#twst lion king

[harunayuuka2060]

MC: Is it normal to have a dream about the Great Seven? *serious*

The first-years: ...

Ace: No.

Deuce: Yeah, I agree with Ace.

Jack: Dreaming about a cupcake chasing you is more normal.

Epel: *looks at Jack* A cupcake was chasing you?

Jack: ...

Jack: Yeah, I know. It's a weird ass dream.

MC: Guys, focus.

Ortho: Did you have a dream about them?

MC: Yes. And it was sooooo vivid.

Scar: Hmm… fascinating. You appear to be some sort of… furless baboon. Not that it matters, of course, *sneers, eyes narrowing* But tell me—what could you possibly be doing in my den?

MC: ...

Scar: Cat got your tongue? *his eyes gleaming with amusement as he circles*

Scar: Speak, furless baboon, or I might just consider making you… my next meal.

MC: *is a sucker for big cats; stopping themselves from petting him*

MC: I-I don't know, sir.

Scar: *raised an eyebrow* You don't know??

MC: Yes, sir- But can I ask you a question?

Scar: Hmm... Can you?

MC: ...

Scar: Oh, very well... *he drawls, flicking a paw dismissively*

Scar: You may ask.

MC: Are you... one of the Great Seven? The King of the Beasts?

Scar: ...

Scar: *looks at them interestingly* King?

The first-years: ...

Ace: So what happened next?

MC: I don't know. I woke up.

Epel: Are there others?

MC: ...Yes, but I actually want to continue my conversation with Scar-er, the King of the Beasts.

MC: It's quite tiring to introduce myself all over again.

Sebek: ARE YOU SAYING YOU DREAMED ABOUT THE THORN FAIRY?!!!

MC: *fell from their seat*

MC: Dude!

[sunshineandteddybears]

Falena: *watching Leona walk away* What am I going to do with him? Kifaji: He'd make a very handsome throw rug. Falena: *surprised laughter* Kifaji! Kifaji: And just think, whenever he gets dirty you can take him out and beat him.

[egophiliac]

DOGS

IN

SPACE

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

washroom reveals

Ayo… I think we’re going to see the washrooms for ALL the dorms eventually??? 👀

First we saw Heartslabyul’s, now we have Savanaclaw’s! The colors and patterns very much suit the dorm. djshsjwnwk I like how you can see water running in the back; I wonder if it runs into a (lounge) pool that people bathe in?? There’s also a lot of broad-leafed plants around—on the ceilings, on the wall, decorating the room. It all reminds me of the lush location where Simba grew up.

There seems to be both sinks and washing machines features in both of the washrooms we’ve seen so far. The sinks in Savanavlaw are an interesting shape and color; they make me think about the ends of bones, which are more bulbous and knobby… but I doubt the sinks are actual bone; more likely, it’s probably some kind of white stone.

Can’t wait to see the other washrooms 👀 We didn’t see Scarabia’s in Jamil’s Relaxing in Room card, so we’ll likely see in Kalim’s card allllllll the way in the summer.

I can already see it now… Diasomnia’s washroom looking like a medieval torture chamber to the average onlooker 😭

Malleus: And these are our toilets (the toilets have spikes protruding from the seat)

Lilia: Back in the day, we would welcome our human guests with these

[kawaiioni]

Can I offer you a mangy lion in these trying times?

[m00nkissedlover]

・｡Naps 🍂

You've ordered: a cinnamon apple tart! enjoy!

"Cause all I wanna do is lie with you~"

Leona Kingscholar x reader | word count: 1,150 words

Summary: during preparations for halloween, you and leona share a rather comfy moment~ 🍂

Warnings: none!

Note: kinda rushed, not really proofread. also, i love leona sm, OMG-

Cheerful banter, excited voices, and the scents of pumpkin, cinnamon, and apples filled the air of Night Raven College. Students and faculty alike were working hard in preparation for everyone's favorite holiday: Halloween.

Each dorm, being led and directed by their dorm leaders, was hard at work, decorating for the spooky and fun filled holiday that was only days away.

You were working with Grim to hang up some pumpkin and skull shaped garlands, holding a few nails between your teeth as you hammered them into the wall. "These look too boring!" the cat-like creature complained, flicking at one of the paper skulls with his paw.

"Well what do you recommend we do? This was all they had in the storage closet..." you sighed, rolling your eyes at your furry companion's complaints. He thought for a moment before perking up, a mischievous little grin on his face.

"I think it'll look better all lit up!" he exclaimed, taking a deep breath. Before you could stop him, Grim had already let out a breath of fire, the blue flames licking the paper and thread of the garlands.

"Grim, what did you do?!" you yelled, rushing to fan out the flames before they burned your dorm to the ground.

"What? I thought it'd look cool..." grim said, realizing his mistake. You sighed, gently petting his head after you finished putting out the small fire.

"It's alright, you didn't know this would happen." you mumbled, looking at the now charred garland at your feet. "I'll go ask around the other dorms and see if they have extra garlands."

