#Ace dorm uniform vignette spoilers

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

who were the other characters that brought up ace's potential that you mentioned in the recent post? im not sure if my memory is failing me but did any character ever discuss ace's potential of becoming housewarden or something like that too? i thought i heard it floating around online before

[Referencing this post!]

There’s actually lots of other characters, though I didn’t really include them in the original post because most of these examples are more like general praise for Ace’s skillset rather than his potential to grow even more. Here’s instances I was able to locate (although please keep in mind that this list isn’t exhaustive);

Jamil says Ace is “a deft hand at basketball.” Even as a first year, Ace is trying hard to prove his mettle and earn a proper spot on the team for actual games.

In Endless Halloween Night, Leona clocks Ace's cunning (he knew that Floyd wanted to use someone as a decoy and so stuck close to Leona so that Floyd would default to Epel). "Both your mercilessness and the calculating way you drew close to my strength without hesitation wasn't half bad. I see that the good little boys over at Heartslabyul have more crafty students like you mixed in."

In Malleus's Bloom Broom vignettes, Malleus states, "I must say, for a child of man you do have some redeeming qualities. Though you're "just a freshman", you were more than happy to share your views to get a proper response out of me for the first question. Heh heh, and meanwhile many of my own classmates struggle to even say hello to me."

In Idia's Suitor Suit vignettes, Idia rambles about how Ace looks and acts so cool, like some action hero.

Rook is the one who points out Ace and the others' potential to be polished in book 5; it is based on his advice that Vil decides on the NRC VDC/SDC Tribe that he does. Rook also notices that Ace is very quickly able to mimic the language of moles (in Ace's Dorm Uniform vignettes). "Merveilleux! Such skillful mimicry! You truly did memorize it in one go [...] Mm, yes. The Roi des Roses has fine vassals indeed."

Vil praises Ace in Fairy Gala: What If for being able to perform a passable runway walk. Other characters that are present during this scene (Lilia, Silver, Jack, etc.) are shocked as well and ask how he was able to do it.

Fellow Honest praises the NRC students (including Ace) and tells them that they have potential to be "stars" on Playful Land's stage. However, it's not clear if he was being sincere here, as he was most likely lovebombing them in order to lure them to the park.

In book 7, Cater calls Ace super cool for standing up to OB Riddle; it gave Cater some courage to fight too! Not many people are capable of doing that.

To my knowledge, there’s no canonical discussion of Ace as a potential dorm leader (unless you want to count his stint in book 1, but he only wanted the crown to knock Riddle down a peg, not because he was the most suitable for the role). That’s purely from the world of fanon, as there’s lots of fan art and theory crafting about whether he or Deuce will succeed Riddle.

[therosefrontier]

TWST Family Lore: Heartslabyul Part 1

As a fanfic writer, the family question has been coming up a lot for me with these guys, especially with me wanting to potentially actually write these unseen family members that get mentions thrown out there, so I started collecting information, and then, I thought I'd make a post about it! This first part is just Heartslabyul, about their family members and what we know about them (that I could find, anyways), plus some of my thoughts/guesses. This very well might not be exhaustive, but maybe if I see something more I'll add on!

That said! Spoiler warning! I am including info from various vignettes, card voicelines, and events, including JP server only cards, but I will try to avoid too many specific JP event story spoilers (which in this post is pretty much just a lot of White Rabbit). I include main story stuff from book 1 and also the first part of book 7 (which is out in EN), but nothing from the rest of book 7 which is out in JP. Which probably doesn't have anything Hearts-related anyways (I do not know)? I might be waiting for the rest of book 7 to come out before posting a Diasomnia edition to this, though...

So anyways! Let's get to it!

ACE TRAPPOLA

He has an older brother (seven years older than him, as mentioned in his school uniform vignette), whom he seems to be fairly close with. We also have mention of his dad, but so far, as far as I can tell, there is mention of no one else. He does mention his parents in the plural once: in his ceremonial robes voicelines, he says that "I think my brother was happier than my parents when we found out I made it into this school." We also know that his brother was a student at NRC himself and was also in Heartslabyul, which may very well be one reason for his enthusiasm at his little brother getting into the same school. At the freshmen orientation ceremony, Ace shows no surprise to getting chosen for Heartslabyul, assuming that he'd end up in the same place as his brother (Ace robes vignette).

But first, Ace's dad! He gets mentioned in his birthday boy vignette. He is not a mage (implying that, perhaps, Ace and his brother get their magic from their mom's side? As it does appear to be a genetic thing of some sort according to some mentions, but also, it can skip generations, as is seen with Epel), but he is really good at old-fashioned magic of the sleight-of-hand variety. When asked what got Ace into sleight of hand by Yuu for the birthday interview, he says it'd be his dad, who was "ridiculously good" at it.

(image credit: Songstress Studios)

Ace goes on to say that he learned the "nuts and bolts" of it from his brother, whom he believes was also inspired by their dad, and he also says that whenever he visits home, he and his brother will show off to each other and challenge each other to spot the trick!

Ace also talks about his brother in relation to learning tricks in his dorm uniform vignette. He shows sleight of hand tricks to his dormmates, and when Riddle shows surprise and awe over the 'pick a card' trick he's definitely never seen before, Ace says that he reacted in pretty much the same way when his brother first showed it to him. When asked about his brother, Ace says that he "started playing around with cards for funsies" while he was a student, and Ace later learned from him, but not directly. He never gave away the secret, but Ace learned by watching him. (And he learned well, too! Ace has been shown to be very good at this, also coming up notably in the Fairy Gala IF event, for instance).

(image credit: RedAngel)

Earlier, Cater had asked Ace to show him the secret, and Ace made a deal with him for it since he'd never do it for free, and after hearing Ace's story, Cater guesses that Ace's mentality of never giving away anything for free could have come from his brother.

It also seems that Ace's brother was absolutely the type to tease him. In his birthday boy vignette, Ace tells a story of how on his birthday, his brother gave him a box with a fancy watch inside, which got Ace all excited, but then he clarifies that the watch was *his* watch, not Ace's. Ace's gift was the box. His brother afterwards fills the box with candy, but Ace was not amused.

And in other notes:

He is bad at cooking, according to Ace, who says he "doesn't know a cake from a steak" (school uniform vignette).

He taught Ace how to "kill time in the dorms" (school uniform vignette).

He took a theme park management internship in his fourth year at NRC, and he's continued to work there after graduation (Book 7, Chapter 4).

(Also, this thing about the theme park might be a reference, maybe?? In the Tokyo DisneySea park, there was this "villain recruiters" show that ran from 2015 to 2018, featuring original minions of various Disney villains who would make a pitch to invite guests to join the "Villains' World," and there was a Queen of Hearts card soldier character named Jack Heart, whose costume design does resemble Heartslabyul's! And he does the heart thing with his hands like Ace does in his official art! So, might have been inspiration? Anyways, this tumblr post by ceeyuin666 has a nice summary of it so there).

Anyhow, back on track and back to the school uniform vignette, Ace mentions how before he came to NRC, his brother would "take him about everywhere," which does seem to imply they spent a lot of time together, and he also seems to have been a big influence on Ace. For better or worse :). In this vignette, Ace does a favor for Trey in exchange for a slice of cherry tart, when tips for the history test were what he really wanted, a second motive Trey totally expected, and when asked if he was lying about loving cherries so much, Ace said that he wasn't: his brother told him "the most convincing lies are sprinkled with a dash of truth." Knowing Ace, Trey is not surprised.

