#twisted wonderland Book 1

[twsted-canvas]

Hi there! I wanted to give a big, big thank you for all the love and support on the Malleus animation I made (you can see it here if you haven't checked it out yet!). It was the first animation I've ever tried to make and I really didn't expect as many people to see and enjoy it as they did! It's my first 2,000+ note post, thank you so so much again. Thanks to you all, I'm also more encouraged to try practicing more! Focusing this time on trying to create some more lively bits instead of a simple static scene.

(Either option will include the same character for the MC as in the Malleus animation, simply because I'm most comforable with her. Thanks for understanding!)

[nyxnightshade1332]

Expectations When Expecting (Book 1)

Prologue, Chapter 20

Chapter 1:

When Yuu opened her eyes, she was no longer in the old, barely-livable room of the Ramshackle dorm, but within the walls of what appeared to be a maze of rose bushes. Her eyebrows furrowed at the oddly familiar scene that began to play out before her.

Three cards, seemingly distressed, danced and darted around, paintbrushes dripping red as they hurriedly painted the bushes.

"Hurry up and paint those roses red!" The cried, sloppily splatter paint onto the pristine white roses of a beautiful bush. "Slather them quickly as aforesaid!"

How strange... Why are they painting the roses red? Yuu thought to herself.

"Hurry! Hurry! There are still roses left to paint!" The Ace of Clubs called out to the other two.

Yuu noticed a sweet-looking young girl clad in blue and white arrive through the shrubbery, walking up to one of the cards.

"Excuse me? Why are you painting these white roses red?" She asked innocently.

The cards, seemingly confused by this question, paused.

"Why, you ask?" The Two responded. "It's quite simple. We planted the wrong color, you see"

"The Queen likes her roses red." The Ace continued. "If they're white, we'll lose our heads!"

The young girl's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Goodness!" She exclaimed incredulously.

"This is why we're painting the roses red!" The Three of Clubs concluded.

Yuu heard the far away response of the young girl as she picked up a brush, stating that she would help the cards.

The Young woman felt dread filling her heart, and she suddenly felt dizzy, noting the darkening edges of her vision.

"Don't do it, Alice..." She felt herself say, unsure of why, or how she seemed to know the young girl's name.

Yuu closed her eyes before she woke up with a strangled gasp, rushing toward the window to let some air in. The nausea was manageable enough, however, she'd figured that the cool night air would allow her stomach to settle some. Shakily, she'd managed to reach the window, successfully managing to unlock it before she heard the pounding on her door insistent on being let in.

Her mood rapidly shifted from strangely unnerved to purely angry. Yuu shoved open the window (with a surprising burst of strength) and began to yell.

"WHO THE EVERLOVING FU-" She froze for a moment as she recognized the ginger hair of the idiot on her doorstep. She took a deep breath, wrapping herself in a blanket. "Darn it Ace... I'm coming!"

She heard the groan of the little cat monster as he stirred awake with a little meow. "Hey... Yuu..." He yawned.

"I know it's the middle of the night, but I think we've got a visitor." Grim stated, eyes still closed with exhaustion. "Maybe it's those pesky ghosts again? They just don't know when to quit."

Yuu smiled as she scooped the cat into her arms. "Nah, it's not the ghosts." She reassured him as she made her way down the stairs.

"It's me, Ace! Just let me in, all right?" He called as Yuu swung the door open.

"... You better have a damn good reason for pounding on the door like a madman at three in the morning." Was the first thing she said, not looking at him.

"Ace? It's the middle of the night! B-bwah! That collar!" Grim, now fully awake, yelped. Yuu looked up, her eyes widening as she recognized the heart-shaped, red and black collar around his neck.

"Yikes bro, what'd you do?!" She squawked, eyes wide.

Ace pouted like a toddler who'd just been told 'No'. "I can't go back to Heartslabyul House. I'm joining your dorm. For good."

"Come again?!" Grim cried, hopping out of Yuu's arms, alarmed.

"Okay... Get in here and explain. Like... now." She stated, ushering the ginger in. 

Chapter 2

[adaven17]

Hello! 

I've been working on a fic for a while now and have finished Book 1 and finally started the Wish upon a Star event arc! This fic is a combination of events and the main storyline with lots of additional scenes and headcanons added in to make the whole world feel more lived in. I primarily focus on scenes that allow for plenty of character interactions and world building! This is gonna be a longer fic that explores the world of Twst quite a bit along with expanding on the relationships Yuu (MC) forms with our favorite band of trouble making students at NRC! It's got a nice mix of mildly spooky undertones and lot of cute moments or so I've been told!

Snippet from Chapter 14:

“Big brother! I brought a friend to visit!” Ortho buzzed, tapping on the guy’s shoulder. The movement on the screen paused and the guy shifted down his headphones.