You said, grabbing your jacket as you made your way out the door. "Bring back some tuna!" Grim yelled after you, your response being a thumbs up.

You'd tried most of the dorms, realizing they were either done decorating or still in the process. When you went to Heartslabyul, Deuce and Ace were on their way out, Riddle yelling something along the lines of "Get the right decorations or it's off with your heads!"

"What happened?" you asked as the two walked with their heads hanging in shame.

"Someone took the wrong box of decorations. These actually belong to Savanaclaw dorm." Deuce said, earning himself a poke in the side from Ace.

"Okay, but in my defense, the closet was pretty dark!" he protested, a soft laugh pushing past your lips.

"Looks like they have extra garlands. Mine burned down cause Grim was trying to show off again." you explained, stepping onto the grounds of the Savanaclaw dorms.

"Are you sure that's why you're here?" Ace asked, a knowing grin on his face. You playfully shoved him as Deuce went up to knock on the door. The door swung open and Ruggie stood there, a box full of Heartslabyul decorations in hand.

"Oh, I was just about to come return these." he laughed, shoving the box into Ace's arms.

Deuce gave him the correct box and thanked Ruggie, getting ready to leave before he was tugged to the side by Ace. You raised an eyebrow as you saw the two whispering and glancing at you a few times.

You weren't sure exactly how you got into this situation, but you and Ace were currently helping Ruggie and Jack put up fake cobwebs in the corners of the room. Deuce had volunteered to go take the decorations back to Ramshackle and Heartslabyul.

"Where's Mr. King of the Jungle? Shouldn't he be helping too?" you asked, glancing around for the familiar lion.

"He's taking his "power nap." Says he can't help out if he's sleepy." Ruggie said, rolling his eyes.

"Ugh, Ruggie, we're out of thumbtacks." Ace said, hopping off of the ladder. "Ummm, I think Leona has some in his room." Jack replied, tying off the string of another garland.

"Y/n, could you get them?" Ace asked, that stupid grin on his face again. "Why can't you-"

"Ace, could you come hold this for a second?" Ruggie yelled, obviously in on it and giving Ace the perfect excuse.

"Duty calls!" he smirked, making you scoff and curse at him under your breath.

You softly knocked on the door of Leona's room, listening for a sign to enter. "He's probably asleep..." you thought, slowly opening the door and taking a peek inside.

You were correct: there in a plush, king sized bed, slept Leona Kingscholar himself, still in his uniform minus the jacket. You slowly stepped inside the room, walking over to his desk area and snagging the box of thumbtacks, making your way back to the door. You stopped halfway, glancing over at leona's sleeping form.

He looked so peaceful, as if he didn't have a care in the world. He probably didn't. Absentmindedly, you reached your hand out and gently brushed some of his hair from his eyes, seeing them slowly start to flutter open.

You froze as his emerald green eyes seemed to widen a little at seeing you, a sleepy grumble leaving his lips, his tail flicking behind him. "Herbivore? What are you doing here?"

"Sorry to wake you. Ruggie said he needed help with the Halloween decorations, so Ace and I decided to stay." you couldn't help but laugh a little, taking in his half asleep state as he sat up with a groan.

"Ace needed some thumbtacks for putting up the cobwebs." you said, holding up the box.

"You're really going along with all of this stuff?"

"What, you mean decorating? It's much more fun that way! Gets everyone into the Halloween spirit!" Leona rolled his eyes, playfully flicking you in the forehead.

"Of course you'd say that. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll get back to my nap." he said, getting ready to get back into his bed. "At least come and help-!"

You let out a startled yell as you were pulled down into the plush blankets of Leona's bed. "Leona, what are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? Sleeping. You can leave if you want. But if you decide to stay, I'd appreciate it if you stayed quiet." he yawned, his tail swishing a bit. You felt your heart skip a beat, your eyes glancing up to meet Leona's.

He wordlessly pulled you closer, resting his chin on your head, already knowing you had no intentions of pulling away.

It felt nice, so nice to be held by the otherwise grumpy lion. He smelled like citrus and something musky. His embrace felt like a protective bubble, keeping you safe and secure. You felt your breathing get a bit slower as eyelids fluttered closed, your arms wrapping around Leona's middle. No words had to be exchanged. It was already obvious how you felt about each other.

Bonus: Ace and Ruggie walked in on you two and of course Ace took pictures...and of course you chased him down the hall the next day when he sent them to you. 🍂

© m00nkissedlover, 2024

[ixbalanqe]

🫰🍩✨💛

[skyenish]

I don’t know why I bite

[bunnwich]

omg have u watched mufasa yet my fav leona fan…

Thoughts On The Mufasa Movie

Adfghjk. I did! (Disclaimer: if you actually like this movie, maybe don’t read my review!!) ALSO!! SPOILERS FOR THE MUFASA MOVIE.

