#Riddlefacts

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Riddle Info Compilation Master List

Riddle 1 - Upbringing (pt1)

Riddle 2 - Upbringing (pt2)

Riddle 3 - Overblot (pt1)

Riddle 4 - Overblot (pt2)

Riddle 5 - Book 1 (pt1)

Riddle 6 - Book 1 (pt2)

Riddle 7 - Intelligence vs Common Sense(pt1)

Riddle 8 - Intelligence vs Common Sense(pt2)

Riddle 9 - Riddle and Food

Riddle 10 - Riddle and Leona

Riddle 11 - Riddle and Idia

Riddle 12 - Unique Magic and Violence

Riddle 13 - Riddle and Azul (pt1)

Riddle 14 - Riddle and Azul (pt2)

Riddle 15 - Riddle and Azul (pt3)

Riddle 16 - Riddle and Floyd (pt1)

Riddle 17 - Riddle and Floyd (pt2)

Riddle 18 - Riddle and Jade (pt1)

Riddle 19 - Riddle and Jade (pt2)

Riddle 20 - Phantom Bride and Ortho

Riddle 21 - Riddle and Ace (pt1)

Riddle 22 - Riddle and Ace (pt2)

Riddle 23 - Prologue, Hedgehogs, Book 6

Riddle 24 - Riddle and Cater

Riddle 25 - Riddle and Trey (pt1)

Riddle 26 - Riddle and Trey (pt2)

Riddle 27 - Riddle and Trey (pt3)

Riddle 28 - The Rules and Vil

Riddle 29 - Riddle, Jack and Kalim

Riddle 30 - Riddle, Deuce and Crosswords

Riddle 31 - Riddle and Sebek

Riddle 32 - Halloween and More

Riddle 33 - Riddle and Malleus

(also catalogued on twstnote.com!)

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Riddle Info Compilation part 28: The Rules and Vil

There are 810 rules at Heartslabyul (In Japanese 8 can be pronounced “hah” while 10 can be pronounced “toh”, and in katakana hah + toh = ハート, which means “heart”), and Riddle can recite them all.

He expects even people who are not students at NRC to know “at least a hundred of them. At LEAST.”

Rule 6, No fighting on campus Rule 23, One must never bring a cat to a formal affair Rule 53, When something is stolen from you, you must take it back! Rule 89, Never eat a tart without the Queen’s permission Rule 124, When you get soaking wet, you must dry off with a run im the ocean Rule 153, No black tea at night? (a little vague) Rule 186, Never eat a hamburger on Tuesday Rule 228, Flowers in gardens must never be picked on Wednesdays Rule 249, Flamingo caretakers are to don pink attire Rule 256, No drinking honey-sweetened lemonade after 8pm Rule 271, One must leave the table within fifteen minutes of completing their lunch Rule 339, The post-meal beverage is to be lemon tea with two sugar cubes Rule 346, Croquet must not be played after 5:00pm Rule 412, When you see a pair of moving glasses in the forest, never go back the way you came

Rule 469, When throwing a party for new friends, one must decorate with both red and white roses Rule 529, If you eat a steak on the night of a full moon, a cat must play the violin afterwards Rule 562, One must never bring a chestnut tart to an unbirthday tea party Rule 648, One must brush one’s teeth twice over after eating turkey Rule 703, Anyone who comes in second in a croquet tournament must serve the queen tea the next day

Vil tells Riddle that his “glass half-empty approach is basically an advertisement for (his) personal issues”, and we learn Vil may have suspected Riddle’s instability from the start, saying, “That boy is a disaster waiting to happen” in a flashback with a 1st-year Riddle.

In the same flashback we also see Vil giving Riddle advice on wearing high heels and gifting him with a bandaid for a blistered foot.

Riddle says that the very night he received the bandage from Vil he ordered a manual on proper walking technique and he considers it a “win” that he was able to show Vil that he is capable of dancing in heels, as, “one can’t let a poor impression go uncorrected indefinitely.”

Vil responds, “And here I thought you’d mellowed out considerably since those days. I suppose some things never change.”

We learn from Vil that housewardens are permitted to adjust their dorm uniforms as they see fit, and that previous Heartslabyul housewardens would wear sneakers like the rest of the dorm.

Riddle says that it bothers him when people assume he wears heels to make himself look taller, which is not the case: he had his uniform tailored to match that of Heartslabyul’s first housewarden, as he believes that “the head of a dorm honoring the Queen of Hearts should abide by tradition, which includes dressing formally.”

Riddle and Vil also share a conversation about the “unique benefits” offered by heels, such as how it is “pretty gratifying to watch the Heartslabyul students instantly straight up when they hear my footsteps. That kind of clarion clacking only comes with a good pair of heels.”

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Riddle Info Compilation part 1: Upbringing

Riddle has a voice line of, “I read that the Queen of Hearts had a very amicable marriage. If there’s a secret to that, I wish I could share it with my parents.”

We do not hear much about his father, though he do know that both of his parents were (past tense?) famous magical healers.

Trey says that “Everyone where we’re from knew their names. His mom was especially talented, and she really wanted Riddle to live up to her legacy.”

We learn from Trey that every aspect of Riddle’s life growing up was planned down to the minute, including what he ate, wore, what soap he used and who his friends were.

Trey says that Riddle obediently completed every task he was assigned in order to please his parents, mastering his unique magic by the age of 10, and turning the enforcement of strict rules into a major part of his own personality.

