thepaintedrealm. An oil painting of a skeletal king slumped upon a throne of tangled marionette strings, his limbs warped into wooden joints. A gilded mask hides half his face, while hollow, glassy eyes stare blankly ahead. Crimson- stained strings vanish into the darkness above, held by unseen hands. The throne is built from shattered puppets, some lifeless, others twitching as if resisting their fate. Faded banners hang in a decaying theater, portraits of past rulers watching in silence. The thick brushstrokes give an eerie texture—dust swirling in golden light, cracked paint revealing something shifting beneath. With a sharp pull of the strings, the king begins to rise