiacs, power imbalance, breeding kink, size difference, loss of virginity, age difference(Konig in his forties, Reader in her twenties), medieval/fantasy AU, Konig is a pervert AND an evil dictator AO3

You weren’t saved from the humiliation of a public wedding. 

You weren’t saved the torture of picking the flowers as you were choosing the attire to your own funeral – and you weren’t saved your innocence by allowing yourself to ignore all the handmaidens and their horrible, disgusting picture books about penetration, pools of blood and hell that is saved between the legs of a man. 

“My condolences, dear princess. For your parents. And congratulations on your wedding. Our deepest hopes go to your coronation, Empress.” “From the king of South, we send our sheerest condolences. And congratulations on the wedding.” “May your parents rest in peace. And glory to the Emperor.” “Grief surely suits you, Dear Empress. As well as the crown.”

You think you might puke right in your royal garments, looking at all of the royal visitors. 

King Price of Southern Kingdom, with all of his knights – you do not know if you can find solace in the girl clinging to the hand of his masked knight, the stench of death filling you with calmness that you don’t know how to deal with. The girl is terrified, just like you – if you may, you’re probably the same age, that years of servitude grazing in the hands that are covered by the sheerest amounts of gloves. 

The lady – you don’t know her name, and you doubt that any woman in this hall is even allowed to have one other than her husband’s – is looking at you with understanding. You think you might actually die. 

— Lady Ryley? 

She smiles, and before you can go to her – hold her hands, ask her to disappear with you, maybe run away somewhere, you don’t even know where – the masked knight already drags her away, a firm hand on her shoulder. You’re alone, the weight of the royal robe is pinning you to the floor. 

You are dressed in black as the only form of rebellion – guests must assume you’re still mourning your parents, the grief in their eyes is mixed with congratulations on the Empire finally getting prospects of offspring – you hope you’d tore your womb from your body before König could lay his hands on you. Guests may assume that the wedding is a tab bit strange, maybe somewhat unusual for the emperor to marry someone of your status – tiny kingdom, no worthwhile resources, and almost zero prospects for trade. Maybe, you were the only treasure this kingdom ever had to sell so eagerly. 

König holds your hands because you know that you would try to run the second he is letting you go. You know he knows this, too. Guests may assume that he is being protective of his young wife – assassins aren’t unheard of in these places, after all, you were the empress now. The much smarter guests knew what kind of looks you gave him – perhaps, you had the best options at killing the notorious emperor right after he robbed you of the last remains of your dignity. 

You smile and wave like a damned pampered pigeon, pretty and useless, all dressed up in bows and black pearls, dark stones illuminating the depths of your despair – only the monster you had for a husband would even consider ordering a mourning dress this beautiful. You’re almost ashamed of wanting to paint it red – you almost feel bad while holding the butter knife and thinking about plunging it into your chest, ripping away all the delicate laces and ornaments that cut through your skin each time you breathe a bit too freely. 

— You look divine in this dress, meine Liebe. 

He smiles, you know he is – he didn’t forget about his damn hood even on his own wedding, but he holds you dearly, but he smiles with his eyes, an eerie sense of happiness that makes every guest shake in their seats. The Ruler of the Empire doesn’t smile. Not at his wife, who looks like she would rather kill herself, for sure – but he smiles as you say your wows, knowing full well you are not going to fulfill them, but he laughs when the priest stutters once you refused to say you do the first time – König has to squeeze your hands, reminding you of your place. Even your stubbornness has a limit, apparently. 

His lips are dry and chastity. 

König knows he can’t kiss you like he wants to – too many guests, too many pricks, thinking they have a look on his wife. If it weren’t for the admirers and desperate rulers of foreign lands, trying to force their songs and daughters to marry him out of a pathetic attempt at saving their countries, he wouldn’t even think about a public wedding. If it weren’t for the annoyance of constantly swatting the offers away, he would never allow the world to see you. Not how beautiful you look, not how pretty your eyes are, glistening with tears, not how much he just wanted to smother you with affection like there isn’t anyone around. 

Hells, if he knew so many people would accept the short notice for an invitation, he would invade their kingdoms while they were away at his wedding. 

König holds your face in his hands, the contrast between soft skin and his gloves is making you shiver – he pushes his hood up, even just for a little bit, and the only thing that is ever revealed to the audience is the scars on his chin and sudden dryness of his lips. He thought he overcame his childish anxiety when he was still a tiny bird stuck in his adolescence – but he looks at you, his pretty little princess, and his hands are shaking from the anticipation of a kiss. 

The guests will assume you’re crying because you love him so, so much. 

The Emperor knows better, kissing the tears from your lips like it was the sweetest treat around. 

*** You thought you were smart.

You really did. 

Such a slick motion, such an easy task – the girl coming with Knight Riley, the weak one, with trembling hands and face that spoke of innocence of lambs and with calloused hands of a fellow worker, took your hand as you were leaving. The veil of laughs and jokes about finally conceiving a worthy heir for the empire made you shiver from horror – and the girl swatted you to her side, a single sleight of hand putting…something in your palms. 

Some sort of plant – dried, smelling of something sweet and edible, flowers that would feel crispy on your tongue. She smiles softly, her hands are gentle on yours – she whispers in your ear before your respective monsters can catch you and throw you in their layers again. 

She said, it was mercy. 

She said, it would make -it- feel quick and easy. 

You hoped, it was a poison. 

It had to be, you wouldn’t accept anything else – the desire to die and fulfill the destiny of a loyal servant, the whispers of the god of dignified death – you may not see the sweetness of the afterlife with your Princess, but killing oneself to save their bodies from being violated is a worthy fate for any. You pushed the plant in your mouth as swiftly as possible, chewing on the dried grass and crispy flowers, hoping the effect would be immediate. 

You’re bathed and oiled like a pig for devour, short for the apple stuffed in your mouth – instead, you have forced a mouthful of wine, goblets after goblets. To ease the tension of the first night, the servants said, smiling understandably. You feel warm, you feel dizzy, you feel hellishly feverish, and it couldn’t be just from the alcohol – you close your eyes and hope that the plant took its way finally, releasing you from the shell of the mortal life. You’re dressed up in pretty garments, skimpy as something that the empress should never wear – you feel like a cheap whore when your skin is glossy with oils and decorated with flowers. 

