#I have complex feelings about Savanaclaw

[phuuca]

You are Jack Howl.

You are a wolf; a pack animal, a family man, and painstakingly loyal to those you love, respect, and admire. You have a strong moral code and have the goal and want in life to treat people fairly.

You enroll in Night Raven College, you get into the dorm of your dreams, and find out: everyone here is out to get each other. Despite being the dorm with the most beastmen, you've never felt more alone in your life because nobody trusts you and your honesty.

You do your best to prove you are honest and worthy of companionship, but nobody believes you, because it's survival of the fittest; even when you're all civilized human beings. Your dorm leader and his vice are the slimiest people in the dorm who back stab and betray everyone, including their wards.

You are Jack Howl.

You are a wolf and wolves are pack animals. They're not the brutal hunters people think of in the stories. They're only like that when they have something to protect. But your family is in the Land of Pyroxene (The Shaftlands), and you are at Night Raven College.

Your morals have made you outcasted, and your close proximity to Leona has deemed you as a prime target. Because of this, it is likely you have no friends inside your own dorm.

You are Jack Howl. You are a wolf. Wolves are pack animals; they crave family, companionship, and something to protect. Despite being surrounded by people and fellow beastmen, you never felt more unsafe and alone.

[yuurei20]

Interview with Twst Music Composer Ozawa Takumi from the Soundtrack:

Q: Could you tell us about the themes for the dorms, and stories from production?

Ozawa: "The first dorm theme I composed was 'Heartslabyul Dorm' (Disc 2-06). Rather than being an exciting piece, it portrays the strict discipline and sternness of the Queen of Hearts, as well as a sense of having entered a mysterious world. Although the dorm becomes quite lively as the story progresses this theme's key point is that it begins and ends quietly.

The theme 'Savanaclaw Dorm' (Disc 2-11), was the one I struggled with the least. I wanted to express the dry atmosphere of the savanna and the feeling of distant horizons shimmering with heat, so I sampled a variety of chant-like voices.

On the other hand, 'Octavinelle Dorm' (Disc 2-18) was the most challenging theme.

While it has a jazz-like feel, I incorporated an unusual chord progression that is not typical of traditional jazz.

I wanted to create the sensation of floating underwater, so I included noise meant to represent bubbles. I like to think that the use of steel drums helped with capturing the atmosphere of the deep sea.

The theme 'Scarabia Dorm' (Disc 2-22) goes full throttle on producing the types of sounds heard in the Oriental Scale*, and incorporates instruments such as the sitar, a string instrument from India.

I love this kind of music, personally, so I had a lot of fun composing it.

*Translation note: The "Oriental Scale" is an octatonic (eight note) music scale inspired by Middle Eastern music, in which the the 2nd, 5th, and 7th notes of the Major scale are lowered. The word "Oriental" was left as-is in the translation, in order to accurately represent her comment, and because there appears to be no other commonly used name for that specific scale. (Thank you so much to @irafuwas (and friends!) for the music-terminology assistance!)

The theme 'Pomefiore Dorm' (Disc 3-01) gives off a noble and elegant impression. While it features a waltz rhythm, the point is not to evoke a glamorous ballroom dance but rather to emphasize its solid rhythm and a melody that exudes a sense of gallantry.

The theme 'Ignihyde Dorm' (Disc 3-07) is the most unique, I think. It has various sequences that gradually build up to combine into one at the end. Listening to it now, I wonder, 'How is it that I layered all those sounds?' It's a complex piece, and I'm quite fond of it.

The theme 'Diasomnia Dorm' (Disc 3-13) aims to craft a cold, beautiful, and—above all—majestic atmosphere. I wanted to create a piece of music that instills a sense of nervous tension just by listening to it, as if one might incur Malleus’ wrath for the slightest misstep."

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hi, Miss Raven! Since you seem to be a Leona fan, can you explain what his plan and goal was in book 2?

Eh… I don’t think being a Leona fan is a prerequisite to understand his motives and plan 😅 AND FOR THE RECORD, I DOn’T LIKE KINgSCHOLAR, OKAy??????? (<- tsundere)

It’s spelled out pretty plainly in book 2, albeit in a sort of scattered way. Here’s the Sparknotes:

Many of Savanaclaw students tend to get picked up by professional magift/spelldrive scouts at the inter-dorm tournament. However, they haven’t been able to stand out recently because Diasomnia (and more specifically Malleus) crushes them in their matches. This has made many Savanaclaw students worry about their futures once they graduate. Leona, being the dorm leader, decides to cook up a plan to help his dorm members.

Importantly, Leona also has complex selfish motives (which, sadly, are not fully explored in the game). He, being the scorned second born prince of his country, was put down his entire life and compared to his older brother in spite of him constantly trying to demonstrate his merits. His whole bid in book 2, then, is partly fueled by a personal disdain for Malleus, wanting to help his dorm out, and that desire to prove he has what it takes to be a “leader”. This is his time to shine—and that’s why he reacts so poorly when his plan falls through. This failure is, to him, just another kick to the teeth, another reminder that he was so stupid to have had any hope at all, that he shouldn’t have even bothered trying. (The light novel explains Leona’s innermost feelings a lot better than the game does, so I’d recommend that you read this post for more context!)

Anyway, Leona decides to use dirty tactics to get their main rivals and most threatening opposing players out of the way so Savanaclaw can have the spotlight. He has Ruggie use his UM, Laugh with Me (which allows him to force others to mimic his own body movements), to injure other students who may pose a threat in the tournament. Notable casualties include Jamil from Scarabia and Trey from Heartslabyul. The ultimate goal, however, is to take out Malleus.

Leona made a deal with Azul in preparation for his attack on Malleus. He basically forks over a lot of money in exchange for a magic enhancing potion. The idea is that Ruggie will take this potion, which will magnify his UM and allow him to control a lot more people at once. When Malleus comes out, Ruggie will control the bodies of all the spectators in the arena and they’re supposed to… trample Malleus I guess? (It’s not clear if Leona’s intention was to outright kill Malleus this way or just to incapacitate him to the point where he cannot participate in the tournament.)

Leona reasons that Malleus would not be able to use his magic on civilians, so he would be caught in a position where he cannot escape, but… well, let’s just say there’s a reason why book 2 is commonly regarded as the “worst” of the main story. There are SO many plot holes book 2 might as well be swiss cheese 😭 Like, what the heck is stopping Malleus from teleporting away??? Or using magic to heal himself back to full health if he did get injured??

Leona’s plan is so stupid and unimpressive in book 2 that it makes HIM also look stupid and unimpressive. I always, always have to get a dig in whenever I discuss this part of the main story because it makes me SO salty. It’s such a half assed introduction to Leona as a character and it forever stains his legacy… 💢 You’ll find many book 2 rewrite/fix-it posts and fics because of this. (I have one of my own; you can read that here!)

[whererubbermeetstheroad]

What are some of your First Year headcanons for TWST?

Ohmygod, I am sooooo sorry this took so long. It was way harder than I thought it would be to corral all my ideas together, but FINALLY, here it is. I hope this is good enough lol.

Hooooooo boy. The amount of brainrot I’ve had for these little guys is unreal, even during the times when I wasn’t that into TWST. But honestly, I don’t really have a whole lot to say — not that much of a “headcanons” person, myself. And a lot of what I do have to say has already been said in my fics. But I’m going to do my best here…

Ace Trappola

Because of the whole Book One fiasco, there are a lot of… things, let’s say, that Ace has absolutely fought tooth-and-nail to keep from his seniors; injuries sustained from stupid stunts, fights, bad grades, etc. It’s sort of like he’s doing whatever he can to avoid getting collared, despite knowing, logically, he probably isn’t going to.

Basically, Ace is the definition of a kid whose parents were strict, so he learned to be sneaky.

He’s actually a really snappy dresser, and not half-bad at doing makeup. He probably would’ve been in Pomefiore if it weren’t for his lackadaisical views on hard work. Meanwhile, while he’s not a strict person by any means, his stubborn, relentless attitude about his own twisted morals is what got him into Heartslabyul.

Out of all the upperclassmen, Ace feels the closest to Floyd… surprisingly. Jamil used to be a close second, but after the winter break fiasco, he’s since been replaced by Cater.

With Floyd, Ace can mostly chalk up the underwater museum incident to Yuu’s own meddling. With Jamil, it’s a little… less certain.

Before coming to Night Raven College, Ace’s nervous habit was to scratch the back of his head. After coming to Night Raven College, it was to rub the back of his neck.

Not really related to Ace, but I always headcanoned that his older brother was twisted from the Ringmaster from “Dumbo (1941)”.

Deuce Spade

Surprisingly, there are a lot of things Deuce also tries to hide from his upperclassmen. He hates himself everytime he does it, but it’s better than bothering them every time he loses his temper and they have to sign him out of the infirmary.

Deuce has scars on his knuckles from his delinquent days. 

Deuce’s main job at an Unbirthday Party is to move the tables and chairs.

The Dark Mirror briefly considered Deuce for Savanaclaw due to his strength and his instinct to hit a problem until it got out of his way, but his self-imposed pressure to be an honor student landed him in Hearstlabyul instead.

Out of all the upperclassmen, Deuce feels the closest to Silver.

Having a mommy/daddy complex will do that to you.

He likes to put oyster sauce on his tarts now — not because he particularly likes the taste, but because it makes him feel warm inside. (Tell Ace, and you’re dead.)

Deuce is actually really good at croquet for some inexplicable reason.

Jack Howl

Whenever Jack needs to leave Savanaclaw outside of school hours, he just leaves without telling anybody.

At the beginning of the year, he used to actually scrawl a shitty note saying "I'm leaving" everytime he needed to leave, but rarely did people ever actually find it by the time he got back.

After everything that happened in Book 2 and Book 3, it's obvious to him that Ruggie and Leona really don't care enough, so he stopped leaving notes.

For the briefest of moments, Jack was considered for Heartslabyul by the Dark Mirror for his inflexible moral code. However, his steadfastness in the face of overwhelming odds landed him in Savanaclaw.

They grow nighthowlers in the Botanical Garden. They look exactly like blueberries. Not related to Jack (yet), but I thought it was important to mention.

Besides Vil, Jack feels the closest to Riddle in terms of upperclassmen.

He really does like Ruggie and Leona, but that’s… a lot to unpack, at best.

