#Jamil has to be polite and nice with people

[poisoned-pearls]

“You know, I think you'd get along far better with someone like me than with Kalim.” “And what's wrong with that? I like the authentic Jamil much more, as a matter of fact.”

“You carry yourself like a goody-two-shoes, laughing off conflict with a flippant word or two. To twisted individuals like myself and Jamil...Ah, I mean, to calculating individuals, those remarks are like barbs digging under our skin.”

“Yes, I'm lucky...to have you for a partner, Jamil!”

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

revisited your new tier-list and had to ask about your dislike for skully. the rest i either saw you talk about or can deduce, but what did the dead boy do?

[Referencing my personal tier list!]

***Please note: these are just my OWN thoughts and opinions! In sharing them, I do not mean to disparage or to invalidate those who think differently than me; please feel however you wish about Skully!***

Listen, Skully's one of those characters I want to like 😅 but I just can't bring myself to...

I found him charming at first, I really did. I thought his whimsical demeanor and politeness were endearing and a nice way of translating Jack Skellington's character into a twisted version of him. I also thought he was very cute when he fanboyed over meeting his idol. Unfortunately, my opinion of Skully quickly went downhill as soon as we started planning for Halloween with the residents of Halloween Town. That's when he starts to exposit his... own beliefs on how Halloween should be celebrated. His ideas by themselves are fine (I actually prefer his version of Halloween, if I'm being completely honest). However, it's how Skully expresses those ideas that completely turned me off. He's so insistent that he get his way and becomes dismissive or defensive with those who don't see his perspective. I cringed every single time he talked down to others for not agreeing with him or for simply pitching different ideas--and while you could argue that the NRC boys were also turning down Skully's ideas, none of them were as rude about it as he was. Some of the boys (like Vil and Jamil) even entertained his ideas for a little while or went out of their way to attempt to console him. But what did Skully do? Continue to sulk and whine. Whenever he asks Yuu for their opinion too, he tries to MANSPLAIN to them to change their opinion if you ever pick the dialogue option where you disagree with him. I often hear people gushing about how it's so sweet and considerate that Skully involves Yuu by asking for their thoughts on X or Y. But when you gauge his reaction to a dissenting dialogue option, he doesn't actually want to hear your honest opinion, he only wants someone to validate his own views. Again, it's okay if Skully wants to observe his own traditions and what he has grown up with, but he shouldn't be going around forcing others to follow him. It's gatekeepy, it's elitist, it's not cute.

You know what else isn't cute? All the tantrums he threw in the event. Like... to a certain extent, I get being emotional and I understand being upset. But to act in the way Skully does????? To shout and cry like a toddler?????? Multiple times??? Over being "betrayed" by your idol? By someone you projected onto and had no idea what they were actually like? Someone you don't even KNOW??? That reads as really parasocial and emotionally obsessive 💦💦 (and if you know anything about me, I'm deeply disturbed by extreme parasocial behaviors). That, paired with his general emotional immaturity, left such a bad taste in my mouth. Yeah, the other NRC students and especially the OB boys act have emotional outbursts too, but those occur far less frequently (unless you’re talking about an outlier, like Riddle, who is also low on my tier list). I don’t know, maybe it’s because I don’t “get” worshipping someone to that extent??? It just seems so… unserious and unhealthy. Skully’s motivation just feels so much weaker than I’d expect of a Halloweenie. It would have helped to know just how bad the bullying he suffered was (which would justify his intense emotions) or more about why Skully + his hometown adore Jack so much (so we’d better understand why he feels so betrayed or why he wants to emulate Jack so badly).

A lot of what Skully does completely disregards others' autonomy and boundaries. Even the hand-kissing lost its charm after a while because he continued to do it in excess, even when the NRC boys largely expressed disgust + discomfort and TOLD HIM MULTIPLE TIMES to not do it again. Grim even actively dodges an attempted kiss from Skully. Does Skully listen? Absolutely not. Yeah, you could argue this was done for comedy. The thing is, I don't find it funny. I find it invasive and see it as harassment. He wears the title of "gentleman" but cannot be bothered to actually study up on what it means to be one... yet he gets so irritated whenever other characters question his being a "gentleman" 💀

I also didn't find Skully to be that threatening of an antagonist. He just... poisons Jack, pumpkins Grim (without even getting confirmation if Grim even saw anything suspicious in the first place), kidnaps him and Yuu, and... then what? He didn't plan anything out after that and had no solid way of "taking over" Halloween. He's a first-year student who hardly has mastery of his UM and has basic. How was he going to get the residents of Halloween Town to obey him? How was he planning on beating the remaining NRC students? Maybe the point of this event wasn't to have Skully be a major threat--but it's still a massive letdown after the likes of Rollo or even Fellow and the mysterious boss backing him.

The only things that save Skully from being at the very bottom of my tier list are his strong first impression and the fact that he does repent and learn to change his ways later in life. It seems like his attitude improved and he became more open-minded too; I only wish I could have seen that more mature version of Skully… Maybe I would have liked him more then.

[cyn-write]

“Hellfire, Dark Fire”

Prompt: Rollo has been eyeing you since your arrival, seeing you as the diamond amongst coals. At the Ball, he corners you into a dance, but your BF is not going to let this slide...

Pairings: F!reader x Trey, Cater, Ace, and Jack (Separate)

Warnings: Possessive behavior, suggestive, manipulation and obsessive (Rollo), established relationship, romantic, swearing (Ace)

Notes: This is part of a request from @justahufflepufftoday that I will answer with links to all the glomas series! Apologize for this taking so long, honestly some of these left me stumped and I had to mull it over for a while. That and life happened, but I am slowly working through the asks and am so thankful for everyone's patience! Thank you to everyone who has been keeping up with the series and supporting me! This is part of my Glorious Masquerade series! So if you want to read the other parts of this series staring different characters click the links below:

“She Blazes in Me Beyond All Control” - Azul, Idia, Malleus

“I Feel Her, I see Her” - Riddle, Deuce, Ruggie, Jamil

“Her Smoldering Eyes Still Scorch My Soul” - Rook, Epel, Silver, Sebek

“The Sun Caught in Her Raven Hair” - Leona, Floyd, Vil

“Heaven’s Light” - Rollo

"Who might you be miss?"

Y/n gave a kind smile and nodded her head in greeting "I'm y/n, it's nice to meet you," she stayed next to Trein as she was there as his assistant.

"Yuu is our magicless perfect of Ramshackle. She will be working as my assistant throughout the trip," Trein added.

She felt Rollo's eyes scan her and, unlike his greetings to the rest, he held out a hand. Being polite, she offered her hand as well, and he lifted it to his lips, grazing her knuckles quickly. "It is a pleasure to meet you, y/n. I understand it must be difficult, being surrounded by mages every second of the day. I hope you get a chance to relax this trip."

Y/n blushed at the motion and bit her lower lip. All the while, she could feel her boyfriend glaring daggers at her and Rollo.

"I-I'll do my best..." Y/n replied.

Throughout the entire trip, Rollo seemed to gravitate towards y/n and used every excuse to isolate her from the group. They chatted about her difficulties at NRC and of the festival. Due to her being Trein's assistant and the constant reminders to behave, she and her boyfriend had little time together.

This all accumulated at the Masquerade. Rollo had given Y/n a proper dress for the occasion instead of the attire his counsel had chosen. The (color) fabric decadently adorned her figure and stunned the NRC boys with her beauty. But before her boyfriend could ask for a dance, Rollo stole y/n away. He whisked her to the dance floor, and they started chatting.

At this point, Y/N's boyfriend has had enough of the student council president, but what sends him over the edge is when he takes you to the balcony and dares suggest the worst:

"Y/n, stay here with me." Y/n turned quickly on her heels to look at Rollo in shock and confusion, "Those fools at NRC do not deserve your purity. You belong here. with me." He has her pinned against the balcony, "This is your sanctuary."

Y/n pushed Rollo away slightly and spoke up, "Thank you for the offer, but I have no intention of leaving NRC. It is difficult at times but I wouldn't have it any other way. Now if you excuse me, I want to go back to the ball."

Rollo grabbed y/n's wrist and pulled her against him. "It's because of him, isn't it? He has bewitched you!" He pinned her between the balcony wall and him. "Those fiends have enchanted you, but I will free you from those chains and show you salvation! No matter the cost!"

Trey was a patient man who was at this point, an expert at dealing with difficult people and situations, but this was a true test of his calm demeanor. He had followed Rollo and y/n from a distance when they left the ballroom and had been listening to the tense confession through the door. His heart was beating in his ears as he listened to Rollo confessing his love for HIS Sweetheart. The only reason he didn’t barge in then and there was due to the trust he had in Y/n to handle the situation. But when Rollo forced himself onto her after she declined, he had to do something.

