#twisted wonderland book 1 spoilers

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@sleepyorchidmonster​​ EY THANK YOU!!! 🧡🧡 I’m glad you enjoyed!! SDFLJSDF I HOPE YOUR HAVING FUN IN THE TWST MADNESS o7 I’d be More than happy to do Those two sets :D For anybody who’s confused, somebody asked about Dorm Leader/Housewarden Friendship Headcanons HERE. And I think a lot of people have been missing it (which is my bad I ended up extending the post poorly) But I also Did Azul and Riddle in the reblogs!! The version I linked contains that discussion. OKAY THAT SAID, ON WITH THE SHOW

Leona and Riddle: This one is Hilarious because They already have an awkward place to start xD Riddle being present and active during Leona’s overblot.... sure is something. Although honestly I don’t think It’ll effect their relationship much. Riddle having already overblotted himself wouldn’t care to hold that over Leona’s head, and Leona seems to me to be more of a “water under the bridge” person. Riddle was one of the least offensive party members there, and if he was going to hold a grudge he might as well start with Jack, and he doesn’t do that, so i think bygones are bygones between them. Having started book 5 as well... I think at this point Leona’s already adopted Riddle, since during the Housewarden meeting over The VDC (i hope i got the acronym right x’D) he threatened Azul when he was trying to scam Riddle. Riddle I think respects Leona for his power. He probably doesn’t think all that highly of him slacking off, but he also is aware of Leona’s prowess in multiple different areas, and knows that while Kingscholar is not punctual, he is reliable. Especially in a bind. That and I can imagine Riddle has a lot more base respect for the Hierarchy of the school. He’s a Sophomore, so no matter what, Leona is his Senpai and to a degree he will respect that. Within reason of course. I think Leona is neutral to respectful of Riddle. The housewarden of Heartslabyul has no interest in picking fights with Leona, so he has no interest in trying to hold his ground. I think Leona probably respects Riddle’s work ethic too. less the rules, but more that he’s an honest individual who puts in his effort and does what he’s supposed to do. I can imagine he might be rolling his eyes a little bit at his rule keeping, but hey not his domain not his problem, therefore he could probably care less in the end. Now where I think they can connect? Intellectualism. Riddle is the studious type, and so is Leona. If the two of them got started on certain topics I can see the two of them discussing it for hours. Riddle making some offhand comment about a historical figure and Leona bouncing off of it with more information, both of them discussing their different viewpoints of failures and successes, of victories and defeats. Riddle would be interested in hearing Leona’s viewpoints as an actual member of Monarchy/government himself, and Leona would just probably enjoy actually getting to talk about some of the nonsense he’s had to learn for school and/or politics over the years. I can even see Riddle maybe asking Leona for advice on leadership on occasions. While Leona’s leadership style isn't’ Riddle’s, if he got to know Savanaclaw and its housewarden better, he’d see that they were a very tightly knit and supportive pack. Something that he finds more similar to his heart soldiers than he would’ve guessed. Riddle showing interest and Curiosity in Leona’s way of leadership and the topics he is well informed in could do Leona a lot of good. It could ease the frustration of having so much “irrelevant and useless” information now that he’s not going to be King. It could help him realize his own skills and talents. If nothing else it’d just give him somebody to talk to in a non-antagonistic situation. I think they end up meeting in the middle a lot with their relationship. Riddle is a lot more willing to put in a good word for Leona and give him the benefit of the doubt, but maybe also more willing to calmly and gently chastise him for his more self sabotaging behaviors. Leona grows to respect Riddle and his way of working even if he wouldn’t do it in a billions years, but also how to push the kid forward out of his comfort zone to try new and different things, and think about the world and other people in a different way. I also just think that Leona is a highly protective person of the people he cared for, so I can totally see him being more than ready and willing to defend Riddle in a physical or magical fight. He needs to worry about it less with the Heartslabyul housewarden because he has his card soldiers... but when Riddle goes off the deep end... Ohhhhh bother. Sometimes Leona will just see a scared teenager and that will be what he acts on. Riddle is small, he’s learning, he’s growing, he’s young, and as a result its Leona’s duty to protect him (uncle instinct ftw SLDFJKSDKLGSD). But this would only really happen in a real fight or in the case of something like, an awry potion explosion. If he sees Riddle choosing to throw hands with Floyd he’s just going to sit back and laugh. And the more proof he gathered of Riddle being able to defend himself the less he’d worry. So yeah! I think they could have a very cute respectful Upperclassman/Lowerclassman bond of respect and understanding. :) Malleus and Kalim: I look at Kalim and go, “You could fix him”. SDLKFJSDGLKJSDLGJSDGLJSDGLSJDGKLDSGJKLSDGJ. OKay but seriously. Malleus is the person who never gets invited to anything. Kalim is the one who always invites people to things. I’ve connected the dots- SDFLLSDKFJSLDGJSD Now it would be more complicated than that for so many reasons. Part of the reason Malleus is so lonely is because he tends to be unintentionally reclusive. But not without good reason. People don’t treat him like a fellow student, and it grates at him, so he steps away from the masses to be able to breathe. The chances of Kalim actually encountering him are practically living in the floorboards. On top of that, Jamil is freaking TERRIFIED of being around Malleus. It has nothing to do with him inherently fearing Malleus, it has everything to do with him fearing THE CONSEQUENCES OF AN INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT WITH A FOREIGN PRINCE xD. And honestly??? Given Kalim’s track record I can’t blame him. But if we were to put the nitpicky details aside and just view them like they didn’t have these obstacles, I think they would be incredibly good friends. The Fireworks event that takes us to the Scalding Sands showed to our faces that Kalim doesn’t fear Malleus like other people does. Trey and Cater were both a little bit wary of him, but Kalim didn’t care at ALL. It might be because he’s also royalty and it just hasn’t occurred to him that Malleus being Royalty is not the only reason people are afraid of him, but regardless Kalim Does Not Care Nor Notice. This means that Kalim is one of the only person who consistently just treats Malleus like a person. This is a FANTASTIC place for them to start! Because honestly isn’t that why Malleus grew so close with Yuu???? Because you’re the only person who treats him like a normal friend instead of something to be Gawked at or Feared?? And Malleus also does something that Kalim really needs. He would see Kalim for being Kalim exclusively, and not care a single bit about his riches. Somebody pointed out to me that Kalim throws money at a lot of problems because he doesn’t know how else to repair things. He’s never been taught the emotional navigation of having a real friend, all that he knows he’s learned through trial and error. And he’s such a generous and giving person, that of course he’s going to try to give to solve a problem!! Because he knows giving is good and it helps and makes people happy!! Because that’s also part of the double edged sword of this method, is it kinda works. Some people do need money, some people just want money, so in that way it does solve some problems! And it ends up teaching Kalim the wrong lesson again and again. Malleus tho, Malleus wouldn’t care about all that. He’d be there for Kalim and Kalim alone. If he wanted grand parties and fine dining he could simply request it from his kingdom, but he’d rather have a good friend any day. He wouldn’t ask much more of Kalim than his company, and I could see him often turning down Kalim’s more exuberant requests for simpler things, unless it seemed like Kalim was really passionate about it. It might honestly take the two of them having a falling out where Kalim grows distressed that Malleus doesn’t want his normal method of ‘fixing’ things, and Malleus grows frustrated that Kalim keeps trying to give him things that he neither needs nor wants, but if they got past that hurdle? Man the amount of good these two would do for each other. They’d finally both have somebody who sees them for who they are rather than what they are. Malleus values Kalim for being Kalim, and Kalim values Malleus for being Kalim. (As a side note, yes Jamil is also a great person for Kalim to know, but their relationship is understandably complicated and will take time/effort to heal. And I believed they’ll figure it out. :D ) Kalim finally seeing that his own presence, as just himself, no shiny gold and sparkling silver, would do a tremendous amount of good for his self love and confidence. Malleus having somebody who loved him for being a friend would bring him a lot of quiet and peace and contentedness he seeks, and it would make his frustrations with people who do get caught up on his aspects easier to tolerate. So I also guess I’m also looking at Mallues and going, “You could fix him” SDLFJSDLKGJLSKDGJASDLJGSDGJDSGSD But yes wholesome besties sdlkfjSLDKJGSDLGJSDG you would always be able to know when they spotted each other cause Kalim would get really excited xD

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

book 7 part 12 thoughts! (dec 9th update)

***THIS POST CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR BOOK 7 PART 12 OF THE MAIN STORY!!*** This spans part 227 to part 244, focusing on Cater and Deuce.