“Ortho what’s—ehh!?” The guy jumped in his chair when Yuu entered his field of view, leaning away from her into his chair. He was wearing a white lab coat over a striped blue shirt, the black gloves Crewel made them wear in potionology covering his hands.

Yuu looked at his desk but didn’t see anything related to alchemy or potions there. Why was he wearing that then?

“I told you not to wear this,” Ortho sighed, one hand on his hip as he pointed to the lab coat. His big brother, Idia, wasn’t paying him any attention, eyes still wide and glued to her.

“Ortho,” he squeaked, “why’s there a person in my room!?”

“Hello, I’m Yuu!” she said, waving shyly since she didn’t know what else to do.

“ Ortho —”

“This is my new friend I was telling you about, Yuu is helping with the Starsending too.” Ortho floated back to stand next to her and Yuu watched as no less than a dozen emotions crossed Idia’s face as he looked between them. Finally, it settled on what could only be described as utterly panicked.

“H- HUH?!?! ”

[egophiliac]

A guy who just wake up from a coma -> what did i miss?

Pomefiore was the last plot i follow before real life made me forget about our silly boys. How bad has the plot become now for our gang? Also who is that Gojo looking guy?

anon, I am so sorry and I mean this in the best way, but I do think episode 5 is the absolute funniest place to have stopped following Twst because shit starts escalating SO fast after that. episode 6 literally starts with a secret government shadow agency breaking down our doors and kidnapping students. zero to a million instantly.

and like...that's not even the zaniest thing so far? Ortho's hacked into the collective human unconscious. there's time travel (sort of). "Crowley might be Malleus' long-lost father" is a serious theory. if you'd told me any of this back pre-episode 6, I would have asked for the link to this unbelievable but highly intriguing fanfic.

also, episode 7 gave us (and then immediately took away 😔) the best character in the whole story:

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

 book 7 chapter 12 part 2 thoughts!

***THIS POST CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR BOOK 7 PART 12 OF THE MAIN STORY!!*** This spans part 245 to part 268, focusing on Trey and Ace.

We will get Riddle's dream in a future update (scheduled for Feb 7th)!

Please note: this is NOT meant to be a summary or a translation; these are only my initial thoughts on the events that roughly unfold. There may be details overlooked or misunderstood in this post, so PLEASE do not use this as a translation.

The group lands on a tropical island! These are reused assets from the Lost in the Book with Stitch event.

Cater indicates that he's fine from the bumpy ride; he likes the thrill! It reminds him of sky diving. He also shares that he once lived by the sea in Pyroxene/the Shaftlands and that he enjoys board-related activities (snowboarding, surfing, skateboarding, etc.)

IHBASOUFA8TVVAD8FA RIGHT AS THEY'RE TALKINGA BOUT THIS, LEONA INTERRUPTS AND TELLS THE KIDS TO STOP WASTING TIME, THEY GOTTA FIND THE DREAMER 💀 (Can't believe I'm saying this, but I want to shake his hand for reminding everyone to get the fuck back on track instead of standing around talking for several parts in a row...)

They find some footprints in the sand and decide to follow them. Due to the size and shape of the footprints being similar to Deuce's, they think the footprints must be Ace's and will lead them to him.

We bump into Ace (who is wearing his beachwear clothes from the Stitch event), along with dream!Riddle (also in his beachwear) and dream!Trey (who is in his Yasmina silk from the fireworks event). Trey was cooking up BBQ for everyone! afhlbllbaiad THE TWST DEVS ARE REALLY GETTING MILEAGE OUT OF THOSE OLD ASSETS, HUH...

Ace speaks to Deuce, Cater, Grim, and Yuu in a familiar tone, but is shocked to see everyone else. He also mentions dream!Cater leaving to change into swimwear and to take pics by the sparkling sea; it looks like he was dreaming of all of Heartslabyul and Grim + Yuu hanging out here. Apparently, dream!Cater rented a place for them by the beach from Kalim's family.

Ace and dream!Trey explain they're celebrating because Yuu can now freely pass between Twisted Wonderland and their original world. asdbihasiodasqevyf IS THIS SLIGHT SHADE AT THE THEORISTS THAT PROPOSED SOMETHING SIMILAR TO KEEP YUU AS THE MC IN TWST... (Turns out, Ace must have been really wishing for Yuu to not leave their friend group forever www) This seems to be their summer vacation after the first school year.

Cater volunteers himself, Silver, Leona, and Idia to help Trey with making BBQ. This is so they can monitor the darkness while giving the first years a chance to wake Ace. Congrats to Cater for being a little useful in these dreams 🤡

The first years directly confront Ace as he is showing them options for beachwear to change into. However, to everyone’s shock, Ace is in complete denial and brushes it off when his head starts to hurt. He tells they are all being overly negative and it's harshing his vibes! It's vacation time, so why are they trying to ruin things with jokes that are in poor taste? This marks the first major instance of the dreamer resisting the feeling of “waking”.