(anyways I really want to meet this guy so please Ace hometown event please!!)

DEUCE SPADE

(translation credit to Ekala on Youtube!)

He has no siblings and was raised by his single mother, whom we have actually met! In the JP server, anyways! She shows up in Deuce's hometown event, the White Rabbit Festival. So, we have a name! Meet Dilla Spade (or Dilah? Dira? Deela?)! Romanization isn't clear yet; I'll just say "Dilla" for now. Also, we find out she's a delivery truck driver for the thematically-named White Rabbit Delivery company.

Deuce is shown to have been very close to his mom growing up, noticeable enough to the point that his old middle school friends teased him for it and called him "childish" (starsending vignette). We find early on that this is an important part to his story—when Deuce was in middle school, he was acting like a delinquent: skipping school, disrespecting teachers, being reckless and getting into fights. Then, one night, he overheard his mom talking to his grandma (only mention of his grandma that I know of, but, noted that she's in the picture too!), and he could tell that she was crying. She was feeling like a failure of a mother, and said that "maybe she never should have tried to raise him herself." Deuce, however, doesn't blame her at all. Seeing her like that really shook him up, and he resolved to "never do anything to make her cry" again. This is his motivation for wanting to be an honor student; he wants to be the opposite of what he was before and prove himself. He wants to be "someone she can be proud of."

As far as I know, we don't have any mention of Deuce's father or what happened to him. From context and with what his mom said on the phone that day, she might have been a single parent from the start, with the father never being in the picture.

Deuce, in talking to Silver during Silver's Wish in the Starsending event upon Silver mentioning his father in his wish, talks about his mom and how she raised him as a single parent, saying "I know she's had her share of hard times... So I just want her to be happy now. I'd love for her to live a long life." In chapter 10 of the event, Deuce wishes to be a police officer, specifically a magic marshal, which is a hard job to get, saying that he is "sure my mom will worry a lot less if I get a respectable job." He also talks about this in his event vignette! He reveals that upon getting a bad reputation at home, people stopped trusting him, and they'd accuse him of things he didn't do, but if he said he didn't do it, there were always two people who believed him: his mom and the neighborhood police officer. The officer would always come by to talk to him and hear him out, and both he and his mom were very grateful for that. Deuce says that if he could be like that, maybe his mother wouldn't worry so much, so he decided that he wanted to be a police officer.

At the end of the event, in chapter 12, Dilla calls Deuce in excitement over the falling stars in the sky. In response to Deuce saying that yes he saw it, because he's a Stargazer, his mom replies that "Night Raven College couldn't have asked for a finer Stargazer than you." And she says she's proud of him and it's really sweet :)

And then he starts crying happy tears :)

Anyways! Deuce's character arc can be a whole essay in itself, so back to his mom! Some of the stories we got include:

"Battlefield" Sales Shopping. Dilla would bring Deuce with her when shopping limited-time sales, which she seemed to seek out actively. Deuce recounts spending "forever" thumbing through pamphlets looking for sales, and Dilla would then coax him into coming with her, saying things like "Deuce is so strong, and can carry a lot." Deuce remembers getting shoved around a lot by the other customers, and so, he takes his sales quite seriously today (school uniform vignette, new year's vignette).

Spring cleaning! Or, winter cleaning? Dilla and Deuce would go on a cleaning frenzy after the holidays and before the new year, because “if the house is clean, we’ll feel renewed too” (new year’s voicelines)

In his apprentice chef vignette, Deuce recalls how recently, his mom got sick with a cold but didn't tell him until she was better. This made Deuce sad, because he wished she would depend on him a little more when she was struggling, so he was motivated to learn to cook so he could be more dependable.

Also in his apprentice chef vignette, Deuce says that he did help his mom "a little" with cooking back home and knew how to dice vegetables, and the ghost chef was impressed by his skills! So she seems to have taught him well.

In her own words she claims that she is not very good at cooking, but she does know a lot of egg dishes, because Deuce likes them (White Rabbit, 2-4)

She would bring Deuce to the office sometimes, so her coworkers know him (White Rabbit, 3-10). In the event, they were a little nervous around him at first but then were surprised to find how different his behavior was now compared to middle school, and they complimented him on getting into NRC.

She made Deuce a bunny outfit for the White Rabbit Festival long ago, saying that Deuce was complaining over not having anything special to wear, and she didn't have the money to make or buy an outfit, but she asked her coworkers for some spare fluff and made it work. She looks back on this fondly, saying she was just happy to see Deuce having fun at the festival. (chapter 6)

She is great with cars, but terrible with electronics (White Rabbit Festival, birthday boy vignette). Deuce has to show her how to do stuff and recounts “fixing” home devices by simply changing the batteries, and he is the one to set up appliances at home, as she refuses to read instruction manuals. She only uses her smartphone for calls and pictures. Dilla calls cars "trusted partners" but says that electronics are too “self-important” (White Rabbit, Chapter 2-6).

In this scene, Dilla also praises Deuce in front of his friends for "fixing" so many electronic things around the house, which embarrasses Deuce as he does not think it was that big of a deal. She also mentions embarrassing stories like she knows full well what she's doing, teasing in a very affectionate kind of way.

I do wonder if Dilla dragging Deuce onto shopping trips all the time was in part her way of finding ways to spend time with him. She really seems to care about him a lot, and quality time is something that means a lot to her, but perhaps she also struggles with connecting and really getting through to him. In White Rabbit, she mentions sadly how she used to take Deuce to the festival every year, but then he lost interest. Deuce sees this as normal, but it seems there were some growing pains there.

Also on another note which I honestly just find funny, there is a point in White Rabbit where Dilla is worried about Deuce having gotten hurt, and he says it's fine because he's "used to it," and she's just like...I don't how I feel about this but I support you! (sorry Dilla, your son's a budding shounen protagonist and his school's a disaster magnet. He's going to get so used to this haha)

One more thing we really get to see from the event, Dilla definitely seems to have nerves of steel, too. Not revealing too much about what happens, she doesn't back down from this gang that is harassing her festival stall that her coworkers are terrified of, and then joins in with the idea to challenge them without hesitation. Deuce seems to allude to this when introducing Epel, saying that he thinks they'd get along because Epel has "grit and iron courage," as if he sees his mom the same way.

Going back to Deuce's story at the beginning...I feel like this is pretty significant, too. The impression I get from all of this is that she's scrappy and resourceful, strong-willed and vigorous, someone who'll keep an easy sense of humor and a smile in the face of a challenge... but also, she's someone who will bend over backwards to hide her struggles, such as when she hid her being sick with a cold from Deuce. Which is to say, she doesn't seem like the type to be brought to tears easily. This being just speculation on my part, but what if, that day Deuce overheard her on the phone, that was the first time Deuce really saw her break down like that? His mom, the strongest person he knows, the one always keeping up a smile? Although, in the background, she probably hid so many of the struggles she did have? Just saying, it'd have a lot of impact, I'd think...realizing the turmoil he put her through to get her like that...

