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1midnightcoffee · 2 years ago

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Disclaimer: Sorry, this took so long to get out! These are my thoughts on the new Tamashina-Mina event that just passed and how they reflect on Leona’s character. I think that maybe this event could shed more light on his character or could help some people appreciate him more! Or not, and I’m just crazy. This is just MY opinion, so feel free to disagree. I think he is a nuanced character who is not all good or bad and I just wanted to put down my thoughts about it. (Spoilers for the event and VERY slight spoilers for the very first part of Chapter 7, but nothing major.)

Tagging: @anevilbunnyinthehat, @cherryjkj, @artistfaery, @comingyourlugubriousness, @just-patchy, @writing-heiress, @twst-the-night-away, @the-monday-witch, @aroseyhyena, @thebettybook Anyway without further ado-

I think this event tells us over and over one thing about Leona’s character, and that's that he dislikes tradition.

Specifically, the way things are done in his country and how his brother reinforces that as the ruling monarch.

If we look at Leona’s Great Seven equivalent you can obviously see the parallel of Mufasa and Scar's ruling styles and the way that Scar disapproved of the traditions of the Circle of Life etc. Since Leona is nowhere as nefarious as Scar and things are a bit more complicated in the Twisted Wonderland universe we can assume that Leona probably has better intentions than Scar did. And who knows? Maybe Scar did at one point too before he became so embittered. --

It all starts with Leona getting a call from someone to remind him of the event. Then, we are brought to the Savanaclaw dorm with Leona asking Vil, Lillia, and Jack to help him by competing in the Tamashina-Mina tournament. (Yuu and Grim are” nosy” so they’re there for some reason? Kind of an uncreative writing choice.) If you look at all the students he had available to ask for help it makes sense why he chose who he did. Jack is the obvious pick. And Lillia and Vil make sense because to Leona, Rook and Mallues were out of the question.

Leona: Yup. I’m gonna have ya’ll win Catch the Tail for me. If a bunch of students from Night Raven College end up winning, all we gotta do is get our stories straight and pretend we finished doin’ the “Lessons of the Guardian”.

He seems to really not want to do these “Lessons of the Guardian.” It is explained that because he is the second-born he is required to teach these lessons to the winners of this event aka, “The Sunset Warriors.” I thought this setup was interesting because it’s very reminiscent of the way that in the show The Lion Guard, the second-born is assigned leader of the Lion Guard. Even Leona’s tattoo resembles the one the members of the Gaurd have in the show.

When the group questions why they would be allowed to do such an event, being outsiders to the Sunset Savanna Leona says:

Leona: It ain’t a problem. People from all over can compete. Somethin’ about how anybody has the potential to become a guardian or whatever. It’s actually a pretty respectable policy, not what I’d expect from my country. (This line says it all for me, setting the mood for the event.)

You can tell from the get that Leona has a disdain for the policies that are common in his country. And this line kind of implies to me that maybe outsiders are not usually welcome to participate in important events. Or that as I assumed, there is a heavy cast system in place in Sunset Savanna, like in the Lion King. He goes on to say that he is to teach the Guardian Lessons about Understanding, Good Sense, and Etiquette and how these are needed to protect both the monarch and the kingdom.

After this is said, everyone starts laughing in his face at the idea Leona could ever represent any of those things. (DAMN. It’s true but you guys are so foul for that.)

Leona: Hmph. Just as ya’ll have kindly pointed out, O Wise Ones, someone as rough around the edges as me just ain’t cut out for a gig like this. That’s why I’m trying to get out of it, no matter what it takes. Last year, I pretended like I accidentally forgot all about the festival and didn’t go home. And that’s what I’d been plannin’ to do this year, too. But this morning. They called me up to remind me about it. There’s no tellin’ what they’ll do if I don’t agree to come back home now. I was thinkin’ I might as well throw in the towel and stop tryin' to swindle ‘em, but…

Again, I think it's interesting that Leona is trying so hard to get out of these lessons. Not only does it show you he disagrees with whatever the lessons are teaching. Which, I can only guess, is propaganda about serving the royal family and why it’s such an honor. Anyways, this idea seems to disgust Leona so much that makes him circumvent his laziness for the entire trip.

Think about the way Leona acts: he’s casual, gruff, and informal. He doesn't want to appear royal in the traditional sense. Sure, he wants the credit and the admiration but he seems to despise the pageantry of it all. I think that he recognizes the issues that affect the different types of people in his country and perhaps senses a rift, as is hinted at later in the event.

I think at his core (Again, reflecting the ideals of Scar but in a more “genuine” sense) Leona believes everyone should be equal and there shouldn’t be a divine oligarchy, i.e, those who live on high while others don't. And we see evidence of that later when he talks about the infrastructure of the capital city.