Just before you started chewing on them too, your husband finally arrived. 

You hoped you’d be dead before ever seeing him naked again – but you’re forced to watch his muscles tense as the only thing saving his lack of dignity is the smallest ever piece of undergarments. It doesn’t help in hiding his arousal, the monstrosity between his legs. You knew you would have to die before he is ever putting anything in you – but you see the outline of his manhood, poking from the side of a simple cloth, and somehow, you feel hotter than before. 

You blame it on the wine, you blame it on the poison you took. The warmness is spreading in your tummy to your lower areas, forcing its way to moisture your garments, a wet spot, embarrassingly big for an Empress, is slowly spreading between your oiled, scented legs. You’re nothing but a feast for him, a pretty little snack – you knew how much he liked to eat, after all. What great talent he had in forcing your legs apart and showing his head between them, that sinful tongue of his speaking of prayers and soft little blasphemies in the sweetness of your maidenhood. 

— You’re burning, little princess. 

You hoped it’s the poison working. 

For a second, he placed his hand on your forehead and caressed it softly, accessing your temperature. For a second, the cold of his hands made you nuzzle into his palm like a cat that was fed nothing but the finest pieces of meat by the hand that was ready to skin it for its skin. For a second, you hoped that his embrace alone would be enough to kill you. 

If you die, which you must do, you wish it would be with his hands holding you softly. 

— A virgin fewer? I thought you’d know what we’re going to do by now, little prin…

— Don’t stop be from dying. 

You let go of those words before you could claim your silence. 

König’s hands are grasping you immediately, a finger lays in your mouth, making you gag – you open your lips from instinct, no matter how much you want to stop him from ever entering your mouth. He is weirdly smooth with you, the other hand going to grab your waist and press you on the bed – like you ever had a chance to stand against him and run away. Like he didn’t have a row of guards just outside the door. 

— Dying? Scheisse, dumme What did you do? 

He quickly grasped your tongue, the traces of the flower still lingered on your teeth, on the further corners of your mouth – you didn’t know if you had to spit it out or eat it whole, and you didn’t want to guess in the matters of death and loss of dignity. You gag on his fingers as he laughs – an unusual sound. First, the smiles and happiness in his voice, the rings and chains he put you in, and now laugh? Perhaps you died already, and this is your eternal damnation. 

— Let go of me! You have no…

— Were you still so scared, Liebling? 

— I wasn’t…what do you mean, Your Highness? 

The title is good, the title puts some distance between you and him. Only imaginary – he is still as close as possible, hands on your body, wiping the traces of the flowers on the silk sheets and holding you in his embrace again, as tight as he possibly can. You feel ill, you feel hot, every time he puts his hands on you, you can feel your core throbbing, the poison making you dizzy and dumb. 

You almost feel like begging him to touch you again – and again, and again. König, for one, can’t wait to watch. 

— I wonder where you got it. Such a clever Katzen, ja? Eating aphrodisiacs before her wedding night, like I would just mount you like an animal without preparing my wife? 

He laughs and laughs, hand in your hair, petting you gently like you truly were a cat. You’re dumbfounded, the fewer makes everything make less and less sense. You close your eyes, you open your eyes – you feel him on you. Looking, watching, observing, you want him to stop, and you want him to rip away those stupid garments and touch you, as he did in that dim hallway, to push his masterful, sinful tongue down your folds and treat you like a…

You whimper as you fell on the sheets, truly embracing the cat in-heat stance you were for the last few minutes. You roll on the sheets, smooth silk makes your core cool just a bit, the pressure only building with each time you try to hump the sheets, not caring anymore if you were behaving like an animal. 

Perhaps, the Knight’s maiden really wanted to make everything easier for you – just in her own way. 

— Wh…what have you done to me? 

He is bracing his hands between your legs, lingering touches on the wetness of your garments, making you both shiver in anticipation. He is forcing his tongue on you, the immediate pressure making you meow from the sensation. You hate it, you hate it, you have to hate it because if you don’t, then what the hell are you even doing. It’s too much and too little, it does nothing to relief the warmth between your legs, only making you wetter with each stroke of his wide, warm tongue. — I haven’t done anything, little princess. You just want me. 

— I would never want you. 

— I can stop. 

You snap your legs around his neck before he can withdraw his face. 

König is laughing, the sheer adorableness of your expression making him want you even more. You look perfect, so lost in desire for him – gods, he just wanted to devour you, to strip you of all you worth and make you his just as much as he is yours. But simply pleasing you with his tongue won’t ever be enough for this night – he had waited for so long, too long, disgustingly long, he had to have you in every way possible. If he won’t consummate the marriage today, he might as well just die. 

Other night, he will make you beg – plead for him to give you his cock, push the throbbing member in your trembling folds, snap the pleasure from your hands and force you to accept being his wife. The other night, he could wait and tease you for as long as possible. The other night…

He doesn’t have the patience for this night – he can’t even kiss you now, the mere feeling of your trembling lips would snap him beyond repair. It’s unfair to you, little princess, his desire is too much for someone like you to take – alas, he has to have you. Alas, he will have you, one way or the other, even if he’d have to push your pretty head into the pillows and force his manhood between your folds. 

But you plead for him, the desire in your eyes, mixed with fear and anticipation, is enough for him to laugh again, his hand squeezing your chest. You look divine, absolutely – you would look even better when properly bred, tits full of milk, and belly swollen with his little soldiers. Emperor never thought of getting an offspring, always knew his fate was to fall into obscurity with the country he created, but you have wide hips, a soft belly, and warm hands – all the requirements of a mother. But you have the submissiveness of a pet and the wit of a wife. 

But he can’t wait to push his seed into you – with a groan, before you could even lay your eyes on his cock, he is already forcing it in, ravaging all the resistance you once had. 

The plant made you warm, aroused, and wet enough to be dripping when he first pushed his cockhead between your glistening folds. You cry, the feeling of being intruded, ravaged, bot entirely painful, but now very pleasant either, is nothing you were expecting of the first night with your husband. You were expecting screaming, pools of blood, half of your organs falling out from the newly made hole between your legs. 