But that said, I think it's important to note that she cares about him a lot, and she is proud of Deuce and who he's become, and I don't think that hinges at all on him becoming an honors student. Deuce struggles to try to make himself more reliable, but Dilla says as much in White Rabbit: he doesn't have to "go overboard." It doesn't have to be complicated. She just wants him to live life and be happy, simple as that. And also he could come home every once in a while, too :)

[suns-out-sleeps-in]

TWISTED WONDERLAND JP SPOILERS

With the newest birthday theme being revealed to be pajamas/lounge wear, would it be a little presumptuous to infer that maybe next year's theme to be casual wear?

Since JP has the year "reset" each September to line up with the beginning of the school year, Jamil is the first boy to receive the new card theme. (he's so unfair with how pretty he is) With Ace following behind him. (his card is so cute I would totally steal that hoodie of his) Meanwhile EN is set up to begin the new cycle with Cater in early February since the game released in English right around the end of January, unfortunately condemning Malleus to be the last twst lad in the birthday cycle on EN and Riddle being the final one for JP. Tho with Rollo added to the cast if they decide to make birthday cards for him, he will become the first (or last) character in the cycle since his birthday is listed as February 2nd, 2 days before Cater.

So while I'm all for seeing our boys comfy and cozy and can't wait to see everyone, I'd personally love to see what everyone wears on the regular outside of school.

You can't tell me these boys always wear uniforms whenever they go down into the foothill city. It's one thing to pop by The Mystery Shop because Sam is right there on Campus, it's another thing entirely to say that they must always wear one of 4 different outfits (School, PE, Labwear, Dorm) when everyone officially moved to the school and interacting with people on Sage's Island. (Also I wish we got vignettes for the club cards cuz it would have been cool but whatever)

Heck, we can see in a few of the guys' rooms that they have multiple outfits to wear; mainly Leona, Floyd, and Lilia because the rooms are so messy, but Deuce, Trey and Cater have clothes visible that we don't see them wear in their normal sprites.

This is kinda a long winded post to say that I hope the next birthday theme is casual clothes because I want to see what the character's chosen styles are.

Let us go on a cute date with Heartslabyul! Let us go workout with Savanaclaw! Let us go sightseeing with Octavinelle! Let us explore with Scarabia! Let us go shopping with Pomefiore! Let us play games with Ignihyde! Let us do whatever with Diasomnia! Show us who these characters are as their most authentic selves when they are not being tied to the ideals they have to uphold in school/their assigned dorm. Show us who the genuine "X" character is when you let the characters choose how to present themselves.

Show us Skater!Cater, Royalty!Leona, Disaster!Floyd, Rich boy!Kalim, Hunter!Rook, Gamer!Idia, Cottagecore!Silver and more!

[kousaka-ayumu]

Christmas Fic day 3: JamiAzu

Warnings: yandere Azul, spoilers for chapter 4 of the main story, spoilers for the vignettes, yandere content, stalking, kidnapping, and blackmail, implied unwanted sex.

Mention ships: Malleus X Ace

Flashback

"I've always admired your work, you know. Scarabia is lucky to have a vice-dorm leader as competent as you."

"Grade-wise, you show no outstanding weaknesses in classroom learning, applied lessons, or PE. Even I'm miserable at something-namely flight and magic."

"But you? You're almost impressively middle-of-the-road in all regards. It's almost like you prefer to keep it that way..."

Flashback ends

The octopus boy laid on a bed smiling at the photo of the black haired boy, the boy in question is Jamil Viper.

Azul smiled- well bit more lovesickly at the photo.

To put it startly Azul has been curious about Jamil since their freshman year. He noticed that Jamil's been maintaining a perfect score in the middle in his studies, which made Azul suspect that there's more to Jamil's personality. He confirms this through the plot of the whole Scarabia incident, where he's able to observe Jamil's behaviour more, remarking that Jamil perfected the art of feigning defeat. He also tells Jamil that he believes the two of them would get along well, and even asks if he would like to transfer to Octavinelle - something that Jamil promptly refuses.

He is deeply- no he is madly in love with the Vice-dorm leader of Scarabia, too put it simply he is thee god dam yandere for the black haired boy.

He always dreamed about Jamil every night, wishing for the black haired boy to be in his arms, for Jamil to be with him forever and ever until the end. 'He. Will. Be, mine..' He thought to himself as he drift to sleep.

The next day

After another basketball practice Jamil was about to get changed into his uniform and went back to Scarabia until.

"Umihebi-kun." A voice called out, Ace and Jamil noticed Floyd walking towards them more specifically Jamil and handed him an invitation. "Azul told me told me to invited you to the Monstro Lounge at 9:00 PM." The energetic eel said and left, leaving Ace and Jamil confused.

"What the heck was that?" The ginger haired boy asked, "I don't know but what ever it is, I have a feeling that he's is up to no good, say shouldn't you be on a date with Malleus-senpai now." The black haired boy said reminded Ace of his date with the fae prince, Ace jolts "Oh great seven!" The ginger haired boy yelled out, getting change to his uniform when Jamil notices Ace have a some sort of a love mark on the back of his neck but didn't question it when Ace have left.

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9:00 PM at Monstro Lounge

Jamil arrived at the Monstro Lounge, for the first time in his life he was nervous 'What does Azul want with me? I swear to the great seven if he wanted me to transfer to Octavinelle again, I refuse it!' He thought angerly to himself, just before he could say anything he was knocked out.

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He woke up in some sort of a room, well an unfamiliar room to say the least, he looked up and saw Azul petting his hair.

"Ah, you're awake so early." The octopus boy said in a surprisingly soft voice "You should sleep a lot more, you have history class tomorrow, it's 1:00 am." He said "How did I get here? My voice.. It's so weird." The black haired boy said softly, then he remembers something.

He arrived at the Monstro Lounge last night, and got knocked out "You planned this?!" He said softly but angerly to Azul, "Yes, I did planned this, I always mad whenever you with Kalim, you always have to take care of him like a mom, he always depended on you. I admit that's pretty cute but the thing is that.. I wanted you to be mine." He said to Jamil's ear "But, if you didn't I guess I have to hurt Kalim." He said, the last part made the black haired boy freak out.

Although he hated the white haired boy, he did cared for him, and he didn't want anything bad happen to him after what had happened in his childhood(I just saw a comment on AO3 saying "for some reason i just imagined a Jamil with a pesonallity like kanade otonokoji from SDA2, terrifying image" terrifying is it?).

Jamil had thought about it now, 1st he don't wanted to become Azul's lover and 2nd if he didn't then tue octopus boy might hurt Kalim.

"I.. Became your lover.." He whisper under his breath but Azul had heard and was happy for it...

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It was Christmas and everyone was having the day of their lives with their loved ones well only Azul have forced Jamil to become his lover.

The snake was now in the tentacles(get your mind off of the gutter) of the octopus.

❃The End❃

[anemowielder]

Character analysis: Riddle Roseheart

Riddle Roseheart, the current housewarden of Heartslaybyul. A second year that managed to grab the housewarden title one week after enrolling to NRC, but who is he further. What is his history, traits and what are common misunderstandings about him from the fandom?

This is an analysis of Riddle Roseheart. I have tried to use as many legit sources that I know, but a bit of it is speculation.

tw: spoilers, abusive parent-child raltionship

Order:

Character

History

traits

misunderstandings

opinion

sources

Character:

Riddle is a straight-laced boy that values rules and order. He believes that rules are made to have order and without them there is gonna be chaos so he takes it up himself to enforce the rules, but in his mind he wouldn't mind breaking the rules sometimes and he would probably do it if he hadn't such a strict mother. He is as strict to anyone else as he is to himself. Riddle believes that as long you have strong morals and work hard you can achieve.