It feels like the issue of inequality and spending money on frivolous things bother him deep down. (Even if he can be a bit of a hypocrite about this at school. ) In his birthday story, Leona also laments the fact that his brother gifts him an expensive rug instead of something more practical, and says he should have given it to another nation to further relations. However, in spite of this, because Leona is Leona he always goes along with the negative connotations that people think of him because well…it’s easy. Others think he is lazy and a brute? Then that’s what role he’ll gladly step into. As we will see, even when he “does the right thing” others often mock him for it, or still criticize his methods. Sadly he doesn't feel like it matters and maybe it’s because people will still have a certain opinion of him whatever he does. And it’s clear he feels the effects of this, especially at home, a place where often you are supposed to feel the most acceptance. It's no wonder that Leona is commonly headcanoned to have depression. We do see signs that even at his young age, he has "given up."

And don’t get me wrong, this all doesn't absolve his negative behavior. I think he does have an ego that needs to be checked. He is entitled. But, at some point BEFORE Night Raven College he was brushed aside so much by his family and subjects that he felt like whatever he didn't just…didn’t matter. He believes fate is set in stone and his beliefs were never taken seriously.

Where we are currently with Leona, he may be more self-aware post-overblot (canonically every overblotter has received therapy), but it is implied he has lost hope and clearly, his self-pitying apathy means more to him than actually trying to help his people. And this is probably the biggest thing he will have to overcome.

If we skip a bit further the group (Plus Kalim who, to everyone's surprise, was invited by Leona's family) arrives at Sunrise City, the capital city. (I predicted a fountain in my fics as well so I was pretty happy to see it!) Also, it seems to me the fountain is symbolic of Sunrise City's, and the Royal family's self-indulgence.

The group discusses how hot it is and Kalim brings up that it's similar to the weather in Scalding Sands but everyone has access to plenty of water so it’s no big deal. Leona has this to say, and it's perhaps the most he speaks the whole trip, signaling this is a big gripe of his.

Leona: I’d wager that’s ‘cause the folks who run the government over there are proactive about adoptin’ new technologies, and they’ve been workin’ hard to improve the living conditions of your people. Sunset Savanna is mostly made up of arid land. We ain’t got any deserts, but water’s still a precious resource for us. Unlike Scalding Sands, however, the development of infrastructure here is pretty much nonexistent. We even got people who still live off well water.

Folks here are so conscientious they’ll go out of their way to adapt to the land in whatever ways they can, and their whole lives are spent subject to the whims of mother nature. That’s why we still have this stupid festival to pray for rain every year.

There’s tons of natural resources underneath these lands, and if we’d just set up some large-scale mining operations then no doubt we’d be a lot better off. But everybody’s way too concerned about “coexistence with nature” or whatever. I doubt urban development ever even crosses their minds. It’s a lot different from Scalding Sands, huh?

So like I said before, it’s implied here that Sunrise City is well-industrialized and there's plenty of water integration. So much so that they built a HUGE fountain in the middle of the square (dedicated to the birth of Cheka of course) that no doubt wastes lots of water. Meanwhile, I assume other, less wealthy parts of the country still live off well water as Leona mentioned. This is why I say that there may be a huge divide in classes.

Leona mentions the hotel and a few other things and it also seems to me that the way he speaks to Vil and Lillia (who are both delighted to be here) that he may have a distaste for tourism and the way parts of the city have become a tourist trap. Which could be another part of the politics he disagrees with? This is a bit of a tangent but I thought I would mention it. In reality, tourism is a big problem in a lot of places. Personally, I used to live in a city that survived off tourism. It is something that can prove harmful to average or low-income people. If you live near or on the outskirts of a tourist trap you usually rely on tourism heavily, (or it inhibits your daily life) but when the tourists leave you are stuck living in a place that has become too expensive to thrive. And when the economy slows down (in the case of my experience) some people get laid off from their jobs or have their work hours severely cut back. But I digress, as this is more of a speculation of mine. But, let's say Falena is okay with tourism and perhaps it benefits the Sunset Savanna in some way but, it feels like Leona disagrees.

After a bit of back and forth, our wolfie Jackie-poo passes out. And after he comes to, Leona admits he should have warned him and taken better precautions to accommodate him for this trip.

Of course, to which we all act surprised.

Grim: Wow, Leona admitting he was wrong?

Seems like even when Leona is conscientious and acts like a house warden, he gets a snide remark. Anyways, we enter Kifaji, the newest side character based on Zazu who is the royal chamberlain. And…okay. I may be biased because I hated Zazu in the Lion King and I know you guys are going to call me a Leona apologist but- I don’t really like this man. He just seems to ride Leona’s ass this whole trip about his duties and besides a cute line here or there about caring for Leona as a child he’s just there to criticize him. (Maybe that was the point but, all I’m saying is it would have been nice to meet someone Leona actually had a positive reaction to.)