Ofc I wasn’t gonna pay for it so I found a “totally legit way to watch it online” and I had some…thoughts. What I hoped this movie was gonna be was “a mediocre watch but maybe have some interesting lore about Scar and Mufasa growing up as brothers.” Because I do sometimes use Lion King lore to build my Sunset Savanna HCs and even some Leona ones. HOWEVER IT WAS…NOT GOOD. 

AND PAINFULLY BORING?

Let’s start with the retconning…

So, essentially they made it so Mufasa and Taka (as we’ll call Scar from here out) NOT biologically brothers, which is just stupid? I can’t list the amount of reason this doesn't make sense or I’ll go insane. But this completely contradicts the established LK lore and completely guts part of the logic and motivation Scar would have for being so bitter about Simba’s birth.

AKA THE PLOT??

Instead Mufasa is made to be this tragic orphan character who happened to be adopted by Taka’s family. Taka’s father was a king?? Of some sort, it’s UNCLEAR - since we dump the character along with Taka’s mom, within the first 15 min. But not King of the pridelands? Or the “one true Lion King?” There seems to be a clan situation going on? 

Anyways here's few reasons why them NOT being related is dumb:

Making them not biological siblings makes all of the “brother” lines completely false? I get that they can call each other brother without being related except… at the end of this movie they state “how they will never call each other that again”

If there is no concept of a royal bloodline and Mufasa (who is a nobody and randomly made king by other animals at the end of the movie) why wouldn’t Simba be the next in line over Scar. We establish that Taka and Mufasa have kind of cut ties by the end of this stupid ass movie so why would he think that as his “not-brother” he was next in line ANYWAYS?  

That aside, the idea of Simba even being “destined to be king” BECAUSE he was Mufasa’s BLOOD son just feels weaker now as a story theme. The idea of family being a big part of Lion King.  

Why have this messy backstory when we didn’t need it to contradict the lore? When all other iterations of Taka's and Mufasa's story had them be blood siblings? ALSO The whole “growing up as siblings and feeling overshadowed by Mufasa” doesn't really exist here either because they were “besties” until Sarabi came along. (We’ll get there.)

This movie IMO did no favors for Mufasa OR Taka’s characters or their motivations. If anything it WEAKENS THEM. Why would Mufasa keep around someone who he could easily exile, WHO TRIED TO KILL HIM? 

We didn’t NEED a 2hr Mufasa glaze movie tbh. They framed it as “oh this is how he fought his way to be king.” BITCH WHERE?? Homie didn’t hardly do anything the whole movie.  And besides Taka’s dad (who quickly warmed up) People…just instantly loved him? 

Almost everyone he met loved him. ALSO Mufasa is one of the most popular damn animated characters in all of fiction. What I HOPED that this was gonna be was an interesting expiration of the rift between MUfasa and Taka’s relationship.

You know the basis of the WHOLE REASON THE LION KING PLOT. Instead what we get is Taka going “evil” the last 15 minutes of the movie after Sarabi “picks Mufasa over him.” YEAH. WHICH IS CRAZY because none of them. Not Sarabi, Taka or Mufasaspent nearly enough time together for me to believe that they “loved” each other.

It was so….stupid and rushed to the point his voice literally changed with A SONG. 

YOU GUYS…Taka saw Sarabi and Mufasa together and sang a song, then IMMEDIATELY went to the people who KILLED HIS FATHER (a group of rogue white lions) to work with them to “get rid of Mufasa” who he claims: “took everything from him” INCLUDING HIS FATHER. 

NO? You loved him a second ago?? AND MUFASA HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH TAKA’S FATHERS DEATH? THE WHITE LIONS LITERALLY KILLED TAKA’S FATHER!

YOU GUYS, I CAN’T MAKE THIS UP. Also, funny that Mufasa was considered an “Outsider” and then how he acted in The Lion King. IT MAKES NO SENSE. Why didn’t he have more sympathy for those in the Outlands? HE CAME FROM THERE. In the OG lore it always felt like Mufasa had grown up in the Pridelands his whole life. That makes sense on why he didn't trust outsiders. And now he thinks of anyone outside of “where the light touches” as lesser than him? Make it MAKE SENSE. I took some notes the night I watched it. Here are those.

The whole subplot of the beginning of Taka’s father being mean to Mufasa was TOTALLY Ripped from Tarzan and the relationship of Tarzan and Kerchak. 

This movie weakens Mufasa AND Scar’s character. This gives Scar a weak reason to betray Mufasa. Instead of building resentment from a lifetime of being overshadowed, it was over a girl he knew for like a week.

Everyone is saying that this movie is trying to “sympathize Scar” is wrong. To me, it’s more to sympathize with Mufasa who didn’t need any more sympathy?? Making him a rags-to-riches story?

There was NO reason for Scar to theoretically be upset at Simba's birth, AKA the inciting incident. One of the first lines of the movie  makes no sense now “I was first in line before the little hairball was born.” HOMIE NO YOU WEREN'T?  Mufasa disowned you years ago and this isn't a blood oligarchy? If anything it was democracy since Mufasa was ELECTED KING.