He and Epel regularly get into fights over whether pears or apples are better, even in situations where neither pears or apples are involved.

Professor Crewel, especially, is very exasperated with them.

For absolutely no real reason whatsoever, Jack has the entirety of the “Shaftlands’ Etiquette Manual for Youngsters (Ages 14—18)” memorized. 

Not related to Jack, but I always headcanoned his young sister as being twisted off of Bolt from “Bolt (2008)” and his younger brother as being based off the Sheriff of Nottingham from “Robin Hood (1973)”.

Epel Felmier

Epel is a transgender male. Just wanted to get that out of the way.

Epel does actually like macarons — strawberry-flavored ones are his favorite.

Epel does still get into a lot of fights around school, but he’s gotten better at hiding the evidence. Employing a trick he learned from Vil, he hides the bulk of his injuries using his clothes and makeup.

More often than he’d like to admit, Epel accidentally refers to Vil and Rook as his “parents” in his essays. Luckily, Professor Trein still gives him full credit, and he doesn’t comment.

He does the same thing when he’s talking about them to the other freshmen. They don’t stop him because a) it’s sweet, and b) it’s funny.

Once, Epel vented to Riddle about Vil, and accidentally referred to him as his “Ma” the whole time. By the end of it, Riddle looked very, very, very concerned.

Out of all the upperclassmen, Epel feels the closest to Leona.

Epel had no chances of ending up in Savanaclaw, but with the Dark Mirror sensing great magical power emanating from him, he very nearly ended up in Diasomnia. However, because he hadn’t developed his ultra-mega-powerful Signature Spell yet, it ended up diverting him into Pomefiore. Sorry, bud.

Am I only saying this because Epel is actually twisted off of a magic object, unlike the other characters? Yes, yes I am.

Ortho Shroud

He’s twisted from Hercules, don’t freaking @ me.

Ortho has a few issues with looking into mirrors, especially since he looks so much like OG!Ortho. 

Ortho has a few attachment issues, as a result of being an extrovert trapped in an introvert’s bubble for most of his life. 

The first-years completely and absolutely baby him, no questions asked.

It’s so bad that even if Ortho is completely at fault for something, they’ll take his side anyway.

Honestly, as much as I love this little guy, I really don’t have much to say about him…

Sebek Zigvolt

Suffers from severe attachment issues, for about the same reason as Ortho — being “too much” emotionally, and surrounded by people who put in the emotional bare minimum.

Silver is kind of an exception, but he’s so stone-faced, it also kind of doesn’t make a difference.

Has definitely called Trey “Father” more often than he’d like to admit. Trey thinks it’s funny, meanwhile Sebek is just straight-up mortified everytime.

Out of all the freshmen, Sebek actually feels the least close to the upperclassmen. But if I had to say which one he feels the closest to, even if it wouldn’t be saying much at all, it would have to be Silver.

While Sebek’s favorite food is salmon carpaccio, his (closeted) second-favorite is his dad’s homemade yogurt.

Am I projecting? Yes. I love my dad, sue me.

Sebek was actually way more comfortable with his human side than he was with his fae side when he was a kid, but because Briar Valley, that didn’t last too long.

Back in Briar Valley, Silver could usually go out by himself and not be bothered—mostly because he was General Vanrouge’s son and Malleus’s sort-of brother. Sebek, unfortunately, did not have that luxury.

The Dark Mirror considered Sebek for Ignihyde because of his never-ending diligence when it came to protecting Malleus and the other people he cared about. However, once it became extremely obvious that Sebek didn’t know how to turn down the volume on his own phone, it put him in Diasomnia.

Honestly, though, I think Sebek and Ortho would’ve both been better off if he HAD been sorted into Ignihyde.

Not related to Sebek, but I headcanon his older brother as being based on Tick-Tock the Crocodile from “Peter Pan (1953)” and his older sister as being twisted from Louis from “The Princess and the Frog (2009)”.

Yes, I know Louis is technically an ALLIGATOR, but shhhh. Lemme have this.

If it makes you feel better, though, I also headcanon their father as being from Port o’Bliss (the same place Sam is from), so through the power of genetics, it kind of works out.

Okay, I think that’s everything. I considered adding Yuu in here, but then again, anything we know about Yuu is mostly headcanons, so I don’t think it counts lol.

Thank you SO MUCH for your patience, and I hope my headcanons didn’t bore you, I know they’re kind of mundane lol.

[ryuichirou]

I’d love to hear a hc list about Epel being seduced by the ever so crafty Rook! I love Rook/Epel and people sleep on the charm it has too much imo- not to mention something about Rook claiming this “sweet” little farm boy and sinking his teeth into Epel like an apple is so appealing!!

Alright I’m finally done with these! Took  me some time because apparently I wanted to make every single one of them 41410 pages long, so I think 7 hcs is enough for now..

All of these are basically focused on one possible scenario, but there are a lot of ways for Rook to seduce Epel. Rook is a great hunter, and Epel is super naïve, so…

So yeah, as you can see, we also agree that these two have some nice potential. The apple allegory works with them quite nicely~

Rook’s interest in Epel seems rather subtle, but “seems” is the key word there, because Rook is always watching him. Even when he isn’t around, he knows what Epel is up to pretty much all the time, ever since they’ve been introduced to each other (mainly because Rook was amused by the fact that this kid was bold enough to challenge Vil). Epel is quite an easy target to stalk, but that doesn’t make him less intriguing from Rook.

Rook’s always found it amusing that Epel laments about wanting to be in Savanaclaw. When Rook finally told him that he was a Savanaclaw student once, he played it off like he just completely forgot to mention it, but in truth he was just waiting for the right moment to drop this piece of information on Epel and casually blow his mind. He knew that it would change the way Epel sees him forever, and this is exactly what happened: Rook almost immediately started noticing that the way Epel looks at him has changed: he is curious, invested, even drawn to Rook.

Rook’s mind games are too complex for Epel to catch on. When Rook helps him with homework, he seems both focused on the task and playfully flirty. He tells Epel not to get distracted in his calm and deep voice, but at the same time tickles his ear with his breath, boops his cheek with a pencil, sometimes even touches Epel’s knee or massages his shoulder. But if Epel addresses how weird it is, Rook acts as if all of that was just subconscious and he didn’t even notice he was doing that, or say something about Epel being too beautiful.

Epel is confused, because Rook is clearly flirting, but then again, this is how Rook always acts, so… maybe he’s not? Epel would love to ignore it, but unfortunately he started enjoying this kind of intimate attention at some point. He can’t help but feel butterflies in his stomach. He’d never confront Rook about any of this though, because if Rook tells him that he wasn’t flirting and Epel got the wrong idea, Epel would literally combust out of embarrassment.

At some point Rook is going to take Epel hunting. And this is where Epel is going to fall for him completely. What Rook was doing before felt a bit weird: Epel was conflicted about being treated like a pretty flower or something (it wasn’t Rook’s intention, but it’s Epel we’re talking about), so when Rook told him that he wants to teach Epel how to use a bow and that Epel would make a fine hunter, this “weirdness” disappeared, leaving Epel with nothing but adoration and admiration for this man. And also lust, because it kind of accumulated over the past couple of months…

And frankly, this is exactly what Rook was hoping for. He could’ve easily “bitten” the apple anytime he wanted, but this wouldn’t be as fun as watching Epel’s feelings and desires grow overtime, watching how the way Epel looks at him changes, how Epel clearly wants please him with his good grades and with how well he’s doing with the bow.

Rook won’t sleep with Epel the night he takes him hunting though. He knows Epel is expecting it and wants it, but he also knows that he can take this feeling of desire further and make it even stronger by refusing to touch him. Epel’s little face is just too beauté when his mood is soured with frustration~ Thus, the game continues.

[liliths-missing-pen]

Day 14 - Stage One; Denial

I most definitely didn't procrastinate writing this nooo I would never- it definitely ain’t 16 days after this was gonna be posted 💀 Also this slowly just got so twisted- I wasn’t planning writing something slightly yandere.

Synopsis: Love never comes all at once. That's what you've learned, back in your world and now. Love is a complex emotion. It can never be explainable.

Character: Rook Hunt x GN!Reader

Warnings: Wasn’t the plan but yandere, Rook being a red flag I swear I love him idk what I did

For a collab run by @twistedchatterboxed

Masterlist

It has been five months, five months since you’ve been iskaied into a world new world, with whole new… Everything. You were happy with your life back in your world, really you were. You wanted nothing more than to go back home.

That wasn’t to say you didn’t like where you were now. Not when there were people like Ace and Deuce by your side to help you out. You’d hate to say it but, they might’ve been better friends than your previous ones in your world, not pick at them but Ace and Deuce had been so empathetic with what you had to deal with. If a reference was brought up they wouldn't scoff at you and make fun that you didn't understand it. They were there when you really needed it, your friends in your world hadn't had the chance to prove themselves to you in the same way the ADeuce duo had.

If you wanted to compare how others had treated you in your time there someone else to note was Rook Hunt. He may not have been there all the time like the Adeuce combo were but it seemed like he was always there at the right time, strange but true.

Most people said he was a creep, at least talking to Savanaclaw students that’s what they testified him as. It was strange to you however, he seemed always so genuine and you never got the vibes that this guy could be staring you down at 12 am as you slept. Even though you may not have understood what the Savanaclaw students were going on about you tried to keep away. It was a new world, you could never be too careful.

By the time of 5 months you realized something. And no, not that Grim would eat anything he could get his hands on so if you wanted to save something to put it in your pillow case. It was that you were starting to develop feelings for the Pomefiore vice-housewarden. It scared you.

You tried to distance yourself from him, really you tried but he always showed up when for a moment you wished you could see him even though it wasn’t in your self interest.

You’ve fallen in love plenty of times before. Yet, you’re pushing this one away. You longed for him, but you didn’t want it. You’re heart had been broken so many times. Why, did your heart do this to you? You didn’t have the heart to tell him to let you leave, you didn’t want him to leave. All because of chatter in the school you denied yourself of him. Rook knew he would have to unlock that denial to get to you.

[m34gs]

Saw AU ask time: It has to have happened at least once, right? Someone Yuu sort of knows was a Real Jerk was thrown into a trap dies in said trap. Even though this person 100% deserved it, Yuu is upset once they learn of death via news. Without giving anything away how does each dorm comfort Yuu WITHOUT giving themselves away?