History:

Riddle has grown up with a strict mom that is kinda abusive. His parents were magic doctors, but its hinted at that his mom is a more well known and that his parents werent't close and maybe were diforced. His mom wanted Riddle to grow up as a skilled magic-user and also become a healer. She put much pressure on her child and controlled every aspect of Riddle, because of this he sees her as someone who is always right. She is also the reason why he sees his values as something that is always right and if they aren't his mother wasn't right and in Riddle's eyes his mother is always right. This is probably caused becasue his mom would punish him mentally (take away his already small free time) and because of this he would be as obedient as possible to keep the things he had.

Traits:

Possitive (also traits that aren't necassery positive, but shows positive in this case):

Innovative

Willing to get out of his comfort zone ( he is willing to use magicam in his dorm uniform vignette and in his halloween vignette he wears high heels just because the first queen did it and because he wants to be taller)

Caring (he cares for the animals in his care and has shown care towards people from both his own and other houses (in vignettes and main story))

hard working (his whole story, almost all vignettes)

Neutral (traits that can both ways or are strongly hinted too):

Straight-laced

Stubborn

Obedient (it's more a problem for him than for others and is mainly caused by his mother. (in Riddles mind after OB he talks about sometimes breaking the rules so he isn't as rule-following of nature that he shows.)

Negative (also traits that aren't necassery negative, but shows negative in this case):

Controlling

Own morals above all (especially in ch1)

Finds it hard to understand that people sometimes can't achieve things (he believes that as long as you work hard enough and put enough time in it you can achieve what you want. (his mom's fault again, Riddle was basic in learning,but because of his mother he learnt how to achieve the things his mother wants(OB thoughs)it has been hinted at that he understands the struggles better,but still finds it hard to understand)

Misunderstandings:

He doesn't change:

He does, but in the beginning it's very subtle. He still punishes people and he still seems to be uptight, but if you read between the lines and some vignettes you can see he has changed. ace doesn't complain anymore and it's said that Riddle is less severe. He also is more open towards other ideas.(main story, vignettes)

My opinion:

I like Riddle. He is not my favorite, but I do like him and his story. His backstory tells how a child can't really grow up to be an adult when they are never teached how to do things on their own and how much influence a parent figure really has. He also isn't as selfish as some others and the reason he overblotted is because his only real truth is false. after that he is working on changing himself, but still struggeling that I find really realistic.

Sources:

Riddle Rosehearts | Twisted Wonderland Wiki | Fandom

Twisted wonderland (the game)

some japanes translations.

an: What is your opinion about Riddle and what do you think is a misunderstanding about him?

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hi Miss Raven!!! I'm making a fanfic right now but I'm a little troubled with something. What's Floyd's relationship with the teachers? Does he call them any nicknames, or misbehave in class at all?

Here are Floyd's nicknames (both from the JP and the EN servers) for the NRC Staff. I've also included summaries of how Floyd interacts with each of them--although the second anon isn't too far off when they say they imagine Floyd not really respecting his teachers.

Crowley -> Manta-sensei (JP) / Professor Manta Ray (EN)

Floyd does not appear to think highly of Crowley. The Octatrio use the students they have under their thumb to pressure Crowley into granting them the permission and resources to start the Mostro Lounge, so perhaps Floyd sees Crowley as someone that can be pushed around and can’t be taken seriously as an authority figure. Additionally, Floyd remarks in Port Fest that Crowley is in the habit of dumping tasks onto others and is never around when there’s work to be done. He doesn’t seem to like that Crowley doesn’t take responsibility for anything, despite Floyd also being irresponsible half of the time. As for the headmaster himself, he treats Floyd similarly to his other students. Crowley is generally lenient when they disrespect him (claiming that this is part of "being an adult"), but he may whine and use other tactics to convince his students to behave favorably or to resolve problems for him.

Crewel -> Ishidai/Beakfish-sensei (JP) / Professor Beakfish (EN)

Crewel is a teacher that scolds Floyd when he misbehaves and assigns him extra work as punishment, such as a fifty-page apology essay (in Floyd's Labwear vignettes). In Floyd's Birthday Boy voice lines, he indicates that Crewel assigned him extra homework after being told "I shouldn't have to do homework for my birthday." Floyd calls this "messed up." He also complains when Crewel barks orders at him or tells him off, saying that "All this nagging is really harshin' my vibe," or that Crewel should "make up [his] mind". It sounds like Crewel is often frustrated with Floyd for either not obeying commands or for not putting forth his full effort on assignments, as Floyd's grades can range anywhere from 0 to 100, depending on his mood.

Trein -> Akaika/Red Squid-sensei (JP) / Professor Red Squid (EN)

Trein is another teacher that is frequently nagging Floyd, and to the point where Floyd is convinced that Trein has a vendetta against him. In his School Uniform voice lines, Floyd says that "Professor Red Squid chewed me out again. I'm SO over it. It's like he's got it out for me or something." In another voice line, Floyd states "I got a perfect score on the test, but [Professor Red Squid] still gets mad at me for skipping class. I don't get it. If I get good grades, what does it matter?" Trein values decorum and honoring the rules, which are things Floyd doesn't always adhere to. It's clear why Trein would scold him.

Vargas -> Lobster-sensei (JP) / Coach Vargas (EN)

Floyd describes Vargas as “loud and annoying”. Because Floyd is part of the Basketball Club, he has more exposure to Vargas than the average student. While the coach does encourage Floyd and comment on his athletic capabilities (for example, Vargas has remarked that Floyd got the hang of flying faster than any merperson in recorded history), it seems like the enthusiasm can get grating at times. If he's not in the mood to play, it can get bothersome for Vargas and his teammates, but generally Floyd is able to avoid getting yelled at by having other students take the fall for him. For example, in Floyd's Birthday Jacket vignettes, he squeezed a lot of lemon into a teammate's sports drink and had Ace hand it off. When Vargas yelled at them for bickering, Floyd didn't confess that he was involved and, as a result, Ace and the other teammate had to do 100 sit-ups as punishment but Floyd didn't.

Sam -> Umiuma/Seahorse-kun (JP) / Seahorse (EN)

Floyd is generally pretty chill (which Sam remarks on in Floyd's Dorm Uniform vignettes). However, there are also times when he's so in need of something from the Mystery Shop that Floyd will just casually kick down the door after hours and demand it. Sam suspects that Floyd came to extort him, but all Floyd wanted was a piece of candy. Sam is shocked at the lengths that Floyd will go to for something so small ("That's all you came here for?! Then why did you break down my door?!") but also expresses earlier in the vignettes that Floyd would give up so easily on bargaining with him ("And he didn't even haggle the price. Hard to get a handle on, that one.") Even though Sam is usually able to go with the flow in most matters, Floyd's off-kilter tempo continues to surprise him. Floyd, meanwhile, doesn't seem to hold a particularly strong opinion of Sam??? Sam is just someone he does business with sometimes.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

same anon from the ace UM submission here HELLOOOO I JUST FELL TO MY KNEESSSSS imagine malleus in a fit lashes out because how could they understand the isolation he feels and it just forces ace to confront his own feelings. imagine the final confrontation he straightens malleus out in the usual way that he does considering ace also has a track record of setting people straight (like with riddle and in phantom bride) "just talk to them and let them know how you feel" "stop carrying all these feelings to yourself" his own words probably also came from somewhere deep inside of him that he refuses to face but it just comes up to the surface because he sees himself in malleus. pretty ironic that he'll be calling out malleus when hes doing the exact same. it would give ace the development that ppl say hes been lacking compared to the other charas who all had some kind of further development like the other first years for example

think of post ob where after the dust settled they just return back to their respective loved ones and finally having to come clean about their emotions once and for all.

i just want an emotionally vulnerable scene for ace, mister allergic to facing his emotions, trappola even if its just a side moment that gets overshadowed later HHHH

[Referencing this post!]