Am I crazy or isn't there a line about Mufasa’s dad being a King in the Lion King or Lion Guard??? Which he wasn’t in this movie and dies in the first 2 seconds.

Mufasa’s ass really had the nerve to say EVERY BEING HAS A PLACE. (Except hyenas, huh?)

Why did a bunch of herbivores, who lions eat, elect a king who is literally a lion is BEYOND ME.

Who were the “Great Kings of the Past” if there were no great “Lion Kings” before him?

This whole plot felt like an afterthought?? And the middle is SO FORGETTABLE I can’t even tell you what happened. Sarabi, Rafiki and the brothers walked a bunch and found Pride rRock?

One thing is clear to me…with the last few “live action remakes” is that the heads of Disney don't respect the properties anymore. Not the legacy of the writers, artists, or any that came before this shit. The director barely seemed like he wanted to be there. 

This movie SUCKED. Don’t give it a pass because it was better than the 2019 one. Don’t support Disney. DON'T GO SEE IT.

Sorry if this sounds harsh but if we want Disney to make anything good again you can’t go see shit like this. Trying to cash in on people’s nostalgia for money.

I enjoy the old movies. Growing up they were a part of my childhood too. I admire the old artists, salute the creative people, the queer people who made the music, and those who designed some of the most iconic characters of all time.

HOWEVER, I’m not a “Disney fan.” In fact, I feel sorry for the hardcore Disney fans because movies like this and Wish feel like such a slap in the face to people who really enjoy the franchises. Lion King was a bit before my time so I never got swept up in the hype and have only come to appreciate it as an adult. I know there are those hardcore fans who, like me as a casual one, probably miss the love and care that used to be put into the creation process.

If I were to sort of fix this movie I would have gone the “half-sibling” route. Cut Sarabi and Rafiki and turned it more into a slower movie about Mufasa and Taka’s childhood. Then you can still have orphan Mufasa this way. And THEN because Mufasa was technically “born” first and liked by more by the pride because of his personality (dispute being a “bastard child), you can up the tension between brothers. Then when he is chosen as heir over Taka, I can see the deep seeded inferiority that Scar has making sense. Just…so much more interesting than what they did here. ALSO MAKE IT ANIMATED.

TLDR:

DON’T SEE THIS. IT SUCKS, IT’S EVEN TOO BORING TO BE A FUN-BAD MOVIE. 

IT COMPLETELY IGNORES THE LORE OF OTHER LION KING PROPERTIES.

 GO WATCH THE LION GUARD INSTEAD OR THE SEQUELS.

And if you want more Scar lore, go read the Disney Villains comic that came out last year. Those artists and writers actually put care into the project.

That’s all I got. DFGHJKL. 3/10 DO NOT recommend it to a friend.

[gingacat]

my oc twisted from Zira

name: Zakari D'Ekon

birthday: December 8th

age: 17

height: 181 cm

homeland: Sunset Savanna

grade: Sophomore

class: 2-D

club: Board Game Club

best subject: Practical magic

hobbies: Tabletop RPG

pet peeves: Blandness

favorite food: Bunny chow

least favorite food: Chicken

talent: Being delusional

Personality

Don't let his pretty face deceive you, Zakari is weird. He has a wild imagination and tends to believe he is much more than he actually is. He spends most of the time spacing out, which makes people wonder what is this ikemen prince thinking about, but behind that pretty face of his lies a scheming gay. He is always planning "evil" edgy things that he would not really do at all, but he still thinks about it bc idk?? He thinks it's cool and he is a cool edgelord in his mind.

He's delusional and a personal dream of his is to win against Leona. Zakari makes his entire life goal to compete against him, but since Zakari is too prideful to go following Leona around like a fan, he competes against him in "imaginary battles". He also tried the Savanaclaw housewarden position in his mind. ����

Students can oftentimes find Zakari mumbling to himself or talking to the voices in his head — it's better to leave him alone, he might bite.

Behind this weird ahh persona of his, he's actually a nice guy, but again, he's too prideful to admit.

Background

Surprisingly enough, he had a normal life. His mom was one of the royal guards of the Kingscholar family, and child Zakari would oftentimes encounter child Leona around. They were kind of friends, but Zakari's admiration twisted into a kinda toxic competition with Zakari wanting to be better than Leona.

Zakari might have evolved into a chuunibyou because his life was really just boring, and he was very boring himself (that's what he thinks, but is that the truth???), so he wanted to be a "cool" guy, and maybe have a personality that is interesting.

Trivia

Zakari is quick to lose his temper and does throw a lot of threats around, but he's... a kind soul deep inside. He says he would exterminate all flies from the world, but he wouldn't really hurt a single one.

"Ekon" means strong.

He hates chicken because in his opinion chicken tastes bland — it was his favorite food when he was a kid.

He likes tabletop RPG because he can be the coolest character however he wants.