Sebek intervenes and tries to take charge of the argument. Even with Sebek shouting about all the havoc Malleus's magic is causing... even when Sebek says Malleus's magic will eventually swallow the world, Ace has no problem with it. He claims it's not his problem. Besides, everyone's going to be living happily in dreams, right? And this is the path that Malleus chose for himself, so he should accept the consequences of his actions. What's the issue there? Besides, he doesn't want to cooperate with a person like Sebek who constantly looks down on others and paints all the dreamers as victims in need of saving.

Ace storms out in a fit of anger. Grim starts blaming Sebek for things emotionally escalating. Then Ortho confronts Sebek with this question: if it was not Malleus Draconia behind the current situation, would Sebek really be trying as hard as he is to rectify things? This question shocks Sebek into silence.

Cater and the others show up to check in on us. From our crestfallen expressions, he can tell we failed to wake Ace.

HUHHHHHHHH 😟 Silver suddenly gets super strict with Sebek and scolds him for the trouble his rudeness has caused everyone + their seniors. He says that the people around Sebek have been too lenient with him and thus spoiled him; he needs to reflect on his actions!! Sebek uses a really quiet voice and apologizes to us (but he still uses kisama which is a pompous and rude way to speak to others 😭).

LEONA 💀 He suggests they are wasting too much time trying to wake a small fry like Ace and it may be more efficient to skip him and move onto the next dreams. THE DAD THAT LEFT FOR MILK, FOLKS

… What the fuck. I did not expect Ace’s dream to better my opinion of CATER of all people but lo and behold, it is. Cater agrees with Leona that it may be more efficient to skip Ace’s dream. He and Idia do not need to worry about Ace anymore. This first year is Heartslabyul’s so it’s not their responsibility. Cater walks off and Yuu, Grim, and Deuce chase him. The others follow in a separate group due to the radius for Ace’s dream world not being very large.

Deuce begs Cater to let him try talking to Ace one more time before they give up on him. AND THEN CATER ACTS LIKE THE DAD THAT STEPPED UP because he tells Deuce he never had any intention of abandoning Ace 😭 Deuce, Grim, and Yuu decide to team up with Cater to wake Ace, especially considering they may have to combat darkness this time.

Cater finds Ace by himself and asdbhlabsyod8ysaas8fb uses Split Card to make a bunch of clones to gang up and pummel his junior... "I'll show you this is a dream :))" *PROCEEDS TO BEAT THE CRUD OUT OF ACE* Unfortunately for Cater, dream!Riddle, Trey, Cater, and Deuce show up to put a stop to things. (I want to add it's hilarious that Cater is also in Yasmina silk but Deuce is stuck in his P.E. Uniform asdhbasoyafae)

Ace is tempted by the darkness and mumbles a bunch of stuff about how he doesn't want to do difficult things like fighting Malleus. He says he’s just an ordinary mage and doesn’t even have his UM yet. We're shocked by Ace's cowardly side but Silver points out that darkness being present feeds and amplifies your most negative emotions.

Anyway, Sebek and co. want to barge in to save Ace, but Leona holds them back; they should leave it to Cater.

fuasboyfg8fdasibTHER'S THIS ON e FUNnY MOMENT. Leona says that those that it's easy for the darkness to indulge in the dreamer when they're at their lowest/acting cowardly. Idia voice) Eeeeh, aren't you talking about yourself, Leona-shi... abhlfbioasfoasobifadib LEONA NYOOMS OVER TO IDIA'S TABLET AND COMES CLOSE TO BREAKING IT... Watch yourself, Idia...

WOW CATER 🤯 He blew my mind… Cater reminds us and Ace that when Riddle OB’d, Ace was the one that stepped up to fight even when the battle seemed unwinnable—and it was Cater who wanted to run. He tells Ace he looked so cool back then, but he hasn’t had the chance to thank him for it until now.

ACE LAUGHS AND CRiES

Cater pulls Ace out of the darkness!! He calls to Leona and co. for backup~ (One neat touch here is Ace says one of his battle opener lines: “Okay~ I’ll get this over with fast.”)

Deuce and Grim bonk Ace on the head for giving them a hard time. augwjsjs Ace starts to given’m lip again but Leona tells him to watch how he speaks to upperclassmen OTL

do skwguwuwn AcE CALLS oUT SILVER AnD LILIA foR SPOILING SEBEK… Cater interrupts to remind them to get along + respect their seniors or the red demon Riddle will come for them!

Adeuce are embarrassed about having to shout Dream Form Change. Idia enjoys it. Cater does too; he thinks it’s cute and wants Adeuce to do it again so he can take a video (they refuse to).

Deuce makes a passing comment about how maybe they don’t know Cater as well as they think they do?? The Cater they think they know is obsessed with taking pictures… but maybe he can be reliable too!