*nodnod* Malleus is arrogant and desperate enough to think that no one could possibly relate to these tumultuous emotions of his. It’d be so fitting for Ace to confront him (and, by extension, his own feelings)—because not only does Ace have a track record of speaking out against others, but he has spoken out against Malleus before in Endless Halloween Night. In fact, he was the ONLY character to continue harping on the guy after everyone else basically forgave him. Ironically, that event was also the one that foreshadowed Malleus’s ability to stop time (which is true of the space contained in his briar barrier). And it all comes full circle…

For Malleus, I feel like him verbalizing his feelings isn’t really the main struggle. He seems to lack the awareness of what he’s feeling in the first place, as he doesn’t realize he’s lonely until Yuu points it out to him in 7-18. Later in 7-29, Malleus speaks openly with Silver about how powerless he feels to stop his subjects from feeling sorrow. It’s true that he has a tendency to project his feelings onto others (hence forcing everyone into happy dreams to avoid reality), but unfortunately projecting is not necessarily the same as empathizing. Rarely does Malleus do the legwork to truly understand others on an intimate level. I think that projection is a function of how Malleus understands and interacts with the world since this is something he does even when he’s not being overly emotional. For example, in his own Dorm Uniform vignettes he thinks it would be easier to bring everyone to him (so as to not miss a dorm meeting) even though this act of magic is considered highly rude by other mages. He does communicate his feelings, albeit sometimes via talking in circles or vaguely—namely in how he speaks with Yuu, sharing stories about his past (in book 7) or sharing about gargoyles to impart advice on how to overcome adversity (in book 3). More blatantly, he declares his intentions to Lilia before sentencing everyone to sleep in 7-37: “Not losing you!”

I also think… to some extent, Lilia already understands how Malleus might feel if he leaves. I get the sense that Lilia was in such a rush to go in the same way that you’d want to rip off a band-aid quickly. The more you prolong it, the worse the pain will be, that kind of logic. And before he intended to depart, Lilia tried to set things up so that Malleus would still be in good hands—inviting him to the farewell party, making sure people from all the dorms were there (perhaps so that Malleus can make new friends).

Malleus could more clearly state his feelings, sure. But I think the true root of the problem isn’t him not communicating—because even if he did so more openly, what would that resolve exactly? Time still moves forward, change still happens, his loved ones still leave him. It might be emotionally cathartic for Malleus, but ultimately he’s still left feeling lonely. The challenge for him is less putting his thoughts into words and more him learning to accept these life-altering changes instead of fighting or resisting them.

I still think that Ace could relate to Malleus in this regard, especially if they call back to 7-17, in which Ace cheerily redirects the conversation. While Deuce, Grim, and even Yuu discuss changes to their lives come summer break (going to the next grade, changing classes, Grim staying at school on his own, not being able to study together anymore), Ace challenges them with lines like, "C'mon, why do you guys have to get all mopey?", "[...] no need to join the mope patrol", " I declare Mopefest officially over!", and, "Frankly, I'm still skeptical any of this is gonna help us figure out a way to send [Yuu] home." It registers as Ace being in denial about the events about to unfold and coping by reassuring others by distracting them (when that reassurance is also aimed at himself), Ace is dishonest with himself and instead redirects those efforts to calling out others, which makes him come off as too mean or pushy even with his own friends (particularly Deuce). It would be nice to get an arc about him learning to be more vulnerable with his own emotions and better understanding those of others.

I get the feeling that Ace will get most of his actual character development and tearful reunion with Deuce, Yuu, and Grim within his own dream rather than in the final battle (the timing of the latter would just be odd). Hopefully Ace's dream written well since he's the last first year to be woken up. Save the best for last, you know?

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

an impolite use of magic

I was rereading Malleus’s Dorm Uniform vignettes to gather information for another post! Something that stuck out to me upon the reread was how magic can be used in an insulting or disrespectful way. We often hear about how both NRC and Twisted Wonderland itself has many rules and regulations which govern magic and its uses—but it seems there is a social component too.

A quick summary of the aforementioned vignettes; they center around Malleus trying to make it to a dorm leaders meeting. After his peers fail to successfully remind him of their appointed time and day, Malleus decides it would be easier the other dorm leaders come to him rather than him going to them. He then casts a spell which transfers those he wishes to meet with (the headmaster and dorm leaders), bringing them directly to him. This is where it gets interesting, because it is Malleus using this spell on his peers that offends them.

Azul indicates that he had never been treated with such disrespect and that Malleus’s act is an insult. Vil and Leona express upset that Malleus seems to think of them as nothing more than objects, luggage, a pen, or a book. Malleus says he does not understand why everyone is mad because the same spell he used on them, they use all the time to summon their magical pens to them. Riddle clarifies: “PENS ARE OBJECTS AND WE ARE HUMAN BEINGS!!” Lastly, Idia likens the situation to being treated like a familiar that Malleus sees fit to summon at his beck and call, which is also just as irritating.

Judging by the other dorm leaders’ reactions, we can infer that most mages find it extremely impolite to have a spell which is typically used on objects cast on them/living beings. Riddle implies you must obtain consent before doing so, otherwise it violates decorum. (This aligns with the idea that magic is usually formally regulated; for example, medical mages must still get their patients’ consent to operate on them or to heal them.)

Reviewing the other lore we know of, this piece of magical manners (?) makes sense. It seems to be okay to cast object-oriented magic so long as permission is granted. For example, in Floyd’s Labwear vignettes, Adeuce are shown practicing color changing magic on an apple. Vil would use similar color changing magic to alter his and his father’s clothes when they were being hounded by the paparazzi. A similar situation would occur in Lilia’s Suitor Suit vignettes, in which Malleus uses his magic to create a suit on Lilia that perfectly matches his image. I’m sure there are many other examples you could think of; these are just the most obvious ones that come to my mind.

Where does that leave us? Well, with a bunch more questions!! Firstly, what else is considered rude use of magic? Secondly, are spells which violate control over one’s mind and body also considered transgressions of social norms??? They must be, right?? Then why was everyone so chill when discussing how Ruggie and Jamil used their UMs in the main story compared to Malleus casting his transference spell? Isn’t having someone else’s will overwrite your own equally as, if not more, degrading and dehumanizing??? (We do see the the other students upset about the magic being casted on them after the fact, but talking about the possibility of it isn’t done with horror; maybe because it was already established that doing these things is a no-no.) In which case, Ruggie and Jamil, who have UMs meant to be used on living beings anyway, is also “impolite” because their spells still violate other people’s autonomy. Why isn’t this banned by law or at least regulated?? Because it’s too hard to control through legislation alone? (That actually makes sense 💦)

What about when Deuce cast a floating spell on Ace to launch him at the chandelier in the prologue? Or the time NRC students made rude Halloween goers (Magicam Monsters) leave campus by floating them over the school gates?? Were those instances considered impolite too???? And is it more impolite to use magic against a non-mage (since they cannot defend themselves) than against a mage? They mention in Terror is Trending that there are laws against using (attack) magic on non-mages, but what about non-attacking spells and with consent like color changing magic???