Zakari believes wearing makeup makes him look less boring, but it's honestly not even for the aesthetic it's just for the competition 😭.

a/n: i changed almost everything about him, but in my opinion this version is better. this personality does not fit his design at all, but ig that's the intention???? 😭

[twstinginthewind]

[kingofthe7sins]

"I now see the path to our glorious return to Power!"

(A previous commission by the amazing Laizy_Boy04 on Instagram of another Twst OC of mine, Zaphyr Kingsley, based on Zira from Lion King 2)

[Savanaclaw: Second-year]

[Cousin to Kishan Kingsley (Shere Khan OC), and is Leona's Ex]

[Unique Magic: Queen's Lullaby. Can decay anything he touches]

[theplatinumcritter]

Was this... Is... Is this... Zira mention??

[tsubakill]

On the journey to draw each housewarden in an outfit worn by their movie inspiration, I was initially stumped on how to include Leona since Scar doesn't exactly wear clothes. But then I remembered there's a show in the theme parks called Festival of the Lion King where a performer wears this outfit to sing Be Prepared. I think it works really well here.

The other housewardens are linked on my pinned post. Only Malleus is left to go now; it wasn't intentional, but I guess he's the last one to be invited.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

book 7 part 11 thoughts! (nov 29th update)

***THIS POST CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR BOOK 7 PART 11 OF THE MAIN STORY!!*** This spans part 212 to part 226, focusing on Leona. Jack and Ruggie's parts can be seen here.

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

The gang lands in… Sunrise City again? Importantly, there is a new effect that plays which differentiates it from the Sunrise City of Ruggie’s dream. There are now dust and tumbleweeds.

Ruggie and Jack are totally fine with the turbulent flight over, since they’re used to bumpy rides on brooms while playing magift/spelldrive. Azul, however, is not doing so hot (because of the flight + weather). Ruggie takes pity on the poor octoboi and looks for a stall to buy him a cheap drink like tea or something. That’s when Ruggie notices something weird… the city is way more desolate than usual, and many of the stalls that are normally selling are no longer there or are closed up.

He tries to talk to some NPCs, but they notice he’s a hyena and hide out of fear. Well, that’s just… odd. So the group decides to scope out the palace (the most likely place Leona would be) to get to the bottom of things!

We arrive at the outskirts of the palace and the uh… coloring… is ominous.

Silver comments that they didn’t see any royal guards so the Sunset Savanna must be a very peaceful country :DD (… Oh, you poor, sweet, summer child…)

Ruggie tells him that no, this is definitely strange! Normally there would be many female guards around, in what world would it be easy to sneak into a palace undetected?! The current head of the royal guard is a female lion beastwoman, and most of the guards are females who are proud of their skill and strength. Many girls apparently do martial arts as children and then volunteer to be guards.

They come across some hyena beastmen who are laughing loudly. Their garb is that of Sunset Warriors, who, if you recall from Tamashina Mina/Cloudcalling on the Savanna, is a title that is highly coveted + honorable and earned through winning a Cat the Tail/Bead Brawl tournament (that people often train hard for). But these NPCs aren’t honorable or even that skilled to begin with, so Ruggie senses something is WAY wrong.

The NPCs become darkness (it seems the dreams are becoming a lot more actively aggressive in the Savanaclaw segments) and we beat them up.

The guards chase us but Idia uses his Mad Gamer Skills to hack open a door and then lock it so they cannot pursue us. We overhear some shouting and…!

OH MY GOSH… Kifaji finally gets s voice?!!?!?! He’s pleading with someone to take action because the country is starving.

We sneak over to the throne room (which looks frighteningly similar to that one scene where Scar is lounging on rocks which poor Zazu is caged)… AnD YUP TheRE GE iS 😭 LEONA THE pRINcE (KINg) OF sUNSET SaqvCANNA)

AD BfsvkugvukevuylFI GOYQELGQEGIOYOG7QEOfwp9FFG9Fw HORYKAM AFDK DFHBLAGIOEYEQOGAGENNAGOUIAG OOTL THAT KLSOoKKS NICE AFN HADBLADBIHLDBIADGBIADGIOYGOVUEGYAIOAGABHIG KFDGSBHJDGBHLAGBIAGEIBGE PLEA DSN SE DREES LIEK THOA T LMORE PODFTNETN DFSBKLAFJAFBHLGBIUPAGIVYAAPIDMK OT AS;OBUGDAIYOADGYIADGOVIYAGOIEGPBIQEG

[Brain buffering...]

SORRY WHERE WAS I

Kifaji mentions that Leona’s father has passed from illness, and tragedy befell his older brother, Falena, and his family (I assume Cheka and the wife are also out of the picture??) so Leona has now succeeded him. In this dream, Leona claims to have “cleaned up” the slums, pushed development, and mined the hell out of the country. They made a lot of money, but… at the cost of ignoring the advice of his advisors + the public’s opposition and destroying their environment. His style of ruling is just not sustainable.