Sebek and Ace bicker again as they prepare to dream hop. Once again, Leona comes in clutch by telling them to stfu and for Silver to hurry it along.

They land in front of Heartslabyul dorm in Trey’s dream.

Ace didn’t have an issue with their travel; in fact, he posed when Cater pointed his phone at him!

We tell Ace we’ve basically gotten about 20ish people recruited to our cause already, plus the support of S.T.Y.X.! However, their group is 10 people now (Grim, Yuu, Ace, Deuce, Cater, Silver, Sebek, Idia, Ortho, and Leona), which will make it dangerous to dream hop.

Grim mentions that if he is without Yuu, he won’t count as a student. That’s weird, because earlier in book 7 he mentions moving to the second year even once Yuu has returned home… Maybe this will be formally discussed later??? It sounds slightly contradictory.

They smell butter and follow it to the Heartslabyul kitchen. Cater stops everyone suddenly?? He doesn't think it's wise if all 10 of them cram into the kitchen at once; he will go since it's not odd for a Heartslabyul student to be present in the area. Plus, if things get dicey, he can always use his UM as an excuse or in a combative pinch!

asdhasbyofasd Leona and Idia get dragged along with Cater since they're the oldest. This conveniently allows the others to listen in on the conversation in the kitchen by using the mic built into Idia's tablet. (Idia however is not happy that he gets stuck with the sunny Cater and the grumpy Leona.)

WHOA check out the cakes and other baked goods here???? I don't even like sweets, but this looks tasty.

Cater tells the other two with him that Trey handmakes goodies for unbirthday parties. He has advised in the past that Trey take shortcuts (using commercial goods/already made cakes or box mixes, I presume), but Trey doesn't listen. Cater suspects it's because Trey thinks it's way too fun to bake to give it up, even if it would be faster to use another way.

They overhear people talking and... WHAT THE HECK, CHENYA'S THE HEARTSLABYUL DORM LEADER NOW????? ? ? ?? ??? ? ? ? ?? ? ? He's complimenting Trey's meat pies...

P.S. That chef's outfit looks so good OTL

Ortho casually hacks into the RSA student database to report on who Chenya is (since Silver and Sebek have no clue who he is).

We sort of get an explanation for Cater’s dream??? He says he wished to live comfortably and happily, as if every day was like his birthday. Somehow that got twisted to him being dorm leader…

xhsvhwiwkw The first years are bickering outside… Ace and Grim are fighting to see what’s happening, Sebek is being too loud so Ortho chastises him.

Trey is able to tell the original Cater from the clones??? Bro is Haruhi Fujioka OHSHC… He comments that Cater looks different than usual, so he knew right away.

Riddle seems to be a regular card solider. He tried to challenge Chenya for his dorm leader seat.

Chenya explains Riddle lost to him because his UM doesn’t work on Chenya. He then demonstrates his UM…! (Note: some creative liberties taken while transcribing in order to slap in an Alice in Wonderland quote :3c)

“Most everyone’s mad here. You might’ve already noticed I’m not all there. Not All My Head!”

(More direct translation of the incantation would be, “Everybody's weird here. You've noticed that already, haven't you?”)

It doesn’t just refract the light and make Chenya appear invisible; his body is literally NOT there. This explains why Riddle’s UM doesn’t work Chenya—there is literally nothing there to collar.

cHENYA bULLIES RiDDLE A LIRTKE BY HsRaiNH An EmBaarRsING StORY 😭

Anyway, Riddle has challenged Chenya many times but lost because Chenya is an expert at avoidance. Riddle uses up his magic and burns out easily.

Oooh? Chenya talks about a special language his grandpa taught him. It reminds me of Riddlish from Ever After High.

Trey’s ideal Heartslabyul… it’s one with loose rules, a huge ass kitchen that can be used freely, and a dorm leader that is easygoing. It’s pretty mild and grounded.

Trey asks the third years to sample a prototype lemon jelly and yogurt dessert for him. The only sweetener is honey so eve Cater should be okay with it—and Chenya won’t be mad if someone violates the “dorm leader gets the first bite rule”, even if desserts like jellies are excluded from that rule. Cater agrees but insists that Trey joins them.

dhisbwkwnw Leona has meat pie instead of the lemon dessert. Trey wants to make more to feed his guests and decides to make enough for all of the dorm.

The first years are drooling and jealous that the third years get to eat when they’re supposed to be investigating!

Cater is impressed that Silver had the fortitude to go through so many dreams. He thinks he may have given up a while ago if he were in Silver’s shoes???

Trey says he likes baking because it is satisfying to see the finished product—and others can enjoy it too, so it is killing two birds with one stone. Even Riddle is able to eat as much as he wants now. Apparently Riddle was the close to the same age as Trey’s younger brother at the time (Trey was 9 or 10; Riddle is one year older than the Clover brother). Trey describes Riddle as very mature for his age.

