#trey clover analysis

[twistmusings]

Character Analysis of the Twisted Wonderland Dorm Rooms - Heartslabyul

Not my usual content, exactly, but I thought this was interesting while I was researching for one of my upcoming posts!

Though the characters are in dormitories, they actually show really great characterization in the way they organize and lay out their rooms.

Long and with lots of images, so they are put under a cut.

Dorm Room Character Analysis Series

Heartslabyul | Savanaclaw | Octavinelle | Scarabia | Pomefiore | Ignihyde | Diasomnia

Riddle Rosehearts

Riddle has a lot of books. As in, so many that they aren't able to be contained to the larger bookshelf provided to the Dorm Leader. They have been stacked on top, as well as used to fill the smaller bookshelf to the left and stacked on top of that as well, and then also throughout the rest of the room. Little man is the highest ranking member of the library's readers club.

It is of note that Riddle's dorm is not as organized as you might think at first glance. I know a lot of people look at Riddle and oftentimes peg him as being the hyper-organized person with seems to be impossibly able to maintain how many tasks he has to balance. While that's not entirely untrue, and his room is far from messy, he does have books left open on his ottoman and stacked up on his nightstand that he was, most likely, reading in bed. His single framed art in his room is hung crookedly - and this is not a stylistic choice for the Heartslabyul dorm as some of the strange furniture. Both Deuce and Cater have similar wall decorations, but they are not hung crookedly.

Riddle is the only character to have a repeated motif of a broken heart in his decorations in Heartslabyul. Given what all we know about him and his history with his mother, this is fitting, if a little sad. Little details like this make me love to look at these rooms because you can see so much of how the designers considered the characters and their stories when designing their rooms.

Riddle also has a bouquet in a vase of Roses and White Lillies. While Red roses are a rather obvious motif throughout Heartslabyul, White Lillies are thought to symbolize purity, commitment, and rebirth. These are all strong character themes in Riddle's story.

Ace Trappola

We know that Ace likes card trick, as he learned them from his older brother, but I feel like it gets a little lost on a lot of the fandom that he likes magic tricks in general unless you pay close attention to his room card. He's got a magic wand, magic cups, and magic balls.

He likes basketball enough that he has an entire book dedicated to basketball and a hoop installed in his room.

He either has a spare dorm uniform jacket, or when he's in his room he takes off his uniform jacket and just walks around in the patterned vest and t-shirt. It's also possible, given that his brother was also assigned to Heartslabyul, that it's a hand-me-down jacket from his elder brother.

Ace has a card motif throughout his room, which is a cute touch considering he's based on one of the card soldiers. More than likely, it's because he does like card tricks and games. Of note, he also has a little callback to Deuce being his friend in his spade side table and the rest of his dorm as his rug features the Ace of Hearts, Spades, Diamonds, and Clubs.

Ace's desk doesn't seem to see a lot of use, considering that he has a tower of cards on it, which are notorious for being fragile and falling apart with too much movement. Given that we know in canon he doesn't like to study all that much, it makes sense - more than likely he built it while avoiding studying and then it hasn't been jostled because he hasn't really used his desk since.

Both Ace and Deuce (coming up) have not added personalized bedsheets to their bed as opposed to the rest of their dorm, and they're both freshmen,

As has been pointed out before, Deuce shares a room with Ace.

Deuce, of course, has magic wheel posters on his wall.

Deuce's desk is well used, and he has additional bookshelves hung on his wall. Deuce has notes sticking out of some of his books. He also seems to have a book on ducks and either cats/grim (it could be a book on magical beasts, but it's an interesting detail to add). - see addendum!

Deuce has a framed photo on his desk. I would guess this is probably a family photo of him and his mom, though I cannot confirm this.

Deuce has a jacket hanging on his wall, and while at first glance it might be easy to assume it's a PE Jacket or a Track Jacket, it doesn't match the NRC track uniform or PE uniform. This, actually, based on the cut, seems to be a motorcycle jacket, likely for riding magic wheels. It could also be something leftover from his delinquent days.

Cater's room is actually full of characterization, there are so many little details in his room it isn't funny.

To begin with, it seems like Cater's favorite color might be Orange, given that he's the only one in his dorm so far who has a noticable amount of it that breaks away from the normal Heartslabyul colors. This, of course, could be a design choice because Cater's hair is ginger, but consider that across the board it seems like quite a bit of thought was put into what goes into a character's room. Ace, for example, doesn't feature orange in the same way, and Deuce only features a small bit of blue in his rug. If someone was decorating a room, the likely reason to have so much of one color is because you really like that color, or because it matches the theme of a room. Since we know the latter isn't true, it's likely the former. Orange, symbolically, is often used to portray enthusiasm, agreeableness, and excitement when talking about color symbolism, and that tracks as that's the sort of image that Cater tends to display toward other people even if his own emotions are complex in canon.

Cater has a lot of hobbies in his room - which makes sense because canonically he does a lot of various hobbies. Cater is the sort of person who seems to be deeply into experimenting with who he is and who he wants to be.

Though Cater takes a lot of photos with his phone camera in the story, he also has what appears to be a DSLR camera.

He, of course, shows his love of music by having a small stereo, his guitar, and a pair of headphones next to his computer.

Speaking of Cater's computer, it takes up the majority of his desk, which is fitting for someone who wants to be an influencer.

Cater has a sweater at the ready on the back of his chair, leading me to believe he probably gets cold easily.

Cater also has a skateboard. I don't recall Cater ever talking about skateboarding in canon, but it's possible I missed it. Regardless, he has one - whether or not he can use it is a different story entirely.

Faces on everything. Similar to Ace, Cater's rug is a callback to all of his dormmates, though he also has a couple of emoji-like pillows/plushies. Emojis, of course, are a hallmark of digital communications so it fits with his character, though they are notably cheery and cute. I have to wonder how Cater's decor might be different if he was more honest about how he feels as opposed to playing a character most of the time.

Trey's room, similar to Cater, keeps in with having a notable color scheme with the color green. Again, this is the same color as his hair, however as was the reasoning was explained with Cater, this likely means that Green is Trey's favorite color. Green is a color associated with harmony, focus, efficiency and security.

Trey's room is notably more sparsely decorated than the other students. Most of the Heartslabyul cast have something - a photo hanging up, a unique piece of furniture, etc, however Trey really only has his hat stand. If you were to consider Cater one end of a spectrum that leans maximalist, Trey is the opposite, leaning much more minimalist.

It's also of note that Trey is probably the most organized person we've seen so far, even surpassing Riddle. His books are all kept in vertical rows, he has a pen holder on his desk, and he has a hat-stand to keep his hats. Everything in his room has a place, and there is no notable clutter.

Given that we know that Trey likes to bake, he probably doesn't spend much of his free time in his room, which is likely part of why it's so sparsely decorated outside the bed.

Similar to how Ace has a callback to Deuce, and how Deuce has a callback to Grim, Trey's rug is a clover that is divided into the shape of hearts, which is Riddle's motif, and a cute callback to them being childhood friends.

Addendums:

Several people have pointed things out in the comments, so I figured that I would go ahead and add them to this main post as well as they come in.

@margorako has pointed out that the jacket in Decue's room is indeed his jacket he wore during his delinquent days. As was featured in the Twisted Wonderland Manga. I thought it looked familiar, but this confirms that a) it's a magic wheel jacket, and b) that it is embroidered on the back. Great eye!

@eternalsnowfan02 mentioned that Cater does indeed skateboard, as is confirmed in his Union Jacket Birthday card when Jamil purchases him stickers for his skateboard. This means he is, in fact, a Skater Boy.

@xhazmia Pointed out that the book that features a head that appears to be Grim's Head is actually likely the hidden mickey for Deuce's room. Good eye! My vision is bad™ so I'm not usually the best for picking these out in the bedrooms in TWST. I managed to spot a few in the other rooms where they were pretty obvious though:

I have not managed to spot the one for Trey's room, but in looking closer I did notice something else.

This object on Trey's bookshelf is a glasses container, lending further to the notion that he's the most organized of the characters in Heartslabyul.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

thinking about book 6 battle simulations

I was thinking a lot about book 6 lately! (Not for any particular reason, I was just ruminating, haha...)

During the examination segment, Riddle, Azul, and Vil were put into one group and Jamil and Leona were put in the other group. Idia then put them into VR simulations in which (simulated) Trey, Jade, Rook, Kalim, and Ruggie approached the subjects to upset them. This is for the purposes of STYX to gauge their combative capabilities and blot accumulation. What I noticed on another read of these parts was that Idia makes sure to inform all the subjects they are about to enter a VR simulation BEFORE they dive in... and yet despite this, group 1 (Riddle, Azul, Vil) was still caught off-guard when Trey, Jade, and Rook attacked them. Meanwhile, Jamil in group 2 automatically defers to Kalim but Leona is the one who notices something is fishy about the situation. Now, now... this is interesting 👁️ Why might this be, I wonder~ (You bet I'm going to analyze the heck out of these small details!)

***Main story spoilers up to book 6!!***

First thing to consider: it's possible that perhaps the characters don't fully understand what "VR simulation" is, as most of them did take a while to come to their senses. Of the 5 subjects, Riddle is the most likely to fall into this category. He seems to be slightly confused by the concept of a "virtual space" when Idia explains the examination to them (which likely conflicts with Riddle's very traditional understanding of "tests"). Furthermore, Riddle has expressed in Endless Halloween Night that his mother did not allow him to play video games or to watch TV so he'd usually do crosswords or solve other puzzles for fun. He's not completely technologically inept (like Malleus), but Riddle does have a somewhat limited scope of how items and procedures are to be used, especially if it lies beyond its normal means. It's likely that he has not thought of VR simulation being used in the scenario in which he finds himself in now.

The other 4 subjects, however, most likely understand what VR is and shouldn't be confused by the simulation. Azul is very savvy and keeps up with trends, which can factor into his business(es). He even brings up streaming as a potential source of revenue in book 6; man has his fingers on the pulse of pop culture to know what will sell. Vil, being a celebrity and the leader of the Film Research Club, must have an understanding of various technologies used to achieve certain effects (especially as director of his own projects). Jamil constantly deals with Kalim's requests and, being in Kalim's social bubble, must get exposure to all kinds of crazy technologies. Leona, being a knowledgeable prince, surely must understand the concept of VR simulation.

Okay, so... why did they (mostly) still get "tricked" by the simulation anyway? The key words today would be "trust" and "dependence".

Thinking about it, there's one thing that separates group 1 from 2: the boys in group 1 have a tendency to rely on others for support and validation whereas the boys in group 2 are consistently shown to be more independent than their peers (even if they, too, seek validation). Let's go through them one by one!

GROUP 1

Riddle

Riddle is presented as a tyrant that rules with an iron fist, particularly in book 1 where he stars as the main antagonist. However, it's also pretty blatant that Riddle has become increasingly aggressive due in part to others enabling him. Ace specifically calls out Trey for this, saying that his failure to intervene or to quell Riddle's temper has resulted in Heartslabyul students suffering for it. Cater is also complacent, as he and/or Trey often follow Riddle's orders and remove Adeuce from the dorm multiple times in book 1. Riddle relies on these upperclassmen to listen to him and carry out his bidding, and he feels validated when they do. It's a lesson he has learned from his mother. He is the most powerful, and therefore he should be the most correct. Notice how Riddle is quick to anger when others refuse to obey him and how often he demands for them to conform. He becomes enraged when the Heartslabyul mobs rebel and chuck an egg at him. But what hurts him most of all is, perhaps, Trey turning too. Riddle was mad about the mobs acting up, yes, but he still did not overblot. Not yet, at least. No, Riddle overblots only AFTER he tries to attack Ace with the rose trees... and Trey steps in with his UM to overwrite Riddle's collar, turning it into cards. Trey's relationship with Riddle cannot be understated here. In this very moment, Trey, Riddle's childhood friend (one of his first friends), vice dorm leader, silent yes man, his most trusted confidant, has betrayed him. He is proving Riddle wrong, that the most powerful mage is not the most correct. "Are YOU going to tell me that I'm wrong too? After all I've done to protect the rule of law?! [...] I... I refuse to believe this!"

From these examples, we can clearly see that Riddle is someone who is reliant on others--not that he isn't a capable mage, but rather he is reliant on others for his own sense of self-worth. Indeed, even in his post-OB flashback, he indicates feeling proud and excited when his mother praises him for good grades or successfully performing a spell. This is reiterated many times over in book 1, in which Riddle feels satisfied and even smug when his students fall in line, and spirals into uncontrollable rage when they don't. There are a select few whom Riddle has chosen to place his faith in, and Trey is one of them. Trey, who gave him his first slice of strawberry tart and has been supporting him as his vice for over a year now (since Riddle became dorm leader in his first week as a first-year student; now is the start of Riddle's second year). That's why he feels so hurt when Trey is suddenly chastising him, telling him that he's behaving irrationally.

If we reexamine Riddle's post-OB flashback, you'll notice that Riddle says he is lonely without every outright stating the word "lonely". The phrasing makes it sound as though Riddle does not understand his own loneliness, like he doens't even know the word or want to acknowledge it as reality. He is awkward and unsure around Trey and Chenya, who invite him out to play. He follows his mother's rules because he believes that is what will bring him happiness. He wonders why, in spite of following all those rules, he still feels hollow inside. Then, once Riddle has awoken, he confesses that he always wanted to play more with Trey, and that he wants to talk with everyone after a meal. Riddle. at his core, craves companionship rather than dominating his peers. Trey was one of the few friends he ever had, and so Riddle puts a lot of stock into his support. This may be why he was quick to believe the fake Trey in the simulation, and why he looked so shocked when Trey started attacking him. Here is a boy who has already been betrayed once, experiencing that same betrayal again at the hands of his childhood friend. How scared must he be of losing his oldest friend, of Trey turning his back on him or seeing him as a monster? 😭

Azul

Due to the bullying he experienced in his childhood, Azul works very hard to maintain a new image of someone who is cool, confident, and composed. Part of that is passing himself off as someone who is large and in charge, while posing Jade and Floyd as his lackies who do whatever he tells them to. The reality of the matter is that the twins are very much... there to do their own thing, and they just kind of go along with Azul's schemes because they seem to be a lot of fun. When you stop to consider it though, Azul definitely puts a lot of trust into the Leech brothers even though they're both shady and can be flippant at times. It's the twins going around and advertising Azul's services to the student population. It's the twins who help him expand his business and acquire new items (as all three's Dorm Uniform vignettes are about the Octatrio conspiring to acquire the rights to and/or advertise their new drinks). It's the twins who are asked to run the Mostro Lounge whenever Azul is absent. Time and time again, Azul falls back on Jade and Floyd. They've been with him since middle school.

In book 4, both Azul and Floyd insist that they aren't really "childhood friends", but they do consider each other "equals". As Azul describes it, "I strongly doubt Jade or Floyd have any binding allegiance to me. This is all and elaborate game of pretend to them. [...] If I made a poor choice as leader--or even simply a boring one... They would turn on me instantly and seize the dorm leader seat for themselves." Floyd follows with, "We ain't got any plans to challenge him, either... for now, anyway. Aha ha! [...] We stick with [Azul] now 'cause it's fun. If it stops bein' fun, we drop him like a bad habit. Easy." The twins and Azul are both very aware that their relationship is a temporary and transactional one. Azul himself has even fully considered the possibility that Jade and Floyd may one day turn on him. This is all true--however, I also believe it's possible that the Octatrio are not being entirely truthful to themselves and do actually care for one another beyond the confines of their business ties or "having fun". In book 3, Jade and Floyd sense that something is wrong, and their immediate thought is to go check on Azul because of this gut feeling. Jade warns Azul of the consequences of misusing his UM. They are also the first to check on Azul after his OB and insist that he rest and find it within them to gently tease him over the situation. Even the way they address each other is "special". Jade and Azul have a tendency to be polite and use the honorific "-san" after everyone's name... except for each other and Floyd. Floyd, meanwhile, tends to give everyone a nickname... except for Jade and Azul. They drop these naming conventions within their group because that's how much they know and trust each other. Further proof of this is that when Floyd first meets Azul in the post-OB flashback of book 3, he calls Azul "Octopus-chan". Azul used to have a nickname, but no longer has one. This implies that a lack of a nickname actually indicates that Floyd is more intimate with someone than if he had nicknamed them. The same goes with Jade and Azul, who are usually so formal and polite.