Oooooooh yes yes yes! I am so excited for this ask. Thank you so much for sending this to me! This is what I *live* for. Angst but also the irony! Potential for comedy! With murder as the backdrop :D Perfect! Ok, let's get into it!

I don't really have any warnings for this one; it's just under a cut for length! :)

Heartslaybul:

Trey takes the lead on this one, being the only one who doesn't have a hand in the murders at this point. He still feels a little guilty, because he didn't do anything to stop the others, but he can at least pull it together to organize Operation Comfort Yuu. He starts with what he knows best: baked goods. Yuu gets invited over to Trey's bakery, under the guise of taste-testing new pastries. Ace, Deuce, Cater, and even Riddle helped to make them.

While Yuu is there, the Heartslaybul team distracts them with warm pastries and delicious tea. Even if the event does come up in conversation, Trey guides them all through by just sliding Yuu a new pastry, and sitting and listening to their feelings. Cater has a tissue at the ready. Sometimes what a person needs really is just a warm treat and a group of friends who listen to their feelings without judgement. Cater and Trey have the "tell us all about it" demeanor down-pat (let's be real, both are pretty good at concealing their emotions and inner thoughts). Ace and Deuce struggle with pretending that they don't know the person who was put in the trap, so Trey has them on cleaning duty and doing whatever little tasks he can think of on the fly if they start to fumble too much. Riddle struggles a little too, so he stays pretty quiet but Yuu can chalk that up to his social awkwardness and lack of childhood. He does offer a supportive arm-pat, and Yuu truly appreciates it.

Savanaclaw:

Jack is worried but not good at lying on the fly, nor is he really good at offering comfort to a sad Yuu. On top of that, he is part of the Direct Cause of their sadness. He awkwardly pats their shoulder (insert "sorrows, sorrows, prayers" meme) and sends Ruggie and Leona the biggest "Help Me" eyes ever.

Leona takes a bit of an...unorthodox approach. "Well, no one likes dying, and most people don't like it when people die, but it's part of life, Herbivore," he says. It's not the most comforting line, but it's true enough that it at least stops Yuu's tears.

It's Ruggie who has to save the day. Growing up with so many kids back home, he knows a thing or two about comforting people; especially when it's to do with complex emotions the person might not fully understand. He's also good at feeling out emotions, reading the room, and lying to cover for himself. His skills are all gonna come in handy here. He ushers Yuu to a more private space and lets them just tell him all their thoughts and talk out their own emotions. When they're done, Ruggie ruffles their hair and tells them they did a good job and that it's not easy to feel that way. Maybe he even gives a side-arm hug. It feels good just for Yuu to get things off their chest. Ruggie slowly steers the conversation away from the heavy topic and eventually he has Yuu smiling and giggling a little. He also treats them to ice cream with his own money, a rare occurrence for anyone to experience.

Leona goes to Farena with the guise of "these murders are highly disturbing and unsettling to the public. Make a statement that we will have our people looking into it". Of course, Farena, proud af that Leona is taking such an interest in their citizens and their wellbeing, does exactly that and suggests Leona oversee the task force since it was his idea. He has no idea he just handed Leona the reigns to be able to control exactly who knows what about the murders; at least for the ones that occur in their territory... (listen, I totally think Leona could pull off a Deathnote situation successfully, lol)

Octavinelle:

Jade immediately takes stock of the situation. He's studied his fellow students and any humans he can come across. He knows all the words and phrases to say to offer comfort. He knows all the "right" actions for the scenario, or so he thinks. He scoops Yuu into a hug whispering soft reassurances. When Floyd figures out what Yuu's upset about, the first words out of his mouth are "well maybe the person deserved it", which unfortunately only makes Yuu more upset. Azul, having a better understanding of how to act, smacks Floyd immediately, making him yelp. It surprises Yuu and the action is so in-character for both of them that Yuu can't help but laugh a little. The laugh surprises all of them and there's a moment of pause...and then Jade smacks Floyd also. Yuu laughs harder. Of course, this devolves into a small scuffle as Floyd tries to fight back and the other two try to keep smacking him (not too hard) because it makes Yuu laugh.

By the end of the fiasco, Yuu hasn't forgotten what upset them but their heart feels lighter. Floyd then suggests they go get some ice cream, and he and Jade drag Yuu away. Meanwhile, Azul discreetly reaches out through his advertising connections and gets articles and any possible reminders of the incident buried even more in the news so that Yuu will be less likely to see them.

Scarabia:

Kalim has Yuu in his arms barely half a second after they've explained why they're upset. He gives hugs and reassurances and rubs their back. He has them sit down and asks Jamil to make Yuu's favourite foods. Kalim is highly conflicted and not good at lying at all, but he can definitely provide a good listening ear. And he's been practicing. Jamil definitely thought something like this could happen, so he's been having Kalim work on providing condolences without giving things away.

Still, Kalim is very vulnerable to sadness and his friends being upset. He could very well start to crack if Yuu expresses enough sadness. For that situation, Jamil has also thought ahead. They have a phrase: "Jamil, bring more tissues" or something like that, and that lets Jamil know Kalim needs help navigating the conversation, AND gives him a reason to come into the room. For his part, Kalim has had to work a little on some sleight of hand to hide the tissue box so that no one questions him asking for more. (he took lessons from Ace)

A comforting meal, with warm drinks, and a sleepover party, and Yuu is suddenly feeling a lot less sad and is able to relax a little.

Pomefiore:

Vil knows how hard it can be to talk when you're upset, so he helps Yuu talk it out by occupying them with an activity, a low-energy activity. I like to think he'd choose painting nails. It can become so much easier to spill their thoughts when Yuu is getting their nails painted, when they're watching him manipulate the brush instead of trying to look him in the eye. It also provides a distraction; human eyes are naturally drawn to movement and so Yuu is watching the nail painting instead of watching Vil's face and reactions. It takes the pressure of lying on the spot off of him, and also lets Vil "talk" to Rook with his eyes and mouthing words silently if he needs Rook to step in or to go get anything.

Epel has to be "busy" at this time, since we've established in this AU that he's not great at lying and has a hard time with coming up with lies. He's the kind of person who hates subterfuge and subtlety. Once Yuu is calmer, he can suddenly have finished all his "tasks" and be available to hang out and help distract. Vil will definitely take a moment to himself, leaving Yuu with Rook and Epel, while he calls his connections in advertising and publicity and "persuades" (nicely or with veiled threats, he's capable of either) major news companies to run happier stories for the next several weeks.

Ignihyde:

As expected, Idia and Ortho are both a bit awkward when it comes to the comforting. Ortho does come at it from a more clinical, objective view of "well, he was a bad person, and it's better him than some innocent person". It doesn't upset Yuu as much because they know Ortho's still not exactly human and that he's trying, but they do explain that hearing that doesn't make them feel better.

Idia is actually the one who ends up taking over the comforting. He has his experiences with grief, loss, death, and all the horrible feelings that can go with that, so he does get it to an extent. Instead of talking, though, he just lets Yuu sit with him in silence. They lean against each other as Idia plays a videogame, one that he knows well so he doesn't have to focus and can listen to Yuu if they start talking. Ortho takes it as a learning experience and just watches.

Afterward, when Yuu has finally fallen asleep, they cover Yuu with a blanket. That is when Idia and Ortho hack into all Yuu's social media and anywhere they could possibly see online ads and news. Idia is definitely not above hitting all the buttons and searching all the things he knows will affect how the algorithm shows things on Yuu's feed, to make sure they see only happy things for the next little while. He may even launch a short-term internet attack on some of the more prominent news sites...

Diasomnia:

Ok, let's be honest. None of the Diasomnia boys are ready for this. A sad Yuu? It's panic time. Lilia thinks he should cook them something. Silver insists he should NOT. Sebek cannot lie to save his life. He's all stiffness and stammers. Malleus may or may not be on the verge of destroying the planet.

Eventually, they get it together. It's when Yuu says "Hornton, can I have a hug" that they single-handedly save the entire universe from Malleus's wrath. Malleus gives them a hug and just holds them. And holds them. And holds them. When is he supposed to let go? Is he supposed to let go? He doesn't know, and honestly he doesn't want to ask.

Finally dissuaded from trying to provide comfort through home-cooked food, Lilia suggests they order in some food and have a sleepover. Silver suggests Lilia tell Yuu some of his stories of his past, since he's experienced so much he may be able to have a story Yuu can relate to. He does, telling several stories, and Yuu feels better as they listen to how someone else has felt similar to how they feel. It's a weird comfort, but it helps. Sebek helps by making tea and helping Silver order the food (Malleus can't figure out the tech, and Lilia *will* add really weird requests in the comment section if he's left to do it). A cozy night in with movies and food and Malleus still holding them, and Yuu feels a lot better the next day. Malleus is of the proposal that their next trap involves getting rid of the victim's face if they fail...Lilia is not opposed.

There you go! Hope you enjoyed these answers, these are my thoughts!! I had so much fun coming up with this response and writing it all out. Please let me know what you think too!

[pugalego]

Could Trey Clover make food that intoxicates you without alcohol?

oh my god- alright, you know how Trey re-writes components of things with his unique magic? Could he make a cake or tea have the same effects as alcohol or poison?

How would it last? Could it get a person intoxicated enough to get drunk? Would it go away as the spell fades?

First- do we know the length of how long Trey can hold his UM for basic foods and other things? We know that he can re-write complex tastes and change Riddle's overblot attacks into like cards or bubbles.

(I haven't exactly played through more than the savanaclaw arc. I am an ENG player and am just kinda hyper fixated on TWST. So I know plenty lore.)

so, Riddle is a known magical powerhouse, literally able to block a person's entire magical ability. (Sans a few. Like OB!Leona and the like.) and he held OB!Leona for maybe 30 (or less) seconds, who is in like a direct rivalry to one of the most powerful mages in TWST.

so to do that you'd need insane strength and mental fortitude. Of course Riddle struggles, but it's enough to temporarily stop Leona.