Hmm, interesting… The part of Riddle’s past where his mom caught him eating a strawberry tart remains unchanged.

LMAO the Clovers got scolded for 5 hours by Mrs. Rosehearts… Trey claims he and his family now laugh about the incident. Out group theorizes that this is result of trauma; it’s Trey’s way of coping.

Oh????? Trey says Riddle has changed a lot since he left his parents. Due to Chenya’s encouragement, Riddle now eats as much as he wants. Apparently both he and Chenya see Riddle like a little brother and they love seeing him be able to grow up.

ASGYUGYASNNYFOYADSSD Leona's theories keep being proven wrong in these dreams... He theorizes that Trey might have been angry when he became vice dorm leader, but Cater says that's not the case.

Trey was very excited when Riddle entered NRC; he told the other Heartslabyul students that his childhood acquaintance is joining the school. Although Riddle is quiet, he is talented at magic and Trey hopes they get along well. But then when Riddle enrolled, he was a completely different person than how Trey remembered him. He had developed a short fuse and become very controlling... cutting himself off from his feelings in order to rule. Riddle also acts detached from Trey.

In the flashback we see, Riddle has a heart mark. I guess this is what he had in reality too, not just the dream world.

Anyway, when time came to appoint a vice dorm leader (dorm members vote for them), Trey kind of got handed the job. Cater suggests it was probably tough on Trey to see that Riddle had changed so much; at one point, Riddle even beheaded Trey because the rules do not discriminate. He also suggests that maybe Chenya is in Trey's dream so that both friends can be present to support Riddle.

ajbuasiodyasida CATER CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT... He confesses that he's always a spectator and now, seeing this, he wonders if he should have done more or intervened sooner.

UUUUUUH, there's a big BOOM!!???!! heard over Idia's tablet. It sounds like the other group is in trouble! But what are they dealing with...?

... Oh. OH.

THIS IS LITERALLY THE TWST ORB MERCH 😭😭😭😭😭 Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber... and round Cater and Riddle...

uMMMMMMMM I feel like I learned about one of Trey’s secret special interests and I don’t like it one bit 🪦

Riddle is now the tallest second year... bigger than a horse... How is he gonna ride Vorpal?! Ace and the others are in distress, saying that he can't do basketball and Deuce can't do track and field with those round bodies!!

We attempt to fight the massive dream!Heartslabyul boys, but it's useless!! Silver tries to form a barrier, but the dream!boys just roll too fast and knock him over before he can complete the spell! Cater tells Leona to use his UM to help out, but Leona can't because there would be collateral damage if used in an enclosed space.

The dream!boys try to convince Trey to stay in the dream but they start to present information that doesn't make sense. For example, dream!Riddle does not care about nutritional content; he will eat anything if it's something Trey made! Dream!Cater starts to eat a bunch of sweets to demonstrate his willingness to consume what Trey makes for them; ah, but that's not right either because in the real world, Cater doesn't like sweets at all!

Trey is able to wake up on his own...!

Aaaand we got the context for his groovy...? AFBADAVADSPB SO THE CATER AND RIDDLE PICTURED HERE, LOOKING DOWN AT HIM... IT'S THE ROUND ASS ONES AKHLBAFSIYBAFIYVAFOV8YQEOVYPQRWBFUEFABIHFDIB THAT MAKES THIS ILLUSTRATION SO MUCH LESS SERIOUSSSSSSSS

There's a big BOOM!! BHLFBIAFSIYBAFSIBYADFBIADVBLDFS LEONA SANDED SOME OF THE BIG ORBS?? ? ?? ? ? ???? ? ? Bye-bye, round Adeuce...

We rally with Trey and he has an admittedly cool line... "Don't talk with your mouth full. It's poor manners under the law of the Queen of Hearts!"

After the darkness is dispelled, Trey is caught up to speed and expresses he's not sure if a normal mage like him can be of much use against Malleus; why didn't they go for Riddle, who is way more powerful, first? asfhbasyuvfgfyoaodasi Ace has a cute moment where he reminds Trey that it was HIS unique magic that overrode Riddle's and saved his ass. Besides, we need Trey to help out with Riddle. He's Riddle's bestie, right?

HAHAHAHAHAHAFHAFH Sebek quietly says he is indebted to Trey... I just think about how Sebek has said Trey reminds him of his father OTL Ace whines about how Sebek treats him and Trey so differently and Sebek shouts that a third year will actually be HELPFUL, unlike Ace. afbaiuliafiefa GIRLIEPOPS YOUR BICKERING PLEASES ME... continue--

Cater takes a picture of Trey in his chef clothes before he swaps over to his dorm uniform; he wants to show Riddle later! I think Trey also brings along a strawberry tart...? Not sure if it transfers from dream to dream or if I'm misunderstanding the wording there.