Kifaji: Goodness gracious. That cunning nature of yours hasn’t changed one bit. What a pity. It’s your job to perform the “Lessons of the Guardian”, and that’s something you should take pride in. I should hope you'd adopt an attitude more befitting of a member of the royal family. To begin with, you’re always so-

Leona: Tsch. Here we go again with the damn lectures. It doesn't matter whether or not I go around actin' like I'm royalty. It's not like anybody cares.

Again, Leona doesn't “act” like royalty. He has been taught etiquette and how to act “proper” but he doesn't care for it. I think he wants to distance himself from it all and just be “normal” and treated as such, acknowledged for his own accomplishments. That’s why I think he came to Night Raven College to begin with. To get away from his family and that is probably why he’s been failing too. Not because he’s not smart enough, it's so he can have an excuse to stay just a bit longer, no one “cares” anyways. --

We move on to the hotel, which Leona mentions is the most prestigious of hotels near the palace usually where tourist go. I will say one of my favorite things about the event was all the backgrounds.

Leona: Fabric’s been a big deal in Sunset Savannah for a long time now. We’ve developed techniques for embroidery and color dyes, and for weavin’ patterns into the fabric.

Anyway, we all get new clothes and Kalim takes Jack's place in the tournament. Grim and Yuu get matching bows, which was really cute! It’s said Grim and Yuu are there to basically be cheerleaders. They do reference Hakuna Matata as they discuss the idea of leaving an ill Jack at the hotel while they all go walking around the city.

Leona: Hakuna Matata. It’s this real convenient phrase that’s been passed down in this country over the generations. It means ya shouldn’t take things so seriously. Hakuna Matata! Hah! Got a nice ring to it, huh?

This seems positive if you read it with no context, but I'm not sure because in a translation it’s hard to tell. But, it kind of felt to me like Leona was making fun of this idea because he actually disagrees with how easygoing everyone is. Unsure, since he can be a very dry character. --

So they go to the local bazaar and it's really cool! Another beautiful background and we get to know the locals a little. (Also if you haven't seen my other post where I’m screaming about this event. I talked about how I wrote something similar about an “artisan bazaar” way before this event was released. I’ll link it here if you’d like to read it!)

Next, they talk about the food (as they do with every hometown event) but it’s also interesting to me that Leona is constantly bringing up water and rain. I definitely feel like he has a bit of a complex about his ultimate magic and how it functions to dry out things, turning them into sand.

Leona: (as they pass the fountain again)They built that thing not too long ago. Sunset Savanna doesn’t have a national water service, and Sunrise City’s the only place they've been developin’ the infrastructure at. This fountain here’s a symbol of that. Seein’ as water and sewer services are cornerstones of public health and all.

This comment felt really sarcastic and shady to me. Like: “Yeah water’s so important here! Look, how they built this big, dumb unnecessary fountain!”

We explore some more and was a part where Kalim tells Yuu to take a picture of them all drinking their special hibiscus and baobab juice drinks, and Leona’s like:

It sucks that he can’t actually have fun in his own event, but he’s a grump so what do we expect?

Kalim: Guys, let’s all raise our glasses together! Lilia: Do let’s! And could we also snap a group photo, as well?

Vil: Pictures of me don’t come cheap, you know…. Hah, normally I’d say something like that, but Rook did ask me to send him some photos. It’s fine with me. Okay then… Everyone except Leona: Cheers!!! (Leona starts drinking his juice instead)

Grim: Hey!! Leona started drinkin’ his juice without us! Vil: You’re seriously coldhearted, you know that?-

Next, they go to a barbecue shop! (And I think that’s fun too because I wrote in my fic about how Ruggie took everyone to his favorite BBQ place in the Sunset Savanna.)

We look for souvenirs and there’s a part where Kalim tries to literally buy his WHOLE dorm expensive diamond bracelets. He chooses some pretty beaded ones instead then the conversation circles back to the mining topic.

Leona clearly feels like they aren't using their country's resources wisely and I assume expanding mining operations would bring more money to modernize more parts of the country. And I wanna be clear, Leona could be in the wrong. These are just his opinions after all. As we know in reality, sometimes modernization isn't always the answer to a country’s problems. So maybe him being so pro-modernization is the writer's way of referencing the way the Pridelands were ��destroyed” after Scar took over. This hard opinion Leona has is in direct opposition to the common one of “protecting nature at all costs” and is kind of symbolic of the way Scar disregarded nature. But again, I do think Leona actually does care about his people. After this part, it dawned on me why Leona chose the internship he did!

