I may sound nonsensical, but I’m trying to figure out Cater’s groovy…as in, the breakdown that will occur once the dream is broken
I wonder…I’m not as well versed with Cater’s character, so please take this with a grain of salt. But I wonder if Cater taking the role of the “Trick King” is the want to find identity
I can’t help but think about earlier in Book 7, where Cater has no idea where he wants to go or what he wants to do for an internship, despite everyone else already having theirs planned out. After hearing everyone’s plans, he “jokes” about how small he feels in comparison. Despite attending a school as prestigious as Night Raven College, he feels his ideas pale in comparison to everyone else’s. But also, maybe he doesn’t have as defined of a sense of self
He constantly moved around as a child due to his father’s business, never having the opportunity to build upon his connections from a young age (There’s a fun theory that Cater’s family may be behind this studio in Vil’s dream). What’s really fascinating to me is that he compares himself to a circus performer that’s always traveling and never staying.
Additionally, his older sisters were the one to call the shots. Even though he claims the dynamic is not that bad now, I think it’s a little telling by that to this day, he’s not at all homesick and dreads going home. His younger days of “cute” being the rule of the Diamond household sticks with him.
The manga also visually showcases a lot of Cater’s unsaid feelings, and the distance he feels from everyone else. Typically the follower, never feeling really part of the group. His Halloween vignette, which is rather anguishing overall lol, describes himself as feeling helpless. No power, no bonds like the others have. He’s always holding himself back and keeping a trove of secrets- because there’s never time for something more before his leaves again
Cater may struggle to identify who he is. Unique Magic’s are often intertwined with the events or personality in a person’s life, and it’s rather interesting to me that Cater’s magic takes the form of “clones.” You can’t tell which one is the real him
But what if the Trick King Cater was none of that? He is no clone- he bears the mark of a crown. A marking not even Riddle has. Trick King Cater is flashy, bold, ornate- the one to call the shots, the one holding the gavel. It’s not abiding by the Queen of Heart’s rules like Riddle- it’s his own rules that will birth new traditions. He’s no longer just some “circus performer.” The Trick King has the ability to create his path and identity through authority. Behind the crown, Cater no longer has to worry about who is he, or what he will do.
…Sort of like the King of Hearts in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. The king of hearts in pretty much powerless in comparison to the Queen, and is always following her whims.. But he’s still the king. His orders still have authority to the card soldiers. The crown defines him- there’s no question of who he is. It doesn’t matter if he’s meek or just a follower to the Queen, it doesn’t matter what his own ambitions were or the person he once was. His identity now is that of a king.
So maybe, the Trick King is a title for Cater to protect himself with- the “Diamond Spectator” now hidden with the title of King. Of wanting a concrete title, of truly being a part of something greater; like the Heartslabyul Dorm.
Something along those lines,,, I have no idea 💦
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