#twst Styx family

[yukis-tasks]

The Vignette Theory

The vignettes and event stories are all part of the dream world Malleus created and here's proof!

First off when Malleus first used his - what I believe to be- unique magic "Fae of Maleficent", thorns went inward just like when a card is groovified.

They are the exact same. This is incredibly important because it reveals a direct connection between the cards and Malleus's magic. Moreover, there has been a lot of discussion about the wonky timelines of the cards which I won't be going too deep into.

My argument is that ALL of the vignettes and events were dreams or memories. They all took place inside Malleus's realm. Even the ones where Ortho, Idia, and Silver were the main characters. Although it might seem strange, there is no other way it could work. I think that when the dream started their memories or as described by the Shroud family, their "servers" got connected to Malleus, and all their memories were uploaded. Even though Malleus is not sure of all their memories and probably can't assess all that information, those memories are a part of his realm and that's the backstory to why we have a lot of the vignettes in the game.

The Conundrum With Those Who Are Awake

According to my theory, it's technically impossible for Ortho and Silver to have any dreams. Therefore they shouldn't have so many vignettes....and they don't. First, take Ortho- he has very few vignettes completely about him. Most of them could be from other people's memories like his gym uniform could be the Leech brothers, the White Rabbit Festival could be Duece's dream, and so forth. Even the vignettes where no one should be aware of everything going on with Ortho are easily explained. Ruggie knows about Ortho's actions in the Wish Upon a Star event and other characters might have their own understanding of Ortho's personality. From what we've seen so far, the dreams are fairly realistic. Even the Dawn Knight in Lilia's dream seems to have his own past. Especially when he refers to the origin of his 'ring'.

Silver also tends not to be a main character for most of the vignettes. In the Halloween Soiree, Jamil and Silver get to know each other as they travel around the afterworld/ghost realm. This is one of the few times where Silver acts open and reveals a lot about himself. How does Jamil or whoever is dreaming up that vignette have this information. Well- as previously explained, all the characters' memories are now part of Maleeus's dream realm. The short time Silver was not awake and the information Sebek and Lilia -importantly Malleus- had about Silver allowed Jamil to learn about it in his dream.

It's also possible that Silver was already open about his stories and life so everyone can predict what he might say.

Thank you all for reading my ramblings, let me know if I missed something and I'll try to get to it in another post!

Extra:

Also-CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS BEAUTIFUL LADYYY????

Ngl, when I first imagined Idia's parents I imagined them as abusive and neglectful, but they were a shock to meet. In the main story, they are the first parents of a character we get to see. I was incredibly surprised by her voice and personality but after it dawned on me that she was Persephone, I was beyond taken away! I've always disliked the characterization of Hades in the animated Hercules series. It felt like he was just a cartoon satan (Persephone’s exclusion from the cartoon was also disappointing) but to see Disney include her here-even a twisted version- is exciting. I'm glad that they didn't end up being terrible people, if they were then the Idia angst would have flooded us all up.

[miyuki-fenn]

A Christmas at S.T.Y.X!!

This is a secret Santa gift I did for my friend Angel in a twst discord server! With all the shroud family bein' happy, including Ortho 1.0 who got Star Rouge 2 as his gift Bc dammit they gotta be happy!! It also includes 3 of my OCs, Mel, Fero and Fovos, who are twsted from Meg, Pain and Panic!

The star rouge 2 cover was designed by me! Honestly I went a lil overboard with it but dammit I'm proud of it. Also Smeega is in reference to Mr. Smee, I thought it was silly Here's the full version of the cover!

[storybrook-and-fruitsbaskets]

THAT SCENE IN CHAPTER 3 WHERE ORTHO HUGS HIS PARENTS IS IN THE HERCULES MOVIE

[windblume-wishes]

For more TWST Shenanigans please consider joining the Discord Server!

Summary: After what happened at STYX, Epel was extremely traumatized and never wanted to part from Vil’s side for as long as possible… he did not want to lose Vil. The sight of seeing Vil all old and wrinkled, brittle and worn by age was enough to send him into panic- he’s seen many elderly in his hometown pass away but the images of elderly Vil fresh in his mind just made everything worse…

TW: Mentions of D3@th/Dy1ng and mega angst

If you were looking for Emotional Damage this is the place! Abandon hope all ye who read this! Ye have been warned beforehand of angst and pain!

Epel Felmier and Vil Schoenheit: Don’t Leave Me All Alone…

Rain pelted the windows of the Pomefiore dorm, thunder rattled the walls and lightning lit the dark hallways and bedrooms that cold February night. It was truly a rough storm and the howling wind whistling a ghostly tune made it no better for Epel as he shuddered under his blankets. The thunder roared again and he clutched his poison apple plush tighter, truthfully, he was not frightened of storms but the events at STYX was enough to send him into panic.

CRASH! BOOM!

The thunder roared again, releasing yet another wave of ferocity. With every roar of thunder came the memories of the titans… of Vil…

‘No… No, Vil is alive, Vil is fine… gotta stop being a scaredy-cat! Man up, Epel! Man up, damnit!’

Nightmares of the horrors that fateful day flooded his mind, images of Vil falling into the Underworld to save Idia still were fresh in his memory, haunting him with the thought of losing Vil. Tears pricked his baby blue eyes as he hid his face in his pillow, oh how he despised this weakness… but he supposed it was only right considering how the event’s traumatized him so dramatically.

CRASH!! BOOM!!

The thunder roared once more, causing Epel to jump slightly at the sound. Sevens above how he hated feeling so weak…

Epel huffed, sitting up in bed and grabbing his pillow and apple plush, making his way quietly out of the room and straight to Vil’s room. He knew Vil was likely already in bed but he just had to see him, he needed to know Vil was alive still. His dreams of Vil all old and wrinkled dying before his eyes shattered his heart into microscopic fragments, the images of the dream were too real for him, it was too much. Outside Vil’s door he could see the dim glow of lamp light from under the door, Vil was likely still awake if the lamp was on. Epel took a deep, shuddering breath and knocked on the door, trying his hardest not to break down like a small child.

“Hm? Epel? Whatever are you doing up at this hour? Eye bags, my dear, eye bag- Epel…? Oh Epel what’s the matter?” Vil knelt down to Epel’s height, brushing his gentle, soft hands across they younger’s face. “Come on in, potato, tell me what’s the matter.”

Epel walked in slowly, nodding his head and sitting next to his Housewarden on the bed, staring at him with wide, frightened eyes. “V-Vil… I-I was just scared you were gone… that you left us for good… that the Underworld took you… *sniffle* I’m sorry… I know this is childish an’ stupid…”

‘Stupid! Damnit! Cryin’ like a lil kid in fronta Vil again… I’m gonna get a scoldin’ of a lifetime for the eyebags…’

Vil gasped, pulling Epel into a tight hug, petting his hair gently, swaying softly in an attempt of comfort. He had no idea Epel was so frightened, he had figured something was wrong when Epel refused to leave his side almost all afternoon during their Friday night cleaning session and this afternoon during lunch break but to see this side of Epel was entirely new. He was nothing more than a frightened little boy who had nearly lost someone he cared about deep down even if he did not want to admit it.

“I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere, just keep your head on my heart, see? It’s still beating, I’m still here, little apple. I’m still here…” Vil whispered soothingly, almost in a motherly manner as his slender fingers combed through the soft, violet locks.