What are the rules around casting magic on sentient objects like the Mirror of Darkness, is that considered rude as well since the object is “living”? Do ghosts count as “living” enough to be offended by having an object-oriented spell cast on them? Where do blessings and curses fall in this, since those can be cast without consent (Lilia on baby Silver in book 7) and can also be cast on objects (Vil with the gifted cake and pie in book 5).

I must.. know… 🤡

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Was looking at a dorm morality sheet and realized Floyd kinda feels more like a Savannaclaw student than a Octavinelle. He doesn't seem as interested in monetary gain or picking on those weaker than himself like the others, nor have I seen him haggle students for things. But what do you think?

I’m afraid I’m not sure what morality sheet you’re referring to. Like… what scale or continuum is it operating on? What’s the point of comparison for these measures? Is this DnD rules…?

The idea of Floyd “fitting” Savanaclaw more than Octavinelle is actually mentioned in his Union Jacket vignettes. When asked which dorm he would like to be in, if not his current one, Floyd responds with Savanaclaw. His reasoning? Because “The strong guys are on top there. Seems like that'd keep things nice and simple. That means if I needed to, I could just throw down to defend myself.” It would ensure that no one bothers Floyd—although he also ends by saying, “At the end of the day, Octavinelle's the chillest option for me,” telling us that he is comfortable where he currently is.

Now, this does not mean that he doesn’t fit with Octavinelle’s morality or values though. I think you may be conflating the dorm leader’s desire for material wealth with it being a trait of everyone in Octavinelle, which simply isn’t true. Floyd’s twin, Jade, is also not motivated by monetary gain, but rather by personal amusement and interests. The whole haggling thing is mainly an Azul behavior, and something Ruggie—in Savanaclaw—also does. Floyd is shown to haggle too, if you look in the right places. Azul sends him to negotiate with Sam about buying the rights to a popular drink Sam sells in Floyd’s Dorm Uniform vignettes. He also knows how to leverage his skills to get what he wants—as recently as Lost in the Book with Stitch in EN, we see Floyd bribing Ace with food to get Ace to do what he wants. Anyway, the ability to haggle is just an individual character trait, not a dorm-wide shared trait. Savanaclaw is a dorm of athletes and persistence, Octavinelle is a dorm of intelligence and generosity—not money grubbing. To say that Octavinelle students have that penchant for money is oversimplifying the dormitory.

It should also be noted that “picking on the weak” isn’t an Octavinelle-exclusive trait. Other Night Raven College students (including Savanaclaw) do it too. Book 2 contains several examples of this, with the most prominent ones that comes to my mind being Leona kicking around the freshmen in a practice game of Magift/Spelldrive, and the Savanaclaw students in general going after players from other dorms.

Even if “picking on the weak” were somehow something only Octavinelle students engaged in, it isn’t even true that Floyd has no interest in it. We see him terrorize other students MANY times, even as far back as book 2. He and Jade pursue Yuu and co. for spying on them. He bullies anemones and squeezes mob students until they faint in book 3. He also relishes in keeping Yuu an co. from the Atlantica Museum in the same book. (I could list many more examples, but I’ll stop there.) Floyd also has a history of challenging or developing an interest in those he sees as strong. He thinks it’s funny when Riddle gets mad and all red in the face, even if it results in Floyd getting beat up afterwards. He asks Vil to teach him moves once he sees how strong Vil is in Happy Beans Day 2. He keeps pestering Leona to just fight him already, only to continuously get ignored. (Again, I could go on for a while here.)

My point is, Floyd can find joy in both seeking danger and in tormenting those that are not as strong as him, and Octavinelle on the whole is not a dorm associated with money. This doesn’t necessarily make him more suited to Savanaclaw than Octavinelle; he’s content with where he is, and I think he fits very well.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Just like how kalim embodies scarabia's mindfulness in his own way, how do you think other boys embodies their respective dorms spirit?

For the sake of ease and consistency, I will be using the official TWST localization's terms for each dorm's core value.

Please note: these are my personal interpretations; even the definitions of each dorm’s “spirit” is not explicitly defined within official TWST materials, so I’ll be running with my own definitions before covering each NRC student. Additionally, since I’ll be covering 22 characters in this post I may not have time to get into painstaking detail for each one.

***Main story spoilers (including late book 7) below the cut!!***

The Queen of Hearts' Spirit of Strictness

Literally speaking, strictness refers to following rules or beliefs exactly. There is rigid enforcement of these rules or beliefs, and very few, if any, exceptions or mercy granted.

Right off the bat, it’s easy to see how Riddle aligns with the spirit of strictness. He is the embodiment the law in Heartslabyul, serving as both judge and executioner to his students. Riddle insists that the rules—no matter how nonsensical—be followed, and he does not hesitate to unleash his wrath and collar those who step out of line. He is strictness itself. Beyond book 1, we do see Riddle trying to be more patient and flexible—however, the fact remains that he upholds rules and continues to have trouble with circumstances where he has to think independently or without a set of instructions to refer to.

Trey is known for frequently indulging others and behaving in a manner which some may call kind. The twist here is that Trey’s strictness is present in the “big brother” role he adopts when dealing with his peers. He’s generally more lenient than Riddle, but Trey often alludes to the fact that he shouldn’t be underestimated or thought of as a nice guy. There are moments when Trey gives others their comeuppance for misbehaving (such as in his dorm uniform vignettes, where he deprives first years of cake for complaining about his same-y baked goods). The thing is, most don’t see it coming because he’s typically so… nice. When he wants to be stern and put his foot down, he certainly can—it just isn’t something that happens a lot, since he’s more mild-mannered than his classmates.

Cater is strict with his public image, specifically how his peers view him. This is most obviously seen in his obsession with social media. He's constantly taking pictures and posting, being heavily involved on Magicam—a space where he can control the narrative about the type of person he is and the life he has. Cater keeps up this front in real life as well, acting cheery and sociable with his classmates while masking a far less motivated and sad side to his character. (This is implied in his Lab Wear vignettes, where a mandrake he infuses with his own magic becomes gloomy and huddles into itself.) There are occasions when Cater expresses that he is lonely or that he wishes he had more friends growing up, but he never fully opens up about his true nature. He strictly keeps that part of himself locked up tight and is seemingly afraid of what others would think of that persona.

Like Cater, Deuce is strict with himself. In Deuce's case, this arises from a past of delinquency and the desire to reform and to be an honors student that his mom can be proud of. Because of these goals, Deuce tries very hard to excel in class (but often falls short) and to behave in a way that he believes honors students would. This means changing the way he looks (he let his natural hair color come back in; it used to be bleached blonde), the way he speaks (not using foul language), the way he dresses, and, most importantly, the way he acts. Of course, his temper gets the best of him at times and his delinquent self bubbles back up (like in book 1 when the eggs were ruined), and Deuce is currently working on better repressing that.