When asked what job he would like to have in the future Riddle responds, “A…medical mage, I suppose”, saying that he was raised to take up the same mantle as his parents, but after serving as Heartslabyul’s housewarden he has taken an interest in the legal profession.

Riddle has a similar conversation with Azul, saying that becoming a medical mage was his original plan but he has developed an interest in the law. Azul recommends that he gets licensed in every field that interests him, saying, “Wth your talent, you could excel in any field you wanted. It would be a waste to settle for just one!”

Azul says, “It’s frustrating to see so clearly the difference between me and someone who’s worked hard their whole life,” and Riddle responds that he doubt that Azul would have the same ambition and drive that he does to day if he had focused solely on his studies that way that Riddle himself did as a child. 

Azul warns, “One moment of inattention and you might find me giving the valedictorian speech at graduation,” but Riddle responds, I’ll continue to stand at the fore as long as I’m in school—and after it as well. I won’t lose to anyone, ever. Not even you.”

Azul makes a comment on how “one has to make sacrifices to make their dreams a reality” which seems to resonate with Riddle.

Riddle is good at crossword puzzles because they were the only form of entertainment that he was allowed growing up. Riddle says that, as a child, he started creating his own crossword puzzles so that he could give them to Trey and Chenya one day. (He was never allowed to see Trey and Chenya again, however, prior to NRC, which would explain why he now has a collection of over 3,000 handmade crosswords.)

There are occasional references to how Riddle is still learning things about normal, everyday life for a student his age due to his harsh upbringing: he apologizes to Deuce for failing to “learn the appropriate customer etiquette��� while purchasing mystery bags during News Year’s, which he heard from Cater is “a popular youth activity.”

Riddle says that he never participated in the Halloween events for children in his hometown so he is not well-informed on what goes on, but he does say that he only ends up drenched when bobbing for apples, so he may have some experience from somewhere.

Riddle says his household “wasn’t overly concerned with holidays” so they didn’t do anything in particular for Halloween.

“In fact, I wasn’t even allowed to walk around outside on days like this. I was a little jealous of kids who could dress up and go trick-or-treating.”

Epel responds, “Your parents sound really strict. But you don’t have to follow their rules now that you’re here at school, right? This is your chance to let loose and have fun!”

Riddle says he will consider it, and Epel invites him to celebrate in his hometown.

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Riddle Info Compilation part 9: Riddle, Food and Honorifics

Riddle may have an unusual relationship with food that is similar to Azul: during Halloween Floyd comments on how little Riddle has eaten and Riddle responds, “I consume my recommended caloric intake every day without any excess or deficiency!”

Floyd says that, “Maybe if you ate better, you wouldn’t have an angry scowl glued to your face 24/7.”

Silver catches Riddle's interest by mentioning a cake, leading Floyd to forcibly drag him over to where the food is laid out.

This “recommended caloric intake” habit was likely established by his mother, who would prepare food for the purpose of improving cerebral function, refusing to allow an 8-year-old Riddle to eat any more than 600 kilocalories per meal and comparing strawberry tarts to poison.

This likely connects directly back to present-day Riddle’s interest in strawberry tarts, cakes and candy.

In a voice line we learn that Riddle tries fast food for the first time in his life at the age of 17.

Epel tells Riddle about Halloween celebrations in his hometown where everyone would share a giant platter of food, and Riddle responds, “But then how would you know how much is polite to eat?”

Riddle says, “The Queen of Hearts’ Rules state that you may eat whatever you like and speak freely on your birthday. Isn’t that grand?”

It is possible that Riddle’s mother’s strict caloric restrictions have something to do with his small stature: he says that he bought a slightly larger gym uniform than what actually fits him in anticipation of growing taller, but it has not happened. (Possibly as a result of childhood malnourishment?)

Riddle is sensitive about his height, with Floyd describing him as “so teeny” that Azul could keep him as a pet.

Riddle is delighted when Floyd gets rejected by Eliza, saying, “Let that be a lesson: It is folly to pick bridal candidates solely based on height!”

All four members of Heartslabyul change between “Housewarden” and referring to Riddle in their own specific way: “Housewarden Rosehearts” for Deuce, “Housewarden Riddle” for Ace, “Riddle-kun” for Cater and just “Riddle” for Trey.

Riddle refers to all first- and second- year students by their first names without honorifics and uses “-senpai” with the third-year students, with exceptions: he never uses honorifics with Trey or Cater and, during Leona’s overblot, drops the honorific from Leona’s name as well.

When no one is overblotting, however, Riddle refers to Leona as "Leona-senpai".

Leona refers to Riddle by his first name with no honorific, as he does with everyone.

Idia has two different names for Riddle, which he seems to change depending upon whether or not he thinks other people can hear him.

When speaking normally, Idia will refer to Riddle as 教官 (kyoukan) in the original game, which is a title for people in higher education who oversee things like research or education, and for people who teach specific techniques (driving instructors are 教官, for example), but Idia is probably just using it to mean a teacher who is very strict.

EN translates it into two different words in the English adaptation (“Taskmaster” and “Instructor”).

Idia’s private name for Riddle is 鬼教官リドル氏, which is just “instructor” again with the word “oni” (demon) in front of it, for merciless/ruthless/unsympathetic/etc instructor Riddle-shi.