“Y/n!” Trey called out as he pushed the balcony doors open. Rollo stepped back from y/n, making it seem as though nothing happened. Y/n looked shaken as she tried to separate herself from her captor, but Rollo blocked her with an arm.

“Clover, what are you doing away from the festivities?” Rollo’s asked.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Trey moved closer to the two, his grip teething around his magic pen.

“The Perfect and I came out for some fresh air. So many mages gathered together can be a bit suffocating.” He replied calmly.

“It can be,” Trey was only a few steps away. His features strained to remained relaxed, he wanted so badly to blow up like his dorm mates and cause a scene, but he did not. He instead put on a smile and kept his composure, “But, this is also a special evening, it’s not often that this many mages meet. Besides, it is a wonderful evening for us, right y/n?” He shifted his gaze to Y/n’s beautiful eyes. A plan had formed in his mind and it seemed to be perfect, “Don’t think I forgot our anniversary?”

Y/n’s eyes lit up and she smiled sweetly. “Trey, how could I forget,” She said and managed to make her way to Trey and enveloped her boyfriend in a hug of joy and relief.

Shock and disappointment flashed over Rollo’s face but was gone in an instant. He nodded to the happy couple and started to walk away, “congratulations… I hope you enjoy the ball. Y/n, please let me know if you ever reconsider.” Before he walked past fully, Trey placed a hand on Rollo’s arm and stopped the president.

“If you force yourself onto her again and I will make you regret ever throwing this ball.” Trey whispered. His eyes were no longer kind, but cruel. It was beyond the look he gave disrespectful underclassmen, this glare was reserved for anyone who dared hurt his sweetheart.

Rollo understood the glare and left with a shred of dignity.

Once he was gone. The stiffness left Trey’s body and he felt his sweetness melt into his arms like putty. Tears started to pool in her eyes all the fears hit her at once. But Trey knew what to do. He stayed there, holding her close, and kissed her forehead. “It’s okay. I got you…”

After whispering a string of sweet nothings to reassure her. Y/n looked up and said, “our anniversary isn’t until winter break silly…”

Trey and y/n chuckled a bit. Of everything she commented on that. Trey looked at the perfect’s beautiful eyes that complemented her stunning gown. “The anniversary of becoming official… today is the anniversary of me realizing how hopelessly I’m in love with you.”

The perfect’s smile grew and Trey couldn’t help himself but kiss her. The kiss was loving and passionate, the kind that could last a century.

The music started to swell and their names are being called by the other Heartsyble students. The kiss ends and Trey looks back. “I knew they would be coming sooner or later.”

“Well you did promise me a dance.” Y/n said and Trey smiled. He felt like a commoner before her, begging for a chance to dance with the princess.

“I did didn’t I.” He stepped back and removed his hat, extending a hand out to her. “Princess will you grace this humble baker with a dance?”

Cater was kicking himself. He knew that he had a social media problem, but he never thought it would result in him missing someone, much less their illustrious host, flirting with HIS girl. Cater had been documenting the trip on magicam and he was constantly taking pictures, clogging, editing, that he has been neglecting his perfect. This all came to fruition when he saw y/n enter the ballroom in the most stunning dress he had ever seen. She looked like a princess out of a storybook. He reached to get his phone out so he could post a picture of is beautiful partner, but as he did someone else approached her. Rollo. The host of this event stole y/n’s first dance and in that moment he realized how much he missed. Rollo and y/n were talking a laughing as they danced. Talking about everything they did over the trip. Cater felt his heart drop as he realized how much he missed through the screen. As he was trying to get the best angle on a photo, Rollo was romancing his lonely partner. At the end of the song, Cater was ready to apologize, but Rollo took y/n away from the ball room and the two disappeared. Cater searched the ballroom till he saw the two on the balcony. He was about to walk out when he realized what Rollo was doing.

“…stay here with me.” Cater’s heart dropped. He listened through the pain and part of him thought she might take it. But the other part of him believed in their love. When he saw her step away from him, his heart jumped, he knew his girl. But Rollo would not relent. Out of instinct he went to the camera on his phone and pressed record, a plan formed and he hopped it would be enough.

“…Cater didn’t put an enchantment on me! I love him and he loves me. No charms needed! Now GET OFF!”

“Diamond? He is your partner?” Rollo scoffed, “He seems to be more infatuated with his phone than you. He treated you so coldly. Not answering your questions, ignoring you in favor of those people only. I don’t think I saw him touch you once.” Cater’s heart panted. He wasn’t wrong. But it still hurt to hear. “None of them appreciate you. You have done so much for them and they brush you off.” He could see her resolve breaking, and Cater could feel his as well. Not everything they said was wrong, she has done so much and hardly gets the recognition. He watched as Rollo’s grip softened and she turned away. Rollo placed his hands on her shoulders, they were really close now. She was thinking, “My dear, you deserve so much better. A school that will nurture and enhance your talents, friends who will recognize and celebrate your skills,… and a partner who will look at you and not a screen. Why… if I was your partner, I would never be able to look at anything else but you… my flame…” he began to caress her cheek and cater was about ready to leave and give in, but his Jewel surprised him yet again.

She grabbed Rollo’s wrist and pushed him away. “You’re wrong. My friends do care about me. And Cater is the best partner I could ask for. He loves me for me and never asks me to be anyone else. He respects me and my boundaries. He sees me for me and I see him for who he is. Yes he has his problems, but we work on the together. He sees me as a person, not an infatuation or an object to be saved. He is twice the man you are so leave me alone. I need to go find him-“

As she started to move away, Rollo grabbed her again and took out his magic pen, “You really leave me with no choice then, my flame. I will show you salvation even if I have to force it upon you-“

“AND HERE FOLKS is what we call a pervert!” Cater took the signal to come out of hiding and acted like he was recording the whole thing. “Rollo Flamme, Student Council President of Nobel Bell College confessed to My girlfriend and when she said No! He tried to kidnap her. Total Yandere behavior if you ask me. The kinda stuff they throw you in prison for.” Cater’s arrival stunned Rollo and he let go of y/n for long enough for her to run to Cater. “Now Cay-cay followers. If I release this video, that means something has happened to me and y/n. And he is the culprit.” Cater ends the video and puts his phone down into his pocket. “If you lay a hand on either of us again. I will release that video and you will be ruined. But I am nice and respect that y/n doesn’t like to be on social media a lot. So this is your only chance. Leave and never speak to us again.” He stood tall and held y/n close in a Possessive manner.

Rollo was visibly shocked and took out his handkerchief, nodded to Y/n, and said, "There is no need for hostility... I hope you have a pleasant evening." And left the two.

After Rollo left, Cater melted into Y/n. He was shaking and kept whispering, "I'm sorry.. I'm sorry, I am so sorry..."

Y/n tightened their grip and said, "Cater, why are you apologizing? You saved me, I-"

"Rollo was right. I-I was so focused on Magicam that I neglected you." He was nestled into her hair as he spoke, "I know I have a problem, but I didn't think it was this bad..."

Y/n stepped back and smiled at Cater, wiping the tears from his cheek. "Cater. I do not blame you. Do I wish we could have spent more time together this trip, yes, but I also know that my duties as an assistant had me moving everywhere and your group also kept you busy." She then stepped close and pressed her forehead to his, "We still have tonight to make it up."

This is the reason he loved y/n, she grounded him and made him see the light at the end of the tunnel. "We do. So here." He handed her his phone to put in her dress pocket. "No phones, no magicam, just us." He then knelt down before y/n and held her hands in his, mirroring the knights of old. "Y/n, will you be mine and mine only tonight?"

“LET HER GO!” Ace yelled. He had been watching the scene from behind the balcony door, and it took all his willpower to not attack Rollo on sight. Instead, he marched towards the two and pulled y/n away from him. He held her close and felt how much she was trembling. He glared daggers at Rollo and said, “She said no to your salvation bullshit so drop it.”

Rollo returned the glare, but returned to his calm composure, "Mr. Trappola, I'm afraid you have misread the situation. Miss L/n and I were just sharing a conversation, weren't we my dear?"

Y/n looked terrified as Rollo grinned at her. Her trembling grew worse and her voice came out meek, "t-that's one name for it..."

Ace hated seeing her like this. The last time she was this terrified was during Riddle's overblot when she was nearly squished by a rosebush. Since then, Ace promised to keep her safe, and that was a promise he intended to keep. "Sounded less like a conversation and more like a lecture."