‘No, Vil, you left us behind in my dream… you died… you died from old age too soon…’

“I-I’ve seen buncha old folks b-back home go an’ all but… but seein’ you get old an’ leavin’ us…” Epel could not finish that sentence, the words felt so rough on his tongue. The pain in his heart was excruciating and all he could do was wail into Vil’s chest like a child.

‘Sevens above, please don’t take Vil from us… please…’

Vil gently shushed the crying boy, whispering words of comfort as his tears flowed from his eyes. The feeling was the only calm Epel felt against the raging storm of emotions. The Pomefiore Housewarden knew that Epel always tried his hardest to keep a brave face, a defiant attitude, and a tough guy persona but Vil and Rook knew deep down Epel was a gentle soul who cared deeply for others even if he never showed it openly.

“Epel, how about you spend the night here with me, hm? That way you will know I will not leave you.” Vil smiled softly as the younger looked into his eyes as if questioning his suggestion. “I promise, I will not leave your side, you will be safe in here with me. No storm, titan, or Overblot monster will come in here.”

BOOM! CRASH!!

The first year gasped at the sudden clap of thunder, clinging to his Housewarden as if he were a baby koala. He nodded his head in agreement to Vil’s suggestion, eventually looking up at Vil worriedly before releasing his hold.

“S-sorry… dunno why the stupid storm is making me like this… I’m not usually all a scaredy-cat.”

“It can’t be helped, potato, to be completely honest with you, I too have had a difficult time with the storm…” Vil sighed and shrugged. “Truthfully, it reminds me of what happened at STYX, the titans and all those escaped monsters… and the fear of losing you and Rook.”

‘I-I had no idea Vil felt this way… I thought he was gonna say losing his good looks or somethin’ like that. Huh…’

“What? I know that look, potato- you have something snarky on the mind, spill it.”

“Ack- um- uh… n-no I’m good, Vil! Heh… heh…”

“One… Two… do not make me say three, potato.”

‘Great, he’s gone mama mode… no escapin’ this one…’

“Aight, I was gonna say just thought you were gonna say something ‘bout losing your good looks…”

Vil laughed, genuinely laughed at Epel’s remark. Ruffling his first year’s hair, he pulled him back into a hug. “You cheeky little apple, what am I to do with you?”

“Send me to Savanaclaw, maybe?”

“Not happening. You are staying with me, spudling.”

‘Damnit, guess I’m stuck with Vil- although, guess it ain’t a bad idea… heh- life does work in weird ways, huh?’

“Alright, potato, bedtime. It’s well past both of our bedtimes but sleeping in tomorrow as it is the weekend would not hurt, fufufufu~” Vil lifted the covers for Epel to climb under, like a mother he tucked him in and gently petted his head. Vil too tucked himself into bed and pulled the younger close to his frame, running his gentle, slim fingers through his hair and humming a soft lullaby.

Epel slowly but surely drifted off to sleep, the sweet humming of Vil’s lullaby and his heartbeat that was very much alive soothed his mind and guided him to slumber.

“Gnight… mum…” Epel mumbled sleepily, snuggling closer to Vil like a kitten.

“Goodnight, my littlest apple. May no nightmares touch your dreams tonight while I’m here.”

[liviavanrouge]

Adopted

???: She's charging, everyone hush!

???: Sorry, sorry!

Livia: *Opens her eyes, her charging tree dimming*

Shroud Family: HAPPY ADOPTION DAY!!!

Livia: *Flinches in alarm, almost firing an energy ball at them*

Mrs Shroud: Sorry for startling you, Liv-Chan!

Idia: We adopted you Livia, w-welcome to the family

Citro: We got a little sister how great is that!!

Pen: So great!

Pan: Yeah!

Ortho: Welcome to the family Livia Aidon Shroud!

Livia: *Blinks in surprise* Livia....Aidon Shroud

Mr Shroud: Forgive us, we looked up your name and saw that a middle name was registered

Mrs Shroud: Since we adopted you we decided to give you a new name!

Livia: *Smiles wide* Livia Aidon Shroud!! I LOVE IT!!!!

Idia: We have a gift for you...

Citro: You always say you wanted to go into space!

Pen and Pan: So we copied Ortho's Star Gazer gear and remodeled it!!!

Mr Shroud: *Carries a new gear in, setting it down*

Livia: *Floats closer, her eyes lighting up*

Mrs Shroud: Do you like it, Liv-Chan?

Livia: No.......I LOVE IT!!!!

Mr Shroud: She gave me a fright for a minute there

Idia: Wanna go into space Livia? The gear is specially designed for you to be up there for days without ever getting tired-

Livia: *Squeals causing the lights to flicker* Yes!!!!!!

Mr and Mrs Shroud: *Quickly places their hands on her shoulders* Let's calm down!!

Mr Shroud: Livia, daughter, we don't need another blackout....

Livia: *Giggles as Citro hooked her up to her Space Gear* Sorry Father, I'm just so happy

Idia: *Glides his fingers across the keyboard, Livias eyes closing*

Livia: *Opens her eyes, looking into the mirror* Wowie! It's amazing

Mr Shroud: And we installed an opening in your room *Presses a button, a space in Livias room opening* you can go in and out as you please

Mrs Shroud: Be back better dinner, Liv-Chan

Livia: *Nods and activates her blasters, taking off through the opening in her room ceiling*

Mr Shroud: *Stares after her then rushes to the computer, tapping into the security cameras*

Mrs Shroud: Oh, he's worried about her

Idia: She is the only daughter now...

----

Livia: *Smiles, blasting through the atmosphere, heat surrounding her body but vanishing*

Mrs Shroud: *Communicating through a speaker* Liv-Chan can you hear Mommy through the helmet speaker?

Livia: Yes, Mother!

Mrs Shroud: Good be careful but have fun!

Mr Shroud: Daughter, if it gets too dangerous tur back, don't jeopardize your safety.....

Livia: *Nods* I will! First stop! Saturn!!

Mrs Shroud: Mommy and Daddy Shroud out!

------

Mrs Shroud: Let's get dinner ready

Ortho: Alright!

Mr Shroud: *Stays silent, keeping close to the microphone that lets them speak with Livia*

Mrs Shroud: She'll be fine Papa, but if you're really worried you can stay here and keep an eye out

Mr Shroud: *Nods silently, worry waving off him*

Mrs Shroud: Let's go make dinner boys!

Citro: Alright!

Pen and Pan: HECK YEAH

Mr Shroud: *Sighs* Be careful....My Daughter

[yetanotherexhaustedalchemist]

Found this tiermaker assigning the twst boys with the seven deadly sins, here's my rankings

Explainations:

Ace was difficult to place, but he is prone to overestimating/boasting about his prowess with magic or intelligence (often without evidence behind him 😒) He also thought he was a match for RIDDLE one week into school, yikes.

Jack was also difficult to place, since he's generally one of the more upstanding students. But he does rely on himself more than he probably should on occasion, such as when he wanted to confront Leona alone in Book 2, without the support of others.

I mean what's not for Vil to be proud of Pride is often defined as being full of yourself to the point that you won't acknowledge your faults; this doesn't apply to Vil. Still, it could be argued that his pride led him to be unable to acknowledge Neige winning against him.

Sebek thinks very highly of being fae. IDK what else

It's Azul. He's a capitalist. What do you want from me?