On EN this was localized to, “Mr. Impossible-to-Please.”

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Riddle Info Compilation part 16: Riddle and Floyd (pt 1)

Floyd calls Riddle “goldfish-chan” because “he’s red and tiny and unsavory”, on EN, but this explanation is a little different in his actual dialogue, where he says “食べるところなさそう”, which is something closer to “it doesn’t look like there is any part of him you could eat,” i.e. there is no meat on his bones (when translated literally).

Riddle has repeatedly expressed disapproval of the name.

Jade has a line about Floyd causing “a bit of a stir” at their orientation, and Vil says that Floyd and Riddle “have been at each other’s throats ever since orientation."

During Beanfest, we learn what happened: Floyd explains that Riddle used magic to blast him through the air at their orientation. “All I did was razz him a little, and he just SNAPPED…next thing I knew, there I was, laid out on the floor. Jade burst out laughing when he saw me.”

During preparations for a party Trey tells Riddle, “I have noticed Floyd following you around a lot lately, with that big grin on his face.”

Riddle says that he pleaded with Jade to keep Floyd out of Heartslabyul for the day, and “just thinking about Floyd irritates me.”

Floyd spends the entirety of a vignette teasing Riddle, asking him to “chit-chat” instead of study.

Riddle refuses, and Floyd offers to escort him to the book he is looking for instead. The book is revealed to be on a high shelf, but Riddle insists upon finding a stool rather than ask for Floyd’s help. Floyd boxes Riddle in (“My arm just needed a little stretch is all”) and ultimately runs away with the book, encouraging Riddle to chase after him.

In exasperation Riddle asks what it is that he has done for Floyd to treat him as he does and Floyd suddenly stops, passing him the book and wandering away. Riddle reflects, “I can’t tell if I upset him, or if that was yet another one of his mood swings.”

We see Riddle and Floyd interact for the first time in the main story during Book 2 when Riddle expresses displeasure in getting anywhere near either twin, but “especially Floyd.” The group resorts to running away from them, with Riddle explaining that the twins have baffled him ever since he enrolled at NRC.

(This scene includes some confusing additions/changes to dialogue on EN to make it sound like it is taking place at Octavinelle, when the characters are standing in the courtyard. This is unique to the EN adaptation.)

Floyd and Riddle overlap again, briefly, in Book 4, when Floyd teases a depressed Riddle about staying at the school for the holidays. Riddle assures him that that is the last thing he needs, but Trey points out that, after arguing with Floyd, Riddle at least “got his moxie back.”

This is not the only instance of Floyd inadvertently (?) being of help by harassing Riddle: he also teases Riddle about being so cold he might turn blue. Riddle turns red with rage, successfully distracting him from the cold of the night during Vargas Camp, and Floyd says he is glad that Riddle has warmed up.

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Riddle Info Compilation part 22: Ace (pt2)

Riddle seems to have a problem with Ace’s general appearance, saying that “Ace looks quite the gentleman when he dresses properly. If only he’d do it more often.”

Riddle may a thing for proper etiquette in general, and with Ace in particular.

Riddle fixes the prefect's tie in the main story and reprimands Ace both in a vignette and during Phantom Bride for his “uncouth language.”

When Ace goes missing during Vargas Camp Riddle says, “I’ll need to instill a sense of Heartslabyul propriety into him…again.”

He also has a voice line threatening Ace with a beheading for not properly taking care of the dorm’s hedgehogs.

This is possibly a reference to a vignette where Ace helps hunt down Heartslabyul’s hedgehogs after they go missing (he had been on hedgehog duty) and when Riddle thanks him for his efforts he responds, “Wish you’d flash me that nice little smile more often instead of nagging me nonstop.”

When Riddle asks him to repeat himself Ace reacts with, “I said that for our esteemed Housewarden, I would gladly do this and more!”

Both Ace and Sebek are taken out early in Beanfest by Riddle, who says that the effort required “didn’t even amount to a pre-teatime workout.”

In a vignette we see Ace perform sleight-of-hand tricks for Riddle in an attempt to distract him from the fact Ace is not studying but the plan fails.

Ace tries to trick Riddle in a different vignette as well, painting only the fronts of rose trees red at Heartslabyul on the assumption that Riddle won’t notice the backs.

Riddle seems to be fairly used to Ace’s attempts at trickery, calling him out during Phantom Bride for trying to steal Rook’s idea to impress Eliza.

Riddle volunteers Ace as a suitor and he refuses, so Riddle dismisses him back to Heartslabyul and tells him to “tend to the hedgehogs or something. I’ll be fine with Epel here. Because unlike Ace, you possess actual bravery.”

Riddle continues with, “Pity my dorm’s freshmen are such cowards. You have more courage in the tip of your pinky than they do in their entire bodies. I suppose it’s the best of we don’t have any of those spineless worms tagging along. They’d just slow the rest of our team down.”

This successfully tricks Ace into volunteering to join the team.

(Rook’s nickname for Ace is “Monsieur Heart”, and it seems that this confused the EN team in this scene. In Rook’s original line he is commenting on how contrary Ace is, as Riddle was able to trick him into joining the team by insinuating he would fail. On EN, however, it seems they assumed Rook was referring to Riddle as “Monsieur Heart”, and so they changed the word “contrary” to “devious.” Rook’s nickname for Riddle is, however, “Roi de Roses”, so Rook is confusingly calling Ace devious after he gets tricked by Riddle on EN.)