We will get the other 3 Heartslabyul boys in 2 future updates. The second part is Ace, then Trey. Riddle is last!

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.

We land in what seems to be a hallway at NRC. Unfortunately for me (who seeks vengeance against a certain lion for emotional damages), Leona provides no funny reaction to the bumpy travel while dream hopping. He even makes fun of those who had a hard time, calling them weak if something like that gets to them 💀 YOU'RE ALREADY ON FUCKING THIN ICE, KINGSCHOLAR

Grim gets distracted by the smell of lunchtime so he scampers off to the cafeteria to eat! But... um!??!?! Scarabia mobs in mohawks get aggressive with us.

Before they wail on us, who should appear but the owner of the dream, Deuce!! Our guy has blonde hair (it's a Japanese trope that delinquents bleach their hair). He intimidates the mobs away with some backup from dream!Trey and dream!Cater, who still appear to maintain their vice dorm leader and "#3 in Heartslabyul" positions, respectively. Sounds like Riddle is still the dorm leader as well.

Deuce, Trey, and Cater spot Leona and kind of start picking a fight with him???? They say that if Ramshackle has been taken over/absorbed by Savanaclaw, then there will be problems (or something to that effect). (SORRY, THE DIALOGUE IS SO WEIRD AND FULL OF TERMS I DON'T UNDERSTAND CUZ EVERYONE'S SOUNDING LIKE A DELINQUENTTO SOME CAPACITY)

Cute detail: it's stated that Yuu is typically seen with Ace and Deuce! So even in the world of Deuce's dream... he still thinks about their friendship!!

Leona (and Ortho), actually Being Smart, backs off and lets Deuce take Yuu + Grim over to the Heartslabyul table to eat (even though Sebek gets mad about it). Leona tells the others it's better to observe the enemy first, then demands that Idia find a way for him to listen into the conversation Yuu + Grim are having with Heartslabyul. Luckily, Idia is able to hook them up aaaaand...

We get sort of a reinactment of that part in book 1 where Trey explains the 7 dorms at NRC to us, except this time Deuce is dropping the lore in a really bombastic way.

ALRIGHT, SO. In Deuce's dream, the 7 dorms are still the same as they are irl but each dorm sort of functions like its own... gang????? And there are daily gang wars to use the facilities at school. Certain dorms rule over certain territories, and if you want to go there or do something specific then you have to beat a member of the respective dorm in a battle. Rach dorm has a suuuuper over-embellished title... THIS FEELS LIKE SOMETHING STRAIGHT OUT OF A DELINQUENT MANGA (I also want to add that the devs chose the most unhinged expressions in each character's repertoire for the following visuals:)

Heartslabyul is centered in the library; you need to pass them to borrow books.

Savanaclaw owns the botanical garden (LOL BECAUSE LEONA'S ALWAYS FUCKING NAPPING THERE *flashbacks to the time he almost kicked our shit in for stepping on his tail*). If you want any herbs or other items from the greenhouse, you need to go through Savanaclaw.

Octavinelle is in charge of the area bordering Ramshackle, around where the Mystery Shop is. Sam has apparently signed a deal with them to have his store there. You can avoid a fight with them if you pay a "toll".

Scarabia is considered moderate compared to the other dorms, but they're serious about food, as they reign over the cafeteria, as well as places on campus that produce food/ingredients, like the windmill and chicken coops. It'll be hard for you to take the Master Chef course if you aren't comfortable with constantly pummeling Scarabia kids.

Pomefiore handles the courtyard and the potionology/alchemy labs. If you have to do a makeup lesson in that department, be prepared to contend with them.

Ignihyde students usually don't come out of their territory, which is the auditorium and infirmary. hbfbyoadfadfpfas DEUCE SPECIFICALLY MENTIONS THAT ORTHO IS A NEW MEMBER AND THAT HE'S LIKE A FIERCE GUARD DOG 😭😭😭

Finally, Diasomnia has hold of the coliseum and stables. They are considered the toughest dorm and command respect, otherwise lightning will fly.

Ramshackle is basically Switzerland (ie neutral territory); the ownership is not determined by fighting but rather is determined by the headmaster. (We got no cool visual, lol)

Leona and co. try to think about ways to wake Deuce up... Since fighting seems like an everyday thing in this dream, maybe we have no choice but to go with a physical blow...? But if fighting is so normalized, maybe that wouldn't work... Plus, there are so many faces that the darkness has taken on, so it would be hard to overpower them all. They also discuss their own impressions of Deuce (ie how he looks/tries to present as an honors student versus his efforts and suspected "bad" background). In this dream, Deuce is apparently considered a top performer based on his contributions to the uh student gang wars 💀

A Heartslabyul mob rushes in and reports to Riddle that Octavinelle students are invading the library. Riddle sends Adeuce to clean up and they have this really shounen manga-esque battle where the Octa mobs call Ace and Deuce by long nicknames and Deuce even lets out an ORAORAORAORAOROARAOROAROA!!

A bunch of books are chucked around in the ensuing battle, which causes Sebek to literally FALL TO HIS KNEES and check on them. He laments that they've been damaged and is very upset by this. However, Sebek becomes truly ENRAGED when he actually opens a book and notices its contents are faulty. Like the spelling is screwed up, the pages are blank, or the writing that's there is hard to read. Sebek concludes that the contents of the books are fucked because the dreamer, Deuce, has not read these materials himself to understand them. AND DEUCE DARES TO CALL HIMSELF AN ASPIRING HONORS STUDENT???! SEBEK WON'T STAND FOR IT!!

... This fucking green haired fool shouts at Deuce and provokes a fight by shaming him 🤡 LMAO, Sebek calls the books just papers bound by a cover, IT CANNOT BE CALLED A BOOK!! He tells Adeuce to READ the damn books and then hit each other with the knowledge they gain from reading... OKAY NERD

They open up a book that should list the rules of the Queen of Hearts, but because so much of the book is blank, only like a handful of rules are written down. Deuce says that's not correct, there are WAY more rules--in fact, 810 of them! This starts to wake him up, but dream!Ace becomes darkness and tries to convince Deuce that, at NRC, only strength matters so he doesn't need to study to get to be an "honors student".

HJBAHJBAFSBHDSAHBAS HLAFHL DEUCE STARTS HAVING FLASHBACKS TO ALL THE TIMES ACE FUCKING BULLIED HIM AND DEUCE LEGITIMATELY GETS SO MAD HE FULLY WAKES UP

Wait, this is so sweet 😭😭😭 The image that Deuce has in his mind right before he wakes is his and Ace's reunion with Yuu and Grim at the end of book 6...

Deuce joins us to beat back dream!Ace. Of course Ace isn't this one, the real Ace is way more insensitive and annoying!!

Deuce starts to sort of talk down to himself. He says if his dream turned out like this, then there must have always been a part of him that "wants" to solve everything with his fists. Ortho comforts Deuce by saying that though Malleus's dream is created based on a person's desires, the output can be highly variable depending on the individual.

Sebek starts scolding Deuce again for not reading books in their entirety, and they discover one book that seems to have more information than the others. "The Story of the Trump Soldier" is a famous children's book in the Queendom of Roses, containing short stories about the Trump Card soldiers that serve the Queen of Hearts. Deuce says that he has always admired those soldiers and how cool they are, especially when they chase lawbreakers through the rose maze!

AWWWWW Deuce would beg his mom to read this book to him when he was little.. and when he finally learned how to read himself, he'd read and reread the book from front to cover. WDBHLYOIDFFIADIADF WAIT WHY IS THIS ACTUALLY SO CUTE... OTL

Deuce wants to continue reading where he left off and Sebek says the ideal way to read is in quiet so you can focus on the words. ASBHBLSAIHIDBASSD THEY CRACK A JOKE ABOUT HOW SEBEK ONLY EVER SHUTS UP WHEN HE'S READING...

Sebek seems to demonstrate genuine interest in what Deuce reads. I half anticipated him to follow up with an insult, but Sebek is actually very mindful about different reading levels. He even makes a comment that a simple children's book such as this is able to be the start of someone's love for literature, that it can still have the power to move someone as it does Deuce. That's honestly really powerful.