Floyd wasn't assigned lust from a sexual viewpoint (necessarily), but he does live hedonistically. He only really does things if he thinks they'll bring him enjoyment or pleasure of some form.

Same for Rook. I guess you could say he lusts for beauty?

And same for Malleus. His need to keep the things he cherishes close prompts his overblot, and that's a kind of possessiveness I associate with lust.

Cater is shown in his Halloween SSR to envy Lilia's understanding family relationships. Social media also tends to make people compare their lives to others and lead to envy.

Jamil envies people - a lot of people - to the point that it affects his relationships and distorts how he views people. For example, his envy of Kalim's (perceived) easy life stops him from seeing Kalim objectively.

Epel is a minor example, but he's prone to being jealous of other's strength (physical like Jack and Leona, or magical like Vil).

It makes sense that someone who grew up in the slums, needing to fight and steal to get food to eat, would be kind of obsessed with having food and money. Ruggie is under gluttony rather than greed because he actually uses the money and eats the food (or gives it to the people back home) instead of hoarding it.

Besides having a large appetite, I'd say that Jade is a bit of a 'glutton' for amusement in a similar way to Floyd. I put him under gluttony instead of lust because it just felt right.

He angy

Deuce is under wrath because of delinquent mode, that's it

Ortho chooses violence with alarming frequency. not much to say.

Trey himself admits that he let Riddle's mental state get worse by not dealing with the hard truth and letting it fester. He says he knows he should have done something to stop Riddle, but he didn't, and it hurt Riddle and others.

Leona is lazy (sleeping all the time), but his cynicism also makes him extremely unmotivated and uninterested in putting effort into anything.

Like Leona, Idia is extremely uninterested in doing things outside his interests, even when they demand his attention (housewarden and STYX duties). Also, like Leona, he almost certainly has depression, which would help explain this.

Lilia also didn't fit into any of the catagories well, but I put him under sloth for the sole reason that his suddenly leaving NRC for the East could be seen as him trying to to avoid the hard goodbyes of a farewell, in a (failed) attempt to spare his boys' from pain.

Kalim's just a sweetheart!! none of the categories fit him well

Same with Silver

--

A few specifications: here are the definitions I used for the sins

Wrath: Anger taken to unhealthy extremes; misdirected anger; causing harm by hurting innocents

Sloth: Causing harm by inaction; leaving others to suffer when you could/should do something to help

Greed: When the desire to have resources (money, land, ect) deprives others of what they need

Envy: Seeing others' fortune as wrong; dumbing people down into targets of jealousy

Pride: Believing you are superior to others

Gluttony: Hunger (for food, luxury, ect) taken to unhealthy extremes; anything in excess is poison

Lust: Reducing others as objects/pawns for your desire (sexual, power, wealth, ect); desiring something so strongly that becomes a sole motivator

--

Putting someone in a category doesn't mean that they fit all the criteria/interpretations

I also included despair/melancholy under sloth (choosing to wallow in your own pain and ignoring what could be done to help, yourself or others)

The difference between greed and gluttony is hard to define, but it's best described by greed being the desire to have material things for the sake of having them, while gluttony is the desire to have material things for the pleasure of consuming/using them.

[yuri-is-online]

Been thinking back on the early books where Crowly would just not even play coy about holding Yuu's vulnerable status in TWST over their head to do things, he's only stopped in recent books because after Jamil's overblot, Yuu's stopped going to him for things/Yuu gets involved in stuff anyways but like, imagine Ortho or any of the boys with real Means hearing Crowly do the whole "Oh I'd hate to see you on the streets, Prefect" shit and just going "not if I have anything to say about it".

STYX probably has some sort of deal with other countries for Nationality if people born there like Idia ever need ID, so i could see the Shroud brothers just asking Mum and Dad to make their buddy a fake ID so they can get a job.

Or just Kalim or Vil using their wealth to simply pay for Yuu to get all the paperwork they need and then some if Crowly continues to be skeezy about it. (And its because its me and you, Ace debating whether or not to cheekily slip a marriage certificate in with all the paperwork, if only briefly).

Azul and the Tweels Girlbossing and Gaslighting that Yuu is actually from the Coral Sea and their paperworks just been lost in the exchange program, how dare customs lose something that important! All four of them deserve compensation for the damage!

But who needs all that when Malleus just bold face says that by Divine Right he declared Yuu a sovereign citizen of Briar Valley. Whose gonna fight him in this? Just.. the boys in general making sure Yuu is OK

Ortho offers to give you any secret you want off the internet for your birthday so I definitely see the S.T.Y.X. people coming in clutch for the paperwork. It makes the most sense to me because when I read Book 6 I felt like the implication was Grim was going to be kept there past when the OB boys were returned due to him being seen as a danger, so if Grim is a matter of interest to S.T.Y.X. then Yuu probably will be too eventually. Paperwork shmaperwork they'll have ids made up for Yuu lickty split.

Malleus is another good option, but there is that pesky senate to deal with... I wonder if we will ever get an explanation of how Sebek's dad immigrated there? Could Malleus claim that he's technically doubled the human population by making Yuu a citizen because Mr. Zigvolt is the only one there for now?

and just because it's between you, me, and hundreds of our closest aceyuu friends and family, maybe yuu jokes that if they just got married then they'd have some paperwork and ace makes a great big show of "taking one for the team" even though we both know he'd really like that actually. And so would you otherwise you wouldn't be joking about it.

[yuurei20]

Hi, I'm working on a theory for Ramshackle and MC. Have the creators said why Queen of Hearts/Scar/etc. were chosen for the Great Seven? ((Also, why did MC become the prefect of Ramshackle and not the Housewarden?))

Hello hello!! Thank you for this question, it became a rabbit hole!

Yana had this to say about the villains who were used for inspiration (from the game guide):

"The number one reason is that they are all from 'masterpieces with which everyone is familiar'. They are all legendary—you need only say the movie titles and the characters come immediately to mind.

Since they are also legends in their own right, we thought it would be good to choose stories with a long history, and that is how we settled on these seven.

There are many other movies with fascinating villains, so it was a very difficult decision."

-Twst Game Guide (2020)

She also goes into detail about the different eras during which the movies were set, which may also have influenced which were selected! More here! (Youtube)

But there may be more going on than we have been told 👀 There are theories that "death" is another theme that links the dorms together!

All members of the Great Seven were villains that either died in their movies (Scar, Ursula, Maleficent, Jafar (in the second movie), the Evil Queen), or were never alive in the human sense to begin with (Queen of Hearts, Hades).

Death has never been a subtle theme in Twst, with new students at NRC arriving via coffins.

Kalim observes that, with the ceremonial robes they wear to orientation, "it's like we're attending a funeral."

And there are also the ghosts!

While it seems possible to be born as a ghost (according to Crowley and Eliza), Lilia says that ghosts "linger here due to powerful attachments or personal motives...they aren't visible outside of magically suffused locations like Night Raven College," and that they "linger" by choice.

And this brings back to the prefect!

In the manga, all three prefects that we have seen thus far have had names connected to the afterlife:

・Heartslabyul Arc, Enma Yuuken (円満 雄剣): Enma's family name is pronounced the same (the kanji is different) as 閻魔 (Enma), the king of hell in Buddhism. From the Kyoto National Museum website: "The King of Buddhist Hell is Enma, who is also the judge of the afterlife."