And so Trey being able to override Riddle's OB magic. Which is like superpowered due to the evil magical girl transformation. And do it continuously for however long the fight goes on in pretty impressive. Plus he doesn't like to go show off, so we could entertain the idea he slightly held back enough so it would save others yet not anger Riddle much more.

but that's improbable. because it's a deadly OverBlot that kills literally everyone around it in all accounts.

so, could Trey make food that gets you intoxicated, with long lasting effects. And the answer is yes. Probably as long as it's in your digestive system/liver type shit it probably could.

then what about poisons. Like the type that you could figure out from smells. The tart he overrides probably smells the same. (It's depicted like that most times.) So the smell of poison would not be detected because it's literally not made out of poisonous materials.

but how long would it last? I think it'd be the same with the alcohol question. As long as he wants basically. Because all he show cased was something small then something HUGE. Plus Trey's a third year, of NRC. Which is hailed as one of the best magical schools in all of TWST. So that's going for him.

anyways, the poison would be undetectable, not traceable due to the fact that he doesn't need to slip it in until the last moment, and would last as long as he could feasibly want.

how would that go for pain receptors and nerves? He could probably rewrite the feeling of breathing or touch to that of a burning steak knife driving into their flesh. An effective torture weapon that wouldn't leave physical marks.

does the thing he rewrites have to be seen in eye shot? Could he change the air to carbon monoxide? Or the effects of it? Probably honestly.

GETTING OFF TOPIC! So, the poison also wouldn't be detected due to the senses and brain itself being tricked.

so, in short. Yes, Trey Clover could make food that could intoxicate you in both ways. Non-deadly and lethal.

[hisui-dreamer]

Dear Rinna,

It really pains me to say this, but it needed to be said. I thank you for your reply to my previous comment, however, my heart is still plagued with anxiety.

You see, I’m writing a fan novel called “Twisted Wonderland: Crystal Hearts” on Wattpad, and I’m still writing out the plot for the Savanaclaw arc. That story you wrote was exactly what I had planned to write. Now, I’m faced with a problem.

I so badly wanted to write the exact same words you wrote for your story, but I can't just copy your work, obviously. And the worst part is every time I'm tempted to, I fight against myself to resist my temptation and it's a tiring war. What should I do? I'm in a real bind here.😢 I don't know what else to do.

I also feel bothered by what @siren-serenity said about your stories. They called your stories, "beautiful, heartwrenching and soulful". You won't believe how rageful and anguished I felt when I read those words.

I felt like screaming out, "What about ME?!! What about MY stories?! Aren't THEY beautiful and soulful enough?! If they're shoddy compared to other's works, what GOOD am I as a writer?!" My heart just aches whenever I think about it!😭 I feel like I'm overlooked and cast aside, that my stories meant NOTHING.

I'm so terribly sorry for dumping my woes onto you when I really shouldn't, but I can't help myself. I'm lost, I don't know what I should do. If you have any helpful advice, I'd love to hear it. If not, I understand. You're a very kind lady, and the very last thing I want is to hurt you. I DON'T want to hurt you at all. Can you please help me? Thanks!

sorry for replying so late! i've been a bit burnt out from schoolwork haha

im so sorry you feel that way! i've been there before so i know how upsetting that can be. i hope you can take inspiration from the elements you admire and approach them in your own way, there's no limit to literature afterall, and there's definitely more to be said about the complexity of emotions going through reader and leona in that scenario. i know you'll do great!

i'm sorry siren's words upset you. it's natural to seek validation for our creative efforts, but one person's praise towards another does not diminish the value of your own work. i know if you keep honing your craft and putting yourself out there, you'll get the recognition you deserve too!

[pinkpruneclodwolf]

Wired Take—Chapter 2 is About Nature v Nurture.

Why Savanclaw chapter is about siblings relationships

Before I get into why Chapter 2 is about Nature v Nurture we're gonna unpack the Savanaclaw chapter and why it was actually the hardest chapter for me to grasp because of

1: How short it was—

21 episodes compared to Heartslabyul's 28, Octavinelle's 39, Scarabia's 41, Pomefiore's 69, and Ignihyde's 89.

Listen, I'll give Savanaclaw the benefit of the doubt when it comes to Pome and Igni bc they're later chapters meaning Yana had time to put more than enough effort, but Heartslabyul having 7 more episodes (plus the strong ass start from the Prologue) and Octavinelle having 11 more episodes feels weird asl, especially when you consider how iconic the Lion King is. Becoming the highest grossing movie in 1994 (it beat out Jurassic Park) not to mention the Lion King Broadway that's been running for 24 years, rakes in 1.6 mil a week, and has a gross value of 9 billion and counting.

And you're telling me it's the shortest out of the chapters??? Be fucking fr.

2. How the characters were characterized in a way that you'd have to read the next chapter (or personal stories) to grasp the fundamentals of those characters.

Cramming three hyenas into one boy was a choice and some change but I'm willing to say that Ruggie is a solid ass character, could there have been more? Absolutely. But Ruggie is holding his own pretty well.

Leona actually gets more characteration through Vignettes, Personal Stories, Events, and other chapters and I appreciate it because he was done dirty.

In his own chapter.

But Jack, the one non-Disney character and based off the wolf-dog in White Fang, written by Jack London. The story is about how the wolf dog is rescued from his abusive owner and slowly becomes domesticated through patience and compassion to a point where he protects the father of the man who adopted him.

And 3: How Leona's motivations were ruined because of how much his story ties into Scar's.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with Leona after Savanaclaw (bc he had his magical mental breakdown and came to terms with the fact he'll never be king... not) and the sure as hell isn't anything wrong with a "what if" version of Scar who didn't kill his brother and attends school where he can pretend he's king for little whilst that it looks like he's got his shit together and isn't fighting the constant inferiority complex that gets fueled whenever he's sees Malleus exist a likkle too hard...

However, in the face of Riddle (based off the Queen of Hearts) and how strictness ties into his character, how—despite relying on rules—he's actually pretty mischievous, how his mother essentially played God with his life from his very conception until he got to Night Raven and sharing motivations with the protagonist.

In the face of Jamil whose life was decided to be less than Kalim's because of the longstanding history of his family being subservient to the Al-Asim's to a point where his family told him not to overshadow Kalim, but even so he still yearns to be greater than who he is and be able to show the world that his life has as much of the same worth as Kalim's.

In the face of Azul (based off of Ursula) who had been ostracized to a point where he refuses to return to his original form, still keeps every secret, problem, and trait of his childhood bullies who wants to burn away the last vestiges of who he was before NRC yet is still ruled by his old world...

Leona falls short. His motivations are rushed, his backstory a watered down version of Scar's, and his OB scene barely memorable besides the cool ass fit.

Chapter 2 upsets me because Lion King came from Disney's Renaissance era, was the highest grossing moving of 1994 meaning people lined up to watch Mufasa die in a theater to a point that an entire generation is defined by remembering that one scene in that one movie.

Vines and memes centered around the scene and people shaking and crying and throwing up more than Simba did in the damn movie and you mean to tell me Leona rode on those coattails and still flopped????

The Devil is a damn liar.

In an effort to make Chapter 2 less eldritch than it is in terms of incomprehensiblility, I've decided to come up with a better explanation (and fix it) for Savanaclaw.

Only the real will understand.

1. How Short it Is.

I mention how Savanaclaw is the shortest chapter in the game, which is insane considering the game has no sense of time-frame—I would say the Overblots span over a month, but Octavinelle proves this wrong when Jade says "you were the one spying with Riddle the other day" in the JP translation which means Leona's Overblot was the "fastest".

But that makes no sense considering it takes, 3 days~ (making a timeline up) for Jade and Floyd to propose Yuu confront Azul, and when Grim and Yuu take Jack's proposal the Savanaclaw students literally say "Aren't those the guys that trespassed on our dorm the other day?!"

Savanaclaw takes place in October and Octavinelle takes place in November, if I recall most midterms start after 5 1/2 weeks into school, especially in colleges, meaning from the last two weeks in November should be prime time... And this is for a college, not a Highschool, and while NRC is based off of UK schooling they don't refer to the Mid terms as Finals because BrE doesn't have midterms, they have end of the year examinations and this is considered a recent development. [Though I cannot speak from the Brits I just read through a couple articles I will be linking below]

So, yes, I know that Octavinelle starts with Yuu and Grim waking up and then taking the exams but like,,,,, I refuse to believe charas are saying the other day and referring to a week or so ago.

Time is a social construct but it's a prevalent one for a damn reason.

Anyways, why is Leona's Overblot the fastest? Riddle starts accumulating Blot early on because it's a tutorial Chapter to show what you'll be dealing with, Azul doesn't start accumulating Blot around the time Yuu offers Ramshackle as collateral. (Or am I misremembering???) Which becomes a track record as Jamil, Vil, and Idia start accumulating Blot nearing the middle of the chapter and everything starts derailing into Overblot and it wasn't even Idia accumulating Blot, it was Ortho.

Leona does accumulate Blot but it's after the dorm leader meeting which is directly after Ruggie is shown to be the culprit which still threw me off.

The rant about not being told he couldn't be number one should've been reserved for a one on one conversation or after said convo.

I physically cringed when he started off his rant with that bc it sounds like he's in cahoots with whomever is causing students to be injured, he's lucky no one in that room took a moment to process what he said—ntm Azul reacted with interest when he proposed an alternative to defeating Diasomnia.

Leona got as far as he did not bc he was displaying smarts or cunning but bc the ppl around him were dumbed down/not paying attention to his words. Which is crazy since Leona is propped up to be NRC's top student in academics and he's sitting here in front of someone who discovered and honed their Unique Magic at 10. Merman who got bullied to the point of obsessively studying magic and discovering it naturally. A world class actor and model who knows multiple languages and multiple sports, and genius enough to create a poison strong enough to take the Dorm Leader spot of Pomefiore. Kalim who has (possibly) been advised to be very careful of his surroundings due to multiple assassination attempts, a genius who made a robot in his brother's image. Crowley who runs the show essentially throwing his motivations on the table.

Like,,,, get a fucking grip, save the villain monologing for after you're sure you've won.

Thing is, this goes on for the entirety of the chapter—The fakeout of Ruggie seeming like he's the one accumulating Blot since he's doing all the leg work and Leona throwing out his plans for anyone to hear, the whole point of Jack confronting Leona stems from the first year overhearing his conversation lmaooo.

You can throw your hat in the ring and say that Leona doesn't care. That he genuinely believes that he or Ruggie will get caught and stopped feeding into his complex of "if there's no immediate reward what's the point?"