In the very first part of Chapter 7 when the 3rd years are deciding on their 4th-year internships they imply he decided long ago. A mining company in his home country. He brushed it off to say that: “A company from my own country will never fail their own prince, so it’ll be easy.” Everyone calls him lazy here once again but now we see it’s just an act. So, perhaps he actually plans to try to change things in his country? To me, Leona is intentionally written to me to be mysterious in this way and he almost delights in this deception of his true intentions. He rarely shares personal details about himself so who knows? (And as we go on, I get why.)

Kifaji: From valuable jewels and precious metals, to moderately priced wares made from glass beads, they have quite the inventory. In our country, we produce a variety of precious metals and natural rocks.

Leona: He said “produce”, but all they do here is just collect rocks they find lyin’ around. Ain’t like ya’ll have any mining operations set up.

Kifaji: That’s enough. There’s no need for us to do that since it isn’t a major industry here.

Leona: Oh yeah? Even though ya’ll know very well just how many natural resources we got buried under these lands, ya don’t even think once about tryin’ to mine ‘em.

Kifaji: That is because the people of Sunset Savannah treasure nature as it is. Destroying the environment just for economic gain would be foolish.

Leona: So instead you’re just gonna sit around and wait for this country to fall apart? Guess I’m too much of a fool to understand your line of thinkin’.

As Yuu and Grim decide on their souvenirs I thought it was adorable that Leona recommended a hammock to Grim!

(Vil, MY Queen I love you, but this was harsh.) Vil: Just the kind of recommendation you’d expect from someone who spends all his time sleeping. Well, Grim’s about on par with you when it comes to laziness, so I’d say it all worked out.

As much as I like Vil, he and others can certainly feed into the issues Leona has. There are other examples but these are the ones that come to mind. I recall a part from Endless Halloween where Ace butters up to Leona and claims he "admires him" and even wants to be in the Spelldrive club since Leona is the captain. Leona responds pretty positively admiring Ace for his cunningness.

Then afterward only for Leona to catch Ace insulting him. (And knowing Ace, he actually didn’t care that much anyways and was just wanting Leona's protection) Leona, of course, was upset by this.

(Someone's a bit sensitive.)

And this vibe is doubled down in Leona’s Halloween Wear vignette where Jade comes up to Leona at the party because he was "standing alone forlornly", only to have just been trying to pry information out of Leona the whole time. Leona is used to this though and picks up on Jade's game pretty quick.

This to me cements the idea that Leona wants to be recognized and treated like a normal guy and appreciated for his own accomplishments. Because of how he is perceived, his status, and his intimidating aura everyone either wants him to act differently and not be himself, OR wants something from him. (protection, a fight, information, money) Which is understandably frustrating and feeding into his issues of self-worth.

However, when it comes to someone like Vil who is an equal and a peer of Leona, we see Vil working hard for everything. He sees Leona, for all intents and purposes as a spoiled prince. It would be infuriating to watch someone with so much potential seemingly throw it away.

So, I do understand Vil and others' perspectives. I do think that even though they don't get along, deep down two do have mutual respect for one another since they both are powerful dorm leaders and have known each other since they were first years. Leona is good at seeing potential and others and Vil is no different, that’s why he asked him to come. --

Okay, this next part was what personally made me not like Kifaji. So, Kalim mentions he wants snacks as a gift for his fellow Light Music Club members, and Leona’s like: Oh hey. Then go to that stall over there. They got good stuff.

And-

Kifaji: Lord Leona… Your phrasing is rather lacking. Please put some more thought into how you say things.

Leona: Could you be any more annoying? This country’s stuffy enough as it is, no way in hell I’m gonna be all prim and proper like you’re wantin’. (Leona walks away)

There it is again, he can’t just be himself at home, literally. And that’s what Leona wants most. Classic royal brat complex, you have everything and nothing, especially in his case. He says he will never be king and that upsets him but I don’t think that angst is so…literal. Leona doesn't want people to kiss his ass, he wants credit for his ideas, and to be treated with the reverence he feels he deserves. Remember even after Scar became king he was still unhappy and insecure.

Kifaji: ….A thousand pardons, everyone. He can be quite difficult at times.

Kalim: What’s the one that Leona bought from that stall over there? He’s chowing down on it.

Kifaji: That is a candy made from baobab fruit. It’s dyed red with food coloring, and has sugar and chili pepper powder dusted on it. Lord Leona has been fond of it since he was a young boy. …Though he’s grown up to be quite the impudent young man, that’s one thing about him that hasn’t changed.