・Savanaclaw Arc, Hirasaka Yuuka (比良坂 悠河): "Hirasaka" is written and pronounced the same as the hirasaka of Yomotsu-hira Saka, known as "The Entrance to the Underworld" in Shintoism, explained on Shimane Prefecture's official tourism website: "Yomotsu-hira Saka appears as the boundary between the land of the dead and the land of the living."

・Octavinelle Arc, Mito Yuuta (三途 宥太): "Mito" uses the same kanji as 三途川, the "River of Three Crossings," which is "a mythological river the souls of the deceased must cross by one of three crossing points." Credit to blogger Tansho for the discovery that "River Styx" was changed to 三途川 in the Japanese-language dub of the "Hercules" TV show.

So there is definitely a theme of the prefect filling a role between life and death!

While one theory is that the prefect ended up in Twisted Wonderland after they died (in the manga it is insinuated that all three prefects were hit by vehicles directly before waking up at NRC), another theory is that they're not quite dead yet.

If that is the case then they may be close (Grim wakes them up prematurely, and Crowley says that this is his first time having a student who opened their "gate" (coffin) on their own) and they might just be an astral projection of someone who is between life and death, appearing at the magically suffused location that is NRC.

In other words, a ghost 👀

The manga is following a theme of naming its characters something involving "Yuu" (which is always the students' nickname for them) and "Yuu" is also commonly adopted as the default-name for the game's prefect.

Another word that involves a "Yuu" sound is 幽霊 (Yuurei), which means: ghost :>

(Hence the name of this blog! It is the very chuunibyou name of a twitter account I made in 2018 to complain about my job. This potential connection to Twst was completely unintentional and makes me laugh.)

As for why the prefect was named Prefect of Ramshackle dorm instead of Housewarden: I am not sure! But it seems to have something to do with the unique situation that is the prefect's role.

They have not technically been assigned to the overseeing of the dorm as a whole, just to Grim, so maybe that is why? :>

And it is particularly interesting as that means that the role of Housewarden of Ramshackle Dorm is still open--maybe to be filled some day...? 👀

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hi!! I sorta get the vibe that maybe Rook has some deep rooted trauma from his childhood?? Just because of how secretive he is; i know hes eccentric but i feel like it’s more than that. A lot of ppl are upset at Vil for “changing” Rook somehow but i feel like rook changed his appearance to match with Vil, moved to pomefiore, etc. because HE wanted to be more like Vil, i feel like him meeting Vil was a rly big turning point for him. And with how upset he was at having to hurt dream Vil and Neige (and his fanboy bedroom😭😭) i feel like he’s really dependent on both of them for his happiness and he’s avoiding dealing with some traumatic experience, but this could be a stretch. I was wondering what your thoughts were. Sorry this was so long, have a nice night!!🫶

Mmm, maybe? There's certainly nothing to disprove the idea, although there also isn't much to support it. Rook doesn't strike me as someone who is scared or put off by most things. He was very much able to keep his calm and composure even in demanding, high-stress situations like the STYX base raid in book 6 and the rescue operation in Endless Halloween Night. If he has experienced something dangerous and/or dark, he gives me the impression that he could handle himself just fine. (This isn't to downplay trauma; I'm just saying that Rook could very well be the type of person that reacts and copes well with it.) As for him being secretive, it could be for other reasons such as his family's line of work (which is implied to be pretty important, since they have warp pads and villas all over Twisted Wonderland). This would be reasoning similar to why Jade and Floyd's father's occupation is kept dubious. Rook's secretive nature could also be an intentional diversion (ie purposefully playing "the fool") so it's easier for his targets to lower their guards around him or not take him seriously. Really, there's many reasons for his enigmatic and eccentric attitude. I'm also of the opinion that you don't necessarily need to have a deep-rooted trauma to get deep into fandom or stan culture. Sometimes you just get really into something and want to dedicate your entire being to that which holds your attention! For Rook, that's Neige and Vil--and it hurts him on a deep level to have to harm those who have brought him so much joy. I liken it to like... how TWST fans have merch shrines dedicated to their favorite boys. Non-Twsties may not understand our love and dedication to these characters, nor why we may get upset if those merch shrines are destroyed or damaged.

I think a lot of Rook's emotional attachment to Neige and Vil doesn't come from "relying" on them to fill in some void within himself. Rather, the behavior stems from him literally viewing them as pinnacles of beauty, combined with his own reverence for beauty itself and how they've helped his own character development. We know that, as a child, Rook struggled to express himself and was first introduced to the magic of the arts when he watched a play that starred Neige. The performance and show must have deeply resonated with Rook. Later on, we see that he, as a first year Savanaclaw student, acts much closer to the Rook we know of today. Invasive, bright, speaking his mind in a verbose way, etc. This makes me think that it was through stanning Neige that Rook was motivated to express himself in a more open manner. Then, when Rook meets Vil, he's inspired and encouraged to beautify himself so as to be like the works of art he already admires. As you've said, Vil isn't the one forcing change on Rook; instead, Vil gives the suggestion and Rook becomes enraptured with the idea--to the point where he changes dorms against Vil's advice. This is another huge turning point in Rook's life. He changes dorms, becomes Vil's right-hand man, and drastically changes his appearance too. This is all so he can be closer to the "beauty" he wishes to see, so he can fully dedicate himself to that chase. Neige was the impetus that started it all, and Vil is the one who motivated Rook to go "above and beyond" in his pursuit of beauty. So thinking about it, Rook has gone on his own journey of personal growth, and Neige and Vil are both closely tied to that. It's like how some of us TWST fans have been with the game for a few years now. We've grown and changed, and TWST has been with us every step of the way. I bet you're a totally different person today than you were when you first came across your current hyperfixations. That's bound to deepen the emotional connection we already have with the object of our affections--be it TWST for us, or Neige and Vil for Rook, no trauma necessary. From all of that, I get the impression that Rook cherishes Neige and Vil because he has "grown up" with them and they're so pivotal to who he is and has become as a person. When he has to turn his arrow on them, it may hurt him in the sense that he's destroying his passions or the very figures who have inspired him to come as far as he has. That's how I interpret it!

I still think it's fine to headcanon whatever you want for Rook's past though! There's no harm in filling in the gaps with whatever you think suits the character or the story.

[luxthestrange]

TWST Incorrect quotes#684 Family be like-

Holiday dinner with the ramshackle family(The faculty, Ghosts, Yuu's siblings+Grim-), and of course you brought your SECRET boyfriend idea for your guardians to give you both their blessings...this is after book 6 y'all-

Like any good family...you guys get into petty disputes and end up ...exposing everyone's dirty secrets-

Yuuta: -And Dad, you know that mailman you got fired? He didn't steal your Artifacts, Yuuka did!

Crowley gives Yuuka a Disapproving Look

Yuuka*Decides to fight fire with fire* Yeah, well Styx agents didn't break the porch swing, Yuuta did!

Everyone looks surprised at Yuuta, while Yuuta looks outraged

Yuuta*If he is going down...everyone is-* Yuuken hasn't been doing paperwork for a year!

Crowley and Crewel gape at Yuuken in disbelief

Yuuken: Yuu and Idia are living together!?!THEY BEEN SLEEPING IN HIS DORM FOR A YEAR NOW?!