I've already established that Azul acts in ways which indicate that he is close to the twins, as much as he tries to deny it and come off as tough. He drops the honorifics for them and he trusts them to do his bidding. What I find most telling, however, is when Jade and Floyd check up on him right as he's about to OB. "Jade! Floyd! Ahhh, you've finally come back to me," Azul says (if you listen to his voice, he sounds SO relieved). "Would you believe that thanks to these FOOLS, I've lost all of my contracts? Which is why I'm going to need your powers now. Come on, give them to me!" This is notable because, prior to this, he was forcibly ripping powers out of mob students. But now with the twins--Azul makes a CONSCIOUS decision to ask Jade and Floyd for them to willingly give up their powers to him. Azul is emotional and acting without tact here, but he STILL stops to ask the twins for them to surrender their magic. He cares about getting their consent specifically. When the brothers deny him and Floyd says Azul has become lame, that's when Azul snaps. His loyal henchmen are refusing his request and he's lost all his accumulated wealth. He's going to become the weak, friendless crybaby he once way all over again.

Knowing all of this, it makes sense why Azul was as startled as Riddle was when the simulated Jade attacked him. Azul claims that he anticipates this day--but he still seems to disturbed when it actually happens. It's true that perhaps this surprise comes in part from Azul having no indication that the twins were getting bored of him, so this is coming out of left field in his perspective. But... it could also be that he's hurt by the sudden shift, even if he and the twins have been telling themselves all along that they'd toss each other out without a second thought once they lose interest. This calls back to Azul's concerns right before he overblots: that his "business partners" (whom he refuses to call his friends) have lost interest in him and will now leave him alone and with nothing. He relies on the brothers not only for labor, but as his company and his confidants. When that's taken away from him... what does Azul have left that's worth anything?

Vil

Vil is another person who typically passes as very independent. He looks after himself quite well and is often the one nagging others to do the same. The thing with him is... he's still a celebrity at the end of the day, and a celebrity like him is always aware of his public image and the eyes on him. That's Vil's Achille's heel: as a celebrity, he is constantly concerned with how others perceive him. This is a lesson he learns in book 5--that he shouldn't let other people's judgment of him or a silly popularity contest determine his self-worth. Ah, but let's remember... book 6 begins like a mere DAY after book 5. Sure, Vil's character arc may be over, but that does not mean that he has suddenly completely changed. Up until yesterday, he was aggressively training to overcome his rival and to show the whole world his true beauty. Vil still, to some degree, finds value in how he looks and how others see him, as it strongly ties into his career. To this end, he sees Rook as a valuable individual.

Now, there's a lot of contention about whether or not Rook is a good influence on Vil or not, as some interpret his commentary as derogatory or unnecessarily critical. I'm not going to get into that; here, I am going to speak plainly about how Vil himself views Rook's feedback. In Vil's Labwear vignettes, he confides in Trey that he relies on Rook's keen observational skills to reflect the truth back to him. A celebrity must look at his best, and he can count on Rook to not mince his words and point out even the most minute of changes at a quick glance. (Vil himself is also extremely strict with himself, but lacks the superhuman abilities that his vice dorm leader does.) Rook has been doing this since long before he even transferred to Pomefiore, critiquing Vil's performances and such, not just his looks alone. This led into long discussions and debates between the two, which demonstrates how much Vil values Rook's perspective. Even back then, Rook was one of Vil's greatest supporters, but not exactly a totally blind "yes man". He is offering the kind of feedback that Vil seeks, not empty, sugar-coated niceties. This is why, in spite of his betrayal at the end of book 5, Vil eventually accepts it, as he trusts Rook's keen eye and judgment. What's interesting about book 6's examinations is that Vil seemingly takes charge of his group. When approached by the simulated classmates, Vil steps up and, after a moment of silence, says, "No... It's nothing. Let's go." (Vil is known as a skilled actor and can easily sniff out an act himself. Was the silence hesitation as he, Azul, and Riddle reevaluate the scene? Hard to say, but I'm assuming that STYX's state-of-the-art tech was able to perfectly simulate Rook, and thus confused Vil and co. for a while.) Rook strikes him with a spell, and that invokes a great emotional reaction from Vil, who seems to be the most aghast of the group. The fake Rook then declares that he's going to claim the dorm leader seat from Vil, which shocks him. "As you know, I appreciate beautiful things. Hence... I can hardly allow someone who's acted as ugly as you to occupy the Fairest Queen's throne!" The scene then cuts away to a battle. Now, while we don't get any extra dialogue from Vil to show his reaction, one interpretation could be that he was stunned into silence. Why is this a believable occurrence? Because the fake Rook called Vil out for "ugly" behavior. This is significant because back when Vil was overblotting, he was desperately shouting for people to "not look at him" because he's "so ugly". Here, ugliness does not mean literal ugliness or something that is visually unappealing. The "ugliness" being spoken of refers to being morally rotten, as Vil was speaking on his guilt after resorting to dirty tactics to try and take out his rival (when he had previously sworn to win on his own merits alone). The simulated Rook might be referring to this, which induces great shame in Vil, who is aware of the weight of his sins. Heck, book 6 even starts with Vil taking accountability and sincerely apologizing to the whole NRC Tribe for causing them trouble. Vil blames himself for their team losing, as it was his OB that forced them to fight and physically wore them out before their big performance. "What does it matter who forgives me?! I can't... I can't forgive myself!" He may still have lingering guilt regarding this incident, hence why he's the one predominantly reacting when the vice dorm leaders betray group 1. His mirror and huntsman, who speaks only the truth to him, now tells him of his ugliness. What else can that be, if not the truth reflected back at him?

GROUP 2

Jamil

To be clear, Jamil did not automatically go after the simulated Kalim. He automatically defers and tries to go along with his dorm leader (and only starts fighting once Leona declares the simulation for the sham it really is). Why? Surely Jamil is sharper witted than that. To this, I say... of course, it's just that Jamil's so used to being a servant that he reverts back to submissiveness as soon as he's put in a circumstance where there's a power dynamic. He’s not the one relying on Kalim—Kalim is often the one relying on him. You need proof of Jamil's servile mindset? He was intentionally talking down his own skills ever since book 4 and, according to Azul, has been purposefully maintaining painfully average grades (which, in of itself, takes a lot of effort). Admittedly though, those are conscious choices, not unconscious ones. But how about back in book 5, when Vil announces him as one of the lead vocalists and Jamil's immediate reaction is not to accept it, but to humble himself and insist that Kalim would be better suited for it (when Kalim actually isn't)? Jamil has to stop himself, back up, and accept the nomination, which he has earned for himself, rather than relinquish it to someone less deserving. Years and years of serving someone else, forced to play the part of the inferior servant, will beat that attitude into his mind, regardless of how much he resents the position.

Even now, Jamil feels like he usually has to follow someone else's lead. Leona, the upperclassman and dorm leader, provides that lead for him in the VR simulation. This leadership + independence is something they would butt heads over later in book 6, as Jamil begins to act overprotective of his current charge (Leona) as he does with Kalim. While Jamil has played the part of Kalim's attendant and childhood friend, the reality is that Jamil cannot stand those roles. He desires to stand out and to be recognized--something which is evident in book 4. Before he brainwashes the Scarabia students, he's always framing himself in a positive and helpful light to them and speaks humbly about his abilities. After he brainwashes the Scarabia students, he has them heap him with praise that he had never gotten in his childhood. In the post-OB flashback, we see Jamil's parents scolding him for outperforming Kalim, even in something as simple as a game. The headmaster of a great arcane academy overlooks him in favor of someone far less capable.

Jamil knows he can be great, but he's intentionally being told to not reach those heights. He feels stifled and trapped, and no one understands his plight that he cannot escape from. This results in Jamil distancing himself from others and coming to rely on himself and himself alone to make his wishes come true. He can't rely on his family, who are beholden to their legacy of being servants to the Asims. He can't confide in friends because none of them are quite like him, and Kalim would ignorantly brush it off. He can't tell third parties because, as Crowley as demonstrated, they dismiss him outright. Jamil, as he acts throughout book 6, is doing so in an effort to find his own strength and to be able to act on it with the freedom he seeks. To play support not because he has to, but because he, the individual, wants to. As Jamil states before overblotting, he wants to "be free" from these precarious circumstances where a wrong move could doom him and his family... but he only has so many liberties to work with. This leaves him in a strange limbo situation where he still isn't fully independent but desperately wishes to be. We see him fighting against the restraints, and to varying degrees of effectiveness depending on the context and his state of mind within that context.

Leona

From a young age, Leona seems to have worked tirelessly to obtain recognition. Like Jamil, Leona was in such a position (second-born prince) that, despite his efforts, he kept being rejected and beaten down again and again. As we see in his post-OB flashback, this is what eventually broke Leona’s spirit and made him develop a pessimistic outlook on his prospects for the future. The thing is, even though Leona does not really have hope for himself, he still manages to inspire hope in other people, from underclassmen to the students of his dorm. Book 2 is entirely about Savanaclaw looking to Leona to save their own futures, and him trying to do so for their sakes. His club mates extol how he can so quickly hone in on their best skills and advise them on how to sharpen those skills. Jack admires Leona’s plays, so much so that he wished to one day play alongside Leona. He’s even able to get beastmen of different species to get along and live peacefully under his rule when this has historically been difficult for his older brother to manage. All in all, Leona has all the makings of a leader. He stands out from the crowd, knows when to leverage his power and intelligence (playing smarter, not harder), and commands with ease.

… That being said, Leona’s presence can be so powerful at times that it’s also isolating. This was the case for his childhood, which is depicted to us as many palace servants being fearful of Leona’s devastatingly strong magic. He also uses this strong magic against his dorm mates when their intentions clash in book 2–and he comes close to killing someone in the process. He’s also just notorious in general for being grumpy or unfriendly toward others, including one instance in book 5 when he seems upset that you’ve showed up in his classroom. Leona drives people away from him, whether because of his strength or because of his prickly attitude.

At the same time, i would also describe Leona as a tactician that keeps some degree of distance from those he commands. He makes it clear he's willing to use others to achieve his own goals and does so many times over. Book 2, when he tries to take out Malleus to help his dorm leaders while also trying to prove to himself that he's capable. Book 3, when he helps Yuu and co. dissolve the contracts including one of his own he made with Azul, etc. Leona knows how to best use his own abilities, as well as those of others. That's what makes him so formidable--he can read others and judge the situation extremely well, and he knows when it is smart to fight and when to tactically retreat (such as in book 6, when he immediately surrenders to STYX agents rather than make a scene). Leona is a self-sufficient man.

There’s the question of Ruggie, of course. Leona is often depicted as lazy and relies on Ruggie to do many daily things for him, such as laundry or fetching food. This obviously throws a wrench into the claim that Leona is more "independent" than those in group 1, doesn't it? He doesn't even come close to Jamil, who actually does all of these tasks himself. Well, not exactly. I don't think "independence" here really comes down to that alone. Riddle, Azul, and Vil all relied on Trey, the twins, and/or Rook to some significant degree to inform their own senses of self. Jamil had this belief of deferring to his "betters" (the Asims) instilled in him, regardless of his personal feelings on the matter. And Leona? Leona does not significantly rely on Ruggie for his self-worth (dude was 100% going to sand him in book 2). Yes, Leona was likely looking to help his dorm members in part to prove to himself he is capable of leading a pack, but he gives up when he realizes it was a fruitless effort. He doesn't become reinvigorated to keep it up or to try again, even when his dorm members (Ruggie included) plead to him. Leona is acting selfishly, and he refuses to acknowledge their perspectives--he's set in his own ways and is driven by his own thoughts, not those of the people around him. Perhaps this is what allows him to discern truth from lies with such clarity, as it is Leona who rouses Jamil to his senses and leads the charge against the VR simulation Kalim and Ruggie.

[hanafubukki]

Wish Upon a Star is my favorite event. The aesthetics and the glimpses into everyone’s lives really gave us a window to what was in store for us in Book 7.

The more I think about the event the more it surprises me how it foreshadowed book 7 so well.

Lilia’s wish, which asked for harmony between all species, easily implied the strife he had to face in the past. We saw first hand what he went through didn’t we? The sacrifices he made and the people he lost. The constant looking for a way for Malleus to hatch and then taking steps for that very harmony which he taught Malleus and then raised Silver as his own.

Then we have Silver’s wish for Lilia to live a long life and live happily. This is where we get the first hint of Lilia’s deteriorating life span. (That’s not book 2 related). We know now what age Lilia is, his deteriorating magic, and what let to its acceleration. We see Silver’s determination and his thought process about it. His flash of insecurity and duty to his family. And now we see his renewed determination to protect them.

Then we have Malleus’ wish for a friend for gao gao kun, and this is where we see how feeling connected to someone is important to Malleus. How bonds to him are precious. We learn that Lilia got his tamogatchi during his travels. Another implication of how important traveling is and its connection to Malleus’ birth. Here we see Malleus not only care about his bond but he wants to makes bonds and how he treasures that very idea. The very thing he’s been trying to do at NRC. Which made him happy because gao gao got that connection he always wanted, to the point of rewarding Idia. This, in a way, shows the importance of bonds to Malleus. Hence why he put everyone to sleep so he wouldn’t loose those few bonds he preciously has and no one will either. Also, it depicts the role the “tamogatchi” plays.

Sebek’s wish for everyone to “kneel before Lord Malleus” and at the time might seem like a very fanboy move on his end. But was it really in retrospect? Out of all of them, we can see how observant Sebek is. He’s empathetic to the pain that Malleus is feeling to the point of almost falling into the darkness. He was the one to knock some sense in Silver. Now, he’s ready to break Malleus out of his overblot because he knows that for someone so loved, he doesn’t want the world to hate him for his actions. Which is essentially his wish for the world to appreciate Malleus.

Just thinking about this event and book 7 has me in awe again how detailed and beautiful the story telling is. ☺️🌺💚

[1218-814]

Twisted Wonderland Analysis (Tarot Card Offical Countdown Art)

Ace (23) and Duce (22)- No cards (in Major Arcana), The fool(s). Meaning new beginnings, having faith in the future, being inexperienced, not knowing what to expect, having beginner's luck, improvisation, and believing in the universe.

Normal:  Beginnings, Innocence, Leap of faith, Originality, Spontaneity

Upside down/reversed: Chaos, Folly, Lack of direction, Naivety, Poor judgment, Stupidity

I’m going to think Ace and Deuce are both the fool. I’m sure that they will the strongest card (the ace of spades). So the card confirms that they will be. In central Europe, the fool is the 22nd and the strongest card, which confirms this theory more.

They are both the first students MC interacts with (without Grimm), which is the “new beginnings” 

In the commercial of the Heartslabyul arc, you can see Cater and Trey on the edge of the screen showing most of their faces. But Ace and Duce show only show half of their Faces. This isn’t really about the card “The Fool” but it could mean they will be an odd card up the sleeve 

My card is in black, white, and red as well, so I think I used the right version, just because the cards’ color and the color of the Heartslabyul dorm are alike if not similar. (Ace=red and Deuce=black in my opinion)

In my version “the fool” has a crown in their hand. So I can conclude that the crown symbolizes “power”, I think he’s trying to communicate with someone who is higher than him (gods, rulers, etc.) using it. And the stick he’s holding represents fertility, which has a strong correlation to “trickster”, and the ends of the stick can also correlate to having two opposite ends (figuratively). Thus, it means that the person symbolizes being a fool, but they still have a side that calculates a plan. So it can also mean that the person, while not having a plan, still has a plan (Wikipedia, and yes, it's confusing sorry.)

Rook calls MC “Trickster Yuu-Kun”. The name does confirm this theory (fool=trickster). (”Trickster”- one who has two sides, the one who will change the story) And it is MC, Duce, and Ace that make a huge impact on the story. 

Cater Diamond (21)-  The World Za Warudo; represents an ending to a cycle of life, a pause in life before the next big cycle beginning with the fool. It is an indicator of a major and inexorable change, of tectonic breadth.

Normal: Achievement, Perfection, Fulfillment, Possibilities, Successful conclusions

Upside down/reversed: Delayed success, Failed plans, Lack of completion, Stagnation

Cater's last name is “Diamond”. Diamonds are the hardest jewel and are called the “king of all gemstones”, but they are also very brittle.