Lilia: *takes a bite* ….Ah, this is very good. The sourness of the fruit, the spiciness of the pepper, and the sweetness of the sugar…. They’re all combining together to form a most complex flavor.

Kalim: *starts eating the candy* …You’re right! It’s kind of a more mature flavor. It’s really good! Since this is Leona’s favorite, I bet he must recommend it. Let’s get some for Cater!

So, can I just note, here I had NO IDEA that this was a real treat and had cinnamon on it and that it was one of Leona’s favorites as a kid? I had personally headcanoned cinnamon to be a flavor he liked since last year? I screamed a little when I looked up this candy. Why can’t I have foresight on things that MATTER?

Baobab Candy is an African fruit seed coated in a mixture of sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and food coloring. -- Moving on, we do get a little lore on beastman and it is confirmed beastman came from animals which is…weird. And I don’t wanna think about it too hard, so I digress. I thought this part was interesting.

Kifaji: There is a wide variety of species amongst the beastfolk, and some species in Sunset Savanna live in settlements they’ve formed with one another. While we’re on the topic, I’ll let you all know that I am a bird beastman. There aren’t many of us, and even here in the imperial city our numbers are quite low. We beastfolk have different cultures and customs, and it’s been difficult for the royals to unify the nation. Lord Falena, who’s been entrusted with overseeing the national polity, also appears to be struggling.

Unifying the nation? Do you mean as the King of Beasts did? I guess we don’t know what is “real” in Twisted Wonderland. Is it the case of revisionist history with the Great Seven or was the King of Beasts actually benevolent? Again, this just tells me that currently, under Falena’s rule, there is tension among certain beastmen species. And seemingly Leona feels that this could be handled in a different way than his brother does. Hmm.

Leona: Since he’s so stupidly honest, all he does is make things harder for himself.

Kifaji: If that is what you truly think, then could you please stand by Lord Falena’s side and assist him? That is what your father desires, you know.

Leona: Nah, it’s easier for my older brother if I ain’t here. The reason I've been stayin' away from home is for our country’s sake. In other words, me not showin' up to Tamashina-Mina until this year was also for the good of our country. It’s my own special way of showin’ concern for you guys. Ain’t I so nice?

Kifaji: How deplorable…. When I think how Lord Falena feels, it pains my own heart even more… Aah, why did you grow up to be such an embittered young man…

Leona: Who knows. Maybe ‘cause a certain bitter old Chamberlain was too hard on me growin’ up?

These two are so cheeky with each other that you can tell there are feelings of resentment there. And I’m not saying Leona doesn't have some sort of positive affection toward Kifaji. They bicker in a way that feels lighter at certain points and talk about how he was a caretaker to him as well, (which implies a tidbit about his parents) but it is clear that like the rest of Leona’s family, he still doesn't accept him the way he is. This may also be a place to note, Leona’s mother is NEVER mentioned, even in passing, so I do believe she is deceased. (My personal theory is she died in childbirth, adding to the idea that Leona is so “despised”)

The group leaves the bazaar to go to the hot springs (one of the only reasons Vil came) and the bus that was supposed to take them there breaks down. Kalim literally buys the bus driver a new bus. No joke. But for now, Leona takes them all to the palace to get a car so he can drive them himself and also dump Kifaji. (Silly thought, but what if Leona sabotaged the bus just so he wouldn't have to bring Kifaji. Pfft.) As they exchange more words about the competition Kifaji mentions again how “clever and sneaky” Leona is for his plan to get Night Raven College to win so he can get out of teaching the guardian lessons.

Kalim: Hey, I can see a bunch of huge buildings over there. Is that Leona’s house?

Vil: So the royal palace here is made of stone.

Leona: Yeah, ‘cause it’s supposed to be both a palace and a fortress. It was built with strength in mind.

Side note! The palace is made of beige/white stones Another small detail I called!

Next, there’s this little interaction with Cheka. And it’s…nothing new to be honest. It’s just the same situation recycled from Chapter 2. Cheka loves Leona and Leona’s just like: “Ugh, go away kid.”

It's so sad that we were teased with descriptions of muscly, hot beastwomen guards only to never see them, and then toward the end of the event we get no more special characters, just recycled designs of background characters that we always see. (Worked on this event for two years, huh?)

Lilia: My, those two beastwomen look impeccably formidable.

Leona: That’s ‘cause they’re veteran imperial guards. They’re strong as hell. The royal family of this country is lion beastfolk, and in lion prides, it’s the women who’re in charge of huntin’. That might be why there’s so many brawny women in our imperial guard. I mean, of course we got some male guards, too. But almost all the important positions are held by women.

Leona: Now that ya mention it, I don’t see that trio that’s always with Cheka. ….Wait a second. Don’t tell me they’re….