"I was simply pointing out how Miss L/n would be happier here. We would actually appreciate her contributions to the school rather than push her aside." Rollo smirked and motioned to Ace, "That seems to be your specialty Trappola, wouldn't you say?"

That is when Ace's restraint broke. Much like when Riddle insulted y/n all those months ago, Ace punched Rollo square in the nose. While Rollo reeled from the punch, Ace grabbed his collar and pushed him against the railing. "You. Don't. Know. ANYTHING! No one loves Y/N more than me! She does more for NRC than any of the housewardens and EVERYONE knows it! We don't thank her as much as we should. But I am sure of one thing: I will protect her no matter what and stay beside her no matter what. Your righteous ass could never do that!!"

He let Rollo go and took y/n's hand. "If you talk down to her like that ever again. I promise you'll get more than a broken nose." and stormed off the balcony with the Perfect in tow.

Once they made it to the other side of the doors, out of sight from the crowd, and from Rollo. Ace stopped and turned back to y/n.

She looked up at him with awe in her (e/c) eyes. Despite the tear streaks and bruises on her wrist from Rollo's grip, she looked as beautiful as the moment she walked in. Ace whipped the tear streaks from her cheeks and asked, "You okay?"

She placed her hand on his and said simply, "You said you loved me..."

Ace's face went red. They hadn't said that word yet despite the feelings being there. "Y-yeah, I guess. I-I was just caught up in the moment and I-I...." He felt like Deuce, tripping over his words like a cat had hold of his tongue.

Y/n smiled and pressed a chaste kiss to his stuttering lips, "I love you too, my Jack of Hearts."

She knew those words would boost his ego. Whose wouldn't when they were compared to the bravest knight in all of the Queendom?

Ace's smirk returned and he leaned in so their foreheads were touching. "Is that any way to thank your hero, m'lady?"

He then properly kissed her. Deeply and Passionately. He held her close as the kiss deepened. One hand cradled the back of her neck while the other pressed against the lower part of her back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he felt like one of those fairytale heroes, finally getting true loves kiss.

When they finally parted to breathe, the couple heard the faint calls of the other first years.

"Sounds like we're needed," Y/n said softly. The music started up again on a new song and Ace got an idea.

"Well, you still owe me a dance." He removed his hat, placed it on his chest, and kneeled before y/n. He still held one of her hands and smiled, "Y/n, would you spare a dance with your Loyal Card Soldier?"

“Let. Go.” Jack had an iron grip on Rollo’s shoulder. Wolves were protective by nature, and no one messed with their mates.

Jack had been watching the scene through a crack in the door. He trusted his girlfriend to stand up for herself, but what Rollo was doing crossed a line. Rollo turned his head to see the seething wolf glaring at him.

Rollo loosened his grip on y/n's wrist enough for her to slip away from the monster and into Jack's arms. Once he felt her in his embrace, Jack let Rollo's shoulder go and turned to Y/n.

He cupped her cheek and looked her over once. She was trembling and her one wrist was bruised, but other than that she seemed fine. After assessing her for damage, he kissed her forehead and said softly, "It's okay, I've got you."

He turned back to Rollo, who was watching the two, and snarled. He grabbed his robe and growled, "You try to threaten her again, and I'll make you wish the fires burned you to bits."

Rollo just looked stunned. This Freshman dared to threaten him. But Rollo knew better than to start a physical altercation with Howl. "No need for force. I get the message." He kept his poker face, stepped back, straightened his robes, and walked towards the door.

"Enjoy the Ball, L/n," He said "And remember, Nobel Bell's doors are always open if you need them." before exiting the balcony doors.

Now alone under the sparking stars of the City of Flowers, Jack turned back to his princess and wrapped her in his embrace. Now it was his turn to tremble.

"I'm sorry." He said softly, "I should've seen this coming and stopped it."

Y/n leaned back and put a hand on Jack's cheek. "You have nothing to apologize for." She put her forehead on his and smiled, "You saved me from Rollo. I should be thanking you."

Jack sighed and cupped her face, "Still, I haven't been as attentive as I should have. If I was he wouldn't 'have gone this far if I stayed close to you, or was more affectionate. He would've known to back off."

She put her hands on top of his and nuzzled into their warmth, "Sweetie, I don't think that would have changed anything... But if you would feel better about this if we were more public with our relationship and affection, I'm happy to do so." She kissed his palm and saw his tail begin to wag from the corner of her eye. "Just, please don't blame yourself for this."

Jack's concerns seemed to melt away as she spoke. She could always read his mind and it always amazed him. "Anything for you Princess."

He always felt like the Beast from the Shaftland Tale when he was with her. She seemed to make him a better person, just through proximity. The music began to swell in the ballroom and his ears perked.

He looked at her beautiful gown and thought of something Vil told him once after he found out y/n and Jack were dating, "Flowers are meant to be seen, not hidden away."

Jack finally understood what Vil meant by that.

Jack stepped back from Y/n's embrace and bowed before her. He took her hand and kissed the back of it, "Care to Dance, Princess?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note: Please Like, Reblog, and Follow for more! If you are interested in seeing more characters in this scenario or these characters in different scenarios, please let me know! (Do not Steal)

[sunthyme]

🏵️ Scarabia Headcanons!! 🏵️

Hey, so I've crawled out of college hell to deliver the next set of headcanons!!

Last second, after I'd already finished them, I decided to redo Kalim again and toss in a new oc. Yippee!

Also, apologies for the inconsistent formatting, I'm trying really hard to figure out what works best. If you have some suggestions, let me know!

🏵️ Kalim Al-Asim 🏵️

My precious boy!! For the changes, I made his skin a bit darker, no particular reason other than looking nice. I made the gap in his teeth a bit more slanted and gave him lil canines :3 going ham with making him look like an otter.

More scars from the assassination attempts, yay. Added a little diamond at the top of his earrings for fun and that's most of it.

Kalim would be a Sociology major!

🏵️ Dareen Irfan 🏵️

Dareen, my beautiful girl... Practically nothing changed, honestly, except I upgraded the style.

She's slightly lighter and I removed her hair beads, though they'd probably be a part of her dorm uniform.

Unique Magic - "Diamond in the Rough": Once cast, Dareen can tell when someone is lying or being dishonest. It's more effective on those she knows.

She's a Psychology major and is a part of the Basketball Club. Their birthday is February 12th (Aquarius).

🏵️ Chunying Liu 🏵️

Damn did Chunying get an upgrade, geez. I made her actually look Mongolian, though very pale. I wanted them to highkey look like a spirit haunting the mountain.

Gave her more scars from her adventures and growing up in the mountains. Some snake bites and second set of ear piercings to add to that tough vibe. I also gave her a sharp bob for the same reason.

Unique Magic - "The General will Survive": Chunying becomes immune to the climate around her for 24 hours.

She's an Environmental Studies and History double major. Jade and her collaborated to form the Mountain Lovers Club, bonding over their loves of hiking. Her birthday is March 21st (Aries).

🏵️ Jamil Viper 🏵️

They can never make me hate you, Jamil 🥹. Aw shit, I forgot his hair jewelry. Fuck. Welp. I didn't really change anything else, he's already perfect.🩷

It'd be a Psychology major and Culinary minor.

🏵️ Chanda Singh 🏵️

She's literally like peak character design tbh. I think it's all downhill from here. Anyways, as a result, I changed literally like nothing.

Unique Magic - "Tiger's Eye": Anyone that makes eye contact with her becomes frozen with fear. The time period it lasts depends on how easy to scare the person is and it doesn't work on people above her in the pecking order.

She's a Fashion and Botany double major and a part of the Swimming Club. Her birthday is July 23rd (Leo).

🏵️ Nasira Haqq 🏵️

Also got a hell of a glow up. I made her a bit more chubby to emulate Iago a bit more. Added a birthmark for some visual flavour and a broader nose.

Unique Magic - "Iory's Song": Nasira can perfectly imitate a person's voice.

She's a Culinary major and a Botany minor. She's in the Gardening Club (founded by Calendula) and her birthday is February 29th (Pisces).

🏵️ Kay Basilisk 🏵️

NEW CHARACTER!!! Introducing Kay BasilisK! He's twisted from both Jafar's staff and Kaa from The Jungle Book. He's Indian and a snake beastfolk (meaning he's got retractable fangs from the cobra staff and a forked tongue). He and Jamil are like super distantly related and that shows in his UM.

I gave him snake bites for obvious reasons and wanted his hair to have a lot of fang-like shapes.