You just feel…intruded. The knot in your stomach is as tight as ever, even as König gives you a few minutes to adjust, the outline of his manhood throbbing in your tummy. You don’t even want to look at him, and he allows you to drift into a trance, the aphrodisiac you took doing all the job of preparation for him. 

He is feeling you, raw and sensitive, your maidenhood is dripping down your thighs and his cock as he wasn’t exactly gentle – he will be the next night, and the night after, and after, he will promise to take care of you, little princess, but this night is about taking what belongs to him – and he will never allow you to keep your dignity when you can simply be his dumb, adorable wife. 

— You’re so…heavens, princess, you’re strangling me. 

He laughs, struggling to push in and out, his hand finding its place on your folds, playing and tugging with your swollen little clit. The bud is wet, no matter the pain you’re experiencing – the drug won’t allow you to stop wanting it, wanting him, König knows it’s not genuine, he has to work to make you this aroused, but for now, it will work. He doesn’t want you to feel pain – and he will make sure you’re able to take him. 

— Too much, it’s…stop, wait, I am…

— You can take it, Schatzi. 

— I can’t! — You will. 

You whimper under him, you cry under him, he only continues to move, tearing your loyalty to your kingdom with each harsh thrust. You came to this room wanting to die, but now you feel your hands wrapping around his neck, your hips buckling to meet his, to bring the overcoming pleasure like König isn’t the one to tear you apart – you feel raw, you feel tainted, the pleasure in your folds is nothing what you ever had before. 

You’re betraying yourself with each moan and each whimper – you find yourself begging for him, the tears of yours is not just from pain anymore. He kisses you, rough lips on your mouth, making sure you’re as prepared for him as he is, you want for him to stop, but you plead with him to continue. 

— Stop already…I…

— I only came twice, little princess. And you – trice. Doesn’t feel fair, ja? — ‘s not, I can’t take it anymore…

— I will breed you, Schatzen. Until you’re swollen with my sons. — It w…won’t be royal children…

— Ach, my blood is enough to make a dog royal. — But…

— I will breed you, little princess. You can stop pretending you don’t want it.

You’re not even sure at what orgasm you are already – you feel like he came already, the wetness in your cunt should be evident of his already breeding you quite a few times, but the time is a blur when every time you cum, your vision blurs and your brain becomes foggier and foggier. 

König knows you will look perfect, all thoughtless and swollen with his children – not now, maybe, with a few elixirs to enhance your ability to bear children, but he can’t wait till you’re done. You might not like it at first, princesses do tend to be just a bit dumb when it comes to their duties, but there is something in your eyes that is telling him you’re going to bring him sons just like a good girl you are. Just like he expects you to do, your pretty tummy all swollen, and your body is barely handling the passion of his lovemaking. Gods, he knew you would be worth it. Even if, to his knowledge, you’re not a princess at all.

[love-byers]

mike's weird language when he talks about el and their relationship

part of the equation of stranger things relationships is building the relationship through emotional connection, not physical intimacy and outright saying how you feel. it's a trope in st that the couples refuse to admit their feelings for some time before getting together. "we're just friends", "she's not my girlfriend" etc etc. the denial is super endearing. and even when the couples are finally together, this doesn't change. they're literally just the same duo same friends, but they kiss sometimes. they barely even acknowledge that they're together. it's a great trope in my opinion.

so a couple years ago i was rewatching st and made a list of everytime mike said something weird. meaning, every time mike did not adhere to this formula and stood out from the rest of the couples. i made a tiktok about it too so im basically quoting that in this post. something i stressed in that video was that because we have the other couples as source material, clearly the writers are capable of not doing this. they are capable of writing a good serious relationship, but they're choosing not to with mlvn. so keep in mind, the other couples (besides maybe stancy) do not do this and mike is supposedly, according to his own words, is madly and deeply in love with her throughout all of this and knows it.

Season 3

"Romantic time with my girlfriend."

i'll cut this one some slack, it's just that if you were truly madly in love it would be more like "I'm spending time with el". but thats all he views it as, romantic time with his girlfriend. going to his girlfriends house to make out with her. romantic time with his girlfriend. not bonding with the person he loves.

"Did you think we were never gonna get girlfriends?"

mike is hyperfocused on the word girlfriend. she's not el, the person he loves, she's his girlfriend. he doesn't say "did you think we were never gonna fall in love?" and look i get he's only like 14 here but it's the fact that he later claims he was in love with her the entire time and knew it. he literally claims it was love at first sight.

get girlfriends. he got a girlfriend. he didn't fall in love.

"It's not my fault you don't like girls!"

again the hyperfixation on girls, get a girlfriend, liking girls. mike, why are you more focused on the fact that el is a girl and your girlfriend than the fact that she's el?

"You're the most important thing to me in the world."

finn's delivery of this is so.....

and the fact that el just stares at him blankly afterwards, like she did not buy that lmao

Season 4

"That's because she's my girlfriend, Will!"

it's not "that's because i love her and want to talk to her" or something like that, it's "thats because she's my girlfriend and that's what you're supposed to do when you have a girlfriend" not "because she's el and i love her". that plays into mike's whole charade in lenora, he's just doing things he thinks he's supposed to do when you have a girlfriend.

"You're a superhero!"

that has nothing to do with who el is as a person, especially at that moment because at that time, el didn't have her powers. at the time, everyone believed they were gone, she wouldn't be saving the world anymore. but mike is still saying how incredible she is because she's a superhero.

i hate dr brenner so fucking much, but he did say something i really agree with. el kept going back to the concept monsters and heros, and he says those are things of myth and fairytale. not everything is black and white. this is real life, not a made up story with clear good and evil. and ultimately that helps her accept what happened with 001. he was 100% right there.

then here comes mike talking about monsters and superheros again like WRAP IT UP YA'LL ARE TOO GROWN FOR THIS

"You're the most incredible person in the world!"

again, he says that, but doesn't say why. he just expects her to believe him. it's such a broad statement and doesn't connect to anything about el and her personality/interests/ideas.