WHY? WHY WOULD THEY TEASE THIS LIKE THIS WHEN WE'RE JUST GONNA GET THREE BOZOS??? UGH, ONE WOMAN, PLEASE? PLEASE??

-- Moving on! Leona drives us to “Elephant Legacy” (In his little green Jeep~), clearly a reference to the elephant graveyard from the Lion King. But, it's basically a tourist destination now and has hot springs. I was excited for this part but was…thoroughly disappointed when we got no funny interactions and it cut to black.

They all fight about who's sitting where. Leona’s like: “I’m not sitting next to Lillia or Kalim.” And Vil’s like well: “I’m not sitting next to you, Leona.” And he responds: “Didn't ask, Yuu get in here.” Grim offers shotgun instead.

Leona: You seriously tellin’ me to just let ‘im sit up front by himself? And if I have him sit in the back with the rest of you guys, he’ll be even more annoying. Get in the front seat now. Both of you.

Honestly, I kind of figured Leona could drive at his age and I'm not really surprised he can drive well. He's so good at Spelldrive. But, everyone seems to like the ride. They mention the Circle of Life and Grim falls asleep in Yuu’s lap, but not before one more scathing comment from Vil.

Vil: I’m surprised you drive so well. So even Leona Kingscholar has something he’s good at.

Leona: I’m so honored to receive your compliments.

Not much to add here. They go to Elephant Legacy and talk about more food and it cuts to black. I did think it cool that they cooked eggs with the steam because I think there's a similar thing in Japan where you eat boiled eggs that are made on a mountain and steamed using the natural environment.

Eventually, they go to train for the Tamashina-Mina tournament and Leona discusses strategies and compares them to chess pieces because of course he does!

Lillia being the more important piece, Vil being a mid, but versatile piece, and of course, Kalim is simply compared to a pawn.

Leona at some point mentions to them that he cannot compete because the second-born again is supposed the leader of the “Sunset Warriors” and it isn’t allowed.

Grim: ….If you think about it, Leona’s the most useless person here right now.

And this is funny, yes, but also that means that Leona is symbolic of the king piece, kind of useless, but still the most important in the game that determines the win or loss. -- They go to dinner at the hotel and have more FOOD. Oh and another thing I called, the Capital City was on the coast!

Leona: Even in Sunset Savannah, you can get fresh fish and stuff for pretty cheap as long as you’re in a region that’s by the sea. Sunrise City is near the coast, so people here have come up with all sorts of different seafood dishes. But stuff like this is still a luxury in places that aren’t by any lakes or the ocean.

I did think this next part was cute. Kalim and Lillia dance and sing with the entertainers at the hotel. After this, they catch Leona gazing at the stars “planning strategies” and of course, everyone is roasting him.

Vil: I never would have pegged you for the stargazing type. How romantic.

Leona: Don’t make me laugh. Those things are nothin’ more than balls of gas burnin’ millions of miles away.

Lilia: What a totally unromantic thing to say.

Vil: Typical Leona.

Leona: During the time of the King of the Beasts, people'd say the stars in the sky were the great kings of old. They'd watch over the members of the royal family, and whenever you felt lonely or you were worryin’ about something, they’d come and guide you down the right path.

Lilia: Well that’s a pleasant notion.

Leona: Right? It’s a pretty crappy lie they came up with. It’s laughable, really.

Vil: Okay, so if you really aren’t interested in the stars or whatever, then why did you go all the way outside just to do some strategizing?

Leona: No reason in particular. Anyways, what’s more important is our battle plan for tomorrow. During our practice today, I got a firm grasp of your capabilities, as well as your strengths an' weaknesses. I’ve been simulatin’ all the different battle patterns your opponents might throw at ya tomorrow.

We learn a couple of things here. Leona is a strategist (Which we already knew.) who thinks of all his routes before he makes a move. And in hindsight, this makes Chapter 2 look like even more of a blunder from someone supposedly so smart.

Anyway with this, we get a glimpse into his spiritual beliefs. Because I do believe Leona is a logical person, there's still a part of him that desperately wants to believe in the stories of his country and it makes me think that as a kid he did do things like talk to the stars. Though at some point, he started to feel disconnected from both his traditions and his family. He distanced himself from things like “talking to stars” because he’s been disappointed so many times. It also reminds me of when Kovu and Kiara look at the stars in Lion King 2 and Kovu asks if Scar is up there with the “Kings of the Past” because he heavily associates himself with him. And at least in the Lion Guard, we get an answer to that: No, he is not.