He comes from a thickly forested area and has always been around nature. This means he's really passionate about environmental rights and whatnot.

Unique Magic - "Hunger Dance": Freezes a target of Kay's choice for a brief time via eye contact. Once immobility wears off, the target is in a trance-like state for up to ten minutes.

He's a Political Science and Ecology double major and a part of the Mountain Lovers Club. His birthday is January 8th (Capricorn).

[ryuichirou]

Any thoughts of Kamil and Jamil in prison warden au?

We have mentioned some tidbits about them before in previous posts! But in general, Kalim would be a warden, and Jamil would be a prisoner.

Kalim is very naive and oblivious, very friendly with Jamil, who he sees as a nice guy who is very polite with everyone and doesn’t seem like someone who belongs in this prison. Jamil really does act like a nice guy who doesn’t want to take too much space; he’s always respectful and obedient, and his crimes aren’t too harsh (on paper obviously, in actuality it’s much worse). So it’s not unusual for Kalim to think or say to other wardens that Jamil is actually one of the good ones, who’ll definitely be a better person when he is out.

Jamil, however, is very cunning, and the fact that Kalim (one of the easiest guards to manipulate and mess with) always prefers to guard him is pretty much his golden ticket. He achieved a lot by abusing Kalim’s obliviousness… That being said, Kalim is also stupidly lucky, so while Jamil has achieved a lot, sometimes Kalim almost catches him doing shady stuff.

Katsu also mentioned another scenario, in which Jamil takes the blame for something that Kalim has done to protect his name, and this is why he is in jail. In this plot, Kalim obviously doesn’t guard him or work at that prison, but he could still visit Jamil from time to time. And since Jamil takes his time in prison as a vacation of sorts, he would hate it… also because Kalim always makes such a big deal out of it and cries during their meetings.

I also can see him freeing Jamil, be it with bribes or with the help of some “special people”…

[lemon-koii]

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Giving (cute) Twst NPC's a name and full personality

Part 1

(Aka turning them into an OC)

Name: Ash Lucien

Age: 17 (sophmore)

Dorm: Pomefiore

Unique magic: Doesnt have one yet

Personality/backround:

A very energetic, polite and fun person!

The nice kind of class clown

Doesnt care what you look like or your backround, can and will hang around you.

Really smart and is part of the honors.

Hardworking and confident

Born from a rich family

The teachers/staff likes him.

Has a huge passion for cooking

Fall inlove very easily...

Thats one of the reasons he joined an all boys school

The type to sing ridiculous and funny song in the bathroom

Almost cried on his 1st day because of Vil

Terrified of Jamil and Lilia

One of the people that makes people wonder "How the hell is this sunshine here in a villian school..?"

Often parties with Kalim and Cater

One of the people Floyd actually doesnt try to kill

Floyd gave him the nickname "Clownfish"

Has a HUGE crush on the prefect/Mc

But will never admit it

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(Tbh I just finished book 3 and saw this cute guys the backround of the twistune. Saw him in the final chapter of the book. So if he ever shows up in book 4 5 or 6 and i got him completely wrong...welp, he'll become my OC now i guess)

Please leave your opinion or thoughts about this! I love hearing feedbacks

Should i do a part 2?

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[oddberryshortcake]

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

I kinda have two answers to this because I tend to write out my thoughts anyway, it's where they go that is questionable. A lot of stuff gets finished and never sees the light of day, other stuff only gets halfway or stays in the notes

I finished a sort of AU (you know of this) where the twst boys essentially exist in a sense in the normal universe the MC comes from (our world basically) and I wrote about how all the characters from Lilia's past get caught up in a political coup, how Lilia ends up raising Malleus, after his parents are killed in an insurrection and Silver, who was rescued from a car wreck that killed his parents as they were fleeing the war abroad. It was fun playing around with how this found family would work in a world without fairytale magic. I still like it a lot but it feels like one of those things that other people probably wouldn't be interested in and it stays in the drafts.

Because of a comment I received on AO3, I started to make another pov fic of Retribution but in Jamil's pov and sort of the thoughts and feelings he has over dying. Obviously I don't know how dying feels or if someone would have much time to contemplate it but its a sort of writing theme I like thinking about, a nice excuse to get all poetic with prose and stuff. I only have less than one page. Don't know if I'll finish, and I don't know if it'll go anywhere but my love of the craft at least makes these things inevitably come into fruition, but the prospect of not having enough readers genuinely interested prevents me from showing most things. Isn't much point in posting if there's not reading.

(that said, I am still finishing the fics I've started on ao3)

[aldi-spice]

Retirement home anon again: I’d like to get your opinion on this (if you have one), it’s gonna be long sorry 💀

I bought Story of Seasons: A wonderful Life for the Nintendo switch which is a remake of the 2003 harvest moon a wonderful life.

I’ve bought other harvest moon/story of seasons games for the switch as well and honestly… I’m disappointed.

The character design lacks, they all look so dead and emotionless I don’t know how to explain it. The whole world looks like it’s straight out of Cocomelon. You also start with a gifted Cow and other things, that you’d normally not get in the originals and tbh it feels like they stripped all life away in all the newer versions, made it way easier in the beginning and tried to up the cuteness to a maximum which resulted in it looking like a kids show. The dialogs also turned so soft imo.

In harvest moon ds you straight up start with the mayor of mineral town insulting you and then the character (you) proceeding to try to kill him/punch him with an axe, a hammer, a scythe, even a watering can and in the end your dog bites him in the ass in a blackout screen.

It’s like how they took the sass out of the animal crossing characters with time and it just makes me sad. The new versions of the characters feel like lifeless copies :/

I‘m still hoping for more remakes and I’m still a big fan of the harvest moon/story of seasons franchise. But fields of Mistria honestly gave me the exact feeling I had when I got harvest moon ds on Christmas as a kid and started it up for the first time. I literally had a bit of a teary eye playing the demo and then the EA version of FoM 🥺

That’s also why I like FoM so much - it’s funny, it has innuendos, it’s made for adults/older teens despite it being cutely designed, the characters look and feel like they’re adults as well.

I‘m not trying to be mean to the newer games and I understand people enjoy playing them, hell I still buy them because I love the series, but they leave me hanging. ://

YESSSS I get it OMG it's so boring I have about 100 hours in PoOT (pioneers of olive town) and although I controversially found Harvest Moon One World better than Olive Town (I loved the open world concept and Jamil in particular), it was still kinda boring compared Stardew Valley which I bought as my first game for my switch back in 2019.

That day, I played SDV until 4 am, it was summer break and I just graduated highschool and it was magical playing SDV for the first time, I could barely put the game down for long enough to take care of myself lol.

And I get that exact same feeling again playing FoM, that kind of magical feeling where you're completly transported into a new world. I don't think ConcernedApe made SDV with children as a primary audience in mind, if he did he probably wouldn't have added depressed alocholic in there and I love it, I love a good story and good characters, inperfect characters with flaws, they feel way more real and more likable than the boring nice, polite ones we were getting in newer HM/SoS games. All I remember from PoOT is how claustrophobic the town feels, and how hard it was to decide who to marry because none of them was interesting enough, even Damon, the edgy biker boy, felt like he was taken straight from the Disney Channel. I want characters that I can call bastards, I want mean characters, they're the funniest to learn to love.

As for making the games way too easy, I'm not sure, I just remeber struggeling in older games but mostly because I was a child when I played them. I'm pretty sure you also could get a free cow in Animal Parade and in the tale of two towns but I could very well be wrong.

I'm not gonna lie, I never played Harvest Moon DS but that sounds hilarious, we need more of that back, and less Ned Flenders neighbors. That's another reason why I love SDV so much, Pam and Shane are so mean to the player at first (hell even Sebastian is kinda cold) but that's what makes them more compelling characters than the cast of PoOT, where frankly only the non-marriagable characters were interesting.

I think that's why I'm so obsessed with FoM right now, while yes the characters are so so nice, they're not boring and I don't even remember them by their niceness, Hayden is a super polite farmer, but I'd say his distinct traits are loud, open and so very passionate wbout farming, even his dialogue about being a good neighbor and lending you sugar is so much more memorable because he's so forward about it. I feel like most characters in this game can be described with a positive and a negative trait, which is what newer HM/SOS games lack, the balance between baby boy baby and bastard. And the dialogue in general is soooo good, I don't feel like I'm being talk down to, it feels like a normal conversation between adults, not between a child and their caretaker.

Laslty, thank god (NPC Studio) for the older characters, I feel like farming game fans are not in their teens (13-15) and more like in their twenties and up. We don't want to romace teens, we want something that doesn't feel illegal lol.