Then they all gather around Silver and move on to Riddle's dream! (Leona closes off this section with a banger line about how it's time to get back on the small crowded bus. LMAO)

Alright, so what were my overall thoughts on this update? I definitely feel as though the writers got better at writing the dreams as they continued. The first few felt awkward and stilted, but the more recently ones (Savanaclaw and Heartslabyul) are noticeably smoother, even when kept in the confines of already established patterns.

I really appreciated how often Leona was kept telling everyone to shut up and move on with the story. He sounds so tired, annoyed, and wanting to get to the end of book 7 already. It feels like the devs are speaking to us through Leona bilfiaylasdpasod

I'm a little surprised that Ace didn't get his UM in his dream, but I guess maybe they're saving it for the very end battle? I find it suspicious that he brings up and laments his lack of UM while talking about how he's a "normal" mage that doesn't stand a chance against a big boss like Malleus. This sounds like intentional foreshadowing for that confrontation.

As I expected, Ace had a special interaction with Sebek, much like most of the other first years have. (I've updated my "Sebek and the first years in book 7" analysis post based on this.) Ace capping things off by openly calling out Sebek's flaws helps to bring everything full circle. I was also pretty spot-on about Ace's dream covering Yuu being able to stay in Twisted Wonderland. I'm surprised that they did the "Yuu can go between the two worlds as they like" thing; it's a very convenient idea proposed by many theorists in the fandom in order to maintain having Yuu as the POV character in Twst while also allowing Yuu (the in-universe character) to be able to return to their friends/family back home. More and more... the dreams feel like vague fanfiction addressing some fun fandom theories and ideas.

I found it really fascinating that Trey's dream didn't erase the moment in his life that tore Riddle away from him. I wonder if the trauma is just so deep-rooted that even Malleus's magic couldn't get rid of it...? Or if the event was framed by the magic as something sad that had to happen so he could spoil Riddle and give him a happy life now??? I can also understand an interpretation in which Trey feeds others or does his best to help them out even if he finds it bothersome because some part of him still holds onto that immense guilt he feels for his role in the Tart Incident. And in that sense, it's the dream allowing Trey to indulge others without stop, without moderation--a weakness of his that he was warned about in Vil's Labwear vignettes.

asdlhbasnyurnoabafsi NOT GONNA LIE, TREY'S DREAM IS GOING TO GIVE ME NIGHTMARES. Don't get me wrong, I love how whimsical it is, and how he can just enjoy baking to his heart's content. I also love that we get Chenya's UM name and incantation, as well as more about how it actually works. HOWEVER. The massive spheres that Trey made of his dorm members freak me out 💀 THERE'S SOMETHING SO GROTESQUE ABOUT MASSIVE BODIES WITH SMUSHED TINY FACES ROLLING AROUND TO CRUSH PEOPLE...

The MVP this update was most definitely Cater. I was shocked to see how proactive he was. He took the lead in both Ace and Trey's dreams and we got to see him put his craftiness to some good use. Stepping up for the first years, roping the other third years into helping him, even not hesitating to kick Ace's stubborn ass... I hate to say it, but I could really see Cater's dashing big brother side coming out here 🤡 YES I AM UNFORTUNATELY PREDICTABLE I had to pause reading so many times to go, "Waaaah, Cay-kun is so cool!!" which is not a thought I typically have. I'm also such a big fan of him regretting his past actions (or rather, inaction) and finally FINALLY being able to verbalize some of his deepest and most concealed feelings to other characters. When Cater thanked Ace for what he said back when Riddle overblotted... man, it hit me right in the heart.

Sebek was also pretty bashful this update. I don’t think I’ve heard him being quite so… humbled??? His quiet voice is cute 🥰 Was not expecting Silver to speak sternly to him though. The shouting came put of nowhere??? And it’s not as though you aren’t part of the problem for spoiling him, Silver…

Those are my thoughts for this update! I'll see you in the next one. Riddle's dream, on the 7th...!!

[ryllen]

RENEGADES - one ok rock

[suntails]

strength and nobility

[harmorii]

remembered i have a yuu sprite i havent even used in like a year, so

[ventique18]

NRC Top Secret Elite Squad: Operation Rescue the Entire Universe from Dark Lord Malleus Draconia! Commence!

[daily-out-of-context-twst]

[skyenish]

Devil Town | Riddle Rosehearts animatic 🌹 | (finished)

———

Happy Birthday Riddle Rosehearts! Im a bit late, but here you finally go. Im very proud of how this animatic came out, and it’s definitely one of my longest projects ever!

I think this song fits Riddle very well. I’ve put a lot of thought and effort in making the lyrics match what’s happening, and I’m happy with the parallels and symbolism I added! There’s a lot of little things I honestly can’t wait for people to point out. I hope you guys will enjoy it!!!