You look horrified, Idia is now sliding down the chair hiding in his hoodie, and the faculty looks stunned at the two of you

Yuu: When Yuuken was tasked to look after Grim and lost him! AGAIN!?

Ortho*Deciding to join in for fun* I love shoes!

Trein looks at him in utter confusion but...pats the young shroud head appreciatly...

Idia*Grabbing Otrho and covering his mouth*...

Grim*reading the recipe he was following, he helped with the dinner* I wasn't supposed to put beef in the trifle!

Yuuya*pounding the table in desperation*I WANNA GOOOOOOOOOO!

Crowley*rubbing his temples*…That's a lot of information to get in thirty seconds...

[cibadiditoto]

This brings me to another question: after Chapter 7 is over, how will Idia introduce Silver? Like it or not, he's gonna have to tell them about the absolute parade of green flags (heh, get it?) he landed. Oh how will the joint family dinners go? Lilia and the Shrouds teaming up to embaress their sons while Malleus and Ortho hang out in the corner (I think they'd have a really cute friendship). Actually something tells me that both groups are already planning the Silidia wedding years in advance

well first he had to kidnap him

We still don't really know how Idia sees his parents truly, from what I see it's been in between of hesitation and comfort. Since book 7 is all about familial love, I'd say that Idia's relationship with his parents would be more visible later on.

I think Idia will first introduce Silver first as a fellow extreme blessing/curse holder. It seems that a gone-wrong type of blessings is quite rare to be found in twst wonderland (assumption, since there's no other character who bears it outside of Silver and the Shroud bloodline). Mama Shroud would be delighted to see Silver (and his 400 y.o curse). I'd say they wanted to 'check' on him for free since he's Idia's friend. Lilia will be concerned upon the last STYX incident with NRC overblotees, so him and Malleus will come for safety.

There will be joint family dinners, yes!! It's definitely a chance for Mama Papa Shroud to look at the subject- uh, Idia's beloved friend. They are definitely very happy to be met such a good mannered kid. I think they already knew Lilia beforehand since Lilia knew about Idia's grandma, which was supposed to be a secret? Since it's STYX (idk I'm still figuring out how tight they had to keep their personal identity) Malleus is unfortunately cannot mess around inside STYX or he might accidentally destroy some valuable devices, so they probably does the dinner outside the underground Bunker. And perhaps they will play at the park, Ortho will show Malleus his fav games and they will frolic happily lmao.

Both family then realize that what Idia and Silver had is something special... The Shrouds especially. They think that this is the first time they saw Idia just comfortable enough to talk with someone outside of Island of Woe, so they are slowly feel a bit hesitant with the whole 'experiment' shenanigans in their head hahaha

[merakiui]

my favorite thing about twst is that rook is BY FAR the weirdest fucking guy in a school that includes an immortal dragon prince, deranged mafia eels, a guy whose head is literally on fire, and whatever the hell vampire grandpa is doing on any day

Oh, definitely!!! He's so strange and that's what makes him so fun. He's such a talkative character and yet no one knows much about him. He's too mysterious! And is he rich? He must be if his family can afford all of those vacation villas, all of which are connected via mirror teleports. That can't be cheap! What are his brothers and sisters like? What about his parents? What are their professions? Many unanswered questions... I think it's also worth noting that he's a canon stalker and that he keeps pictures behind the wallpaper in his dorm room. He is so not normal and he doesn't try to be because his "normal" is being himself (which is weird to others). <3 I love him.

Compared to some of the other characters, he is absolutely the strangest. I think you can sort of chalk the tweels, Malleus, and Lilia's behaviors up to the fact that they're not human and grew up in a completely different culture and environment with their own ways of living and such. It would make sense for the tweels to be morbid and predatory because they grew up in a place where such things are normal (also mafia family stuff;;;;). Malleus and Lilia are from Briar Valley, a place where magic is so widely used that there is no major technology in sight, so of course they would enter human society with their own curiosities and ways of interacting. Also, Malleus lived a very isolated life inside the palace and Lilia has seen so much of the world (he's also lived through war) and so of course their behaviors would be understandably weird.

And Idia also lived a very secluded life that really wasn't very normal either, where his only social interaction was with his family, the staff at STYX, and the STYX robots. It was also incredibly tragic. >_< and he's a gamer and he likes anime. So,,,,, naturally he's going to be weird.

I think the most unsettling part is that Rook is human, and so there isn't really any way to explain his behavior. From what we currently know, he doesn't seem to have any pressing emotional difficulties that may hinder him and he seems to have lived a relatively comfortable school life. Also, he's so extroverted and so shameless about the fact that he watches Leona nap or that he wants to press the twins' buttons to see them snap... public speaking fears him. >:) but there may very well be some sort of trauma he's endured, or maybe there is no real explanation for his behavior. Maybe that's just how he is. I often cheat and say, "It's because he's Rook," as an easy way for explaining his behaviors, but I feel as if that's the only way to truly describe him. He's just so Rook. Unabashedly.

[dreamofjoys]

TWST SPOILERS - THINGS THAT THE FANDOM HEADCANNON THAT BECAME REAL

Long hair lilia during his general days - its funny how we all just decided that he used to have long hair since he often mentions that he cuts his own hair for fun and etc

Malleus overblotting and the shroud family + STYX joining to stop him - a lot of people have been speculating that the shrouds and styx might be the key component to stop malleus's overblot since malleus is bad with technology (and also because STYX's specialty is to capture overblots and etc so they DO have the resources to do whatever that is necessary)

Malleus creating happy dreams and scenario for everyone, including himself - A LOT of overblot malleus's fics (including mine) involves malleus putting everyone to eternal sleep just so that they could be happy inside their dreams without worrying about anything

Malleus fighting and putting us back to "sleep" when he realises that we woke up from our sleep - once again, almost every overblot fic has this scenario. Bro is just desperate to make us "happy"

Possibility of fighting dragon Malleus - I didn't really see the leaks properly but I did saw Malleus with inky(?) dragon fighting MC. This point have been raised for quite awhile since we were wondering how we are going to defeat Mr Dragon.... (with the power of friendship)

Sebek's loyalty towards Malleus - This is not really a headcannon but some of us (including myself) were wondering what would Sebek do if Malleus strays towards the bad side? Would he follow blindly or stop him? We all know that Sebek's mind only revolves around Malleus (same) but it does put a peace in my mind that Sebek tried to stop Malleus and calm him down. Poor boy was crying when he realized that he disobeyed the person he looked up to so much but still have to carry on to in order to bring normal Malleus back

Overall thoughts

Malleus's actions were kinda expected (in my POV) but what I really love is the twist and element of surprise in the chapter. Silver having a unique magic that travels to dreams and my baby ortho gearing up to fight Mr Dragon :')

I cannot wait to see the next part of the chapter but at the same time my heart just aches so badly for Malleus since I can somewhat relate to how he feels. We are one step closer to his back story...

[violetlunette]

Runaway Chapter 13: So Close

Summary: The Disomnia family is reunited. And yet...

Previous Chapter

Master List

Ao3

Notes: *Twst spoilers for Chapter/Book 7

Lilia’s entire form trembled as he stared at the ruin scene before him, his mind trying to process what happened.

Sebek was sprawled out on the ground, unconscious, with his arms torn to pieces and bleeding badly. Malleus and Silver were missing. No, they fell. They fell off a cliff after the blade--

“No. No, no, no, no!”