"Maybe I should've said something, and if I would've said that thing, maybe she'd want me there with her, wherever she is."

he wishes he'd just said it so she'd be satisfied and want him there and he'd know she's okay, he doesn't wish he'd said it so el would know in her heart that he loves her. "i love you" to mike isn't a geniune confession of his feelings, it's a thing. it's a thing that you say. it's something he thinks he has to say because that's what couples do and it's what el wants. if you fell in love with someone at first sight you do not refer to an expression of your love for them as 'that thing'.

"Maybe I was worrying to much about el. . ."

i really don't know what he meant by this. if she is the most important thing to him in the whole world and is deeply in love with her, why in the mother FUCK would he be apologizing TO WILL for worrying too much about her. there wouldn't be too much worrying when you love someone that much.

"You can fly, you can move mountains I believe that."

she literally can't.

"I love you for exactly who you are. You're my superhero."

the first time i saw this i literally thought "oh thats not..."

because it's.....not. one or the other would've been....fine i guess. but the first preceding the other is just not it. i love you for exactly who you are, and that is my superhero. is that all she is to you, mike? el expresses constant worry of being a monster, a bad person. she's afraid that she's a monster with or without her powers. but dr owens said "I'm willing to bet you're one of the good ones." fucking OWENS said something more reassuring than her boyfriend and supposed love of her life, mike wheeler.

THATS NOT ROMANTIC.

[m00nchildwrites]

Rafayel if you got a kitten- headcanon

If you got a cat, 100% Rafayel would act absolutely betrayed at first. However, after the cat Butler event, we know that he is capable of being around them, getting along with them, and even in his own way, liking them. Although he would absolutely die before he ever admitted that.

So I have a headcanon. If you were to get a cat at first, he would say that it was a betrayal - that you were choosing cats over fishies. He would be super dramatic about it, an absolute pouty baby. When you ask him if he can watch the kitten while you are on missions lasting more than 1 day, at first he acts as though you're taking advantage of him and his soft spot for you and inviting in a dangerous monster into his home without any care for his safety or Reddie's safety. When you say never mind, you'll ask someone else. He scoffs and says, of course, he'll watch the little beastie ( the nickname he's taken to calling it). He is your boyfriend, after all. You can rely on him, but tells you which flowers to lay on his grave and what song to play at his funeral. And that you owe him extra cuddles for the trauma.

But after the first week, you catch the cat sniffing his fingers, and this time, instead of pulling away in revulsion, he freezes cautiously, and let's it happen.

You lean against the wall, a small smile playing at your lips, "Caught you in 3D, Raffie."

He jolts as though caught doing something scandalous, which to him, you guess he had.

"What! No! Now hold on, cutie," he stands brushing himself off, "Let's not get any wild ideas. I was merely testing Beastie to see if he'd take a bite if tempted."

You sigh shaking your head before going to press a kiss to your silly boyfriend's cheek, "Raf, I am not naming my kitten Beastie."

He leans into your kiss before pouting as you pull away to lean down and give your kitten pets hello. Rafayel crosses his arms, "I don't see why not. It fits the little beast."

"Raf."

The next week, you witnessed the same thing unfold, but this time hesitantly, slowly, cautiously as if approaching a wild beast that might snap at any moment, his long slender fingers extend and carefully, gently, just barely graze the top of the cat's head. Barely enough to be considered a pet, but the cat closes its eyes and purrs happily either way. Rafayel freezes, and then let's add a little snort and moves away as if offended or disgusted, but you know, it's just a front. You caught the tiniest of smiles on your boyfriend's lovely face before he remembered himself and went back to his act.

Then, as though suddenly overnight, you come to pick up your kitten, only to find it purring happily at Rafayel's feet as he stands or walks about his studio. Or you find it sitting on a ladder that he pulled up next to his as he paints on a large canvas, purring as it watches his brush move across the canvas. You catch him talking to it, asking it advice on colors, and then scalding its reply in an imaginary conversation. Your beloved boyfriend gesturing animatedly, flinging flecks of paint from his brush as he does, as your kitten sits next to him and slow blinks. Rafayel freezes, arms midair, and stares a strange mix of scandalized and touched all over his face. He drops his arms and stares back at the cat and then slowly, blinks back. When the kitten then let's out a happy chirrup before noticing you and running over, Rafayel runs over to you too eyes lit up.

"Do you realize what just happened, cutie?" He asks as he picks you up slightly and spins you in a hug in greeting. "I read in a book that slow blinking is a cats way to say they love you. I'm a real hero for fishies everywhere, cutie. I've gotten a cat on our side. He is practically a cat-fish now, yeah? Our little beastie loves me, cutie."

You giggle, arms wrapping around his neck as his excitement fills your with warm, "But I thought all cats were evil monsters? Are you sure the fishies will think you are a hero and not a traitor?" You tease.

He scoffs and sets you down, "I'm the God of the Sea. If I say Beastie is okay then he is okay."

The following week you finally had a few days off. Packing up your things you and Beastie (yes the name stuck) headed over to Whitesands Bay for a few days spent with Rafayel. Upon arriving, you grabbed the few boxes that had been delivered and dropped at the door and headed inside with Beastie walking obediently on his harnessed behind you. Rafayel had been especially proud of harness training you're a little kitten. After all, he needed a way to safely let him have walks on the beach without risking his safety.

Upon entering, you were swept into a hug by your excited boyfriend, who showered your cheeks and face with kisses, "Finally, cutie! I thought I was gonna dry up like a starfish left out in the sun before you got here."

You give him a loving kiss on his lips with a giggle, "Silly Fishie, I told you I had to finish laundry first. But we are here! Oh, these were on your steps." You hand him the small packages.

Rafayel's eyes light up, " Oh, excellent, they came in just in time. Grab Beastie and come in here," he leads you both to his couch. "I got these custom made!" Opening the smallest package, he takes out a small blue collar. It was lovely. The material looked like repurposed kimono silk, and the little golden tag dangling from it was shaped like Reddie. On the tag read, Beastie, in a beautiful font.

"Oh Raf! It's so cute!"

"Of course it is, I designed it," he preens under your praise.