Cater is a very optimistic character, but he is also secretly very insecure about himself, so he hides his true self and acting the “perfect and strong diamond” to public

Trey Clover (20)-  Judgement; time of resurrection and awakening, a time when a period of our life comes to an absolute end making way for dynamic new beginnings.

Normal:  Awakening, Decision making, Redemption, Reincarnation, Renewal, Transition

Upside down/reversed: Poor logic, Poor or hasty judgment, Self-doubt, Stagnation

Trey didn’t stop Riddle when he was making unreasonable rules (poor judgment), which caused riddle to overblot, and this makes him have stagnation with his judgment.

But, the card means “renewal” which could represent his unique magic (Doodle Suit overwrites with what one imagines)

Riddle Rosehearts(19): The Sun; The card portends good fortune, happiness, joy and harmony. It represents the universe coming together and agreeing with your path and aiding forward movement into something greater.

Normal: Enlightenment, Joy, Marriage, Material happiness, Success, Vitality

Upside down/reversed:  False impressions, Lack of clarity, Low Vitality, Sadness

When people first think of the sun, they tend to think of Kalim. But in this case with the Marseille cards, Riddle is the perfect fit for it. 

In the Marseille card of the tower, it looks like the “sun” is spewing out what looks like flames to the tower removing the crown-like top, which may be a reference for Riddle’s unique magic, “Off with your head.”

 In the Savannaclaw arc, Riddle managed to stop Leona from overblotting too soon. Also, Leona’s overblot form uses nature, While 2 of the dorm SSR cards are fire-based, which makes him have an advantage over Leona

In his past, he was raised very strictly, which may also make him symbolize “sadness”

Jack Howl(18): The Moon; the card of illusion and deception, and therefore often suggests a time when something is not as it appears to be. Perhaps a misunderstanding on your part, or a truth you cannot admit to yourself.

Normal: Deception, Difficult period, Fear, Hidden things, Insecurity, Mental confusion

Upside down/reversed: Insomnia, Mysteries unveiled, Release of fear, Unhappiness, Unusual

In the Savannaclaw arc, he was disappointed in Leona, whom he thought he was above doing those things (difficult period and hidden things).

After he and Ruggie were able to respect Leona again after the overblot and Leona can try his best. (Release of Fear)

His unique magic and hair do have some elements of “The Moon (a transformation like a werewolf (unusual) 

At night, he (the moon) and “the stars” are the only ones near the height of “The Tower”

Ruggie Bucchi(17): The Star; you are likely to find yourself feeling inspired. It brings renewed hope and faith and a sense that you are truly blessed by the universe at this time.

Normal: Astronomy, Good health, Hope, Inspiration, Opportunities, Spirituality

Upside down/reversed: Despair, Disappointments, Illness, Missed opportunities

In the Savanna Claw arc, said something about opposing people's thoughts but he was disappointed when Leona said they could never be first.

After the overblot he has hope that he and Leona, the king he chose, can win the Magical shift tournament next year

Ruggie is the star, so he will not leave “The Tower’s” side (Leona)

Leona Kingscholar(16): The Tower; commonly interpreted as meaning danger, crisis, destruction, and liberation. It is associated with sudden unforeseen change.

Normal:  Accident or damage, Catastrophe, Destruction, Renovation, Unexpected

Upside down/reversed: Illness, Losses, Obstacles, Volatile situation

I don’t know if you’ve heard about this theory, but there is a theory that Leona is an important person in the ‘infinite loop theory’, and that's why he is repeating the grade, to break the loop.

In the opening, you see him standing in a very high place, which could represent the tower. 

Floyd Leech(15)- The Devil;  being seduced by the material world and physical pleasures. Also living in fear, domination and bondage, being caged by an overabundance of luxury, discretion should be used in personal and business matters.

Normal: Bondage, Enslavement, Fear, Feeling trapped, Materialism, Temptation, Unhealthy relationships

Upside down/reversed: Breaking from addictions, Divorce, Freedom from restraints

Bondage, enslavement, feeling trapped... Floyd hates shackles, which I assume is “bondage”

Floyd is usually hard to read like the card, as well as being a free-minded character.

Jade Leech (14)- Temperance; indicates that you should learn to bring about balance, patience, and moderation in your life. You should take the middle road, avoid extremes and maintain a sense of calm.

Normal:  Alchemy, Balance, Connecting with your guides, Harmony, Looking for divine intervention, Moderation

Upside down/reversed: Disharmony, Imbalance, Lack of patience, Onset of illness

Jade seems like a patient man, but the card says differently. If we see the ceremonial robes SSR cards, you can see that Riddle would agree that Jade is not what meets the eye. Yeah, Trey you need new glasses

Jade is probably holding back his true self; In the card, there’s an angel-like figure who has wings. Maybe, it’s suggesting the idea that Jade seems like an angel, but he’s just a demon in disguise. 

Azul Ashengrotto (13)-Death; Unlikely that this card actually represents a physical death. Typically it implies an end, possibly of a relationship or interest, and therefore implies an increased sense of self-awareness.

Normal: Endings, Failure, Letting go of attachments, Mortality, Profound change, Severe illness

Upside down/reversed: Delayed endings, Depression, Living unaware, Long terminal illness, Resistance to change

In the Octavinelle arc it goes: Letting of his past (attachments and depression)> Taking away other’s power because of his unfair deals (endings)> his contracts become sand> Overblot. Then after the overblot he has restarted his career  (Profound change)

In a wider sense, he literally symbolizes death. In the Scarabia arc, because he came, Jamil overblotted (Ending, Bad in this case).

Jamil Viper (12)-  The Hanged Man; the card that suggests ultimate surrender, sacrifice, or being suspended in time.

Normal:  Breaking old patterns, Circumspection, Letting go, Metamorphosis, Suspension

Upside down/reversed: Egotism, Inability to change, Missing an opportunity

Jamil sacrificed so much. He killed his own feelings and was suspended in time (in some sense), incapable to change, and wanted to be king, but in the end it all went to waste (missed an opportunity)

Kalim Al-Asim (11): Strength; predicts the triumphant conclusion to a major life problem, situation or temptation through the strength of character. It is a very happy card if you are fighting illness or recovering from injury.

Normal: Confidence, Enjoying power, Inner strength, Potency, Self-belief, Virility, Vitality

Upside down/reversed: Hedonism, Lack of self-control, Lacking courage, Self-doubt, Vanity

In this case, I would say that this is most likely, represented by, Kalim’s unique magic. Oasis maker requires him little effort while being very powerful. Depending on how he uses it, it could end up even killing people.

His personality says most of the reversed card, he holds many parties (hendonism) and he get’s Jamil to do most of his dorm leader work.

Epel Felmier (10)- Wheel of Fortune; common aspect to most interpretations of this card within a reading is to introduce an element of change in the querent's life, such change being in station, position or fortune: such as the rich becoming poor, or the poor becoming rich.

Normal: Chance, Changes, Destiny, Luck, Opportunity, Winning 

Upside down/reversed: Bad luck, Disappointment, Misfortune, Mishap, Unforeseen setback

In the game he has an achievement (?) called “the pretty boy with thin luck”, I think fate will work for him this time, and he gets to challenge Vil (Change and chance)

His fate with MC and the others will change in the future is what I also think.

Rook Hunt (9)- The Hermit; suggests that you are in a phase of introspection where you are drawing your attention inwards and looking for answers within. You are in need of a period of inner reflection, away from the current demands of your position.

Normal: Introspection, Meditation, Self-reflection, Solitude, Soul-searching, Withdrawal from society, Helper

  Upside down/reversed: Exile, Loneliness, Misfit, Sadness, Withdrawing from loved ones

The normal ones are basically his personality

Rook is a character to help understand Vil, such as in the Lab Coat story.

Literally, his unique magic is called "I see you"

He did not help Vil, being the one who was always loyal to him in the Pomfiore arc.

Vil Schoenheit (8)- Justice; indicates that the fairest decision will be made. Justice is the sword that cuts through a situation, and will not be swayed by outer beauty when deciding what is fair and just.

Normal: Balance and equilibrium, Cause and effect, Fairness, Justice, Responsibilty

Upside down/reversed: Dishonesty, Imbalance, Lack of accountability, Legal flaws, Unfair treatment

Vil is very unfair to people, such as Epel,

He also does acept other’s opinion if they are actually trying, such as Jack in his Gym Uniform story.

He does judge people all the same (but he doesn’t like people that don’t put effort)

Other than the “fair” in the card it can also mean “fair” as in beauty; His counterpart is known for using the word in that meaning

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall who is the fairest of them all?”

Ortho Shroud (7)- The Chariot; card about overcoming conflicts and moving forward in a positive direction. One needs to keep going on and through sheer hard work and commitment he will be victorious.

Normal: A journey, Ambition, Confidence, Drive, Overcoming obstacles, Will power

  Upside down/reversed: Lack of direction, Scattered energy, Self-doubt, Going out of control, Selfish

Othro is the only one in the whole countdown who is upside down, hence making all the meanings reversed.

If you pay close attention to his personality he is some what selfish, such as him unleashing his beam.

Idia Should (6)- The Lovers; represent relationships and choices. Its appearance in a spread indicates some decision about an existing relationship, a temptation of the heart, or a choice of potential partners. Often an aspect of the querent's life will have to be sacrificed; a bachelor(ette)'s lifestyle may be sacrificed and a relationship gained (or vice versa), or one potential partner may be chosen while another is turned down. Whatever the choice, it should not be made lightly, as the ramifications will be lasting.

Normal: Being at a crossroads, Choices, Commitment, Falling in love, Partnerships

Upside down/reversed: A broken relationship, Infidelity, Relationship issues, Separation

The relationship is his relationship with Ortho.

He made a choice in the past that he should have not made lightly. aka the one that lead to his brother's death

Sebek Zigvolt (5)- The Hierophant/Pope; seen seated on a throne between two pillars symbolizing law and liberty or obedience and disobedience. He wears a triple crown, and the keys to Heaven are at his feet. 

Normal: Education, Learning, Marriage, Religion, Seeking counsel or advice, Spiritual guidance, Tradition, Trust

Upside down/reversed: Abuse of position, Breakdown, Poor counsel, Rejection of family values

He may as well breakdown because of his loyalty to Malleus

He holds the stick like the card in the left hand.

He worships Malleus (religion) and he trusts him too much

Silver (4)- The Emperor;suggestive of stability and security in life. You are on top of things and everything in under your control. It is your hard work, discipline and self control that have bought you this far. It means that you are in charge of your life now setting up your own rules and boundaries.

Normal: Authority, Father figure, Law and order, Leadership, Power, Promotion

Upside down/reversed: Control freak, Immaturity, Lack of discipline, Loss of authority, Manipulative friends

Silver is based on a non-villan character and protects Malleus. His non-elemental magic is light

He is going to be the axis of the story; he said “I think I have met you before”

The card resembles the picture very much

In his lab coat story, he holds a book that is the exact opposite color of what others have.

He does bring order within the Diasomnia arc

Lilia Vanrouge (3)- The Empress; traditionally associated with maternal influence, is the card if you are hoping to start a family. She can represent the creation of life, romance, art, or new business.

Normal: A new opportunity, Abundance, Maternal care, Nurturing, Pregnancy, Stability, futility 

Upside down/reversed: Domestic problems, Financial issues, Stagnation, Unwanted pregnancy

Lilia is the father figure of Malleus and Silver

His talent is lullabies (nurturing)

It also can mean fertility, unknown, and time (apparently idk)> symbolizing his long life. Unknown> What we see is an altered appearance? fertility> He literally hatched Malleus

Malleus Draconia (2)- The High Priestess; a card of mystery, stillness, and passivity. This card suggests that it is time to retreat and reflect upon the situation and trust your inner instincts to guide you through it. Things around you are not what they appear to be right now.

Normal: Hidden talents, Intuition, Mystery, Spiritual insight, Things yet to be revealed

Upside down/reversed:  information withheld, Lack of personal harmony, Secrets

Literally Maleficent. nothing else 

Might hold some of the keys?

What I can say now is that he needs to retreat and reflect because what he did in chapter 7 is not nice.

Dire Crowley (1)- The Magician; it points to the talents, capabilities and resources at the querent's disposal to succeed. The message is to tap into one's full potential rather than holding back, especially when there is a need to transform something.

Normal: Determined, Dexterity, Resourceful, Skilled, Strong powerful man

Upside down/reversed: Communication blocks, Confusion, Deceit, Ill intentions, Lack of energy

By looking at the card and characters, then the most reasonable to think that will betray us is him