Also, my laptop couldn’t properly handle editing this, as in it literally wouldn’t process the video and was blowing air hotter than the hottest days I’m Scarabia, so forgive me if some things are off beat! :(

Honestly, Riddle’s whole story is so sad. Luckily he’s getting better now, and let’s hope that he’ll be a better parent than his mom! (If he even wants to be one of course.) I think I sometimes forget just how important Trey was in Riddle’s life, and I tried to show just that in this animatic. I hope I did an okay job!

[honibumii]

Officially ended book1. New kin acquired and also what tge actual fuck

[nyxnightshade1332]

Expectations When Expecting (Book 1)

Chapter 16

Chapter 17:

TW: This part is just a bit more angsty with mentions of a panic attack and  fainting. If this triggers you, I'll try to mark the part where it all completely escalates. 

Please enjoy the story!

~~~

"Whoa, hold up! Is that one of your rules too?!" Ace yelled incredulously, eyes burning with rage.

"Yeah! If you want the tart gone, let me eat it!" Grim agreed, hopping off of Yuu's shoulder.

Yuu watched as the taller vice-housewarden pushed through the crowd of students, eyes wide in a desperate attempt to de-escalate the situation. "Housewarden, allow me to apologize. I was the one who suggested making a chestnut tart."

"I was a part of that too." Cater's voice rang over the chaos as he made his way over, standing protectively in front of the first years. "We had no idea there was a rule about it!"

"The making of the tart is not the issue. The issue is bringing it HERE. Today. THAT is the transgression!" Riddle fumed, his voice stern and his face burning crimson.

Yuu couldn't stop herself as a sudden burst of rage shot through her body. "That isn't fair! How can you live by such foolish rules?" She cried before she could consider her own words. She stopped herself when she noticed Riddle freeze

"What did you just call me?"Riddle turned to her, slowly with a terrifying glare, his face deepening from a cherry red to a rose red. "'Foolish'?!"

Yuu glared. "I didn't call you foolish. I called your stupid rules that." She retorted, deducting that it was definitely too late to try for peace.

"Everyone, stop! Don't dig this hole any deeper!" Cater pleaded, lightly pulling on Yuu's sleeve to try ushering her behind him.

When Yuu didn't budge, Cater turned to face his Housewarden. "And Riddle, please try to remember that these are new students who've only been here a few days!"

"Nah, bro. I've got a shovel and I am DIGGING." Ace growled, turning his attention back to Riddle. "Throwing away a tart to obey some insane rule is about as foolish as it gets."

"I agree with Ace. Of course, I understand that rules do need to be followed, but..." Deuce chimed in, tentative as he looked over to his friends. "This is going much too far."

"Are you attempting to debate me? Bold move. But I'll bite." Riddle scoffed, false amusement in his voice. "By breaking even the smallest rule, you are throwing wide the gate to anarchy."

Ace bit his lip, turning to face the students who cowered at their Housewarden's temper. "Everyone, I know you're afraid of getting your magic sealed away, but you know this is insane, right?" Ace seemed to beg for the support of at least one. Yuu watched, noting how many who seemed to agree seemed to shrink back.

"N-no, we, uh..." The bunny boy from earlier attempted, jumping slightly as Riddle's gaze fixed warningly on him.

"Well? Isn't it?" Riddle asked confidently. The bunny boy seemed to shrink back even more.

"Far from it, Housewarden Riddle, sir!"

"We trust in your judgment, sir!"

Grim curled around Yuu's ankles, glaring at the cowardly soldiers. "You little..."

"You spineless, fair-weather cowards..." Ace growled out, refusing to stand down.

"In the year since I became housewarden, not a single student from Heartslabyul House has dropped out or been held back a year." Riddle stood, marching toward Ace. "We are the only house that can boast such a feat. Furthermore, of everyone in this dorm, I have the best academic standing."

Yuu watched as Ace stepped back. She knew that because of that, Riddle saw a weakness.

"Hence, I am the most correct!" Riddle announced, voice sounding more insane. "If you would simply obey me without question, we wouldn't need to contend so." He picked up his staff, eyes hard and sharp like a steel dagger. He gestured to the students.

"Listen, we-!" Deuce began, only to be cut off.

"It's not off with their heads because I want to do that. I do it because rules must never be broken." Riddle explained. Yuu felt a chill run down her spine. There was something odd about the way Riddle had phrased that. As if he'd heard it many times.

She looked at Trey, who appeared to be helpless in this matter. Their eyes met for a brief moment before Trey looked away with a deep melancholy that Yuu could only describe as guilt toward the other party.

"If you will not obey me, then I will have all of your heads!" Riddle warned, preparing his staff.

"Yuu..." A familiar voice echoed in her ears "Run! It's too dangerous here!" The young woman shivered as things began to escalate. She ignored the voice, praying that she'd made the correct choice.

"Okay, let's all say, 'Yes, Housewarden Riddle.'" Cater tried, eyes pleading with the group.

"I... I can't." Deuce said, standing his ground.