Leona says he won’t listen to those who cling to old customs. Kifaji admits that Leona’s plans to improve the country were innovative but still…! This is too much. He tries to get Leona to see reason by reminding Leona that people AREN’T like chess pieces. People are so different and can work in ways you may not want them to. As king, Leona HAS to understand that and work with them regardless. Unfortunately, Leona refuses to acknowledge anyone but himself as competent.

Apparently those guards from earlier were the result of Leona giving jobs to people because they needed it. Leona being Leona, however, never gave them proper training and demands that Kifaji handle that.

OH MAn 💀 They hear shouting and it seems like there is a protest outside??

Dream!Ruggie is leading a crowd. He says stuff like how Falena was a better ruler than Leona ever was. They want food, they want nature back; they don’t want a king.

LMAOv???!!?!!?,) NOT LEONA GOING “damn, if they hate it here so much then they should just leave”????? 😭 THIS IS EXACTLY WhaT OUT OF tOUCH RICH poLITICIANs SAy WHEN PEopLE XOMPLaaiN AbOUT THEiR POLICiES

Leona orders Kifaji to shut up the protestors, he can’t nap like this 💀 Some things never change, I guess…

Ruggie takes them to the same luxury hotel we stayed at for the Tamashina Mina event (he expects Idia to pay for them lmao). It looks like not even this fancy place has any ingredients left though…

Idia retreads what he said in book 6; isn’t Leona the type to realize he’s in a dream? Yet he is deeply immersed in it. Silver wonders why Leona dreams of terrible things happening (like tragedy upon his family and the people hating him) if this dream is meant to be happy. Idia suggests that this is because Leona’s dream is like a sandbox game; ie Leona is “playing around” with the possibility it provides and clearly seems to be aware of the consequences that come with it (hence the terrible things Silver mentioned earlier). So maybe he’s catastrophizing…?

cbjsvsjwkw They talk about midnight snacking for a bit??

Idia talks about procedural generation and how the dream has to accommodate + load new maps as the player shifts around. But Leona doesn’t do that??? So it’s impressive or something cbsbbskskw I could be misunderstanding this part, I don’t know how tech stuff works 💦

They brainstorm some way to take away the king’s authority… and decide to use Cheka!! Ortho downloads a 3D model from Styx and Ruggie uses his UM to puppet it!

They try to break through the protestors and things get violent 😔 ashbfbiadiab LIKE ONE FO THE GUARDS HIT A MOM AND WAS ABOUT TO HIT YUU TOO BUT GOOD BOY SILVER PROTECTS US

Sebek, Silver, and Azul fight off the hyena guards while Ortho, Ruggie, Yuu, and Grim ride on Jack’s (wolf form) back to charge in. We finally get the incantation for Unleash Beast!! “Faster, sharper, stronger! Unleash Beast!”

Inside the palace, Leona demands meat and such from Kifaji. When Kifaji tells him there is none, Leona says go outside and get it 😭 THEN HE tHRETEnS TO FRY AnD EWT KIFAJI?????? AnD tHEN HE GRIPS KIFAjI BY THE cOLLAR WhEN HE SAYS FaLEnAmS nAmR… GIRL… YOU DiD NOT… NADSKILUASLBIADIBLD NOW HE'S ATTEMPTING TO SAND GRANMPS????

Ruggie barges in, TACKLING LEONA???? And pretending to be Cheka (with a really dumb voice LOL). But Leona clocks him right away and dispels the hologram. He accuses Ruggie of pretending to be Cheka to start a revolution and declares that this is punishable by death.

Kifaji protects us!! He uses fire to stop Leona’s attack, confirming him as a mage too. (That’s the first time the “darkness” in the dream has gone out of its way to help us rather than hinder us. Ortho suggests it is because the dreamer’s interpretation of the characters is important; the is could lead them to prioritizing their own behaviors rather than focusing on eliminating threats to the dream.) W AH 😭 Dream!Kifaji says he wishes for Leona to wake up from this bad dream…

Leona ran away in the brawl and is now outside the palace. He stews around and mutters that it isn’t his fault, so why did things turn out like this?

The hyena guards show up and pull Leona deeper into the dream. We of course leap in after him!!

Aaaaaand HERE WE ARE, a reality in which Leona and co. were successful in trampling Malleus or something... CRINGE CRINGE CRINGE how he gloats about his stupid ass plan that would NOT actually work irl. THANKS FOR REMINDNING ME ABOUT HOW CRAP BOOK 2 WAS, OJITAN... Azul has a moment where he laments that he had nooooo idea Leona would abuse the potion they made a deal over like this. He worries that Leona would have been too cocky and started taking out top performing students as well as athletes in order to pad out Savanaclaw's future in various fields.

