an analysis of leona kingscholar and ruggie bucchi’s relationship | twisted wonderland
disclaimer: this analysis is a take on my own interpretation of the characters and their lore. if you agree and want to add on, feel free to do so! if you’re just going to argue without factual proof, i’d rather you save it for your own post instead. this is a safe space for both Leona and Ruggie lovers.
first, let’s start off with Leona Kingscholar. the second-born prince of Sunset Savanna, the one whose dreams are all dashed. Leona is clearly a very intelligent character; there’s tons of proof of this. i can go off on how mischaracterized Leona is, but i’ll save it for another post.
but in any case, Leona is smart. and that’s why he has Ruggie by his side.
to me, Ruggie Bucchi’s main goal is survival. and if he can get the easy life in addition to surviving, then why would he ever say no? Leona and Ruggie’s relationship is very much like a symbiotic relationship, where they both benefit off of each other. to Leona, Ruggie is a helping hand that can do a lot of the work he doesn’t actually want to execute himself, all for the price of a few thaumarks or a deluxe sandwich from the cafeteria or whatever Ruggie desires (that’s within reason, of course). meanwhile to Ruggie, Leona is someone who’s willing to provide for him as long as he puts in the work.
and it works for them! with Ruggie’s resourcefulness and Leona’s huge wallet, they both mutually benefit from their deal.
now i’m going to move on to book 2 and Leona’s Overblot. there’s quite a lot of arguments and hate directed towards Leona because “he almost killed Ruggie! he injured him! he’s a monster!”.
here’s the thing though: Ruggie quite literally kept badgering Leona. i’m not saying that Leona’s response was justifiable, but even Lilia says it; how Leona could never compare to Malleus (in terms of being king-like) because the way the latter reacted was like that of a child. he was acting like a spoiled kid because his dreams and scheme of taking down Malleus got exposed and ruined. and Ruggie, who probably didn’t think Leona would hurt him or even realized he was so close to Overblotting, was the closest person to Leona. so on top of him arguing with Leona about giving up, Leona’s already riled up about other matters. and again, while Ruggie didn’t deserve what happened, he’s also not innocent in the grand scheme of things. he was a willing participant in the plot to take down Malleus pre-comp.
and as i said before, i really think that Ruggie’s ultimate goal is always survival, even if it means he has to work a bit harder. he’s not stupid; Ruggie made it into NRC of his own volition and hard work. he didn’t even know Leona personally before NRC. it’s just that being at Leona’s side helps him a lot in many ways. if Leona was truly a danger to Ruggie, he’d scram. he wouldn’t put his life in jeopardy if he knew his chances of surviving were slim to none.
and in any case, as per book 6, those who Overblotted at NRC have all been checked and verified by magical professionals that ensured that they were okay, that their lives weren’t still in danger, etc etc. as such, Leona isn’t a danger to anyone anymore (at least, not any more than he was before). and Ruggie knows this. that’s why he still stays by Leona’s side, why he still chastises him without fear, why he still works for him.
additionally, Ruggie was well enough to play in Spelldrive matches during the tournament and was even after. he also continues to joke at Leona (especially laughing over Cheka’s “Unca!” entrance). so clearly, he’s not too fussed over what happened. he probably milked his injury to get stuff from Leona. and after book 2, they’re still seen together. i wish the writers for the game delved into this more (which leads me to another issue i have: how poorly written book 2 is. but that’s another issue for another post).
i know people will always have their difference in opinions on Leona and Ruggie’s relationship, but seeing Leona get so blatantly mischaracterized just never sat right with me. of course he’s not the only character to be mischaracterized, but i find that when it comes to the subject, his name often appears. you can accuse me of being biased because i love Leona, but honestly i could go on a rant about so many TWST characters and how mischaracterized they are by the fandom, because it’s not just Leona. i love Ruggie but even he isn’t the perfect angel compared to Leona. he also actively injured students to achieve his dreams alongside Leona.
these characters are all portrayed after villains, so they’re all going to do evil things!! so like,, please don’t act like certain characters are better than others morally when they’re not :,)