I totally agree anon, I love FoM so far and it has also made me super emotional playing this game. Ugh I can't wait for more content, I need to fall for this game harder.

[fumikomiyasaki]

👫 for Finn and any of your skrunklies if it's not too late ^^

Relationship Headcanons

Hmmm given you don't know my fanschool yet let me for now stick only with my main canon NRC oc for now giving a quick rundown how each of them would interact with him, but I might add one from the fanschool cause of an idea.

-She probably was a little bit salty about Octavinelle in general given Ace and Deuce got into this mess so she is not to speak well but... Finn and her just would go out of each others way and don't bother another, at least she has no annoyance or hatred for him like some other students that cost her patience when she is just trying to make everything right for riddle

-Oh Finn would hate Bengal... drawing loud crowds to him, being louder himself with his music, making shows with bright lights, drawing fans with Light sticks to him... they couldn't be near another however its kinda sad cause Bengal too has curiousity in morbid things and horror as well as his songs are darker but.. given Bengals rockstar charisma I am sure Finn wouldn't want to be near him

-We talked about these before I feel they do have potential for a very deep bond as they are some of the more dilligent workers in the lounge as well as they do all to keep the dorm afloat, Eiji more to keep his face up but I feel despite his lack of emotions at least he knows to keep Finn close... maybe even has the potential of being one of the few he actually does feel a little bit for

-They do share the want for silence... although given Finns Jealousy for Jamil and Kumo being close with him there could be struggles... He won't fall for any tricks he himself also has trust issues, I could only see them bond over painting maybe... as in if one discovered the other they might get to talk about it but... its open if this will end as a lasting bond or just them tolerating another

-Fuan already avoids people like haywire not to hurt them... either they wouldn't even meet or if he would run away as quickly as possible in hopes he doesn't cause trouble... its not easy having an aggresive parasite inside you...

-Carol only visits the lounge either to chat with some Crushes she has in this dorm or Tagging along the leader of monsville when invited... and given Henry with her already knows not to accept Azuls deals, Carol too is wary when talking to Finn... especially cause she too noticed the incident with Ace and Deuce tutoring these two... I feel especially cause she also has her reservations about Eiji.... she is probably gonna be polite but not really try to get close... they could meet during gardening but she keeps a distance while being nice you could say. She just has a reputation to keep

-Fennec I wanted to introduce to him cause despite being a HSA dorm leader they might have potential meeting... Fennec as an adventurer is more of a loner but he has some interests in the seas in general... as well as he does need people who understand his boundaries while it be good to have someone that listens to him for once... I feel they have potential to get along.

[ryker-writes]

Oh I meant how others refer to him? Like what does Floyd, Leona, Rook, etc. call him?

Also the backstory of Jaxon calling Epel 'little fighter' sounds interesting lol. He and Epel are both standoffish so I wonder if they may have had a scrap before.

Ace being called brat is so funny tho. Both Jaxon and his boyfriend hate Ace 😭 I imagine it’s something like 'what do you even see in him?’ if he found out Yuli liked him. Especially since the better option in his opinion would probably be Deuce.

Is Jaxon uneasy around Malleus like the rest of the student body? And what are his relationships with the other students like? Like Trey and Cater, the Scarabia duo, Octavinelle, Vil and Rook, Ignihyde, and the Diasomnia guys?

oh whoops my bad lol

Floyd: Frogfish

Leona: Crow

Rook: Monsieur les cauchemars

Malleus: Young Crowley

While yes, both Jaxon and Epel are standoffish at first, there was a time where Epel heard something about Jaxon from the other first years and wanted to fight him. Epel tried to, but Jaxon wasn't having it. But Jaxon can appreciate his fighting spirit so he calls him little fighter

If he found out Yuli likes Ace he'll literally have a moment of silence before asking "Why?" He doesn't understand it. Jaxon gets along pretty well with Deuce so he's like "But Deuce is right there???"

As for his relationships with other students:

Deuce:

he gets along pretty well with him! Deuce reminds Jaxon a bit of himself, but Deuce made better decisions. They bond over their past of delinquency and trying not to fight people. In a way, they support each other in overcoming that challenge of their past

Trey:

They don't talk much, but they're okay with each other. Trey is always nice and pretty quiet, so Jaxon has nothing against him. So they're sort of okay, but not close at all

Cater:

Cater annoys him so much. He doesn't like Cater's need to take photos of everything (especially if it's of him). His general attitude also get's on Jaxon's nerves

Kalim:

Jaxon is okay with him. On one hand, Kalim's energy is a lot for Jaxon and can be too much sometimes. But Kalim accepted him from the beginning regardless of what Jaxon's past is like. Jaxon really appreciates and values that. Kalim also invited him to a party, but that was too much for Jaxon and he turned it down. I feel like inside, Jaxon is really grateful towards Kalim

Jamil:

no, just no. Jamil generally tries to avoid him as much as possible, and Jaxon does not like Jamil. Jaxon hates people trying to manipulate him and doing things behind his back, and that's exactly how Jamil operates. Jamil is trying to avoid a fight for both him and Kalim

Azul:

Azul wants to get along with Jaxon. Jaxon does not want to get along with Azul. Similar to what I said about Jamil, Jaxon doesn't like people trying to manipulate him. There's also no way he's ever signing a contract, but Azul wants him to. The son of the headmage is a good person to have an advantage over, but Jaxon isn't going to let that happen

Jade:

Again, Jaxon doesn't like being manipulated, but he gets along better with Jade than Azul and Jamil. Mostly because Jade is at least honest and polite without fully intending to get an advantage over him. But they're not close

Floyd:

most likely to get into a fight. Floyd might try and fight him. Also, Floyd's chaotic nature and mood swings can get on Jaxon's nerves. So for the sake of things, they don't interact too often

Vil:

Nope. They don't get along either. Jaxon doesn't care at all about beauty or elegance or anything, and that annoys Vil. Vil finds it horrible that Jaxon walks around with his hair a mess and dark circles around his eyes. In Jaxon's mind, Vil is stuck up and a beauty queen (in an insulting way)

Rook:

They're okay. Rook is weird, but get's along pretty well with most. Jaxon has no problems with him, but if Rook stalks him too much he can get annoyed. Generally, they're okay interacting but not close

Idia:

Idia is terrified of Jaxon and avoids him as much as possible. Jaxon has met him like once and had no interest in him at all, so Jaxon doesn't really care about him

Ortho:

Ortho is a bit too nice for Jaxon to be close with him. He just doesn't trust him and is unsure about him. But Ortho is friendly towards him and offers to help (which Jaxon always refuses)

Sebek:

They don't get along. Sebek wants to keep Jaxon away from Malleus at all costs. Jaxon is just constantly annoyed by Sebek and his yelling. Most likely, Jaxon will tell Sebek to be quiet or shut up, and that will start an argument

Malleus:

They're fine. Neither has any problems with the other, and they don't really avoid each other, but they aren't close. Jaxon isn't uneasy around him or anything and has no problems talking to him. In fact, they sometimes run into each other when wandering the campus at night. They have conversations sometimes, but not often

Lilia:

Eh, they're okay. Lilia sort of sees him as a aggressive youngster and Jaxon sees Lilia as a old man who keeps trying to give people advice. They barely interact, and don't really connect on much, but also have no problems with each other

[masterofrecords]

Kalim and ADHD

@weilaverdui suggested putting on tumblr all the stuff I felt was too long for the author's notes, so here. Some Kalim thoughts from my drafts. It is, as usual, only speculation for the game, but canon for Aquarium, and something that emerged during my work on chapter 23.

I do think that Kalim’s ADHD contributes heavily to the way he comes across as perpetually lighthearted and silly to a point of other characters feeling like his attitude is inappropriate at times.

We have inability to form habits, inability to parse social cues (all while being around Jamil, who operates largely on routine, planning and subtlety). We have the fact that he’d never before had reason to try and manage it (him likely never being punished for it is a good thing; him never facing any accountability whatsoever… not so much). We have impulsiveness that to him is completely logical but that for others comes out of nowhere.

And it would play so much into how Kalim treated Jamil before the overblot and his inability to notice anything was wrong; it's not just naivety and trust, but also the difficulty Kalim has reading people's behaviors and keeping track of them. So maybe Jamil behaves a little weirdly today? Except Kalim can't quite remember how things were yesterday, or a month before - and surely if something was really wrong, Jamil would say it.

Meanwhile Jamil, a whole different brand of mental illness, just bottles things up. And it becomes a cursed circle until things eventually explode.