Scar was “evil” so he was excluded from a peaceful afterlife with his family. I don’t remember exactly how they worded it but basically, he’s in hell or…something similar. And in that show, which I do believe the creators of twst were inspired by. (Evident by Leona’s tattoo and UM name) They seem to put a lot of… emphasis on Scar’s well, scar in the Lion Guard AND Lion King 2, since Kovu receives one too. It’s always implied that a scar on your eye was a “mark of evil” in the franchise. So, looping back around, it makes me wonder if after Leona received his scar if he felt further distanced from his family or if some treated him differently. All this on top of "him being born with such terrifying magic.” I would love to have seen more of how he interacts with random people or the common people. Is he easily recognizable? Are they scared of him? Apathetic? Leona says he is a “despised” prince but we don’t really get to see it.

Anyway!

Kalim: I sure am glad Leona’s here to come up with a strategy for us! ‘Cause I still really don’t get this Catch the Tail stuff.

Lilia: So even while we were all having fun together, you were contemplating about our matches. I’m impressed!

Leona: I’m doin’ all this ‘cause you guys absolutely cannot lose this thing.

Vil: Do you seriously not want to do the “Lessons of the Guardian” that badly? What all do you have to do, exactly?

Kalim: “Lessons of the Guardian”? What’s that?

Leona: It’s this thing where I gotta explain to the winning team just how much of an honor it is to serve the royal family. (Leona again emphasizes his disdain for the lessons as if it’s not an honor to serve the royal family.)

Next day, and the matches happen. Kalim loses, Vil wins, and Lillia wins but takes longer than Leona advised so he tires himself out. Basically, they all ignore his advice in different ways as he watches the matches from his VIP seat (normally reserved for Falena but he was “busy.” Thanks for nothing, twst writers.) And meanwhile, Kifaji is still being smarmy to Leona. Oh, and Chaka is there too.

Kifaji: Lord Leona? Where are you off to?

Leona: I’m gettin’ some grub. Leave me alone.

Kifaji: Grub!? Please do not use such words before Lord Cheka!

Leona goes ringside and yells at them all to basically stop fucking around. A few more rounds pass and the “trio that guard Cheka” are finally revealed as the last competitors. Not based on the trio of hyenas from Lion King. Not a trio of hot, sexy buff beastwoman Not based on any other notable Lion King characters. Just some dudes? Eyeless generics, with boring, recycled designs. It was really disappointing honestly. I thought maybe we’d get a tiny Falena cameo or even one more Sunset Savanna character. There wasn’t even much time spent with Cheka either.

And I guess I just thought we would get more nice character moments for Leona too. We got some crumbs, as usual, but mostly Leona was just our tour guide and coach for the “Catch the Tail” wrestling matches. This part was nice since he got to shine at what he is best at, but I mean we kinda already knew that, right? And maybe I’m biased. And maybe I’m taking all this "new" information for granted because a lot of it I had already predicted about Leona’s characters and beliefs.

So, the three guards know Leona. They apparently were supposed to receive the lessons from him before, after they won past tournaments and they are bitter about it. On a side tangent, it seems a little unfair for trained royal guards to enter a tournament that Leona points out is mostly random citizens and foreigners having fun. But that’s okay, it's gonna get worse in a second.

So basically we find out Kifaji was giving uh- specialty training to these guys to win FOR A WHOLE YEAR prior so they would win again and Leona would HAVE to do the royal propaganda lessons specifically to them. (You know a group who already serve the royal family??) He wants to put Leona in his place that bad, it seems.

Imagine for a second, if your sibling (who you have a strained relationship with) was a politician whose politics and opinions you vehemently disagreed with. But as the younger sibling you HAD to sing their phrases and spread the word about how “what an honor” it is to serve them to a class of people you personally thought weren’t getting a fair shake. Yeah, I get it.

Kifaji: Ho ho ho. I believe you’ve stumbled upon a roadblock in your path to victory, Night Raven College Team.

Leona: Dammit Kifaji. I bet he kept that rule a secret from me on purpose. Does he seriously not wanna see our Imperial Guard lose the tournament that badly… Nah. He just wants me to do the “Lessons of the Guardian” at any cost.

-- Lillia accidentally uses magic on his next turn and then we're almost done. It’s the semi-final round and low and behold Kalim’s opponent turns out to be the bus driver from ealier! (He was a secret spare for the guard trio team.) The guy, you know…Kalim bought a whole new bus for and saved his livelihood? So the bus driver forfeits because he is so grateful to Kalim and honestly…it was one of the best moments for me.

The simple pawn becomes king.

Leona: Heh heh…. Ahahahah!! Even with all my planning, I never coulda imagined he’d win the match like this. I was thinkin’ he was just a pawn, even lower than a minor piece. I can’t believe he scored a win for us in the finals. If you’re able to get your pawn to the edge of the board, you can raise its status to that of another piece…. It’s called promotion. So I guess Kalim really was a pawn after all.