Beastie seemed to enjoy his new collar very much, as well as his scallop shaped pillow bed that had been in the other package.

"Just wait until the rest arrives!" Rafayel grins.

The following day, you and Rafayel and Beastie were in the front yard of his studio home letting Beastie play in the grass when a delivery guy arrived. You watched in dumbfounded amazement at the sheer number of packages and boxes he was struggling to unload. You could hear his grumbling from the flowerbed where your picnic blanket was laid out.

Rafayel stood to help the poor soul who was fighting with the Gate and now walking up the path to the door. He failed to see the pair of you apparently, because when Beastie ran up to him and meowed a greeting, the delivery guy kicked out his foot pushing him away with a snarl, "Get back you pest!"

Rafayel was there in a second, eyes blazing and dangerously sharp as he scooped up Beastie, cradling him to his chest protectively, "Don't talk to my fur son that way."

As the delivery guy bowed and rained apologies, you don't think you've ever been more in love with Rafayel than at this moment.

"Fur son, huh?" You grin as the three of you snuggle into the couch a mid an array of opened packages, cat trees and treat and toys.

He huffs, head resting in your lap, Beastie asleep on his chest, your hand in Rafayel's hair and his hand scratching gentling behind the purring sleeping kittens ear, "Obviously. We are a family, cutie. Might as well get used to that."

You smiled, butterflies let loose in your stomach, "I think I can get used to that."

[princessgarnetxvi]

Everything Johan did was For Anna/Nina

Everything Johan did was for Anna. 

                      A “Monster” capable of love.

“What I’m most afraid of is…forgetting Anna. The strange lessons we have everyday… are making my memories fade. Please, don’t make me forget Anna. It’s only Anna and me in this whole world. Just give me that - please. Please.”  – Johan Liebert”

I was very confused about the complexities of Johan's character up until the last handful of episodes. After rewatching the series for a 3rd time and exploring how Johan is portrayed in the manga, it became very clear to me that my initial opinions about Johan were basic and devalued the intricacies of Naoki's writing. From the beginning we are only TOLD by conflicting views, who Johan was. His character, in the fictional world as well as our own, is simply defined by an individual's perception of him and the story presented. However, if we dissect ALL of the themes and even the undertones Naoki presented to us through the world of characters; I think it would be evident that Johan was not committing heinous acts for superficial reasons such as simply being evil to be evil.

So what was the method to his madness? 

I believe... Everything he did was for Anna.

(Yes this includes erasing himself from existence too )

Author's Note: I want to preface before you read on that although these essays are written in a sympathizing light that Johan has done PLENTY of wrong. This is not written in an attempt to dismiss his heinous acts lightly, but to simply understand the "Monster" of the series by tackling Johan's crimes deeper than the surface. I tried to make sense of Johan's every action in regards to his OVERALL PLAN and why Naoki presented them to us as viewers. For those who will nitpick the term "everything" quite literally, I want to make it clear that not E V E R Y S I N G L E A C T I O N Johan has taken coincides with his love for his sister; his actions towards the children specifically - because there are some things that had nothing to do with his "perfect plan" but more to do with attempting to build Johan's character and his view of the world us as viewers. Justifying ones actions vs. rationalizing ones actions are completely different. I am in no way attempting to discard the accountabilities that Johan should face for his actions, but instead trying to make sense of it all. I've analyzed Johan's crimes against children here: https://xprincessgarnetxvi.tumblr.com/post/691678531250487296/i-really-love-reading-your-essays-i-can However, this will explain the root of Johan's character and the core of his overall plan(s) that was committed for the sake of his sister from the very beginning to the end. The overarching theme and message of Monster is that there are no such thing as Monsters, only broken human beings capable of great evil; so we will humanize this great Monster in order to understand not only Johan Liebert, but the hows/whys Tenma/Nina was able to forgive him and ultimately find value in saving the life of this supposed Monster.

Before we begin, I'd like to take the time to thank you for reading! I can't wait to review your comments and further discuss this magnificent series of Monster!

-

Anna was set up from the beginning to become The “Monster” given she was the one who actually endured the experiments. Her tendencies are shown in glimmers throughout the show. The heartbreaking twist to it though... is that the only reason why she DID not become the beast, was because SHE ( unlike Johan ) HAD KNOWN REAL UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

-Johan’s love and sacrifice is what kept her safe from the darkness he knew very well. He got his hands dirty to shield her. He chose to leave her behind in the care of her foster parents, knowing she would forget him, in order to heal.

He chose her than himself over and over; becoming her shadow; choosing to lose his only attachment to his already weakened identity in order for her to heal.

His love for her is why she never became a monster...and tragically, why Johan had.

Which reflects exactly what Mikhail Petrov (whose real name is Reinhart Biermann) said about his "PROFOUND DISCOVERY" concerning his current experiment on the children he had in his home; he said the children did not become animals because he gave them LOVE.

(Mikhail Petrov telling Grimmer how the children in his current experiment did not become Monster - it was because they had LOVE.)

In his own twisted way and view on things, he was protecting her. He killed every "parental" figure they had because he was betrayed by every adult figure in his life so far. People who mentioned calling the police, ended up finding out about their past - anything that could lead the man, who Johan referred to as “The Monster” into finding them, he disposed of.

The adults in their lives thus far would betray them, torture them, hurt them, throw them away- and forcefully separate them. In his severely abused mental state, any adult figure was a potential threat to his and Anna’s safety. So he’d kill in order to runaway from "the monster" and protect Anna. Then when Anna found out about the blood on his hands that fateful night the Monster paid them a visit, he realized that now he had become someone Anna feared - a different kind of Monster but all the similar to the one they were running from.

So he rationalized that now he needed to die.

In that moment, I think we should focus on his body language and expressions. Johan faced the ground. hardly picking up his eyes. His shoulders were sunken and he did not have that menacing little smile he usually had. Johan has killed in secret various times with Anna and back at Kinderheim.

So why was he so messy with the Lieberts?

Because he did not want to kill them - he said HE HAD TO.

It was not a calculated murder, because he was not truly calm and collected; He was afraid.