Despite how happy Kalim is, I always get a little sad when writing him, because while his upbringing allowed him to have a happy childhood, it also traumatized him in ways he will probably never fully realize.

It might have made his life easier, in some ways - it's hard to dwell on all the assassination attempts when they don't exist unless you deliberately remember about them. It also probably made navigating the political climate of the Asim estate an absolute nightmare - not that Kalim probably gave it much conscious thought, at least so far.

I'm actually curious what will happen if Kalim's mind, for once, gets stuck on something bad. He's had plenty of those experiences - from his own near-deathes to Jamil's - but in canon, he only ever focuses on the nice memories or bizarre, but harmless ideas that wander into his head. I don't really know if I'd get to explore that - Aquarium is not Kalim's story, after all - but I'd love to if I can spare words for it.

I'm currently in the planning stage for some of the events far in the future of Aquarium, including Kalim's 18th birthday celebration. It makes me consider all the implications of the tidbits of worldbuilding we've been given and how much it had to fall onto Jamil's shoulders to remember who's friend and who's foe and what's going on at the estate. I guess Kalim's father might have tried to teach Kalim something, but that would inevitably run into the wall of Kalim's complete lack of interest in politics of any kind.

And when Kalim's not interested, good luck getting anything stay in his head.

I'm guessing my interpretation of palace politics (I know they're not technically royalty, but they're filthy rich enough for it to apply) is going to be inevitably colored by all the Tang dynasty research I'm having to do for my translations. I don't know if TWST intended for the level of scheming that's going to bring, but if they didn't, they really shouldn't have made Kalim victim of all those assassination attempts.

It's going to be one hell of a party, let me tell you.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

hello!

I’ve been thinking about this prompt for awhile now, but I’d like to hear your takes on it! if say another event like lost in the book happened but instead of stitch, they meet Winnie the Pooh and his friends— which of the cast do you think would relate most to the characters?

I uh 😅 don’t know a lot about Winnie the Pooh or its characters, so my thoughts here are based on very, veeery basic understandings of them.

Pooh — His defining trait is his loyalty and willingness to help others, so I automatically don’t see many of the NRC boys relating to Pooh’s softness. He might be a better fit with one of the light cosmic element boys (Kalim, Silver, even Rook) or Yuu.

Piglet — He’s soft spoken and always nervous or worrying about something. I think of Epel and Idia as the "soft spoken" ones of the group, but Idia is the more generally anxious one. Epel's only really "shy and meek" when he's forced to act more polite; his true personality is much rowdier and more stubborn.

Tigger — Tigger is bright and enthusiastic. Any number of the cheerier members of the main cast could fit here with him: Cater, Kalim, etc. I would say Sebek (at least when it's a Malleus-related task or sentiment) works.

Eeyore — The most “different” of the Pooh cast; Eeyore tends to be down in the dumps and/or unenthusiastic. I see Idia and Leona best relating to Eeyore, since the former is usually pessimistic about everything while the latter has depressive symptoms that he usually masks with arrogant confidence.

Rabbit — Prideful and stubborn self-appointed leader, but ready to hop into action when he is called upon. Most of the dorm leaders could honestly slot in nicely here, particularly Riddle (whom we see in book 6 trying to be the "leader" of his group with Azul and has a generally very rigid way of thinking).

Kanga and Roo — Loving mother and curious, adventurous son duo. Various combinations can work here, although each pairing kind of represents a different kind of parent-child or general familial relationship. (Vil and Epel, Trey and Riddle, Idia and Ortho, Leona and Cheka, Jamil and Kalim, etc.) It really depends on how you want to look at it.

Owl — A know-it-all who actually dispenses the wrong information more often than not. I'd say Lilia or Jade is most Owl-like. They're the most likely to share false knowledge, but unlike Owl, it doesn't come from a place of genuinely not knowing but rather purposefully fucking up the information to mess with people.

Christopher Robin — A kind and helpful boy who shares his stories with the animals of the 100 Acre Woods. I wasn’t sure if I should include him here, but the Disney website lists him as a core member of the cast so I thought, “might as well!” Since Christopher Robin is the "odd one out" who shares stories with everyone, which i think it suits Yuu (the photographer/one who records memories) quite well.

[m34gs]

Hey meags! It’s that one person who keeps commenting on ur idikali fic yup the one with rook pfp but I wanted to ask some idikali questions cause you’re like the ceo of it and you seem to really enjoy talking abt them so how do u think Kalim would treat Ortho once he starts developing feelings for Idia? Would he treat Ortho like a sibling, try to get close to him? How would Idia handle dating a boy with thirty siblings? That’s gotta be a nightmare for an introvert like him, lord… 😭 but yeah just wanted to stop by cause ur fic rotted my brain with them they’re so cute

Hello! It's so nice to talk to you 🥰💜 I want you to know that I just woke up, and your ask made me so happy I decided I wanted to answer it while eating my breakfast and having some tea, before I go to work. I'm also very flattered and honoured that you would think of me as the CEO of Kalim x Idia; that's so very sweet of you! I really do love talking about them, and I am glad it shows.

For how Kalim would treat Ortho:

Kalim's an older brother, with a lot of younger siblings. He also is really cheerful in his disposition and is kind to everyone. He's very sentimental and loves to help others. I think Kalim would easily treat Ortho kindly.

While initially, he treats Ortho with the same kindness and enthusiasm that he treats everyone, I think that will change a bit as he realizes his feelings for Idia. Kalim may be very emotional and openly sentimental, but even he is not immune to the "oh I have a crush oh no what if my crush finds out I'm crushing on them" phenomenon so many people end up going through. He'd be a little bit nervous, and much as he asks Jamil for help, he isn't really reassured. He knows Ortho is very close to Idia, and he knows the brothers are very smart. If anything, I think for a short period of time he would start trying to (politely) avoid interactions with Ortho.

Of course, Ortho would definitely pick up on this. I think he would feel more than a little saddened, and I definitely think he would corner Kalim one day and ask him why. That would break the silence, and Kalim would spill the beans. In my mind, Ortho would end up delighted, and Kalim would feel so relieved because he really enjoys Ortho's presence. I think from that point forward, Kalim and Ortho would start to bond a lot more. Ortho starts helping Kalim woo Idia, because let's be honest, he knows Idia best. I think Kalim would take to treating Ortho much like a younger brother at that point, and Ortho would be thrilled to have someone like Kalim in his life.

For how Idia handles Kalim's siblings:

Oh boy. Ohhhhhhh boy. Have you ever seen a bunch of excited and eager kiddos find a shy cat at a birthday party?

At first, Idia is definitely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of siblings Kalim has. And they're all younger. They're eager to meet him and probably shouting and calling for his attention, maybe even physically coming up and tugging on his arms or clinging to him.

I think it would take several visits before he even comes close to being able to talk with any of them.

But here's the thing: as shy as he is, we also know Idia tries his best to be a good big brother to Ortho, and he has a bit of an ego. All it takes is for one of the kids to proudly show him their video games and beg him to play. Immediately, among the kiddos, he is Kalim's Super Cool Boyfriend who really rocks at video games. And, while I think that would really make Idia feel proud of himself, I think it would also trigger his older brother instincts and make him want to be around the kiddos more.

We know from his interactions with Muscle Red online that he can be a mentor figure in video games when he wants to. I think suddenly Idia is the go-to for the kids when they have a new game, beat their own high scores, or are stuck on a really hard level and need pointers. And Idia is all-too-happy to be involved like this. He's praising them and giving them pointers, and I think he'd be gentler with them than he is with his own peers, because I think he would feel toward them as if they are Ortho.

He becomes more and more confident around the siblings, and they really idolize him. At times, it seems they want him around more than they want Kalim. Kalim definitely pouts over this, especially because he just wants time with his boyfriend but his younger siblings stole Idia the moment he walked through the door. Worry not, Kalim, Idia is still an introvert. He will need time to recharge...and you know what that means! Cuddles with the boyfriend!!!!

Thank you again for this lovely ask! Your comments always make my day, and often I find myself rereading them when I need a serotonin boost. Finding this ask in my inbox this morning made me feel so happy💜💜💜 Have a wonderful day!