He may be the person who made the world of Twisted Wonderland. (There was a black magician named Crowley in Britain)

~~~

These are from their respective sources, mainly for personal reference

Also, I wrote this like 2 years ago and touched up. So Im sorry if I'm wrong

Likes, reblogs, and follows are always appreciated :)

[valy-gc]

Trein's Theories

I found a manhwa about Cinderella and the stepsisters are so cute I immediately though about Trein.

So for me, they are Trein's official's daughter (at least their face. We now know their hair colors are the same than official disney's stepsisters). Lily (green eyes) and Iris (brown eyes)

And, I know we have a visual in the manga (but the manga and game are different, proof with the MC…)… but one of them should be Trey's mother.

I explain.

Anastasia (Cinderella's sister) married a baker, in the second movie. So…. would one of Trein's daughter married someone from Trey's family?

Actually… if my calcul are good. Trein is 58. If his daughter is around 37/38, he would had her at 20/21. And if she's 38, she totally could had Trey at 20 too for him to be 18 now…. so can totally be his mother… (i don't know why, but for me it's Iris)

And of course it's not Trey Trein, because he have his father's last name.

So since then, Trein being Trey's grandfather is my headcanon XD

[therosefrontier]

TWST Family Lore: Heartslabyul Part 2

Continued from Heartslabyul part 1, because I forgot doing the whole dorm at once would make this huge... Again, spoiler warning for JP server content! But there isn't anything too story-specific for the events here.

Cater Diamond

And now, following our freshmen duo and their positive relationship with their families, we get to move on to Cater! Whose relationship with them is, uh, mixed at best? Anyways, we have mention of his father and mother, and he has two older sisters of unknown exact age, as well. His father is a banker for a large company, and we learn that because of his job, the family moved frequently, about once every two years, to branches all around the world (Halloween vignette). Cater's homeland is stated in his profile to be the Shaftlands, so that's probably where his family is from and it might be where they are living currently, but he seems to have lived in other countries, as well. This alone appears to have had a negative impact on Cater…with him moving so often, he felt that he was never able to make meaningful connections with anyone, so he stopped trying, instead going for quantity over quality. We also get a little story in Silver's Halloween vignette, when he remembers finally meeting a friend at school only to find out right afterwards that they were going to be moving in a month. He mentions in his birthday boy vignette as well that he "never knew" when they were going to move again, and given the one-month thing, it seems normal that it was on pretty short notice. He talks about this impact on him to his Pop Music clubmates in his Halloween vignette, saying that he met many people from around the world, but the common thread was that "I would always leave, and they would always stay."

(image credit: NightCrow)

Cater talks about his situation in a positive light, saying that it was better that he had all these connections through Magicam and could just socialize casually, on his own terms, but at the end of the vignette, the story goes a little different. Cater watches Lilia have a very family-like moment with the rest of the Diasomnia crew and feels a sense of isolation and maybe jealousy...earlier, Lilia told him he was wise for acting as he did, but Cater sees this and feels that Lilia cannot know the way he feels, because he does have these kinds of bonds, which Cater thinks he can never truly have.

But Cater's relationship with loneliness is, again, is a whole essay in itself! Back to Cater's family!

He talks some about his sisters in his birthday boy vignette, in which he describes how he felt pressed in between the two of them (seemed described a little differently in official vs. fan translations? As the official has him saying "give a guy some space" whereas the original may have been more along the lines of 'squished between them', to reference Mystery Shop), and also, how they'd give him a bunch of "cute" things as a birthday present which was more on lines of what they liked than what he liked. But, he does say that they're better about it now and will actually ask him what he wants. He also assures they didn't mean anything by it.

(translation by Otome Ayui!)

But of course, there's more! Multiple other mentions of his sisters seem to involve them asking him to do stuff...

Will do things like go shopping and leave him with the bags, or get a random craving for ice cream and ask him to go get it (birthday jacket vignette). Cater says they can be "pretty demanding," but he amends this story by saying that they will also treat him to stuff while they're out, like pocket money, food, or clothes.

Asked him for a Scalding Sands body scrub that had been "all over Magicam" since he was there for Fireworks Fest (Silk Adorned voicelines)

Cater would cook for them, making pancakes from a store-bought mix (although this might not have been a request; he could have just wanted to) (Apprentice Chef vignette)

At the start of book 4 (chapter 3), when everyone is going home for winter break, Cater says that "going home is kind of a drag for me, too," talking of how he knows his sisters will "run me ragged," so he makes a weak bid to go to Trey's house instead. When Trey lightheartedly counters that his family would put him to work too, Cater backs out of the idea.

Cater's not wanting to go home slides its way in a couple of other mentions, too... in his dorm uniform voicelines, he asks the MC if they're homesick and gets the question thrown back at him, to which he says that he isn't, citing his "annoying" older sisters as the cause. In slight contrast, in his New Year's voicelines, he says that it’s “not too bad to work during the holiday seasons once in a while” because “sure, it’s fun to go back home, but it eventually gets boring.” So this time, it's just 'boring' and not a family issue, but honestly, with Cater, the shifting story doesn't feel out of place. And definitely, it's up for interpretation...he doesn't seem to hate his sisters, but he doesn't really want to be with them, either.

Now, back to the birthday boy vignette! We get another little story, the reason why Cater doesn't like sweets so much: his mother and older sisters got really into making homemade sweets all the time, and they would feed them to him until he was sick of them. Even if he didn't want any, he felt like he had to eat it because they'd be sad if he didn't.

And then, there's his lab vignette... Cater describes the relationship his family as a whole has with "cute" things: “in the Diamond household, everything's judged by one simple question: ‘But is it cute?’ Day in and day out, no matter what I did, if it wasn't cute, it didn't cut the mustard! Drawings, handicrafts, store-bought sweets, you name it!” And thus, the instinct to make it cute was "burned" into Cater's brain.

So, you could say that "trendiness" runs in the family. But also, this does...raise some questions, I'd think? Again, it really is up for interpretation, but Cater specifically saying "no matter what I did" seems to suggest that he felt like the stuff he bought and things he did, including his own drawings and crafts, would be dismissed if they weren't "cute." Like the reason the instinct is burned into him is because that's what he had to do to earn attention. It also feels a little telling that this is the Cater-tries-to-hide-his-sadness vignette, in which one of the mandrakes he grows in the lab, which are supposed to reflect on the mage growing them, turns out gloomy, and he tries hard to deny that this means anything. But as for what all this says about his relationship to his family...I'd guess that perhaps, he feels a little invisible with them. It's not like he doesn't care about them, or that they don't care about him, necessarily (neglect but not on purpose?), but he doesn't seem to feel like his own wants are ever really seen, and the disconnect is to the point that home is not really a place he wants to be. Maybe, one day, he'll open up more about this, but with Cater, I don't think it'll come easy. But who knows...

TREY CLOVER

And now, Trey's family! He lives with his father and mother, and he has two younger siblings, a sister and brother. His sister is four years younger than him (platinum vignette), but we don't now how old his brother is. His parents run a patisserie bearing their name: Clover Patisserie. They are bakers, and likewise, Trey grew up learning how to cook from them, and in his apprentice chef vignette, he seems to imply that his siblings know their way around the kitchen, too. Also, we do have canon[?] designs for Trey's parents! We get art in the appendix of the last volume of the Heartslabyul manga:

(thanks to Honeyworks on Twitter for the image!)

The illustration is credited to Yana Toboso, whose notes, as run through Google Translate (I do not know Japanese...), describes Trey's mom as an "active woman with short cut, tall" and his dad as having "mild droopy eyes." In this appendix, we also get ages for Trey, Chenya, and Riddle at the time of the incident (that is, the big backstory as seen in book 1 of Trey inviting Riddle to try a tart at the patisserie but then they lose track of time and Riddle gets caught...that whole thing...). Trey is almost ten, Chenya is nine, and Riddle is eight, which seems to suggest that this happened in fall, in between Trey and Riddle's birthdays (Riddle on 8/24 and Trey on 10/25). Trey describes the event in more detail in his dorm vignette: he says that Riddle's mom "stormed" into his house and lectured his "whole entire family for five hours straight." (which is an insane amount of time...how did she come up with that many things to say!?) Also, to clarify, there seems to be a serious translation discrepancy with this? Because in the official English Trey says that it was his parents who lectured him for that time, but that doesn't even make sense in context... The quote I used is pulled from Mystery Shop's translation, and YuuRei has a good post on this, too. Anyways, the scene is also referenced in chapter 17 of the manga with Trey's flashback:

Which is...quite devastating, but anyways! As far as I can see, we don't really have much indication of what Trey's parents felt about all of this, but in the manga at least, they appear to be pretty stressed...maybe even cowed by Rosehearts's laying into them like that, and who can blame them?

But, moving aside to happier times! Continuing with Trey's parents, we get a little mention of what they were like as teachers through his apprentice chef vignette. Trey is doing the Culinary Crucible to better learn how to teach cooking to his dormmates, and he comes to a realization: his parents would watch him cook, but sometimes, they wouldn't correct him when he did something wrong until after he failed, because that way, through failure, he would remember, and he would learn. That was what Trey was not doing with his dormmates: he would always step in to fix things rather than let them have that experience.

Trey also talks of his really beginning cooking days in his platinum vignette: when he was four, he helped his parents bake a fairy cake after his sister was born, which they ate with family and neighbors, that being a Queendom of Roses tradition. Trey says that looking back at the pictures, the cake was pretty terrible, but he was excited about helping and thought the cake tasted great at the time, and all the adults complimented him on it, too. After that day, he would join his parents in the kitchen to help bake cakes, although he said he really just made a mess of flour and probably was a "huge bother" for his parents. That said, from the sounds of it, it seems implied that they were pretty patient with him, though?

Trey gives a different food-related story in his birthday boy vignette: his favorite food is candied violets, and he had one for the first time when he was "really young," before he started elementary school. He was amazed at the idea of flowers being edible, and his parents tell him that he "drove them nuts" via repeatedly trying to eat random flowers and weeds after that. Trey has no memory of this. But he does remember snacking on violets at home that were meant for cakes and his parents getting on his case about it. Eventually, they started setting some aside from him, and now, they send some to him at school in the occasional care package.

(image credit: NightCrow)

Trey also mentions his parents in one of his Silk Adorned card voicelines, saying that they love trying out new ingredients, and that perhaps, they should take a family trip to the Scalding Sands one day. Also, in both his birthday jacket vignette and his outdoor wear voicelines, he mentions that he's gone on camping trips with his family before, during summer vacation.

In Trey's Halloween vignette, we get a little story involving all of his family: he once tried half-rimmed glasses similar to the shape Azul wears, to mixed results. His mother and little sister said that they didn't like the glasses because they made him look "angry," and his dad and little brother said that he looked cool in them... because the glasses made him look like a "movie villain." Therefore, Trey rejected the glasses. He has also considered getting contacts, but similarly, his sister says he looks "sinister" without them.

(image credit: Songstress Studios)

Trey has several mentions of his siblings: they seem to have spent a lot of time together growing up, although also, it seems Trey did a lot of looking after them and taking care of them, too.

It was Trey's "job" to make sure his younger siblings brushed their teeth properly, as them being exposed to sweets so much via the patisserie made it a necessity (school uniform vignette)

Trey would make his siblings' costumes for Halloween. He says he's "not great" at it, but he can sew basic things (Halloween voicelines)

Trey would bake his siblings' cakes for their birthdays (birthday boy voicelines). He also mentions in Ace's school uniform vignette that his siblings would often "pester" him to bake for them, and he says in his birthday boy vignette that he would usually cook dinners for the family back at home, since his parents were busy with the patisserie. His brother and sister would ask for his hamburger steak all the time.

Trey helps his siblings with their homework when he's home (Winter Break Calendar 2023)

Trey and his siblings would often play with fireworks together (Silk Adorned vignette)

Once, Trey took his little brother to a Spelldrive game to fulfill his Starsending wish (Starsending voicelines)

In one of his labwear voicelines, Trey says "you all remind me of my younger siblings. They're always running around and giving me a hard time.” So, it does seem that they certainly tire him out. Again, going back to book 4, chapter 3, as mentioned in Cater's part, Trey responds to Cater's request by saying he's welcome to come to his house, but his family would run him "just as ragged." (but, if he was serious about that, that would suggest that Trey knew that his parents wouldn't mind Cater coming over!) It appears that, with the patisserie family business, it can be an 'all hands on deck' kind of affair, with Trey at least helping out with running things. There's also a little mention in Ace's school uniform vignette, in which Trey says that he's used to carrying heavy things because of shopping for ingredients for the patisserie.

Which is all rather interesting to me, really… both Trey and Cater describe their family as 'running them ragged' in some way and relying on them to do stuff, but with very different tones. For Trey, the 'older brother' instincts are so ingrained in him that he doesn't seem to think twice about it much of the time, such as we see in his school uniform vignette, in which he acts on those same instincts with his peers, Ace and Deuce, in insuring that their teeth are clean, and Deuce notes that he has that "kind older brother" vibe and has a "knack for looking after everyone." Which is interesting in that Trey doesn't really seem to be trying to volunteer for everything, and he certainly isn't trying to stand out, but he will take on everything in pursuit of keeping this ship running smoothly, all the same.

That said, he does seem to have a very positive relationship with his family! Although their busy lives might have led to a bit of a he-raised-his-siblings kind of dynamic. Trey seems to be usually very relaxed when talking about them, thinking back on the stories with a kind of fondness. We don't quite have too much to go on yet when it comes to actually deducing the personalities of his siblings as individuals, but from the general mentions, they do seem quite energetic, for sure! And perhaps, much like so much of the Heartslabyul dorm, will instinctively rely on Trey without a second thought...

RIDDLE ROSEHEARTS

And now, last on the Heartslabyul roster...Riddle. The ever-infamous family of Riddle. A lot of what we know comes from Book 1 of the main story: he's an only child, and both of his parents are medical mages—famous ones, too. Trey says that where they're from, everyone knew their names. Riddle's father is mentioned, but we hear little of his involvement in Riddle's life—the main player on this stage is his mother, who rigorously trained Riddle up to follow in her steps.

In chapter 18 of book 1, Trey first describes what it was like for Riddle: his mother mapped out his schedule to the minute, "from the moment Riddle woke up to when his head hit the pillow at the end of the night," and in the flashback sequence in chapter 25, Riddle describes it in much the same way: "my day was planned, down to the minute." Riddle's mom tailor-made an education program for him and appears to have implemented it herself, and Riddle, in an effort to please his parents, followed every rule they made. He became a prodigy, mastering his signature spell by age ten.

Riddle's mom was very strict with his diet, as well—she kept to very healthy foods, limited Riddle to under 600 calories per meal, and absconded sugar entirely. And thus comes the point of conflict...in the story, Riddle, who was eight at the time, was invited by Trey and Chenya to come outside to play during his one hour of independent study time (in which he was supposed to be studying alone in his room), and then, he started playing with them in secret every day, and it became his favorite part of his day. Then, one day, Trey invites Riddle to try a tart at the patisserie, and they lose track of time...and then, Riddle's mother finds him. She was furious, both at his skipping independent study time and his eating a "mountain of sugar." And then, as mentioned in Trey's section, she goes on to lecture Trey's family for five whole hours.

In this scene with Riddle and his mom, Riddle tries hard to apologize, but she cuts him off, telling him to be quiet, and then forbidding him with playing with Trey and Chenya ever again, and also taking away his independent study time in favor of keeping closer watch on him. In Trey's dorm uniform vignette, he describes Riddle's mom as being "impossible to deal with once she flew off the handle." And so, Riddle was left to just strive to follow the rules she set down, believing that she must be right, for "she was the most accomplished mother in the city, and therefore, the most correct," and he didn't want to lose anything, not again... He also quotes her in chapter 22, saying that "a man who cannot follow rules is a man who cannot achieve anything."

In book 4, chapter 3, we see that Riddle is feeling some dread over going back home for the winter break, but he also does resolve to try to talk to his mother, not that he's confident she will listen. We don't have any mention of how that talk actually went.

Interestingly enough, we don't seem to have that many mentions from Riddle about his family outside of the main story in his voicelines and vignettes, compared to some of the others. He does talk some about his upbringing in his birthday boy vignette: his parents both raised him to take up the mantle and be a medical mage like them one day, which he describes as being a "highly demanding profession." He said that they would tell him over and over "When you grow up, you'll be just like us, Riddle!" Before NRC, Riddle never questioned this path for him, but now, he says that he has developed some interest in law, so he may actually pursue that instead.

In one of his suitor suit voicelines, Riddle mentions that wearing this makes him think of the parties he used to attend with his parents. He also gives a mention in his halloween vignette that his mother taught him social dancing, so it seems like the three of them did go to formal social functions from time to time.

He also mentions his parents in another suitor suit voiceline, talking about how he reads that the Queen of Hearts had an amicable marriage, and he wishes he could share that secret to his parents, which would suggest that their marriage is not doing that great, actually.

Anyhow, social functions aside, it seems like Riddle probably has not had any "real" vacations with his family, or just fun gatherings/outings in general. In one of his Masquerade voicelines, he says "I'm not very accustomed to festivals...especially not ones in other countries. It's difficult to know how to participate and have fun.” And this comes up a lot, it seems, in the 'Lost in the Book' Stitch event, where Riddle is quite unfamiliar with the concept of a vacation at the beach. In one of his beachwear voicelines, he says “Having dinner with everyone while gazing at a sunset on the beach like this… This must be what it means to go on vacation. This is the first time I’ve experienced anything like this.” (Mystery Shop's translation)

In book 6, we get another brief mention of Riddle's mother: upon being invited by Ortho and Idia to play video games to pass the time, Riddle says that his mother told him that video games are "addictive and can hurt academic performance." They had neither a gaming console nor a TV at home. Riddle hasn't read much, if any, fiction aside from classic literature either, from the looks of it. It comes up in the second Halloween event, Spectral Soiree: Ruggie and Ortho, whom Riddle is traveling with, get excited over the prospect of this being like a treasure hunt, with so many tropes coming to life, and they quickly find out that Riddle is wholly unfamiliar with what they are talking about. He says that he has "no exposure" to comic books and video games like the rest of them.

He then goes on to say that he is missing out on absolutely nothing, has read many things, and was reading medical dictionaries by the time he was "Ortho's age." Whether that Ortho's real or perceived age is unclear, as literally, he might be about six? I think Idia finished building him when he was twelve? But Riddle may not know that—obviously, Ortho being what he is gives him a great kickstart in mental development, besides being given memories of the original Ortho, so as far as perceived age goes, he's akin to the freshmen. But saying all that to say! I also wouldn't be surprised if Riddle really was being handed a medical dictionary at age six, honestly.

So, in a general sense, you could conclude that Riddle has a great unfamiliarity with the concept of "fun," which gives a bit of a picture as to his parents and his mother specifically. It was as if everything had to have some sense of necessity; it wasn't enough for something to just be enjoyable. Riddle was put to a strict standard of performance, and in turn, he expects the same of others, in a way he seems to have to take some effort to unlearn. In his dorm vignette, for instance, we see him helping Cater, who was struggling in his practical magic class, with his studying. At first, he makes this insanely long study guide (300 pages), and he gets annoyed when Cater says that this is far too much for him to read, because this is exactly what he is used to doing, thinking that if you don't want to do something, you should just force yourself to (which I imagine is the philosophy his own childhood education took). But then, after a talk with Trey, he realizes that he can't expect everyone to learn like he does, so instead, he makes a plan to teach Cater through pictures and Magicam hashtags so that he could remember them, and it works! And then he goes right back to giving Cater a bunch of textbooks at the end, but hey, it's a start :)

That said, Riddle's development is easily a whole essay on its own! The takeaway here with his parents is that both of them put a lot of expectations on him and are probably very success-driven themselves. In a way, it 'worked' for them, because they are very successful and famous, but their general happiness may be another story. Again, we get little of Riddle's dad specifically except that his relationship with his mom is not great, but with his mom, we get the impression that she is just...very high-strung and obsessive? Her rigorous training of Riddle goes beyond just wanting him to have a good education—she obsesses over his progress in a way that seems to invoke that if anything goes in a way other than what she envisions, Riddle would be hopelessly failed. It's "care" in the worst kind of way... I think that she really does believe that everything she does is for him and his wellbeing, but doing things like that, it becomes a whole lot about herself too, I'd think. Riddle is an extension of her, and therefore, he must be perfect. We know little of what she is like outside of her relationship with Riddle, but it doesn't seem hard to believe that she would have some measure of that strictness and my-way-is-the-only-way attitude with everyone else in her life, although it may be comparatively muted, as it is with some people who will treat their children with a special kind of possessiveness, even if only subconsciously. I do wonder if anyone else ever got the equivalent of the five-hour tirade she gave to the Clover family, but of course, that's all speculation. The silver lining is that it didn't work for Riddle like she wanted it to...he's still his own person, and after he finally came to the point of admitting, at the end of book 1, that he was wrong, and that by extension, the things his mother did to him were wrong (although not so outright), he has become in a better position to grow and move on, although unfortunately, he still has to go back home at the end of the day, and his mom has not changed. It could be a difficult road for a long time yet... but still, I like to think that Riddle is on a better path now, and that, if he ever does become a parent one day, he'll be a better one than his own parents were.

[murdereraisuha]

Classpecting TWST: Heartslabyul