They then get into a conversation about picking books for each other; Sebek suggests that Deuce pick out an easy book for Yuu and Grim to read sometime. We also learn that Sebek would do this for Silver, but that Silver would get sleepy and never fully finish Sebek's recommendations. Deuce has this nice line where he goes "Even if these books are empty now, someday they will be filled", expressing his desire to become that honors student ideal for real and not just superficially.

Guys, I'm glad you like reading (I like reading too) but now is REALLY not the time for it... 🤡 The moment's cute and all (and it definitely feeds into Sebek's character arc about opening up to non-fae), yet it still feels weirdly placed to have so much casual banter when everyone knows what's at stake.

aiuaidbadab Sebek says that he will check out "The Story of the Trump Soldier" when he's out of the dream world... which is so sweet, right up until he transitions into mocking people who don't understand the emotional value of books. Silver apologizes to Deuce for Sebek's attitude and they prepare to hop into the next dream.

But wait! Where's Leona...?

... BRO WAS NAPPING ON SOME LIBRARY CHAIRS WHILE EVERYONE ELSE WAS TALKING ABOUT THE JOYS OF LITERATURE 🤡 ASJVUFEOVEOQIVib;WBIEQTOIPfwpib He finally wakes up with a stupid hot yawn and asks if they're done with their errands.

Okay, NOW we're ready for the next dream. Off we go!

We land in front of Heartslabyul dorm.

OH LORD Grim's gonna be fried up and eaten, I swear... Leona gets mad at him for clinging to his necklace while they fall out of the sky. Grim claims he didn't notice it was Leona because his hair was all over the place (Grim just grabbed what was close to him), and that leads to Leona filing a complaint to the manager (Idia). "Oi, daikon radish sprout! Make travel more convenient for me." Idia refuses, claiming he's too busy and that since travel only takes a moment, Leona can suck it up. He also has the BALLS to say Leona shouldn't pull a selfish second prince move ,adbilbiodsbiasdi AND THEN LEONA GOES HE HAS SOME CHOICE WORDS FOR HIM NEXT TIME THEY MEET FACE TO FACE, YANNO?????? Omg guys... the girlies are FIGHTING...

On the other hand, Deuce LOVED dream hopping. The wind in his face is even better than what he experiences when he rides a magical wheel. Even if he can't control where he's going while falling, he really liked the rush.

Up comes dream!Ace. He asks if Leona's over for tea or something, which makes me laugh a little because even though Leona knows how to act all proper, he LOATHES actually doing it. Anyway, Ace says that there was a Magicam notif about an urgent matter, so they're going to hold a trial. Deuce is confused that such an important announcement would be made via social media, then tells Ace off for not being in dorm uniform for the trial. Deuce also says that students from other dorms are NOT allowed to be present for trials since they're one of Heartslabyul's most sacred traditions. Riddle would behead you so fast! ... Which confuses Ace. SO YEAH FELLAS, I THINK DORM LEADER!CATER IS CONFIRMED...

Ace leaves for the trial, with Deuce chasing after him. The rest of us decide to go after them, since all the Heartslabyul students would be gathered at the trial and it will be easier to determine who the dreamer is.

But up comes... Deuce?! This must be the dream! or NPC Deuce. So we decide to deal with him early and get him out of the picture. He doesn't revert to darkness at any point, so we speculate that this is because we haven't run into the dreamer yet, or maybe because the darkness has yet to register us as a threat to the dream's stability. In any case, we tie up dream!Deuce so he doesn't interfere!

To the courtroom we go! I think it's the first time we've seen this asset...?

It's very lively inside, some students aren't in dorm uniform though.

OH MY GOOOOOD dream!Riddle is a regular ol' student now. Interestingly, he's got a little red heart as his card suit. It's a similar color and placement to Cater's diamond mark, but he shares the same suit as Ace. sdhlbabiyfaio AND HE'S NOT WARING HIS DORM UNIFORM, HE'S BREAKING A DARN RULE HIMSELF

(Trey is still vice dorm leader!)

The courtroom doors open and someone zooms in on a skateboard! It's Cater, the Heartslabyul dorm leader and our resident dreamer.

He is surprised to see students from other dorms present, especially Leona. ADBKHLADBILADBSI LEOAN LIES HIS ASS OFF ANS CLAIMS DEUCE INVITED HIM TO TEA AND CATER BELIEVES HIM

Cater takes a selfie with Leona and posts it on Magicam. Dream!Riddle interrupts to let him know the trial is starting 15 minutes late, so Cater apologizes and says they should begin for reals.

Leona and Idia have a brief exchange about dorm leadership. Most students probably want to be dorm leader more than not being dorm leader. They each express their own opinions about their title; Idia doesn't want to live under someone who is incompetent (he thinks highly of his own skills) and Leona just hates the idea of following someone else's lead. Spoken like the duo who don't have vice dorm leaders, eh...

Uuuuh so it looks like the trial is for a mob student that was too afraid of Cater to invite him to a croquet game. Cater decides to skip to the part where he gets mad and commands Riddle to behead the mob. Sebek complains about the lack of actual deliberation, but Cater dismisses it. All that he needs to render a judgment is his anger, right?

Mmm, that's interesting. Cater's being just as strict as Riddle is irl and continues to use Riddle's power as a means to punish others. His reputation is also just as scary as Riddle's is in book 1, and Cater mainly seems to be using his emotions to judge others. So in one way, yeah, Cater is laxer with the rules (he allows other students to join trials, lets people wear the wrong uniforms for important ceremonies, makes announcements via Magicam, etc.) but is still a force to be reckoned with.

Dream!Trey suggests hearing some witness testimony since there are special guests in the audience today. They have Deuce bring up witnesses, so Deuce picks Yuu and Grim. On the stand, we claim we don't know anything and the jury records our statement using their smartphones.

abhldbilasiyasoyfe THSI IS SO DUMB THAT LEONA GAVE UP TRIYNG TO UDNERSTAND THE SITUATION AND PROCEEDS TO NAP 💀

Deuce drags the still sleeping Leona up to testify. Despite being handled so roughly, he doesn't wake up one bit!! Leona mumbles something in his sleep, it's an order to Ruggie about how he wants a deluxe menchi katsu sandwich at noon. Cater announces that this is SUPER important testimony so the mobs hurry to write it down.

Last up is Silver! He's the only one that takes being questioned seriously and answers with sincerity. He is asked where he was and what he was doing at the time the grave offense was committed. Silver says probably enjoying tea in the dorm. Dream!Riddle asks why, is it his unbirthday? To which Silver says his birthday (May 15) is a little further away.

This makes dream!Trey realize it's an unbirthday, so Cater announces they MUST have a party! And... BOOM, the background goes dark with tons of neon light fixtures! Cater demands food (which I guess is the context for his new SSR's initial artwork) and has dream!Riddle DJ FOR HIM??????!?!??!?!???????? 😭OKAY, I did NOT want to side with Kingscholar but I'm afraid I have to this time... This has got to be the most nonsensical dream so far, which I guess is fitting seeing the source material www

Deuce wonders if Cater is dissatisfied with Heartslabyul irl, because the Heartslabyul in the dream seems so different. Leona drops it on us that this is actually the Heartslabyul of the PAST, when the previous dorm leader was in power. Deuce would not know about it because he's a first-year student.

BEFORE ANYONE SAYS "Omg, Cater former dorm leader theory real!!!", the game does NOT confirm this. Leona speaks about the previous dorm leader as if it was another student. He never once names Cater. (Oh, and we learn that Leona challenged his dorm leader for the seat when he was a second-year student.)

Deuce reflects and realizes he never really knew anything about the third years because he never bothered reaching out to them. YES, HERE'S A POWER OF FRIENDSHIP AFTER SCHOOL SPECIAL LESSON OTL He also thinks back to book 1 and how not enough strictness (like what they are seeing now) is its own vice, like how too much strictness can also be trouble.

asfuiadofadaefi WHAT THE FUCK

Leona proposes the idea that Trey and Cater are both "using" Riddle. He compares the scenario to how people will bring up a young leader, Riddle, as a pawn in order to overthrow the previous regime (ie the lawless Heartslabyul). Then Trey and Cater become advisors to the new ruler, manipulating him in order to create the kind of country THEY want. It's a tale as old as time. anfbiyoaafiyodgovyqefoiy I HATE HOW MUCH OF A BIG BRAIN MOVE THAT IS...AND OF COURSE FUCKIGN L*ONA OF ALL PEOPLE SAYS IT

The dream!Heartslabyul boys encourage us to eat and drink. Most of us are force fed or pressured into taking a bite/sip, but Leona won’t fall for it. Cater tries to get him to drink mysterious juice from a bottle (does Leona wanna be beheaded?), but bro’s not having it.