AW JACKKKKK 😭 He says he can't stand aside and just watch this; the Leona-senpai he knows wouldn't be satisfied winning some fake game. Even when he has accomplished everything he wanted to, Leona isn't satisfied--so they've gotta snap him out of it!! aehjfaboboafevwtvaegp PUPPY... HE CARES SO MUCH ABOUT HIS DORM LEADER, AAAAAH

We confront Leona, with Azul claiming to have saved the Diasomnia team from his machinations. Leona notices there are two Ruggies and he starts to have that splitting 'I'm noticing things are off here" headache.

The Savanaclaw mobs start shouting and demanding to know what we did to "our king". DBHLFVLFEVIYOEAIAFE JACKGETS MAD AND SAYS LEOAN ISN'T "YOUR KING" HE'S "OUR DORM LEADER"!!!!! AAAAAAAHHAHAHHHHHAHHHHH H HHAHAHAHSH H HA HAHAHAHHHH H HHHHHHH H OTL

Leona wakes up and is a little prima donna about ita sdhlbaidbafa HE TELLS THEM TO WAKE HIM UP MORE DLEICATELY NEXT TIME... BITCH YLIKE YOU AHVE ANY RIGHT TO BE MAKING DEMANDS RIGHT NOW

Darkness, enter~ The group escapes it adgkhfihblffia BUT SEBEK SAYS DLEONA DESERVES THIS AND SILVER HAS TO STOP AND SCOLD HIM FOR SAYING THAT

Ruggie got caught and is now being sucked into the darkness. Leona runs back to grab him despite Ruggie's pleas to just run LH FABYOAFAEGAEG raARE WE GETITNGF TRI GELLA S ARE WE GETITNG GOOD LEADER BIG BRO L*ONA SAN WHO WON'T ABANDON HIS MINIONS EVER?a?? ? ?? ? ?????????? ?? ??? ? OTL The others warn Jack not to run over too, but he shouts that Leona and Ruggie-senpai are back there...

Leona throws Ruggie at Jack (who catches him) but falls into the darkness as a result. Welp, time to dive in after him!

ADFHBASBIYSAASD OKAY EHRE'S THE CRINGE I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR... Leona sees his OB self moping about how he'll never be king. aiubafpdasbas OB LEONA TALKS ABOUT HOW HE WANTS TO THROW FALENA AND CHEKA OFF A CLIFF A LA SCAR STYLE...

Leona says it's pathetic seeing himself like this, doesn't he have any pride? If he keeps complaining that no one understands him, keeps looking down on others, keeps desiring approval... That's just so miserable.

He does what the other OB boys have done and proceeds to punch his Phantom into the dirt. Leona tells himself that he'll get his "own throne and country someday". (As has been alluded to many times before, this doesn't refer to a literal kingdom but a metaphorical one; ie he will try to find satisfaction through routes other than the crown.) AND HE ACCEPTS THAT HE WILL ALWAYS HAVE THAT BITTERNESS INSIDE OF HIM WISHING TO BE KING... HE ACCPETS IIITTTTTTT T T T TTTTTtTttttttTt OTL

Leona returns back to his original dream, where it has started to rain and the sun has come out. Kifaji runs up to him with the morning report and reminds his prince that everything the light touches is his domain.

Leona says it’s unnecessary and someone like him doesn’t have a claim to the throne. To this, Kifaji smiles and praises Leona for being so clever OTL HE DOESn’T GET MAd anD TRY TO gET LEOnA TO SlEEP AgAiN… "So you've finally noticed [...] that this is a dream. As expected of you. my king." WHAT SO DREAM!kIFAJI KNEW ALL ALONG????? WAS THSI A PEICE OF LEONA'S CONSCIOUSNESS THAT WAS AWARE AND DECIDED TO MANIFEST AS KIFAJI TO SAVE HIS OWN ASS?????? ? ? ?? ?? ????

LMAOOOO Leona says if he ever becomes king irl he is firing Kifaji ASAP (but we all know he won’t 😭). Using King’s Roar, Leona renders his fake kingdom to sand… and Kifaji looks on so proudly 😭 telling Leona to go to “the place where he should be”… 😭 YOu’RW KIDDIng ME EiGHTvvvvv’nnnnn’nnnM!!!????

Leona reunites with the group and… asdbaislda sort of makes up with Ruggie? He asks for forgiveness but doesn't specify for what (I'm guessing for the sanding?). Ruggie jokes about adding "interest" to Leona's tab but ultimately forgives him.

WHOA, new Jack crying sprite?!?!?! (Like a tsun, he insists he is not crying.)

He thinks about the noble Leona in his own dream… and how terrible his senpai are irl… but Jack says he prefers the real Ruggie and Leona any day. He’s so happy they woke up him.

NUUUUUUuUyyUuUUUUUU 😭 RUGGIe - AnD LEOn a COMFORT CryING JACKKkKKKKKKKKKKK

After that, Ortho explains everything to Leona and Leona gloats a little about how he always thought Malleus would go and do something dumb like this. When Ortho invites Leona to join their party, Leona says he passes and would rather nap. He claims he’s exhausted cuz he saw sooo many unpleasant nightmares, so he’ll wait here ‘til everyone is ready to punch Malleus. Azul can handle things for him.