[zvezdacito]

First analysis on Sebek's attitude towards humans that actually takes the human colonization of the Briarlands into account instead of stopping at "its internalized racism because nocturnal fae are just conservatives clearly🤓☝️". I'm genuinely so thankful for this💀😭🙏

I don't blame people for misunderstanding the power dynamics between humans and fae here before Book 7 because there was literally no info/they SEEMED to be leaning on the "biracial kid hates his other half" trope/them leaving it so the initially elf-like fae could be interpreted as elitist snobs to human innovation, so the Briar Valley's history was intentionally set up to be a surprising revelation as to what actually motivates all of the afformentioned. But Book 7 has been out for 2 whole years; 2 whole years worth of time to actually catch up on lore. Twst is literally spoonfeeding its sympathetic stance to how the fae feel about their history the entire time too, its not as if its easy-to-miss subtext😭

Some real world tension Sebek's case is *more* comparable to is probably like Korean, Chinese and SEAsian elders having a strong grudge against Japanese people because of all their warcrimes in our countries, but it technically becoming "less relevant" to the daily lives of succeeding generations (and it seemingly being irrelevant to Japan from the start with the historical revisionism + refusal to acknowledge and apologize for said warcrimes) thus leading to some today seeing that hatred as some sort of reverse racism (even if it isn't)

I don't think it's comparable to the dynamic of racial oppressor and racially oppressed in western countries since its still very structurally relevant/less malleable between positions I'd say? (Even tho this is people's default when thinking about Sebek's "racism")

And Sebek's position is more similar to the mixed children of occupying soldiers/settlers with native women being conflicted about their identity and place (less because the "white" side being a (statistical) minority in the colonized-majority community, but a sense of guilt that their very existence feels like a reminder of the brutality and suffering that community faced). Though I'm not claiming it's a DIRECT parallel or allegory for these, since Mr. Zigvolt is not a soldier and may not even be part of the soldiers' descendants, just bringing it up to illustrate Sebek's actual place in the dynamics implied by Book 7 lore

Ngl I think twst fans have this issue of understanding stories where systemic issues contextualize why characters do what they do based entirely on how "nice" or "polite" that character is as an individual😭 Same reason people think Jamil (a literal modern day slave) is evil and "should've just talked to Kalim", or attempt to downplay the Dawn Knight's accountability in the invasion because he did lip service to wanting peace between species (even though it's likely a white-saviory idea of peace where human ideas take the lead and there's no trust for fae's autonomy. Just the bare minimum that they survive and get along with everyone else at their own cultural expense, if the loss of Fae tongue to Common even in the BV is anything to go by)

Idk I guess this is just my long comment about my pet peeve on people oversimplifying Sebek's attitude to "racism" because historically fae were not the ones with the systemic power and authority to discriminate and control the humans on the basis of them being human (which is what racism is systemically, it's more than just personal feelings of dislike lmao. And either way it was more the other way around for humans vs fae but fanon ignores this because "well, sebek is annoying")

Is sebek racist? Only a fun question, do not take seriously

Hello hello! Thank you so much for this question, I have been so excited to discuss Sebek's speech patterns since Book 7 reached EN~🥳

Silver says outright that Sebek can be prejudiced at times and Lilia states in the beginning of Book 7 that Sebek is the very picture of his grandfather, from the way he talks to the way he thinks.

We as the players do not realize how literally he means this comment until later in Book 7 when we meet Baul Zigvolt and realize that their speech patterns have a lot in common:

While maybe difficult to put across in the English-language adaptation of the game, Sebek has always spoken very old fashioned.

(Ace: "Okay grandpa, you gonna take her for a buggy ride next?")

He will occasionally say "this Sebek" in reference to himself, which Baul also does. (They are also both canonically quite loud, possibly another trait that Sebek adopted from Baul).

Sebek will also infamously refer to others using the 貴様 form of "you," which doesn't really exist outside of fiction and is such a rude form that it is practically a swear word. More here ->

Sebek uses it constantly, in everyday conversation.

And see Baul using it in Book 7 just all the time, with everyone except his superiors such as Lilia and Maleanor (there is even a time he becomes very angry and uses it with the senate).

Also like Baul, Sebek will switch to the extremely old-fashioned and formal "kiden" to refer to people who have impressed him. More here ->

Sebek's battle cry of "I'll swallow you whole" even seems to come from Baul!

And another thing Baul did in Book 7: refer to Sebek as human rather than by his name until Sebek earned his respect, which we have also seen happen between Sebek and Azul.

(In a Nightmare Before Christmas voiceline Sebek refers to Zero as a ghost and then a dog, eventually settling on his name, while he refers to Jack Skellington as "Bones." Is Sebek not just calling out humans, but referring to everyone by what they are rather than who they are?*)

(Does he simply yell human more than "dog," "ghost," etc., because humans are the species we have seen him interact with the most? It was confirmed in the novels that mermaids, beast-people, etc., are all referred to as "human" within the Twst universe, which has yet to be confirmed by the game but also has yet to be disproved.)

Sebek also refers to Grim as "dire beast."

There is a significant moment where he shifts to calling both Grim and the prefect by their names in Book 7, which the prefect even has the option of acknowledging aloud: "Whoa, you called me by my name?"

In a Harveston sub-plot Sebek even refuses to use an honorific with Epel's grandmother Marja until she proves herself worth of his respect.

Silver calls Sebek out on his inappropriate use of "kisama," while both Riddle and Sebek scold him for referring to people as "humans."

Whereas Epel's rude speech patterns can be explained by how it is a part of the dialect he was raised to speak and therefore he doesn't know any better (more here ->) Sebek is consciously and intentionally speaking down to others until they prove themselves worthy--is this something he learned from Baul?

Sebek says that Baul provided him with "an enriching education," but what exactly did that education entail?

Lilia expresses frustration with Sebek's inability to adapt to society, but canonically Sebek has only been outside of Briar Valley for 6 months, while he's been emulating his grandfather for 16 years.

Lilia says that Sebek has always been close to Baul and Jamil has a line of, "When admiration goes too far, the consequences can be dire."

I always assumed this was meant to be about Malleus, and while it still might be, is it also a reference to Sebek's devoted imitation of his beloved grandfather?

And we can go even deeper if we want, though this goes into theoretical territory:

Sebek was born after Briarland had already fallen to its invaders, but he was raised in a community where the war is still living memory.

Baul fought to protect his home against those who overran the land, exploited its resources, labeled him a monster, and drove them all into a fraction of their former territory.

He remembers what Briarland was before it the invasion, he fought to save it, he failed, and he survived to help put what was left of the country back together.

And then his daughter married someone who is potentially a direct descendent of the very invaders who had spent years killing anyone who looked like him and destroying everything he'd known (with even his native language possibly disappearing: Sebek says that speakers are "somewhat rare" in modern day, as the fae have generally adopted Common as their language of choice).

Sebek: "This has been weighing on me ever since we entered Lilia's dream. That my own father's distant ancestors may very well have been involved in all this too..."

And due to the long lifespans of the fae he isn't the only one with trauma and loss that feels both recent and personal.

Sebek and his siblings were not raised amongst the offspring of those who survived the war but the literal survivors themselves, unlike the humans to whom the wars are ancient history.

Sebek: "You must remember: from Lilia, Grandfather, and Malleus's perspectives...the Dawn Knight is not likely someone they consider to belong to the 'distant past.'"

While not confirmed in-game, it is not too wild to imagine that Sebek has chosen to ally himself with the survivors rather the invaders, and especially when he has been raised to idolize Malleus, whose own mother they killed not very long ago by fae standards.

While humans have been reproducing and dying at such a rapid pace that the current generation might not know that dragons are real, the same fae that managed to escape the slaughter are still there, and are now being met with the people born of those who stole their country but to whom there doesn't seem to be much significance to it all beyond a chapter in a history book.

And that might all be very well tied up in Sebek's use of "human"! (Disclaimer: this is all just a personal analysis and one of many possible explanations!)

Not only does it seem to be a speech pattern that Sebek has adopted directly from the grandfather he adores (and from Lilia and Malleus, who are also known to refer to non-fae as "humans" and whom he idolizes), but it may also be a reminder both to himself and to everyone around that while he may be two worlds in one, he does not approve of those that tore apart the community he grew up in, lest someone wrongfully assume that he agrees with the actions of his human ancestors.

Which would make it a form of self-preservation while growing up in a predominantly fae area.

Sebek's speech patterns and behaviors might be serving as a way for him to assert his loyalty to the fae, the people whom he admires, identifies with and was raised by, and distance himself from the humans who tried to eradicate them.

(If Sebek’s mother brought his father to Briar Valley from somewhere else (possibly Sunset Savanna) as has been implied, it’s possible Sebek’s human lineage isn’t tied to the invaders at all, but this is still vague.)

*Sebek refers to Sally as "Sally" throughout the Halloween event, using her name without an honorific but at least using it, much like he did with Marja. He also chastises Trey for failing to offer his hand to Sally and help her to her feet when she falls to the ground. Does Sebek possibly have a chivalrous side, not dissimilar to Leona? Memo: must check.