But why the hell would start by injuring students for funzies if he thinks at a moments notice he'll get caught? Why go on a monologue ab how the Great Seven secured their positions through wisdom and cunning and have the table of Dorm Leader's (besides Idia) rallying behind him if he thinks Crowley will just pull him aside and call him out??

The math ain't mathing.

But it will.

Some events in the chapter need to be reordered.

Jack should approach Leona and tell him about the students dropping like flies—I genuinely believe that Leona should've allowed some students in Savanaclaw to get injured, it looks suspicious if the only dorm not suffering from losses is the one that wants to win the most.

Leona should dismiss his concerns or imply that he'll start investigating the matter and when Jack leaves, cackle evilly with Ruggie to set up the chapter.

You could bump up the Meeting scene but I'd keep it where it is, why? Because Azul can say, "due to recent injuries, if you want to swap students out of your previous roster it will be an additional fee; submitting your Magift forms late will also cost you."

This would imply that the dorm leaders already put in their Registration Forms and the process of changing students can be difficult because the VIP guests, Newsbroadcasters, and scouts will have to be informed of the decision.

Again, that villain monologue Leona through it was insane work, like he was the only one praying on his downfall. So I propose a different monologue:

"Denying students the chance to be number one?"

"You expect Savanaclaw, founded off the Tenacity of the King of Beasts, to lay on our backs and let that monster stomp all over us and our dreams?"

"Magift isn't just about physical prowess. Technique, magic; that lizard only relies on two of those components."

This is Leona's complex talking bc Sebek says that Malleus summons mountains and thunder during Magift because it's all based on spectacle. Think of it is the U.A. Sports Festival in MHA, it's all about spectacle and showing off in an effort to get noticed, which emphasizes another point:

The whole reason Leona is even doing this is bc a part of him believes he owes his dorm members a win. He assumed the Dorm Head's position and since then has lost to Malleus and thus cutting down the opportunities his dorm students can get, thus saying he will never be a true king.

Again, I said that if the scenes were played out right it could've been subversive. We still don't know who would OB between Ruggie and Leona (exactly like Jamil and Kalim) because after the meeting two Blot splatters appear and Ruggie attacks two students.

A lot of people have even said Ruggie should've been the one to Overblot bc Cjapter 2 trivialize Leona's struggles with never being King, relegated to a spare heir who will never see the seat because Cheka is sitting there.

His magic is said to be the manifestations of his people's fears: drought, famine. It wasn't a Unique Magic he discovered like the rest of the OB group, he was born with it.

Imagine your first display of magic being met with disgust and horror while your brother's UM (discovered later in life) is met with praise.

Play it up!!!

Leona has a good grip on his magic but with Overblot let him melt some stairs! Let him dry out the air! Let him have a conversation with his Brother (over the phone/face to face) and turn a door handle to sand/leave a trail of sand in his wake!!!!!

Have students complain about the growing frequency of sandstorms at Savanaclaw, how dry the air feels, have Jack's cacti nearly die!!!!

Stand up Savanaclaw damn!!!!!!

2. How the characters were characterized in a way that you'd have to read the next chapter (or personal stories) to grasp the fundamentals of those characters.

JACK, FIGHT BACK

RUGGIE, STAND UP

LEONA, GET UPPPP!!!!

The Chapters are there to help sell a character, to make you roll for them and get you invested in their arcs and growth throughout the story.

So why in the hell....?

Lemme ask yall this: Who are your fave characters in twst? What attracted yall to them? What was your fave chapter? What characters stand out to you?

I've scoured the twst tags and I've noticed that Savanaclaw ranks lowest amongst the people. Or they are never properly characterized in headcanons/yumeships.

Ofc we can chalk it up to the rampant racism that is within twst—I've seen yall hcs of Savanaclaw being smelly and full of jocks as if these students don't have heightened senses and would probably be the cleanest dorm in Night Raven, beating out Pomefiore.

Or the fact that yall characterize Savanaclaw students as only violent despite the fact they are a martial artist dorm (which requires discipline) as well as a dorm that is the major contributor in Magical Shift leagues (which is like football, you need good grades to even touch HS football not to mention College Football).

But I digress on that—Savanaclaw isn't popular bcccc the chapter was asinine.

Like I said, you'd need to read the charas Personal Stories/Vignettes to get a grasp on them whilst other chapters and characters (besides Pomefiore, Rook, Vil, and Epel are hard as hell to grasp, I tried to do a case study on Rook and was sniped twice)

Personal stories are meant to expand on a character and their themes, yet that's all Leona, Ruggie, and Jack can rely on bc they were written with failure on the brain and defeat in the heart.

The way Savanaclaw should've gone was characterizing Leona.

Someone who has a dichotomous relationship with his family, friends, kingdom, and public perception, the weight of being the black sheep, the scapegoat, ostracized for a power he was born with to a point that he gives up. He's stuck in a cycle of hubris, self hatred, procrastination. He wants to be praised bc he was denied it for so long, stuck in the shadow of the golden child that is his brother, his chance to be accepted swept away by his nephew.

When he graduates he will have nothing to return to but upholding an image.

He is stuck.

That right there is grounds for a reasonable Overblot. Bc I'm sure anyone has felt those feelings before—played those roles before.

And somehow Savanaclaw fails to show that and Ruggie steals the spotlight.

Thing is, I'm not even against Ruggie Overblotting bc the hyenas do eat Scar at the end of the movie.

However.

As much as I fw Ruggie Obing, I'm trying to fix Savanaclaw lmaooooo.

Anyways, Ruggie also is stuck.

Born in poverty with possibly no prior education, he has no mother his father abandoning him and the only person raising his us his grandmother, it's been implied that Ruggie's been picking up odd jobs prior to Night Raven—meaning he's lied about his age and the rich simply did not care. Children in poverty grow up with adult eyes, wisened up to the world in an effort to survive before the hole that is poverty consumes them. Adults hold child eyes because "hope" is the only thing keeping them going, Ruggie knows that one day he will look to the world with "hope" so having Night Raven choose him out of all kids is his golden ticket, surrounding himself with rich kids, mooching as much as possible until he can live a comfortable life...

That's also grounds for Overblot, especially when you consider Leona throwing everything back at his face and nearly strangling him to death.

His golden ticket turning to dust before his eyes.

No wonder yall fw Ruggie Overblotting, that boy was putting in the legwork!!!!

Jack is objectively the most normal mf in the TWST cast, I see yall try so hard to project Trey as normal and it's laughable bc the dude who literally asked to be ignored is the sneakiest mf in the cast, beat out by Rook and Jade.

Like Jack is easily overshadowed in the chapter and after. Only working when hes bouncing off of another character which is crazy bc he's based off of a feral wolf that slowly gets domesticated through compassion and kindness (a reason why he easily warms up to Yuu) him being all about just actually could work in his (and Yuu's) favor when you consider the fact that Yuu is the most proactive (read: forced) in stopping fighting Overblots.

Yet his character is never truly explored, even in his vignettes. Which is crazy work bc, like I said in a previous post, when Jack assumes he's in the right when that Justice comes into play he will shake you down.

He does it with Leona, Ruggie, Azul. FLOYD AND JADE LEECH BOTH??? Like that boy is a force to be reckoned with and somehow,,,,,,

Like I'm grateful Portfest is giving Jack crumbs but this should've been implemented, especially if you're going to sell what is essentially an Original Character in a game that focuses on Disney villains...

Which brings me to Crowley, who is also an Original Character based off of a real person—Aleister Crowley. A real life occultist who was dubbed "the wickedest man in the world." And that mf has been the basis for so many theories, esp popular ones like him being behind Mickey's entrapment in the mirror (it's going platinum in my delusions lmaoo).

So,,, why the hell is Jack?? Getting the short end of the stick??? See where Yana messed up was not expanding on Jack, Ruggie, and Leona.

The entirety of October is dedicated to Magical Shift they have enough time to plan, revamp, and execute Leona's plan. I honestly wanted Leona to come down on Malleus like he did to Azul, and THEN recreate the scene where Mufasa dies.

Thus leading to my next point!:

And 3: How Leona's motivations were ruined because of how much his story ties into Scar's.

Gonna give a strict rundown on what happens in Savanaclaw before we begin unpacking what should be changed and why:

As we know Savanaclaw starts of with Ruggie snatching the cutlet using his UM who then gives it to Leona, and they talk about his status as second Prince. Skip to the Dorm Leader meeting—which is where things pick up for Leona before dropping off the side of a cliff— he explicitly is against Malleus being inducted into the Hall of Fame, rallying the other dorm leaders (Excluding Malleus, obvi) and Crowley concedes.

Ruggie then breaks two other students' bones before prancing off, leaving Yuu to be tasked with investigating the strange circumstances behind the injuries. In that time Trey gets hurt and so Adeuce, Cater, and Riddle investigate those injured and on the possible hitlist to be injured.

In that time Yuu is taught Magical Shift, a game that while on the surface seems focused on brute strength and force ends up being a strategic game that has flashy spells to Wow the crowd.

Jack later ends up listening in on Leona and Ruggie discussing further plans. Fast forward and Yuu and the Investigation troop find out crucial evidence that points to Savanaclaw, but with no solid information they can't fly off the handle.

Thus leading to the final showdown: Ruggie procures a performance enhancing potion and recreates the march that killed Mufasa but—oh? It's all Cater clones? Heartslabyul warned Diasomnia and the other dorms in advance? Leona gives up and Ruggie tries to knock sense into him? The Investigation troop and Lilia give him a stern talking to?

He Overblots.

This is a pretty frustrated retelling of the chapter but I want to reiterate that Savanaclaw is the SHORTEST CHAPTER IN THE GAME and Leona only has a handful of scenes in the entire chapter, if I said he had 3 major scenes (EXCLUDING HIS OVERBLOT) you would assume I'm lying but 16-20 is a whole four episodes where he just ISNT THERE but you wanna know who is?

Ruggie and Jack.

I'm going to maul a small family and eat a couch.

It's not like Leona needs to show up to tell that his actions are harming everyone, other chapters have full on episodes where the Overblotee isn't there, however, it's that for everytime Leona isn't there Ruggie is—a sponge that soaks up and steals Leona's thunder and leads many to believe Ruggie is the one who should Overblot instead.