Riddle insists upon Ace participating in Fairy Gala IF, with Ace explaining, “I tried to say no, and he got so mad he nearly had my head!...Since I’d suffer either way, might as well make sure the housewarden owes me.”

Riddle nominates Ace after being impressed by his sleight of hand trick the earlier vignette, and Ace says that he may have gotten carried away because it was one of the few times that Riddle openly complimented him.

Ace tells Riddle, “I hope you show some proper appreciated when I get back.”

When the group fails Riddle says he will take full responsibility for trusting them in the first place.

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Riddle Info Compilation part 13: Riddle and Azul (pt1)

Riddle is not a very big fan of Azul, actively attempting to avoid him when he sees them in the hallway at school (“I would like to avoid him at all costs, so let us slow our pace”).

During Beanfest Riddle notices that Azul is very well-equipped very early in the game and demands an explanation.

Azul reveals that he blackmailed members of the event committee into sharing the locations of the different equipment, and that Riddle himself is the only reason he was able to acquire the field scanner: when Vargas tried to remove it from the game (“sneaky gadgets have no place in Beanfest!”) Riddle argues that “there are plenty of students on this campus who aren’t physically inclined, but still put forth a diligent effort in PE. The rules for Beanfest are already overwhelmingly skewed in favor of athletic students as it is…if students like myself have our tactical options removed, then the best strategy for us to bolster our grades would be to find a hiding place and spend the whole day in it. The point of the Beanfest games isn’t to establish who the best athlete is. It’s to have a school wide PE activity in which everyone can fully participate. And for that, I say we need the field scanner!”

Impressed by the explanation, Vargas agrees to keep the field scanner in the game.

In order to not incur a debt to Riddle, Azul volunteers to let him go rather than capture him (Azul immediately sends Jack after him, but Riddle is saved by Vil’s group).

We get a hint that Riddle may have a secret respect for Azul during Spectral Soiree when he gives an “impassioned speech” in response to a possessed Azul who seems to have the opposite personality to Azul himself.

Azul and Riddle are quick to bicker during Book 6, with Azul teasing Riddle about his inability to play video games and Riddle insisting that he is not "bad," merely inexperienced.

After Azul performs better than Riddle at the same game Riddle insists upon practicing until he is able to clear the level without incurring any damage and Jamil comments, “so much for being above such things.”

Riddle successfully clears the level and Azul observes, “I understand the entertainment value of game playthroughs much better now. The way Riddle would scream when he got hit right before he was about to clear the stage…”

(Riddle’s VA regularly uploads video-game playthroughs to YouTube. He doesn't appear on camera very often anymore but he would in earlier videos, such as this playthrough of Late Night Mop where he loses his computer mouse.)

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Riddle Info Compilation part 30: Deuce and Crosswords

Deuce respects Riddle immensely, saying that—while intimidating—Riddle is incredible, and he wants to become an honors student just like Riddle.

When Deuce overhears upperclassmen complaining about Riddle’s various issues as a leader he interrupts for the sheer purpose of defending Riddle, leading to Ace pretending that Vargas is approaching in order to keep Deuce from getting beaten up.

Ace explains, “With the housewarden’s personality, he’s bound to make nemeses both in and out of the dorm.”

While chasing down escaped flamingos Deuce runs into Rook. Deuce explains that it would be a disgrace to Riddle for their party to be canceled, but for the party to continue they need the runaway flamingos.

Moved by Deuce’s loyalty, Rook volunteers to assist.

Back at Heartslabyul Deuce runs into the same upperclassmen from before and learns that they are the ones behind the escaped animals as they “wanted to see the tears in Rosehearts’ eyes” when the party was called off. Deuce physically forces the older students into submission and makes them swear to never pull a similar stunt again.

Deuce says, “The sheer intensity Housewarden Rosehearts possesses when he loses his temper is wild. Only extraordinary people like that can be housewardens.”

As for Riddle’s opinion of Deuce, he says, “Deuce is a serious and exemplary student, but I do wish he’d be more prudent.”

Deuce is often looking to be of help to Riddle, risking himself during Beanfest to protect Riddle from enemy attack and even sacrificing himself so that Riddle can stay in the game.

When he happens upon Riddle in the library Deuce insists upon being of help in the only way he can, carrying Riddle’s books to the desk.

We see Riddle go to Deuce’s aid as well, providing him with an old math reference book to help Deuce with his studies, and even going through it with him (all while insisting that it will be off with his head if he misses his deadline or fails the test, and that he must have all his homework completed by the impending Unbirthday Party.)

Riddle enjoys crossword puzzles because of “the sense of accomplishment they provide.”

Riddle says that he has built up a collection of over 3,000 handmade crossword puzzles and he would like to hold a speed crossword tournament to help raise the grades of the dorm’s students.

In a voice line Deuce said that he received a book of these original crossword puzzles from Riddle, but he has only been able to solve six (of fifty).

Riddle refers to himself as a crossword expert.

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Riddle Info Compilation part 29: Riddle, Jack and Kalim

In a vignette we learn that Jack respects Riddle immensely: he attempts to serve Riddle tea despite being a visitor to the dorm, and he becomes flustered by Riddle’s defending him against Ace when Ace claims he looks out of place at Heartslabyul.