[lowkeyclueless5137]

So in the Ben 10 AU. With the world saved after stopping a rampaging Grim. The news wants to have a few words with our hero, and so the hero now gets a chance to say something. With millions watching and listening what his words will be. What are these words! :D

:0c they get recognition ✨

Well, if we are talking about the rampaging Grim, then there's the Aftermath as well.

Again, we'll take it on cases :3

Riddle:

To stop the rampage, Riddle clearly took it 1 vs 1 in an attempt to protect everyone and keep them away from this. This will end up with wounds, no doubt, but the most prominent one is his arm without the omnitrix being scarred and burned, so, unfortunately, it's a bit hard for him to accept it.

So when the news ask of a few words from him, it's pretty soon after, Riddle still processing everything and having to tend to his wounds, still, Adeuce and Jack urged him to say a few words, since that would be polite.

Of course, the reporters see Riddle's arm first and want to ask about it, but they get no chance, since the redhead asks first if they requested his input for a message.

He tells them that he was picked by chance to get powers, but the difference in between him and the bad guys he's been fighting is that he chose to use this power for the greater good, rather than selfish desire. And that a valid thing for everyone else as well.

Kalim

Kalim, post battle, was a mess. Jamil was fussing over him and trying to treat him as good as possible, especially for that nasty scratch on his back. So when reporters came, Jamil was very skeptical of letting them have Kalim's interview. Not that the latter is not experienced, rather Kalim was still in need of a proper rest.

But Kalim says that's fine and that a few minutes wouldn't hurt. Jamil, again, shows his skepticism in the matter, but he learned by now that Kalim's pretty capable on his own and thus, he came to trust the heir more.

Kalim's message is pretty much tied to appreciation. To appreciate the small things in life, to say thank you for things that, otherwise, you'd take for granted and to cherish people in your life. Kalim himself admits that he had to learn that lesson the hard way, but he's glad he did and wouldn't have it otherwise.

The reporters leave him pretty quick, especially when Kalim politely asks to be left to rest, which in turn had Jamil reinforcing this and shooing them away.

Epel

For once, Vil didn't insist on appearing nice in front of the camera. Epel himself was a mess post the battle. Torn clothes, scratches and burns everywhere on him. Like my man looked straight out of a horror apocalypse movie.

Vil and Rook were more concerned about Epel's wounds, so truly they wanted to turn down the interview at first, but Epel said 'nah, it's fine'.

His message, despite Vil expecting to be something juvenile, is actually pretty sweet: that your family is always meant to want your good. Weather tied by blood or not, family helps one another and... Maybe... Epel should've listened more better to his own family that he made in school.

The reporters seemed pleased enough with the message before they were chased out by Rook. Epel puffs after that, wishing he could also cuss Ace on live TV, bcs they made a bet and Epel won. :'3

Idia

Now... Post book 7, Idia would have short hair, so we'll take that as a time reference.

His battle with Grim was a mess, but hey! He had Ortho for support post everything. Of course, Idia himself was pretty against anything else than a long nap and going home to see his mama and Papa, but Ortho insisted to deal with a short interview, just to get off a worry.

Idia has a pretty straightforward message: There are things that take courage to be achieved and an act of heroism is one. It takes courage to abandon one's cozy selfishness and help others after all.

After that, Ortho has the right to shoo the reporters away. If they insist or are pushy, Ortho can take whatever measures he deems fit: laser cannon. :3

[nerenda]

So I got thinking about how I'd get along with the Twisted Wonderland cast irl, based on their personalities and mine.

Heartslabul:

Riddle: I do not do well with people with tempers and just wanna withdraw when that happens. On the other hand, I am pretty much a rules follower, even if nowhere near his level. So I doubt we'd be close but also I don't think we'd butt heads too much.

Ace: A menace and a brat, whereas I'd probably be too uptight for him. So, probably too unlike each other to really spend much time together.

Deuce: I'd hang out with him. If we're thinking the game setting / a school setting in general, might help him out with his studying and stuff.

Cater: Now I'm not big on social media but he does seem pretty easy to get along with so I think that'd work out decently.

Trey: I mean he's kinda just a guy, you know? I'd hope I'm not too likely to strike a nerve and get on his pettier side, either, so I think we could get along decently as well.

Savannaclaw:

Leona: Yeah not gonna happen. He's got too much snark and attitude for me to deal with him unless I must. Plus all his grumping would make me wanna stay out of his way, too.

Jack: Too much of a jock for us to have too much in common, but also I don't think we'd bother each other much. Casual acquantainces at least.

Ruggie: That rule following mentality of mine? Yeah we'd probably have very different views of the world. I dunno if we'd get on each other's nerves or anything, but probably just hard to relate on certain aspects. Unless Ruggie thinks I'm an easy sucker to swindle or something.

Octavinelle

Azul: Now this is a good question. In the game he's not in my top characters, but if I were to just randomly meet him? I wouldn't be able to relate to his business mindset, but also he's polite enough to be another casual acquantaince. I doubt I'd appreciate him going heavy-handed with his offers, tho.

Jade: Polite enough on the surface that a passing acquantaince is plausible. His more unsavory views or methods probably would keep us from getting particularly close, tho.

Floyd: Too loud and too rowdy for me to really be interested in getting to know someone like him tbh.

Scarabia

Kalim: Who doesn't get along with Kalim? (Yes we all know the answer to that question.) Tbf, I would probably find him to be too tiring to spend too much time with him with all that energy he has. Also the wealth gap would be real and I might just feel awkward about it.

Jamil: Now, we're talking of a bias here. However, if I just met him, I imagine I could get along with him well enough. He does go for that polite and sensible impression which would certainly work for me to be comfortable spending time with him. Now, how he'd feel about me, on the other hand, is a little hard to say. I mean, he wouldn't have to babysit me, at least, but would he actually wanna get close and open up, or would he basically just tolerate me because he has to because circumstances? Can't really say. I mean, at the very least if we're talking a group project / professional setting, I shouldn't be dragging him down.

Pomefiore

Vil: His celebrity status would make it unlikely I would approach him unless circumstances brought us to meet. This is also another personality/attitude that just doesn't mesh well with mine, so I doubt I'd be particularly inclined to spend much time with him. No need for his unsolicited comments on how to "improve" myself, thank you very much.

Epel: He's a country bumpkin, I'm a country bumpkin, I'm sure we'd work out. On the other hand, I might be liable to see him more cute and dainty than he wants, so I don't know if that would push him off.

Rook: Now this is a tricky one. I do enjoy his earnestness as a character, but if he just walked up to me and started talking about my clothing sizes or food habits or something, I would definitely freak out. I also don't have such an appreciation for the arts as he does, but wouldn't mind his rambles (to an extent). Generally it is nice to listen to people talk about things they're passionate about (but maybe not for 5 hours straight). So I guess this one really depends on how we'd be introduced and all.

Ignihyde:

Idia: Likeliest way to meet him would be some online space, probably a gaming one. I haven't really played MMOs and such for a while, but Idia does seem to go for gacha as well, so maybe? Not that I'd appreciate those times when he gets a little too full of himself, but assuming he'd be a fairly active regular in the chats we'd probably get to know each other to some extent.

Ortho: Again: who doesn't get along with him? He's sweet and cheery, sure he's an oddball sometimes but like I doubt we'd have much problems spending time with each other. Now this depends a bit on what kinda age & age gap we're looking at, but still.

Diasomnia:

Malleus: Another case of trying to assess a bias somewhat objectively, but we'll see. Tbh, if I was aware of his reputation (and nothing else), I'd be hard pressed to approach him off my own volition. He's a character, for sure, and not always the easiest to relate to, but I imagine if we got to actually meet / spend some time together we wouldn't at least have big problems. It would take me a while to see past his reputation & status, tho, but I guess being from a relatively low-hierarchy society would help me out here.

Silver: The dozing off might be awkward, but otherwise I don't see any problems to us getting along, at least as acquantainces. Tbh, I've yet to see much content with Silver to know too much about him, but he seems like a "normal" sensible person for the most part, so I think it'd work out.

Sebek: Yeahh sorry mate but you're a bit too boisterous, loud and...invested in singing the praises of a certain someone for us to get along particularly well. Like, I don't really see myself seeking out his company or anything.

Lilia: Again, admittedly my knowledge of him is kinda limited. I wouldn't be a huge fan of his jump scares, but otherwise I could see us getting along well enough. Honestly he'd probably be more pop culture literate than I am, but we could certainly game if nothing else.