Ace is probably the most carefree and the least stereotypically "strict" of the Heartslabyul group. Instead of having a focus on enforcing rules, Ace is usually the one breaking or defying them. How, then, does he embody the Queen of Hearts' spirit of strictness? I believe it comes through in some of Ace's most iconic scenes: the ones where he is calling others out on their bull crap. Time and time again, it's Ace that is bluntly telling others what they're doing or saying is hypocritical or wrong, or that they haven't truly taken accountability. He does this no matter who he is facing, be that his own dorm leader (book 1), an undead bride (Ghost Marriage), or Malleus Draconia himself (Endless Halloween Night). Ace has his own set of morals and beliefs, and he speaks them loud and clear without imposing as harshly as Riddle does.

The King of Beasts' Spirit of Persistence

Persistence is when one continues their course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. In other words, there is an obstacle in the way of achieving a goal, and one persists in the face of that obstacle.

Leona is a somewhat strange case to make for persistence because initially he comes off as a very lazy character. We quickly learn that though he appears unmotivated, he’s comfortable scheming and thinking multiple steps ahead to cut out difficult or unnecessary work. There’s no doubt that Leona has had a challenging childhood, feeling like he was always being compared to his brother and never recognized for his own talents. We feel the effects of Leona losing this hope as late as book 6, when Leona says that Jamil is capable of change, unlike himself. Some fans even speculate that Leona’s dialogue implies he has fallen into depression as a result of frequently being dismissed and put down in spite of his efforts to be seen. Even when Leona is dealing with such trauma, he cooks up a plot to return his dorm to glory and to support its future. He, the lowly second born prince, wants to prove himself and his team of misfits, as being worthy of respect and admiration. When the plans fall through, Leona is quick to give up (which seems to go against the idea of Savanaclaw’s persistence). However, I would say this is part of his character growth in book 2. Later in the main story, Leona also throws in the towel quickly—but it doesn’t contradict his development; he knows when to strategically retreat in book 6.

Ruggie comes from an extremely impoverished background. He has had perhaps the least “cushy” life out of the entire NRC cast. Even so, Ruggie was able to study and work hard enough to earn decent grades, get multiple part-time jobs, and pick up many useful survival skills. He’s street smart and knows that what he lacks in strength he can make up for by sticking to someone who is strong (Leona). (Their relationship is mutually beneficial!!) Ruggie knows that just having money isn’t sustainable in the long run, so he’s hauling ass now to make something of not only himself, but also for all the people in the slums.

Jack embodies persistence through the events of book 2. At first, Jack tries to get Leona to see reason by letting him know that he genuinely is a figure Jack admires. He’s put in a moral dilemma when Leona argues that even if they play dirty, he has good intentions. If Jack interferes, he is messing with the future job prospects of his dorm members. Jack wrestles with the question before ultimately coming to the conclusion that he has to tell others about it—and, what’s more, put his own pride as a lone wolf aside to confront Leona and stop to his machinations.

The Sea Witch's Spirit of Benevolence

Benevolence may refer to meaning well or general kindness and compassion. It involves a willingness to help others and caring for them.

Azul, being at the head of the operations at Octavinelle, passes himself off as a benevolent man who will listen to your woes and grant your wishes. In fact, he does—but at a price. The shady ring he’s running is NOT wholly benevolent; the deals can definitely come across as malevolent in book 3 (when Azul wrote the contracts in such a way that the loopholes could fuck clients over). The deals themselves (assuming no foul play), however, are neutral since both parties agree to the terms. Contracts are written with the idea that they will benefit the clients. And Azul is, of course, also seeking out benefits for himself, as that is the nature of business dealings.

Jade represents a kind of benevolence associated with acts of service. He’s Azul’s right-hand man and information broker—furthermore, much of how Jade presents himself alludes to being a butler or some other supportive role. Jade just generally behaves in a way which benefits others. He acts demure and servile, then uses the trust he has gained through service to ply what he wants out of others. Jade does it so sweetly and so expertly that his prey don’t usually notice, or willfully overlook it, being far too impressed by his abilities to fixate on his ulterior motives. This strategy works even on notoriously stern individuals such as Vil (Jade Dorm Uniform vignettes).

Floyd gives “free hugs” :) is… well, ironically, the “kindest” of the trio in a weird way. While this is highly dependent on his mood, the fact of the matter is that Floyd is the easiest to read in terms of “telegraphing” his actions. If he’s in a bad mood, he usually will not hide it. You know what you’re signing up for as soon as you see him. He also typically doesn’t put forth an effort to manipulate or to scheme like Azul or Jade would; Floyd would prefer to be direct and get it over with already. That, in a sense, is the mercy that he offers: something swift and plain to see.

The Sorcerer of the Sands' Spirit of Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a state of being aware of oneself and the present moment. A mindful individual can aknowledge and accept one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. Mindfulness may also extend to being aware of others and perceiving their own states of being.

Kalim is not viewed as the most intelligent or crafty of leaders, but where he shines is in his ability to welcome and to bond with his dorm mates. His emotional intelligence is extremely high, which proves itself to be a useful skill in getting to know others and to earn their trust. Kalim has made a name for himself in Scarabia because he is always there to listen and lend a helping hand to his dormmates. He is unabashedly open about his own emotions too, crying when he is sad and trying hard when he is frustrated or dissatisfied. He often asks to know what is wrong when he senses upset within his classmates and wants to do what he can to rectify those situations. This is peak mindfulness--not only is Kalim acutely aware of his own emotional state, but he's also pretty consistent with sensing those in others (the one big exception here, of course, is Jamil). Sometimes Kalim can be blindsided by his own blind faith in others or his overeagerness causing him to blurt things out unintentionally. He's definitely not perfect in this regard--however, there's plenty of room and willingness to grow and to learn (something which Kalim has expressed both in book 5 and in birthday vignettes).

Jamil more readily fits in with a less savory interpretation of mindfulness. He thinks ahead and uses what he knows of others to manipulate them or put himself in an advantageous position. This notably occurs in book 4 (when Jamil plans to use the feedback of Yuu and the Scarabia members to dethrone Kalim), as well as in events (like Beans Day, where he plans to entrap Kalim when Kalim cooks a fragrant lunch that Jamil purposefully packed for him). He uses what he notices or knows about others (Azul’s shadiness, rumors about Lilia being a bad cook) to avoid interactions which could be less than beneficial to him. Jamil’s main fault is that he fails to recognize people’s strengths (something which Leona calls him out for in book 6), and instead focuses mainly on their weaknesses, shortcomings, and how those could be exploited (mostly because he’s in a position where he cannot outright act in certain ways without suffering some consequences). Jamil is aware of these potential consequences and finds or plans workarounds for them. However, he is also mindful in a more conventional sense too. He’s usually the competent one in Scarabia’s leadership and fulfills the organizational tasks that Kalim doesn’t. The duo is like sun and moon; they balance each other out.

The Beautiful Queen's Spirit of Tenacity

Simply put, tenacity is determination and endurance. One is persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired. Each of the members of Pomefiore knows what they want, and they are stubborn in their pursuit of it.