After basically an eternity, I have finally gotten back into the mood for TWST character analysis and classpect. Therefore, I am briefly emerging from my swamp to slap this on the internet before retreating back to my hermit hut.

For everyone who wasn’t here years ago for my previous classpect posts, please check the classpect tag on my blog for more info on what the hell this is. Spoilers for chapter 1, chapter 5, and some personal stories. No knowledge of Homestuck required to read. This post will be using quotes from Kanade Musing’s translation of the original Japanese version of the game.

[Image description: A banner containing a picture of Riddle, the symbol for the rage aspect, and the words “Riddle Rosehearts: Maid of Rage”]

Right off the bat, I can’t think of any 2 aspects that could fit Riddle better than rage or doom, which both have to do with limits/rules. Rage focuses on stubbornness and “no,” while doom focuses on systems and caution. To me, the distinction between the two seems to be like personal vs universal. Anyway, Riddle’s strict self-discipline and adherence to the rules obviously relates to one of those aspects.

How exactly does the concept of limits/rules factor into his personal growth? The conflict in chapter 1 revolves around Riddle going ridiculously far with enforcing the rules in his dorm. From Trey and the post-overblot flashback, we learn that Riddle’s behavior stems from his mother being extremely controlling and teaching her son to value the rules & success over his desires & happiness. At the end of the chapter, Riddle apologizes to the dorm and becomes more lenient with enforcing the rules. 

Ah yes, the good old days of less than 30 episodes a chapter. This is a refreshingly straightforward story compared to basically everyone else, which means that I’ve already narrowed it down to 2 classpects: maid of rage or maid of doom.

Maids, the active creation class, make their aspect, as shown by Riddle enforcing the rules amongst his dorm. In terms of their personal journey, a maid is first controlled by and reliant on their aspect. Their moment of development comes when they rebel against their aspect and finally claim it for themself. For Riddle, he is first controlled by the rules, like when he has to throw away the tart Ace made when he actually wanted to eat it. However, in the end, he rebels against his mother’s teachings and starts thinking about how he can work towards his own goals rather than blindly upholding the rules.

The question now is whether Riddle’s aspect is rage or doom. After some thought, I believe that rage suits him better. First of all, rage deals with negative emotions like hate and fear. Those emotions characterize the interactions we see between Riddle and his mother, from her vehemently declaring that sweets are poison, to her outrage at Riddle hanging out with Trey and Chenya. You can also see it in Riddle in his destructive anger and his despair at not having friends.

Secondly, rage deals with refusal and denial. It is the opposite of hope, the aspect of belief. Prior to and during his overblot, Riddle stubbornly denies that he is wrong. Just look at these lines from episodes 1-23 and 1-24:

Riddle: Are you saying that I’m wrong, too? Even after I did my best to protect all those strict rules?! Even after I’ve endured so, so, so many things! I won’t… I will never… I will never believe it!!!!!

Riddle: HAHAHAHAHAHA!! I do not need anyone who defies me in my world. I am my world’s absolute ruler. My world itself submits to me! I will not tolerate any answer aside from, “Yes, Lord Riddle.”!! It’s off with the heads of everyone who defies me! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Riddle: I’m the only one who’s always right!! If not, then all that I’ve worked for was…!!

Doom, which deals with caution, death, and acceptance, does not seem nearly as relevant to Riddle’s personality and struggles as rage is. Therefore, Riddle is most likely a maid of rage.

[Image description: A banner containing a picture of Trey, the symbol for the mind aspect, and the words “Trey Clover: Heir of Mind”]

I’m gonna start out with some pieces of dialogue from episode 1-17

Cater: Are you really okay with this…?

Trey: ……….. There’s nothing I can really do…

and episode 1-19

Trey:  … I understand why you’d think of him as a tyrant, and I understand that the way he does things is a little wrong, too. But, I… I still can’t find it in myself to go against him at all.

Ace:  ………. Now that I know more, I understand completely now. The reason why Prefect Riddle is like that… It’s all your fault…

Ace:  If you think that the Prefect’s making the same mistakes as his parents, then tell him directly. Fix your mistakes. What’s gonna happen to him if you just feel sorry and spoil him? So you’re just gonna watch everyone hate him and alienate him from a distance?

I feel like these lines encapsulate Trey’s problem in this chapter. He knows why Riddle acts the way he does and he knows that what Riddle is doing is wrong, but Trey hasn’t done anything to fix it. Therefore, in terms of Trey’s classpect, I currently believe that the class that fits him best is seer.

Seers, the passive knowledge class, invite understanding of their aspect and through their aspect. For Trey, in chapter 1 he provides the 1st years with knowledge on apologizing to Riddle and Riddle’s upbringing. Also, a seer’s main problem is their struggle to understand and use the information that they have. In Trey’s case, he doesn’t know how to handle the situation with Riddle, so he ends up just giving advice to the rule breakers instead of actually confronting Riddle. 

Now, we need to do some more investigation to figure out what aspect he is.

Trey has a obsession with dental care because his parents, who work as bakers, did not want all the sugary treats he grew up with to negatively impact his health.

Trey has many younger siblings and he often treats his dormmates like younger siblings too.

Despite how Trey’s brotherly behavior suggests a romantic and selfless outlook on things, he can actually adopt a rather practical and self-serving attitude as shown in his lab coat and dorm outfit personal stories.

Also in his dorm outfit personal story, Trey lets the other students try and utterly fail at making cakes to teach them how difficult baking really is instead of just telling them that their cake requests are unreasonable.

Trey is perceptive and was able to figure out that Cater dislikes sweets by observing him.

Trey’s unique magic, “Doodle Suit,” overwrites qualities (ex. taste, unique magic, color) of things or people with something else.

Going back to Trey being a seer, what exactly does he know and invite understanding of? Trey holds knowledge about Riddle, baking, dental care, Cater’s dislikes, and dealing with siblings. How the hell do all these things relate to each other?

Actually, hold on. Is he a seer? Cause I’m realizing now that he could also be a sylph, the passive creation class. Sylphs are typically known for getting involved in others’ business and fixing what they think needs to be fixed. For Trey, he offers advice to the 1st years, he tries to calm Riddle when he’s angry, he makes sure Unbirthday Party preparations stay on track, and he tries to enforce good brushing habits in the rest of his dorm. Giving up on fixing the Riddle situation might just be him failing as a sylph.

I’m kind of stuck there now, let’s consider aspect for a bit. Though his unique magic does relate to space, I don’t think his aspect is space, time, light, or void. Whatever his class is, it seems to mostly relate to concepts like harmony and healthiness. Therefore, the 2 main aspects I’m considering are heart and life,

Life would relate to his nurturing nature, his concern for dental health, and his relationship with food/baked goods. Heart would relate to his management of others’ emotions, his unique magic which basically alters the identity of something, and his turmoil with the Riddle situation relating to their relationship with each other. Now that I’ve listed these out, I’m gonna say that his aspect fits closer with heart due to that relating better to important things as well as the pun there with Riddle’s name being Rosehearts.

However, it is also important to consider the opposite aspect of mind. The thing is, about half of this post was written more than 2 years ago. Back then, I ended up putting Trey as seer of heart. However, looking back, I really don’t feel like that fits with my current understanding of his character. So, I am going to argue against my past self’s reasoning now.

Trey’s relationship with Riddle is indeed a big part of his character, and the events of the main story did induce some character development in Trey. However, Trey is his own person who is not defined by Riddle and who has his own problems and areas for personal improvement outside of Riddle.

What his own problems are can be seen in his personal stories and his appearances in event stories. A recurring theme with Trey is how he stubbornly denies that he is anything more than average. In his gym uniform story, he deliberately tries to get average grades in flying class, then proceeds to pull off maneuvers in an emergency that has Vargas praising him. In the port fest event, he makes an excellent chowder for the class’s booth, and then brushes off the others’ praise for it. In the 2nd Vargas Camp event, he comes up with a successful strategy for defeating the monster (Vargas) and then, again, brushes off the others’ praise for it.

So many of his efforts go towards blending in and hiding his true capabilities. Going back to chapter 1 of the main story, his main problem is that he hides what he is truly thinking about Riddle. Together with stuff from the bullet points up there like his “practical and self serving attitude”, I don’t think this behavior is something to do with what his class is like my past self did, but I think this is a symptom of his aspect being mind.

Now, after looking at the possible classes to pair with that, I believe that Trey’s classpect is heir of mind. Heir, the passive manipulation class, really seems to fit Trey. Trey seems to naturally default to putting up a mask, since he is often misinterpreted by other characters to be more caring about others than he actually is. He has a goal of not standing out and getting into trouble, and he does stuff like aim for average grades and shy away from going against Riddle as an extension of this goal. These two things seem to be examples of him being embroiled in or manipulated by “mind”, as an heir of it. 

Then, as shown in his Starsending Robes personal story where he convinces Riddle to get the dorm a food processor that it doesn’t really need or his ceremony robes story where he successfully stalls Riddle while Cater fixes the roses at the dorm, he is great at getting what he wants through manipulation, but it is not very focused/deliberate like active manipulation would be. He did not make a premeditated plan to talk Riddle into getting a food processor for the dorm, but he happened to stumble on Cater and other students struggling in the kitchen and took the opportunity to bring up a food processor in conversation. In fact, Cater and the other students join in the conversation to back Trey’s sales pitch up without even knowing Trey’s true thoughts on the matter, which seems like a obvious example of inviting manipulation of mind. Therefore, I’m pretty sure that Trey is a heir of mind.

[Image description: A banner containing a picture of Cater, the symbol for the heart aspect, and the words “Cater Diamond: Bard of Heart”]

First, here’s a link to my Cater analysis, which contains my evidence and reasoning for my interpretation of Cater. You only need to read it if you’re curious about how I came up with this summary of him:

Cater’s puts up a constant happy façade to hide his inner sadness. He blends in with the crowd by following the latest trends and acting like a peppy cheerleader towards others. Because of family issues and constantly having to move, he has built up a strong resistance towards trusting others or forming close bonds with others.

Based on his deception, his blending in, and his unique magic “Split Card” which basically allows him to fragment himself, Cater’s aspect is most likely mind or heart. Mind deals with apathy, conformity, and masks, while heart deals with emotion, showing off, and identity.

For classes, I’m going to eliminate page, sylph, and the theft classes cause those don’t seem relevant. I don’t think he really rebels against anything so witch is also out, and the way his personality was shaped by nurture instead of nature doesn’t make heir seem likely either. Finally, though he puts up a mask, it’s more of a way to avoid attachment than hide insecurities so he’s probably not a knight. The remaining options are mage, seer, prince, bard, and maid.

Pairing those up with aspects (and also throwing out seer in the process) leaves us with mage of mind, prince of heart, bard of heart, and maid of mind.

I think the best way to decide between these 4 classpects is to focus on what Cater’s biggest problems are and how he as a person would change when those are resolved. 

First, I feel like one of his biggest problems is how he pushes others away. He hides the depressed mandrakes he made in his lab coat personal story, and it is Trey who has to deduce that Cater doesn’t like sweet food rather than Cater telling him that. Second, the other big problem he has is how he not only refuses to acknowledge his problems to others, but also to himself. Even when he is completely alone, like at the end of his ceremony robes story, he still insists on maintaining his happy, life of the party persona.

The natural resolution to these problems would for him to be more truthful with others and to himself, revealing his “heart” and reducing his reliance on his masks, his “mind”. The resolution to his personal journey is really not a change in his relationship to “mind” but a distancing from “mind” and towards “heart”.

Therefore, I think that his true aspect is heart, and his specific classpect is bard of heart. I feel like the way that he lies to himself about his feelings and his overall laid-back nature aligns more with the passive destruction that a bard brings about than the active, focused destruction of a prince. With no other options remaining, I’m locking in my final answer for Cater as bard of heart.

[Image description: A banner containing a picture of Deuce, the symbol for the hope aspect, and the words “Deuce Spade: Heir of Hope”]

Deuce is a very earnest and “act first, think later” kind of guy. Though he is hard working, his enthusiasm and naivety can lead to him go about things in not very thought out ways, which makes me think of him as having an opposite attitude to the lazy but calculating Leona.

An issue he is very conscious of is how he is quick to anger and get into fights, which is what led to him being a delinquent in the past. Now in high school, he is trying his best to change his ways and be an honors student out of a desire to help instead of hurt his mother.

He is pretty hard on himself about this, but in chapter 5, Rook and Kalim help him see that his approach to things isn’t necessarily bad, leading to him accepting himself and developing his unique magic during the overblot fight.

Overall, his personal journey and character development seem to really revolve around the concept of going with your instinct versus strategizing. However, it doesn’t seem to be in the heart/mind way which is focused on rationality and expressing or hiding one’s true self. Instead, Deuce’s behavior comes more from an drive to get things done and push forward towards his goals regardless of what stands in his way and what others may consider unrealistic odds. His unique magic, “Bet the Limit”, is all about taking a bad situation where facing down someone who is stronger than him and is winning and flipping it on it’s head by retaliating with an even stronger version of the magic they’ve used against him.

Therefore, I believe he is strongly involved with the hope and rage aspects, with the hope aspect being the most likely of the two, so I am going to proceed with the hope aspect for now

So, for classes, the main thing we have to consider is how Deuce interacts with Hope. His personal journey is basically first he rejects hope because it caused him anguish because of his mother, then he realizes how he can use hope in a good way and accepts it. However, I do not think his relationship with hope was really destructive. Unlike someone like Cater who buries his “heart” as far down as he can, Deuce still does things based on hope. He acts according to his ideals and instincts, he’s just ashamed of it afterwards. Therefore, I don’t think Deuce is a prince or bard.

Therefore, I think one good possibility is heir. Like an heir would, Deuce naturally connects with core parts of the hope aspect such as trust and “doing” rather than “stopping”. His unique magic is based so much on his intuition that after he uses it he isn’t even sure how to do it again, which seems quite heir-like. Connecting his class to his personal journey, his challenge was to redefine his relationship with hope into a more healthy one instead of letting it pull him down bad roads like his delinquency, which kind of seems to fit with heir based on what tiny bits of memory I still have left of John Egbert’s character development in Homestuck.

I’m not 100% sure about that though, so another possibility is seer. As the passive knowledge class, the challenge of the seer is to reach a better understanding of what their aspect is and figure out what the right path to follow. This looks somewhat similar to Deuce’s case, but after some thought I don’t think seer fits. After figuring out the course of action to take, a seer tells others about it instead of taking action themselves, and Deuce is the only one here doing stuff with his hope. I don’t think Deuce is a seer or even a mage, because understanding/comprehension doesn’t seem to be a major thing with him.

 Deuce could be a page. However, the problem is that he didn’t try to be better at hope or anything like that, he avoided hope. His behavior just doesn’t mesh with a page’s. Deuce could also be a rogue. He does struggle with owning his spontaneity/hope, but he never does any giving of it to others. Finally, going over the rage aspect and possible class pairs with that, nothing seems to really match up given how hope-based Deuce’s final character development and unique magic is.

So, in the end, the best fit I can think of for Deuce is heir of hope.

[Image description: A banner containing a picture of Ace, the symbol for the breath aspect, and the words “Ace Trappola: Sylph of Breath”]

In contrast to Deuce’s honesty, sense of duty, and occasional naivety, Ace is shrewd, independent, and has a talent for deception.

Ace often looks for the most efficient, corner cutting way to do things, such as in the 2nd part of his dorm uniform personal story where he decides to focus his rose painting efforts on the ones that are most in view.

One of his hobbies is doing magic/card tricks.

Though Ace puts himself first a lot, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about others at all. 

Ace is not afraid to call people out if he thinks they’re being unfair or doing something harmful, such as in the dialogue I quoted in Trey’s section in this post.

Though Ace insists they he just hangs out with Deuce, Grim, and the player character out of pity, he shows a lot of care for them, such as in chapter 4 when he makes the long trip back to NRC because of the distress call the player sends when they’re held captive in Scarabia. Ace’s Halloween costume personal story is specifically about Lilia and Malleus commenting on how much Ace cares about his friends, complete with flashback scenes of stuff like Ace giving up his omelette at lunch to stop Deuce and Grim fighting over Deuce’s omelette.

Another cute example of how Ace acts aloof is in his dorm uniform story, when the hedgehogs go missing. At first Ace just tries to find the hedgehogs quick so Riddle won’t punish him for forgetting to lock the cages. However, once he actually starts to worry about if he can get the hedgehogs back, his mind automatically goes to how distressed Riddle was about the hedgehogs. He starts begging the hedgehogs to come back with him because Riddle will be really worried otherwise, even though Ace had previously made fun of another student for talking to the hedgehogs since they can’t understand human language.

According to the wiki.gg Twisted Wonderland wiki, throughout the main story, Ace apparently shows a talent for wind magic.

Given these facts, the first thing I want to consider for him is the breath aspect. Though his occasional contrarian attitude could look like witch-like behavior, given other parts of his character, I feel like it is more a manifestation of his aspect rather than his class. He insults people and expresses unpopular opinions as an assertion of his freedom and lack of attachment to others. Therefore, compared to other aspects, breath (and its opposite, blood) seems like the most relevant one here.

Now, to figure out what his relationship to breath might be. I’m just gonna copy paste this dialogue down here too cause I think it’s a good example of how Ace operates.

Trey: … I understand why you’d think of him as a tyrant, and I understand that the way he does things is a little wrong, too. But, I… I still can’t find it in myself to go against him at all.

Ace: ………. Now that I know more, I understand completely now. The reason why Prefect Riddle is like that… It’s all your fault…

Ace: If you think that the Prefect’s making the same mistakes as his parents, then tell him directly. Fix your mistakes. What’s gonna happen to him if you just feel sorry and spoil him? So you’re just gonna watch everyone hate him and alienate him from a distance?

After hearing about Trey and Riddle’s situation, Ace is able to quickly figure out what the essence of the problem with Trey and Riddle’s relationship may be, figure out what should be done to solve the problem, and succinctly communicate that to Trey. This ability immediately makes me think of the knowledge classes (mage & seer) or sylph.

What’s also interesting about this is the exact advice Ace is giving. Looking at this while thinking of the breath and blood aspects, what Ace is saying can be interpreted as him telling Trey that he is too restricted by his feelings for Riddle, (aka blood) to tell Riddle what he needs to know, so Trey needs to make the hard decision to step back (aka move towards breath) and confront Riddle.

Based on this, I think that Ace’s tendency to call people out for stuff is a result of him being a sylph. As the passive creation class, sylphs are known for meddling in other people’s matters and “healing” any lack of their aspect. For example, this advice that Ace gives Trey can be seen as an example of Ace “healing breath” by trying to introduce more objectivity to Trey and Riddle’s relationship, which in this context means more breath.

His feigned apathy towards his friends and the feelings of others ties into how a sylph can have a very fixed interpretation of their aspect, which can lead to problems when others challenge that interpretation. Ace seems to view attachments to others in general as something negative. Not just concrete relationships like friendships and romance, but also simple empathy and care, like that which the random student in Ace’s dorm uniform personal story shows to the hedgehogs when he babytalks to them. In the story, Ace pointedly notes that the hedgehogs can’t understand them, discouraging the guy from talking to the hedgehogs. This is an example of Ace going too far as a sylph and micromanaging breath here to an unnecessary extent. Therefore, Ace’s challenge is to learn when to limit his pursuit of freedom and recognize that some personal connections are alright to have.

The idea of Ace being a sylph of breath really felt right to me, so there is a decent probability that something else that I didn’t notice fits him better, but I’m gonna go with the ~vibes~ and settle on sylph of breath. 

It was close, but basketball club didn’t end up as blood club. It’s just blood-and-breath club now I guess. Freshman breath player gets bullied by a pair of sophomore blood players. Hah. 

Anyway, bye.

[traumxrei-archive]

do you ever think about trey and riddle in book 1 ?

do you ever think about how painful it must've been for trey ? imagine, as a kid, befriending someone who you thought was lonely, and having so much fun playing with him whenever he wasn't studying... but then you hear that his mother figured out that he's been sneaking out during his breaks, and that he now has even less freedom than before. and that somehow, it was your actions that led to that ?

can you imagine how guilty he must've felt? to give riddle that taste of freedom and normalcy only for it to end up taking away what little freedom he had left. he must've felt terrible. the fact that he introduced riddle to what it felt like to have friends, to play games outside, to have the tastiest, freshly baked tarts in the whole queendom of hearts.

but simultaneously introducing riddle to what it felt like to be lonely, to have had friends and lost them, to yearn for days outside instead of being as he always was. alone.

i think that's a big reason why trey never said anything about riddle's tyranny in book 1. as we saw in the flashback, riddle had never been given the agency to act and think for himself. his every move was monitored by his mother, and his days were planned down to the minute. and for the first time, nrc had given him the environment to finally do what he wants, without the influence of his mother.

to trey, if strictly obeying the rules of the queen of hearts is what riddle wants, then trey would've protected that dream of his. which explains why he supported riddle for so long, acting as a right hand even if he didn't agree with riddle's assessments at times. we see it happening a lot in the story where he would act stern in front of riddle before apologizing once he's out of an earshot.

ace was able to find the fault in their relationship because he was an outsider, but trey was burdened with so much guilt towards riddle to the point that upsetting him wasn't even something he ever thought of doing. ace pointed out that as his friend, trey shouldn't be afraid to tell riddle that what he was doing was wrong. but riddle and trey's friendship has never been normal from the start. they never had typical boundaries that friends should have in the first place.

but trey missed out on something big. he overlooked the fact that his mother's strict upbringing created riddle's perfectionistic tendencies and the fact that following the rules isn't really what he wanted to do, rather it's what he thought was right. being as sheltered as he was, riddle never learned that rules were only as strict as the person keeping them, and that rules can be bent, amended, or overruled if people so chose.