‘I can’t believe this is happening.’ This was all his fault, so why was he the only one left standing?

He went to Sebek first, as the teen was closest.

Sebek was still unconscious and appeared to have a minor head wound and some broken bones. He was pale and bleeding as well.

Lilia instantly worked to apply first aid to his student, tearing apart his clothing and Sebek’s to create gauze.

‘He lost a lot of blood, so he’ll need a hospital right away,’ he thought. Once he was patched, Lilia gathered the young man in his arms—an awkward sight, to say the least—and walked to the cliff’s edge to find the others.

A sharp breath sliced through his throat as he took in a new sight.

“No… Malleus!” Malleus lay atop Silver, bleeding heavily from the sword wound in his back. The prince covered Silver, so Lilia couldn’t even see him.

Lilia jumped down, calling Malleus’ name several times. Once at the two’s side, Lilia set Sebek to the side to focus on his ward.

“No, no… Fuck! This isn’t happening!” Lilia wailed as he pressed his palms on the open wound in the dragon’s back. “After the hell I went through for you to hatch... There’s no way in hell you’re dying!” He clenched his eyes shut as he desperately searched his body for any remainder of magic inside him—anything at all. Eventually, he found some, but he couldn’t be sure if it was enough. Even so…

Lilia focused what remained of his magic into the injury, calling upon some of his life force when that wasn’t enough. Anything to save Malleus.

Despite Lilia’s best efforts, the wound didn’t heal all the way. However, some color returned to Malleus’ skin, so Lilia allowed himself some relief for the moment. He gave a hollow chuckle.

“Heh. You said you wished you had never met Silver, and yet...” Silver! Oh, no!

Removing Malleus as swiftly—and gently—as he could, Lilia frantically looked at the form of his son. The sight turned the fae to ice.

“Silver! No, no!” Lilia cupped the boy’s face in his hand and called out to him. There was no response.

Lilia’s body quaked as tears flowed from him, along with his remaining hope.

“Silver…” All his strength vanished, and Lilia collapsed onto Silver’s body, broken and sobbing.

~*~

Lilia awoke with a start, his heart in his throat as he stared at the ceiling.

‘Where—’ then he remembered. He was at STYX headquarters.

Lilia wasn’t sure when STYX had found them. He vaguely recalled soldiers running around trying to separate them—and getting their asses handed to them for their efforts but the bat-fae who was in fight mode. Lilia couldn’t recall what he was thinking or feeling except the fear of losing something.

However, one soldier manged to get through to Lilia by pointing out his boys needed healing. That thought got Lilia regain his senses.

Once at the STYX HQ, Malleus and Sebek were taken to the infirmary while Silver was quarantined, which is where the two of them were now.

Lilia swung his legs out of bed and walked to the containment pod, which resembled a glass coffin in Lilia’s eyes. Apparently the unit was to cleanse the blot energy and help stabilize him.

Inside the tube, he was wearing a breathing mask as Silver wasn’t breathing on his own, and while they patched the wound on his chest, they were still worried about the damage. Thankfully, it started to heal as the blot energy started to vanish. Even so, they had no idea about the lasting side effects as of yet, so it was too soon to relax.

Lilia heaved a heavy breath as he dropped his head forward.

They attempted to separate Lilia from Silver, but Lilia fought like a bat out of hell. Perhaps it was irrational, but after what he went through to get Silver back, he wasn’t letting the teen out of his sight anytime soon.

His breath fogged the glass as he muttered, “So close, and yet...” His lips pressed into a thin line as his fingers curled against the glass.

He wanted to hold Silver’s hand, just as he did when the boy was ill as a child. Lilia would admit it, but it was for himself as much as it was for Silver. It allowed Lilia to feel like he was doing something. That he was somehow anchoring Silver to the land of the living, to him. He couldn’t even do that now.

Lilia closed his eyes and pulled himself away.

‘I shouldn’t be so silly.’ He folded his arms, brushing against the needle there.

For his part, Lilia mainly received treatment for dehydration and fatigue after weeks without rest. His palms were still burned and had black on them from the sword, but he was otherwise uninjured as Sebek and Malleus had done most of the work, something that would cause him grief at another time.

Speaking of which, Lilia asked about them.

As he thought, the damage they obtained was worse. Sebek’s arm had been so damaged that it nearly had to be amputated, and his spine had cracked during the fall. If not for STYX’s technology, which was vastly advanced, Sebek may have been paralyzed.

Malleus—thanks to Lilia and his dragon blood—was healing quickly, but they suspected there would be a scar from the stab wound due to the blot energy. Despite their injuries, they were expected to be fine.

They would all be fine, he told himself. He just had to be patient.

~*~

Lilia’s student woke up first. Naturally, the first thing he did was start bellowing and demanding to see Silver before rushing to the area. Lilia made sure to scold him for this.

“You just woke up, and on top of that, you’re still injured,” he firmly informed the other. “You’re going to have scarring, but if you keep flailing about, you’ll reopen those wounds, and you’ll lose your arm! What will you do then?” Sebek immediately turned into a puppy under Lilia’s harsh words. Lilia felt bad but held his ground. Forget about Baul, who would turn into a bawling baby once he learned what happened to his grandson; Sebek’s mother was going to tear Lilia apart for letting it happen. If the lad lost his arm on top of that, then Lilia would be joining Malenore and the others in the stars sooner than he thought.

Sebek dropped his head.

“I...I apologize, but Silver...” At this, Lilia softened. His arms fell to the side, fatigue coating his features and actions.

“...He’s still asleep,” he said, waving at the pod behind him. Sebek seemed to notice the pod for the first time. The sight turned him gray.

“He’s...in there?!” Sebek hurried over and had to be stopped from throwing himself onto the machine by Lilia. “What’s wrong?! Why is he in there? And those tubes... what are they doing to him?!” It was an admittedly terrifying sight.

The breathing mask aside, there were tubes stabbed into Silver’s arms for blood transfer and to provide nutrients, medicine, and other things. He was practically mummified in an enchanted gaze, mostly to handle the internal damage he suffered, including half his face. And on top of all that, Silver’s skin tone had taken on a grayish-blue hue. The color made Lilia feel like they were observing a corpse for a final viewing before burying him for an eternal sleep. As he thought this, Lilia cast a glance at the heart monitor, the beeping reassuring the man that his son was still alive regardless of how he looked.

Not taking his eyes from it, he answered Sebek’s inquiries.

“...Silver suffered a lot of internal damage. Including his lungs, hence the mask,” he explained. “There was also blood loss and broken bones. The pod... is for the effects of the blot.”

“But! None of the others needed such a thing, not even Malleus, who was under for a week.” Sebek pointed out, his hands flat against the glass. Lilia’s eyes fell as he held himself.

“Silver was under longer than any of them,” he mumbled. Three weeks at least, he was told. Possibly longer. “And he’s human. As a dragon, Malleus recovers faster than most people.”

“But… He’s going to be okay, right?” Sebek pressed, his face like a child looking for comfort. “He’s going to wake up.” Lilia’s smile looked drawn on, and his eyes were vacant. He couldn’t even part his lips to respond, though he desperately wanted to comfort the other. The lack of an answer made Sebek tense before his head dropped.

“That...That idiot!” he said, his voice thick with tears.