Lets not forget who Johan was up until that moment: the infamous little boy who provoked an entire riot and massacre by simply opening his mouth. With mere words he was able to sway the adults and children into doing what he wanted. BUT IN THAT MOMENT when Anna caught him red handed, he could not, or rather, would not - try and manipulate Anna.

(He has never once been shown trying to manipulate or abuse her throughout the entire series as he has done intentionally with the rest of the world.)

Instead, he asked her to shoot him and run - in an attempt to finally liberate her from the horrific life they had to lead up until now - blaming his existence for the constant chase their predator (Bonaparte) gave way to them as prey because in that moment, his memories were distorted and he believed he was the one who went to the Red Rose Mansion. **** (X) (this theory is challenged referenced below)

To Johan, him living was a danger to Anna and that night made it evident to him.

But when he was brought back to life and realized the gravity behind his methods, seeing how terrified Anna was of him - he started to cry. Because despite his initial feelings of finding his death absolutely necessary for her to be safe, he still wanted what he had with her; the only bond of love he ever knew.

What set his entire ADULT plan into motion (wiping out everyone who ever hurt Anna and created HIM) was Anna's rejection at the hospital. That was when he realized internally, he was beyond forgiveness and that he was nothing more than a monster. A Nameless monster in her reflection that needed to die in order for her to live in peace. (Referencing the God of Peace storybook. )

Johan was the one who gifted the God (Anna) her hat and then she saw herself as the Monster she was supposed to be due to the Red Rose Mansion experiments. This would NOT have happened if Johan did not give her the hat (the red hat which can symbolize the blood he spilled for her. ) so in this instance, Johan is also the reflection (you are me and I am you. They are both nameless monsters)

From that moment on, he wanted to wipe out his entire existence, and that meant those who ALSO "created" him so that Anna could heal as Nina.

I believe this is what is depicted in the Nameless Monster storybook. 

Initially, we are made to believe Johan wanted to “consume everyone” so he would be the last one standing. The Monster known as Johan in the book also devours his counterpart, the Monster who went West and then there is no one left to call him by his name. But clearly, Johan never does this, because Johan never attempts to kill/devour Anna/Nina - because what it symbolizes is entirely different in nature regarding Johan’s intention. 

A quick reminder that both Johan and Anna were considered Nameless Monsters. HOWEVER - by Johan’s hands, Anna does not remain “Nameless” nor does she ever become a “monster” the moment Johan decided to not only leave her behind in the hands of a loving family, but by her changing her name and her identity to Nina. The Fortners never made any implication that they knew of Nina’s past concerning the Lieberts murder and I believe this is because Johan introduced her as Nina to the Fortners and never allowed them to see the trail behind her identity as Anna Liebert. 

Symbolically, Johan, as the Nameless Monster, consumed the Monster inside of Anna and became the only Monster left. This is what is mirrored in Johan’s intentions and the Nameless Monster storybook. 

With Anna forgetting him and Johan leaving her behind thus losing his only connection to someone who truly knew him, now all that is left is Johan, without absolutely anyone to call him by his name - the one and only Nameless Monster.

And this is heavily referenced in Another Monster:

(This reinforces that Johan was trying to make Nina forget her past as Anna)

There wasn’t some sick satisfaction from any of his killings done when he was a child. To him, it was needed for the sake of her safety. This was Johan’s initial “plan.” set in motion. He wanted to be the only one left in the world with his sister - so that they wouldn’t have to be afraid anymore. 

(I also believe at that point when they were kids, Johan's very first plan he referred to when telling Anna "Remember, I have a plan." was to run to another country with her so that the Monster will never find them. It is the only logical idea of a plan that a child could conjure following what he actually leads them to do, which was cross the border. Simply destroying the world is unreachable in his current state and Johan is smart enough to not be delusional in his endeavors. With that being said, he had to kill that old couple to erase any trail they may have left of "two beautiful blonde twins." But this plan fails because they nearly die at the Czech Border and was discovered. )

(Johan telling Anna he has a plan.)

RUHENHEIM:

One of the biggest moments in Ruhenheim has been misinterpreted and lost due to the mistranslations in both the English Dub and the Japanese subtitles. 

I clarify and mend this by breaking down what Nina unraveled in Boneparte’s house when she looked at the portraits by correctly translating the Japanese script/text in depth here on this post:

 But to summarize it for the purpose of this essay, it was revealed to us as viewers that Johan apologized to Anna when she returned from the Red Rose Mansion, revealing the overwhelming weight of guilt he carried when Anna had been taken that day. 

(That day depicts the moment their mother made the terrible 'Choice')

and then Johan accepts his mother will never return to them (assuming she abandoned them) and goes on to tell Anna this:

Johan is the one crying because soon after, Nina tells us that Johan was in that room crying.

This information provides clarity as to why Nina was finally able to understand Johan, empathize with him enough to be able to forgive him. She remembered he was a boy who felt guilty over what happened to her; a boy who cried when he realized they were now all alone in the world.  She understood that Johan desperately did anything and everything to ensure he and Anna survived despite it all.

That Rainy Night:

I want to GREATLY EMPHASIZE the important factor I missed my first time watching the scenes with Johan/Anna - the scenes shown to us were ONLY through her recollection as fragments due to her memory loss. They were told from what she COULD remember, so her take on what really happened that rainy night the first few times the events are unfolded before us should not be taken as absolute. At least...up until it is revealed in the final episodes that Anna realized that on that night instead of seeming like an empty shell of a person asking for death, Johan was crying and crying before she shot him.

The scene where Anna finds the portraits reveals what truly happened between them and its so important. She said “Johan was crying “here” just like before.” She was mimicking a memory she had just recalled in its entirety. “Why are you crying, why are you crying?” She sounded in distress. Directly after she reveals that she remembers him crying, it shows the image of him pointing at his head that rainy night.

Even though Johan told her to shoot him, it is IMPORTANT that he was crying and the author highlights this for a reason.

I believe that, finally being able to vividly remember that day finally revealed to her that Johan wasn’t the “face of absolute evil” she initially dismissed him to be; he was a boy/man who could cry and mourn - he was human. He was a terrified boy protecting Anna and himself the only way he knew how. and instead of showing him forgiveness/love - she added on to his collection of wounds scarred upon his soul from everyone else who chose to harm him.