"Me neither..." She agreed.

"I don't bow to self-important tyrants!" Ace glared.

Yuu watched Riddle freeze once more, a brief look of hurt and insult flashing across his delicate features before it was replaced with bubbling rage.

"What did you just call me?" His voice shook.

"He called you a tyrant for wantin' to destroy good food just 'cause you're throwin' a tantrum!" Grim snapped, clearly proud of himself.

"Grim!" She warned the cat, terror making her voice tremble slightly, watching Riddle's face match his hair. The magestone on his staff began to glow as Riddle clutched the staff hard enough to turn his knuckles white.

"Guys, I don't think we need to escalate this-" Deuce tried once more before a thunderous roar echoed in the dorm's courtyard. Yuu took a step back before yelping.

"Off! With! Your! Heads!"

** What the TW mentioned. Skip to the next chapter if you need to **

A sudden cold, heavy brace clasped tightly around Yuu's throat, knocking the wind out of her, leaving her gasping for air as a wave of nausea came rolling over her once more.

"No! Not the collar again!" She heard Grim, unable to see the cat through swirling vision.

"Gah! I can't get it off!" She heard Deuce.

Her thoughts flashed to her unborn child and jumbled with horrible nightmares. No! Nononono! She closed her eyes, trembling.

"Trey! Cater! Eject them from the premises!" Riddle ordered as the edges of her vision began to turn dark and spotted her vision.

She swallowed, trying not to humiliate herself in front of the others.

"Y-you're supposed to be our 'mentors'!" She heard Deuce wail, determining that he was in front of her.

"Sorry, but we can't disobey our housewarden!" Cater responded.

"Sorry, man..." Trey called from where he appeared to be beside Cater.

"Oh, that's how it's gonna be? Then bring it on!"Ace snarled.

"...nchman? Hey! Henchman? Are you okay?" Yuu turned her spotty vision to see the familiar blue glow of Grim's ears.

She gave him a shaky thumbs up as she lay herself onto the grass. I don't feel very well...

She began to close her eyes. Tired... She thought to herself, allowing herself to succumb to the dizzy sensation as the last thing she was able to hear rang out in the darkness.

"Yuu!" Grim cried.

Chapter 18

[anbaisai]

Your recent drawing with Ace reminded me that Mayu also has a ship with him hshshs I’m actually curious about how their dynamic will be though when you release more content of them in the future!

also… ace kibty… orange cat energy…

This is an ask from months ago but 💀 since Shuu brought it up recently I finally gained the motivation to answer and draw something (referring to my last post)

BUT the gist of it is they're the very typical shoujo manga "besties-to-lovers" type of dynamic, with Ace being the type of guy who likes to bully and tease his crush (typical) and they're dumbasses who banter a lot. He's quite casual with physical touch, often just throwing an arm around her shoulders or just propping an elbow on her head like she's a convenient armrest. The one problem is Mayu is Oblivious™ to any of Ace's advances because she just assumes Ace treats every girl like this and she just happens to, unfortunately, be the only one around. She almost feels bad for him. Ace is also Tsundere and will deny it if someone else suggests his actions have any deeper meaning ("H-haaah? Who'd like her!"), so uh, good luck dude... Though despite how talented he is at unlocking her exasperated expression, they're still close friends who have each other's back ww

TL;DR They're very silly and dumb and the ship that's mainly comedy and I really need to draw more of them 💥

[egophiliac]

still absolutely losing my mind over Lilia

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

What is Ace’s Unique Magic? I know we all seen it today, but can you please explain what it does?

Ace gets his unique magic in 7-290 of the main story! The name is Joker Snatch. Written, the UM name reads as Give me/I’ll be taking your trump card. The incantation is, “I’ll take your best/most precious treasure!”

After Ace casts his spell, Riddle is shocked and remarks that his magic “turned into a playing card.” The special effects here are the same as when Trey turned the rose bushes into playing cards in book 1. This might imply that Ace first used Trey's UM to neutralize Riddle's incoming collar? Or maybe they meant it as in Riddle’s UM became a literal card which Ace then grabbed, allowing him to use Off with your Head to collar his dorm leader. It’s hard to say with the limitations of a visual novel format and its current assets, but I personally interpreted it as the latter.

At first, it may look that Ace copied or stole Riddle’s UM. However, Sebek suggests that is seemed like “[Ace’s] magic and Riddle-senpai’s magic got swapped.”

Unfortunately, that’s all we know about Joker Snatch right now. Ace literally just got his UM, so even he doesn’t fully understand what it does or what its limitations or drawbacks are.

Like, would Ace able to reproduce even a very strong spell like Malleus’s Fae (of) Maleficence? Would he be able to feasibly control it? Would it physically harm Ace if he did? Was Sebek right that it’s a UM swapping spell and not outright stealing or copying a UM? Does this extend to all magic spells and not just unique magic? We don’t know!

I suspect we’ll learn more about it in the updates to come ^^