When Ace mistakenly assumes Jack is from Sunset Savanna Riddle calls Ace out for making himself sound narrow-minded. Riddle notices that Jack is staring at his face, and Ace asks why he is suddenly sweating.

Jack calls Ace out for cheating and Riddle compliments him for being able to notice, despite Ace’s high dexterity. Jack’s tail begins to wag (“So hard that it’s sending the cards flying!”) and Ace asks why he has been acting off ever since they arrived. Jack responds, “I really…r-respect…Riddle,” much to everyone’s confusion, comparing him favorably to Leona.

Jack says, “I’ve looked up to you ever since I saw you practicin' that spell to change the length of rose thorns…I’ve practiced the same thing with cacti, so I know how it goes.” Riddle offers to teach Jack sometimes, which Jack says “would be like a dream come true.”

Riddle compliments Jack for being “a diligent and upright young man…unlike some of our freshmen.” Riddle assigns Ace the task of laundering all the ceremonial robes belonging to everyone in the dorm as punishment for cheating, and Jack volunteers to watch over him to make sure he doesn’t sneak away. Ace says he regrets bringing the two together.

Early Book 2 of the Main Story Jack says that Riddle “looked like a wuss,” but no -he believes him to be “one scary dude,” and at the end the two companionably agree to compete against one another with their full effort in a Spelldrive tournament.

Riddle and Kalim do not seem to be particularly close, despite being two of the school’s three 2nd-year Housewardens.

When Riddle meets Kalim in the school store Kalim explains that he was appointed “the vizier of shopping” after trying to decorate the tables with gold and jewels.

Riddle quietly acknowledges, “So they found a tactful way to throw you out.”

Riddle tells Kalim to not forget his position, as “it hasn’t been long since you assumed the role, but you’ve yet to make an effort to act the part. I recall some VERY loud yawns at our last meeting.” Kalim explains that whenever he yawns in Scarabia, Jamil prepares his bed.

In Riddle’s original dialogue he has a line about the sons of wealthy families being ill-suited to becoming housewardens, but this was changed on EN with the part about “sons of wealthy families” removed.

Kalim comments that Riddle seems on edge, and Riddle reminds him that he is lucky to have Jamil to look out for him.

Kalim insists on inviting Riddle to a banquet despite Riddle’s multiple refusals, finally convincing him with the promise of a ride on his magic carpet.

Riddle says that he will have Trey prepare a pie for him to bring, and leaves the conversation reflecting that Kalim’s boundless positivity might befit a housewarden after all.

Kalim cancels a party to which Riddle was invited in another vignette, and it seems that Riddle had never intended to attend in the first place. In the end, however, Riddle does attend Kalim’s gathering, saying, “There’s something about Kalim’s pushiness that throws me off, since I know his motives are entirely pure…”

In a voice line Riddle references yet another banquet that Kalim intends to host, saying “I’ll have to thank Jamil personally later.”

We also see Riddle and Kalim dancing together during Halloween, and Phantom Bride begins with Azul and Riddle attempting to tutor Kalim (though Kalim insists that they were all studying together).

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Riddle Info Compilation part 23: Prologue, Book 6, Hedgehogs

Our first introduction to Riddle is when Azul requests that he collar Grim, and Riddle complies.

Towards the beginning of Book 6 Riddle takes two hits from Charon’s “technomantic capture beam” before he is successfully subdued, and it is from Riddle that we learn that all the kidnapped students were trained by the school as first responders in the event of an emergency.

Riddle volunteers to take the role of team leader after Leona and Vil, which Azul does not contest, soon after volunteering to join Riddle’s team in favor of Leona’s.

Azul says this is because “Leona’s desiccating signature spell would be a poor fit with a merman,” but later insinuates that he has not yet forgiven Leona for turning his contracts to sand in Book 3.

Riddle volunteers himself and Azul to serve as the first line of defense against Idia and Ortho while Vil and Leona evacuate STYX’s remaining staff.

Azul asks, “Did you seriously volunteer us for the most dangerous assignment without even discussing compensation?,” but he does concede that it is the best option, as their upperclassmen will simply come up with another plan if they fail.

Riddle exhausts his magic during the fight, his hair turning white after he gets too close to Ortho, who has become the physical incarnation of the Underworld. Azul takes himself and Riddle to safety with Leona commenting that the two of them “would probably be plungin' headfirst into the Underworld” if Azul hadn’t kept back power from the fight to save them.

Jamil agrees that Azul “probably knew Riddle would exhaust his reserves the moment they decided to stay down there. Riddle may be the top of our class, but he’s also a notorious live wire. There’s no stopping him once he’s set off.”

At the conclusion of Book 6, we learn that Riddle regained his normal hair color.

When asked if he has any hobbies Riddle claims that “a student shouldn’t have much time left over after they’ve spent an appropriate amount of time with studies or club activities,” and “the closest thing to leisure I engage with would be tending to the hedgehogs.”

Riddle explains that he visits the hedgehogs every day, even when it is not his turn to care for them, as they are very delicate creatures and he does not want to see them neglected.

According to Heartlsabyul students Riddle talks to the hedgehogs in human language as it is important to care for them personally and build a bond rooted in trust. (Ace reflects, “Ol’ teapot tyrant’s got a soft side? Huh. Wish he’d show a little bit of that kindness to us students.”)

Riddle cares for the hedgehogs extremely, becoming distraught when they escape.

