#wisty's fic breakdowns

[wisteriainslumber]

Seeing is Believing - Breakdown

Welcome alll!! I am starting a new series for my fics, where I basically throw in some trivia, reveal a few of my reoccurring writing themes/motifs, and walk through my fics!

I'll only be going through a few specific scenes at my leisure or upon request, so this post will be the first and last time we walk through an entire fic together. Now, let's get started wooo

This contains spoilers and all tags applicable to seeing is believing!

*Note: the original fic is still very open to interpretation. this post plucks out hints that may assist in your interpretation of it

Names

The presence of names are so important in my fics. The importance of the names lies less in the meaning but more in their appearance. Names gives someone an identity, and being named hints at someone's reappearance or their significance in the plot!

Ortho regards BeBe and Pabby with importance, treating them like they are alive. Later on, Ortho's attachment to them serves as a pivotal point in the climax of the plot.

And who can forget Moirai, the Fates, Idia's favourite idol group? Their name appearance is a subtle foreshadow, as Atropos is the Fate that cuts the thread of life ^^

(This exchange right at the start with the headmaster hints about why Atropos is Idia's 'bias'. Get it? cause he wants to di-)

Here's another appearance of a name! 'Persie' is the name of a cat Cater & Idia own in another work of mine. Remember when Idia and Mal talked about multiple universes? Readers who recognize this cameo can catch that it is from a different universe! But readers who do not can think of it as 'Persie' being named off 'Persephone', the Lady who now lives between the over and underworlds.

The second paragraph also details another work of mine, untitled and unreleased as of now, but the appearance of both of these paragraphs supports that the magical collision of both Malleus and Idia combined managed to tear its way into new universes (or, Idia got hit hard enough he saw through the multiple universes the two talked about earlier!)

And if the appearance of names marks someone's significance, then the lack of a name marks.. well :)

A brief intermission for an interesting fact :D Remember when Idia brushed off BeBe and Pabby as stiches and fabric?

Later on, Ortho echoes his words. It is due to a bunch of reasons, with a prominent one being that Idia unintentionally programmed his own thought process into Ortho.

Idia's relationship with Malleus

Malleus is constantly belittling or treating Idia like a toddler, which reflects in Idia's internal monologue, a 'conscience' that was fed to him. He'll find a way to reassure himself, saying that things were because of iron deficiency, or eye strain, and barely questions why he can't see anything clearly anymore.

When Idia is revealing the hidden messages in his room, there is a mention that a 'Marionette brings false hope' along with an onimous message to 'Believe in One'

We know these messages were fed to him via Malleus because they refer to Ortho as a doll/puppet (and is basically puppeteering everyone). Mal likes to play God™, and there's a conversation that follows where Malleus tells Idia,

Idia is on constant surveillance from Malleus, since Ortho is not asleep at all, Malleus doesn't know how to portray the Ortho Idia knows! So Malleus always chatting to Idia, prying information from him.

From Mal's POV, they're only doing research in order to provide Idia the sweetest of dreams, and that Idia's rebellion is trivial or a phase.

They even get on a nickname basis later, a sign of 'close friends', in order for Idia to let down his guard. The way that Idia immediately dials up Malleus' number hints to how many times it has been done :)

There is a constant mention of birthdays for a reason! There are themes of rebirth and death, and it may assist you in cracking these codes :)

This is left open in the narrative, but the way everything is so messy and cryptic is actually because Malleus is seriously monitoring everything! These fragments of writing that Idia doesn't remember are his own way of helping himself, because he'd (and Ortho) could possibly be the only ones to understand!

These bold dialogue choices are Mal's overblot voice showing, a break in Idia's reality if you will.

get it bc this is what a parent would do

We know the Ortho that Idia speaks to on the phone is an illusion, but Malleus spies on Idia through Ortho. A few slips ups being that he recalls memories differently and even encourages Idia to put on a lullaby.

+ this is the second mention of comets in the fic!

And at the end, we do eventually find out Ortho was being puppeteered by the blot/Malleus all along. rip to those sweet dreams

Stars, Time, and Death(?)

I use the star dividers to indicate a new dream cycle or timeline. Idia will constantly mix up dates, if it was the start of the semester, someone's birthday, etc. He also mixes up technical language and personal language when referring to Ortho. It goes to show how many times the universe had to be reset because of Idia 'waking up' or questioning his faith in Malleus haha

Comets appear whenever Idia thinks of Ortho. We are led to believe that it is because Idia recalls the Starsending event, even Idia directly comparing Ortho to a shooting star in the narrative. However, in our fourth mention of the comets they are referred to in a negative connotation.

Comets are notoriously bad luck because when people first saw them they thought the world was ending LMAOOO. So, now it is revealed that the comets were a 'bad sign', and who else would be trying to send a bad signs coincidentally when Ortho is mentioned.. hmmm..

A few working titles for this fic was 'samsara' and 'comet sighting', but were scrapped because I liked how the final title was a fun nod to the Orpheus and Eurydice story as well as how Idia never actually does see Ortho (Remember, Malleus is the only one Idia sees clearly). A new branch or loop begins when Idia recognizes Ortho.

The hand in the mirror, the horses that pull the carriage, and of course, the students being 'reborn' from a coffin are some nods to how Yuu was transported to Night Raven College.

Before the Yuu emerges from the coffin, they hear horses (presumably taking them to the school). So basically we end with hearing the horses and the story basically starts again with Idia coming out from the coffin. Time loop!! (or he's dead, who knows).

This story was always meant to be read multiple times! The first for the shock factor, the second to digest, and the other times to analyze or enjoy it however you'd like. These texts support the death/rebirth motif of the game as well as the circumstances of this fic!

And that's the end, thanks for reading! I hope you found this a little bit interesting and if you'd like to see more then let me know! Maybe some time in the future, I'll reveal some of my favourite drafts and deleted scenes.

[wisteriainslumber]

➵ navigation

TWST Cast Headcanons

NRC vs Micky D's

A Day in the Life of an NRC Student

NRC vs Animal Crossing

NRC vs Escape Room

Club Day at NRC

NRC as Children

NRC in the Haunted House [Newest!]

TWST Pairing Headcanons

platonic/romantic requests for these are OPEN!

Leona/Idia/Vil General HCs

Wisty's AO3 fic breakdowns

Seeing is Believing