Tenma...was ultimately the ONLY one in his life who showed him kindness.

Johan's intentions and reasons behind many crimes: Essay II.

( I will summarize it here as the extension essay was far too long to put on this post)

**** (☓) I want to ask, did Johan truly believe he was the one who went to the Red Rose Mansion or was that simply a masquerade he performed to make sure Anna did not remember?

(I wrote an essay on this being a possibility here: PART 2 OF THIS ESSAY. This will explain Johan's intentions in depth)

(this is a theory I FIRMLY believe and have completely adopted. But for the sake of argument, I will entertain both concepts behind Johan's memory in this essay.)

If we entertain the idea that Johan never misconstrued his memories about the Red Rose and pretended he did, I can dissect Johan’s intentions a bit more intricately.

Throughout the series you see that he is trying to wipe everyone who knew of what happened to Anna off the face of the earth, that included himself. He did not want Anna to remember. So when it was revealed she did remember, he mourned. It was subtle but evident in the anime when she reveals “you are wrong.” something in him shifted - for once he was reacting to the words of another.

She said "he had a smile but seemed like he was crying. I never seen such an expression on his face before." That entire scene, Johan’s eyes expressed something we’ve never seen from him throughout the series - a sense of mourning or longing?

Johan in front of Anna always appeared the most human and I feel Naoki did this with purpose.

(Naoki specifically told the directors/animators of the anime series to never stray from how he expressed Johan's eyes for a very important reason. )

Johan's expression finally meeting Anna after 13 years apart.

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If, however, Johan DID truly think he was the one who suffered at the red rose mansion, his “perfect suicide” plan still relates to his twisted-selfless feelings for Anna.

Johan learns it was not him that suffered at the Red Rose Mansion...but Anna instead. and then Johan goes on to commit the "perfect suicide." In his plan to die, he wanted to take The Monster with him, forcing Bonaparte to endure the same exact hell he forced Anna to suffer as a child.

Call it an act of revenge. Some may think Johan is incapable of being vengeful but I cannot see this cruel and calculated act as anything other than malice. After Bonaparte was finally dead, the monster disposed of - Johan was ready to die.

But you can see his conviction began to slip away when Anna forgave him. What made it worse was realizing he was wrong about Tenma because even now, Tenma was still hesitating on killing him ruthlessly like he always presumed would happen. Johan thought he had humans all figured out - after all, all Johan has EVER known was the darkness in people’s hearts. That is why he was so confused/moved by Tenma and wanted so desperately to prove him wrong.

The manga portrays Johan’s expressions 1000X BETTER THAN THE ANIME. As soon as Anna arrives, Johan is just staring at the floor, unable to look at her - Repeating everything from that fateful rainy night when they were kids. But this time, Anna doesn’t kill him, she chooses love and compassion. and when she says she forgives him - his reaction is something the anime does not do justice

(The subtle shift the artist expressed in his eyes from her words is so significant but missed in the anime; but he reacts rather deeply, moved and shocked by her words.)

Because "Forgiveness is the remission of sins. For it is by this that what has been lost, and was found, is saved from being lost again."

In the manga he isn’t quick to reply. He ponders over her words carefully and I think this is when his mind starts panicking.

Anna realized that forgiveness was the one thing he wanted that night she shot him, despite him also thinking his death was needed. His value depended on her view of him; and what she once robbed from him was now returned - a human being worthy of forgiveness instead of a monster.

He is telling her the evident truth that he cannot turn back because he TRULY believes Tenma is going to kill him any moment.

Johan refuses her forgiveness not because he resents her or thinks its too late for her to redeem herself - but because he doesn’t think he deserves it. “There are somethings that cannot be undone.” Because it is too late, Johan is going to die - he WANTS to die. Then you see the fear and helplessness in his eyes after getting the one thing he always wanted [ Anna’s forgiveness] because he desperately wanted to die as the only thing he knew himself to be: the nameless, nonexistent monster. But both Anna and Tenma rob him of that by bestowing upon him the gift of compassion, mercy and empathy; for the first time treating and valuing him like a human being instead of a monster,god,experiment, devil etc., as everyone around him has his entire life.

(The Monster inside of Johan begins to crumble.)

Johan in his final moments was cracking and finally falling apart. You see it in the final expression he makes: the distraught, confusion and sadness. Because he realized, he was wrong about people, he was wrong about the world. But how can we blame him for his view on humanity when all he has ever been shown since birth was how ugly, selfish, cruel and inhumane people can be?

How can we expect someone who has only seen darkness to be able to find the light?

I want to clarify one thing I noticed: Johan has never shown to take any kind of sick satisfaction from killing unlike all the other serial killers being interviewed in the series. (aside from Richard) Specifically, Johan is without "the lust for murder" as Lunge explains in Another Monster - which is why Johan hired other people to kill for him instead. Especially contrasting Johan with Roberto, specifically, when Roberto tries to kill Anna.

(that is until Richard, which makes Johan's dealings with him stand out for a reason. He doesn't even take pleasure in killing the Red Hiddenburg, he leaves before witnessing her death instead of reveling in his 'checkmate' coming to fruition.)

Despite his callousness and his lack of care for life - Johan, despite how much of a "monster" he was, very clearly had humanity and had love....for his sister most of all. Johan saw when his mother choose, how little their lives meant to her and this instilled his nihilism at such a young age. He watched Anna get tossed to the wolves like nothing and in that moment, he probably thought his mother chose Anna over him for a reason. (even though the question on her intention would haunt him for the rest of his life) But her being able to choose is what hurt him the most and it's probably what instilled his self sacrificing mentality to care for Anna above the world in order to never make the same mistake his mother had.

That is why after she got back from the Red Rose Mansion, he cried for her story and apologized as if it was his responsibility to feel guilty over what happened to her. It should have been him that suffered. Then after, he treats her with the upmost care, telling her everything is hers, no matter what she will win everything because he would deem it so. He is kind to her, never letting go of her hand even when she is dragging behind - he sacrificed all of himself for her...