it struck a chord with trey when ace asked him if he wanted to watch as riddle became the same as his parents; as he became hated and isolated from people, even though that was never his intention. you've gotta keep in mind that throughout all this, riddle was only doing what he thought was best for the dorm and what he thought would help people grow. so the fact that trey never said anything against his tyrannic ruling reinforces the idea, and it keeps him from learning that people didn't grow up the way he did, and what he's doing is wrong.

when the overblot happens, the reason why he stands up against riddle is because riddle was doing exactly as ace said, pushing everyone away and isolating himself with his ideals. even so, he tried the pacifist route with riddle first, trying to talk to him despite the fact that he had tried to cast his unique magic against everyone.

in the end, trey wasn't able to completely stand up to riddle. he didn't really have to, since ace was already saying all the words everyone wanted to say to riddle. and he apologizes to riddle for not speaking up sooner. he acted like everything was okay when riddle arrived at nrc, and didn't try to check in on how he was. he assumed that this was what riddle wanted without ever talking to him about it, and finally tells riddle what he was doing was wrong.

and their relationship was able to improve after the overblot happened. in future books, though he still reflexively tries to get people to follow the rules, we see riddle being more lenient with his dorm members. actually, i'd say that riddle grows to be a dormleader that truly cares for each and every member of his dorm, with how he helps them out with academics and other tasks if they needed it. not to mention, riddle and trey were able to have a more normal relationship. we saw how protective riddle was over trey after he got injured in book 2. and trey also isn't afraid to ask riddle for kitchen upgrades, which helps him as heartslabyul's head baker, and all in all these little things just point to how close they had gotten after the overblot.

thanks for reading ^^ i hope that this made sense, idk what prompted me to write all that, but i was just thinking about trey clover and. yeah. if you want to read some of non-analytical writing, check out my masterlist here >:D

[breezy-cheezy]

Who are Rook and Trey (if you don’t mind my asking)? (Love your art btw)

*Takes a DEEP breath* How much time you got- /half joking

Aight so. Rook Hunt and Trey Clover are two characters from a phone game I've been into recently, Twisted Wonderland. Yes. The. The Disney one. Written and Drawn by Yana Toboso (the artist/writer behind Black Butler. No I'm not kidding.) HEAR ME OUT kjhsdjkgdf

It's one of those gacha/visual novel-like games that gets marketed as like a dating sim, but has some of the most. Un-romantic settings/characters I've EVER seen. As an aro/ace, I applaud this lmao. Also amazing character and story writing like what the heck.

Very....boys will be boys energy but not the mean way, more of a “y’all are so stupid and ridiculous” in a fond way??

Actual answer under read more because I'm insane:

So every character is like. They aren't the Disney characters themselves but more like BASED on them? Sometimes several. I'm making a powerpoint on this to connect all the dots, here's Trey's lmao

Heartslabyul house! Based on: Mad Hatter, 3 of Clubs, King of Hearts, etc. Generally chill. You think he's the normal one, then he turns around and gives you an hour lecture on how to brush your teeth properly. Ok mom.

He also reminds me along of Ignis from Final Fantasy 15. He's. That type. But also not?? Still instant attachment that way LOL

Thing is he's VERY devoted to his childhood friend/Dorm leader, Riddle. But he will never admit this, not even to himself. (due to Trauma and also being totally completely normal. Uh-huh.)

SO IN WE BRING....ROOK HUNT (who is already on that slide HAHA)

Different house (it's a school setting, like Hogwarts but more Themed Houses based around. Different Disney villains) and SO. How do you explain Rook. Well he's based off the Huntsman from Snow White, mainly.

Gives these vibes. Incoming. Smiley. Will give affection. Somewhat of a threat.

Theater kid set loose. French. Loves beauty in all its forms. Drama, sparkles, has SO much love (platonic, I must preface, every time I use that, I mean in an unromantic manner) to give and is VERY vocal about it. Compliments you constantly and finds uplifting things to say even when you did horribly on something. You fell on your face? He will tell you you fell with magnificence or something idk he's just LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME, he means EVERY WORD TOO-

This dude will not lie. His eyes are too good, he is too perceptive. Oh also he hunts some students for sport, there's that little detail (HE NEVER HURTS ANYONE as far as I know he just. Watches. Love this lil weirdo. Some of his lines are "let's play tag!" and I'm like oh NO LMAO) so like I laugh at him but he's also MILDLY TERRIFYING AND CAPABLE LIKE DUDE-

Anyway, TREY you meet early since he's in the first house you deal with, Heartslabyul. But my first exposure to ROOK was through Trey's Lab Card story, which is honestly a fun time on its own. They are science club buddies!!

So right off the bat you have a very :D :D vs calm =w=;;; dynamic, which I love. But then we have....Trey, who denies how much he cares for people, for Riddle. Who shows care through his actions, baking, Due to Reasons, words of affirmation might murder him on the spot. And then we have Rook, who is a font of flowery warm appreciative words who loves and loves loudly, watching this like 👀 I see you. (incoming shots of Halloween Event part 2)

The guy calls him Chevalier des Roses to his face. Constantly. Rook has little nicknames for alot of people (most dorm leaders he calls "King of Roses" (Riddle), "King of Lions" (Leona) etc.) but he calls Trey a Knight. Of Roses. He's calling Trey Riddle's Knight. And it's very cute.

(Halloween event tossed them together and it was WONDERFUL)

But yeah Trey has his own reasons for shying away from the title. He's a baker's boy, he has no sword or armor or anything, also it's embarrassing as heck-

But Rook still sees how he treats people. He calls a knight for what it is. Rook himself ADORES his dorm Leader, Vil, and sees Trey trying to hide this same devotion and just goes "you are like me!!!" Trey: oh please no I could never-

Also they're SUCH. PARENTS.

It's just. A really good dynamic I'd LOVE to see more of, y'know? An understanding, somehow being understood by someone more than you know yourself. Rook is also weird as HECK sometimes (what do you mean you can see how Leona is yawning ALL THE WAY ACCROSS THE FEILD) and Trey nearby is. His friend. He's just like "I'm so sorry he's just like this" and it's VERY funny akjshdjksdhfs he may have to hold Rook back from blowing up the labs again, dude gets carried away.

I do love this very CUTE fan art here.

Twisted Wonderland has some lovely character dynamics. Also no one is "normal", but Rook is just another level of w h a t.

It feels like alot of interactions were just "hm spin a wheel, see who we get, slap them together" and it WORKS. SOMEHOW. Platonic Rook Trey is just one I've become extremely fond of and it's a rarer one....

You probably weren't expecting that much but it was a fun thing to answer. And THANK YOU About the art!! I wish to post more!! After school ends....soon.

[starryrock]

I like how it’s kinda acknowledged in canon that Dorm assignment is kinda bogus. Cater points out that the Mirror mostly judges aesthetics rather than the individual. It’s admitted that most beastmen get sorted into Savanaclaw and how most pretty people get put into Pomefiore. Trey and Cater admit to there being stereotypes of each Dorm because of how the Magic Mirror sorts students.

Don’t ask me where I remember this from, I can’t tell you. I think somewhere in the beginning of Chapter 1? But also I remember it mostly from the fan-translations.

[raggstorice]

who's your favorite twisted wonderland character, and why?

How do I even choose?

I have different reasons for liking all of my favs

(I will expand on all of these if asked. Please ask. Please. Id analyze any character in twst if asked I love them all)

Ace: I love how blunt he is. He doesn't sugarcoat his feelings as he speaks up for himself, others, and what he thinks is right. He can be an idiot, but I love him nonetheless! Although I feel like canon doesn't do much with his character and he's just used as a way to make other characters have development. (Ex: Riddle in ch.1 deuce in ch.5 the fairy gala remix in his card story) But all in all I think I love him because he's the opposite of me. (I can't speak up for myself...)

Trey: Like Ace, canon doesn't do much with his character and fandom doesn't really do anything with him besides using him as a way for cater angst? (No hate to Cater stans of course) so a lot of his character is my speculation. (He is not a normal guy he is lying to himself.) I love how I can pick apart his character without canon coming in and crushing my dreams. (I project onto him frequently.)

Leona: Oh boy. Here we go. God I love Leona so much. Obviously, he's a depressed bitch and neither canon nor fandom properly recognizes it he also has some serious trauma. (knowing you could be better but, why try? Your goal is impossible anyways.) Also, (as far as I know) he's the only Overblot victim who didn't properly redeem himself. (Ripping up Azul's contracts out of selfish desires is not redemption.) So that's canon mischaracterizing their own character and the fandom, is the fandom. Overall Leona is mischaracterized way too much and I kin him. (That's the reason I love him. I kin him.)

Azul: Azul is literally my baby. I love him because I just wanna give him a hug. The way his ED is implied a few times and then never brought up again is really annoying to me like- if you're gonna give ED rep at least mention in more than his chapter! It's a key part of his character and it's barely there. Oh also he was bullied and I relate to that.

Jamil: The vibes. Gender Envy. The pyromania. The way he hates Kalim even though it's not his fault because he needs someone to be angry at and it's so easy to hate the person directly causing your problems rather than blaming the system behind them. Oh also he's brown and I'm brown so it's like-

Vil: VILLL MY BEAUTIFUL QUEEN. Gender. Envy. The things I could do if I was him- she's so- can you imagine if I was amab? I could be feminine and still not be seen as a girl. Anyways the way he's always second place but doesn't blame the person who's above him but rather blames himself is so sad but so me.

Idia: his gamer talk is so funny sometimes. Oh also I wish I had an older brother like him. Oh also I haven't finished ch.6 but I'm really excited. Oh also technological characters always have a special place in my heart. oh also he's depressed and I find that relatable.

Sebek: I love him. He's so loud and so rude (humans) but I love him he's such a dork. He's trying his best okay? Id really love to see his character when it's not revolving around Malleus though.

Authors Note: tldr: angst, badassery, gender envy, character studys and more not necessarily in that order.

[winterillustrates]

Wanna draw, but busy, so I'm fantasizing abt drawing the guys. Yep, I'm delulu, but let me live!

How hard/How much I wanna draw the guys list....

(X) --Never drawn them

(1) -- Only drawn them once/very unexperienced with drawing them

HEARTSLAYBUL VERSION

Riddle: Um...my child?? My little guy who does no wrong? I wanna draw him so bad, and I have, a few times. How much I wanna draw him? 7/10. How hard he is to draw? 5/10. Relatively easy w/ a reference.

(X) Trey: I'm sorry, Trey fans, but I do not see the appeal? I mean, he sorta has this sadistic thing going on in the background, and that obsession with teeth kinda...doesn't hit. I think it would've been nicer if the character he's twisted from was ACTUALLY obsessed with teeth, but...eh... 6/10. Not cause I like him, but cause he has glasses and people w/ poor eyesight gotta stick together. How hard he is to draw? Idk, cause I've never bothered. But he looks like a 9/10 with that fedora and a 6/10, cause his hair looks like one wrong stroke and it looks entirely different.

(X) Cater: AHHHHHH. I love him!! I just want the best for him. AHHHH!! Top 10. I love his design! His phone is beauty! AHHHH!! 8/10. He slays, but dayum, his hair would drive me insane, ngl, so I'm giving him a 9/10.

(X) Ace: Ew. /affectionately. Oh, but in all seriousness, I'm not inclined to draw him. Not cause I don't like him, it's just...he's cool. BUT HIS BIRTHDAY CARD ROCKED MY WORLD!! LIKE WDYM YOU CAN BE PRETTY?? 3/10. Uh...his hair isn't giving it. Love his pose, but I'm not loving how his hair is. 7/10.

(X) Deuce: MY DEAR CHILD. MY SWEET SUMMER CHILD. I COULD KISS HIM WDYM. If I was Yuu, Deuce would be like friends to lovers, ngl. Frick Ace, Idc. 6/10, because I love him, but nothing screams "DRAW ME OR PERISH". His design is simplistic, his hair is nice and his pose is so in character, so maybe a 5/10.

As you can see, I have favourism for more straight haired characters than characters with spiky/fluffy hair.

Oh, and I'm kinda predicting Trey/Ace card for Heartslaybul, ngl. Ace, cause of the angst potential w/ Yuu and Trey, cause...idk, twst seems random like that.

Heartslaybul isn't my fav dorm, but it's the dorm that is inspired from my favorite child book, so I love it. I feel like they could've tried making them a bit more interesting, but they do have a good dynamic, and they all perform their roles marvellously.

I know I hate on Ace a lot (jokingly), but I do admire his honesty especially towards more powerful figure like Riddle and Malleus.

Deuce's love for his mother, kinda made me cry a bit. I mean, a lot of people love their parents, but I feel like Deuce SHOWED that he loved her by changing for her. I'm not saying it's good to change your personality for someone, but he saw how destructive his attitude was for his mother (someone he loved to the moon and back) and that was his main driving force to change. 10/10. I love my boy.

Cater is just so...idek how to describe him. He kinda gives me Show and Tell from Martinez vibes, because of how he presents himself?? Idk, honestly. I don't think Cater knows this, but I feel like he essentially makes/(MIGHT be more comfortable with them??) parasocial relationships? Like, how he puts on this fake smile, performance and act of them being their friend, only to never actually form an attachment to them, but they formed an attachment to him?? He's just so...hard for me to explain. WAIT HE REMINDS ME OF 'WORLD'S GREATEST ACTOR' ON YOUTUBE. AHHH.

Trey...he's like the person I pay the least attention to in Heartslaybul, so...not gonna put much effort, cause I barely know anything about him.

Riddle...Riddle would do SO well with Red from Descendants. Like, they both have controlling mothers but the way they handle this is very different. I have a lot to say abt him, but I'm just gonna stop.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

riddle's post-ob flashback in the light novel

Like the Leona post, I’m going to discuss the extended detail that the light novel goes into with Riddle’s backstory, then integrate it with what we know of him from the game. It looks like this is going to be a trend for the light novel, so I’ll most likely do similar analyses for the other OB boys as more volumes come out!

Anyway, read on if you’re curious 👀

Okay, so 🤔 from what we can observe from Riddle’s in-game post-OB flashback sequence, his mother has been dictating almost every aspect of his life, from what and how much he eats to his lengthy, rigorous study routine. As recently as Riddle’s Broomquet vignettes, we learned that even at 5 years old, he had already started and become accustomed to his intense studying. When Riddle fails to complete a task sufficiently, his mother has him redo it or study more until he finally succeeds.

This was Riddle’s “normal”, and he completely bought into it. In the game, this is explained as Riddle having trust in his mother due to her reputation in their community as a competent and well-respected medical mage. "After all, she was the most accomplished mother in the city, and therefore, the most correct." Riddle associates "correctness" with "accomplishments", and we see this attitude carry out in other aspects of the main story. He talks down to Yuu for lacking magic and brags about his own standing as top student to Azul, who regularly fluctuates from 2nd to 10th place. The light novel, however, grants us new perspective as to why Riddle tries so hard in his studies and seeks to please his mom. In turn, we can see how this domino effects into his struggles to connect with others.

In the light novel, Riddle notes that his mother would always tell him "everything is for you". "Everything", in this context, I'm assuming refers to all the time and effort Riddle is putting into his studying, the tight control of his life, etc. His mother has framed all of this as being beneficial to Riddle, and that she herself is pushing him to engage in these things because she loves and cares for him. This is something that Riddle then interprets as meaning she must love him the most in the entire world, something that he tells himself to justify her own actions in his own mind. It becomes a piece of "proof" that, later down the line, will make it difficult to reconcile with his complicated feelings on her once he realizes how toxic her child raising tactics were. (I go into more detail on this topic in this post!)

Riddle also says that if he responds with "yes, mother" then he will be praised for it. This, you'll notice, is a phrase that is very similar to what he demands his own dorm members respond to his orders with: "yes, dorm leader". It implies that Riddle is used to deferring to her judgement and authority, and so expects the same obedience of others when he is in that position of power. This agrees with his behavior in book 1. As Ace points out, Riddle is just acting like a miniature version of his own mom, right down to the angry reactions and shouting when things don't go his way.

Right after that, we get another short but telling line. Referring to his mother's affection, Riddle comments that he "doesn't need anything else", and decides to forgo asking for strawberry tarts ever again. He was willing to give up something he was curious about trying just to continue receiving praise. To me, this illustrates that the love of Mrs. Rosehearts was conditional: if you perform to her expectations, you get her love. If you don't perform to her expectations, well then, it's back to the books for you until you can. (Reminder: this does NOT confirm that Mrs. Rosehearts yells at Riddle or degrades him for not being “up to par”; there is just a sense of disappointment at this.) It implies that Riddle became used to a cycle of receiving the love and attention he wanted only when he behaved in a very specific way that his mother desired—otherwise, she withheld that affection. This is why Riddle believes following the rules will make him happy; it’s a result of what he has learned is the “norm” from his mother’s conditional love.

The light novel also shows us how this unhealthy mother-son relationship spills over into Riddle's other (potential) relationships. When Che'nya and Trey first approach him to invite Riddle to play with them, Riddle automatically says that he can't. He had the answer prepared for them, the response already deeply ingrained into him and likely already told to other children that tried to talk to him before. But even though Riddle rejects them, prioritizing his mother's praise over all else, he still feels a twinge of sadness about it. He even expects that he "let them down". "Let them down"? Now isn't that a funny statement. Why would Riddle be concerned about disappointing total strangers he has zero attachment to? Unless... he's so isolated that he just assumes everyone will treat him the same way his mother will. That they'll withhold love and attention if he doesn't act how they want him to. Thus, Riddle appears to associate failure to perform as resulting in rejection and lack of social acceptance.

This plays perfectly into one of the most chilling lines in Riddle's post-OB flashback: "But Mom... Why? Why does my heart hurt so much? [...] Tell me, Mom, please... What rule do I need to follow to make this pain go away?" These lines indicate Riddle finally coming to the realization that, deep down, he has always desired affection. A desire to make friends and to play with them, to have deeply intimate relationships. All he knew before was his mom was happy when he did well in his studies, so that was what he chose to excel in. Things changed when he was exposed to what unconditional love is like through Trey and Che'nya. Riddle's childhood friends are the ones who will love and accept him no matter what he's like, no matter what fuck-ups he makes or how socially awkward he is with them. He started to recognize that painful emptiness in him that never went way, no matter how many of his mom's rules he followed. Alas, Riddle was never able to come to terms with that sinking feeling because his mom had just torn him away from Trey and Che'nya not too long after learning that he had been skipping independent study time to play and eat a strawberry tart. He would not meet Trey again until enrolling at NRC, and by then, they've spent so much time apart (and, let's be real here, traumatized by Mrs. Rosehearts losing her temper over the tart incident) that her staunch mindset has clawed into Riddle's brain once more. His whole life, the main models of relationships he has to go off of are his mom and his dad, who don't appear to have a happy marriage (implied in his Suitor Suit voice lines). It's no wonder why making friends and truly opening up is difficult for him, even following the events of book 1. What else does Riddle have to reference? Crossword puzzles and textbooks? In Endless Halloween Night, the guy barely knows what a scavenger hunt is or how you'd find joy in it...

Unlike Leona, Riddle already had a pretty fleshed out backstory from his flashback. Instead of expanding on his motivations (as the light novel did with Leona), what the light novel does for Riddle is give us more information that implicates what his home life was like. It's still not that much, but it certainly better explains some of Riddle's oddly stringent viewpoints that we still see in the present day.

I know that this post was kind of a shorter read compared to the Leona one I did, but that's in part because I've already written at length about the complexities of Riddle's relationship with his mom, dad, and Trey. Those posts are bolded and linked, so if you're interested in more, then I'd recommend those readings!

[1218-814]

Trey Clover, the Ordinary man: Analysis and Theories

So as many of yall know, or ppl that remember me, I did not like Trey. However, after 2 years of my disappearance, I can confidently say that I TOLERATE him.

So just fyi. I have the hate a little inside. I think if someone says they dislike Trey they are justified and this is why (they don't have evidence, but I do)

THIS IS JUST MY OPINION AND ANALYSIS FOR MYSELF

Favorite Food: Violets preserved in sugar

Roses, violets, and sugar all come from a simple poem.

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Sugar is sweet

So are you

There was humpty dumpty and a lot of poems in the original book, so I think this has a high chance this came from here.

Least Favorite Food: Mustard

Trey, having the Mad Hatter as a sub-base from his hat and cake, I think it has some thing to do with the Mad Hatter. There's a scene where he was painting the clock, and the ingredient he disliked most to use was mustard.

Parents run a cake shop

The Mad Hatter was a sweet tooth. However, Trey's favorite food is quite expensive; I think his home is a high-end sweets shop.

Bad at singing

In chapter 7 of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" there's this song the mad hatter sang called "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Bat". It apparently sounded so bad that the Queen of Hearts called it "time killer".

Brushing his teeth

As I said in one of my other theory, Trey is the type to lie and not feel guilt. Teeth are originally "white things” and lies are “things that come out of the mouth”, Trey may like to “reveal a lie as a lie”(a joke).

Personality:

Doesn't like Riddle or is hiding something from him, judging his lies and Lab Coat PS.

Deuce and him are the cards that represent "Night", so I think that's one of the reason why he was in the Star Gazer event.

He also is the Jiminy Cricket from "Pinocchio", which is the other reason for the star event.

Oyster sauce goes well with spicy ramen (Cater).

His nature is probably really salty (Oyster sauce)

Unique Magic:

He's painting the lie with Riddle, Which I assume is one of the reasons why Riddle's icon is a completely red rose.

He dislikes his work being crumbled in a short amount of time (I don't think he likes using his unique magic on his cakes)

Chevalier of Rose (Rook)

His position in the op is the knight piece in chess

Relationship with Riddle and his mom

Riddle has an obsession with strawberry tarts; in his back story his mother called it 'a glob of sugar', but Riddle called it as 'big red strawberries'.

Strawberries symbolize perfect goodness, and a happy household.

Riddle probably wanted the love, but his mother took it in a different way. Trey likes violets, which I hear has a sour taste, like his personality.

Strawberries and violets are similar in a way... The sugar coating.

The nappage (The glaze on tarts), what I assume, is something on top of the true love.

Riddle's mom does give him love, but it's twisted, and Trey can't tell his feelings to him, like the violet (hides his true thoughts)

Love has different forms/types.

Like strawberries, in Trey's Lab Coat was about strawberries, his love (friendship) is a naturally sour berry and he won't name it (or he can't)

Riddle doesn't know the difference between the tarts (=love), and in Epel's PS he said that he was alone on Halloween.

Judging his personality, he tells this so he won't break down of sadness and pain; Trey understands this and he's scared of 'special love' and prefers a normal love.

Also, he seems like Riddle now=grave for old Riddle... (Is this why you listen to someone you could probably beat?)

Riddle needs someone who wouldn't lie, someone who would stand beside him (brains and power) to give him love, strawberries that aren't sugar coated.

Floyd buys the tart (love) and he even trades the red stone for notes in another story.

I think he'll be important in the future of Riddle.

