#shattered!emperor

[chrysalisofdreams]

This au is superr interesting!!, i read that the entity have a history with slasher, and i wonder like in dating or just strictly boss- subordinate. And where emperor live now, anyway ? Like is he on the run or hes just minding his business?

Thank you so much!

So the Entity/Emperor and Slasher had a "boss x subordinate" sort of relationship but it was also an "unrequited love" kind of situation. Slasher's was the one who was pining for Emperor during the "glory" days, and the Entity easily picked up on that and used those feelings to his own advantage. To string him along as @stankychee so nicely put it, because the Entity wasn't romantically interested in either Slasher or Knight. Luckily for Slasher, his unrequited love situation gained the chance to blossom after the Entity shifted to Monarch.

According to Chee, Emperor is currently laying low to process all the bad things he has done while possessed by the Entity. He (and Slasher) are wandering to find a safe place and perhaps start over.

[chrysalisofdreams]

Ohh i want to ask does emperor has more subordinates that willing to stay? Outside of slasher? And emperor knows his brother is being control by the entity right?

No, only Slasher stayed ): The rest wandered off to do their own thing. And yes, he's very much aware! The Entity within Monarch likes to taunt him about it.

[wishingstarinajar]

Does the corruption on Monarch and Emperor work so that someone would have to always "carry" it around, be corrupted? How would that work since only Dream and Nightmare have the ability to eat the apples, or is it different in your AU

To start with, the AU (https://chrysalisofdreams.tumblr.com) is indeed inspired by Dreamtale/ShatteredDreams but doesn't follow all the same beats/plot points/themes/etc. Same with my other Dreamtale-inspired AU (https://tippingscales.tumblr.com). There are plenty of differences and the corruption and "apple eating" bits are some of them.

The Entity, as the sentient corruption is called in Chrysalis, was imprisoned in the tree many years ago and its poisonous hatred would seep into all the fruits growing from that tree. It was forbidden to touch and/or pluck these corrupted apples. As it mostly goes in Dreamtale-inspired AUs, the Nightmare of the bunch eats the apples and becomes corrupted. In this case, Emperor ate as many apples as he could and allowed the Entity to escape its prison and possess him... which was not intentional on Emperor's part but hey, always gotta read the fine print when making deals!

The consumption of hate-infused apples is a necessity for the Entity's corruption to take hold of someone, this is fact, buuut the Entity has its preferences too. Because the Entity is sentient, it has a personality and interests and can fall victim to temptations and similar. When Monarch ate one of the remaining hate-infused apples, the Entity was very intrigued by the development, especially because Monarch possesses a powerful positivity-infused soul (a gift from the creator of the 'prison' tree to fight back against the Entity), and wouldn't it be great to extinguish that powerful thing, or corrupt it to grow even more powerful? Yes, it would!

So the Entity switched hosts and while it hasn't won full control over Monarch's empowered soul yet, it is content with possessing him because of the added bonuses, like being able to enter other universes that have positivity in them.

You can read more about the AU's summarized backstory here.

[wishingstarinajar]

Do Knight, Monarch, Emeperor, etc need normal nutrition? Like normal food?

Not exactly. Monarch and Emperor have no need to sustain themselves with food, be it human or monster food. But they can eat if they wish for it. For instance, Monarch has a bit of a sweet tooth but treats sugary food more like a special treat so he doesn't eat it often. Also, both of the brothers have a thing for nectar drinks.

Slasher and Knight have the usual needs any monster has when it comes to eating (and drinking). Have to replenish their souls somehow! For one, Slasher (Emperor's main man) loves to eat and will gorge on hot dogs with far too many toppings.

[wishingstarinajar]

What is Monarch's goal? With Emperor and the rest of the world etc. OH and Knight, if he gets what he wants (whatever that might be) what would he do with the tall very VERY large knight guy?... *cough*

Monarch's goal is similar to Nightmare's goal: to let the multiverse and its people destroy themselves by the negativity he enhances and/or strengthens. But because Monarch still has constrained positivity left inside of him, he doesn't need an entourage of lackeys (aka the Bad Sanses) to cause havoc in places someone like Nightmare can't access. He does it all by himself, with his bodyguard at his side.

Speaking of the bodyguard, Monarch will keep Knight around for servitude. He's useful and loyal, and for reasons Monarch doesn't fully comprehend and is a bit frustrated about, also good on the eye.

When it comes to Emperor, Monarch leaves him be, for the most part. If he doesn't bother him then he won't waste energy on him either; he's got better things to do than waste time on his previous (and weaker) host. Though, he is amused whenever the fragment of his corruption remaining within Emperor gives the poor guy a bad time. Watch him squirm and struggle a bit, such joy.

But Inner Monarch misses his brother dearly and will at times "convince" Monarch to seek him out and have a few words but these little meetings usually don't end on a hopeful note.

[wishingstarinajar]

Is Monarch made of butterflies? Why do they always fly around or out of him? Is it more of a metaphor?

No, he isn't xD

Concept-wise, Monarch and his brother Emperor are themed after butterflies and moths, like the monarch butterfly and the emperor moth. They've had a fascination/liking towards these pretty little bugs since their creation.

"Inner Monarch" (aka the uncorrupted version of himself that's still fighting back) never allowed the corruption to wipe away his fondness for butterflies but it did twist into, well, collecting many specimens by sticking them on fancy corkboards for display. To have something frail, innocent, and beautiful be trapped forever, even in death. But, at least he has a greenhouse filled with live monarch butterflies to appease "Inner Monarch"... This is one of the reasons why he is surrounded by them in some of the recent drawings I've doodled.

During our last doodle session that resulted in the "booty appreciation" comics, Chee and I did muse about Monarch being able to (involuntarily) summon butterflies whenever he manages to get flustered or feel good feels, and that we have "Inner Monarch" to thank for that. Buuuut I'm still deciding whether this will be a thing or not so it isn't anything "canon" to Monarch's design as of yet.

As for his brother... After the Entity's corruption (the black goop and negativity that corrupted Nightmare/Emperor) shifted from Emperor to Monarch, the small fracture that still resides within Emperor at times speaks to him in the shape of a moth.