Ortho (the one guy who cannot eat) interrupts and reminds everyone that the darkness is trying to lull them back to sleep. We then get the reveal that Trey, Riddle, AND Cater are the darkness, meaning that this Cater is a clone and the real Cater is elsewhere.

Battle time~

Aaaah so Ortho couldn’t identify Cater as a clone because apparently it takes a really strong imagination to make convincing copies??? That, and he comments that Cater sees himself an objective way?? Something, something, because this is a dream, it is hard for Ortho to determine what the true composition of something is.

LOL???? The real Cater barges in, he saw the other Cater’s Magicam post about Leona coming over for tea and got excited about it??? He sees the black sludge everywhere and is sooo confused… It’s literally the meme of the guy walking in with pizza boxes only to find the room on fire 😭

Dream!Riddle is on a rampage and beheading everyone, and THAT triggers Cater to wake up. His own dream fucked up THAT hard.

Deuce is about to be collared but Cater uses Split Card to make a bunch of clones that catch the strays of Riddle’s UM and protect Deuce. This must be the context for his new SSR's groovy!

He and some new clones join us to beat up the darkness! As they’re melting away, dream!Trey and Riddle call out to Cater AND CATER SAYS THEY’RE DISGUSTING, THE REAL TREY AnD rIDDLE QoULD NEEEEVERRR… “Could you please disappear? Bye bye ⭐️”

OH MY GOD 😭 Cater Diamond is not beating the bi allegations… First it was him excitedly running into the courtroom when he saw that LEONA was there, now he’s all like “It’s thrilling to be woken up by the prince”. I THINK WE ALL KNOW WHO THE REAL LIONKISSER IS HERE FOLKS.

zbsnsbiska Cater compliments Idia’s video an says it’s sooo cute 😂 but Idia is not thrilled with that comment.

Cater says that he’s not unhappy with Heartslabyul irl (Deuce’s misunderstanding, ig??). He actually likes the dorm the way it currently is. So I guess Leona's theory about Cater trying to revolutionize Heartslabyul wasn't true after all?? ADFHJAFBUASDUO CATER ROASTS LEONA BY SAYING HE'S NOT THE TYPE TO BE SAYING THAT BECAUSE WASN'T LEONA TRYING TO DO THIS SHIT IN BOOK 2.

ADBILABIYOAOYOIB CATER MOM MODE?????? He scolds Leona and says the Heartslabyul underclassmen are cute because they're stupid and easy to deceive, he doesn't want them to become twisted and gross because of Leona's' poor guidance. THEN CATER CLAIMS HE HIMSELF IS A KIND RELIABLE AND COOL UPPERCLASSMAN THAT WOULD NEVER EVER TAKE ADVANTAGE OF DEUCE... Is this the same guy who fucking tricked us into painting the roses red for him??? THAT Cater??? *stares at him* Leona says no way will Deuce buy that bullshit BUT DEUCE DOES INDEED BUY CATER'S BULLSHIT OTL YOU POOR SWEET SUMMER CHILD...

ADFBHUFSYUOFSOYFEO CATER CALLS SEBEK "SEBEK-CHAN"... This throws him off, because "Sebek-chan" is something his older sister calls him, but when Cater says it, it sends a shiver down his spine!

The group agrees to head to Ace's dream next. Before they depart, Cater seizes this opportunity to take a group selfie~! aberiylaiyladasd Cater wanted to take a pic of his dorm leader outfit as a souvenir, but then he says he also wants to take tons of pics of Leona-kun! (Leona says this feels like harassment adshasd) adshuvoayafeyovifpbiVIYFWPF CATER DIAMOND YOU WON'T FOOL KME, I KNIOW A LIONKISSER EHWN I SEE ONE.

Aaaand we set off to the next leg of our journey! That's it for this update.

Man. I did NOT expect a Deuce and Cater-centric update to be THIS bulky but here we are, I guess 💀

The highlight of Deuce's dream was definitely the part at the end where he shares his favorite book with Sebek. Now, I still got HUGE gripes with the pacing and how the characters continue to waste valuable time chit chatting and hanging around but that aside, I really liked what this moment did for both Deuce and Sebek's characters. We get confirmation that Deuce truly does want to work and study hard to be an honors student--and as for Sebek, we get to see him actually opening up and sharing something he genuinely loves with others. You can tell just how much he values reading; he doesn't dismiss Deuce for reading an "easy" book and sees actual value in it being a jumping point for others to get into other books. He is constantly sharing books he loves with his friend Silver and encourages Deuce to do the same for Yuu and Grim. AND THIS IS FURTHER PROOF THAT SEBEK IS THE BEST B--*is bricked into silence*

Anyway, I'm glad they didn't stop Sebek's character development in Lilia's dream. I'm definitely now getting the sense that Lilia's dream was just the initial "rude awakening" for him when he's confronted with a dose of his own racism thrown back at him. He's not used to his loving grandfather being so vitriolic to him on the basis of his race. And now in more recent updates Sebek is being exposed to the good side of students from other dorms (such as Jack), as well as connecting with them via shared interests (like he is now with Deuce). It's so adorable how Sebek promises he will check out the book Deuce loves so much once he returns to the real world, AHAHHHHHHH H HHHH H H H H H HH H H H H H H H OTL SEBEK-CHAN LEMME SQUISH YOUR CHEEKS MYR PRECIOUS BABY BOI

Something else I appreciated about Deuce's dream is how his friendship with Ace, Yuu, and Grim is made relevant. When he first runs into Yuu and co., he worries that Ramshackle has been absorbed by Savanaclaw and doesn't want to fight his friends. Then when things are cleared up, Deuce still invites Yuu and Grim to come eat with Heartslabyul. He and Ace fight together very well in his own dream--so well, in fact, that it reminds me a lot of how Silver and Sebek are perfectly coordinated with one another when they fought the flowers in GloMasq. It's Deuce's own (loving) anger towards the real Ace that ultimately wakes him up. And you can tell that Deuce places value in his relationship with Ace, Yuu, and Grim by how he acts. AND THEN WHEN HE WAKES UP HE'S THINKING OF THAT TIME WHEN ALL OF US REUNITED... HOW IS THAT NOT SUPPOSED TO MAKE ME TEAR UP A LITTLE...

I thought I wouldn't enjoy Cater's dream, but I actually found it to be very fun! I loved how silly and nonsensical it was; it really tickled my Alice in Wonderland-loving bone. asdvhdvsoidsa I'M SHOCKED AT HOW MUCH WEIRDLY PLACED L*ONA CONTENT THERE WAS IN ACATER'S DREAM OTL I expected him falling asleep to be a gag at some point, and I was right (it happens in both Deuce and Cater's), BUT I WAS NOT EXPECTING CATER TO BE SUCH A LION SIMP, NOR WAS I EXPECTING L*ONA TO MAKE THAT REALLY SMART ANALOGY ABOUT A POTENTIAL HEARTSLABYUL REVOLUTION... **slams an angry fist on the ground** LITERALLY SHAKING SOBBING THROWING UP OVER HERE 🤡

The twist with the real Cater being somewhere else was really interesting, but it's a shame we never got to go deeper with this idea or get exposure to the "real" personality of his. I think there was another missed opportunity (although this would still prolong the pacing problems, lol) with dream!Deuce being taken out so early. I thought for sure that dream!Deuce would escape his binds and interrupt the trial, and then that would lead into a whole Ace Attorney style segment where they try to deduce which Deuce is "real". It would parallel how Cater's UM allows him to make clones, as well as how Cater keeps putting on an act and not showing his true self to others. At the climax of the trial, the OG Cater could make his grand appearance and the rest of his dream could still proceed like the version we really got. I DON'T KNOW, I THINK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN COOL TO SEE... (<- totally biased Ace Attorney fan)

That being said, Cater's dream felt... more geared toward comedy than being serious? And it's not like we haven't had dreams like that before, but it feels especially hollow because we've been waiting SO LONG for him to get more depth, be if exploring his dark side or explaining more of his general inner thoughts. It sucks we didn't get any of that.