~~~Warning for my reason of distaste for Trey Clover~~~

In the first arc I feel like he was doing "a childhood friend who thinks of Riddle" act coolly, but I think it should be that he thought, "I have the highest liking for Riddle."

This leads me to think...

Unpopular Opinion, Trey is a psychopath/sociopath or does not really like current Riddle. Let me explain from the ceremonial cards:

Apparently, he doesn't hide his true feelings thinking of Riddle as “A tyrant that uses his dorm and his vice dorm leader very roughly” (Trey’s gym uniform and Jade’s ceremonial robes)

Only Trey, I get the weird feelings. I don’t think he’ll stand up for Riddle if we say “I hate Riddle” and talk about him behind Riddle’s back, Trey seems like he would laugh it off. Because, Trey got angry because of “I’m tired of the same cake Trey makes”, that’s insulting to Trey.

Riddle was like “Welp okay” but trey was like “Haha...”, and will purposely set up things like this and continue it for a long time. (I would still eat it though)

There are some aspects of the Heartslabyul dormitory and Riddle that can't be helped, but there’s too many secrets they are hiding from Riddle.

Trey does try to help Jade (ceremonial robes, Jade), but he doesn’t help Jamil (Trey’s ceremonial robes)... Maybe it’s because there’s the danger of Riddle exploding (not literally)and he didn’t see Jamil needing help.

Trey, and Riddle too, I get the impression of “I’m not interested in others”

Cater mixes well with him because he has this “sad boy hours, secretly” personality. I can’t see Trey willingly letting others in his heart. 

I just get this "a subordinate who is swayed by a selfish boss" vibe from him. I think he’s unconsciously trying to “help” his dorm by overlapping him with Riddle.

He’s basically talking about himself and not looking at the person, and that’s what Kalim was talking about.

Trey is the “big bro that we can count on”, but he isn’t like Riddle or Azul who likes “being counted on”. Every other vice dorm leader are actively trying to help out with emotional baggage but Trey’s in the “waiting position”

He knows he will be relied on or like “I’m the only person you can rely on so, I’ll just listen to it”? He has this very good passive care? It’s not like he has a good relationship, more like taking care of the relation ship. He’s like “if you don't eat your tomato's your parents are going to be a problem so just please eat them”, which is what I think his thought are usually.

Perhaps Trey taking care of others is neutral, he doesn’t hate it or love it. Maybe he’s like that with him? I feel like he’s looking for someone or an accomplice, like Cater, to share his problems with. 

I saw that possibility in Jade, but he doesn’t fully strike me as that kind.

Perhaps Jamil has a honest straight heart and he decides that Trey is “not the type he wants to be an accomplice.” It seems that he was trying to look in deeper because of Jade’s gut feelings.

Perhaps Riddle failed the strawberry tart joke, which Trey was the one who made the joke maliciously with the oyster sauce, has something meaningful...

Ace also defines the relationship between tray and riddle as "spoiled". This is probably the same for Riddle’s tart.

This tart, which is too salty with oyster sauce, is said to be "delicious" only by Cater, who “hates sweets and can be said to be an accomplice to the tray that hides it."

Isn't this salty strawberry tart a metaphor for Tray's personality? After all, Riddle doesn't seem to be talking to the end.