Vil makes it clear in book 5 that he wants to win VDC/SDC, thereby proving to himself and to the world that he is capable of more than playing the part of a “villain”. He already had high standards for himself prior to book 5 (exercising, doing skincare, maintaining a healthy diet, etc.), but you can see how single minded Vil is toward this one goal. He drives his team members hard and even cancels a major job offer from his manager so he can dedicate all his time and energy into seizing the win. And how many times has Vil lost in the past??? Countless, I bet. Yet here he is, trying again and again, even when he knows that happy endings aren’t guaranteed and his efforts may not bear fruit after all.

Rook pursues any and all things beautiful!! He used to just be content admiring beauty, but with Vil’s prompting, Rook soon also found value in beautifying himself. It means Rook can also put beauty out into the world, and helps him better appreciate other works of art. This man is infamous around campus for his… admittedly creepy and unnerving habits. He follows people around, documents them in photographs, memorizes their personal details, etc. His keen eye has also earned him praise though—Vil can comfortably rely on him for honest feedback, and Neige recognizes him as a dedicated member of his fan club. Rook is nothing if not determined and dedicated to his craft.

Epel is tenacious too, but in a way that Vil would not approve of in all circumstances. Epel is stubborn in his thinking and refuses to let go of his hometown roots. He’s very proud of where he comes from, so he puts up a fight with Vil when Vil demands that Epel address his upperclassmen more politely. Epel sees the command as a threat to himself, and a challenge to the hometown he loves. Additionally, it takes Epel a while to reevaluate his deeply ingrained views on gender norms. He’s all-around very strong-headed!

The King of the Underworld's Spirit of Diligence

Diligence is when one is involved in careful and persistent work or effort. This principle generally governs all of STYX, the blot research organization operated by the Shroud family. Their job is a thankless one—they do such important work, yet it isn’t recognized by the general public due to STYX’s secretive nature.

Idia, as the temporary acting director of STYX in book 6, gets involved in their research. There’s many Phantoms kept in the STYX facility, so there are many safety precautions in place and care taken to ensure no one is harmed. (Ironically, it was Idia’s lack of diligence that led to Ortho’s passing.) Outside of book 6, one can say that Idia has a diligent personality, at least when it comes to his hyperfixations. He becomes dedicated to media that captures his interests to the point where it actually incentivizes him to leave his room (Ghost Marriage) and overcome his meek stutter to speak confidently and lecture people (first Halloween event, his Dorm Uniform vignettes, etc.).

I believe Ortho is diligent in being Idia’s emotional support both before and after Ortho is officially recognized as a separate student. He cheers Idia on and encourages him to touch grass socialize, wishing nothing but the best for his big brother! Ortho wasn’t always like this either; he used to be quite stiff and monotone, and had to learn how to emulate emotions by carefully observing and absorbing media. His motivation in book 6 is also fueled by diligence—Ortho worries about what he can do to support Idia’s wishes, and this is ultimately what drives him to taking over STYX and unleashing the Phantoms. Then, in Fairy Gala: What If, Ortho stubbornly tries to come up with his own ideas regarding the theme of evolution rather than rely on others for answers. He works hard to developing his own concept and is able to put on a show-stopping performance with it!

The Thorn Fairy's Spirit of Nobility

To be noble can refer to strength of character, mind, and/or literal position, birth, rank, or social status. No matter which definition you go with, I think they could all apply to the members of Diasomnia.

Regarding noble status, Malleus and Silver are both princes. Lilia and Sebek may not be nobles themselves, but they (in addition to Silver) serve royalty and have close personal connections to people in high places, be it via friends or via family. Diasomnia is very well-connected.

Beyond superficial nobility, one can say that those in Diasomnia are noble in character as well. To begin with, Lilia has sacrificed himself for his country on multiple occasions. This isn’t limited to going to battle, but also ferrying his princess’s egg to safety, traveling the world for knowledge on dragon eggs, and going so far as to give up his own life force to hatch Malleus. And what does Lilia get for all of this? Banished from the capital, screamed at, shunned—all because he is a nobody, a bat of no status. Despite this, Lilia does not become bitter nor hateful, he instead opens his heart and mind to the world and seeks to instill others with the same wisdom. Through all the tragedies he suffered, Lilia rose stronger than ever rather than sinking to the same levels as the narrow minded senators that rebuked him.

Silver is, perhaps, the most overtly noble in character. He extols the virtues of listening and getting along with others, often serving as the peacemaker between parties (typically between Sebek and their peers, but we’ve also seen Silver smoothing things out between all of NRC and diurnal fae). He also assumes the best of others and is ready to leap into action to protect them at a moment’s notice. His kind and gentle nature attracts many forest animals to him, who can likely sense the purity of Silver’s heart.

Sebek’s brand of nobility isn’t geared at others in general but rather is pinpointed on one person (that being Malleus). He is noble in the sense that he dedicates himself to his prince. It’s no secret that practically everything Sebek does is to “live up” to perceived standards so as to not shame Malleus or the Draconia royal family—from doing well academically to dressing neatly and throwing himself into training… Sebek’s passion and eagerness is what makes him stand out. It could also be said that he fiercely defends his friends and those who have earned his respect (albeit maybe not worded in the most tactful ways). That, too, in a sense, is honorable.

Finally, we have Malleus. What can be said about him that hasn’t already been said? He is the prince of a nation, so there are many people looking to him for leadership. As such, Malleus must always conduct himself in a manner that puts his country’s best face forward and expects the same of others. Indeed, he reprimands Sebek for behaving in poor taste and instructs him to apologize to Leona, the prince of another nation. However, what is most telling about Malleus is his impetus for Overblotting. He deludes himself into thinking “this is what is best for everyone”. In his mind, he frames forcing everyone into dream states so they can stay forever and have their happily ever afters as the “good” and “noble” thing to do. He’s definitely not doing this for himself, he argues, it’s a gift for everyone. And throughout book 7, Malleus tries to gaslight others into this belief too 💀 when bro’s already convinced himself of this and refuses to see otherwise—

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

ty for the book 3 labor crumbs 🙏

***Episode of Octavinelle manga spoilers below the cut!!***

Proof that the Octavinelle uniform looks good on everyone 😤 Even idiots like Adeuce can wear it well/j

bcsbsjebxksnwkhz Seriously though, it’s nice to see little details like this in the manga adaptation! Grim was alluded to being sentenced to dish washing duty, and we get to see that pictured in the manga. In the game, Adeuce and Jack were being waiters but in the manga we get to see them doing a variety of tasks. Bartender Ace… 👀 Even Yuuta is shown helping in by acting as a chef; it’s a neat way to make use of his skillset, whereas previous manga!Yuus have had their physical prowess be of use to them.

Something interesting to note??? Jack and Yuuta are not wearing the usual Octavinelle uniforms. (Grim not wearing one makes sense since I doubt any dorm has uniforms in his size.) This makes me think back to lore that was dropped in Jack’s Labwear vignettes: it is mentioned that Octavinelle does not have uniforms in Jack’s size, which implies none of the Octavinelle students are built like Jack. So yeah, the manga’s consistent with this when it comes to its depiction of Jack.

Now, Yuuta also isn’t wearing an Octa uniform. This may be because he’s working in the kitchen rather than as a server, so the uniform may just get dirtied while he’s cooking. However, the twins don’t appear to dress differently when they are cooking for the lounge in the game (although admittedly this could be due to in-game limitations). This could imply that Octa just doesn’t have uniforms that come in a size that is appropriate for Yuuta either.