Cater's not a character I care for a ton, but I think I saw a side of him today that's pretty funny! He was delivering banger roast after banger roast, especially when he called out Leona for trying to overthrow another regime while accusing him of doing the same. dbiabsiofobiapb Also love that we get a reminder of how underhanded Cater is (something I felt we didn't see outside of book 1 when he tricked Adeuce into doing his chores for him). He fr abuses his status as a "trustworthy" senior and accuses LEONA of corrupting the kids to gain Deuce's support 💀 That scene was so funny, it had me in stitches!

With every new dream, I think I become more and more confused about how these things even work. It feels like they offer a completely contradictory explanation or a new detail to overcomplicate the situation every update, and now I have like NO understanding of anything. What confuses me the most about this update is how BOTH Deuce and Cater claim what we saw in their dreams does not reflect what they actually want. Like... Isn't Deuce ASHAMED of his delinquent era? Doesn't he NOT want to go back to that? Isn't he trying hard to study and to be an honors student irl? That's the opposite of what the dream shows. Yeah, it would be more convenient for Deuce to understand and succeed if everything were decided with strength instead of smarts, but this is still actively NOT what he would want, especially given all the time and effort he sunk into reforming himself. Cater also very explicitly states the has ZERO interest in being dorm leader, so why is it that his dream manifested this way??? I suppose you could say he's lying (because he very much is a liar) and is hiding his true desires?? BUT EVEN THEN THIS DOESN'T MAKE TOTAL SENSE BECAUSE HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN DEUCE OVER THERE??????

So how are these supposed to be their "happiest" dreams????? THIS MAKES NO SENSE and all I'm getting from this (until the writing clarifies) is that the devs didn't actually make the dreams "happy", it's partly this way because they just wanted a convenient excuse to write scenarios that would be interesting for the players to see, such as Leona being king or delinquent Deuce or Savanaclaw Rook or whatever OTL I'm hoping this gets properly explained by the end instead of continuing to flounder and leaving the fans to come up with all the answers for themselves... (I also pray for us to stop wasting time doing nothing while the world is about to end, but given that this is an Important Part of the Pattern, I'm guessing there is no chance this is happening. A BIRD CAN ONLY DREAM.)

Alright, that's all from me. See you next main story update for Ace and Trey's dreams...!

[egophiliac]

still absolutely losing my mind over Lilia

[serendipitous-girl]

if i was yuu i would probably go insane while in the twst universe. like seeing strange creatures, magic is real, having to deal with so many overblots, continuously having to fight to survive, and personally missing my old life. my family, my friends, would they think i'm dead? i would be terrified that i would never return. i would realistically go insane if i was in their position

[suntails]

lead us not

[riddle-rosethorns]

twisted wonderland as textposts 9/?

all heartslabyul this time because i'm biased <3

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(credit to @/alchemivich for the sprite assets!)

[zvezdacito]

// TWST Book 7 spoilers, thoughts of Malleus's writing as a character

So I was reading some other people's opinions on why some people consider Malleus overrated/annoying, and tbh this makes me really sad. The general consensus is that a lot of people fixate on certain sides and can only see him as one extreme or the other and it results in many ppl thinking a watered down version of his character is how he is in canon.

I feel that its such a shame because he's the most interesting, compelling and well-rounded take on his character archetype I've seen.

From my observation, usually they kinda make this archetype (the broody misunderstood 'everyone fears him like a monster except for one special person') someone you can't take that seriously, because of how his struggle usually kind of written in a way where everyone involved feel less like actual fully fledged original characters and really just one note tropes interacting with other one note tropes.

To elaborate: What i mean when i say this is usually ppl who hate him kind of just do because of plot requires them to and to show how all their haters are "normies" who can't get him because 'he's not like everyone else'. The misunderstood guy still usually has toxic personality issues but the story really tends to make it feel like they don't fear him for that but because they're shallow and have prejudice to ppl like him, so his personality issues are not framed as wrong or character flaws.

I don't think there's anything inherenrly wrong or mediocre with the "one special person who gives him a chance before anyone else" trope like I'm literally a Malleyuu enjoyer lol but like i said its all in the execution cause otherwise it fails to be compelling and believable. Usually in the poorly written version of this trope the guy doesn't undergo any character development other than showing more emotion and kindess to his partner because they melted his ice I guess so it really makes his whole character feel like its revolves around the sake of romance and fanservice.

Malleus doesn't fall into this trap in my opinion because his situation despite how fantastical it is, the way he was written makes it believable as to why everything is the way it is with him, and it also challenges the viewer if they would be able to say they wouldn't fear him too in that situation.

"We're gonna give you this character who everyone sees as a monster and show you deep down he just wants the same love as everyone else, making you contemplate changing judgement on him. He wants to prove this, but his way of going about it always inadvertently harms others."

"You know where hes coming from and if he had that social connection to give him a better understanding of others this wouldn't be happening, but its also equally understandable that the people hes trying to connect with don't deserve this and fear him even more after this, trapping him in a cycle of isolation."

"Given his track record, do you go about giving him a chance or just considering the repeatedly proven danger he brings. With the valid reasons of both parties, can you really say he isn't a monster and demand that 'if only people be near him'?"

There's just such a tragic and thought-provoking dilemma to his character that adds so many layers that makes him so good.

As omniscient viewers we have the benefit of seeing what he's going through form his POV so we can sympathize with him and understand that he thinks what he's doing is the best course of action and he's just trying to create a "win for everyone" situation.

But also everything he does ironically reaffirms everyone's fear and distrust of someone like him. No one can deny he has a tendency to cause further destruction when he tries to do something "good", examples including: past Briar Valley lantern lighting fire, the Halloween 2 ghost world party, and now his Sleeping Curse stunt in Book 7 Part 2 (they really emphasize this by making the spoken name of his UM basically mean "Malicious Fairy" but have its written name used to convey what its meant to mean be "Blessing").

↑ Given this, it honestly makes sense others, especially those who don't know him all that well, would just expect the worst when he's around already, and you wouldn't be able to blame them for that given the track record. It doesn't help that this impression is worsened since he tends to cause misunderstandings due to his lack of familiarity with human social cues.

Alongside the bias and preconceived notions from his status and reputation, they also make a point on how his personality flaws are still also a huge factor in pushing people away, such as not being able to see things through the perspective of others.

He also holds a subconcious belief due to what has been ingrained in him since childhood as a Draconia and the next in line that because he's superior to others at certain things, he has the right and responsibility to decide on what will protect and help them, disregarding the individual values/priorities of human beings and leading him to take reckless and destructive action with good intentions.

His upbringing, character strengths and character flaws are all realistically connected to each other and the way they are subtly shown to be ever-present in defining his decisions, goals and thoughts throughout the whole story. So we don't really need to have a character go out of their way to exposition this to us this word for word just so we can understand and believe it.

Moving onto something slightly more lighthearted, I really also like how dorky Malleus surprisingly was. Other similar characters in the archetype I usually see don't really have any hobbies, interests, or quirks outside of being a broody authority figure, which might've been appealing to some at first but it really just gets stale and boring after a while.

This should be the bare minimum in making a fleshed out and interesting character so maybe i sound like im giving them too much credit for pointing it out😭 But yeah compared to the other examples it's good that Malleus has his Tamagotchi and Gargoyle interests it makes him feel like a believable person who has his own life going on too (with the bonus that these interests are also metaphors for aspects of his character). The gap moe adds an endearing side to him, and makes the gap between his intent and impact of his actions even more tragic. It wouldn't hit the same without this side.

(^ Forgot how the exact quote goes, but it basically said dark stories are more effective when there are moments of genuine happiness and good in them, compared to if it was always just grim and edgy. The former increases the stakes and tragedy because you have something you to care about losing, while for the latter there is nothing for you to care about so nothing the story does really matters. Same logic applies to Malleus)

Overall, it's just like an unfortunate incompatibility of goals and circumstances, which is what TWST is all about. Another thing I want to say is out of all the characters, I feel like Malleus is the one who is the ultimate embodiment of TWST's main themes:

-> How it's not about "hero" vs "villain" just differing circumstances crossing paths and clashing because of how people on either side have their own complex perspective and dreams they want to realize

-> And how connection and finding community is important to find people who will help you make up for what you lack in reaching your goals and to better understand all the factors that caused the situation in the first place.