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Riddle Info Compilation part 31: Riddle and Sebek

Riddle’s first impression of Sebek was favorable: Sebek impressed him with his insistence on proper conduct during ceremonies, and Riddle calls him the “one sensible head” in the 1st-year class.

Riddle’s opinion of Sebek changes quickly upon meeting him.

Sebek accuses him of being a spy sent to “uncover Diasomnia’s deepest secrets” and Riddle reflects on how he mistakenly believed Sebek to be a man of diligence and decorum, saying, “like all other Diasomnia students your well-mannered facade belies your supercilious nature.”

Riddle insists upon Sebek adhering to the ideology of the equestrian club if he is to join, emphasizing that theirs is a dangerous sport where the slightest error in judgment can invite a disastrous accident. Sebek vows to obey any orders “within reason,” but insists upon judging the skills of the other club members.

Riddle demostrates with “Vorpal,” who seems to be his preferred horse (and is also the name of the sword that slayed the Jabberwocky in Alice in Wonderland?)

Sebek describes Riddle's posture as “flawless” as he clears a triple bar and Silver explains that Riddle “has trained relentlessly to achieve perfect riding technique. He is even more skilled than I am in terms of his handling finesse. In fact, competing with him has helped me push many of my own skills to new heights.”

After watching Riddle’s demonstration, Sebek immediately submits his application to the club.

During Fairy Gala IF Sebek staunchly refuses to give anyone any help with the fairies (despite how much he suffers in cold temperatures) and Riddle reflects, “His stubbornness is a headache even at club meetings.”

Sebek may be the only non-Heartslabyul student on the main cast whom we have seen Riddle collar (outside of Leona and Grim).

He tells Sebek to consider it a learning opportunity, so that he might be taught how to behave towards those who are not in Diasomnia.

During a club recruitment event Ruggie describes Riddle as the top student in his year, saying that he can give everyone plenty of lessons on horseback riding and proper manners.

We see Riddle correcting Sebek’s habit of referring to every non-fae entity as “human."

Sebek is happy to ally with Riddle during Spectral Soiree in a rage-filled response to a letter being left behind at Ramshackle, inviting them to a Halloween party.

Riddle is as strict with Sebek as he is with anyone, refusing to excuse Sebek from Vargas Camp despite his reluctance to be apart from Malleus for three days.

Riddle says he is impressed with Sebek’s motivation (where Malleus is concerned) during the event, but he is less than fond of Sebek’s booming voice.

Both Riddle and Silver fall asleep during their turn to guard the campfire from fairies, much to Sebek’s annoyance.

Sebek insists that Riddle return to his tent and rest instead of forcing himself to stay awake, and that he take Silver along with him.

Riddle expresses annoyance with Sebek’s recklessness during the event, but compliments him on scaling a cliff for the sake of picking a flower.

In return Sebek compliments Riddle’s potion-brewing prowess, but in such a condescending way that Riddle says he can never tell when Sebek is being sincere and when he’s mocking him.

Riddle cautions Sebek’s condescending tone again later on, interrupting an argument between Sebek and another Equestrian club member after an early Vargas Monster attack.

Riddle sacrifices himself to the Vargas Monster in order to save Sebek, much to Sebek’s confusion: he shifts between shock and annoyance, saying Riddle’s assistance was “unneeded and unwanted.”

When Ruggie suggests that they work out a plan for at least one of them to survive the night Sebek insists that he cannot leave Riddle to his fate but quickly follows up with how he cannot turn his back on ANY enemy, due to his status as Malleus’ guard.

At the end of the event Riddle thanks Sebek for sparing the equestrian club from disbandment, and Sebek thanks Riddle for saving him by saying that what he did “was also worthy of merit, as far as human deeds go.”

Riddle says he still cannot tell when Sebek is being sincere, and Silver says it would be nice if Sebek could be as forthright with everyone was he is with Riddle.

Riddle does not, however, believe Sebek’s story of a monster in the mine, assuring him that fending off wild boars is also an impressive feat, if that is what the “monster” actually was, so he should be proud.

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Riddle Info Compilation part 12: Unique Magic and Violence

Riddle’s unique magic, “Off with your head”, allows him to temporarily seal away the magic of other mages.

Cater explains, “To a mage, losing the ability to use magic is about as painful as losing your head completely.”

Leona is the only character we’ve seen capable of deflecting Riddle’s unique magic, though even he becomes collared when Jack breaks his concentration (As he overblots, however, he breaks free, which we have never seen anyone else do.)

Riddle experiences the sensation of wearing one of his own collars during Book 6 when Idia forces him and the others to wear chokers that possess similar, magic-smothering capabilities.

Idia says that Riddle “busts out spells like he’s in hyperdrive. And his magic pool is way beyond other mages his age. He must’ve had special training from a super young age…and that artificially increased his pool. It’s the only possible explanation for these numbers. His strength is from hard work rather than being some kind of prodigy if you ask me.”

(Later on in Book 6, Riddle shares a similar suspicion with Azul. When Azul calls him a prodigy he responds, "I wouldn't say that...I can't be certain if I had any special talent to begin with.")

Ortho says, “He also had a tendency to elevate his output and brute-force his magic during moments of indecision.