Probably there is a foreshadowing side of the second part of the Heartslyaul arc; including the tea party at the end of this, and the appearance of Chen’ya, and there is a hint that Riddle will face the nature of Trey (the salty tart) but at the end we can laugh at each other. I wonder what it would be (HHhhmMMMMmm CATER??? )

It's understandable, looks and acts sweet but salty on the inside. Trey seems like he makes an oyster sauce joke, probably only to someone who brings up his specialty, cake making, and makes it aware only then about his “salty nature”.

Jade and Rook have never talked to him about sweets, so they probably misread his true nature.

He probably thinks of the dorm as his “kitchen and dining table.” he doesn’t care who sits and dines, but he doesn’t want a miss. Like he’s the mom like “oh? your tired of the cake? Them make on or self”

From Riddle's remarks, this is the only clue to "Trey before Riddle's mother gets entangled and distorted with him", so maybe the "Oyster sauce joke" is Trey's fraternity and his playful nature.

He looks like a sincere man, but in reality, lying is like a reversal phenomenon that he is.

Perhaps "the present where I can't joke to Riddle" is more unusual for Trey. That’s why Jade and Rook were surprised at the “"Well, isn't strawberry a love for Riddle?" (platonically); it's because they aren’t as close enough to know the “oyster sauce”. He might want to give Riddle the sauce too.

Perhaps it's spicy ramen (in a soup stock way), or Cater, that goes well with oyster sauce, and neither cake nor oyster sauce is entwined with liver pate or carpaccio. (Jade and Rook)

That's why the two observers overlooked this whole thing.

Vil and Trey are probably the closest, and Vil does notice the suspicion. Maybe Trey is in NRC, and not RSA because deep down he is a liar? 

A lie is also handy, but in general, it is hard to say that it is a "good" background. Maybe this is why Trey is so scared. By the pressure of Riddle that it can't be restored to the old relationship that they once had; he thinks “Riddle would decapitate me if I say a joke about the oyster sauce. (his true self)"

It's subtle whether Riddle isn't complimenting/appreciating Trey properly or is running away and not listening properly, but I feel like the latter.

Jade and Rook judge the strawberry tart from the outside, but it's actually salty with oyster sauce, Ace and Deuce scream and Cater says it's delicious. Riddle, who noticed that he was deceived, accepts it and can laugh, and maybe Trey’s wish or the friendship can be repaired if he notices Riddle's window of forgiveness. 

Considering that teeth are originally "white things" and lies are "things that come out of the mouth", Trey may like to "reveal a lie as a lie".(a joke) and mashes up well with Vil.

From the fact that Trey’s unique magic is “doodle”; the lie that turns white roses into red, the joke of oyster sauce, and the liar skill of the person himself, it is as if "I am a mischievous liar". It is thought that it is. What if Kalim’s power is water based, what if the metaphor is being washed away?

In the SSR, the first-year students who tease the cake Trey makes, encounter a lot of trouble, but the Trey does nothing on purpose to make them fail.

However, just before Riddle goes off, he shows off his whole cake, saying, "I wondered if that might happen!". This is truly Trey like and the performance he made was just to create a laugh. He's not just “a boy who cried wolf”, he just likes "laughing lies and moments of revealing." Therefore, it is trusted by the surroundings.

Then, the meaning of marron tart in Heartslabyul arc will change. Marron tart is a "vanity with a sweet amount" and is not a cake suitable for sourness and decoration fruit like strawberries. Perhaps Trey's lie will fail in the future, in conflict with Riddle's ethics. Even if Riddle himself wanted it to...

I thought it was strange. Why did Trey who loves "peace" make first graders make marron tart instead of strawberry tart, that was safe? This is a "notice to the second part", which expresses the "spoiled-sweetness" of Trey in the form of a maroon tart. This is "the end of childhood".

Strawberry tart is a taste for adolescents  due to a mixture of sweetness and sourness, but the sweet marron tart without sourness will prepare a spoiled = comfortable lie for "small children"(Riddle) I wonder what that is though... Apparently, the current Trey has “Riddle=Tyrant=very troublesome” idea. However, the actual Riddle has already graduated from “childhood” and is already in “adolescence”. Maybe he will take off his glasses when Trey faces "current Riddle"

Perhaps this is a state in which “liar achievements (the blot) continue to accumulate now that lies cannot be revealed as lies". Maybe Trey thought Riddles mother “repainted” as an “angry tyrant”. Unless Trey himself reveals the lie, he will keep “painting” the lie... Which does explain why his coffin icon is a fully red rose.

The combination of the idiom "red lie" (in Japanese) and "let's paint the roses red" creates a character as if this "liar Trey" was assembled. Cater welcomes lies and sincerity as long as it "shines in magicam", so he is happy to accept the revealing of Trey. So this is the reason why the two can be paired with duo magic.

I'm sure Trey is the type that wants you to silently eat a salty cake and say “Wow this- I- hahaha” rather than a sweet pleasant cake. 

I don't know what spicy things represent, but Jamil, who has lived as a "little adult", likes spiciness and dislikes sweetness (dates) like Cater, so maybe "I don't know how to spoil it because I have never been spoiled as a child." I think it's a distortion of their communication methods. 

Also, the food that Ace dislikes is "raw oysters", so if you think about it in connection with the story of the walrus who monopolized the oysters and the lie of Oyster sauce equals Trey, does it mean "I hate hypocrisy and liars"?

When Jade, who would be the polar opposite, said to Trey that he misunderstood him as the type that “wants Riddle to eat home-made dishes with lots of love”, maybe it’s because he is the type to do that with his mushrooms (Jade be a little more grateful that it lasted two weeks with Floyd please-). So that got me thinking...

If I re-judge them it looks like Trey is “looks loving/affectionate, but thinks Riddle as a ‘troublesome dorm leader’ he has to work for’ and Jade is ‘Looks like he gives not a lot of love, but in actuality, he cares about Floyd and Azul and feeds them mushrooms and likes watching them enjoy eating. (or at least that’s how I views them)’

Now if I re-think my judgement and group the vice-dorm leaders, there's two groups:

“Dang it-Don’t do anything extra, dorm leader.” type- which is Jamil and Trey. (maybe Ruggie)

“Look at my dorm leader!! I’m so proud of him!!!(?)” type- which is I assume Rook and Jade (And Ortho? and Lilia)

Looking back on Jade, he didn’t really become very sad from Azul’s and Floyd’s complaints about eating mushrooms, he looks like he just enjoys the “process of giving love” to his mushrooms/friends, and...That's some heavy love right there …( I don’t think you would admit it as ‘love’ Jade but... You’re not doing so you can get anything back... )

I did some looking back on the vice dorms’ lines, and Trey made me think. Does his praise towards Riddle mean anything to Trey himself? 

Jamil did try to talk to Trey and he just kinda ignored Jamil because, from his point of view, he may have seen it as “Kalim is okay, he has no problems and they look like friends”, but on the contrary, Jade, he probably thought they were the “same kind” because he thinks that Azul is like Riddle, one who causes problems, “made him the vice dorm leader because he had to”. 

Jade, on the other hand, thought that Azul and Riddle were both interesting, so he thought that Trey “loves Riddle with genuine affection” (In a friendship way )

Yes, we did see the ‘I don’t really like you.’ with Jamil and Kalim, but what happens if Riddle noticed..? (I would either laugh or cry tbh)

I am more concerned with Riddle overblotting again because of their relationship. Like, Trey didn’t even bother to take off his hat and was super calm about the blot. While Jade, who actually cares and worries, took off his hat during the overblot times.

....

If Trey does turn out to be very suspicious, in a theory, then so will Idia and Lilia...

Also, another thing, Riddle can’t really get Floyd to stop bothering him because he would use “Bind the Heart” on him

~~~

The last part was a mess but this is also from 2 years ago lmao

Anyways, Heartslyabuyl is a metaphor.

Like dead ass, EVERYTHING is a metaphor to me

[twst-hanaya]

Twisted Wonderland Hogwarts Houses: Heartslabyul

This is Part 1 of a 7 part series.

Just thought it would be fun I think about which Hogwarts House would suit each boy the best, and explain why I chose the ones I did.

I wrote this while I was suffering through finals so please don't expect quality, it was escapist indulgence that lead me to write this post.

As always, this is just my personal opinion. Feel free to give your own!

Riddle Rosehearts

Ravenclaw

Because he's an absolute nerd. Not much else to say about this one honestly. Get that valedictorian seat you little red gremlin.

Ok but if I have to elaborate. Man is strong and all but has no rizz, so Gryffindor is out. Slytherin would be dishonorable for him because he is a goody two shoes, and would agree with the idea that the ends justify the means. Hufflepuff is all about hard work and all, but his work ethic is less about fairness and more about winning academically, against everyone. This is very Slytherin of him, but ultimately Ravenclaw is winning out on this one.

Trey Clover

Slytherin

Now hear me out on this - I know that he's like the Dad of the squad and all, but I don't think Hufflepuff suits him. Sure, he takes good care of his underclassmen and fellow dorm students as Vice Housewarden, and he makes snacks and feeds everyone, but this man is first and foremost about keeping the peace, and doesn't care about sentimentality. He's all about practicality.

It was a big part of the story that he didn't have the courage to face Riddle as his friend, and his actions in the midst of that conflict was to take the easy way out (emotionally and mentally), by soothing Riddle's temper as well as the dorm student's anger at the unfair treatment, rather then dealing with the heart of the matter.

In his Lab Coat personal story, we can see that he's actually got a fairly dry personality. Jade is surprised to hear that Trey doesn't mind giving up the strawberries he put effort into growing, thinking that he would want to put his heartfelt affection for Riddle into the tart he was making for him, but Trey explains that Riddle can't really tell the difference between high quality ingredients and good-enough, and ultimately it's about satisfying his demands. Him using the strawberries he was growing was just because he so happened to have them on hand, not because he was set on using them for Riddle.

I just think this practicality oriented mindset, with the goal of "peace", is very Slytherin like.

Cater Diamond

Hufflepuff

I considered this a lot, because I know there's supposed to be a bit of a depressive side to his character that he doesn't really show others, but ultimately I felt that it fit him the most.

Cater is an expert at reading the room and managing people's emotions and perceptions in a way that Trey simply can't mimic. He's great at networking and connecting to others, and is a great mood maker.

Gryffindor would have been too bold of a house for him, as he's not one to push his own feelings forward and is focused on keeping a fun energy which makes him more of a people-pleaser type than the charismatic types that are more common in Gryffindor.

Slytherin also doesn't really suit him because while he can be as sneaky as any other NRC student, he's not particularly ambitious. You could say he's manipulative, but it's more for the sake of keeping everything "happy" rather than for any practical benefit of his own.

Ace Trappola

Slytherin

He's just such a sly little bastard you know? Classic teen behavior and all that, but dude is literally just the kind of person you wanna - *wrings neck, with affection*.

I also considered Gryffindor, but I would say his snarky little asshole side is stronger. He'll (for the most part) take the easy way out of a situation rather than do something for the sake of his pride / competitiveness, although he's not immune to doing so. As I said: classic teenager. Ultimately, another one who cares more out but the ends than the means.

Deuce Spade

Gryffindor

He's so perfect for the home of lions, don't you think? And while he doesn't have rizz, he's very straightforward and honest about what he thinks. I considered Hufflepuff because of this, but I felt that he was more energetic and competitive, so Gryffindor it was. Also despite his supposed efforts to become a model student, he's not really trying that hard is he? lol. Studying is a bitch when you really don't know how to study.

[once1upon1a1wonderland]

Character Name Meanings Analysis

I am always interested in the names and origins of the names of characters. It's interesting to me. Names can be very important and integral to the characters that they belong to. And Twisted Wonderland is no exception. So let's get to it.

I'm going in the order of the dorms, so first up is..............................................................................................................................................................

The students of Heartslabyul

Riddle Rosehearts

Let's break down his name bit by bit.

So first off, he's clearly based off of the Queen of Hearts. That's pretty obvious for those who've played the game. The Queen of hearts having come from wonderland, a place of upside down chaotic nonsense. So his name being Riddle doesn't seem to be that deep.

Riddle

noun

a question or statement intentionally phrased so as to require ingenuity in ascertaining its answer or meaning, typically presented as a game.

"they started asking riddles and telling jokes"

verb

ARCHAIC

speak in or pose riddles.

"he who knows not how to riddle"

Well, now that we've looked at the definition, his name doesn't really match up to his personality. He's doesn't seem to be nonsensical I wish to make you confussed type of person. (That title can go to a few others of the cast, but I digress...)

No, his name seems to be Riddle for the sole purpose of relating to wonderland and the original monarch. We can see this by the fact that his last name is Rose- hearts. Again alluding to the queen of hearts. Hearts and then the roses part alluding to the practice of painting the roses red. His first name being Riddle seems to purposely contrast with his no nonsense personality.

That's really all I have to say of him for name definitions.... I know it's not much, but as far as name interpretations go, I think his is one of the simplest.

Next up!

Ace Trappola

His name isn't too hard to discern either....

Ace

noun

1.

a playing card with a single spot on it, ranked as the highest card in its suit in most card games.

"the ace of diamonds"

2.

INFORMAL

a person who excels at a particular sport or other activity.

"a motorcycle ace"

Obviously with the first definition that we get, it's easier to roll our eyes and go: no duh, that's obvious. However, it is the second definition which I am intrigued by. 'A person who excels.' In the main story, we see time and again that Ace often one ups Deuce. Just an interesting tidbit. To not just go with his name relating to the fact that he's in part based off of the card soldiers, but to also have him being very good at a lot of things. Ah, if only he would apply himself more..... He's clearly capable.

Now for his last name...

Trappola

Well yes... his name literally translates to trap.... so... yeah... whatever those implications can be.... But anyway! We know he's good (very good) at card tricks.

Well, there is also a card game by name of trappola.

"The point-trick game of Trappola was described by Cardano as a popular Venetian game in the 16th century. It spread throughout Central Europe but continued to be played with Italian suited cards. The composition of the pack is unusual: A K C J 10 9 8 7 2 in each suit. The card values are A=6, K=5, C=4, J=3 with 6 for the last trick. The twos are important: there is a special bonus of 10 points for winning a trick with a two. If the last trick is won with a two, the bonus is doubled to 20 points, which together with the usual 6 makes 26 points. Winning the last trick with a two became known as a "26".

The only known survivor of the Trappola group proper is the game Stovkahra, played by a few people in Romania; this has been adapted to use the German suited 32 card pack, substituting sevens for the twos."

For more info: https://www.pagat.com/trappola/

But yeah, there ya go! Another fun little tidbit for his name being what it is!

Now for Deuce Spade

Deuce

the two on dice or playing cards.

"a doctored die having two deuces"

Honestly I've always felt that his name was meant to allude to that he was going to feel like he's second best to Ace. The context is there in the story right from the moment we're introduced to the one braincelled duo.

Well, now for his last name; Spade

a digging implement adapted for being pushed into the ground with the foot. : a spade-shaped instrument. Okay I'm kidding... it's cards again guys... just alluding to cards. However..... maybe even the spade symbol on the card speaks more of his personality than we think.....

the Spades suit is considered the highest-ranking suit in games that give preference to the card suit. Spade symbolizes the winter season, and the symbol represents the water element. The suit symbolizes the acme of old age when humans gain knowledge, transformation, and acceptance.

Just a quick Google search gave me that.

Well, let's move onto

Cater Diamond

Cater basically means the number four in cards or dice. In other contexts, it can mean someone who provides food and drink typically at social events.

His last name diamond referencing the card symbol can also mean a representation of progress, commitment, ethics, and stability.

Interesting considering that he seems to be depressed. Maybe it's something he is wishing for in his life.

Last but not least.

Trey Clover

Trey means a playing card with a rank of three.

Last name clover obviously another card suit.

What else about clovers....uhhhh it's a plant?

Well, it was fun going over all of the Heartslabyul cast.

One more thing though.....

I think the references of these characters to this scene from Aloce in wonderland is worth taking a look at. You hear the characters names. Enjoy!

Little side note.... I find it hilarious that Heartslabyul puts so much emphasis on following the Queens rules, one of them being to make sure that the roses get painted red. Ironically, the queen beheaded her men for painting the roses red.

Hope you enjoyed this little post and I hope to do more. Let me know your thoughts or what you think about it and I hope to do a name analysis on Savanaclaw soon.