As if seeing yourself reflected in a mirror, the more you get to know the people around you, you realize in many ways you are actually quite alike, and through understanding others you could also possibly better understand certain aspects of yourself. It's sort of encouraging you to do the opposite of dehumanizing others and yourself, which is something Malleus has most evidently internalized.

So yeah this was so long😭 I had a lot I wanted to say since Malleus is my favorite TWST character. Idk if I missed anything or if i managed to express my thoughts in a cohesive way but yeah. I kinda go into a rage whenever I see the worst takes ever be put out about his character but tbh sometimes I can't completely blame others since fandom trends and the convenience of simplifying things into tropes can warp your perception of a character and what you associate with them.

Also sometimes twst doesn't do a good job with utilizing his character like Book 5 where he got turned into a deus ex machina and Halloween 2 where they killed any hype and intrigue for the plot we had at the beginning through the ending reveal and gave the worst justification ever for Malleus and Lilia's actions ever.

Regardless, I hope more people manage to move past this and appreciate his character for what it really is soon though. He's an amazingly tragic character; a lot of thought was put into how his experiences, strengths and weaknesses would convincingly connect, and he represents something relevant in the story's plot and themes.

The fact that I've seen some people unironically believe that Malleus may just be faking his cluelessness of social cues to hide his "true evil" is evidence to how convincing his character's situation is, that even some in the audience who know more about him than the characters would still end up in the same place of doubt and distrust of Malleus because of what he's capable of.

Aight thank you for reading👍

[valentinos-corner]

So I just finished TWST book 1

spoilers ahead

I really like how Riddle's trauma is portrayed

he has been this way his whole life, and even after getting out of his abusive household, the mannerisms and obsessiveness he got from his mother are enabled by his dorm

and yes, he was hurt, and yes, that was wrong, but it isn't an excuse for how much he hurts everyone around him

I think Ace could have been a little more understanding, yes, but he wasn't wrong

Trey and Chenya should have been there more for Riddle

I feel like he would have turned out a lot differently if they had stepped in earlier instead of trying not to offend him

and after he recovers from his overblot, he isn't just magically cured of his trauma

he's still a perfectionist, he still has his old habits, but he is healing

and as someone who has been through trauma and is in the process of recovering, I find that incredibly relatable

I recognize that they aren't healthy for me, but I still crave their validation

but I am getting better

anyways well done Disney and whoever else made Twisted Wonderland for the best portrayal of trauma I've seen since Arcane and BSD

[anonyanonymouse]

and What If. Malleus reaffirming all of Silver's worst fears right after Sebek put them to rest.... That his father hates him, that he can never be forgiven, that he doesn't deserve to be loved and he isn't... Malleus asked Lilia before, what if he can't love Silver? And he said to just give him time. And now Lilia is trying to leave them forever. That isn't what someone who loves their son would do, is it? Malleus laughing at Silver's rebuilt faith in his father, how silly. Anything he may have done that seemed like love was done out of a failed science experiment, "can I love my enemy?" and now that he has his answer, he has nothing else to do with him. The only thing Silver deserves now is to sleep and do as his father, and as his master wishes. Just sleep and disappear, let everyone live their fantasies. That alone will protect their smiles, just like he wants.

[fictionfixations]

Out of Context TWST

imgs are from:

Prologue Book 1 Fan translation of Cater's ceremonial robes vignette Rook's ceremonial robes vignette Book 5 Book 6 Book 7 Spectral Soiree Tsumderland 2 A Firelit Sky Jade's Halloween Groovification Message

and then i gave up (was gonna go in order after laughing at the first img. now its a mishmash of me randomly remembering some bits i wanted to add, and removing the ones that didnt mesh too well)

recently finished book 6 and starting book 7 so there's a bunch of book 6 imgs in here

--------------

(note: I can't find the lashing of love line when we encounter Crowley for the first time?? I swear it was there before but now its just not??)

[Lilia: What's this? You'd really turn down my juice?!]

[Vil: WAAAH!]

you get no context whatsoever except that he's sobbing (for three long hours.. its funny i swear). i refuse to show you the visual if you haven't seen it yet.

["I shall even spare it from being served as dinner."]

[Crowley: If you're not satisfied with my offer, I can arrange to have you thrown out again.]

[Grim: Not more lashings of love! We gotta get outta here! Ace: OW!]

[Deuce: Because I'm going to launch you.]

[Epel: You're...hurting me. Please, let go?]

*proceeds to beat everyone up* /hj

[> Then it's kill or be killed!]

[Grim: I'd recognize that collar anywhere. It's the same one that psycho stuck on me at orientation!]

[Cater: Aww yeah, I am getting my paint on!]

[Cater: Even so, he'll have a mom.]

Context because I can't share more imgs: In his Ceremonial Robes vignette, he's basically guessing what people's dorm will be with Trey. When they get to Epel, he goes,

[Cater: He's by far the cutest~! If he had an older sister, don't you think she would be a total stunner?

[Insert Trey's response]

Cater: Even so, he'll have a mom.]

He clarifies that he's joking but still LOL

(this was changed in the eng localization to a comment about washing dishes)

[Vargas: Great sorcery begins with a great physique! Behold the muscles you can build with a diet of raw eggs!]

[> Muscly dog man, sure why not.]

[Ace: A painting? Hard pass! I don't care how cute she is if she's two-dimensional!]

[Riddle: It's not absurd! It's literally the law!]

[Leona: Hey, I'm into it.]

[???: *sniff* *sniff*]

[Floyd: Whaaat? Sorry, can't hear you, man! Hair dryer go brrrr!]

[Deuce: You don't get to call my eggs stupid. You don't get to call ANY eggs stupid!]

[Grim: So you were only a little more annoying than you are now? > I did notice you had that vibe...]

[(Jade) "Oooh, I love it when you flee in terror. It makes me want to chase you!"]

SS from:

But I found what card it's actually from by the wiki

[Malleus: Oh, now I have to clean up your waste? You little scamp.]

[Deuce: For sixteen years, I was so sure...]

[Cater: Ooh, it's almost time! Okay, all you sexy body doubles, that's a wrap!]

[Deuce: I fell and got a boo-boo. Ouchies. *sob*]

[Jade: Oh dear, how did I get into this mess? Don't tell me you planned for me to get caught this whole time...!]

[Jamil: So I made wet burgers.]

[Grim: What if there's an assassin out for our blood?!]

[Lilia: "Lilia. When I woke up this morning, Drago was gone. Now there's this egg in his place. What should I do?"]

[Vil: EEEEE HEE HEE! YEEESSS!]

i cannot explain the utter joy contained within that one voice line. It's just pure exhilaration.

this lives rent free in my brain (along with the kiss. you get no more context besides that)

(it looks funny without the voice attached tho LMFAO. it's like a "Kyaa~! Yatta!" as in like a scream/yell and then 'hurrah/I did it/yes/sweet'! ehh, basically joy when things go well)

there's a limit to how many images you can put in one post. oops.