And the thing is, I want to say I don't care about how long Savanaclaw is because impactful storytelling doesn't need to bee stretched across say,,,,, 89 episodes but I can't lie, I believe many more people would rock with the Savanaclaw trio the way the rock with Octatrio if they had just a couple more episodes, a better vision and maybe coherent plot too.

But here are some things I'd change.

Emphasis on VIP guests, many royal families (especially Kingscholars) and scouts/recruiters. If Magift is supposed to be anything like College football it'd make sense that there would be an emphasis on recruiting and scouts as well as scholarship and internship opportunities. Savanaclaw is basically an all you can eat internship Hotspot, having Diasomnia usurp that means that internship/scholarship opportunities are becoming unevenly distributed

Sebek said that Malleus can summon mountains and thunder during Magift, meaning that Magift is about spectacle, which again harkens back to recruiters, internships, and scholarships. Magift is a big sport in NRC bc it showcases the overflowing potential and thus puts NRC in a position for more funding.

I mentioned VIP guests and royalty. Maybe Leona's brother is one of those guests? Maybe Cheka shows up? Maybe Falena attempts to reconnect with his brother through a sport he enjoys after years of being apart and nearly no contact? Maybe Cheka sneaks off more into NRC and is indentured into the Investigation Squad? Maybe Leona feels more pressure because not only is Malleus in line to be put on the throne but his Dorm might get washed in front of Falena and thus exacerbating his fears of being less than his brother? Maybe, maybe, maybe.

MORE 👏🏾 SCREENTIME👏🏾 FOR 👏🏾LEONA👏🏾 Have Leona have a dichotomous relationship with Ruggie, keep the audience on the feet and guessing who the hell will OB, I don't know ab twst en players but b4 the translations we had a TimeLoop theory and Leona Overblotting instead of (who we believed should've OBed) was essentially the golden puzzle piece when it came to those theories, entire theses and theories were built off the back of Leona OB being an error/change in the Timeline. Having the story alternate between those two? Twst jp theories wouldve carried over frr.

@/najmaviper already said this, but have Leona use his UM as a way to vent!!! Show that his grip is slowly loosening in the face of all these problems arising? Show that even with him learning to leash a UM that the pressure has his grip slipping!! That the divide between managing the innate magic he's been born with is growing thinner and its harder to grasp something that melds into a foundational problem!!!

Ruggie! Like I said society would advance just off principle of the Savanaclaw fake out! Make it look like Ruggie's gonna Overblot while also balancing the many reasons why Leona should OB as well!! Bc the hyenas ate Scar it would make sense thematically that Ruggie should also hold some burden of Overblot as Chap 6 said that it can have an area of effect and there have been instances of ppl OBing by proxy!!

Savanaclaw needs to be longer.

Now that we've gotten all of that out of the way. Here's my analysis for Savanaclaw.

Nature v Nurture—The Eternal Struggle of the Wild.

As we all know, the wilderness is a dangerous place to be in. To be vulnerable in the elements could very well cost you your life.

That is exactly why Jack London's White Fang, while not known, is still a profound body of work bc of the topic it tackles—The struggle of man v nature.

But we aren't talking about just the struggle of man v nature, we are talking about the struggle of man and nature, where animal and human begin and end and mix and blend.

It is through that that I present to you my analysis on Savanaclaw as a whole.

Leona, as we all know, had been ostracized and stuck in the shadow of his brother since the day he was born—this further exacerbated by the fact that not only are they born a decade a part (ten years apart) but their roles had already been decided.

Falena was destined to be king, and as such was whisked away into learning how to lead his country—to continue the reign of Kingscholars and make sure that balance and harmony would prosper in Afterglow Savannah.

Because of that, I believe that they never truly had a chance to bond—one always running away and the other always standing still; aimless.

It didn't help that Leona was a progidy, that his Unique Magic that he'd been born with essentially being a culmination of his people's fears— "I am your hunger, I am your thirst."

We know that when Scar had assumed the throne he'd allowed a disproportionate amount of hunting that led to food running scarce—I'd assume that Twst!Scar had such a devastating impact on Afterglow Savannah that droughts would forever be associated with him—I also believe that there is still an area of land in Afterglow Savannah that has yet to recover.

So, to be associated with someone who'd killed his brother for the throne, to be associated with droughts and famines, and to have a personality that wasn't favorable you could see now that Leona was doomed from the start.

Because it didn't just start with him being denied kingship—he was denied something essential.

Compassion. Attention. And love.

We can see that Leona doesn't yearn to be king, but rather he yearns for what he should've gotten as a child—recognition. Instead of his efforts being deemed less than his brother's by right of him being king and him being the spare what Leona really yearned for was to have that same attention on him.

Just for a moment.

And if I said that Leona's scar could've been borne from that want—that need to be doted on, to finally be free from his brother's shadow and not be compared to him would I be wrong?

Because at the core of it, what Leona was denied subsequently is what he begins to abhor. We see this when, despite many students of Night Raven coming to him when they face a problem, he actively avoids them. Despite his grades literally being a selling point at NRC you see him not trying at all to come to class. Despite him overseeing on of the most competitive sports in Twisted Wonderland, you see that he doesn't put in that same effort divided to Magift as he does his PE class (as seen in his PE vignette)

Because why strive for something that you know will not be given to you? Why put in effort that will be overlooked? Why do anything at all if there is nothing you can do?

But I wouldn't go as far as to say that Leona is entirely apathetic—moreso inert in his position in life. He was supposed to be the spare king, a thing to look forward to, but as of Cheka his role is now essentially moot. His achievements as a Magift player overshadowed by Malleus, who has been considered to be inducted into the Hall of Fame for his achievements—Something that Leona probably has already done and more but bc Malleus beats him out in sheer magic factor you can see why there'd be some bitterness in that.

He doesn't have to strive to be a king, but he wants to bc thats the closest he'll get to his brother and, in spite of his self sabotaging ways, ultimately have purpose in life.

I do not believe that Leona is lazy, but rather because he believes he has "no place" in life he finds himself meandering through it.

Savanaclaw is the best and worst that happened to him—because for a moment, he was separated from his title as second prince, for a moment he had a purpose.

Only to have it snatched away.

It's why I think that Malleus and Leona are direct parallels of each other at points. First v Second Prince, Treasured v Discarded, Fae v Beastmen.

Because the struggle of human v nature, the struggle of human nature, and the struggle of instinct are all things that have been written and talked about.

If Leona was raised better he'd be able to handle the disappointment, the dejection, and the shortcomings he faced. But that is an if scenario, and we know that if he were a better Beastmen he wouldn't have Overblotted.

However, for all his carefully crafted apathy we know that Leona still wants—we see that when he objects Crowley's proposal to induct Malleus into the Hall of Fame by arguing that everyone should have a chance to best him. Because to be in Savanaclaw is to have Tenacity, to claw for what you want regardless of birth order and predetermined circumstances.

In the end, we know that Leona has a competitive streak and clear cut goals—he wants to come out on top regardless of the odds.

And as we know, lions are group hunters, while reliant on their female counterparts male lions still have to hold their own.

The clear cut goal is—hunt and catch prey. There's nothing more and nothing less to be added.

And yet, his defeatist attitude always wins out in the end. A reality check that Leona had known since the beginning yet to hear it from the mouth of someone who, by virtue of being in Diasomnia and thus closer to Malleus (someone who would win by default), sends him over the edge.

Either way, even after his Over Blot I believe it's important to note that Leona does not truly change who he is fundamentally—its an act of defiance, because in the end he still gave it his all even if it was underhanded, even if it meant he'd possibly injure Malleus in the process.

In the end, after all those years spent being inert and constantly shifting gears to please that competitive streak in himself while also doing the bare minimum, he learns to go at his own pace.

He learns that he can't strive for a goal without truly, actively chasing after it. We see this in Chap 3 where he participates in Savanaclaw Magift training even mentioning that there is a RSA v NRC tournament coming up and that gives him the drive to train for it.

It might not be satisfactory, the fact that Leona hadn't drastically changed like Riddle and Vil had but it's a change that fits him. Because he'd lived his life wanting to have the odds play in his favor while actively sabotaging himself with his own defeatist mentality.

He doesn't change for the sake of changing, but rather he changes for himself and to make it easier to better 'hunt' for his goals.

[krenenbaker]

Random question but what are your thoughts on other dorms? I know you’re a fan of octavinelle but I don’t know what you think of any of the others 😅

This definitely isn’t because I have more lil scenarios and brain rot that I could send you and I wanna make sure that you actually like the characters I can talk about

hjdfskldhajdsl PLEASE feel free to send me brainrotting and scenarios!! I will absolutely GOBBLE them up!!!

Okie dokie, for my opinions on the other dorms!

Yeah, I'm fairly clearly an Octavinelle fan - it's for sure my favourite dorm. I do really like the other dorms, too :)

I think that Heartslabyul may be my second favourite dorm, either that, or Pomefiore. I absolutely adore the combined weirdness and classiness of both of those dorms, and the chaotic dynamics of the dorm members (is it also because I'm kind of obsessed with the second and third years in Heartslabyul and Pomefiore? ... maybe... ^^ )

Scarabia is also great, both because I love Jamil, and because the spirit of the dorm really speaks to me. It also fascinates me how in the fandom, Scarabia is known as the 'party dorm', when that's solely Kalim's influence. I think that if he wasn't there, the Scarabia students would probably be known for being just as reserved and solitary as Ignihyde or Diasomnia students.

Diasomnia is so cool, and I am so excited to learn more about the Diasomnia students come Book 7!! I love the vibe of the dorm, and the found family of the main 4 lads is so sweet. Also, I love Silver, and Lilia is also growing on me as a character.

I don't relate as much to Savanaclaw, but I think that the characters in the dorm are fantastic! Leona is so interesting to look at and analyze. Ruggie is also curious, and such a wonderfully scheme-y individual. And Jack is such a sweetheart, and deserves so much more love.

Ignihyde is a curious dorm to me, and I am also looking forward to how Idia and Ortho will develop in the post-Book 6 storylines. I think this may be my least favourite of the dorms... but I don't dislike Ignihyde. I would definitely struggle in that dorm (specifically with all the tech :/ ), and I don't really enjoy Idia or Ortho as much as most of the other characters. I think they're both really interesting, complex characters, and I LOVE hearing theories about them! They just don't... I don't know, tickle my fancy as much as some of the other students / dorms?

so, even though I mostly talk about Octavinelle, I'm more than happy to talk about any of the dorms / characters!! ^w^

[yuurei20]

Jade and Floyd Info Compilation part 36: Halloween and more

Jade has a large role in Halloween as a member of the Halloween management committee and treasurer.