Idia says that Riddle can get away with such an inefficient tactic because of the sheer amount of power he has, and that Riddle’s mental state is heavily impacted by external factors. “He’s got magic muscle in spades, but he’s fragile physically and mentally. High offense, paper-thin defense…”

Riddle is extremely strong, securing the Housewarden position in Heartslabyul before the end of his first week of school. Riddle shuts down Ace and Deuce instantly in a duel and Crowley explains, “The better you are at accurately visualizing your magic’s effects, the stronger and more precise it will be.”

We see several examples of Riddle jumping to violence at the slightest opportunity, actively trying to attack campus visitors during Halloween despite Trey, Ace and other members of his dorm begging him to restrain himself.

Riddle also compromises the efforts of the final team during Phantom Bride by becoming insulted when a ghost tells him he is too short for the princess and setting him on fire.

Riddle is also quick to attack ghosts during Spectral Soiree, setting the surrounding area on fire multiple times.

Riddle says, “When someone gets violent with me, my response will always be the same…I’ll hit them right back!”

To Sebek’s confusion Riddle agrees with Ace and Leona about fighting Malleus during Spectral Soiree, saying that “The Queen of Hearts would never back down before a foe, no matter who they were! I behead ALL rule breakers, without exception!”

When the ruse of the event is revealed, Riddle confesses that he attacked the ghosts unprovoked as he thought that fighting was the only way to get the other students back to normal. (An exasperated Lilia responds, “I thought you youngins were tech savvy enough to know you can’t just smack stuff to fix it!”)

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Riddle Info Compilation part 7: Intelligence vs Common Sense(pt1)

While clearly book-smart Riddle seems to occasionally lack common sense, particularly when it comes to cooking: in addition to adding oyster sauce to the strawberry tart he bakes in Book 1 he struggles throughout the Culinary Crucible when he tries to make cabbage leaves uniform in size, weigh water for parboiling and to measure the width of mincemeat.

A chef ghost asks Riddle outright why he signed up for the course in the first place and Riddle explains that “a housewarden should be the best at both academics AND cooking,” but also, “It makes sense to get a head start on living independently.”

Riddle is met with a chopped onion for what might be the first time in his life during Culinary Crucible: He reacts with confusion when his eyes begin to water and rubs them with his hands, which makes it worse, also to his surprise.

Riddle struggles with his cabbage rolls despite memorizing the recipe and acknowledges, “Even beyond cooking, there are plenty of things in this world beyond the limited aggregate of my experience. Today was a good reminder to stay humble.”

Riddle has another cooking adventure in a vignette where he attempts to craft a soup for an ill Trey.

Lilia offers his support, giving advice such as adding four spoonfuls of soup stock per cup of water.

Riddle expresses frustration with being told that cooking involves a lot of intuition, and doubts that good food can come from pure instinct.

Lilia recommends ingredients such as strawberry tarts, bananas and yogurt as “the more nutrients you put in, the faster he’ll recover.” Seeing nothing strange about this logic, Riddle says, “Then a heavy hand would be wise here.”

Riddle says he “let thoughts of Trey” guide his intuition with the soup, but it is “giving off a rather…pungent odor.”

Azul explains Riddle’s curious gap between academic performance and logic with, “Riddle’s always been better at written exams than applied ones.”

We also see that Riddle is completely ignorant to popular trends, though Cater defends Riddle when Ace expresses surprise, saying that Riddle has simply never cared.

When Ace tries to explain Cater’s phone case design Riddle refuses to listen, insisting that he has “never once been inconvenienced by this gap in knowledge!”

Later, Riddle reflects that it might not hurt to look into the trend.

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Riddle Info Compilation part 32: Riddle, Halloween and More

Riddle threatens to attack visitors during Halloween, with Cater and Deuce ejecting people via magic to save them from Riddle’s wrath.

Riddle apologizes for his actions immediately afterwards and thanks everyone for stopping him.

Ortho and Ruggie teach Riddle the excitement of treasure hunts during Spectral Soiree, with Ortho reflecting light in order to create a fun activity for Riddle.

Ortho asks if Ruggie believes Riddle would become mad, and Ruggie says he should never, ever confess to Riddle that he'd been tricked.

Unaware that the treasure hunt was faked Riddle expresses delight in the task, discovering a new appreciation for puzzle solving and treasure hunting.

Ortho wonders if his facade may have been too stimulating for Riddle, given his sheltered upbringing.

Riddle expresses interest in reading “The Adventures of Captain Mustache” (referenced during both the Halloween and Spectral Soiree events), saying that he hopes it is available in the school library.

The entire adventure is revealed to have been an elaborate escape room and Riddle expresses disbelief that he fell for it, having never participated in an escape room before.

The ghosts asks if the students would still be willing to join them in a Halloween party and Riddle agrees, saying, “I wouldn’t want to be remembered as a tyrant who attacks ghosts unprovoked!”

It is during the Spectral Soiree event that we get a mistranslation from Riddle concerning his home of the Queendom of Roses: In the English-languagae adaptation Riddle claims that his country is landlocked, but he is actually just saying that he lives inland.

A grouping of islands in the shape of a rose, the Queendom of Roses is not landlocked.

We see multiple examples of Riddle coming up with and executing plans: he comes up with both how to track down the culprits behind the drama of Book 2 and, once they realize it is Ruggie and Leona, how to catch them in the act.

Riddle also comes up with the plan for how his group handles the drama of Spectral Soiree, as well as how to avoid any of them becoming possessed by ghosts.