Silence fell—an odd thing when Sebek was around. However, the boy shook with emotion as he gnawed on his lower lip. Lilia knew he was only holding himself together for his sake.

“I’m going to check on Malleus,” Lilia said after a moment. Though he hated to leave Silver, he trusted Sebek, and it seemed he wanted to be alone with his brother in arms. Besides, as worried as he was for Silver, Lilia was worried for Malleus as well. “Watch over Silver for me till I get back, won’t you?” Sebek pulled himself as straight as he could.

“Of course!” Lilia couldn’t help but chuckle at his energy.

“Then I leave him to you.” He gave a wave as he turned and walked to the automatic doors, which opened and closed with ‘swshh.’

Alone, Sebek continued to stare at Silver in the pod, at a loss for words for the first time. He thought everything would be okay once they found Silver. After they talked, everything would return to normal. It never occurred to him that Silver would be injured or...

The young teen clenched a tightly wrapped fist.

“Tch! What are you doing, you idiot…” He grumbled, his body shaking as he held back tears. Then he cursed himself for insulting Silver. Yet even then, the words continued to roll off his tongue.

“I can’t believe you did this to yourself. You ran away. You abandoned us and even blotted over for what? For things that weren’t even your fault?! There’s no reason in the world to blame yourself for the actions of your ancestors! Why would you ever...” He trailed off. No, he knew exactly why Silver blamed himself, didn’t he?

“But that was because of me, wasn’t it?” Sebek let out an empty laugh as his throat tightened. His head dropped in shame. “I was the one who thoughtlessly put those thoughts into your head, didn’t I?” He closed his eyes, which were shining with tears, and was unable to look at his childhood friend.

“I always put you down, and I guess... I made you feel like you weren’t enough. You weren’t good enough to be Lilia’s son or Malleus’ guard. All because I was ashamed of my own weakness.” The last part came out bitter, and his head fell forward, hitting the glass. “And because of that, when the truth came out, you felt that all you could do was run, didn’t you?” It was his fault. It was all his fault. Had he been honest and not tore the other down every chance he could, then... Then...

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, okay?” His voice started as a whimper, then turned into a full bawl. “I’m sorry! I was jealous that you, a human, were stronger than me at sword play and could cast spells easier and more.” With a burst of energy, he pushed himself away and opened his eyes, red with tears.

“You have to wake up!” he commanded as he threw out an arm, as if directing an army. (A habit from his grandfather. “Don’t you remember our promise, our dream? We both declared that we would be Malleus’ guards together! And whether you believe it or not, you DESERVE to be his knight—maybe more than me! So! Don’t give up! Stop sleeping and wake up! Wake up!”

~*~

“...Wake up!”

Whose voice was that?

‘Sebek?’ Why would he be calling out to him? Why would anyone...

Silver sighed, dropping his head to his folded knees. He wished the world would just leave him alone. He was tired. And it was peaceful here. There was no pain and no regrets. Most of all, he couldn’t hurt anyone here. It was best to remain...

“We made a promise; remember! Wake up!” ‘A promise…?’ What was it?

What… was…

“When I grow up, I want to become a knight like my grandfather so I can protect Lord Malleus!” Silver, who was seven or eight at the time, tilted his head.

“Protect…?”

“Of course! Why else would you fight?” Silver never thought of it before. He was just doing it because his father told him to. However, he thought of everything his father and Malleus did for him. If he could do something for them, then--

“Okay!” Silver said with a firm nod. “I’ll become a knight too!”

“Ehh? You? You’re just a human!” Silver frowned stubbornly.

“So?” he huffed. “I’ll still become a knight. Then I can protect Father and Malleus.” Sebek opened his mouth to respond, then thought better of it.

Instead, he said, “Hmph! I won’t serve with just anyone! If you want to fight with me, you better stop sleeping all the time and become strong.” Silver nodded.

“Hm! I will! I’ll become strong and protect my father, Malleus, and our home!” he swore.

‘Home…’ He wanted to go home. Back to the place and people he loved. He wanted to go so badly...

His shaky legs stood, pulling the rest of him up with them. However, before he could take even a single step--

“My home is gone because of you.” Sebek turned and saw the pixie from Lilia’s memory—the one that had her home destroyed by the Silver Owls. “I can’t go back. Why should you get to go home?” Silver’s head dropped in shame.

“I…” She had a point. Why should he have a home when others lost their own because of him? How was that fair?

‘It isn’t.’ Besides, that place wasn’t his home. He had no right to that place when...

Drip…

~*~

When Malleus awoke, he flinched under the bright lights above.

“Malleus! You’re awake?” Head light and spinning, he turned his head towards the voice.

“Lilia?” Lilia let out a breath, relief shaping his features as he placed a hand over his heart.

“Thank the Seven! I thought—well, that doesn’t matter.” The bat-fae reached out a hand, but seemed to think better of it and pulled back. “How do you feel?”

Malleus frowned, trying to recall everything that happened.

He recalled leaving the college with Sebek to find Lilia, and--

‘Silver.’ Silver had overblotted and turned into an empty shell of his former self, intent on self-destruction.

That was when Malleus remembered the blade. He raised a hand to the spot where a wound should have been, confused.

“How am I still alive?” he asked. This time Lilia did touch Malleus, his smile soft and fond as his fingers brushed across the dragon’s cheek.

"Thankfully, I had just enough magic to save you,” he said, relief in his airy voice. Malleus’ eyes grew in shock as he realized.

“You gave me your magic? Again?” He confirmed, his voice quiet. “Why? After everything, I said…” Lilia moved his hand to hold Malleus’.

“Because regardless of how you might feel, I still care about you,” he told his ward. “You were the one who showed me I could love. That I could grow and change. Everything I have—” His grip tightened. “--is because of you.”

Malleus was filled with emotions that were warm and soft. It nearly overwhelmed him, and he had to close his eyes as they glistened.

“Lilia…” The name came out in a trembling whisper. What should he say? Despite all his harsh words and rejection, Lilia still...

The dragon closed his eyes and parted his lips. The words that came next came on their own.

“What… What of Silver?” He wasn’t sure why, but the boy was heavy on his mind. Especially as he recalled the hollow eyes looking at him when they should have been filled with life.

Lilia appeared to shrink as he slumped forward with exhaustion and unease.

“...He’s still recovering,” he answered. The hand around Malleus’ quivered, as Lilia was barely able to hold back his emotions. Malleus knew that Lilia was doing everything he could to not cry right now. “Sebek’s with him right now.” Despite his desire to learn more, Malleus turned away.

Then, after a moment, he spoke.

“...I overheard what you said. When you were trying to save Silver,” he said. “You said you... blamed Silver?” Lilia’s shoulders sagged with shame as his expression became pained.

“…I did,” he admitted, rubbing a hand over his face. “It was odd. I mean… I loved him. Kufufu... I was fond of that little baby the moment he began wailing for attention, but also... He squeezed his eyes shut.

“I couldn’t forget where he came from. I couldn’t forget that he was the son of Malenore and Leven’s enemy. And he was the reason the knight...” He didn’t finish. “But even so, I.. I wanted to become the person Leven thought I could be. I wanted to see if I could.” The memory of Malleus’ father seemed to pain Lilia, and he had to avert his gaze. Then he laughed.