Because she deserved everything in the world to contrast their mother throwing her away.

(it should be noted that the Lieberts did not want Anna either but only adopted her because Johan refused to leave the orphanage without her. Which is also why I believe he killed them when Bonaparta came because he thought the Lieberts were conspiring with Bonaparta to get Anna)

🌰 (The ‘Acorn game’ represents their Mother's choice, a child in each hand. But in this version, Johan would ensure that no matter what hand Anna chooses, she will NEVER choose wrong. He manipulates the fate behind her choices by holding two acorns instead of one; never letting her make the same mistake as her mother.)

He wanted her to know above all else, she was loved.

A clear indication of this adoration/attachment he has for her is the fact that he DOES NOT forget her even after enduring the hellish experiments in Kinderheim that aimed at wiping out / messing around with his memories.

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I wrote this because I was astounded to see various posts/Wiki pages implying that Johan’s intentions were to torture Anna and make her kill herself. Telling her to shoot him was his first attempt to drive her insane? They twisted a lot of things Johan did to try and make this statement true. But I cannot comprehend how they drew this conclusion? The series has characters mentioning on more than a few occasions that Anna is dear to Johan. "He is lost with you."

Everyone knew Anna was important to Johan, Professor Geidlitz was the first to mention this besides the old blind man. Roberto was aware of this which is why he tried to kill her as mentioned in Another Monster. Which is ALSO why Peter Capek tried to hold her hostage to prevent Johan from killing him.

and for the first time, Johan DOESN'T kill him.

Johan cried when he awoke at the hospital after he reached for his sister and she screamed in fear of him. His face full of tears - his heart completely broken. If his intention was to drive Anna insane, he would have triumphed in that moment she screamed and fell to the ground after he reached out to her. But instead he mourned.

Anna has mentioned several times that Johan has cried for her, like when he was in the room full of their happy portraits, he was crying. He never once tried to bring harm to Anna - not intentionally towards her person. Explaining the Fortners murder - either he killed the Fortners after they decided to keep lying to her, thus keeping him in the shadows when he wanted to return. OR he killed them because they were going to tell her the truth about her identity, which was something Johan worked to conceal. (this theory is explained thoroughly in essay #2 )

Regardless, if he wanted to torment her, he would not have tried to lure her away to the castle when he set up the Fortners to be killed.

They imply that Johan wanted to torture her and then kill her at the end. But that makes absolutely no sense. Where in the storyline does Johan give off this tendency towards her? Even at the end he told her where to meet him in Ruhenheim and not once did he try to shoot her or Tenma. Honestly, if he really wanted to provoke Tenma to shoot him, he would have held the gun to Anna instead of a random child. But even though being shot by Tenma was his greatest endeavor, he refused to point the gun at someone who was important to Tenma...because Anna, is important to Johan too.

To say Johan, despite being hailed as the Monster of the series, had no love or humanity in him and was merely the Devil himself...completely missed the point of the story...

I’d like to point out the constant mentioning of Hitler in this story and draw another important factor...Hitler brainwashed people to commit mass genocide. Under his rule, millions perished in horrific ways. But despite that...Hitler was capable of loving others. Hitler was also loved by others. The terrifying truth about people who commit atrocities...is that they are not monsters or demons or devils...

they are merely human.

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Here’s two passages from ANOTHER MONSTER [novel post Monster written by Naoki] that really drives this point:

- PSA: My twin brother FINALLY finished his 2 HOUR Johan Analysis Essay, that dives deeper into Johan's character. This essay and essay #2 will be included in this analysis video as we both worked on it together. However, this lays out the details visually and with beautiful music. Please watch!

[revoevokukil]

Thoughts on TW4's angle on Ciri

In the trailer of The Witcher 4, Mione is an analogue to Ciri.

Mione's father has raised her for a fate of becoming a noble sacrifice on the altar of a God. Men make Gods of all kinds of ideas, often out of fear; the beast in the cave is no different. Ithlinne's Prophecy is no different; once it reached the masses and sprouted numerous interpretations.

The father's monologue applies as much to Mione as to Ciri.

Fulfilling one's Destiny is a double-edged blade, and not at all straightforward. This is a Sapkowskian classic and a crux around which Ciri's character turns. When the father apologizes to Mione, saying this was "his only choice," it somewhat echoes back to the ending of The Witcher 3, where Ciri did what she did, because she chose to be the bringer of salvation; Geralt got no chance to influence her decision (only, we hope, the outcome).

To be chosen by the Gods/Purpose is, in Ciri's words, always a choice, too - one the believers make. Including herself.

The way Mione kneels before the Bauk's lair, again, echoes the ending of The Witcher 3 and Ciri in the blizzard. And when Ciri tells Mione to "save yourself," it's a noticeable shift from her mindset in TW3. "What can you know about saving the world, silly? You're but a witcher." What changed, Ciri?

I think the Witcher 4's trailer isn't subtle at all about what Ciri is struggling with. Bauk preys, specifically, on trauma. It says: "you cannot change anything," "fate cannot be changed," "you weren't supposed to come back." Did Ciri manage to change anything in the Tower? Or did she fail? Did she run? And then Kalemba saying: "She's almost obsessed with the way she lives."

It's as if Ciri is burying herself in witchering like an addict, while seeking atonement (for not being what she was meant to be, but still wanting to do good; on her own terms) by saving a girl - her own inner child? - from a fate she has related to since forever. Upon slaying the monster, there is an expression of elation, satisfaction, and release on her face. It's as if by being a witcher, Ciri is trying to slay her own haunts over and over and over again.

It's like she is running from herself. Because Ciri is, in truth, much more than a witcher.

While the witcher's profession is where Ciri's first notions of good and evil come from, I think Ciri might have a romanticized view about that life. Kalemba mentions that Ciri always chooses, but that includes choosing the greater evil often enough. That's classic bread and butter for these games, but I think given Ciri's unique position in the Saga & her traumas, there is a lot more that can be done with it. Perhaps CDPR will engage with what Sapkowski mentioned in regard to creating Ciri:

Ciri personifies evil, that's how i intended her to be – a monster, because (almost) everyone is trying to make a monster out of her.