Crowley insists that all dorms were given the same budget for costumes and sets, with Jade keeping an eye out for transgressions.

Kalim seems curious about Octavinelle’s ability to stay within their budget (Jade: “Are you suggesting that I helped them circumvent the rules?”) as he is unhappy about being told he couldn’t spend his own money on Scarabia (by Jade himeslf).

It is Jade who makes the connection that the school’s problem isn’t Magicam or the ghosts but the Magicam Monsters, and that they can save the Halloween party that Crowley is threatening to cancel if they handle the issue of safety.

While the others try to deduce a way to eject the Magicam Monsters without attacking them both twins start to laugh, arriving at a solution (along with Azul) before anyone else.

Jade gives the example of a rental property: “Most lease contracts do not allow a lessor to force a lessee out without a proper reason.""In which case, you have to get them to leave voluntarily…Fear. Danger. Displeasure. Revulsion.”

The students all agree to follow Jade’s idea.

(Jade seems comfortable discussing rental agreements, offering reservations for guest rooms in Octavinelle to the prefect and Grim and encouraging them to rent out Ramshackle’s empty rooms to other students.)

Octavinelle chases Magicam Monsters away through a complex scenario that involves Floyd in his eel form switching places with Jade, Jade pretending to mind-control Azul (forcing him to dance), describing his own death and wrapping visitors in bandages.

Jade goes to a lot of work to fulfill all visitor requests during the Halloween party, impressing both Silver and Riddle, despite how Floyd encourages him to let other people fill in so that he has time to eat.

Jade has a line about being too embarrassed to open his mouth wide while others are watching.

According to several articles on the subject, moray eels opening their mouths wide has been documented as a part of courtship displays.

Both twins seem partial to pranks.

Floyd says that if he were to choose a dorm besides Octavinelle it would be Savanaclaw, for its simple rules of whoever is strongest is at the top, but at the end of the day he prefers Octavinelle.

Jade says he has an inquiring mind: “Whenever I’m curious about something I feel compelled to study it thoroughly.”

He also says that he gets the urge to talk to people if he sees that they are in the middle of a laborious job. “Is that wrong of me?”

Jade says he pays little mind to what other people think of him.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I heard of a summer event with stitch! And mc in octavinelle is yuuta who work in ramen shop. So in savannaclaw, did everyone knows yuuka's a girl?

Yes, I know! I like to keep up with TWST news. You can find posts about the Stitch event and the Episode of Octavinelle manga on my blog; feel free to join in the discussion!

There’s been no indication (so far) in the Episode of Savanaclaw which would tell us that others think of Yuuka as male or female. Personally, I think it’s likely that everyone knows she’s a girl and just rolls with it + treats her like a normal person in spite of that because Yuuka has no real reason to hide her sex from everyone. (Plus, I don’t think it’s entirely realistic to have large swathes of the NRC population treat her drastically differently just because she’s a girl.)

It just serves no narrative purpose and doesn’t add to anything. In fact, I would argue it would actually subtract from the overall narrative since everyone being aware of Yuuka being a girl and her still standing up to Leona creates an interesting dynamic. It goes the same way for Leona; he wouldn’t underestimate Yuuka just because she’s a woman, he’d treat her like an equal and a worthy opponent. This is especially true when we consider that Leona specifically comes from a culture where women are strong and respected; if Leona didn’t realize Yuuka was a woman this whole time (like, if he learned she was a woman post-getting his ass kicked), then we’re deprived of this bit of nuance and complexity in their developing relationship as Yuu and OB boy.

P.S. Ironically, Yuuka is the most bishounen looking of all the manga!Yuus so far 😂

[merakiui]

(4) obviously I love your x reader fics the most hehe. but I really do like the occasional sprinkling of polycules or at least open relationships u do amongst characters and certain dynamics !! I know a lot of them aren't necessarily ships between the other characters ^^; but u write their dynamics so well and it's fun to see how they interact with one another when a further person (reader) is involved :D if that makes sense ^^;

(8) god the descriptive imagery you paint and OMG THE ATTENTION TO DETAIL!!! your attention to detail and symbolism featured in your work such as dru and 11:11 !! those are some of the most notable works that come to my mind, but really any of your longer work or even a few specific drabbles always seem to hold so much detail !! I remember (awhile back) after u had updated dru with a new chapter, anons were pointing out your foreshadowing and specific symbolism from earlier chapters and theorizing for future chapters and aaa !! it was so fun, really felt like we were playing detective hehe, and it really shows how well you keep your readers interested and attentive ^_^ and omg every one of ur fics has such amazing setting and I find myself absolutely enamored and immersed with the scene!! 11:11 made me awestruck with the scenery the first time i read it, and then left me amazed at the symbolism the next few times i read it!! OMG AND YOUR PACING!! how did I not mention that earlier omg T__T .. your pacing is absolutely fantastic. and how you can so easily achieve the right tone and pacing depending on the context!! the slow and steady parts in a tense and suspenseful atmosphere that never let the reader get too comfortable >:) or other times, it begins fast paced and sudden before slowly fizzling out to a cliffhanger or masterful and concluding ending!! and the overall sensual and loving undertones of your more fluffy and intimate work and the gentle pacing that comes with them T__T orz you are truly a master at pacing. OH AND AAHHH your ability to write such re-readable work !! whether it's a longer and more developed piece or a quick thought u had rushed, i always find myself going back thru your tags or scrolling thru ur blog and re reading things I know I've already read a dozen times before because aaa T__T I just really adore your work so much and everytime I read from you, it always feels like a treat that i'm unwrapping and indulging in for the first time <3

(11) as much as i love all of your current work, something I would love to see more of would definitely be you writing and exploring the other dorms + characters in more depth!! :D I adore how you paint pomefiore and diasomnia, despite not writing much of the latter ^^; and I'd love to see more scarabia and savanaclaw content from you as well!! I know you've explored kalim/jamil briefly before but I think you'd have tons of fun writing kalims character in more complex scenarios since he's such a fun, optimistic, and upbeat guy and a bit oblivious .. and the possibilities of a character like jamil orz !! but of course, never feel pressured for that kind of stuff !! writing characters that are, well, actually somewhat consistent to their canon character can be such a hard feat to achieve, so don't worry too much about exploring other characters if you're not yet ready to tackle their personalities, or if u simply don't have an interest in them !! I'm always happy with any content you currently publish, so it wouldn't bother me if you prefer to stick with dorms/characters you're most familiar with 🫶🫶

sry if this was long .. I hope I didn't miss/forget anything that I wanted to say T_T

(ask game)

DEAREST ANON, OMG OMG THANK YOU!!!!!!! I want to preface my ramblings by saying please never apologize for long asks!!! I love to read asks regardless of how short or long they may be. Additionally, I cannot thank you enough for sending such a sweet message OMG?????? AAAAAAA okay okay!!!! >w< now I will delve into my ramblings per section! :D

I'm so happy you can enjoy the dynamics and relationships in my writing! With Pomefiore especially, though I don't write it often, I love their entire dynamic as a group, so the thought of them sharing a darling together is very fun!! Although this applies for any group of yanderes! Heartslabyul is so much fun when they're all pining for the same person. Of course, this is also the same case for Octavinelle and Diasomnia. Just,,,, any group of yanderes is fun to write for because they all are united with the common similarity of sharing darling, but they all interact with darling in separate, different ways, which I greatly enjoy writing about. Additionally, how the characters themselves will interact with each other! Like Ace and Deuce being an example of "the enabler" and "the enabled." Deuce tries so hard to be good, but it's difficult when Ace is in his ear, twisting his rationality and morals. ;;;;

AAAAAA thank you so much for enjoying my descriptive imagery and details!!! One of my favorite things about writing series is that I can sprinkle in all kinds of foreshadowing that span throughout chapters, which allows for readers to theorize and make guesses about what might happen next in the plot. Playing detective is so fun!!! DRU is full of symbolism and details big and small. I'm always so excited to read everyone's theories and thoughts on recent chapters and the story overall. I'm also so attached to the setting because it feels like such a vibrant city despite all of the darkness that is happening beneath the surface.

Speaking of settings, thank you for liking the settings in my stories!!!!!! With 11:11, I just had to place Rook in a cabin in the woods. He fits into that sort of backdrop so well! I'm glad you could enjoy your reading of it. As is common with my fics, there was an absurd amount of detail and symbolism weaved throughout despite it being a relatively compact fic. ^^;;; it's a little scary how easy it was to write Rook for that fic... but I'm proud of the outcome! He's a terrifying menace in that plot.

AAAAAA THANK YOU FOR SAYING SO ABOUT MY PACING!!!!!! To be called a master... I'm really flattered and so relieved to know my pacing is done just right. I often worry about my pacing in smut scenes. On one hand, I don't want it to be a few paragraphs or too short where it feels rushed or hastily composed; I really want to dig deep into the sensations and feelings of that scene, as well as illustrate the connection between the reader and the character. But then I also don't want to write a smut scene that feels like it drags on. orz I'm very happy to know that is not the case!

:o re-readable work!!!!! I'm forever shocked when I'm told that people read my work more than once. It never occurs to me that my stories are worth a second, third, or even fourth read. >_< so thank you for loving it enough to read more than once!! I am eternally grateful that both long and short works (fics and ramblings) can be enjoyed over and over!! <3 I hope to continue to provide you with more tasty treats hehe!!!

Aaaa yes!!! I plan to explore more characters beyond the ones I already write a lot of (looking directly at Octavinelle). Lately I've wanted to write a lot of Jamil and Vil thoughts, but I also hope to write more for characters like Leona and Malleus and more of other dorms as a whole! Book six flipped a switch in me and now I have even more love for the characters. >0< with Jamil, I want to write a short fic called [...] (yes, that is the title...for now) in which you match with him on a dating app, but he's secretly your stalker. Stalker Jamil is currently my favorite flavor of Jamil, but I am compiling all manner of facts about him and his personality so that I can write him in a convincing, in-character manner! Also,,, enemies to lovers with Jamil, but then I want to use that trope for nearly every twst character lol. But I will definitely write more for other characters! :D I hope those writings will be enjoyed when they are posted!!!!