“It was easier than I thought!” he chuckled. I was too busy trying to figure out how to care for a human baby to think of those thoughts. Trying to figure out what to feed him, trying to keep him clean, and wondering why he would sleep every other hour of the day except at night when he was supposed to. Then he learned how to crawl, and I had to work over time so he wouldn’t hurt himself—you were there; it was a whirlwind.” The smile Lilia had was so fond and bright despite the clear fatigue, just as it was when Lilia played with Silver as a baby.

“Then one day, I realized that—it didn’t matter where he came from. I loved him,” he said softly. “It wasn’t long before I didn’t even think about the past anymore. Just his future.” Lilia watched Malleus closely as he said this. Malleus didn’t react, so he continued.

“...I hope, in time, you can let go of the past as well.” Malleus closed his eyes but didn’t have time to respond.

~*~

Their time together was cut short when the doctors and science personnel arrived, the guards dragging a flailing Sebek behind them. After a moment, Lilia and Malleus were informed of the situation.

“We think he’s starting to blot over again,” the scientist informed them. The two were stunned as their hearts came to a stop. Malleus could only utter a small, “Eh?” Lilia, on the other hand, was screaming.

“Again?! But why?!” he demanded, the blood leaving his body. “None of the others...” The scientist shook their head.

“We’re not sure. We’re doing what we can to prevent it, but... Lilia’s fists tightened at his side as he shook.

‘Why…?’ He was angry. He could feel his frustration burn through him like a dragon's fire and into his soul like razors. But most of all, he was scared. He didn’t understand. Why? Why was it always, always something?! Why could they just--

Lilia screamed, his throat and eyes set ablaze by grief. He nearly toppled forward as he screeched.

“Arruughh! Fuck!”

--

A/N:

*Oh, what? Did you expect your pain to end so quickly? Nuh-uh. Not yet…

*But hey! Malleus and Lilia made up.

*I was originally going to have a dream scene with Lilia on trial, but I decided that as we’re nearing the end I should be nice to ya’ll. (Plus after my last little fake out, I don’t think anyone would have bought it.)

[riddlerosehearts]

okay. so. overall i loved this latest twst update but there were a couple things i didn't 100% love and i'll talk about one of them in this post: the shroud parents being so nice and loving and helpful seriously threw me off last time they appeared because i thought they always seemed so emotionally distant before. both from how idia talked about them on occasion and how they never once appeared in his very lengthy, two-part overblot flashback, not when he was shutting himself in his room for 2 whole years or when he finished creating ortho--the only adults we ever saw were STYX researchers. so like, i'd always had the impression that they weren't necessarily The Worst Parents Ever but that they were just so busy with their work that they forgot to pay attention to their kids. and when they first appeared in book 7, it felt like they were behaving exactly how a lonely little robot boy who knew that he was "replacing" their dead son would want them to act, and even looked that way too with the daft punk helmets giving them a robotic look. it just seemed too good to be true imo.

after that update came out i had read a theory that said maybe malleus was so powerful that he could put even a robot to sleep, and that that was what we were seeing: ortho dreaming of getting to be a hero and save the day, and getting to have this perfect happy family. i loved that idea. i probably should've realized a twist like that wasn't going to happen when we still hadn't checked back in on ortho after so many months, but i just thought, and still think, that it would be so compelling if ortho wished to be loved and accepted so badly that some part of him deep down had become human enough to dream, or at least for malleus to be able to bring out that part of him. if his parents weren't so loving in reality and maybe didn't even fully accept him as their son, so he dreamt that they would--which is a heartbreaking thought, but i definitely would not have put it past twst to do that. i also just like... think it would be neat if the development ortho has been getting in events and vignettes, which heavily focuses on his growing sense of autonomy and how he's started to have his own desires outside of his intended purpose of just Being Idia's Brother, was given a little more focus in the main story.

anyway though. obviously that theory just got obliterated by canon! so i guess the most logical explanation for the discrepancy in the shroud parents' portrayal might be that they were too emotionally distant and focused on their work before, and remained that way for a long time after ortho's death, but eventually they "woke up" and realized they'd never really been there for their sons. losing one of them changed them for the better and now they really are that helpful and sweet. if their behavior seems too good to be true then it could be because they're trying their hardest to make up for the years they wasted, to be a proper family now. maybe they didn't accept ortho for the longest time out of grief and that's part of why they never appeared in idia's flashback, but they later decided that just because they can never truly regain or replace the son they lost, doesn't mean they can't treasure the one they still have and the one that they've gained. and i guess the shroud parents still fully accepting ortho and loving him as one of their own despite the tragedy that led them to become family, and despite the fact that ortho does not have the shroud family blood flowing through his (nonexistent) veins, would parallel the bond that lilia has with silver and malleus... oh. okay. i think i've kinda just talked myself into feeling better about this, actually.

[yuurei20]

Jamil Info Compilation part 26: Jamil in the English-Language Adaptation

During Firelit Sky we learn that Jamil, much like Idia, does not like tradition and customs.

He was rewritten on EN, however, into a character that prioritizes his history and chooses to uphold tradition.

Many of Jamil's lines were changed for EN:

Original Jamil: If I did something like that and Kalim’s father found out, the Viper family would suffer for it.

EN Jamil: Not to mention the lecture I would get from my parents

Original Jamil: I’m sorry, but I’m not going to put my whole family on the street because of my selfishness.

EN Jamil: I’m sorry, but it just wouldn’t be right.

Original Prefect Option: That doesn’t seem like a responsibility that a child should be burdened with…

EN Prefect Option: I guess you make a good point.

Original Jamil: That is the fate of those born a Viper.

EN Jamil: (removed)

Original Jamil: A game of pretending to be masters and servants?

EN Jamil: (removed)

Original Jamil: I’ve been a servant of the Asim house since I was born.

EN Jamil: I’ve always been loyal of the Asim house.

Original Jamil: Masters are masters, and servants are servants.

EN Jamil: (removed)

Original Jamil: And it would be unacceptable for a servant to refuse and order from his master…!

EN Jamil: And it would be unacceptable for an employee to refuse and order from his boss…

Original Jamil: I’m just a servant.

EN Jamil: I’m just a dedicated employee.

(Jamil actually does use the word employee/staff when referring to other people employed by the Asim family, just not for himself)

Original Jamil: The lord/lady of the manor

EN Jamil: your father/mother

Original Jamil: Master

EN Jamil: Employer

Original Malleus: …a servant of the merchant family, Asim.

EN Malleus: …the merchant family that employs you.

Original Jamil: I have a generous master

EN Jamil: Kalim is a big spender.

Master/servant is wording that has been taken directly from Disney’s Aladdin, but it gets removed very often from the EN adaptation of Twst, disappearing from Jamil’s dialogue in Book 6, Jamil’s birthday and Jamil’s unique magic in Book 5, though it returns in Book 6, so maybe it was judged to be more appropriate for the STYX staff member than it was for Neige?

Question: If you had a parrot, what’s the first word you’d teach it?

Original Jamil: Probably “master.”

EN Jamil: Probably “Hello.”

Original Jamil: It's important to teach hierarchy, right?

EN Jamil: Is that…too obvious?

EN also has the one time that Jamil refers to Kalim with the “-sama” honorific removed.

Though sometimes ignoring JP’s “-sama,” sometimes they don’t!

It has thus far been translated as “Master,” “O Great,” “Housewarden,” “O mighty,” “Count” and “Mr.”