So there is not much left to the event, but basically, Leona does the last round for Vil because Vil was pretending not to be hurt after he got kicked in the first round. (like the Queen he is) Leona dons his lion mask and acts as a spare for Vil and uses Yuu’s name which was a cute detail. He wins of course and Kjfaji can’t say anything because he knows foiling Leona would “embarrass the royal family” or whatever. (Fuck you.) Essentially, it’s a stalemate between the two of them.

Leona even yells out “Checkmate!” when he wins because he’s a loser (facts) and everyone on the losing team is all butthurt. But then...Leona says what I feel is the crux of the event-

Masked Man (Leona): ….Oi. Listen to me, all of you. I got a message for ya from Lord Leona himself. He says he absolutely ain’t gonna do the damn lessons. True warriors don’t need to rely on something like the teachings of others. You gotta march forward usin’ your own strength… Is what he says.

And how nicely this again aligns with the idea of Kalim winning the way he does. Which was because of his generosity and kindness. That is his strength. And Leona taught Vil and Liilia to win in accordance with their strengths.

And so, we circle back to my first point. Leona hates tradition. What has tradition done for him, besides make him feel inadequate? Stuck. Second.

He respects those who use their own unique strengths to get what they want. This point was echoed in his speech to Jamil in Chapter 6 where he basically tells him off for not living up to his potential. And he should make use of his strong suits rather than compare himself to others and feel sorry for himself. (Gee, great advice Leona.) Jamil can’t be great in the way Kalim is because he will never be like Kalim and he can’t “win” in life by traditional means like by being born into money or privilege. You have to use your own strengths. You can’t worry about rules, tradition, or others' approval. This is one of Leona’s core ideals and it seems he is criticized for this at home with everyone urging him to “act more like a royal.” It really makes sense why he and Ruggie are so close. Ruggie does whatever Ruggie needs to survive without shame and it works for him, and Leona respects him for that. And so this event ends with everyone from the Night Raven College team hopping into Leona's car so he can avoid the crowd noticing he’s missing. There’s a twisttune and “THE END” pops on the screen.

Overall, I will say this event left me a bit…wanting. I definitely got the sense that the event was cut short or shortened. They teased a lot and there wasn't much there in terms of story, and the ending felt very abrupt? Supposedly, they spent two whole years on this event? And some parts feel incomplete, especially compared to others. We get a few nice moments but as usual, you really have to read between the lines to appreciate Leona’s character in this and I know that’s not for everyone. So, I don't blame people for thinking he's uninteresting.

I would have loved to have gotten more time with his family and seen the dynamic between him and Falena. I think back to Jamil’s sister and she just felt more real? Kifaji just…wasn’t as likable or entertaining. And in terms of Falena, I feel you have to take what Leona says with a grain of salt and maybe in the future we will see them interact. On a personal level, here are my overall likes and dislikes- Likes:

The backgrounds and small tidbits of Sunset Savanna lore like learning Leona’s fav candy were cute and exciting.

The interactions between Vil, Lillia, Kalim, and even Jack were great. They were fun as a group, and everyone besides Leona felt like they were having lots of fun.

It was nice to see Leona drive his little green Jeep (ANOTHER PREDICTION) and get to be competent and a good leader while he showed his affinity for chess. The wrestling matches themself were a bit boring but- I did like the overall idea of it!

Dislikes:

Leona felt like a glorified tour guide (And Leona didn't really seem to have fun except when he was driving)

No new characters besides Kifaji

Little time with the royal family in general, even Cheka’s screentime the tropes felt recycled.

TOO MUCH TALKING ABOUT FOOD

The groovy for Leona's card was so...lackluster I did my own edit.

I’d say this event was a mixed bag. I personally was a little disappointed when I first read it because I wanted more and nothing really surprised me. But I will say, rereading it a second time. I can at least appreciate the chess themes and what they were going for as far as Leona’s character. He’s still not gonna be for everyone as his development from the writers is usually subtle and barely there, but maybe this will be helpful for those who wanted to learn a bit more about him. I know this was a bit biased and rambly but hoping you got something from this if you read it all the way through! I wanna be clear, this was an attempt to better understand Leona's character and doesn't excuse his negative actions in any way, but maybe allow more people to empathize with him.

Anyway, thanks for reading! :3c

Link to translations used: X Check out @081314 and follow them! And read the event for yourself if you like! My card edit for the event: X

#twst #daily reblog #twisted wonderland #I’m glad someone agrees that that event was kinda a disappointment #sure I like somethings but it come on yana you had two years

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