Riddle claims that he has “no particular qualm with exercise, but aptitude and personal preference are entirely separate beasts” and “A true mage excels in magic over fitness,” insinuating that he is not particularly skilled at PE.

During Book 2 Cater refers to Riddle as a talented Spelldrive player, however, so he may be quite adept at flying: his flying technique is complimented by both Jamil and Kalim in a vignette (“…he adds those sharp turns and spins…his control is flawless…I doubt anyone in class could best his flying.”)

Riddle may be somewhat sensitive about his physical capabilities, telling Vil that a compliment he gave sounded like he was making fun of his athletic abilities.

After being caught during Beanfest by Rook and Trey—who are both in a culture club, while Riddle is a sports club—Riddle says he will reflect upon his athletic shortcomings during weight training with Vargas.

On the subject of public speaking Riddle says that it “does not faze (him) at all” because he has often been a student representative, ever since elementary school.

In a voice line he says that “it is difficult for a housewarden to create ‘me time.’

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Riddle Info Compilation part 25: Riddle and Trey (pt1)

Trey has clear affection for Riddle, saying that he thinks “there is no one better suited to be Heartslabyul’s housewarden than Riddle”, although he admits that others have different opinions.

In a vignette where Trey gets sick after running an errand for Riddle in the rain, Riddle takes responsibility for his role by putting together a soup with a “pungent odor” for Trey to eat.

When Riddle comments on how cold the room is Trey counters with concern for Riddle himself, to which Riddle responds, “Even now, you worry about me? Really, Trey, you ought to think about yourself for once.”

Later on Trey says that he finished the whole batch of soup and Riddle responds, “…you’re an utter fool, you know that?”

When Riddle catches Trey’s cold, Trey offers to escort Riddle back to their dorm, and Riddle refuses.

During Spectral Soiree Riddle calls out for Trey ahead of Cater, Deuce, or any other character.

We will occasionally see Trey agreeing with Riddle’s comments under duress, such as when he vaguely agrees with Riddle’s opinion on the Stargazer tradition.

When Trey cautions Riddle about his attitude Riddle responds that the Queen of Hearts would not have been lenient, either.

Trey responds, “You’re right. I’ll try harder to act more like you and the Queen of Hearts from now on.”

Riddle’s wish in the Wish Upon a Star event is “for Heartslabyul to soundly crush the other dorms with our scores on the next exams.”

When Trey asks why he isn’t just asking for himself Riddle responds, “I’ll take the top spot with or without some silly wish.”

Riddle describes an improvement plan that he has devised for the students who perform more poorly than others, saying that they will not be allowed outside the dorm until they can complete his quiz.

Trey looks awkward, but does not try to discourage him.

Trey seems to invest a lot of time and energy in keeping Riddle from becoming angry: that is the entire theme of his ceremonial robes vignette, where he pressures Cater into using his unique magic to repaint half of the roses in the dorm.

Trey then proceeds to distract Riddle with questions about teas, mincemeat pies and sugar, lying to Riddle’s face as he says that he is simply so concerned about making the welcoming party into the perfect memory that he cannot help but fuss over every detail.

Riddle expresses surprise at Trey’s presumed apprehensiveness, but agrees to go over everything with him until he regains his confidence.

At the end of the event Trey says he would call the day a success, as they avoided Riddle exploding in a blaze of anger.

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Riddle Info Compilation part 19: Riddle and Jade (pt2)

Despite how Jade is likely the first person Riddle would choose to approach out of the three Octavinelle members on the main cast, he is not ignorant to Jade’s character: when Trey misunderstands Jade as “strait-laced guy” who gets easily manipulated by Floyd and Azul, Riddle is quick to correct him, saying, “I am as wary of him as I am Floyd. He and Azul are always plotting something. And at times, Jade is the one at the wheel!”

Riddle also expresses suspicion of Jade’s “Mountain Lovers Club” booth at the culture fair in Book 5, saying that “there’s no telling what sort of mischief he may be up to.”

From Jade we learn that, six months into his first year at NRC, Riddle once borrowed the Octavinelle dorm lounge to run in circles around the lounge table for six hours in order to dry off after getting caught in a rainstorm (in accordance with the Queen of Hearts’ laws).

Riddle expresses disapproval of Jade’s sharing the story due to his embarrassment at having been caught in the rain. Riddle says “Now I carry a folding umbrella wherever I go!”

Jade assures Riddle that he will tell Azul and Floyd, and Riddle encourages him to do so.

Ruggie reflects, “Riddle’s one strange bird.”

In a PE vignette we see Riddle partner with Jade for stretches, but Jade is distracted by a stalker in the bushes, who is discovered to be Rook.

Rook explains that he has been recorded “glimmers” of Jade’s eating habits, sleep schedule, heart rate and more.

Riddle points out that while impressive, it is less so “observation” and more so “stalking.” When Jade appears unperturbed and the two begin laughing together, Riddle excuses himself to find a different partner for stretches.

Riddle says that Jade has such a keen interest in Halloween traditions on land that he started going to Riddle during every break period in September with questions.

Jade taught Riddle how to tell him and Floyd apart by determining whether or not the highlighted section of hair that they both have forms a “J” from the viewer’s perspective.

Jade says, “Riddle is meticulous and I respect him as a classmate. Though I don’t know what he thinks of me in return.”