[insertsomthinawesome]

Well twist my arm why don’tcha SDFLSDFKJDSFL I jest i jest, I’d be more than happy to open that can of worms >:D

OKAY SO

Azul and Riddle: My friends once said they were the funniest out of the Dorm cards with Duo pairs because they were the only set who didn’t have beef with each other WHEEZE. The funny thing is while Riddle and Azul are by no means the same people, they have some very fundamental similarities. They both have a problem with control. Azul focuses on his control of power, his control over other people through that power, to find self worth and meaning. Riddle focuses on control to see that life follows the narrative that he thinks is correct (ie, I think he shows some signs of having OCD, and sometimes with OCD you have a hard time functioning in a way that is “normal”. You have to follow your own patterns, no matter how silly they seem to others, or even to yourself, in order to function at all.) He has control over himself, and he controls himself through rules, he controls the situation through rules, when those rules are broken he gets irritated because it throws a wrench into his perception of the way things should be. When the morality of his control is questioned, he falls apart, because what does that say about his narrative, what is safe, what is true, what is real? If his rules aren’t true, then how can he be perfect? (How can he be loved?) Now I feel like I might do Azul some injustice here, since I’ve both played book 1 and read the manga for book 1, so I’m WAY more familiar with its plot than I am with book 3′s, and I’m sensing some postmortem for book 3 even in book 5, so I wouldn't’ be surprised if Azul gets even more public shaming development before the end of it. So I apologize if anything seems off beat 😔 What fascinates me about these two, is I think Riddle would be to Azul what Ace is to Riddle. A walking call out post generator SDLFJSDLSDGJKSDGLSDJG. In the Anthology manga Ace is shown to pull Riddle up short actively, stopping him from returning to his ways as a tyrant, but also stopping him from spiraling into a pit of self hatred due to his failures. Now Ace is a bout as non-abrasive as the hedgehogs he’s known to tend, so obviously him and Riddle aren’t match to match, but I can see Riddle recognizing beats of himself in Azul. Now Azul, postmortem book 3, doesn't seem to have as much internal reflection as Riddle. In fact he seems to pretty much be exactly the same, just with the knowledge that he isn't exactly the all powerful Witch of the Sea he so wished to become. That's not me saying Azul is the worst BTW that's just my observation xD If anything it feels like Azul is focusing on just... rebuilding it all again. He can't use contracts the way he did before since Crowley banned it, but he still CAN use them (ie i believe he offers help to Riddle at the beginning of book 5, and its VERY OBVIOUS what kind of help he's implying.) on other students, and seems to have no qualms whatsoever about doing so if he can still get a leg up on other people. Now I'm not sure if there's so much proof??? of this??? But i feel like Azul did get a little bit of self worth and love shoved into him at the end of book 3. Yes it was humiliated. Yes he was crying 90% of it. But I think what the end of book 3 might've shown him, is that people will stay. The tweels are still there. They're teasing him yes, but its not negative teasing, its "oh you were adorable :>" we'll ignore the implications that they want to eat him for now SLDFJSDLGJLSDG the ramshackle squad was there. Yuu had a lot of text choices that were deliberately kind and uplifting. That whole end of book 3 was about teaching Azul that he could love himself without his power. That he still meant something. So i feel like postmortem book 3 azul is a lot calmer, and a lot less manic and obsessed with achieved power. So I guess i feel like with Riddle and Azul... they would have a lot of interesting, probably not very hostile?? Conversations about the essence of control. What it means to have power, what it means to wield it. The value of power and the value of a person without power. I think some of these conversations could easily have both of them staying up at night. The stars know that both of them need to go to therapy sdfLKSDJFSLDKGJSDLG. But I think it would be largely civil and productive, with once in a while one of them getting bent out of shape when a particularly sensitive topic is tread, but I think it could make both of them really grow to respect each other. Earlier I said Riddle would be to Azul what Ace is to Riddle, and what I meant is, RIddle is actually really good at reflecting on himself and how he operates (ie the Anthology scene again) I can see him recognizing Azul falling into bad patterns, and going "Oh. He's repeating mistakes... Ace has helped me stop, I wonder if I can do the same thing for him." I can see this potentially helping Azul. Maybe Azul hates it or mocks Riddle for it, maybe it doesn't work as well for Azul as Ace does for Riddle. After all, Azul isn't' Riddle, and I can see both of them easily falling into the trap of thinking that whatever they perceive as being good for their own personal growth as being good for the other. I can also see Azul struggling with Jealousy directed towards Riddle for the peace he's found after such a humiliating ordeal. Azul is only the third overblot, the only people he has to compare to are Leona, whom I'm sure he respects, but Leona is Leona and not exactly somebody who cares about upholding a golden reputation, and Riddle. And honestly? So far out of all the overblots I've seen, Riddle came out having done the most amount of growing as a character. I can see Azul struggling to understand how Riddle is happy even though he faced something so humiliating, so crippling, something that probably the whole school knows about. I want to clarify that I don't think Azul is evil or anything ^^;; I just think him and Riddle came from vastly different places. Riddle's control stems from a desire to be loved, to be whole, its going "Look ma! am i doing it right? Do you love me now?" While Azul's control stems also from a desire to be loved, but warped into a desire to be feared. It comes from bitterness and pain, going "fine, if you don't love me, I won't give you the choice." Riddle was alone. And Azul had friends. Its a very strange mix of circumstances being similar and yet totally different. I think Riddle would become somebody who Azul would realize he didn't want to lose, and it would scare him. Riddle has his respect of course! He's a fine fellow student, a talented magician. All these things make sense. But I think it would sneak up on him that Riddle actually cared about Azul. Azul. Not the Contractor Azul. Not the Owner of the Mostro Lounge Azul. Azul himself. And I think he'd probably find some way to rationalize it down into his brain to be in the same place where he rationalizes the Tweels as just being 'employees'. But some part of him would know. Meanwhile Riddle would probably be vibing SDLFKJSDLKGJSDG he has his card soldiers, he has his men, he knows what mutual trust and care is like, he knows this, and he's not ashamed of it. I do think he'd be really irritated when he realized tho that he genuinely cared about Azul as a friend. There'd be some sort of exasperated annoyance like "Of all the people I had to grow worries over it just had to be someone like you?" In his head he's thinking of it as Ace 2.0 DLFKJSDLJSGD They have simultaneously the most likely, and the most unlikely friendship :)

Hi! Do you have any TWST friendship headcanons about the dormheads? They are definetely a chaotic friend group!

Also love your art! It's so pretty!!

OH ABSOLUTELY. First of all, Thank you so much!! THat makes me so happy to hear ;;v;; ONTO SHENANIGANS: A LOT if not pretty much all of this falls into non-canon-compliant territory, and I'm only partway through Book 5 so I could either totally guess soimething or completely mess something up, but here are my braincells

Vil and Leona: I LOVE these two. I think they have some of the most fantastic worstie to bestie potential. And in a weird way??? I think Vil is the kind of person Leona needs? Like, Vil can be a little too harsh, and in my personal opinion too much of a perfectionist (Not for the character tho, just if he was a real person xD As a character trait its 10/10 good writing) but the fact that he refuses to stop seeing the potential in Leona??? Thats something that I really think Leona NEEDS. People who are like "What are you talking about? You have the possibility to be so much if you just tried." Like that last part is harsh yeah, but I think Vil really has this... he has this Rook-like ability to believe in the potential of other people in a way that isn't actually as cynical as it comes across. If he learned to work more with Leona than against him, I actually think the two of them would have such a strong power duo potential.

Leona needs to see Vil for the Roses rather than the Thorns. He needs to see more of what Vil is SAYING, where he's coming from rather than just the words themselves. I think if Leona really comprehended how much Vil believed in him, like, ACTUALLY believed in him, i think he would be genuinely moved, genuinely shook and full of wonder that somebody saw so much potential in him, as so much more than being a failure or a freak.

However I think if they actually became friends Epel might have to take a week off for mourning because he could no longer go to Leona to escape the wrath of Vil xD

Idia and Malleus: Okay so starsending started me on this one, I think they would actually really vibe. Idia is an introverted Loner, he has a hard time with high energy people who make a lot of noise. Mallues CAN be a lot, but honestly he tends to... not be. Its more like the A Lot follows him. ei when he interacts with Yuu and essentially just ends up being a nerd. The specific image i've had in my head, is i feel like Idia could play animal crossing with Malleus watching him, and the two of them could vibe for H O U R S. Malleus would make the occasional comment or go on the occasional tangent, but he seems less like he needs people to engage with him sometimes, and sometimes just like he needs people to listen. And Idia isn't actually that bad at engaging with people!! He's got internet friends (lilia lol) which means he does know something about sustaining relationships and talking to people I also think that Malleus would probably find Idia's way of talking fascinating SLDFKJSDLGJSLDJG. As long as he wasn't mocked for not understanding, he'd probably find it downright interesting to listen to Idia explain internet memes from 2010 and talk about the history of Loss. I also think that Idia could really be a safe and quiet spot for malleus when things are hard. I feel like part of Malleus's frustrations, and why we see him run away from Sebek and Silver, despite both of them being family he obviously loves, is that, with the exception of Lilia, Both of them make a BIG DEAL out of things. Silver tends to be quieter and less explosive, but they both do. Sometimes I think Malleus just wants to be alone to process, or not be pestered or questioned. I think Idia could potentially be that safe and quiet spot where he's ready to listen, but not necessarily interested in making a big deal about it. If they became better friends he might not even ask, just offer quiet empathy.