[riddlerosehearts]

🐍 same, there were many things i did not enjoy about HoO but leo is one of the highlights i will always treasure from it. in fact I made my OC just so I could make them be friends with him bc it's like an old childhood dream of mine 😭 it's several years late but i will do it anyway. have u ever made any pjo ocs?

I read your post and i agree with you so much!! EN did jamil so dirty and just the few changes they made to his lines flipped the entire dynamic between him and kalim and basically completely erased how tragic and difficult their situation is, and portrayed jamil as basically just someone throwing a fit over something easily changeable when it isn't. I play on JP so I was so surprised to see the changes EN made, it sucked seeing so many ppl hate my fav

oh nooo yeah if both riddle and jamil are in the athena cabin i have no clue who'd become the head counselor... this is so hard, if only we could have more than one :(. Kalim'd def be in a different cabin at least, but just him being around camp would make it so much harder for jamil to be himself, it hurts my heart. there are so many ways you can write this and it all has so much angst potential. on the other hand you're so right abt the missed leo nico friendship bc i always intuitively felt they could've be good friends without knowing why, but your analysis puts everything into words and makes me even sadder we had such a missed opportunity... like cmon rick....

idia labwear groovy but nico is actually so funny - nico ominously approaching cats with his hands out like the grabbing emoji when nobody is looking and completely unaware how scared the cats feel, meanwhile all he wants is to spend some time with kitty before the chain sneezing sets in

I love your ideas abt the outfits I think they fit super well!! if i get around to doodling the characters in a twst au i'd like to reference your ideas if that's okay with you! They'd both probably attempt to wear the uniforms as a full set in the beginning then decide it's way too much of a hassle/feels too stiff (totally not an excuse to want to draw them in the full outfit), then begin modifying things so it felt more like themselves, though at least I think they both would like the ignihyde uniforms better than the other dorms, igni's seems more casual and practical than the other ones imo. for some reason i feel like the savanaclaw colours would look good on leo, i just picture yellow being a nice colour on him - but leo in savanaclaw would just be like him stuck with a ton of jocks feeling confused why he's even there lool

also imagine leo meeting ortho, he'd be so fascinated that something like ortho was possible and be inspired to make a robot of his own (twst festus origin story?) idk if there's a robotics club but i could see that being leo's club of choice, nico maybe board games... which means he'd meet idia and azul omg, what do you think?

sorry it took me a bit a longer to answer this time. i haven't!! i don't make OCs super often in general, i don't even really have one for twst haha, but i love seeing all the creativity other people put into their OCs.

yeah exactly!! i do keep up with the JP main story updates and have read most of the JP events through fan translations, but i started by playing on EN. and i feel really lucky that i recognized the words for master and servant and could tell they were mistranslating some things, because i can imagine that otherwise i would've come out of it hating jamil for "betraying" kalim too. instead i loved him and was a little annoyed with kalim until book 5 showed more of his growth. i don't ship jamil and kalim but i do love both of them and it's sad that the complexity of their dynamic got watered down so much... i will note, though, that the app is rated E10+ on the google play store and 4+ on the iOS app store, so my guess is that higher-ups at disney thought the actual story wasn't kid-friendly enough.

something else to keep in mind with athena kids that i actually sort of forgot about until recently, is that they're all claimed from birth and therefore are pursued by monsters from birth :( and then also the fact that athena is a virgin goddess who just sort of gives babies to people who might not have been prepared to have one... i bet that would make things so much rougher for riddle and jamil. some other ideas i had are that if jamil's parent was a minor god, it could be nemesis (goddess of revenge) or terpsichore (muse of dance). and for kalim, if his parent was an olympian it would be either dionysus or apollo and if it was a minor god it'd be tyche (goddess of luck and fortune). like you said, there's so many different ways i could see their story going in an AU like this and they'd all be so angsty.

if you wanna see more analysis on how nico and leo fit together there's some stuff i've reblogged from others in my valdangelo tag! not all of it is necessarily romantic, i just basically use that for anything about the two of them--and a lot of the reasons why people like the ship are reasons why they'd work platonically as well. but yeah one of my biggest criticisms of HoO is how even though i like all the new characters for the most part, i feel like their relationships to each other were largely defined by romance (and i don't just mean the actual couples, but also the frank-hazel-leo love triangle for example) and a lot of potential was missed because of that!

oh yeah go for it!! feel free to use pretty much any of these ideas we've been brainstorming as basis for your own headcanons and stuff, i don't mind at all. and like i've been saying, if you did draw anything for this AU i'd love to see it. i can definitely see that about leo and nico both trying on the full uniform and then quickly deciding not to bother with it anymore lol. i imagined them both not wearing the tie because i just think nico wouldn't really want to and that leo might not even know how to tie one AFSKJGHDF. do you think leo would add any other accessories or personalization to his school uniform? also, i was thinking, i totally agree that they'd both like the ignihyde uniform, especially nico because it resembles the bulky jackets he normally likes to wear! but i wonder what nico would wear for a dorm uniform if he transferred to ramshackle... according to one of silver's voice lines at least, they canonically don't have one, so maybe he'd just wear, like, a my chemical romance shirt and call that a uniform lol. or keep his ignihyde uniform and confuse everyone.

omg, i love the thought of leo meeting ortho and being inspired to make festus because of him. he'd definitely be so fascinated by everything ortho could do. as for the clubs, i saved this excellent post about NRC's clubs for reference a while back, and since no other existing clubs were mentioned in either of the camp vargas events, i assume that that's all of them. but afaik there's nothing that says leo couldn't start a robotics club, and i'm sure there'd be people willing to join! out of the existing clubs i can totally see nico being in the board game club, i think that'd be a lot of fun for him.

[rosehearrt]

I give you Rook for the character meme

ACCEPTING ━ Give Me a Character;

Rook Hunt.

How I feel about this character

Rook is definitely one of my all-time favorite characters. He's such a freak which is SO awesome, but while I enjoy playing up his odd characteristics and borderline inappropriate habits at times for a good yandere fanfic or a funny interaction with other characters for the sake of provocation, I'm of the minority who believes Rook is generally a very benevolent man. That isn't to say he doesn't have the ability to be extremely dangerous in a multitude of ways, but rather that he doesn't choose to. He still stalks. He still obsesses. But he does no real harm, he's more playful than anything. I love watching him interact with his underclassmen and seeing what a gentle and patient mentor he can be, especially when you put him next to Vil ( no shade my Queen, I adore you )! He marches to the beat of his own drum and he somehow gets away with it even in a place like Pomefiore, which is absolutely hilarious. But no matter how strange he might be acting about one thing or another, or how intense he gets with his science experiments and his hunting, he's a very friendly person which I think is so much fun, since the reality differs so much from a person's initial impression of him. He also seems unable to ignore a person who needs a little bit of uplifting or support, which is lovely. All in all, I just adore him, and I think he's such a fun character in every way. I think Yana gave him so many different sides and made him so well-rounded, and I applaud her for all of it. I also really enjoy the odd french word he drops in everyday conversation. If I had more time and ability to pay attention to a multi-muse blog, I'd probably add him. Maybe some day!

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Rukuepe / Rookepel: There's so much I love about these two. Epel clearly has a special bond with Rook, seeing as though he tends to go to him with things just as Rook tends to be doting with Epel, perhaps to the point that I can picture Vil getting irritated at times that maybe his lessons don't hit as hard due to Rook's spoiling. I think Epel would find the fact that he was in Savanaclaw so cool, and I think he'd love hearing stories about it. I also think he'd eventually turn some of his manly idolization onto Rook if they were together, because he'd be watching him in his element while he's hunting more and more, and maybe he'd even ask him to teach him how to use a bow himself. Despite his distaste for being called lovely or beautiful, I also think Rook could help him get over that complex imo, since Epel would realize he calls literally everyone beautiful, because he finds things that he deems beautiful about every person. I think his odd behaviors already intrigue Epel, and his energy would really just make everything kind of fun - I also think Epel's own energy could match his, so they could just be as chaotic as they want to together.

Rukuviru /Rookvil: I'm basic af, ngl. I mostly enjoy looking at fan art of these two because they're just so aesthetically pleasing, but I enjoy the dynamic between the two of them no matter what it is. It's so weird to me that Vil would become so close with someone who just doesn't conform to his ideas of beauty in the same way he does pre-overblot, and someone so outwardly eccentric as well. But it's precisely because they're so different from each other ( though just similar enough ) that makes me like them so much. I love imagining what it was like when Rook first transferred over from Savanaclaw, and all of the work that Vil had to put into him in order to get him to where he is now ( still an odd bird but definitely outwardly beautiful and elegant, with the ability to do all of the things required of a Pomefiore student and a Pomefiore vice housewarden as well. It definitely had to have been a long road, but Vil clearly saw something in Rook that made him worth it, just as Rook saw something in Vil that he felt was worth sticking things out. Their relationship is so funny, and so awkward, and probably so hard to fully understand for other people. Rook goes zero to sixty with Vil in the way that he'll, for example, go all the way to the Isle of Woe just to bring him skincare products, and Vil will act like that's normal, but that's totally fantastic. I think they're just the best and I love watching other characters react to them as well. They've clearly come a long way from when they first met!

Poly Pomefiore: Literally my OTPS for all three Pomefiore boys together in a relationship. It would be such a mess and I would live for it. 10/10 this is my ideal pairing for all three.

Honorable mentions: Rook x Riddle, Rook x Silver, Rook x Ruggie.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Trey lmao. I love what an unlikely duo these two make up, but it warmed my heart to read the manga chapter about their club life together. It's so lovely how well they get along, and how Rook truly seems to respect Trey and acknowledge any advice he might be willing to give him. I think the composed and mature character paired with the eccentric and silly character is always a fun time, so I enjoyed that peek into their relationship immensely.

My unpopular opinion about this character

See above, where I discuss why I can't see him as a yandere archetype and nothing more.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Like almost every other non-housewarden character, I'd really just like more Rook-centered material haha.

But mainly I'd love to look more into how and why he transferred from Savanaclaw to Pomefiore, and how he got to know and worship Vil to the degree that he does.