But then Ortho points out that Ruggie, Jack, and especially Azul took a lot of damage in his dream. Azul is battered quite a bit because he was busy dispatching royal guards! This guilts Leona enough for him to change his mind and join us.

Aaaand that’s if for this update!

Mmm... Part of me feels validated because many of the ideas I proposed in this analysis of Leona vs Falena's ruling styles were showcased in Leona's dream. For example, Leona disregarded public opinion, prioritized development without considering the input of advisors, and everyone grew to resent him because of that. When Tamashina Mina first came out, a common sentiment was siding with Leona and declaring that his plans would better the country + he would make a much better king that Falena when, clearly, development is a very delicate and not-so-easy thing to achieve... I'm glad that Twst took a realistic approach to this. That’s not to say I think Leona would really be a shit ruler or that things would get as bad as they do in his dream. I just don’t think he’s prepared to handle that presently. It’s good that he’s now focusing on graduating and he applied for that internship that will bo doubt help him gather the knowledge and skills he needs to help his country. If he keeps working hard, I’m sure he can be the sort of person that brings the rain to the savanna.

I thought the idea to pretend to be Cheka and return to claim the throne was interesting, but ultimately it went nowhere since Leona immediately knew it was a fake. This felt more like an excuse to have Ruggie and Jack use their mouse mandated UMs for the dream segments... I wish they had actually done more with this. Maybe I'm biased because I think Ruggie's fake Cheka voice was hilarious www

There were TONS of Lion King references in this dream, HOLY CRAP. AND LEMME TELL YOU, IW AS SLURPING IT ALL UP. Not because I like the movie (I think it's alright), BUT BECAUSE I'M AN AVID ZAZU X SCAR SHIPPER... (They're peak enemies to lovers, don't @ me) OTL (TO BE CLEAR THOUGH, I DO NOT SHIP LEONA AND KIFAJI. Please don't mix them up!!)

Speaking of Zazu and Scar!! It was cool to see Kifaji in the dream...! His role was so refreshing too. I loved that he wasn't actually hostile, protected us, and actively wanted Leona to "wake up" from this bad dream. I think that's so reflective of the real Kifaji too... He's stern on Leona but it's only because he cares for Leona's wellbeing and wants to see him at his best, not constantly brooding over what he cannot have. And the fact that dream!Kifaji knew all along it was a dream and wished so hard for Leona to wake from it... it implies to me that, for all the shit Leona slings at Kifaji, he actually relies on the old guy as a source of comfort. Kifaji was probably his one and only friend in the palace and one of the few people who continued to believe in him... BEST BIRD GRANDPA, HANDS DOWN.

I'm sliiiightly disappointed that Leona wasn't awake the entire time; this definitely felt like a missed opportunity but at least Idia addressed what he said back in book 6 and provided a reason for it (even if I think the reason is flimsy). This might be cope on my part, but I think... part of Leona's self-awareness came through in how dream!Kifaji manifested. Maybe, just maybe... that Kifaji is the one shred of hope Leona has left for himself... Not just the part of him that knows this is a dream, but also the part of him that believes he can change and be a truly "good" ruler... AGAIN, PROBABLY COPE BUT LET ME DREAM.

Another character I felt really shone this update (besides Kifaji) was JACK. This shocks me because I don't really like him as a character but MAN, did he shine... He was the one who noticed Leona is unhappy even within his own dream where he has everything he could ever want. He's the one who shouts at the dream!mobs that Leona isn't THEIR king, he's HIS dorm leader. ANKDBHLADBILAIBA ASND THEN HE CRIED AND GOT ALL TSUNDERE ABOUT IT... THE SENPAI RUSHED TO COMFOR T HIM AJKDHAKHAFVAFVOEFUQEFTLFIHAFLEFWTUEOFIYPAFOB THAT WAS ADORABLE!!!! 😭😭😭 This update and the last really showed me Jack's true appeal...

asbkhlabiylfailyveioyqegi I LOVE HOW HTHSJ UPADATE JUST ENDS WITH ELONA SAYING HE'S GOING TO FUCKING TAKE A NAP... but then he gets off his ass and joins us after everyone reminds him how tired the others are and how hard his underclassmen worked to get through to him. HE'S REALLY NOT BEAITN GHT E "I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE KIDS BUT I SECRETLY DO CARE ABOUT THE KIDS" ALLEGATIONS . CVL;,SKJ'NGD;OBGDBIEGIFQWVGUEQVQE UQEO YFy vao ygFWOI Vf OTL

Not sure if I 100% get why this part had to be update separate of Ruggie and Jack’s part…? I mean, Kifaji helping us out and Leona having some amount of self-awareness was nice but I don’t think it was major enough to warrant waiting another week to see.

Next up is Heartslabyul which is in early December. It’s coming up quickly!

[rikas-things]

My relationship to Leona in a nutshell.

And yes, Leona stans do exist. All five of us.