Kalim and Leona: -Spoilers for Leona's Union bday card, since it hasn't released in English yet- OH BOY.... THESE TWO. First of all!!! ANother relationship that I think could do a lot of good for Leona??? Kalim doesn't really need him for anything, but he's a well of low expectation positivity, somebody who I can see dragging Leona out to do things, or even just, once in a while so honestly state the worth he sees in Leona that it causes Leona to stutter and pause. Like, Leona's union bday card mentioning that he'd have Kalim with him on a deserted Island cause people would come ot rescue Kalim....... O U CH??????? There's a running Narrative that Kalim doesn't really see the value in himself, and this would be another person (like Azul) who would contradict that. Leona sees a more cynical version of his value, but its still value all the same. And Leona likes to gripe and groan, but he's adopted like, half the characters who are younger than him, I don't think he's immune to Kalim Al-Asim at ALL. It doesn't help that Leona is already a Tsunderely doting uncle, I can see Kalim triggering the Uncle-Instincts in him sometimes... or a lot. The loud and upbeat disposition Similar to Cheka's wouldn't help. Specifically, because I've thought about these two being friends before, I've always loved this idea of a post book 4 sequence where Kalim like, kind wanders into the greenhouse to find somewhere to cry privately, but he runs into leona napping. Leona doesn't really want to deal with Kalim, so while he's blubbering through his explanation he's just like "Fine you can chill here as long as you're quiet" Kalim accepts... but Leona has beastman hearing, so even what might be considered reasonably quiet is loud to him, and he eventually caves and asks whats up. Just to get Kalim to shut up eventually. I think maybe I had a conclusion or an idea for what advice leona would give kalim, but I don't remember it at the moment, but yeah just. Them :) I think their dynamic could be really interesting.

Malleus and Leona: So ya'll who saw my whumptobers already know I have some bad braincells for these two clowns. I think they are jealous of each other, because they think the other has what they want, they think that they see the other squandering the gifts they've been given, being fools and idiots who don't appreciate what they have. Leona craves being accepted, having the crown, having the power to fix what he sees that is wrong, to actually have and impact in people's lives, to matter and to fit in. Malleus craves normality, he craves to be one of the masses, just another man among many, he doesn't wish for power, and he cares little for the catastrophic effect he can have on other people, he just wants to be invited. He just wants to be included. Leona sees Malleus as having the power to do what matters. Malleus sees Leona as having the gift of Normality and camaraderie. Ultimately they're both miserable where they're at (though not entirely. Leona loves his squad, Malleus loves his family, both of them have things they'd never dare give up.) and they think if they just had what the other had, they would achieve the things they deserve and desire. I think both of them would have to sort through a LOT of emotions if it ever clicked for them just how similar they are. They're of course seeing each other through rose colored glasses. Leona is not an everyman, he's feared by his own family, Malleus is not all powerful, he cannot stop the tick of death. Leona is persecuted for being "less than" his brother, Malleus is held so far above everybody else he can't be reached. This would take some time for both of them to process, but I think once they did there would be a chance for them to become good allies, and potentially even really good friends. THose are my main braincells!! I honestly think that making any of the dorm leaders interact is fantastic food for thought and relationship building. I would love to think over what it'd be like to grow a friendship between Azul and Riddle, or Vil and Malleus. Leona and Azul would be INCREDIBLE and fascinating!!! Like man, there's so much to work with in TWST. I realized this might be a little to the left of your question ^^;; Haha, If you were asking about more like, I guess lighearted headcanons, I'm not sure I have any yet!! But I'm sure with time I totally could :) Writing or playing with TWST characters intimidated me for a bit there, since the quality of the writing of the game was SO GOOD I felt there was no way I could do it justice. Now I feel a lot less intimidated, so i feel like I'm more likely to dig my hands into shenanigans and thoughts.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

A fun question your opinion: In each arc, what do you think is the theme of each arc? ( It can be a motif, messages, subject)

These are a mix of jokes and serious thoughts ^^ just to avoid the post from being too heavy overall!

The Rose-Red Tyrant:

Breaking free from perpetuating a cycle of abuse

You are your own person, not a puppet controlled by your parent/guardian

At the same time, you have to take accountability for your own actions (your background can explain your poor behavior toward others but it does not excuse that behavior)

Control that is too constrictive will only push away potential connections and experiences, keeping you isolated and complacent

Anger management classes are good for you, guys

The Usurper from the Wilds:

Let’s play fairly and be good sports!

Judging people for their merits rather than by titles or birth

What makes someone worthy to lead is noble behavior and attiude

Standing up for what’s morally right, even if everyone else seems to be against you

You have value, worth, and hope in spite of what others may tell you and put you down for

It’s totally okay to get revenge on the asshole that tripped you that one time/j

It’s technically not a crime if you don’t get caught (except Leona did, in fact, get caught)

The Merchant from the Depths:

Don’t be ashamed of your past self—embrace it, accept it, and use it as a point of reference for self growth

Be the bigger person rather than becoming a bully yourself

Let your accomplishments speak for themselves

There is no “easy way out” or shortcut; be prepared to face the consequences of your actions

Not everything is as it may seem (think about the “trick” with Azul’s contracts)

… Read the terms and conditions very carefully and think things over before you sign a contract 💀

Schemer of the Scalding Sands:

Wow, this baby can fit so much generational trauma!!

Sometimes you just miss each other’s messages or greatly misinterpret the other’s intentions (Kalim giving Jamil the benefit of the doubt, Jamil obviously being the Bad Guy and everyone else has to point that out to Kalim)

There’s a very complicated relationship between those in power and those without power; this can breed hatred for those at the top

Talent and skill left unacknowledged can fester into resentment

Institutions of higher education can and will accept monetary bribes, what are you gonna do about it?

Not everyone wants to reconcile and make friends; this is okay and should be more normalized

A Beautiful Tyrant:

You can try your best and work hard, but life doesn’t owe you anything (depressing thought, but unfortunately true)

Beauty is not limited to just one’s looks; beauty can also extend to one’s character and actions

Your worth shouldn’t come from external forces; if you are satisfied with yourself, you will always be “beautiful” no matter how you look or what losses you may experience

Public opinion and the entertainment industry are brutal af

Screw gender norms 😤

The Watchman of the Underworld:

The grieving process in general

Moving on from the past instead of fixating on it and letting the past consume your present and hold you back from a future

Learning to forgive yourself

Reaching out and making new support systems/opening up to others to help you cope

Bearing the sins of your ancestors (Shroud family curse)

The Lord of Malevolence:

Change is inevitable, all good things must come to an end; we must learn to accept them and bravely move toward the future

Love endures, transcending race (Sebek), blood (Silver), and time (Lilia)

Self-sacrificial love (Maleanor for Malleus, Lilia for the other Diasomnia boys, Dawn Knight for his own family, etc.)

Is it “true” happiness if it is a fake reality, a convenient dream?

We hate and fear what we do not understand, even though we have the capacity to

You cannot live forever in a happy fantasy world where none of your loved ones/favorite characters leave you, your trauma doesn’t exist, and everything conveniently pans out how you want it to; sooner or later, you must “wake up” and face reality (this point is particularly meta; it applies both in-game and in the real world, speaking to us players and our relationship with the escapist fictional content we consume)

Prologue: Welcome to the Villains’ World and Overall Main Story:

The power of friendship :))

Revisionist history (cuz… y’know… Great Seven and all)

We’re stronger together than alone

It’s okay to rely on others

We may be very different people from very different backgrounds, but it is still possible for us to understand one another

[egophiliac]

HELLOOOO HAVE YOU SEEN LILIA'S DORM CARD YETTTT

personally, what made me most gleeful about the update news is that the part 2 description implies that they forgot to invite Malleus to Lilia's farewell party. god yes rub that salt into the wound, Monday can't come soon enough

[riddlerosehearts]

LMAO THIS IS HOW HEARTSLABYUL WAS BEFORE RIDDLE TOOK OVER?? NO WONDER HE SHOWED UP AND IMMEDIATELY WENT BERSERK

[nepeta-and-co]

NEPETA: :33< wow, the housewarden of heartslabyul is purretty angry!

NEPETA: ://< i wonder what he’s gonna do? he especially seems mad at ace and deuce…

[pieceofourworld]

Twisted Wonderland: Episode of Heartslabyul